| > All kidding aside though, I /do/ understand why he wants to just fix it | > rather than take it back for a refund. I fix a ton of things that 99% | > would toss. | | That's what happens when one grows up in the | shadow of The Great Depression.
Anyone living who grew up during the Depression would be at least 85 now. My very elderly father grew up in the Depression. (Born 1922.) He still buys groceries based on price rather than taste or nutritional value. (And finding a bargain is still the high point of his week.) I grew up in the 60s and early 70s, when white picket fences were starting to look a bit haggard and we could afford to question the American Dream that we were being herded into.
But I enjoy being able to do things for myself. In general I find it very practical. Why throw out a perfectly good hot water bottle if it can be fixed? It's *usually* more economical. There's also an aesthetic/moral aspect: We all waste a great deal because we simply don't need to pay attention. But that's a sloppy, unsatisfying way to live. It can also an expensive way to live. (Computerized devices and smart phones are a great current example. People buy new ones before they've even paid off the old ones, which they really didn't need in the first place.)
But as Clint Eastwood said so well, "A man's just got to know his limitations." Last week we got a new toaster oven. Supposedly high-end. A fancy Italian model from Bloomingdales that was deeply discounted. It was junk. The elements only partially heated. Besides, the thing was ridiculously big. A giant, caverous waste of heat just to cook toast. So I'm not researching replacement elements. That toaster oven went back. :)
That brings up an interesting issue, though, that I expect others have noticed: We live in a time of global trade, yet variety keeps shrinking. There used to be more stores, carrying more items. A hardware store would be run by someone who knew hardware and ordered from numerous suppliers. Likewise with dpartment stores. Today they all contract with a stock company to fill the shelves with whatever's cheap this month, and they all carry the same things. It's the same with clothing, electronics, etc. Target carries the same electroincs models that Best Buy has. CVS is a clone of Walgreens. Lowes is a clone of HD. Hardware stores all stock the same selection of hinges and pulls. Is there more than one company supplying hot water bottles in the US? I don't know. Probably. But I wouldn't be surprised if there isn't.