"Should we keep these?" Reggie asked. She was sorting through a new donation of children's items and was about to open a sealed box containing toy soldiers and helicopters.
"Where was it made?" asked Jo, our store manager.
"China," Reggie replied as she threw the box into the trash.
Last year, our store headquarters gave us a list of products manufactured in China that are recalled/banned and not available for resale in our thrift store. It is about ten pages long and has not been updated lately, so rather than read through the list and check online updates constantly, we don't resell any toys manufactured in China. On this particular day, we figured out that whoever donated the children's items to us must have known of the military toy ban - yet donated the unopened package to us to pass on to some other kid. Even with government intervention, people persist in hurting themselves and others.
I recall (hehe) this moment in time right now because I cannot get a light fixture we just bought to work properly. It's supposed to be light and motion sensitive so that the outside light goes on after dark for a few hours and then it goes off until motion triggers it. It doesn't work. Sometimes it goes on after dark, sometimes not, and the motion sensor doesn't work at all. It was made in China. So I checked the US Product Safety Commission recall list online and am relieved to know that while the product doesn't work as advertised, it won't blow up or start a fire. While I on this site, I noticed that the majority of recall items are made in China.
When was the last time you or I saw a product label that says "Made in the USA?" We're monster consumers of cheap goods produced somewhere else, and wonder why America's economy is shyte. I wish I could say this is bad and beat the drum for buying "American" but my last very painful experience with GM cars (e.g., Chevette with a leaking gas tank, Pontiac with defective electric windows) has made me cautious about buying big ticket items from American manufacturers. It appears that our Chinese trading "partners" are embracing the American model that has destroyed the US auto industry - make crap until you get caught, then fix the crap until it works and continue to make more crap. This is the "global economy" approach and it's all about the corporate bottom line and very little to do with quality, repeat buying, good word of mouth, customer satisfaction and loyalty - all old fashioned concepts in this wacky and dangerous global economy.
Maybe the Chinese should look at the Japanese manufacturing model which was admittedly deficient in the early 1960s and has blossomed into a manufacturing juggernaut known for quality, value and innovation. America and Japan have become partners over the years, with many of the Toyota/Nissan/Honda cars assembled in the USA, bringing the product cycle full circle.
Meanwhile, how do I disconnect this faulty light fixture and get my money back!!
