I am officially done with "Made in China" crap (socks, prices)
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My fiance's parents just gave um some brand new baking pans from Wal-mart which say "Made in USA" on them. I've also seen a lot more American made products at all stores recently and have been purchasing them.
Well I'm happy to see the "Wally World Cheerleaders" have yet to come onto this thread calling us "unpatriotic" because we boycott Wal-Mart. It seems like whenever I personally say one unflattering thing about Wally World I get reamed out for it. Let me just tell you that if you ever watch the DVD "The High Cost of Low Price," which I personally own, you'll NEVER want to step foot in a Wal-Mart ever again. I haven't purchased one item there in two-and-a-half years, and my next-door neighbor also boycotts them for unfair labor practices overseas. Wal-Mart is crying poverty nowadays, but if they would stop blaming their losses on a "poor economy" and instead due a TRUE STUDY, they'd probably see that they have lost a large chunk of their formerly loyal clientele due to their OWN actions. If and when Wal-Mart cleans up its act, maybe (and that's a BIG maybe), I'll be back. Until then I'll continue to waste gas driving even further and further to independent merchants to do my shopping, passing by the Wal-Mart that is a half-mile from my home, in order to prove a political point.
Excellent post-I totally agree! I try to seek out safe made in America products whenever possible. If things cost more and they are not outright neccesities, then I save up for them. I realize this is hard to do, but if you take the time to seek out local mom and pops and things made in America-they are there. Also, if they do cost more upfront , the quality is better and you don't have to replace it as often and in the long run may not be more expensive like one would think.
I make it a point to buy a made in us product over an equivalent made in china one.
"I buy most things second hand" - and yes, I am doing this. I have scoured my goodwills for this stuff. And am currently using a 1960s vintage electric griddle among other kitchen appliances. I cook on a vintage gas stove.
Most of the (un-upholstered) furniture in our house is antique or thrift shop as I can refinish things. And even if it is made here, the furniture quality is not as good as it once was. I won't buy used upholstered furniture cause of potential bugs. Someday I want to learn reupholstery though.
About a month ago I went to a chain discount store (think of it as a mini-Walmart) to purchase a couple bottles of vinegar for cleaning (69 cents there vs 3 bucks at my local market). It was there and then I made a regretful mistake, but one that has finally changed my mind FOREVER. I caught sight of a kitchen spice rack for sale, stacked up in boxes all heavily taped. The picture on the box looked just like a spice rack I had many years ago which was manufactured in Germany - glass bottles with metal screw-top caps, designed to hang neatly on a spinning base so you can easily find the spice you want. The spice rack was $15, and I thought "oh cool, it must be a closeout special," and I bought it, no returns allowed.
When I got home and opened the box, what I found was $15 worth of cheap, plastic crap and I almost started crying, but instead I got pissed off. The glass was of poor quality with air bubbles in it and the "metal screw-top caps" were just cheap plastic with a metallic film that chipped off when I touched it. When I unscrewed the bottle lids, little shavings of black plastic fell all over - I'm supposed to put food in these? I tried hanging the bottles on the spinning base (which was of course a flimsy piece of plastic) and it was so lopsided I just put everything back in the box and wrote it off as a personal loss.
I don't shop at big box stores, period. It's been about ten years since I stopped giving them business. I buy most things second hand, including 100% of my clothing (except underwear), or if it's something really special I'll pay top dollar for something that I know for sure is a quality product with positive consumer reviews, and was made in Europe, or anywhere but China. The spice rack was the final straw for me, and I now refuse to purchase junk products that break after one use or clothing that rips and frays after one wear/wash.
This is the only way to change the economic disaster of Americans buying cheap junk, over and over, made by 5 cents per hour slaves in Asia. And you wonder why thousands of people are crying over the loss of work in the US, yet they run over to the Walmart and exacerbate the problem by buying more and more crap from China. I refuse to be in that system.
And this is not a rant against China, which I believe to be one of the most fascinating and innovative countries in the world. What I do believe is they are laughing all the way to the bank, making a killing off cheap, toxic products that we "rich white people" keep buying and buying. China's population is so out of control that the masses will do anything to make money - even if it means throwing their values and integrity out the window. It's the corporate business monsters that I despise, not China. What a mess.
I sorely lament the days where people took pride in the things they made. There were once words like quality, craftsmanship, and product endurance. Not now. The items, particularly furniture, that I find at thrift stores and resale shops are far superior in quality and endurance than the brand new stuff you'll find at the store. Last year I hurriedly bought some inexpensive garden trowels - I wasn't thinking. One of them broke the moment I used it out in my garden - the handle just broke off. After that, I went to a flea market and found a bunch of old, used yard tools that actually work and should last for some time.
NEVER AGAIN.
What a great thread you started! I know EXACTLY what you mean. It's hard to find quality merchandise that's "Made in China." I can't even buy a simple frying pan made in the USA or Europe or ANY other country except China. I buy American as often as I can, even if it means paying more.
