Rollerblades

I was twelve and I was the most amazing street hockey player of all time. I was the Wayne Gretzky of Yakima Valley. But my $20 Shopko rollerblades were not holding up. It was time to make a purchase.

 

I went shopping with my mom. We found some rollerblades that were decent, but not amazing. They provided every basic need a rollerblade should. Then I heard the dreaded words, “We should probably wait and see what your father thinks.” “Crap,” I thought, “I will not be getting rollerblades this year.”

 

The next day I went with dad to Sport Haus, a local sporting goods store. We looked at all of the rollerblades. I pointed out the pair that my mom and I had decided would do just fine. $50. They were better than my current pair that was falling apart, but still the bottom of the line for Sport Haus. My dad looked, said nothing, and walked away. He walked right up to the clerk and asked what the $250 pair of rollerblades had over the $50 pair. I held my breath. The clerk then proceeded to inform my father about all of the newest innovations in rollerblade technology. Forty-five minutes later we left the Sport Haus with a $250 pair of rollerblades. Why? “Because they are of higher quality,” he said. “Because they will last longer,” he said. As a twelve year old, I did not care. All I cared about was that I now had the best rollerblades imaginable!

 

Flash-forward fourteen years, the rollerblades are still here and still in full-functioning condition. These are the last pair of rollerblades that I have ever owned because they were quality and built to last.

 

The lesson behind the story: if you are going to spend your money, buy something of quality so you only have to buy it once. If I bought the $50 rollerblades, I may have had to replace them several times over to last as long as the $250 rollerblades.