Are you avoiding Chinese-made food and consumer goods?

[Prometheus The Supremo]

how will walmart support all that overhead if they can't rely on cheap chinese imports?

would walmart bite the dust if chinese goods cost what they should in reality?

if americans in poverty had to pay a reasonable cost for those products formerly made by cheap chinese labor, would they demand higher wages?

if they demanded higher wages, what effect would that have on the N.A economy?

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

It's not just Americans in poverty, people of all income levels in the US and Canada shop at that nasty place and buy crap they don't need. I hope "change is in the wind" as people learn how buying these goods in accelerated amounts has affected, and will continue to affect their quality of life.

Perhaps I watch Lou Dobbs too much.

 

[Admiral Beez]

how will walmart support all that overhead if they can't rely on cheap chinese imports?

Easy, they'll buy the cheap stuff somewhere else. Don't forget, we've still got a continent of untapped African labour to make our Dora toys.

if americans in poverty had to pay a reasonable cost for those products formerly made by cheap chinese labor, would they demand higher wages??

The reason China exists as a manufacturing centre is that American (and western) workers priced themselves out of the global labour market. It's not fair and I wouldn't want to live off poverty wages, but if a shoe factory in Toronto needs to pay $10/hr plus benefits and holidays and a shoe factory in Shanghai needs to pay $0.50/hr without benefits or holidays (though accomondation is generally provided on site), where would you make your shoes?

 

[MajorComplainer]

I think there is plenty of blame to be shared by many stakeholders - not only the Chinese and the manufacturers to whom they sell their wares but also the consumer who puts saving money ahead of all other considerations. It seems everyone is out for the short term gain with scant attention to the long term view.

Yet, when problems occur, where do the public/media/companies point the finger? China! The Chinese these and the Chinese that. CRAP!

 

[Hydrogen]

The reason China exists as a manufacturing centre is that American (and western) workers priced themselves out of the global labour market. It's not fair and I wouldn't want to live off poverty wages, but if a shoe factory in Toronto needs to pay $10/hr plus benefits and holidays and a shoe factory in Shanghai needs to pay $0.50/hr without benefits or holidays (though accomondation is generally provided on site), where would you make your shoes?

Years ago I worked for a major toy manufacturer which produced its goods in Canada. Since that time, it has moved much of its production overseas. The result has been only been a small drop in price - certainly not one matching the difference in factory wages between China and Canada.

It's easy to focus on wages as the sole factor for pricing, but it is not always the case. Automobile manufacturing is a good example. A considerable portion of the price of an automobile goes towards items such as marketing - a cost that would not be altered regadless of where the car was made.

Speaking of cars for the moment, as Henry Ford illustrated, there were gains to be made by paying workers enough so that they could actually afford what they produced.

On-site factory workers are captives. Their wages enable them to live at the factory location, but does not offer them either easy movement or an expending income.

 

[Prometheus The Supremo]

Easy, they'll buy the cheap stuff somewhere else. Don't forget, we've still got a continent of untapped African labour to make our Dora toys.

they tried that before, the only difference is that they brought the "workers" to america. it didn't turn out well.

The reason China exists as a manufacturing centre is that American (and western) workers priced themselves out of the global labour market. It's not fair and I wouldn't want to live off poverty wages, but if a shoe factory in Toronto needs to pay $10/hr plus benefits and holidays and a shoe factory in Shanghai needs to pay $0.50/hr without benefits or holidays (though accomondation is generally provided on site), where would you make your shoes?

iraq?

 

[Long Island Mike]

Outsourcing goods-is it worth it?

Everyone: I read this entire topic with much interest-I feel that outsourcing goods made in North America in favor of cheap labor elsewhere is coming back to bite these companies in the @** so to speak! It makes me wonder how much these toy companies like Mattel that outsource in seeking maximum profits are losing by the toy recalls for example-I feel no sympathy in their plight to cut corners that they would sacrifice well-made North American products in favor of shoddy-made cheap goods-I wonder how many good jobs have been lost by workers for companies that outsource for maximum profits-I fully understand a comsumer backlash on places like Wal-Mart that sell them in North America. I wondered myself if something like this would ever happen-what goes around comes around on this outsourcing topic! LI MIKE