I find it interesting that Americans often complain about jobs being shipped off to China/India etc. yet... they drive a foreign made car... shop at Wal-mart and other big box stores and make not effort to change. I happen to love my Mom and Pop stores - I hate to see them close because their own people would rather shop at a corporate owned company who would sell out their country to the lowest bidder. It's sad. But, I protest with my dollars... no Wal-mart for me
Well I'm happy to see the "Wally World Cheerleaders" have yet to come onto this thread calling us "unpatriotic" because we boycott Wal-Mart. It seems like whenever I personally say one unflattering thing about Wally World I get reamed out for it. Let me just tell you that if you ever watch the DVD "The High Cost of Low Price," which I personally own, you'll NEVER want to step foot in a Wal-Mart ever again. I haven't purchased one item there in two-and-a-half years, and my next-door neighbor also boycotts them for unfair labor practices overseas. Wal-Mart is crying poverty nowadays, but if they would stop blaming their losses on a "poor economy" and instead due a TRUE STUDY, they'd probably see that they have lost a large chunk of their formerly loyal clientele due to their OWN actions. If and when Wal-Mart cleans up its act, maybe (and that's a BIG maybe), I'll be back. Until then I'll continue to waste gas driving even further and further to independent merchants to do my shopping, passing by the Wal-Mart that is a half-mile from my home, in order to prove a political point.
Oh, I've been verbally beat down on this forum for talking bad about Wal-mart. My friends and I all avoid the place like the plague... but there will always be people who care more about getting their foreign items for cheap than how it became "cheap." There is a price paid by someone in order for Wal-mart to undercut the competition... I don't think people look at this way when they should. It's the buyers who allow Wal-mart to exist and the buyers who support unethical practices.
What a great thread you started! I know EXACTLY what you mean. It's hard to find quality merchandise that's "Made in China." I can't even buy a simple frying pan made in the USA or Europe or ANY other country except China.
Something to remember...Lodge iron frying pans, Dutch ovens, etc. are made in South Pittsburg, Tenn. They have iron frying pans for many decades, and make a quality product.
I agree with everyone on buying made in America, but I confess...I love my Honda! If there was an American car that was equal I'd buy it, but there's none. And now many "foreign" cars are made here, and American cars made there...
Well some of my more favorite brand of women's shoes..Nine West, all though never made in the US were made in places like Spain or Brazil using high quality leather are now made in....yep you guessed it CHINA and they are pretty shoddy..the lifts not staying in the heel...have to start looking for other brands
Something to remember...Lodge iron frying pans, Dutch ovens, etc. are made in South Pittsburg, Tenn. They have iron frying pans for many decades, and make a quality product.
I agree with everyone on buying made in America, but I confess...I love my Honda! If there was an American car that was equal I'd buy it, but there's none. And now many "foreign" cars are made here, and American cars made there...
Thanks! I will look them up... I've been searching in stores for at least a year. Some foreign cars are manufactured in the USA - that is a step up... some American cars are manufactured elsewhere. I tend to prefer American companies who manufacture here... 2nd choice is foreign companies who manufacture in the US which isn't so bad...
Well some of my more favorite brand of women's shoes..Nine West, all though never made in the US were made in places like Spain or Brazil using high quality leather are now made in....yep you guessed it CHINA and they are pretty shoddy..the lifts not staying in the heel...have to start looking for other brands
I love FRYE shoes which traditionally have been made in the US. Now they are made in Ecuador - they are still great quality though. US shoes are really hard to come by (they probably aren't sold at Wal-mart).
I love FRYE shoes which traditionally have been made in the US. Now they are made in Ecuador - they are still great quality though. US shoes are really hard to come by (they probably aren't sold at Wal-mart).
LOL..have you ever seen the shoes they sell at Walmart..omg ..talk about shoddy..I hate that place
But it also pizzes me off that Nine West is now manufacturing in China..It's not reflected in their pricing that's for sure
and the sizing is NOT the same
My next favorite was Bandolino for years made in Italy or Spain...have to see where they are made now
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Let me just tell you that if you ever watch the DVD "The High Cost of Low Price," which I personally own, you'll NEVER want to step foot in a Wal-Mart ever again. I haven't purchased one item there in two-and-a-half years, and my next-door neighbor also boycotts them for unfair labor practices overseas. Wal-Mart is crying poverty nowadays, but if they would stop blaming their losses on a "poor economy" and instead due a TRUE STUDY, they'd probably see that they have lost a large chunk of their formerly loyal clientele due to their OWN actions. If and when Wal-Mart cleans up its act, maybe (and that's a BIG maybe), I'll be back. Until then I'll continue to waste gas driving even further and further to independent merchants to do my shopping, passing by the Wal-Mart that is a half-mile from my home, in order to prove a political point.
