There are a few things I could say about this photo, and I will say them. I touched on this subject in this post some time ago, but I did not elaborate on the results of my search.
When I first got here I didn't find any Levi's or Wrangler's. Many times you will find that the off brands you buy are not worth anything. It would be the same if you were to just take the money out of your pocket and throw it in the trash.
Eventually, I found a pair of jeans that lasted, as a matter of fact I still have them, they fit, and they are a little worn but without any faults or tears except for the pockets being thin and about to break. There's no brand name on them and I can't remember for the life of me where I bought them.
I have been here for many years and I have bought hundreds of pairs of jeans in my search for ones that are good. That's why I was so excited when I saw a Levi's store and I went in and I bought two pairs immediately. That was about a year ago. The jeans you see in the cover photo are those first jeans that I bought here.
Sadly, I went out to the same store and bought three pairs for each of my sons. "Why so sad?" you ask...
Well, every single pair that I bought for me and my kids has, mega sadly, torn at the crotch. It's not that the seams gave way, but rather the material in that area gave way. it's an impossible thing to repair with needle and thread because the denim is just so weak from the factory.
In this country, you can buy Nike and Puma and many other kinds of really good brands for really cheap prices, but it is common knowledge that they are nothing more than "trucho" (knock offs). It's a simple thing! Somebody opens up a factory and copies the product, the logos, the colors, and even the official tags. But the quality of these products is very questionable to say the least.
The cover photo of this post you see the pants and the leather brand around the belt loop area and you see the tear that occurred. You also see the bag that the pants came in when I purchased them. And finally you see a stack of 1,000 peso bills. You're looking at 100,000 pesos.
Each bill is worth 88 cents, to the whole stack is worth about one pair of "Levi's" ā¬ ļø those are air quotes you see here. I paid between $50 and $80 for each pair and that's worse than the knock off shoes or shirts that you might buy because you actually think you're getting good product. Then you have to go and buy it again. Rinse and repeat.
I heard recently that Levi's has made some very bad decisions in the area of PR and hiring, like Bud Light did, which begs the question, "Has the quality dropped or are people here making knock off Levis?" I am banking on the former which leaves me with nothing left to look for except jeans that are bound to only last a few months.
It's bad enough to have high inflation, like that we have here or that what you have in the United States, but it's a double whammy when the things you buy are not worth buying in the first place.
I think I will now go back to posting about my experiences when I first arrived because back then they were happier memories and lots to learn including the language.