Dear Sears (5 years from now)

[Free Willie]

Re: Dear Sears(5 years from now)

It wasn't so long ago that America had environmental issues. We had a river catch on fire, for god's sake. More than enough people have been poisoned here, and we are still paying for poisons and pollution put into the environment by irresponsible companies.

And all of that occurred during the time that America was the greatest industrial nation on Earth.

During the industrial revolution we didn't know any better, The Chinese know all to well and don't seem to care as long as the profits come in.
America still has companies that try to cut corners in order to compete but it costs them when they get caught.

 

[shoturtle]

Re: Dear Sears(5 years from now)

Actually China has no choice now but to more on being more green. They actually have more green technological development going on then the US. While most here think China do not care about the environment the facts are they have been force to by the ecological issues they brought onto themselves and the fact that it is a country that has never been able to produce enough food for it's population. If they loose more growing land to industrial pollution. They will be even more dependent on other countries for food then they are already.

 

[Free Willie]

Re: Dear Sears(5 years from now)

Actually China has no choice now but to more on being more green. They actually have more green technological development going on then the US. While most hear think China do not care about the environment the facts are they have been force to by the ecological issues they brought onto themselves and the fact that it is a country that has never been able to produce enough food for it's population. If they loose more growing land to industrial pollution. They will be even more dependent on other countries for food then they are already.

Did you look at the link I provided?http://www.chinahush.com/2009/10/21/amazing-pictures-pollution-in-china/ They may have more green technology development but I don't think they are manufacturing it green.

 

[shoturtle]

Re: Dear Sears(5 years from now)

It is starting to change, it will not be a 180 degree turn around right away, but it is changing. Been there and the growing middle class there are demanding change in their own way.

 

[Free Willie]

Re: Dear Sears(5 years from now)

It is starting to change, it will not be a 180 degree turn around right away, but it is changing. Been there and the growing middle class there are demanding change in their own way.

I hope you are right.

 

[shoturtle]

Re: Dear Sears(5 years from now)

It took the US how many decades to change the way we dealt with the environment and accepted that we had to do business a different way. China has realized this in a little over 2 decades. And politically becoming more dependent on other countries for food is not good. They are dependent on other countries for food and oil. 2 things that is essential to their economy. And unlike the US, they can not fix these issues. They can only limit them the best they can. The US can feed the world and provide all the energy that it needs internally.

 

[R6 Racer]

Re: Dear Sears(5 years from now)

I don't get it. Is "best bang for your buck" good or bad? Because within your rant it is both. What happens if Snap-On is the best bang for my buck? How does that fit into your lowering my standard of living theory?

Best "bang for the buck" is a great thing IF & only if you take all things into consideration.

We have been bamboozled into thinking that "Bang for the buck" is only about the retail price paid & all the other factors that really go into the bottom line of "bang for the buck" don't matter. They do matter(the other factors) even more so than the retail price in some cases.

We have to take all factors into consideration!

Clearer?

Steve

 

[Aberdale]

Re: Dear Sears(5 years from now)

Who cares? We all just make the best decision we can based on our budget.

Are American made tools the best? I don't know.

Are European tools the best? I don't know

Are Japanese tools the best? I don't know.

I own lots of all of the above, but I've also been pleasantly surprised by some of the Korean and Chinese tools that I've bought on occasion. I could give a rats *** about where a tool is made, as long as it performs.

All of you guys that want to preserve American jobs, great. Go for it. My job has already been outsourced to China, so I could care less. I just want good tools that will last. I don't care where it is made. I don't care about warranty. I just want good stuff that will last my lifetime. Otherwise, it's all just bragging rights.

I've followed this thread for a couple days now, but the overall comments just make me want to shake my head.

It's futile. Useless. Just do what's best for you. Buy Craftsman if it makes you happy. Buy Snap On if it doesn't. Buy POS Stanley tools from Walmart for all I care. Just don't make it sound like there's a right or wrong here.

Just do what's best for you.

I'm done.

'dale

 

[911mike]

Re: Dear Sears(5 years from now)

Every time we buy a product that is made out of the USA your money leaves the country. Not all of it but a large portion. Yes the local retailer will make a markup but most of the money leaves the USA. Eventually all our wealth could be gone. Now balanced trade will help offset this and creating wealth is our best chance of success. In my biz I take a sheet of paper worth $1.00 and put on $.50 of ink on it with $1.00 of labor and then sell it for $6.00. I create value and thus wealth.

Now with our 17 trillion of debt all our wealth may mean nothing. If (when) interest rates rise were all going to choke just on the interest alone.

 

[toolstools]

Re: Dear Sears(5 years from now)

Every time we buy a product that is made out of the USA your money leaves the country. Not all of it but a large portion. Yes the local retailer will make a markup but most of the money leaves the USA. Eventually all our wealth could be gone. Now balanced trade will help offset this and creating wealth is our best chance of success. In my biz I take a sheet of paper worth $1.00 and put on $.50 of ink on it with $1.00 of labor and then sell it for $6.00. I create value and thus wealth.

