I wanted to make a little mention about something.....

Dan Fredrickson

Dan Fredrickson

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 25, 2007
Location
Sacramento
...that has been bothering me.

Why do Americans so often buy the least expensive thing made when they pretty much know it isn't very good?

Why do the people that will be affected the most from buying China made products buy so many of them?

We are facing a pretty scary recession in the US right now and the people in the highest risk jobs (highest risk of losing their job) continue to shop at that "W" store that sends ~60% of all dollars directly to China? Hundreds of billions of dollars a year, its the biggest foreign aid package going!

When you shop, THINK of where that item was made, your job depends on it!

Buy American Made products from American owned companies, don't mess around when its your future on the line.......
 
Why stop at just the W store, How about the T dealership, H dealership, N dealership, And any other asian dealerships I failed to mention.
 
junkman said:
Why stop at just the W store, How about the T dealership, H dealership, N dealership, And any other asian dealerships I failed to mention.
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Why buy american when the asian car beat out every american car hands down in every category? They are definatly more reliable, cheaper, better warrentee, better options, cheaper, better looking, going to last forever, better financing. I don't care what anyone says, asian cars are simply better vehilces.

The only reason the big three are in business is because of trucks, but toyotas not stupid and they are about to get a hold on that market
 
I won't argue that point......

However most of the Auto manufacturers are doing quite a bit of assembly in the US, contributing something. That "W" store on the other hand has no assembly or production done in the US, nor do they pay greater than minimum wage.

And they make it a point to prey on your neighbors business and replace his $40-60K a year take home salary with a minimum wage job.....and then take the money he spent in your community and send 60% to China.....
 
Umm, Honda, Toyota, BMW and others build theirs in the US. Last I checked, my truck was "Made in Mexico". Truck before that was Canukian.

For consumer goods, I spend more $$ to have quality. I hate having to replace stuff cause it was built cheap. I had rather put more in on the front end, and have reliability and durability.

Only problem is, it's getting harder and harder to find the good stuff anymore.
 
they are building 2 new "w" stores within 7 miles of each other! BOTH OF THEM SUPERCENTERS! That make 3 in a 15Mi radius
 
Cars I understand (although it is mostly Japan, not China).

However, I don't like CHINA. Especially furniture, High Point/Thomasville used to be BIG in furniture, but that has dropped drastically, it's all going overseas.

I am as guilty as anyone I am sure, but for the most part, about anything you buy is from overseas nowdays, which sucks.

It worries me though, I have noticed there have been quite a few recalls from China because of lead in the products they send over here. They are trying to kill us off and have us pay for it!
 
One reason Chicom stuff is cheap -- the have almost no environmental laws or concerns....that leftover lead paint? Just dump it in the river. Caustic chemicals? Dump them on the ground. If they had to meet the same EPA, OSHA, etc standards as here...cost would be about the same.

Where are the environmentalists and tree huggers?

(Same place the antiwar/save-the-world people are in regards to the Burma situation -- Nowhere to be seen.)
 
same thing with copiers. (i service copiers for a living). you can buy some cheap toy at office depot for cheap and replace it every year, or you can spend a little money and buy one from us and keep it for 7-10 years. Not to mention cheaper toner and WE CAN REPAIR WHAT WE SALE! Ask office depot can say the same!

I just watched the Penn & Teller's Bullshit on showtime last nite, they had a topic on wal mart.
 
sha_ba_do_bang said:
Why buy american when the asian car beat out every american car hands down in every category? They are definatly more reliable, cheaper, better warrentee, better options, cheaper, better looking, going to last forever, better financing. I don't care what anyone says, asian cars are simply better vehilces.
The only reason the big three are in business is because of trucks, but toyotas not stupid and they are about to get a hold on that market
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You don't actually believe this crap you wrote do you? What makes the Toyota trucks so much more superior? Hell, they are as american made as my F-250! Keep buying into that propaganda and when you get done learning spanish start your japanese and chinese lessons.
 
kaiser715 said:
(Same place the antiwar/save-the-world people are in regards to the Burma situation -- Nowhere to be seen.)
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off topic here...but speaking of anti war critics....

some 2500 american soldiers have died in Iraq since the start of the war 6 years ago. (that number could be different, just the last one i heard quoted)

In the same six years, 54,000 american citizens have been killed by illegal immegrants!

Wheres the protests against that!!!!!


anyway, back on topic.

I will buy groceries from wal mart, but i will not buy anything else. i'll stick to sears for tools, thats for sure. Definatly wont be buying any of their particle board furniture! and i like the stitching to stay in my clothes, so i wont be obtaining clothing from walmart.
 
BigRedB2 said:
54,000 american citizens have been killed by illegal immegrants!
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Could you please quote your source for this?
9k/year is quite a drastic number. I'm having serious doubts it's what is implied....
 
just picking on your reply becasue it was last but....

why 'only' groceries at walfart ? Having grown up in an agricultural area do you not think the reason the food is so cheep is because they has strong armed farmers into lower prices ? Milk comes from a farm not stores..

