amazon.com

 

NAFTA guaranteed that WM would stay in business importing from China and anybody else.

China isn't the only country that makes goods cheaper than we do in the USA. You'll see timber imported from Canada, Cars from Mexico, Foods from Europe, textiles from the middle east and Africa, foods from South America, manufactured goods from Australia....

 

Not to say NAFTA hasn't helped importing good, but the NORTH AMERICAN FREE TRADE AGREEMENT has nothing to do with imports from China.

 

lol your right in which it hasnt directly....but indirectly you better believe it.

 

China's entry into the WTO created a huge boost to their exports..

 

I'm not an owner of a small "Mom 'n Pop" but I feel for them. It's too bad they get pushed out of business so often.

I like shopping at Wally World because they have so much stuff and it's not all crap like K-Mart. All big businesses come down sooner or later. Wallys will come down one day too.

-1bigsteve (o:

 

For those of you saying small business retailers charge rediculous prices is rediculous, I am a small retailer, and trust me i am not getting rich, the only reason, some items cost more from a small business is because we have to pay more for the item. We are not buying in bulk quantities like wally world. I run a tire and auto shop, and there are certain tires that walmart sells, that i can't even get at my cost for that price. I can garantee you, that i have a smaller markup on products than walmart just to try and be somewhat competive which is extremely hard. The only thing most small business have going is good customer service, which matters to alot of people but also lots of people only care about is how cheap the product is.

-Ryan
Minnesota

 

The idea of a retail store that ONLY sells products "Made in USA" keeps comming back to me. I would shop there. I would gladly pay somewhat more for things. I would drive my Ford Ranger PAST Walmart to get there (and back).

Would I ever see you shopping there?

Does anyone know a good source of info on products "Made in USA" ? Buying online is a trick - info is rarely available.

I always ALWAYS check tags before I buy things. People who don't look at tags are not entirely aware of what has been happening. If it says China - I put it back. I buy products from all over the world - with a preference for things "Made in USA". I only buy "made in China" when I see no other option (bought a blow dryer lately?). I often leave stores empty handed (and a little ticked off). I like telling store managers and other employees that I boycott China. I ask them which products in the store are made in USA - they don't usually have a clue. They chuckle and remark something like "good luck with THAT!". Often I just skip the shopping trip all together. Most of it is just future clutter anyway.

Many of you know Walmart is not the only China happy outlet these days, just the worst offender. Dicks sporting goods is another favorite of mine. I have to pass up 250 fishing rods to get one of the three made in USA.

I don't hate China, and I certainly don't hate Chinese people. I do have some issues with Chinese govt. My problem is with US trade policy and American consumers. Walmart makes me ill. My pride in our country is strong, but eroding. It makes me sad.

 

Do you think your ranger was made in the USA? It may have been put together here, but the engine came from Mexico, the interior from korea, and the stero from japan. I'm sure if you look at a lot of the other parts, its the same.

Also, and this is why that ,"Made in America" campaign failed. If people by products simply because it is made in one place, or by one company, then the product quality falls. You've got to have competition to make it better.

Were starting to sound like the fat kid running and coughing at the back of the track. Some young stud whos in good shape is passing us and leaving us behind, and we want the coach to tell him to stop. Maybe we should just trim the fat, train harder, and catch the hell up.

This isn't sounding like the America my grandfather has told me about. They weren't the best at somethings, but when the time came to have to beat the best, they rolled there sleeves up, took a cut in pay and quality of life, and went to work.

 

One day, in line at the company cafeteria, Joe says
to Mike behind him, "My elbow hurts like hell. I guess
<TT>I better see a doctor.

"Listen, you don't have to spend that kind of money," </TT>
<TT>Mike replies. "There's a diagnostic computer down at </TT>
<TT>WalMart. Just give it a urine sample and the computer will</TT>
<TT>tell you what's wrong and what to do about it. </TT>
<TT>It takes ten seconds and costs ten dollars. </TT>
<TT>A lot cheaper than a doctor."

So Joe deposits a urine sample in a small jar and takes </TT>
<TT>it to WalMart. He deposits ten dollars, and the computer </TT>
<TT>lights up and asks for the urine sample. He pours the sample </TT>
<TT>into the slot and waits. Ten seconds later, the computer </TT>
<TT>ejects a printout: </TT>
<TT>"You have tennis elbow. Soak your arm in warm water and </TT>
<TT>avoid heavy activity It will improve in two weeks. </TT>
<TT>Thank you for shopping @ WalMart."</TT>
<TT>
That evening while thinking how amazing this new technology </TT>
<TT>was, Joe began wondering if the computer could be fooled. </TT>
<TT>He mixed some tap water, a stool sample from his dog, urine </TT>
<TT>samples from his wife and daughter, and a sperm sample for </TT>
<TT>good measure. </TT>

<TT>Joe hurries back to WalMart, eager to check the results.
He deposits ten dollars, pours in his concoction, and awaits </TT>
<TT>the results. It took only one minute for the computer to print
the following:</TT>
<TT>1. Your tap water is too hard. Get a water softener. (Aisle 9)
2. Your dog has ringworm. Bathe him with anti-fungal shampoo. (Aisle 7)
3. Your daughter has a cocaine habit. Get her into rehab.
4. Your wife is pregnant. Twins. They aren't yours. Get a lawyer.
5. If you don't stop playing with yourself, your elbow will never get better.</TT>

 

First of all there is nothing wrong with competition. Competition is good and certainly leads to innovation amongst other things. What is bad is a US based company having to meet minimum wage requirements, environmental stipulations, honor union contracts, OSHA, mandated audits, and many other requirements that are not listed while companies in China, Mexico, or wherever are not being required to meet the same standards. Don't even get me started on trademark and patents. I personally think that something is wrong with this senerio. Now all you economist can scream and yelp about about competition being the invisible hand or whatever, but from the perspective of supporting a nation and its sovernty we are selling ourselves out one plastic tidbit at a time. End of Story!

