"gloria.p" wrote:
>John Doe wrote:
>>
>> I am surprised that so many baby products are made in China,
>> including baby bottles, pacifiers, and teething rings. Apparently
>> saving a few pennies has been a consumers' only concern over the
>> last decade or so.
>
>I am surprised to see this mentioned so often here. It's the
>retailers' decision what to put on the shelf to offer the customer
>and they have gone to Chinese manufacturing to increase profits.

There's no increased profits, there're actually lower profit margins
per unit on those inexpensive items... they make up the profits by
selling volume, mostly because those lower priced consumer goods are
not made very well therefore don't last very long... you can buy a tee
shirt at Walmart for $6 but it won't last more than six launderings
before it's a schmatah... I buy made in the US tees that cost like $20
but last years and years. The vast majority of folks price shop, they
do not quality shop.

And many manufactured items are made in countries that don't have
worker protection (OSHA), no minimum wage, and no EPA, which is why
manufacturing that pollutes has been moved to countries that don't
care about quality of life.

American made products are readily available but when yoose see the
prices you trot to Walmart, 99¢ Stores, and that ilk. And once folks
get used to the lower prices it's not possible to go back.... people
are short sighted, they don't care that a pair of shoes lasts like a
dozen wearings, so long as they can buy them so much cheaper than real
shoes... nowadays everyone buys everything throwaway, it's difficult
to find repair people anymore.

And once manufacturing moves elsewhere it doesn't come back. simply
because then there are no more skilled crafts people who know how to
make stuff.