Anyway... I used to buy stuff there 'because it was cheeper' then i realized that half the stuff broke after the first few uses. I got sick of the employment practices... 39 hr. part time work weeks.. This has NOTHING to do with china....

I now spend a few dollars more and buy stuff at other places.. yes it does cost a few dollars more but I feel better about NOT shopping at Walfarts..

I believe we are heading into a recession, were over due.. So many people don't know how to do a damn thing for them selfs.. IMHO recessions/depressions 'level set' people and values back to some common ground...


mod note - just keep the discussion clean and no personal attacks and it won't get moved..
 
Its good to get people thinking......

And many companies and unions are at fault but it boils down to who operates their business like a vulture?

Forcing companies to lower wholesale prices with the threat of going to China if they didn't and then going to China anyway with no care to the devastation they wreak on the communities the previous supplier was in.

Predatory sales practices designed to destroy small communities and most of the businesses in those communities. All under the veil of "We are providing much needed jobs".

And the way employees are treated by those companies, employees are disposable in their eyes and treated as such.

I know I raised the ire of many when I mentioned unions being at fault but take a step back and look at the whole situation. When the union tries to increase pay and benefits every year and the company is right on the edge already from fighting the Chinese influence don't you think no increase and having a job is better than an increase to go with no job?

And then the companies manufacturing the products. Publically traded companies are much worse than privately owned companies in that they have to try and meet shareholder expectations and would fight the lowering of profit margins where privately held (and generally smaller) companies can take a longer view and compete at a lower profit.

This is a very large and complicated problem but we must face it because there is nowhere to go from here.....We cannot be a service country, we need to make things too.
 
IMHO unions have served a needed function in our history. I also think that they are better served to low pay factory /manufacturing workers where 'protection' is needed for working conditions, work pace, etc..

Brief aside - when my dad was still a teamster working for UPS when the went on strike several years ago, it was played out like it was over more pay etc.. It boiled down to UPS wanted 1 delivery person to manually lift 150# unassisted (this was their first of many moves into the freight arena) They 'negotiated' it down to 70# unassisted and 150# with an 'aid'. Oh ya UPS wanted the pension plan for the drivers from the teamsters. They also hire drivers PT for 37hr work weeks, 5min notice to come into work, if you pass to often, you don't get called.. etc..

I digress (or regress) We ARE a country of smart people, why can't we get ahead of this ????
 
Gravel Maker said:
However most of the Auto manufacturers are doing quite a bit of assembly in the US, contributing something. That "W" store on the other hand has no assembly or production done in the US, nor do they pay greater than minimum wage.
And they make it a point to prey on your neighbors business and replace his $40-60K a year take home salary with a minimum wage job.....and then take the money he spent in your community and send 60% to China.....
Click to expand...

and yet that same W store employs thousands of truck drivers (who are paid quite fairly according to a friend who drives for them) and many truck maintenance locations with technicians. those trucks cross the country purchasing fuel and other items at truck stops that also employ American workers. Don't forget about the warehouse workers, store associates and managers....

I'm not a fan of any of those type stores, but keep things in perspective.

As for the vehicles, I'm glad to see that you point out the Asian companies have manufacturing plants here in the US. Those plants employ a good many American workers, Engineers, purchasing agents, etc.. They likely purchase a fair number of parts built here in the US from other companies also staffed by Americans....The dealerships are owned by Americans and staffed by Americans.....

It's a free market society. However, I do agree with buying quality stuff, and what I've seen lately in the news, China is having quality issues.
 
RatLabGuy said:
Could you please quote your source for this?
9k/year is quite a drastic number. I'm having serious doubts it's what is implied....
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Rep. Steve King of Iowa.

the number includes DUI accidents and murders. it comes out to about 25 death caused by illegal immegrants a day. 9000 a year doesnt seem possible, but when you condider that there are 12 million+ illegals here, it seems tottally logical that they could cause 25 deaths a day, accidental and intentional.
 
after working at lowe's home improvement for almost 3 years i came to the sad reallity that MAYBE 2% of everything in that store is made someone other than china..... damn near every box in that store comes from overseas.....
 
All the previous posts have merit....however, I quit shopping at Chinamart for the obvious. They don't, in my opinion, sell value. They offer low price which is not value to me.

IF YOU DON'T VOTE, IT MAY BE THE LAST TIME YOU CAN. THE CORRUPT BASTARDS IN CONGRESS ARE TAKING OUR RIGHTS AWAY ONE AT A TIME. WE ARE HEADED TOWARDS AN UNARMED POLICE STATE AND WILL HAPPEN SOONER THAN LATER IF BILLERY GETS ELECTED!
 
