Today I want to overthrow our economic system and replace it with one that can make shoes that last at least a full goddamn year without falling apart.
I have an idea for this that doesn’t destroy the whole economic system!
The simple version is to make all products carry mandatory insurance for a number of years based on the product’s functional category - this can also be used to relax some safety standards.
This will increase the cost of a product at the start, but it reveals previously-hidden reliability information to consumers, and uses their cheapo behavior to drive down risk and drive up reliability. It also turns reliability from something management can skimp on to temporarily drive up the profits at the company before bailing and leaving in the brand in ruins, into a monthly or annual expense attached to every pair of shoes from which the management cannot escape.
The insurance company is going to be pissed if they have to payout on a batch of cruddy six-month shoes. They will fight with the management over dumb cost-cutting measures.