We live in very odd times, indeed.

And the whole planned obsolescence thing has so many strange turns and twists I barely can follow anymore, and the throwaway society values has some very interesting ramifications:

Case in point: When you're in the store business here in Washington state, we get all this cheap junk that's now in that impossible-to-get-into plastic clamshell packaging to prevent tampering. A whole new kind of garbage. Lo and behold, the state now also has a specific "litter tax" you must pay if your retail establishment sells products in clamshell packaging, shrink wrap or clear plastic sleeves (like greeting cards). Feels like they are "getting me," both coming and going...

Very interesting experiment you conducted there... I feel how that works, because I used to go visit my elderly auntie who had everything "original" to the house... built in 1939. And that stuff was SOLID and it WORKED!