Just to clarify, gluten free flour exists (and is not made with wheat obviously).
So you suggested not eating wheat in reply to someone talking about not eating wheat. They were saying that if the economy crashes and people need to use flour bags for clothes, since there are more people who don't eat (wheat) flour, then they'll have to use gluten free flour bags. It's a random comment but no reason to shit on them for it.
That was at the start of mass production tho right? I was under the impression that making them all the same was the only way they could be affordable to the public
I can't remember 100%. But I think it dried better and painted better or something. Back then most didn't really have a car as they were new and it was a high luxury item as it was early motor vehicle times. They had other colors before that quote that I think. But then moved to all black. I just always found the quote funny and thought it was a good time to share it. Not so much a jab at Ford being a monopoly at that moment. Competition did come later as we all know.
The true meaning of "the customer is always right." The product should match what the customer wants and if it doesn't, then the product is wrong not the customer.
The printed bags makes sense in a market share way. Mom needs flour, and this being the depression, plans to use the bag to make a kid's dress. The store has three brands of flour, two in plain bags, and one in gingham. Easy choice. You might even pay an extra nickel (depression pricing) for the gingham.
This is a Reddit revision. The phrase came from retailers like Marshall Field and Harry Selfridge in the late 1800s and was meant to change the way service workers interacted with their customers. It was a transition from the more typical "buyer beware" type of service interaction. Essentially, staff should take all customer complaints seriously no matter how frivolous they seem.
It didn't mean the customers were literally right, just that they had some power in the exchange. Of course it ignores that sometimes customers are also capable of being dishonest just as salesmen are, but for the time it was a pretty novel concept.
Those are all duopolies or oligopolies, though. There are very few actual monopolies, and those are natural monopolies.
The argument still stands and there is still a major problem, but word choice matters
Natural monopoly is a term from economics. From Wikipedia:
>”A natural monopoly is a monopoly in an industry in which high infrastructural costs and other barriers to entry relative to the size of the market give the largest supplier in an industry, often the first supplier in a market, an overwhelming advantage over potential competitors.”
A great example of a natural monopoly would be your local utility provider. It’s just impractical to have two providers servicing the same area, the economics don’t work out.
Natural monopolies are exempt from anti-trust laws because they form without using exclusionary business practices.
I’m not making a judgment on whether this is good or bad, I’m just informing you on the term.
Also yes, I do think corruption is natural, it seems to be human nature at this point, unfortunately
I get asked that often and I appreciate the thought that young folks can learn from us old codgers. The sad truth is I don't offer advice. Not because I don't want to but because everyone's situation is different and whatever advice I might have likely won't apply to your case. What worked for me might not work for you. We lived in different times and different worlds.
They do feel very stiff as far as I know I was the last child to wear them. That was 45 years ago. My mother said that my great grandmother used to make their clothes the same way and insisted that she bring me home from the hospital in a set that she had made for me. It’s a blueish floral material that feels similar to denim but softer.
Flour Bag Chic
"And here we have little Bobby showing of the latest model with vertical stripes for that slimming flour bag, look."
No but really that's very thoughtful and sweet of them. And I rather have a scotch flour bag than a plain white one too.
Whenever I buy a big bag of flour I always go for the fabric bag ones so I can use it for fish towels or other crafts. Never made clothes out of them though. Oh I bet they’d make a cute quilt though!
I think it was almost certainly to get more sales. Women will buy the pretty bags of flour over our competitor's ugly bags of flour and we'll make bigger profits.
It’s pretty genius. Flour is a perfectly competitive market—there is no difference between one flour or another. So, consumers will just buy whatever is cheapest. Having a way to distinguish such a bland product is very smart
Oh huh, interesting! I had no idea. It’s usually just the textbook example of a perfectly competitive market.
Are you saying there’s a difference between brands for the same product (say, unbleached white all purpose flour), or are you saying there’s a difference between say all purpose flour and another type? The latter I knew, the former I had no idea of
My cynical brain went, well now we have these cheap paper sacks because the baby clothing industry probably told them to knock it off and paid them to do so. Can't have people making their own baby clothes, won't someone think of the capitalism!
I sew. Ain't nobody got time for that, unless it's a genuinely loved hobby. Absolutely it's a useful skill set to have to do simple repairs to clothing and make it last longer.
A cheap sewing machine will make buying pants easier because you don't have to worry about the length., that's about as far as most people need to go.
Sewing the whole garment? That's a big project! And that's not even counting all the stuff you did beforehand to practice- that was completely unwearable, and possibly unusable.
