A Web Site I’d Like to See Launched
With 10.1 million people unemployed in the U.S., why buy from China?
I recently Googled “catalog” and these sponsored links popped up:
SkyMall online catalog
Search hundreds of SkyMall products online. Official site. Shop now
Newport News
Runway-inspired fashions for less. Shop our 2008 styles and trends.
Signals Mail Order Catalog
Fun & Great Gifts for All Occasions Your One-Stop Holiday Gift Store
Crate & Barrel Furniture
Find Contemporary Furniture for Your Home Online at Crate & Barrel!
— November 11, 2008
Late last summer I ordered two pair of chino trousers from L.L. Bean and a couple of polo shirts. They arrived a day or two later. I clothed my upper and lower halves with the new merchandise and both pieces fit my dreadful flesh-case beautifully.
Where Lands’ End trousers seem to slip down the spare tire of my middle and threaten to drop down around my ankles when I’m carrying a heavy sack of groceries in one hand and a gallon of Stoli in the other, these marvels look and feel custom tailored. I was thrilled.
When it came time to put them in the washing machine, I looked at the label to see what the settings should be and discovered the polo shirts were made in Thailand. On the chino trousers label, a line of copy made my blood run cold: “Made in China.”
The Chinese government is brutal, repressive and vicious. In China, a nation of polluters, a new coal-fired plant comes online every 10 days. The Chinese are state-sanctioned killers of girl babies, American children (lead paint in toys), beloved dogs (poisoned pet food) and Tibetan monks, as well as jailers of dissidents and the press. China’s blatant counterfeiting of luxury and everyday products — together with massive theft of intellectual property — is responsible for billions of dollars of losses the world over.
Denny Hatch is the author of six books on marketing and four novels, and is a direct marketing writer, designer and consultant. His latest book is “Write Everything Right!” Visit him at dennyhatch.com.
