Many of you know that my tastes and preferences in things does tend to run to the more expensive, or luxury brands and products. Or maybe something more niche, which often works out more expensive. I sometimes find people being almost apologetic for having champagne tastes, and I too used to be. But I’ve gotten over it.
But there is one question I dread, whenever the subject of price and value comes up. “Is it worth the price?” You know what? Don’t ask it. Here’s why 😛
To me, the concept of “worth” and “value” is very abstract and very individual. How do you measure “worth” or “value”? You can’t. The only thing you can measure is how YOU perceive it.
I find that the question of “worth” often tends to be tied to the price. We talked once about how most people are less critical about cheaper products, being almost forgiving of it if it’s a dud, because you did not spend a lot of money on it. But if it’s something more expensive, then we want to ensure that we get our money’s worth, or something worth the money we pay. We are then more critical and more unforgiving if it falls short.
However, what people may not appreciate is that the concept of price and value is in itself, abstract. For some, any product that costs more than RM100 is considered expensive. As a student, or if I had a lower income, I’d think so too. But to someone who is of a higher income bracket, RM100 may not be deemed expensive. They have a higher threshold for price.
However, it also depends on the item. RM100 is expensive by any reckoning, if it were the price of a box of biscuits. Yet, I have seen RM100 boxes of biscuits in people’s supermarket trolleys. Perhaps, they don’t mind paying the price, because it is worth the money, in their view.
To me, paying RM100 or more for a cleanser that works with my skin isn’t prohibitive. In fact, if it’s one that I particularly like in terms of texture or efficacy, to me, it is absolutely worth every cent. To some, that is an astronomical price to pay for a product that you wash off your skin as quickly as you put it on, and they’d rather spend it on a cream or a serum. To me, spending money on a good facial mist is worth my money. To some, you’re spritzing away money every time you use it because they don’t perceive any results. I’m also happy to spend money on raw fish (sashimi or sushi, not the ones I have to cook myself LOL!), or for a one-off experience like a hot-air balloon ride – it’s worth it, to me. To others, paying good money to be served raw fish is a travesty! 😀
The concept of “worth” therefore, is far too abstract to measure.
This is why I personally find it very awkward to answer the question of “Is it worth it?” when asked, which I am, very often. “Is a Jo Malone perfume worth it?” “Are Diptyque candles worth it?” “Is the La Mer cream worth it?”
If I like the product, even if it’s expensive, or if it was something that helped my skin, or even if it just makes me feel good, I’d instinctively say “Yes, it’s worth it”. I sometimes feel bad when the reply is “Oh, but it’s out of my budget” because no one should go into debt for just skincare or luxuries!
RELATED READING: If things are out of budget, please don’t go into debt for it – it’s not worth it! READ HERE
So, here’s the rub. I never like telling people anything is “worth it”, because some people may, based on your perception of worth, spend money on the product and then find it doesn’t deliver the results they expect. To them, it won’t be worth the money. If you’ve ever asked me the question, you’ll note that I’ve never committed to saying that “it’s worth it”. I can’t, in good conscience do it.
The problem I find, is in trying to explain this to people, without launching into a lecture as I’ve just done LOL 😀
So, long story short. Let’s not talk about whether a product is “worth it”, and let’s not impose our perceptions of “worth” on others. By the same token, don’t seek another person’s perception of a product’s worth, nor fall into the trap of accepting a product’s worth, without thinking it through first. That’s the job of most online “influencers” today – to convince you something is “so worth it, you must buy it!” even if it isn’t.
Think about it, and decide first, if it fits your budget, if you are willing to spend the money to try it, and then decide for yourself if it was worth it. Only YOU will know 🙂
How do you deal with this question of “Is it worth it?” and do you actively tell people that something is absolutely worth the money?