I don't see anyone forcing anyone to lower their prices or anything of that nature, it's capitalism, and it's the American way and it's a great thing to have. Wallyworld may buy ag products locally at lower prices, simply because if the locals didn't sell to them at lower prices Wallyworld would go elsewhere and the locals would be stuck holding products that don't sell, that's called business and walmart is in the business of getting products at the lowest price possible to get their profits at the highest price possible, makes sense to me. Businesses that go down around wallyworld go down because of the lower prices of wallyworld and most Americans are going to go where they get the most for their buck. Employees accept the working conditions of wallyworld when they take the job. Its not my place to concern myself about their employment practices, so long as they are legal. What you buy at walmart is exactly what you get, some things you know are cheaply made, somethings are not. I've still got shirts that I bought there 8 years ago that look new and get worn on a regular basis, can't beat them for the prices of Wranglers, which do last.
I'm going to shop where I can get the most out of my money. If there are two products, one at walmart another at mom and pops, walmart has the cheaper price, guess what, my money's going to walmart. I'm not here to support somebody, I'm here to support my family and myself and that is stretching my dollar for as long as I can
 
InfantryYJ said:
I don't see anyone forcing anyone to lower their prices or anything of that nature, it's capitalism, and it's the American way and it's a great thing to have. Wallyworld may buy ag products locally at lower prices, simply because if the locals didn't sell to them at lower prices Wallyworld would go elsewhere and the locals would be stuck holding products that don't sell, that's called business and walmart is in the business of getting products at the lowest price possible to get their profits at the highest price possible, makes sense to me. Businesses that go down around wallyworld go down because of the lower prices of wallyworld and most Americans are going to go where they get the most for their buck. Employees accept the working conditions of wallyworld when they take the job. Its not my place to concern myself about their employment practices, so long as they are legal. What you buy at walmart is exactly what you get, some things you know are cheaply made, somethings are not. I've still got shirts that I bought there 8 years ago that look new and get worn on a regular basis, can't beat them for the prices of Wranglers, which do last.
I'm going to shop where I can get the most out of my money. If there are two products, one at walmart another at mom and pops, walmart has the cheaper price, guess what, my money's going to walmart. I'm not here to support somebody, I'm here to support my family and myself and that is stretching my dollar for as long as I can
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And this very small sighted view point will be the undoing of our economy.

Let me tell a little story.
A couple good friends of ours owned a small time manufacturing business. They had a nice life made probably right at 100k/year and things rolled along. Wal Mart came calling and wanted to carry their product. They initially declined as they felt they couldnt meet the supply demands.

Well 6 months passed and Wal Mart called again. They said everything this couple wanted to hear. Paid them higher per unit prices than they were currently charging smaller distribution chains, and offered to help finance the expansion they may need to meet their supply demands. They began supplying wal mart and all went well, until wal mart checks bounced. yes you read that right, the checks bounced (later it turned up in the lawsuit that walmart uses a separate account just for "ooops bouncing checks") anyway due to the exponential demands this nice little company found itself in quite a pickle. Until low and behold a plane for Arkansas landed (mind you without them even calling regarding the bouncing checks) 2 nice suited women walked in with over $200,000 in cash (the amount back owed) and explained that as soon as they signed the new contract agreeing to supply for half the current price they would turn the cash flow faucet back on. My friend declined and instead sued. They came out alright but many have buckled.

So yes Wal Mart does put a gun to peoples head to lower their prices.

And at the end of the day,if you continue to support those who intend to destroy your neighbors, you will be the only one left in the neighborhood.
 
And what you just described is business.

However you look at it, the American free-market and capitalism is where the dollar lies. If the small businesses can't compete, they go under, no one, no matter what they say, starts a business to just plain help and support people, they start a business to make money......America allows that.
If Walmart sold Rubicon Express parts, Poison Spyder, Warn, or Detroit parts at a price much cheaper than you could find anywhere else, people on this board would be all over it, not batt an eye.


If you don't shop at walmart, fine, but don't blame me for stretching my hard earned dollar for as far as it will go.
 
along with the above strong arm tactics above.. Maul-mart MAKEs moste suppliers operate on 90+days BEFORE they get payment.. So basically they sell products on consignment for the vendors..

So i'd rather pay $1 more for an item at a different store that doesn't support that. There was a time when I could NOT afford to put my $ where my mouth is... I can now so I do.. Maybe I won't always be able to in the future..

edit: good luck finding someone a crawl-mart to assist you in your RE lift kit install.. Better hope they don't MAKE the vendors create a special product for them that 'looks' the same but has a few less features than the closest competitor... Sounds like good business to me.. Check model/product numbers on items when your comparing sale items... Most lack 1-2 features or buttons than the 'same' product at other places.. So this great deal isn't really stretching your dollar, you just bought a lesser product...
 
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