Secondly, the Chinese Government does harbor ill will toward the United States. Now some of you I am sure will hemhaw around and disagree with this statement and think I am some kind of paranoid freak but if you do a little unbiased research you will see what I am talking about. Look at Tiawan for starters. Research back to WWII and the dynamic of the Soviet Union and the revolution to Communist Red China. Lets not even talk about the malicious computer attacks that occur on behalf of the Chinese Government against US industry, not to say the United States is not guilty as well. Keep in mind the Chinese government believes in absolute warfare and this includes economics policies that will ultimately undermine any adversary. Examine Chinese monetary policy just for kicks some time and how it is artificially tied to the US Dollar.

Long story short, think about what you buy beyond your immediate need. Think about where that dollar is going. Is it staying in the community (local or national), or is it funding a foreign intellegence agency's equipment budget. Sure, Wal-Mart is not the only company that is guilty, but it is the biggest and that makes it a target, probably to the dismay (or not) of a similarly named competitor.

Just my $0.02

 

I know my Ranger came from all over. I thought the motor was German. Given a choice, I would have bought a truck made entirely in USA. I think that was not an option.

I'm for fair competition. The playing field is not level. Foriegn markets are less open to US imports than the other way around. I'm not an economist, but I am an alert consumer. I avoid poor quality products no matter where they are made.

When software which I write is pirated and distributed by people in China, there is no practical recourse. I don't get paid. This is not fair. Who's at fault?

You can trim all you like, but when a company has a choice of paying you, or 7 guys in India with the same skills for the same total cost as one of you... you lose. You can't compete even if you do all your shopping at Walmart. You still need USD to pay your mortgage. You could go live in India, I hear it's much less expensive. There are a LOT more people in India, but fewer fat ones.

Meanwhile, I will continue to reward Americans who produce good products while re-investing my cash in my own hometown. I know there are a lot of people who just don't get it. I guess I can't solve that entirely. But know this: I sleep well knowing that the gifts under my tree were hand crafted right here in Vermont and not mass produced in China 'cause I waited till the last minute to jockey my way through Walmart.

The Walmart here near Burlington sells a variety of Vermont themed mugs and shot glasses - all made in China. They're less expensive than the ones made here, and easier to find. What does quality mean in a shot glass... it doesn't leak? I'll pay triple what Walmart charges for the same thing, or chug it straight from the bottle! Not everybody can do that. Fortunately I can, and you won't talk me out of it (paying triple I mean, not the chugging). Cheers!

 

I think one needs to remember is that not all Americans are blessed with a good paying job where they can afford to invest into any given product without any regard for cost. Many many people are living paycheck to paycheck. A friend of mine's son is one. He does, however, have alot of pride and will not accept a handout. He will do what he can to buy American but there is a limit. He just went shopping for his kid's new pair of shoes at Wallyworld, and I don't blame him. Just to be able to have stuff is something we all should be entitled, if we honestly work for it.
In America, we have a free and capatalist society. If we really want something, we are able to work to get whatever it is, and that is great! I worked hard for all that I have and am proud of it. But what I have, took alot of years of perserverance to acquire. For some folks things come easy whether due to a large inheritance, well-to-do parents to pay for their education or they were just darned lucky in life.
For those who haven't had that kind of luck, I say go to Wal-mart and get some stuff. It's all some people have for a choice, if they want some stuff. After they make it to a more comfortable place, then they can pay the high prices to show their American pride. Until then, I certainly will not judge them for choosing Wal-mart. My new truck is a FORD because I could almost afford it.
BTW, regarding Wal-mart, I hate that store.

 

Software piracy is a problem for every company making programs. Anyone from a kid in his basement, to a Chinese company paying for the kid in the basements hack can copy and redistribute software. Walmart has nothing to do with that kind of piracy.

They do however buy other regular mechanical and non mechanical products that have some or all production from foreign countries. That is what I am referring to when I say make a product they can't make yet. Even the stuff that is copied is often much poorer quality. But there are some things that are Made here at home that are of less quality than their stuff.

Point is, basic economics shows that at a certain point, it pays to buy a less quality product for a price, then it does to pay for the good stuff, but there are things where you want the best, so your gonna pay for the best. Americas history has been to make the best, and make things that you couldn't afford to buy cheaper knock offs.

Its all about where you are on the social economic scale. If your middle class, then you probably buy a equal range of both. If your on the lower class, you probably buy cheap knock offs, because thats all you can afford. if your upper class, hell I don't know what you buy, I don't know any upper class people.

 

Snake, I was watching one of those rich and famous shows and according to it, upper class people buy:
2000 foot imported Yaughts, foreign Islands, imported wine, imported sports cars, etc....
Ironic isn't it?