Thanks to fast fashion, you no longer get what you pay for.
One frustrated shopper couldn't believe the poor quality of their new $200 boots.
"Bought these shoes for a trip and on the first day they looked like this," they wrote. "Material peeling and the heel cap fell off the right heel. They weren't cheap either … I guess we have single-use shoes now."

The shoes are Calvin Klein, which they warned others to "Definitely avoid."
They added, "In hindsight, I should have known this would happen based on the materials."
Unfortunately, low-quality items like these are becoming increasingly common. With the rise of fast fashion, things just aren't made to last anymore.
Clothes trend and go out of style faster than ever before, resulting in overconsumption and a throwaway culture. According to the UN Environmental Program, "the number of times a garment is worn has declined by 36% in 15 years."
Not only is this bad for your wallet, but it's bad for the planet, too. Each year, over 180 billion pounds of textiles end up in landfills. A large percentage of these items are made from plastic, like polyester and nylon, and will never fully break down.
Thrifting is a great solution to this problem. You pay less for a higher quality, long-lasting item, and save it from reaching an early demise in the landfill. Thrift shoppers find all sorts of treasures, like Doc Martens, Le Creuset cookware, and 22-karat gold jewelry.
Which of these factors would most effectively motivate you to recycle old clothes and electronics?
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Commenters recommended they return the boots and avoid plastic-based leather in the future.
"Definitely don't buy polyurethane, faux leather, or vegan leather (unless it's the kind made of cacti or pineapple skin or mushrooms or whatever)," one user advised. "It's plastic and it's always gonna peel like this no matter how much you pay for it."
"It sucks how much shoe quality has gone down," another Redditor wrote. "I bought a pair of Red Wings a few years ago. Hopefully I can make them last through a couple of re-sole repairs."
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