About Being Out Of Touch.......

[Patch]

One of my Grand Daughters is very athletic in highschool orchestra, soccer, track, and softball. She has received her letters in those sports. 

She graduates this year. I asked her what she wanted as a graduation present. She asked for a lettermans jacket. (I actually thought she had one already. Turned out she's been wearing the boy friend's jacket) No problem I said, so she ordered it. 

We picked it up yesterday. She checked it out to make sure all the appropriate awards were on the jacket. She looked good wearing it. I was proud of her,  and her accomplishments. 

I hand the store lady my credit card. She rings it up for $618.00. WTH!!! This was the cost of the jacket, some extra sewing, and lots of custom embroidery.

Granted, I have not bought a lettermens jacket in something like 50+ years. Back then it was $20, and my Mom sewed on my awards for me. I was way out of touch in that department.

Like I said she looked good in it. She had earned her awards with a lot of time and hard work on her part. The money was no big deal, but did remind me of "sticker shock".  Right now, Nebraska is the leading recruiting school, and maybe  getting a good, decent kid. 

[mistermuhl]

I think it's ridiculous for that. I have mine from high school but I can't remember the price. Not one time have I ever even put it on. I mean it literally has never been even tried on. Same for my college one, except that the college one was provided to me and I didn't have to buy it. Unless you are a high school hero, you will never wear that jacket again. I'm not saying it was a bad purchase, I'm just saying it reminds me of the wedding I'm planning right now. An absurd amount of money for very little substance. 

[David in FL]

18 minutes ago, mistermuhl said:

I think it's ridiculous for that. I have mine from high school but I can't remember the price. Not one time have I ever even put it on. I mean it literally has never been even tried on. Same for my college one, except that the college one was provided to me and I didn't have to buy it. Unless you are a high school hero, you will never wear that jacket again. I'm not saying it was a bad purchase, I'm just saying it reminds me of the wedding I'm planning right now. An absurd amount of money for very little substance. 

Very true.

[Kalnoky]

Mine cost $80 before I had anything sewed on. This was in 1992. It was a lot of money to me at the time, but I'm glad I did it. I keep it as a memento and I still look at it sometimes. Mostly I remember my friends, my girlfriends, my first car, and how new and exciting everything was. And I also think about how I was in incredible shape, and I'll never be in that good a shape again.

My yearbooks on the other hand, I never look at. 

 

[gmohr]

Mine is in a closet.  Bought my sophmore year and I still have the receipt.  It was $75.00 plus tax in 1970 dollars.  I graduated 2 years later. 

My mother sewed the letters and awards on it.  I never got one for college.  I played baseball, ran track and cross country.  I have multiple

state meet records from track and a couple of state baseball championships.  I keep it to show the grand kids that their ole grampie was

a stud back then... After 21yrs in the Army all the jumping our of airplanes and shimmying down ropes have taken their toll.  But I still get

out and try from time to time.  Bad purchase?  Nope.. she will remember it forever that her grandpa bought it for her.

[Lihu]

52 minutes ago, Patch said:

One of my Grand Daughters is very athletic in highschool orchestra, soccer, track, and softball. She has received her letters in those sports. 

She graduates this year. I asked her what she wanted as a graduation present. She asked for a lettermans jacket. (I actually thought she had one already. Turned out she's been wearing the boy friend's jacket) No problem I said, so she ordered it. 

We picked it up yesterday. She checked it out to make sure all the appropriate awards were on the jacket. She looked good wearing it. I was proud of her,  and her accomplishments. 

I hand the store lady my credit card. She rings it up for $618.00. WTH!!! This was the cost of the jacket, some extra sewing, and lots of custom embroidery.

Granted, I have not bought a lettermens jacket in something like 50+ years. Back then it was $20, and my Mom sewed on my awards for me. I was way out of touch in that department.

Like I said she looked good in it. She had earned her awards with a lot of time and hard work on her part. The money was no big deal, but did remind me of "sticker shock".  Right now, Nebraska is the leading recruiting school, and maybe  getting a good, decent kid. 

We had booster drives to pay for the $100 jackets. WOW, $618? My son didn't buy one for his letters yet, and I thought they're up in the $250 range at a private school? Or, I'll be saying the same thing as you "WTH?"

 

[dennyjones]

30 minutes ago, David in FL said:

I'm not saying it was a bad purchase, I'm just saying it reminds me of the wedding I'm planning right now. An absurd amount of money for very little substance. 

Don't let the girlfriend see this.    (jk)   

[DeadMan]

That's insane. I never bought a letterman's jacket, but for something you'll wear only in high school, $600 is ridiculous. Even if you're wearing it every day.

