Big Box stores & China.

[CaptainKev]

I'm absolutely sick & tired of seeing the same crappy products, made in Asia, at all of the major big box stores. It's bad enough that the work has gone to Asia, but so have the all choices. I find it increasingly difficult to purchase anything that doesn't belly up within a matter of days, or didn't work in the first place. Sure, you can take it back, but in many cases there are no alternative products. I own my business and I have been personally impacted by offshore manufacturing, in particular Chinese. I keep hearing that reason for the work going offshore is that the labor etc., is cheaper and American consumer's will not pay the extra money needed to produce American made goods. In all cases, I can't even purchase the American raw materials for less than the Chinese finished products. That being said, if there are no choices, other than Asian products how do we know?. So, I turn to the Forum for comments.......would you buy American made products, even if they cost more?
Kev.

 

[_chris_]

Re: Big Box stores & China.

I would pay more for a product that was made in USA (Not assembled in USA) if it was of good quality. Quality stuff just isn't made anymore anywhere. 50 years ago things were built to last a lifetime now they are built to be replaced in a few years as for more business later. I have a dining room set that was givien to me by my grandparents who had it redone in 1966 and I had redone again this year. i don't know what year it was made but it was built to last and I will most likely have it for years to come so I am less likely to buy something new.

 

[jacknbella]

Re: Big Box stores & China.

In today's disposable society, it's even cheaper to throw-away something than it is to repair it. We just replaced our non-working 2 megapixels digital camera with a 10 megapixels camera with all the bells and whistles for less money than it would cost to repair the original camera. This is just one example. Same goes for TV's, computers, and audio equipment.

If I can save $100 by shopping at Walmart each month for sub-par items then that puts an extra $1200 in my pocket every year and allows me to dump more money into my hobbies (boating).

Most of us would like to buy American (myself included), however, it's all about the mighty dollar anymore, especially in an economic downturn. I'd buy Chinese-made fuel if it meant saving $20. I feel guilty about my purchasing habits because I'm aware it hurts USA businesses but I just can't afford to buy the more expensive items anymore. Sorry. Feel free to give it to me...

 

[Mark42]

Re: Big Box stores & China.

Depends on the product. Many products made in China are high grade and last a long time. Others are crap. An example is a heavy duty cast iron fry pan. It will last the rest of my life. But the cheap-o aluminum, non-stick set of pots and pans only lasted about 4 years and its time for a new set. Both were made in China.

I buy cheap when cheap will do, and spend the extra money when I need a product to last.

 

[ShaneCarroll]

Re: Big Box stores & China.

To be honest, I personally boycott (or attempt to) any item that was made in the US, and then moved overseas. Some examples are Hanes, Coca-Cola (soon, anyways), avd Verizon. Well, the latter two didn't move overseas, but their customer care sure did. When I was a Verizon Repair Tech, you would not believe how often I got cussed out because someone's DSL wasn't working, and when they called to report the trouble, they reached some Indian person who couldn't understand English, and they couldn't understand the Indian person either.

One thing I would do if I was in a position of power would be to heavily tax all the companies that have been established in America, but decide to go overseas to "save money." That's funny, you go overseas to save money, but charge us the same if not more for your product / service. If giant American corporations want to do business in America, keep your business in America. Sorry to rant, but I feel very strongly about this. I lost my job at Verizon (partly) due to them moving customer care overseas. Nothing ticks me off more than when I call for assistance on an AMERICAN product and a foreigner answers the phone. WTF!?

 

[Limited-Time]

Re: Big Box stores & China.

It's all about the ROI, (return on investment) and maximizing the return. Would you rather invest in a corporation that returns 5 to 6 percent annually or one that returns 12 to 15 percent. You make the call.

 

[204 Escape]

Re: Big Box stores & China.

I'm with ShaneCarroll. I try very hard to buy American made products, BUT, because of the overseas stuff, it becomes increasingly MORE difficult each and every day.

IMHO, the United States has been, and is continuing to be sold off one square foot at a time.

I also agree, that NOT ALL American products are top quality. BUT, is it because people making these products are trying to "compete with foreign products" ??

I hope it don't happen, but what will the "foreign supporters", (that have a choice in what they buy), how will they feel when buying "foreign" affects their livlihood !?!?!?

 

[QC]

Re: Big Box stores & China.

Please tread lightly here guys . . . looks like a locked thread waiting to happen

 

[IVAZ]

Re: Big Box stores & China.

I get laughed at by my wife because I look for the "MADE IN _____" sticker anytime I buy something. If I have a choice I buy American. For example, when I bought my nephew a BB gun I looked at Daisy and Crossman. The Daisy is now made in China so we bought the Crossman.
My grandpa was a WWII veteran, he was appalled the Japanese were even allowed to sell their products over here. My pops had a huge influence in the way I think.
I actually felt guilty buying my wife the truck she had to have in 2004, a Nissan Titan. This year she decided she needed a new truck. Without her consent I bought her an 09 GMC. She wasn?t mad at me, she knew how crappy I felt about the Jap truck. And now when I visit my dad I don?t have to hear ?Get that POS of my driveway? he is just like his daddy

 

[thedukeryan]

Re: Big Box stores & China.

I own my own business and the majority of items I sell I import from overseas manufacturers. The advantage I have over USA made products is that I am able to offer a lower end Chinese produced product for a 1/10th the price of a higher end USA product with similar features. For example I can sell a very nice rifle scope with mount for ~ $100 while a comparable Leupold model with the same features starts at over $1,000 without a mount. Its not that my customers don't want to buy American but rather that they can't afford to drop $1k on a USA made scope. At $100 they will purchase but much more than that they will opt to live without it. I like many people will buy items that I don't need but can justify due to the price. For example I purchased the laptop that i am on at best buy for $400. I could justify it for $400 but would have passed at $500-$600. Buying foreign made products allows me to afford small luxuries that I normally would not have considered.