I think it’ll be interesting to talk about this because anyone who talks about beauty or perceived frivolities will always be asked this question, and I’m curious to know what your answer is! 😀
Paris B
I am with you here. It is difficult to justify what is “worth it” to each individual. For me, I go for quality over quantity and I don’t mind paying for something that works. Like for example shoes, I don’t mind paying for a Ferragamo but there people out there who would say it is not worth to pay that much for something you put on your feet. Likewise for skincare too…. at the end of the day, I feel one should pay for what works and within one’s budget. Just don’t go into debt and you should be fine. We are buying/using these items for ourselves and not to impress people. And that is what matters most.
And you’re absolutely right! We owe it to no one to justify our frivolities, nor their worth to us. You know, I too used to think that paying top dollar for a pair of shoes was silly. After all, you’d step on them, walk in them on all surfaces and very likely, scuff them. But I’ve since revised that view quite drastically. Fortunately however, the highest end brand my feet can take is Ferragamo, so I’m sort of safe LOL! 😀
some random chat:
A: how much is the Joe Malone perfume?
B: around XXXRM
A: wah you are so “atas”…
[[awkward moment here]].. since then i try to avoid answer $$$
but if very cheap/good bargain, I confidently share the price.. (good bargain = achievement)
Hahhaha..
Nice article.. keep on writing Paris.. Love you
Thank you Christina 🙂 But you are right about the response to prices. Sometimes, depending on the crowd, I’d just say “It’s a luxury brand so it has a luxury price” and leave it at that LOL 😀 But you are right, we all love a bargain! So will be more than happy to share prices
When asked “is it worth it?”, my reply is “I am worth it!”. If I really like it, if it works for me, and it’s within my means, I’ll get it.
Haha I really like this – great answer Cecilia! I’ll have to keep this reply up my sleeve too! Especially since I hate talking about prices if it’s very expensive and I know that not everyone can splurge, I don’t want to make others feel crappy.
Haha excellent answer Cecilia! That sort of confidence comes only with a lot of worldly experience!
Worth is so personal, so subjective.
When I get asked, I usually reply along the lines of “depends on you”. If you have the budget, try it, then tell me whether or not it’s worth your money 🙂
But I also think some people who ask that just really want to know our personal opinion 🙂
Sometimes yes to the opinion, sometimes they just kepoh about the price LOL 😀 But I usually just say “Depends” too. I can’t project my concept on worth on anyone 🙂
It’s terribly vexing, isn’t it to be asked the same questions repeatedly? Many ties in value with the quantity obtained when one should consider getting a really good quality skincare commensurate with the pricing and your budget.
Sadly I think I get this question more than most LOL 😀 But I’m used to it by now and can weasel my way out of it. What troubles me is those who say “Yes, it’s worth it! Buy it!” when they get it free. Then that bugs me because often, it isn’t worth it! LOL!
Well, that’s what social influencers would say because they are always promoting something.
This question was asked a couple of times during Christmas time and this isn’t just answerable by yes or no. I end up mostly saying “it depends” because as you mentioned, the definition of worth depends on how people perceive it and interpret its value in their lifestyle. I always tell them to go with caution, especially with skincare because it’s a trial and error.
Skincare is hard! Especially today when there are so many new niche brands that cost so much. Sometimes, we want to justify that worth to ourselves too cos we paid so much and took so much trouble to get the product LOL But like you, I prefer to just say “It depends” too. It’s the safest answer!
A very good post as always. I rarely get asked the question about whether an item was worth the price that I paid for it but I have been asked on whether something that I did was worth the effort. For example, during the recent Big Bad Wolf Sale, I spent 3.5 hours going through children books for my boy, a friend’s daughter & a colleague’s daughter. I was pretty tired at the end of the day but when asked whether it was worth the effort, time & money spent, I said that I would have done it all over again if given the chance because there was so much variety for kids books last December & so cheap. Lol.
So at the end of the day, it really depends on the individual. A RM100 lipstick 10 years ago would seem like a lot of money but I probably would not even bat an eyelid now simply because the lipstick is something that I will use everyday. So to each its own 🙂
Thanks Victoria 🙂 Ohh you went for the BBW sale! I haven’t gone for about 2 years now because I realised when I last went, I actually bought doubles of some books from a previous sale, so the “worth” definitely wasn’t there even if the books were just RM5! LOL! But I did read that it was heaven for kids books this time around. Back when I was going, it was absolutely worth my time and effort! But I also ended up with quite a few dud writers and books that I’m wondering how to get rid of now LOL 😀
This is a great topic and it’s something that Tim and I discussed recently as well. What is considered “worth the money” and what is not. For me, it’s also our perceived value of the item that counts as worth, not just what the item is priced at.
