Quote Originally Posted by DWFII View Post
No offense (wishful thinking I'm sure) but isn't there a contradiction there? People want more PV, or buy/wear MUGs in preference to traditional wool kilts...and then wonder why the woolen mills are going tips up?

We see this all the time with shoes. People cry for quality shoes but buy "affordable" (read under $200.00) and then can't figure out why they fall apart.

Might as well be wishing for the moon.

No... it's not a contradiction.

There are 2 'schools of thought' on the issue.

1. There are those who think, as you do, 'budget kilts will kill the traditional kilt market'. (poor investment of funds, rising material costs, and 'cheap' customers are much bigger factors)

2. There are others who think 'Budget kilts are a gateway to buying a nice wool kilt'.

In my experience (being a kilt maker and retailer of BOTH Budget kilts AND wool kilts), the latter is more true. The majority of the people who come into my store have an idea about how much they want to spend. If that number is $100 - $200 or so, then they would walk out if I didn't have anything in their price range. It's almost impossible to get someone who only wants to spend $100 - $200 to re-evaluate finances (in a poor economic climate) and spend $500 on an 8 Yard traditional kilt. Are there those who come in looking for a $320 or $500 wool kilt and walk out with a less expensive model JUST b/c it's cheaper? I can probably count those instances (in 8 years of business) on one hand.

Also, many customers own more than 1 kilt for different scenarios. Would you wear an 8 Yard family heir loom to mow the grass or go to a pub or a rugby match? No. That's another reason to invest in a low priced alternative. Does that preclude you from owning a nice wool kilt for formal events? No... those kilts are generally reserved for instances where there's less chance of 'destruction'.

What I have also found is that we have MANY repeat customers who 'climb the ladder' to nicer and nicer models. They start out with a budget kilt, find out they like wearing a kilt and THEN invest more in a wool kilt. If there were NO 'low priced alternatives' to wool kilts, a large percentage of my customers would never own a nice wool kilt... or any kilt at all for that matter. THEN the tradition of kilts in general would start to decline.