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Re: German automakers want to make deal with U.S. on tariffs
Some years ago, my parents bought a new pair of Nike sneakers and kept them new-in-box for a few months before heading off to vacation at a national park. After one day of wearing the new shoes to hike on some trails, the front upper of the sneaker came unglued from the sole. When I used to wear Nike, back when they were not made in China or Vietnam, I had never, ever had seen such poor quality control.
Anyhow, Timberlands are no longer made in the U.S.A. and haven't been for over 10 years now (maybe it's been close to 20 years since they were made in the U.S.A.) Needless to say, the Timberland shoes made in China are garbage and shouldn't be bought with any expectation of quality. The last pair I ever bought (well over 10 years ago) had a defect right out of the box where one of the metal eyelet reinforcers for the holes where the laces go was not fastened to the leather. When I bought the shoes in the very late 1990s or very early 2000s, I did not think to check the country of manufacture because Timberlands up until that time were always made in the U.S.A. and the U.S. had not been flooded with crappily-made Chinese goods yet. Timberland "got" me once with their shoddy Chinese product and I never gave them my business again. A lot of brands, as GRG55 indicated, have gone or are going the same way. The Chinese who buy the American brands and the American brands that move the manufacturing to countries with poor quality control seem to have failed MBA school (or maybe this is an effect of graduating top of the class): a brand is a shortcut for customers to buy a product without having to do much research, trusting that the brand and its history of quality ensures that the new product is as good as the brand's reputation. A lot of old American brands aren't worth the paper they're printed on anymore and it's hilarious how many Chinese companies seek non-Chinese names to disguise their Chinese origins. This is especially true for Chinese pianos who use German names such as Ritmueller, Strauss, etc.
Thanks for the interesting link. It was obvious that all the executive talk of using child labor in Asia to pass the cost savings on to customers and make shoes affordable was a lie. New Balance's American-made shoes are manufactured in Massachusetts, if I remember correctly, and I suspect the labor and benefits costs add up to more than $16/shoe over Chinese labor. Nevertheless, so long as New Balance manufactures their shoes in the U.S. and keep the quality up (so far, so good), that is the only brand of sneaker I will buy.
Originally posted by touchring
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Anyhow, Timberlands are no longer made in the U.S.A. and haven't been for over 10 years now (maybe it's been close to 20 years since they were made in the U.S.A.) Needless to say, the Timberland shoes made in China are garbage and shouldn't be bought with any expectation of quality. The last pair I ever bought (well over 10 years ago) had a defect right out of the box where one of the metal eyelet reinforcers for the holes where the laces go was not fastened to the leather. When I bought the shoes in the very late 1990s or very early 2000s, I did not think to check the country of manufacture because Timberlands up until that time were always made in the U.S.A. and the U.S. had not been flooded with crappily-made Chinese goods yet. Timberland "got" me once with their shoddy Chinese product and I never gave them my business again. A lot of brands, as GRG55 indicated, have gone or are going the same way. The Chinese who buy the American brands and the American brands that move the manufacturing to countries with poor quality control seem to have failed MBA school (or maybe this is an effect of graduating top of the class): a brand is a shortcut for customers to buy a product without having to do much research, trusting that the brand and its history of quality ensures that the new product is as good as the brand's reputation. A lot of old American brands aren't worth the paper they're printed on anymore and it's hilarious how many Chinese companies seek non-Chinese names to disguise their Chinese origins. This is especially true for Chinese pianos who use German names such as Ritmueller, Strauss, etc.
Originally posted by touchring
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