Shrinkflation? Percussion Tradition Trousers - oh dear!

[Spear Chucker]

Interesting excercise this a.m. (if you are an anorak like me)
4 year old Percussion Tradition stalking trousers complete with wear and tear, holes etc. 46 inch waist (yup...big boy back then) 708g weight.
3 yr old Percussion Tradition 41 inch waist (been working on the waist) complete with lots of wear and tear and loads of holes in the crutch 640g
Brand new (arrived yesterday) Percussion tradition 41 inch waist (kept it off...Yaaay!) 628g

New ones felt and looked completely different. Personally not a fan of the newbies, but it really looks to me as if the product is devalued to keep the price down/profit up. Personally I'd rather pay more for better trousers...so I will. Percussion have sold me their last pair. It is a shame, the older trousers are excellent.

 

[VSS]

Same old story: Build a name based on quality, then cut the quality but keep on selling the name.

 

[nun_hunter]

Same old story: Build a name based on quality, then cut the quality but keep on selling the name.

It's what happens when you have to answer to faceless shareholders who are only concerned with increasing profits. Making a profit isn't enough it has to be more profit than last quarter.

Its in the news all the time about some company making £100million in profit but was down £20million from the previous year so it is somehow a bad thing. Not happy with the £100 million because it wasn't more than the £120 million last year

The only way to make more profit when a product can't be made better and so charge more is to make it for less. Or worse is to turn it into a paid subscription service

 

[Essexsussex]

Need to replace mine. Can’t work out what model they are, I bought some for
My son that I thought were similar and they are like plastic carrier thickness.

My lined ones have been great.

 

[tozzybum]

They need to be careful cutting corners, I have 3 Percussion trousers and 1 jacket.
I too noticed the " cost cutting " and now wear Solonac from decathlon.
Hard wearing and about £15 a pair cheaper.
Percussion need to remember their friends Verney Caron are no longer around.
People pay a bit extra for quality .

 

[Spear Chucker]

They need to be careful cutting corners, I have 3 Percussion trousers and 1 jacket.
I too noticed the " cost cutting " and now wear Solonac from decathlon.
Hard wearing and about £15 a pair cheaper.
Percussion need to remember their friends Verney Caron are no longer around.
People pay a bit extra for quality .

I saw the solonac stuff, it looks petty good. The old pair of Percussions are in with 3T (Turkish Tailor Tony) having all of the rips in the legs and seat repaired properly...I have also been out wrapping the barbed wire where I normally cross a fence...cheaper than repairs. Repairs are cheaper than replacement, but always difficult to part with old friends. I once managed to make an old M&S lambswool v-neck last so long it was like gossamer. It had darns from both grandmothers, a girlfriend and mother in-law. A sad day when that got binned.

 

[tusker]

I have lots of Solonac kit and I love it, great value and tough.
Tusker

 

[Rutland lad]

Have you thought how much more material would be required to make a pair of trousers with a 46” waist compared with those to fit a 41” waist ?
I suspect that could account for quite a few grams of cloth.
Just sayin’

 

[Spear Chucker]

Have you thought how much more material would be required to make a pair of trousers with a 46” waist compared with those to fit a 41” waist ?
I suspect that could account for quite a few grams of cloth.
Just sayin’

Aye. That was why I included it...for comparison.

 

[Taff]

Have you thought how much more material would be required to make a pair of trousers with a 46” waist compared with those to fit a 41” waist ?
I suspect that could account for quite a few grams of cloth.
Just sayin’

Look at the price of kids clothes

 

[trickie]

Solonac currently on sale at `decathlon

 

[TringSaint]

It's what happens when you have to answer to faceless shareholders who are only concerned with increasing profits. Making a profit isn't enough it has to be more profit than last quarter.

Its in the news all the time about some company making £100million in profit but was down £20million from the previous year so it is somehow a bad thing. Not happy with the £100 million because it wasn't more than the £120 million last year

The only way to make more profit when a product can't be made better and so charge more is to make it for less. Or worse is to turn it into a paid subscription service

Oh no, the VC’s demand more, more, MORE!!!!!
Steady profit growth is a failure, didn’t you know?

 

[Rutland lad]

Solonac currently on sale at `decathlon

I can recommend Decathlon. Their hunting kit is good value. If you get a chance to visit one of their stores on the Continent please do. It’s a revelation.

 

[nun_hunter]

Oh no, the VC’s demand more, more, MORE!!!!!
Steady profit growth is a failure, didn’t you know?

Steady profit growth should only happen through product or service improvements, not because it just needs to happen at the expense of the consumer.

Generally companies that are owned by the founder, manage this and look after their staff too.

 

[nic531]

I can recommend Decathlon. Their hunting kit is good value. If you get a chance to visit one of their stores on the Continent please do. It’s a revelation.

as a company they decided a few years ago to stop selling hunting items in UK after moans from Anti’s. Until then you could get the duck decoys etc that you still can buy in FRance… wont even sell via internet to UK. I stopped buying from there at that point.
However the clothing is reasonable and decent value

 

[Rutland lad]

as a company they decided a few years ago to stop selling hunting items in UK after moans from Anti’s. Until then you could get the duck decoys etc that you still can buy in FRance… wont even sell via internet to UK. I stopped buying from there at that point.
However the clothing is reasonable and decent value

I didn’t know they weren’t sending orders to the UK.
Fortunately I’m either on the Continent often enough or I can order stuff from Germany or France and have friends who can bring it back for me.
I’ve even (to my wife’s surprise) whilst holiday taken a local bus to visit a Decathlon on Madeira and then stuffed items into both our suitcases to get them home.

 

[nic531]

I didn’t know they weren’t sending orders to the UK.
Fortunately I’m either on the Continent often enough or I can order stuff from Germany or France and have friends who can bring it back for me.
I’ve even (to my wife’s surprise) whilst holiday taken a local bus to visit a Decathlon on Madeira and then stuffed items into both our suitcases to get them home.

i still buy from them in other countries as i am also out there a few times a year and have family still in the forces that are often in the states…. amazing what comes back in squaddies tool boxes

 

[Ratcatcher]

Most of these companies follow the same predictable path, start working hard to make a quality product, bring in a dragon's den type of CEO, outsorce to China, produce a vastly inferior product but make more money for a couple of years to pay said CEO's vast wages, go bust!