For example, Tim and I would buy croissants at a popular bakery at South Melbourne Market. Now my husband is possibly one of the most kiamsiap people I know (heck, at our wedding, his best mate the best man started his best man speech with “Tim is the stingiest person I know” :P) but he would very gladly pay a whopping $6 for a chocolate croissant from that bakery. That, to me, is very, VERY expensive for just one croissant. When I asked him why he thought it was fine to spend that much of money on just one croissant but would “talk 3 talk 4” in spending less money on something else, he mentioned that it’s the perceived value of the item that gave the croissant its worth. He thought that the croissant was absolutely delicious, and was definitely worth spending time queuing up for it and splashing $6 for that chocolate croissant. So while it was very dear for one croissant, to him, the taste and satisfaction was worth the money.
For me, if I purchased something and I really like it, then to me, it’s worth the money. I’m generalising, of course, but when it comes to that question of whether something is worth it, it’s usually aimed towards the higher end of the price spectrum. But even if something was very cheap, if it gave me no satisfaction and I wasn’t happy with the product, then even if it’s just a dollar, then it’s a dollar wasted and it wouldn’t be worth the money at all.
Actually your example of the croissant is spot on. When it comes to food, I am always trying to extract my money’s worth, especially when things are more expensive today. So if it’s a good restaurant or I know I’ll get good food, I’ll pay up and enjoy it. But if I pay RM6 for a bowl of noodles and get just plan noodles with a few shreds of meat or vege, I get really pissed. That’s not worth it at all! 😛
You’re certainly right that worth is very subjective. On the other hand, some of the deluxe skin care simply doesn’t deliver.
A friend of mine gifted me the La Mer Moisturizing Soft Lotion – nice texture. And that’s about it. Did it make any difference to my extremely well-kept skin which is pampered with cosmeceuticals and prescription strength retinoid? Nope. Would I ever spend that much for a simple moisturizing lotion with some supposedly miraculous broth? Never ever.
I’ve bought some pretty pricey serums which I would repurchase anytime. But for that amount of money I want to see real results.
As always, mileage may vary. Some might get brilliant results with the Moisturizing Soft Lotion – good for them. There’s no scientific evidence supporting the effectiveness though, and I would suspect some wishful thinking as retrospective justification…
No, you are right about luxury beauty/skincare products not being reflective of their price. I can’t speak for La Mer creams as I personally am unable to use them. But I have to say that their lotions and the odd serum I’ve tried does make a difference for me. Is it worth it? Well, for someone who has the budget, yes. If not, there are always options. For some, they’d rather take the money and use it for a clinic treatment. I guess it depends on our personal priorities and perceptions, and also personal expectations. Some people have lower expectations than others when it comes to efficacy, and some people have genetically good skin that needs minimal care (lucky ducks! 😀 )
I agree with you so much! Sometimes its hard to justify the price of something but if it brings you enjoyment and makes you feel good then obviously it becomes worth the cost. Everyone’s perception of value is different and while some products are easier to recommend, it should always be up to the individual to determine if it suits their lifestyle/skin type.
Absolutely Lu! Sometimes, although an expensive coffee or ice cream can seem like it isn’t worth it to some, it might be worth it to us because it lifts us from a crappy day, or we are celebrating a little achievement. I try not to judge, because we never know another person’s struggle and what they have perceived to be their reward! 🙂
You are right, Paris. Worthiness is based on our own personal preference and priority.
A mother might not bat an eyelid on spending on expensive stuff for their kids and yet she might balk at using expensive products for herself.
The service that you receive can also increase the “worth” of the product.
You are absolutely right Summer! And mothers are always more generous to their offspring than to themselves 😛 I always tell my sister she has to pamper herself too!