Lots of people thought Welch was weird when he started doing this 12 years ago, opting to ditch the cheapest items on the sales rack in favour of maximising the value of his purchases over their life cycles. But with inflation still a nagging problem, more shoppers are coming around to his way of thinking.

“I was actually onto something versus being a little loony,” says Welch, who presented his findings last month at a company meeting.

Retailers are taking note of this mindset and shifting their marketing strategy in some cases.

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Gap’s Old Navy is offering shoppers a full refund for uniforms bought during the back-to-school season if the clothes don’t hold up for a year. Other US retailers like Kohl’s and online shirt retailer Untuckit have recently revamped their marketing campaigns – particularly for autumn – to focus on durability and versatility.

American Eagle is touting the “longevity of your most-loved jeans” made of recycled cotton and polyester in an email campaign.

A US$200 classic sweater may end up a better deal if you plan to wear it every week in comparison to a hot pink dress picked up for US$40 that might be worn only once a month.

“Is this item going to last? Is it going to really be versatile? For back to school, for example, can my child wear it in a number of different ways?” says Christie Raymond, Kohl’s chief marketing officer.

Some shoppers are looking to be more eco-friendly by buying clothes that don’t end up in a landfill after being worn a few times.

Still, the cost-per-wear calculation may only make sense for those consumers who can afford to prioritise quality and versatility over price.

Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail, notes that shoppers with tighter budgets will look at price and may not care whether something will last, as long as it looks good for now.

Indeed, fast-fashion purveyors are still faring well in the face of inflation. Chinese e-commerce retailer Temu, known for deep discounts and coupons, has continued its meteoric rise in the US, adding nearly 10 million new daily users since the turn of the year, according to market intelligence firm GWS.

Meanwhile, Shein, the ultra-low-price, fast-fashion juggernaut founded in China, has increased its daily users from 3.1 million to 4.9 million over the past year, according to GWS.

But there’s a growing backlash to the cheap stuff.

Rohan Deuskar, founder and chief executive of Stylitics, a visual merchandising technology company, says the average price paid is going up, particularly for holiday dresses, and shoppers are buying fewer items and spending more time engaging with virtual models that show different ways to wear items.

“Shoppers are being more considerate about every purchase and willing to spend only if they get value – and that no longer just means cheap,” Deuskar says.

Saunders says that “price and quality aren’t always linked”. In fact, some retailers may be using any excuse to sell higher-priced goods. There’s also the timeliness of the item to consider. Shoppers may think about longevity when they look for a coat but not for a skirt or a top. “People like to refresh or their tastes change,” he said.

And cost-per-wear calculations don’t factor in weight loss or gain, Saunders says.

Welch says his wardrobe consists of mostly blacks, greys and blues, and items that can carry through seasons. Higher inflation has helped him better separate his needs and wants.

“I ask myself a little bit harder: ‘Is it something that I absolutely need?’” he says. “Consulting my spreadsheet, how many golf shorts do I really have?”

Department store Kohl’s says its marketing campaigns are showing different ways that items can be worn. For example, on its Instagram account, it pairs a white T-shirt and denim shirts in different ways, including a beachy take and a more stylish approach with hoop earrings. Untuckit’s campaign, “Made for the next journey”, focuses on the different ways customers can wear the shirt or the jacket – taking it from the office to night time.

Welch says his wife is now staying away from fast fashion and focusing on quality, though she’s still not embracing the spreadsheets. And he’s delighted that his two girls, aged three and seven months, fit with the new maths.

“With my first daughter, the cost for use on her dresses and stuff like that decreased with having another girl, ” he says. “So if we have a boy, great. But if we have another girl, that’s even more savings.”