This was the answer that the employee of Cole Fox Hardware store on 70 4th Street in San Francisco gave me after I said: There is a wise saying "You get what you pay for", actually what he said was: There is another saying "American Workers shouldn't expect to earn $1,000,000.00 an hour"
As a comeback, in my mind I went like "Whatever" but I actually said in frustration, "I'm not buying anything else made in China, they can keep their junk, God! Can you buy anything made in the US anymore?, do we make anything anymore?" I then turned around and walked up the stairs from the basement to the main floor and exit the store, but as I started up the stairs, I overheard the employee tell a couple waiting for his assistance "Have you ever been to China? Do you know how it is there?" The young woman said something which I didn't make up what it was, nor did I care, I was done with Cole Fox Hardware for good, they just lost a customer.
They had three types of the product I was shoping for and all of them were made in China, so I asked the employee, do you have any one that is American made? He said no and that's what started me going on the conversation with him.
Obviously, there is more to this silly, but also serious story...
My frame of mind as I walked into the store wasn't analogous to sliding into 2nd base with cleats in front, although I was already predisposed to being upset to begin with, but it wasn't like I was rude or confrontational, rather I was very calm and smiling, even after my parting shot question.
You may laugh at the specific reason for my stopping at the store, which is located 12 city blocks from where I live, I needed to buy a good can opener, yes, you read right, this was about a can opener that did what was supposed to do, which is open cans every time you need to open one, that's it, no more, no less.
Now you may ask: Why make such a fuzz about a can opener? Easy, every full time activist girl needs one, specially during heavy-duty political crunch time when one has to resort to what I refer to as 'field rations sustenance' and that Michael Moore erroneously called 'slaker's food' in his movie, "Slacker Uprising", so you see? This is a very serious issue for me, besides other considerations and concerns.
My 'can opener saga' started a couple of months ago when my 'side can opener' went completely out, it didn't work anymore after more than a month than the wheel started 'slipping', I loved that one, it lasted me for almost three years, but it was time to get a new one, since I had bought it at Walgreens (Another story on how this store is going to the dumps after their acquisition of their Rite-Aid competition), I went back to get me another opener, but alas! As it is with their other lines of products, the variety is no longer there and it is not unusual to see empty shelves (They have been doubling up work on their wonderful employees and cutting down on stock), they only had one type of opener, opens cans on top, it was about a couple of bucks more than my beloved, and now defunct, 'side opener', PLEASE BRING THE GOOD OLD AMERICAN COMPETITION BACK!!!
Anyway, I brought the new can opener thus I felt fully prepared to do campaigns battle without having to fight can and opener every time I needed to expediently feed myself.
I didn't have any problems with the first few cans I opened, and I mean a few, because within a week, my brand new 8 dollars plus can opener (Made in China, of course), started slipping and I had to start position it at a certain angle for it to open the cans, as the days and weeks went by, it was more and more difficult to place it at the right angle, so I decided to check out one of these $1.00 stores, which abound in the Mission District, to buy me a simple, old fashion can opener. I did found one and brought it home, well, that night I threw it in the trash, it was pure and simple, a piece of junk, telling myself "That is what you deserve for buying garbage"
So it was back to fighting the can and the opener again to also tell myself every time, "I have to go to a hardware store and buy me a real one and it has to be one made in the USA.
Albeit I walked out of the hardware store, with what I felt, my dignity intact and in good spirits because I had spoken up and made clear my dissatisfaction to the employee there, in addition that I knew that just down the street, there is a The Container Store outlet that surely was bound to have a good, sturdy and fully functional can opener.
I love The Container Store, thus I'm a regular customer, hence in full confidence that my can opener travails would end there, and that would be that.
I walked in and made my way to the second floor where the kitchen stuff is located, as soon as I walked in, a young woman employee, Jackie, walked up to me and asked "Hi, can I help you with something?", "Yes, you can" I said, "I'm looking for a strong, sturdy and fully functional can opener", "I have exactly what you are looking for", she said, "As a matter of fact, it is the model that I use at home, I had it for more than two years and I'm very happy with it, it works great", she led me to... 'The Can Opener' that would solve my problems.