[Lihu]

1 hour ago, mistermuhl said:

I think it's ridiculous for that. I have mine from high school but I can't remember the price. Not one time have I ever even put it on. I mean it literally has never been even tried on. Same for my college one, except that the college one was provided to me and I didn't have to buy it. Unless you are a high school hero, you will never wear that jacket again. I'm not saying it was a bad purchase, I'm just saying it reminds me of the wedding I'm planning right now. An absurd amount of money for very little substance. 

Things are very expensive these days. Booster jackets aren't the only thing @Patch.

I admit that I spent $12,000 on my wedding 19 years ago, but ended up with +$8000 (over the $12,000) from "Red Pocket" money the older guests brought. So, that was good. . .Then my sister had a wedding a year later and spent $35,000 plus another $78,000 on the reception in Beverly Hills. She ended up in debt and divorced within a year. Both sets of parents had to bail out the "kids". My dad is still in sticker shock for the $50,000 of his "half".

 

5 minutes ago, DeadMan said:

That's insane. I never bought a letterman's jacket, but for something you'll wear only in high school, $600 is ridiculous. Even if you're wearing it every day.

Don't forget about the 2 other times you'll wear it at reunions, and when your daughter wants to wear it. That works out to only $200 per each time you wear it.

[dennyjones]

17 minutes ago, gmohr said:

Bad purchase?  Nope.. she will remember it forever that her grandpa bought it for her.

+1.   I just turned 60 and my uncle brought me back a jacket from Germany when he was in the military.   I still have it today and have fond memories every time I see it.  

[iacas]

I think mine was about $150 in 1992 or 1993. Including the sewing, my name on the back, etc. I had a letter, some bars, some all-county and championship patches but nothing out of the ordinary.

I just took mine out and put it on a few weeks ago (so the wife and a family friend could make fun of me).

$618 seems steep, but $400 wouldn't have surprised me.

[Fairway_CY]

I never got one when I was in high school.  My family just didn't have the money.  I had letters in 3 sports... but nowhere to put 'em.  It never bothered me.  

I met my wife when she was a senior in high school.  Shortly after we began dating, she received her class ring (also something I never got).  When she told me the cost of it, I about died.  Her parents spent almost $5000 for her class ring.  It sits in a drawer of her jewelry box which is on top of one of our dressers in a closet in our bedroom.  I've seen her with it on twice in 18+ years.  

Our son is a high school junior now.  I can't fathom spending that kind of money for something he'll never wear.  The 'once in awhile trip down memory lane' is something I get simply by talking to old schoolmates. 

That said... I didn't grow up with money.  My wife and I are not 'rich' or anything close to it, but we're definitely comfortable.  If our son or daughters ask for something within reason, they have good grades, they've completed chores and they've proven they're capable of taking care of other things... we do what we can to provide what they ask for.  If our son asks for a jacket or a ring... well, it's his desire.  He deserves it and the posts here seem to indicate there's a lot of nostalgia tied up in those types of things.

Memories are priceless.  I 100% agree with others who said that she'll always think of you whenever she sees it and, to me... that's worth all the money in the world.  

CY

[chilepepper]

600 buck is expensive for a dress suit. At least to me. But even if you paid to much for the jacket it was for your granddaughter, I'm sure it made her day and many more. You can't put a price on that

[jamo]

I got a letter for golf, and some pins for things here and there. Never considered buying a jacket (still glad I didn't). The actual letter is sitting in a drawer in my parents' house. 

We did get sweatshirts my senior year. A year or two ago I donated a driver to the team and the coach (same coach I had in high school) gave me one of the zip-up vests the team got that year, which was very nice (and unexpected - I didn't know he was going to) of him. The sweatshirt sits in my closet but I wear the vest every now and then.

I did wear the hat I got for playing in the league tournament my senior year very frequently. Really great hat, and it got nice and sun-bleached over time. I still have that in my closet.

As for the cost, I probably would have guessed $500. 

[Lihu]

8 hours ago, iacas said:

I think mine was about $150 in 1992 or 1993. Including the sewing, my name on the back, etc. I had a letter, some bars, some all-county and championship patches but nothing out of the ordinary.

I just took mine out and put it on a few weeks ago (so the wife and a family friend could make fun of me).

$618 seems steep, but $400 wouldn't have surprised me.

I know exactly how you feel, because I'm in the same boat or possibly worse. If it fit you in high school, then . . . I can see them getting a good laugh. . .

 

[Buckeyebowman]

GLORY DAYS!

Oh, they'll pass you by, glory days!

In the blink of a young girl's eye, glory days!

Glory days, ay, ay uh, ay, ay ays!

Hey you did a nice thing for your Grand daughter, so congrats for that. But as far as sticker shock goes, walked into a golf store lately?