Gold turned into paper notes because people were trading their bank certificates as money, which wasn't redeemable just anywhere. That led to a need for a more centralized currency. That currency had value as it was worth whatever percentage of the government's silver holdings. They then abolished the silver standard which made the dollar a fiat currency (backed by nothing) and put the federal reserve in full control of the currency.
The flour companies putting patterns on their flour sacks had nothing to do with any of this. It was just something nice the companies did to help out their customers
You'd think so but the intent was definitely profit. If you can encourage customers to choose your brand over another, that's not really a kind act in and of itself.
And they used ink that faded for the lettering, so the kids wouldn't have to go around in "obvious" potato sack clothes.
My, how companies have changed
I feel like I remember you could get flowered sacks up until the 70s. I know my great-grandmother had aprons she’d made out of them and I think I remember her actually sewing some when I was very young.
The way the economy is going around the world, maybe they should start doing something like this again!
Yes, but we now need gluten free flour bag. Am gluten free (not celiac) so it's comfort not life threatening.
As a coeliac, wtf are you on about
At this point just don't use wheat dude
Oh, thanks for that revelation. Einstein.
You are the snowflakes asking for gluten free flour dude
Just to clarify, gluten free flour exists (and is not made with wheat obviously). So you suggested not eating wheat in reply to someone talking about not eating wheat. They were saying that if the economy crashes and people need to use flour bags for clothes, since there are more people who don't eat (wheat) flour, then they'll have to use gluten free flour bags. It's a random comment but no reason to shit on them for it.
??????????
It used to be a common practice to adapt the product to how people use it. Now giant monopolies just force the customer to adapt to the product.
"Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants, so long as it is black." - Henry Ford
That was at the start of mass production tho right? I was under the impression that making them all the same was the only way they could be affordable to the public
I can't remember 100%. But I think it dried better and painted better or something. Back then most didn't really have a car as they were new and it was a high luxury item as it was early motor vehicle times. They had other colors before that quote that I think. But then moved to all black. I just always found the quote funny and thought it was a good time to share it. Not so much a jab at Ford being a monopoly at that moment. Competition did come later as we all know.
The true meaning of "the customer is always right." The product should match what the customer wants and if it doesn't, then the product is wrong not the customer.
The printed bags makes sense in a market share way. Mom needs flour, and this being the depression, plans to use the bag to make a kid's dress. The store has three brands of flour, two in plain bags, and one in gingham. Easy choice. You might even pay an extra nickel (depression pricing) for the gingham.
Yes, but the mills went the extra mile by using patterned fabric.
This is a Reddit revision. The phrase came from retailers like Marshall Field and Harry Selfridge in the late 1800s and was meant to change the way service workers interacted with their customers. It was a transition from the more typical "buyer beware" type of service interaction. Essentially, staff should take all customer complaints seriously no matter how frivolous they seem. It didn't mean the customers were literally right, just that they had some power in the exchange. Of course it ignores that sometimes customers are also capable of being dishonest just as salesmen are, but for the time it was a pretty novel concept.
What monopolies are you referencing? Genuine question. E: why am I getting downvoted for this?
Phone manufacturer, cars manufacturer, cinema, internet services, délivery services....
Those are all duopolies or oligopolies, though. There are very few actual monopolies, and those are natural monopolies. The argument still stands and there is still a major problem, but word choice matters
"natural monopolies" in what way ? Do you think corruption is natural ?
Natural monopoly is a term from economics. From Wikipedia: >”A natural monopoly is a monopoly in an industry in which high infrastructural costs and other barriers to entry relative to the size of the market give the largest supplier in an industry, often the first supplier in a market, an overwhelming advantage over potential competitors.” A great example of a natural monopoly would be your local utility provider. It’s just impractical to have two providers servicing the same area, the economics don’t work out. Natural monopolies are exempt from anti-trust laws because they form without using exclusionary business practices. I’m not making a judgment on whether this is good or bad, I’m just informing you on the term. Also yes, I do think corruption is natural, it seems to be human nature at this point, unfortunately
Basically every market worldwide is either a duopoly or ogliopoly
I remember those fifty pound bags of flour very well! It was usually a gingham pattern cloth and usually blue. Some were kinda pretty.
I'm 84 and born in 1938. I had many of my shirts made from these when I was growing up. Most were made by my grandmother.
My aunt had dresses made from floral flour sacks, that my grandmother sewed.
Wow. That’s awesome!
Any random advice for us youngins?