As we walked, she was telling me how the handles were made specially to provide a good grip, also about the specially designed knob that is very easy on the wrist and doesn't needs for you to apply much force, once in front of "IT", she grabbed it and showed it to me, and I go "Oh no! it is the same one I said no to in the Fox hardware store, it is made in China and I don't want to have anything to do with anything made over there"
It was a "OXO Can Opener - Soft Handled, she again told me that it is the one she uses at home, she is very happy with it, comes with a full satisfaction warranty for repair, replacement, or refund, and that also comes with her recommendation attesting to it's good performance and ease of use -- but I just couldn't let go of my what may have looked to her as an 'anti-China products thing' - in a cordial, friendly and very professional manner, she mentioned again that it came with a full satisfaction warranty, to which I doggedly continued with my 'anti-China products' peeve in a "I want to look stupid" way, I quipped, 'Oh, does it mean that the supplier will send them back to China, tell them to keep their junk and they will start to manufacture them in the USA?" She answered in a serious tone that the supplier must be satisfied with the craftsmanship of their product in China and probably that's why they continue to out-source it's manufacturing.
I gave her what I thought was my 'sweet', 'of course' smile' to the 'look' she gave me that I think may be similar, (Minus the wild eyes, foaming mouth and foul language) to the ones I give to any Teabagger reacting to the mention of 'socialized medicine, Barack Obama, Immigrants, gays, liberals, etc.. etc., etc., ad infinitum...', as I took the can opener from her hand and started giving it a closer look, I turned it around and saw that the price was $12.99, wow, about $4.00 less than the Cole Fox price, which was over $16.00 dollars, in my mind I said "Take that Cole Fox Hardware" And to her I said "I'll take it"
She asked if there was anything else I needed help with, and since I had a couple of questions on stuff that I was thinking in buying...
Anyway, she was great and even if she never reads or hears of what I wrote about my visit to her store, I want to tell her, thank you Jackie, you were great, very helpful and patient with me, I bought several more items, came home and couldn't wait to try my brand new 'soft handled' can opener, I did opened a can of tuna, heavenly, it was like cutting butter with a hot knife -- but the fact remains that it was made in China and I'll be watching very carefully for how long works as it worked the first time I used it.
I'm a happy camper for now, except...
That I keep remembering the Cole Fox Hardware employee and his 'saying' that I never heard of before today, I wonder what prompted him to tell me that, I can guess or surmise many things, but the fact remains that the American Workers are getting royally screwed by the unfair trade policies of China with the US, plus the currency manipulation which gives them another unfair advantage, I can't help but making a comparison to the unfair practices of US Corporations/USA unfair trade policies with Latin America, on how harmful these are to the local economies and that it is a prime factor, specially in the latter years, of mass migration to the US.
American Workers shouldn't expect to earn $1,000,000.00 an hour, yes, of course, but the owners and major stockholders of the corporations shipping American jobs to China and importing their goods, can... And do.
In retrospect I ponder on why I didn't come back to him with this, but, on the other hand, why waste my time with someone who apparently feels that American Workers are getting paid too much and that's why manufactures have to ship the jobs over seas? I'm reminded of an small store employee in Mexico who could reply to a request for a discount: "We can't lower 'our prices' because 'we' lose money", we used to laugh at her stupidity, because her employer, in addition to paying her slave wages, didn't give a shit about her and often referred to her as 'dimwitted'
But the fact remains that any time I purchase made over seas products, I'm being a part of a problem, so, I've made myself a promise, to search for and purchase whenever possible, made in the USA products, I'm not calling for a boycott, albeit IMHO there should be one.
I have taken the first step, I looked up "Made in the USA", regardless of how little difference I may make, I'll give it my best shot, starting with the Union Label.
http://www.theunionshop.org/
http://www.americansworking.com/
http://www.madeinusa.org/
http://www.stillmadeinusa.com/
http://www.usstuff.com/...
http://www.madeinusaproductsstore.com/
http://madeinusaforever.com/
http://www.usab2c.com/
UPDATE X1
I wrote this Diary for many reasons, to vent my frustration of 1. finding a good product and, 2. find a US made can opener and, 3. puzzled at the Cole Fox Hardware employee's comment, well, more than puzzled, I was mystified at an employee blaming US labor wages for outsourcing.
I can't do otherwise but thank my fellow Kossacks for the wisdom imparted in their comments and the pointing out of the many issues and concerns that such a mundane subject inherently containg therein.
Love ya guys, thank you very, very much.
In addition, two of them shared great videos, I liked them so much and I though that other may want to see them, to make it easier to find, I decide to embed them as an addendum/update.
"LOOK FOR THE UNION LABEL 1981 CLASSIC AD" shared by by Youffraita on Sat Dec 04, 2010 at 12:14:26 AM PST
"PRETTY TOUGH AND UNION MADE" VIDEO - shared by by marykk on Sat Dec 04, 2010 at 06:37:57 AM PST