knitwits1975
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Sam Walton Died in 1992. I believe he would be spinning in his grave if he knew how his company was being run.
Let's Talk About Made in the USA
- Thread starter Kevinpreston3
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I haven't been to "Wally World" in almost 6 months-They are the only store here that carries Carnation Malt Mix.Most of whatever elese I need I go to other stores.I dread the shopping experience at Wal-Mart.Dirty conditions,clogged corrodors,rude employees(now see why)and LONG checkout times.Sadly some of the furniture factories in Western North Carolina are closing.there goes some more "Middle class" jobs and quality US products.May be harder to get that US built furniture.It sort of follows the textile factories closing here causing loss of jobs.The textile plants had good wages and benefits.also the tobacco industry is hard hit too-I don't smoke or promote it-but those tobacco farmers made a good living growing the product.It was then shipped North to Richmond to the cigarette factories there.I lived in once was the largest tobacco growing areas in the country-what are these folks supposed to do now?-the farms here a small-it is difficult for these folks to grow other products-some are trying poultry and pigs.also peanuts and soy.Fortunately hogs and poultry can be grown almost anywhere.There is a company in Mt Olive that specializes in building hog raising equipment.("HogSlat")That would provide some jobs-along with the neighboring pickle factory.Hope it survives.
Although we blame Wal-Mart, just about any big-box store is really to blame, be it Target, Best-buy, and many others. In reality however, we, as American consumers have only ourselves to blame. We are not good shoppers because we don't shop for quality, we shop for price, and we don't turn down a deal too good to be true.
Many claim to point out how the lower prices we pay at these big box stores make life better for us. Are we really better off with $39.99 microwaves that will burn out in 3 years, and scorch our food on one side, while leaving the other side raw? Many of the electric appliances from these stores are constructed so poorly they border on dangerous! One of the reasons why I like older products is because they ususally only need minor repairs, and they perform so much better than the junk out there these days. I REFUSE to support the crooked swindliers that sell us junk as rea ligitimate product. I believe we were better off with more expensive products made in American factories, and properly constructed.
I am rather conservative in my political leaning, but the "Wal-Mart syndrome" that was brought about by free trade is something that I feel needs to be taken care of. Free trade would work if the other countries we trade with operated on the same playing field. The problem is THEY DON'T! They don't have OSHA, they don't have pollution controls, they don't have building codes...the list goes on! It is perfectly legal for these companies to manufacture substandard products overseas in substandard conditions because it is perfectly legal in those countries.
Part of the problem too I believe results from our own jaded view of what is considered "middle class". Back in the fifties and sixties, a 3 bedroom rancher with from 1K to 1.5K of square feet was considered middle class. Nowadays, we are building these huge McMansions where 2500 square feet is considered small! Of course, we must fill all this un-necessary space with junk we don't need, and we also must feed it fuel to keep it comfortable. The result? debt...lots of it! Our economy is running on money we don't have, and it's hemmoraging bad as more and more money goes overseas to sustain this artifical, and un-necessary lifestyle. Unfortuatley, I don't see a rosy future for this country. The debt is going to catch up with us sooner or later, and it ain't gonna be pretty!!!
Many claim to point out how the lower prices we pay at these big box stores make life better for us. Are we really better off with $39.99 microwaves that will burn out in 3 years, and scorch our food on one side, while leaving the other side raw? Many of the electric appliances from these stores are constructed so poorly they border on dangerous! One of the reasons why I like older products is because they ususally only need minor repairs, and they perform so much better than the junk out there these days. I REFUSE to support the crooked swindliers that sell us junk as rea ligitimate product. I believe we were better off with more expensive products made in American factories, and properly constructed.
I am rather conservative in my political leaning, but the "Wal-Mart syndrome" that was brought about by free trade is something that I feel needs to be taken care of. Free trade would work if the other countries we trade with operated on the same playing field. The problem is THEY DON'T! They don't have OSHA, they don't have pollution controls, they don't have building codes...the list goes on! It is perfectly legal for these companies to manufacture substandard products overseas in substandard conditions because it is perfectly legal in those countries.
Part of the problem too I believe results from our own jaded view of what is considered "middle class". Back in the fifties and sixties, a 3 bedroom rancher with from 1K to 1.5K of square feet was considered middle class. Nowadays, we are building these huge McMansions where 2500 square feet is considered small! Of course, we must fill all this un-necessary space with junk we don't need, and we also must feed it fuel to keep it comfortable. The result? debt...lots of it! Our economy is running on money we don't have, and it's hemmoraging bad as more and more money goes overseas to sustain this artifical, and un-necessary lifestyle. Unfortuatley, I don't see a rosy future for this country. The debt is going to catch up with us sooner or later, and it ain't gonna be pretty!!!
