Made in China

sun, I agree with you. However, many of our manufacturers have left the USA for other countries where labor is cheaper. They felt that staying in the USA would bring exorbitant prices to their customers. because the workers were demanding triple wages and then some.

I would rather pay more for an item MADE IN USA than the SAME item made in China (alias “imported”). However the profit by American companies on clothing made in China is huge and you and I are paying astronomical prices for items that were made there by children working in factories getting a mere pittance and working overtime hours under poor conditions. The only way the manufacturers will get the message is if we complain and don’t buy their products.

I definitely agree! Made in America is a must. China’s merchandise is cheap and poorly made.
We need to support American workers!

I couldn’t agree more. I remember items costing a lot less if they were made in China. That is now not the case and the above poster is right about the huge profit for the American companies. Some of this merchandise coming from China is pure junk and does not have the quality control the US companies have. I think the shopping channels are now hesitant to even put Made in China and are instead using the word “Imported” and when you call to ask where they are imported from, you are told they do not know. I have recently not bought several things due to them being made in China.

I think we will be waiting a long, long time before clothing manufacturing returns to the USA. Heck, even our president has a lot of his stuff manufactured overseas. American workers in any industry deserve a living wage. When the big companies realized they could get around that by outsourcing, they went for it. Unpatriotic if you ask me. I don’t blame China, I blame the corporations and their desire for not just healthy, but obscene profits. Why pay an American $1,800 a month when you can pay someone in Bangladesh just $200. Workplace safety? That’s costly too and they don’t have to worry about it overseas (remember the garment factory fire in India where the workers were actually locked in and couldn’t escape)? They don’t have to pay payroll tax, medical insurance, retirement or anything else when they outsource. Really, why WOULD they want to manufacture here again?

With the democrats in power, fat chance anything will change. One simple solution, stop buying MADE IN CHINA. Oh I mean IMPORTED. EVERYTIME YOU MAKE A PURCHASE, YOU ARE ENRICHING AND EMPOWERING THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT. THEY PLAN TO OWN THE UNITED STATES. HOW IS YOUR MANDARIN THESE DAYS

Honestly, I think both political parties are guilty for the situation we find ourselves In! Remember, Ivana Trump had big business with China selling her clothing line. Anyway, not to get off the subject, I was/am so surprised that Slinky Brand is no longer available. Jackie always made a point of telling us their clothing was made here in the USA. It’s even getting difficult finding appliances that are made here. We consumers are really in a difficult dilemma, since where the products are made is rarely ever mentioned. Happy (?) Shopping!

Outsourcing has been going on for years. Manufacturers take their business elsewhere because labor is much cheaper, they don’t have to provide benefits (which take up a big chunk of costs), and they don’t have to contend with labor unions or many health and safety protocols for their factories or labor. Although China is a major contender, other countries like Mexico, Japan, India, and Central America have also been used for outsourcing. We cannot just blame these countries. I’m not saying it is ok. People need jobs, but they also need a livable wage. How many people could actually afford the cost of some of these products if we brought all manufacturing back? Estimates are items would sell for 3X or more!! There are some great articles with timelines out there that have a lot of information. I encourage you to google/yahoo to find them by just asking the question: “When and Why Did Manufacturing Leave the U.S.?”

The manufacturers don’t want to lose their profits either. They have shareholders to keep happy and I have yet to see too many of the CEOs and upper management take a wage cut. Wages have not kept up with the cost of living bottom line. We all know the middle class has continued to dwindle and there are more poor people barely scraping by, if at all. These are the people who shop where they can afford to by products within their means. Don’t blame the countries and don’t blame the workers. Blame those at the top, including politicians from both sides who have companies, are major shareholders, or who are taken in by lobbyists.

Along a similar line is to think about something as simple as chocolate. Chocolate is my vice, but I buy only from fair trade companies. I recall reading how Nestles, Hershey’s and a other company claimed it isn’t their fault (I’m paraphrasing) that the chocolate they buy has been cultivated with the help of child labor. It’s important for all of us to think about what we buy, what we put into our body and so forth.

And Tady, your responses were so well-written and thought out.