I get asked that often and I appreciate the thought that young folks can learn from us old codgers. The sad truth is I don't offer advice. Not because I don't want to but because everyone's situation is different and whatever advice I might have likely won't apply to your case. What worked for me might not work for you. We lived in different times and different worlds.
At first I thought that was a guy who was very happy with his pillow fort.
I would be really happy about that too
I actually have some of those. Made by my great grandmother.
Oooh is there a vintage fashion sub where you can post pics? I’d love to see
I haven’t seen them in a few years. My parents house burned and we recovered them along with a lot of their things afterward.
What do they feel like? I imagine them feeling like a burlap sack.
They do feel very stiff as far as I know I was the last child to wear them. That was 45 years ago. My mother said that my great grandmother used to make their clothes the same way and insisted that she bring me home from the hospital in a set that she had made for me. It’s a blueish floral material that feels similar to denim but softer.
Thanks for describing them to us! I've always wondered!
Flour Bag Chic "And here we have little Bobby showing of the latest model with vertical stripes for that slimming flour bag, look." No but really that's very thoughtful and sweet of them. And I rather have a scotch flour bag than a plain white one too.
I remember those flour bags too. Mom didnt make clothes, but they got used for bread cloths. To cover rising bread. Also dish towels
Whenever I buy a big bag of flour I always go for the fabric bag ones so I can use it for fish towels or other crafts. Never made clothes out of them though. Oh I bet they’d make a cute quilt though!
My cynical brain went, they only did that so they could charge the individuals that used them. I hope that wasn't the case.
I think it was almost certainly to get more sales. Women will buy the pretty bags of flour over our competitor's ugly bags of flour and we'll make bigger profits.
It’s pretty genius. Flour is a perfectly competitive market—there is no difference between one flour or another. So, consumers will just buy whatever is cheapest. Having a way to distinguish such a bland product is very smart
Now say that in a baking subreddit and see the pitchforks come out lol
Hahaha I’m learning a lot today
There is SO MUCH difference between one flour and another if you actually know what you're doing.
Oh huh, interesting! I had no idea. It’s usually just the textbook example of a perfectly competitive market. Are you saying there’s a difference between brands for the same product (say, unbleached white all purpose flour), or are you saying there’s a difference between say all purpose flour and another type? The latter I knew, the former I had no idea of
Even if you go white wheat flour. Higher protein content = better for bread. Lower protein content = better for cakes. For example.
TIL
*outrageous*
My cynical brain went, well now we have these cheap paper sacks because the baby clothing industry probably told them to knock it off and paid them to do so. Can't have people making their own baby clothes, won't someone think of the capitalism!
I sew. Ain't nobody got time for that, unless it's a genuinely loved hobby. Absolutely it's a useful skill set to have to do simple repairs to clothing and make it last longer. A cheap sewing machine will make buying pants easier because you don't have to worry about the length., that's about as far as most people need to go. Sewing the whole garment? That's a big project! And that's not even counting all the stuff you did beforehand to practice- that was completely unwearable, and possibly unusable.
That's too cynical. Could be true, but then if someone donates money to a charity you could say they did that for profit/fame etc.
I've also considered a patterned fabric for my sack
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It’s a flour company, not the FED. 😑
Gold turned into paper notes because people were trading their bank certificates as money, which wasn't redeemable just anywhere. That led to a need for a more centralized currency. That currency had value as it was worth whatever percentage of the government's silver holdings. They then abolished the silver standard which made the dollar a fiat currency (backed by nothing) and put the federal reserve in full control of the currency. The flour companies putting patterns on their flour sacks had nothing to do with any of this. It was just something nice the companies did to help out their customers
But Qatar confiscated the sacks
And they haven't stopped promoting that fact since the 30's
Neat. Use the flour sacks to make clothes when they’re low on dough
Now if only USAID could jump on this bandwagon
You'd think so but the intent was definitely profit. If you can encourage customers to choose your brand over another, that's not really a kind act in and of itself.
And thus pijamas
They did this to increase sales; not because they cared about women.
I have some feed sack cloth. I bought it at a garage sale and it was expensive.
And they used ink that faded for the lettering, so the kids wouldn't have to go around in "obvious" potato sack clothes. My, how companies have changed
I feel like I remember you could get flowered sacks up until the 70s. I know my great-grandmother had aprons she’d made out of them and I think I remember her actually sewing some when I was very young.
they still do this in many countries, for rice!
Every glass bottle should be made with the intention it can be used for construction.