How and why do people who aren’t actually well off pay for this stuff?

[Watersunscream]

If I told you our income I would be told we are in the top percent of earners etc but I honestly couldn’t actually justify or financially manage these sorts of purchases.

Has anyone heard of the essentials brand? Literally hundreds for a tracksuit. I think another is Bergen? Expensive t shirts. Then there’s the usual like Fred Perry etc.

Obviously I know lots of wealthy people buy these things too but it’s mostly people from low income backgrounds. How do I know this? Because people I work with who live in deprived areas and not paid much are forever talking about these things! They actually buy the stuff for holidays or as gifts at Christmas etc. Is this a misguided attempt to gain status? An insecurity thing? I find it really bizarre, it wouldn’t ever cross my mind to spend this.

Some people use Klarna, Clearpay, Vinted, credit cards. I use Klarna often to purchase various items (not for tracksuits).

A lot of it is 'to keep up with the Joneses'. Spend on credit/pay later. Kids pressuring parents for designer stuff. Shit will hit the fan eventually when we have another recession.

Yes it did happen in DDs year for school journey trip

I think Nike etc are associated with certain well-known sports players. That helps their value. I don’t get it either.

No I really do think it's simple.
It's because they want too.
Why do people buy wine instead of drinking tap water? Because they want too.
Why do people buy steak instead of basic sausages? Because they want too.

A lot of children at my school wear this & it’s def fake.

It’s priorities. As someone has said if you can’t ever afford a 5 bed detached, you won’t strive too, but you can afford ‘nice’ clothing. Definition of ‘nice’ is obviously going to differ group to group. Why should someone not have something nice which IS within their reach?

Regardless of social circles everyone has status/achieves status/could achieve status. The chav uniform, show status and wealth amongst their peers. It is no different from hoo-ha Henry’s wearing brands like Barbour to the races. Status amongst their ‘equals.’

I don’t think any of this is a difficult concept tbh.

Many at that level are better off than the "middle classes" especially if they have council or HA accommodation as opposed to a Very Large Mortgage.

Because they"re Worth It? The bankers are rolling about laughing at how stupid large sections of the public actually are.

Both groups are equally ridiculous in my view, the racing set know a bit more about how money works though probably.

But you’re presumably a partner so how do you get time to spend chatting with the coffee workers or cleaning staff about how they spend their money?

Teenagers what certain brands to fit in. Low - mid earning parents feel guilty that they can’t provide them, so beg steal and borrow, do extra shifts at work go without for themselves etc to get the child at least a top or tracksuit for birthday/ Christmas so they can hold their head up high when with their peers. They don’t want their child shamed/ judged but then people like you do anyway so they can’t win. Crazy life isn’t it?!

I work in a project with families who are on benefits. They prioritise branded tracksuits/trainers over food and other essentials. They often take informal community loans with very high interest or payday loan type things. They don't have much else going for them and feel these items give status.

To jump on the vinted bandwagon too… even people will sell the designer items they bought new for like half the price then buy something else with that money.

No I don't think it's "because they're worth it" - it is literally because it's something they want to have.

Well IMO that ad plays right into the mindset that even if you can"t afford stuff you should still have stuff"! Friendly banker man/woman will be along soon with some credit, only 22% APR, so you can shop like the real rich people (well not really but you can pretend) and the friendly banker person can keep their big house in Surrey or The Hamptons.

The items don"t give status though if everyone without status is wearing them! Why can"t they work this out?

Define better off? To have a very large mortgage you need the income to service it, so by definition not better off. If you mean better disposable income that’s down to the choices people at both income levels make. It’s easy to cry that your disposable income is lower than someone on benefits while you’re paying your very large mortgage, reducing working hours to avoid tax and pumping money into pensions. That’s not the same as not having enough to save, or ever buy a house and it doesn’t make the poorer person better off.

Who is saying they can't afford it?
Yes some people get into debt but not everyone (and "rich" people can be in debt too).
As I pointed out many comments back a lot of "named" clothes - especially sports wear - come from Sports Direct or TKMaxx and they aren't that much more expensive than supermarket clothes.

We used to have a bloke that came to our door for that sort of thing. All stolen/ off the back of a lorry.

Loads of fakes about, job lots from Turkey then sell over here.

People also take out credit cards or installment purchases if they want the real deal but most folk I know are happy with the fakes.

Of course they do. There is far more social clout from wearing bog standard grey Nike joggers than wearing the Primark equivalent. My DF always refused to buy brand name clothing for my brother and he was bullied mercilessly in school for being a “tramp”. That shit stays with you. He spends a fortune on clothes now - not sportswear but high end designers and always looks impeccable. I suppose subconsciously it’s his way of saying “You all made my life hell because you thought you were better than me, but look at me now”.

I have always wondered if people are poor out of trying to pretend they are well off.

All that branded overpriced tat, especially that with massive logos… It reminds me of when DS was in private school.. all the new “rich” parents living on credit but showing up always wearing expensive branded clothing, changing phones and cars they could hardly afford while the proper rich and the aristocrats were showing up with no brands in sight, wearing some old wellies and driving very old Landrovers.

Wonder if that is why they are well off, they wouldn’t spend their money trying to prove their value to anyone.

Its better quality ?

Somebody I knew at school got bullied because they couldn"t afford clothes, saw them doing swimming class once in their Y-Fronts LOL, they joined a boxing gym and got really good, the bullying stopped. As an adult we should be able to look back and see that the people doing the bullying were just sad dicks, he would be better served to invest/save the money IMO unless of course he is loaded then it doesn"t really matter except that the psychological wound won"t heal by still dancing to the bullies tune of You need this and that designer shite to be accepted.

Not necessarily, in fact you can get some branded stuff in offer that gets the logo out of using the same factory or the same fabric but the quality is far from being the same.