Yes,we're drowning in our own debt,starting at the top with the Federal guv't,and working it's way down.Free trade is another joke,the Feds push for the NAFTA's,and CAFTA's,and we watch all our manufacturing jobs go out of country.Maybe we get some cheaper produce in return,which hurts our own producers.The other countries don't play by the rules,but they expect us to.
kennyGF
kennyGF
Kevinpreston3
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Excellent points all
cybrvanr--I just read your piece and am in 100% agreement.
You can't 100% blame just Wal-Mart, you have to blame us, the consumer.
I got into a pretty ratty argument on a conservative website with a gal who was so pro-WalMart you'd think she was on their payroll. She practically gushed like WalMart was a boyfriend. When I explained to her points similar to yours, she basically called me a left wing, union loving liberal. Interesting, as I am a middle of the road conservative. She called me an idiot for shopping at Nordstrom. (Love their fitted shirts, so shoot me). I think I pushed her to madness when I suggested that perhaps she was just jealous of people who have enough funds to shop at Nordstroms whenever they please, and who have enough going on in their lives that going to WalMart is not the week's big event. She practically wigged out.
What I find truly amazing is that people frequent these stores, and then they are irritated that there are not 5 people on every aisle just waiting to help them with their lousy $10 purchase.
My best friend's stepdad has this mentality. He could not believe my garage full of Craftsman tools. He scoffed and would tell me he would buy a whole set of tools for what I would pay for my ratchet set. His stepson (who did not like his stepdad)and I would be working on my car next door while he worked on his, and almost every time he was out there he would be cursing when one of his screwdrivers broke or his socket would break. I have had my base tool set for 25 years now and have broke only one socket, which I used as an impact socket and it was not designed for that. They last and last and are guaranteed forever. He just keeps buying more, wrecking his work, smashing his knuckles, and wasting money. Yet I am foolish for buying premium tools (and there are even better tools out there than mine, but that is another issue).
Unfortunately, his mind set has spread. It IS a McMansion mindset...that is, the PERCEPTION of value vs. value. A million dollar house with not even a space for a swingset for your kids is no value in my book. Filling it up with garbage does not say "you've arrived", it says you're an idiot. Sorry, I don't buy a house with a Spanish Tile roof when you can see that they don't even use plywood between the tiles and the roof frame. Yeah, that's quality.
The interesting thing about this site, is that there are people here of every type, profession, interest, orientation, etc. But we all have some great things in common, we appreciate great design, functionality, quality, and dare I sound juvenile, "neat stuff".
It is an interesting commentary that I can visit store after store and find nothing that is inspiring or fun, and then I can look on this site at someone's beat up old washer project and see what they see...something special and cool that will shortly be again delivering quality and value, and look amazing doing it.
cybrvanr--I just read your piece and am in 100% agreement.
You can't 100% blame just Wal-Mart, you have to blame us, the consumer.
I got into a pretty ratty argument on a conservative website with a gal who was so pro-WalMart you'd think she was on their payroll. She practically gushed like WalMart was a boyfriend. When I explained to her points similar to yours, she basically called me a left wing, union loving liberal. Interesting, as I am a middle of the road conservative. She called me an idiot for shopping at Nordstrom. (Love their fitted shirts, so shoot me). I think I pushed her to madness when I suggested that perhaps she was just jealous of people who have enough funds to shop at Nordstroms whenever they please, and who have enough going on in their lives that going to WalMart is not the week's big event. She practically wigged out.
What I find truly amazing is that people frequent these stores, and then they are irritated that there are not 5 people on every aisle just waiting to help them with their lousy $10 purchase.
My best friend's stepdad has this mentality. He could not believe my garage full of Craftsman tools. He scoffed and would tell me he would buy a whole set of tools for what I would pay for my ratchet set. His stepson (who did not like his stepdad)and I would be working on my car next door while he worked on his, and almost every time he was out there he would be cursing when one of his screwdrivers broke or his socket would break. I have had my base tool set for 25 years now and have broke only one socket, which I used as an impact socket and it was not designed for that. They last and last and are guaranteed forever. He just keeps buying more, wrecking his work, smashing his knuckles, and wasting money. Yet I am foolish for buying premium tools (and there are even better tools out there than mine, but that is another issue).
Unfortunately, his mind set has spread. It IS a McMansion mindset...that is, the PERCEPTION of value vs. value. A million dollar house with not even a space for a swingset for your kids is no value in my book. Filling it up with garbage does not say "you've arrived", it says you're an idiot. Sorry, I don't buy a house with a Spanish Tile roof when you can see that they don't even use plywood between the tiles and the roof frame. Yeah, that's quality.
