Has all retail turned into WalMart ( made in China )

[Cd]

I took this at work ( A big box hardware store ) the other day. Note that the thing is made in USA of " global components ".

What the hell does that mean ? I'm thinking that means it's made by some child in China and shipped here to the USA where a low paid 'merican screws on the top piece and puts it in the box with the big US flag on the box.
I stock the shelves at work and see thousands of products made in China, and several of them using this " made in USA of global components " labeling.
There is even a US flag being sold that is made in China.

I don't have anything against China, but don't want to support child / slave like labor.
So I avoid shopping at WalMart and such, but in the end, is every big box store in America doing the exact same thing as WalMart ?

Is WalMart any more evil than the rest of the bunch, or were they just the first ones to screw it all up for us ?

[niky]

Chinese workers are starting to get paid higher as the standards of living rise and the cost of living goes along with it.

Which is why Chinese companies are starting to open up factories in the rest of Asia.

Just wait. Eventually you can stock stuff made in Mongolia, Burma and North Korea.

[Xist]

China setting up sweat shops in other countries... progress!

[Cobb]

Not every end product we buy is made in one whole country. We still make a lot of parts and ship them elsewhere for final production. The iphone and their other products are a great example.

Labor is still expensive in this country and as other developing countries come of age the same thing happens and they out source to cheaper labor areas.

Much like how Korea is divided so is China. Part is capitalist, part is the other thing.

[jamesqf]

It could mean a lot of things. For instance, to build that thing - whatever it is, you probably need some nuts & bolts. Do you hunt around looking for a US nut-and-bolt maker, or do you just order the necessary sizes from your wholesale hardware supplier? Likewise the wheels: most manufacturers would order them from a catalog. Same with all the other fittings. So at a guess, the design, parts stamping, and assembly was done in the US, and the standard hardware came from wherever the wholesaler orders from.

Nor can I really see how WalMart &c really screwed up things. Seems to me that most of us are a good bit better off being able to buy whatever we need at reasonable prices. Take for instance Harbor Freight as an extreme case: before they started importing things from China, the ordinary guy (that is, someone not in a particular trade) would have had a hard time finding a lot of the tools they carry, and they'd be priced out of reach.

[Cobb]

Good point. It kind of helps the transfer of wealth.

A. So a noob with a car problem take it to the shop and pay big bucks to them to fix it and adjusts his budget to pay it off.

B. So a noob goes to HF, buys a tool kit, then goes to advance auto to buy the part, looks online to find DIY instructions and fixes car self. Now has tools to play with and more money in his pocket.

I guess the questions is this, which is more important or makes a bigger impact on the economy?

The dealer and mechanic, Joe Smoe and Craftmans, MAC, SNAPON, tools or Joe Smoe and HF tools?

Cd, is that a paint sprayer? Which would you rather see? Joe Smoe pay a contractor to paint a room, Joe being able to afford the pain sprayer and paint it himself?

I buy a lot of tools that end up being single use for jobs I need done. Many tools I resell for half to 75% their original cost too.

Originally Posted by jamesqf

Nor can I really see how WalMart &c really screwed up things. Seems to me that most of us are a good bit better off being able to buy whatever we need at reasonable prices. Take for instance Harbor Freight as an extreme case: before they started importing things from China, the ordinary guy (that is, someone not in a particular trade) would have had a hard time finding a lot of the tools they carry, and they'd be priced out of reach.

[Fat Charlie]

Originally Posted by niky

Which is why Chinese companies are starting to open up factories in the rest of Asia.

Just wait. Eventually you can stock stuff made in Mongolia, Burma and North Korea.

Does that make them fourth world countries?

[niky]

Originally Posted by Fat Charlie

Does that make them fourth world countries?

Considering China is well on its way to becoming the richest country in the world, I think that would make us second world (out here in what used to be the "third world")... about level with the US of A.

Funny thing... many Chinese car companies have similar marketing lines... sure, the cars are made in China, but they're made with global components.

I suppose they're aware of how crappy Chinese-built brake master cylinders are, that carrying real Bosch equipment on their vehicles is a legitimate come-on for buyers.

[freebeard]

The limiting case would be designed in the USA and totally manufactured off-shore.

David Brin makes the case that the transfer of manufacturing to China has lifted vast numbers of people out of poverty. They should thank us.

[niky]

That's undoubtedly true. Same case with business process outsourcing to here and India... though less directly than manufacturing jobs... since BPO work requires a College degree.