 

[ShaneCarroll]

Re: Big Box stores & China.

Don't get me wrong, I see no problem buying foreign products due to lower prices. I just have a problem with services that originated in America, and went overseas, unemploying Americans. Then they are saving money from moving overseas, but they do not decrease their prices to match their savings.

 

[captharv]

Re: Big Box stores & China.

I was in the R&D Engineering dept of an electronic accessory manufacturer 2 jobs ago. Our dept designed and rode herd on products for cost and quality.
We had many competitors in our field, so the price was the main thing with management. They would have meetings to se if that could back out $.25 from a product, because over a product lifetime of 100,000 units, that becomes a lot of money.
An example: I designed an outdoor TV antenna for homes. The antenna itself was to be made sateside, because overseas shipping was costly due to the amount of air in the box. To make the amp in our own factory with our own people would have cost about $7 Thats parts, labor testing, etc.
Our Chinese supplier quoted $3 at our back door, shipping and duties included.
duh! no brainer. The quality was acceptable for the application.
Now, that said, they can make high quality stuff, if the manufacturer pays for it and monitors the production. Most of the Tvs, and consumer home theater goods are made there, however, in the case of high end stuff, monitored. You get what you pay for.
The big box stores are very price concious. Most are quality concious to some extent, in that they don't want a lot of returns, because most mave very liberal return policies. However, the quality is relative. You would expect a Sony $250 home theater unit to be better constructed than a store-brand $75 unit. And, they will be.
The average consumer can't tell the difference, and wants low cost. Thats what they sell and make money doing so.

 

[642mx]

Re: Big Box stores & China.

It amazes me how many people don't believe in 'free market'. I buy what I need regardless of where its made, and if I can save a few bucks, who cares where it came from. I gotta do whats best for me.

 

[thedukeryan]

Re: Big Box stores & China.

I worked a couple years in manufacturing for the Pepsico company. I started in quality assurance and then took a logistic position. I will say one thing about the food industry is that it is one of the few industries that people are willing to pay extra for US made. For example when I buy a TV I expect to see made in China, Japan etc and can deal with that. However if I go to buy 10lbs of beef even if sold for pennies a pound I would run away and never look back if it had a made in China sticker on it. Even then I think a lot of companies are even importing meats, fruits & veggies. Food products are one of the few items that I am concerned about country of origin.

 

[45Auto]

Re: Big Box stores & China.

I buy what I need regardless of where its made, and if I can save a few bucks, who cares where it came from. I gotta do whats best for me.

A fine example of typical American short-sightedness! Save a buck now, lose your job and your kid's future in a few years ........

 

[Jeep Man]

Re: Big Box stores & China.

There's a bumper sticker that's very popular around here:
OUT OF A JOB YET?.....KEEP BUYING FOREIGN

 

[642mx]

Re: Big Box stores & China.

A fine example of typical American short-sightedness! Save a buck now, lose your job and your kid's future in a few years ........

There are lots of folks like me..... (who do what is best for themselves). After all, its the American way.

 

[rogerwa]

Re: Big Box stores & China.

The nature of buisness has changed. I think if you looked deep into these companies that have sent servicing offshore, you would find that they are serving the pupose they are inteded to serve, which is to increase shareholder value. In many cases these decisions are made to keep the company competitve and really is the only alternative.

Working for a company the does a lot of offshoring, often the choice is not between an american employee or an offshore employee but whether the process is automated. In a number of cases it is cheaper to send the process offshore than it is to use technology to automate it.

For those who do not like to be routed to india for customer service, than get used to only calling during limited hours, waiting on the phone, and paying more for your service. Competitiion is pressuring the prices down while increasing service.

The businesses are not evil, nor are they social programs. They are trying to survive in a cutthroat competitive environment. Doing whatever they can to make a profit for their shareholders.

 

[ShaneCarroll]

Re: Big Box stores & China.

For those who do not like to be routed to india for customer service, than get used to only calling during limited hours, waiting on the phone, and paying more for your service. Competitiion is pressuring the prices down while increasing service.

The businesses are not evil, nor are they social programs. They are trying to survive in a cutthroat competitive environment. Doing whatever they can to make a profit for their shareholders.

My cable company still has all American customer service, with an average wait time of less than five minutes per call. Their rates are still cheaper than the "I gotta go overseas to save a buck" companies. To me, going overseas is greed, they are still making a ton of money, but the CEO wants to buy that new golf course. Remember Enron? Maybe a different scenario, but still the same root of the problem: corporate greed. Verizon was posting $292 Billion profit, and they're trying to survive?!

 

[mphy98]

Re: Big Box stores & China.

Here in Wisconsin we have mercury marine which was founded in Appleton WI. The union here is unwilling to make the most basic of concessions to keep the jobs here in WI. Fortunately the loss here is Oklahoma's gain. The concessions as I understand it are very minor and do not really affect the current workers with the exception of instead of a pension they would be set up with a 401k program. Not cuts in health care with the possibility of a little larger co-pay. the new hires though will start at a cheaper rate and will get raises on a smaller scale. the new hires will have the larger co pays. The vote is later this week. I will bet you they will follow the unions rule and reject the small concessions. So say goodbye to mercury here in WI and the 2000 jobs that will never be back. Thank you gov Doyle for not doing anything again. To Oklahoma you will be gaining 2000 good jobs and I hope they stay there instead of china. By the way we are the 2nd of 3rd highest taxed state in the Nation.