Check out the video on the story of stuff.
http://www.storyofstuff.com/
We are so blind as Americans... all we can think of is what we can buy and how much we can buy. This is a reality that people don't want to look at because they like the emotional lift from buying goods.
It might help the economy if we purchase goods but not if we do it on our credit cards.

  It used to be that you bought an item out of real necessity.  You used the item until it broke.  Then you repaired it until it broke again and you continued to do so until it disintegrated or it became obsolete.   But the American mind set has been molded by the media concerning consumerism as surely as it has been molded regarding political ideals.  And the industry has followed suit.  For example:  I drive a 40 year old car.  Every component on my vehicle is rebuildable. Rebuild kits for these components are available and cost a fraction of what a new component would cost.  My wife drives a new car.  Very few, if any, of the components can be rebuilt. Thus, if one fails the entire component must be replaced at a much higher cost.  Rebuildable components have been phased out for components that cannot be rebuilt.  This means more profit for the manufacturer.  We have become a disposable society.  It is not cost efficient to "repair" things anymore....No......throw it away and buy another......Clothes rip? Don't sew it, throw it away and get another.  Shoes worn?  Whats a cobbler? throw them away and buy new.

  Things are rarely bought out of necessity any more either.  You don't need to have 10 business suits in your closet.  You don't need to have a fully stocked wet bar in your rec room.  And your fairly sure your wife doesn't need 180 pairs of shoes clogging up the closet.  Face it....We have been programmed by advertisements, the MSM, by our wanting to keep up with the neighbors, and by a comfort level that we have become accustomed to.  Problem is...it cant last forever...unless we start using our heads more then our credit cards.

I just found out there's a cobbler close to home, and is a young guy. So now I don't need to worry if the old cobbler I know eventually retires -just hope that younger guy won't run out of business! So far I've used his services to fix my 84 € shoes for the humble price of 13.20 €. They are in good condition and are really comfy, but the heel and sole were worn out. A new rubber half-sole and rubber heel and they'll last another year...

 There's a Sears appliance store near where I live. I went around the back to get some cardboard boxes and found used appliances of all makes most in excellent condition, washers, dryers , refrigerators, etc,  It seems that when they sell a new appliance Sears hauls off the "old" one as a service to the customer often these are in in perfect working condition. I asked the guy taking out the trash if they were for sale. He insisted  that they were not and were destined for the land fill. The rich people will buy new appliances not because the old one doesn't work but they upgrade to this years stylish model with all the latest bells and whistles. Unlike used cars Sears makes sure nobody who may be a potential buyer of new Sears products will get these perfectly running and, not so old, machines. What an incredible waste.

If true, seems Sears is missing a chance to do some good work...a la Extreme Home Makeover...and give used appliances to people who need them.

That WAS funny episode...no doubt...as was most of Seinfeld for me.

I guess my point was, if you have a perfectly good machine, let SOMEONE get some use out of it. Who is more likely to get benefit? I'm sure lots of poor people who use laundromats would LOVE a gently-used machine.

Why should poor(er) people have to take anyone's hand-me-downs? Why shouldn't those who are better off pay to repair the items? I don't know where most people are from, but in the US we live by the myth of individualism to which is strongly tied a measure of self-worth when one is capable of purchasing new items. During the Depression there were many clothing drives for poor people (with shipments even to Canada) and the result was often intense resentment for the expectation that they should be grateful for receiving people's unwanted, used clothing. Same thing with appliances, it seems to me. Why should someone with less opportunity always get the crap? Me, I don't have a problem with used clothes and have been in a situation where it was all I had. My wife often shops at consignment stores instead of paying marked up brandname merchandise.

That said, last night we decided to buy a new washer/dryer set. The dryer is on it's last leg (been repaired a few times already and would cost nearly as much in parts/labor as a new one). We're changing the washer so that we can stack the units and save space. Plus, both appliances will reduce our energy and water use, while the old ones are wasteful. On a more positive note, I talked my wife out of the silly bells & whistles models she wanted in favor of ones that will do the job.

So there are reasons to upgrade at times. Since the washer is still useful, I may offer it up for free on Craigslist in the hopes that it is recycled until it too becomes junk.

Um, because they can't afford to buy new stuff? Just a hunch...

We have a 'Give-a-kid-a-coat' campaign every year. People donate used coats, they are cleaned and repaired and given away to kids that need them.

It's called helping out a neighbor.