Yes, Switzerland is expensive. And for the most part I have gotten accustomed to paying quite a lot of money for pretty much everything.
But it really burns me up when I pay a lot of money for cheap junk!
I needed to purchase some bed linens. Because our duvets come from the US, I can purchase duvet covers on my trips there and they will fit. (I need hypo-allergenic duvets. I have never found them anywhere in Europe.)
But for the fitted sheets and matching pillowcases I have tried to purchase here in Switzerland.
The first round I purchased from Ikea. They were inexpensive, but also scratchy and uncomfortable. And they didn't fit the bed correctly.
The second round I purchased from a department store. They were substantially more expensive, but of very bad quality. After only 6 months of use, they were already wearing out.
So this past week I decided to bite the bullet and get really good quality ones that would be both comfortable and more durable.
The fitted sheets (stretchy jersey) were 70 CHF ($63 USD) per sheet. Alright. Fine. I'll pay for it. Frankly, they are not as good of quality as the much cheaper ones at Bed, Bath and Beyond in the US. But they fit the bed, are comfortable and look acceptable. We'll see how long they last.
However, I am so angry about the pillow cases!
I paid 59 CHF ($53 USD) for each cotton percale pillow case. After one washing, they had shrunk quite a lot. And they shrunk unevenly with the seams getting all messed up and crooked. Which means that the fabric wasn't cut straight before sewing. They require ironing just to get them straight enough to be useable, but they do not look good. Plus, after washing the fabric is so thin you can see through it.
My sister is coming to visit in a couple of weeks. She is going to stop by Target and pick up pillow cases for me. A set of two will be about $20 USD (22 CHF).
I think in the future I will purchase all bed linens in the US. With the stretchy jersey fabric, it should work on a European-sized bed. And at least we will get what we paid for!
By the way, do not even get me started about the crappy bath towels over here! Again, we purchase those in the US.
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
An insider's view of life as an outsider...
About Me
What Time Is It In Zürich?
Expat Bloggers in Switzerland
Librarians Who Blog
Other Blogs I Read...
Favorite Links
Expat Finder
Blog Archive
-
▼
2008
(184)
-
▼
January
(23)
- An Unusual Request
- Masala!
- Top Travel Tip for the Day
- Where's Waldo?: Swiss Version
- NOT What I Paid For!
- Amazon Rocks: Part 2
- Busted!
- Quirky Meme
- Paht Thai
- Holiday in Naples?
- Amazon Rocks!
- Thai Yellow Curry Tofu and Vegetables
- Stop Vacuuming!
- Cash-Based Society
- Must Find!
- Intelligent Risk Management
- Curried Couscous and Vegetables
- Too Tired to Sleep?
- Small Piece of America
- Resolutions for 2008
- Missed Connections
- Ow!
- Hanging Out
-
▼
January
(23)
Travels in 2008
- January: Cleveland, US
- February: Cairo, Egypt
- March: Naples, Italy
- April: Kansas City, US
- May: Las Vegas, US; Berlin, Germany
- June: Hong Kong, China (GLH only)
- July: Eastern Mediterranean Cruise
- August:
- September: San Antonio, US
- October: Minnesota, US
- November:
- December:
Travels in 2007
- January: Basel, Switzerland; Milan, Italy; Winterthur, Switzerland
- February: Konstanz, Germany; Paris, France; Prangins, Switzerland; Rapperswil, Switzerland
- March: Bern, Switzerland; Schaffhausen, Switzerland; United States; Zug, Switzerland
- April: Aarau, Switzerland; Ballenberg, Switzerland; Basel, Switzerland; Colmar, France; Interlaken, Switzerland; Luzern, Switzerland; Maienfeld, Switzerland; Rome, Italy; Solothurn, Switzerland; Strasbourg, France; Stuttgart, Germany
- May: Bern, Switzerland; Dublin, Ireland; Geneva, Switzerland; Innsbruck, Austria; Lausanne, Switzerland; Lyon, France; Montreux, Switzerland; Munich, Germany; Salzburg, Austria
- June: Einsiedeln, Switzerland; United States
- July: St. Ursanne, Switzerland; Winterthur, Switzerland
- August: Basel, Switzerland; Brussels, Belgium; Copenhagen, Denmark; Dijon, France; Chartres, France; Gdansk, Poland; Helsinki, Finland; Interlaken, Switzerland; Luzern, Switzerland; Oslo, Norway; Paris, France; St. Petersburg, Russia; Stockholm, Sweden; Tallinn, Estonia
- September: Ballenberg, Switzerland; Einsiedeln, Switzerland; Mallorca, Spain; Zug, Switzerland
- October: Munich, Germany; Paris, France; Venice, Italy
- November: London, England; United States
- December: Munich, Germany; Nuremberg, Germany; Salzburg, Austria
Stat Counter
6 comments:
Yeah, all our sheets have come from the US. Most have enough stretch for the extra couple inches of width of the european mattresses. I've been told that even many native Europeans will buy their sheets and towels in the US and import them here b/c of the much lower cost and much higher quality.
we have a mix of stuff from IKEA and Habitat and have actually had pretty good luck with it.
this is the habitat stuff
http://www.habitat.fr/pws/ProductDetails.ice?ProductID=10000569
from IKEA i think we picked something that was on the more expensive side but soft.
I'm trying to find the duvet we have on the habitat site as well because im pretty sure its hypoallergenic, its a down substitute and can be washed at some ridiculously high temperature, and i seem to remember it claiming various other properties (The Husband was allergic to the down duvet I loved, so we were looking for something good for him). In anycase, if other people are looking for stuff, I highly recommend it!
I've had the same problem here in France. And check out Target.com - they're having some great sales right now. I just got two sets of Queen size flannel sheets for $19.99 each. There's free shipping for orders over $50. I'm going home in a few weeks, and can't wait to pick them up!!
The price we pay for living in the fast lane!!
OK, there's gotta be a trading program in her somewhere! I just posted about how much I love our European bedding but can't find it in the US. http://northwestladybug.blogspot.com/2008/01/german-bedding-crisis-in-america.html
I'll buy and ship you stuff if you buy and ship me stuff! Eh? How's abouts it?
Carol
Are the cats declawed? If not, keep them off the stretch jersey. Ours got ruined fast by little Miss Kitty.
Post a Comment