The interesting thing about this site, is that there are people here of every type, profession, interest, orientation, etc. But we all have some great things in common, we appreciate great design, functionality, quality, and dare I sound juvenile, "neat stuff".
It is an interesting commentary that I can visit store after store and find nothing that is inspiring or fun, and then I can look on this site at someone's beat up old washer project and see what they see...something special and cool that will shortly be again delivering quality and value, and look amazing doing it.
So Kev, can I borrow some of your tools LOL
The funny thing about Walmart is that studies have shown that more often than not, Walmart doesn't have the lowest prices in town. The Walmart strategy is to feature a number of end-of-aisle "loss-leaders" that are small appliances or other crap built to the lowest possible price point. These are very basic and not destined to last very long, in general. The shopper who is lured into the store by these few low-priced items will likely look at other models with more features and better construction. And these other models will be priced higher than what one can generally get them for elsewhere.
Which is not to say that Walmart doesn't pinch and squeeze its suppliers for the lowest wholesale costs. I've read that 100% markup on cheap Chinese made items is considered low profit at Walmart. More often it's a 200 to 500% markup - and the profits are going to the corporation, not to the workers or the consumers. What's really sad is that Americans are losing manufacturing jobs to chinese factories that make stuff that Walmart sells for almost as much or more than a fair retailer could sell the American made goods for.
Which is not to say that Walmart doesn't pinch and squeeze its suppliers for the lowest wholesale costs. I've read that 100% markup on cheap Chinese made items is considered low profit at Walmart. More often it's a 200 to 500% markup - and the profits are going to the corporation, not to the workers or the consumers. What's really sad is that Americans are losing manufacturing jobs to chinese factories that make stuff that Walmart sells for almost as much or more than a fair retailer could sell the American made goods for.
Sounds like Wal-Mart likes to do the "Bait and switch" method of marketing items for sale-They lure you in with a low priced item-you spot the higher priced one-and buy it instead-pay a higher price than at another store.I watched a documentry on Wal-Mart-The Chinese built items-it may cost the factory to build 19cents to build a plastic toy car-Wal Mart than sells it for $19.95!And most of that goes to Wal Mart and NOT to the people in the Chinese factory that built the toy car.Its said in the film that the workers live in a "dormitory" on the factory grounds-that is slum like condiditons.The employees at the factory only get a few dollars a week!And to top it off-that Chinese factory employee may have to work 16 hr shifts without any overtime pay.-and minimum breaks at the workplace too.True "sweatshop" conditions.Would not be legal work conditions in the US.
Kevinpreston3
Well-known member
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- Apr 28, 2005
- Messages
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Tolivac....
Like I have said before. We are a country that, rightly so, gets so up in arms over the concept of slavery or indentured servants. But it is perfectly OK to push slavery off shore to another country. And the excuse that is always given is that we are paying fair wages to them, it's just that their cost of living is less there. Right. That explains the dormatories, working every day, penalty payments, "special charges" and all this that goes on to exploit workers. It is clear from many reports that the factories that they give corporations the tour of are often not the factories that do all the work. Those are hidden from sight. What, you expect the Red Chinese to be honest and forthcoming?
But again, what I care for #1 is the AMERICAN worker, and our over-reliance on foreign manufacturing. I think it could be a national security issue in certain circumstances.
Like I have said before. We are a country that, rightly so, gets so up in arms over the concept of slavery or indentured servants. But it is perfectly OK to push slavery off shore to another country. And the excuse that is always given is that we are paying fair wages to them, it's just that their cost of living is less there. Right. That explains the dormatories, working every day, penalty payments, "special charges" and all this that goes on to exploit workers. It is clear from many reports that the factories that they give corporations the tour of are often not the factories that do all the work. Those are hidden from sight. What, you expect the Red Chinese to be honest and forthcoming?
But again, what I care for #1 is the AMERICAN worker, and our over-reliance on foreign manufacturing. I think it could be a national security issue in certain circumstances.
Kevinpreston3:I agree with you all the way-Its about time that these things be brought to the attention of American buyers-and the fact that the people building the items --those things are made by low salary overseas labor-and those folks work in conditions that are unsafe-the Chinese factories also don't have the safety standards ours do.So their employees also have a higher accident rate added to the overtime.I feel this is a security issue too.and get the contractors out of many US govt as well. I shudder to think about these private companies working on "classified" weapons systems and security systems for the govt-Remember when those were govt owned and run.I work for the gov't and know what goes on.Did you know that some of our weapons systems are built by FOREIGN companies overseas?And that some of our weapons companies are owned by Foreign companies.I feel that US weapons builders should ONLY be owned by US residents or companies.That should be law.These outfits do an excellent job-but its security and US jobs at stake.
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