Now with our 17 trillion of debt all our wealth may mean nothing. If (when) interest rates rise were all going to choke just on the interest alone.

Wealth with 17 trillion in debt? That's cute.
So, no one will admit owning a chinese sks?

 

[CTyankee]

Re: Dear Sears(5 years from now)

I understand that it can hit home but long term it's the wrong direction for our country. One day, these jobs will be gone anyway to robots or 3d printers or whatever. We have to adapt and compete on a global scale.

This.

I buy....and will continue to buy... based on getting the best bang for my buck...be it foreign or domestic.

Whether or not "we" buy American or not isn't going to have any great effect bringing manufacturing back to this country. What will...is less government regulation, the increase of wages overseas and the development of robotics to equalize the cost of manufacturing a product.

Unfortunately, regardless of how this plays out, I don't envision many in the American workforce benefiting. Our society and government rewards mediocrity and our educational system delivers in spades.

There is a possibility that the manufacturing of high quality goods will return to the USA. But unless this country begins to understand the need to prepare it's people for the jobs of tomorrow, we will STILL be buying most of our tools from China 50 years from now.

 

[Strouty]

Re: Dear Sears(5 years from now)

There was an interesting story on Shark Tank about a guy who invented a really cool truck rack that you could retract. He makes it in NC I think and it does well at SEMA and he sells a bunch online. But he can't bring his margins down enough to sell it autostores or get any real distribution.

He gets offers for investment if he moves production offshore to cut costs enough to get his product into stores and to distribute his product internationally on a competitive level. He refuses and keeps limping along because he wants to support american workers. What he fails to realize is that he is hurting america and his company. If he moved production offshore and became a successful company he would need to employ more higher waged employees to run his company, sell his product, market his product, etc. etc. In this day and age you have to adapt and grow the pie.

This is your opinion, another way to look at it is that just because you get a bunch of higher paying employees here in the USA does not mean it is good for the USA. Too many of this type of job is what will end up crushing the backbone of the USA. Manufacturing and engineering jobs are what will help us in the future. If we can't, won't, don't, or pass laws not allowing us to produce anything within our own country then we end up at the mercy of other countries. Does OPEC ring a bell? Every time someone in the Middle East farts, I pay more for gasoline. I am a very independent person and I understand that a lot of people don't care about how or where something is made, but there are still a bunch of us that do. Now do I own foreign made items? Of course, I don't think you could get by without owning something foreign made. Do I like that I rely on these things? Not at all. If I could buy a computer that was manufactured in the USA I would, but companies have farmed all the jobs out for cheaper labor. The US was once a leader in the manufacturing of a lot of things, but between greedy profits and cheap consumers, we are now off the grid, destined to never even be able to compete again. This is what scares me the most, then you have the fact that skilled labor is thought of as a bad thing and you end up with the average age of a skilled laborer being 50 years old. Then you have millions of unemployed college graduates who can't use a hammer. (I am exaggerating both these to make a point). I don't think that this is irrational to think we are on a downward spiral. What will happen in another ten years when the super entitled generation becomes part of the workforce?

I own my own business, I build Cellular Towers. Yes there is a lot of foreign influence, between the antennas and the equipment inside the buildings at the base of the tower to the cellular phones the end user buys. On a good note, the towers and almost all of the brackets and specialized materials are still manufactured in the good old US of A. I deal with structural engineers that design modifications to these towers, then I hire local fabrication shops to manufacture the needed parts, then we use a regional company to hot dip galvanize these fabricated parts before using skilled US laborers to install the items. This cycle is what makes America stronger, not the jobs at walmart, or sears. Are those jobs needed, absolutely, but are they careers? I don't know the answer to that, my opinion is that any job should allow for advancement. The current trend is people show up for work and expect too much from an employer, totally overlooking the fact that they are an important piece of the bigger picture. This mentality is rampant and will undo what the generations before us created. I love this Country but sometimes it makes me cry seeing all these people taking it for granted. So for all of our sakes, please care about how and where things are made.

We are just here talking about "Made in America".
This fitted, so only wanted a reason why. Is that so bad??
If you noticed it before then it must have hit a nerve.
Do you have an answer or are you just trying to be the police of the police...

It was meant totally as sarcasm, I did a dejavu moment when I read your post. No nerves struck at least not by you.

 

[Fyrme]

Re: Dear Sears(5 years from now)

[Soap box]This,

, is why I no longer buy Chinese made tools or other products unless I have no other choice. I have no problem buying imports from other countries, but I'm not willing to contribute to giving China anymore ownership of the US than they already have. I blame greedy Americans. From the over paid American employees down to the cheap penny pinching consumers. I still have some impact sockets made in China that I bought years ago that I am slowly replacing. I have no problem blaming the greedy investors and Unions for destroying this country by demanding more more more. And before you turn the blow torches on me, I am a current union member and have been a member of the CWA in the past, and was the most over paid monkey I knew making $29.50 an hour 7 years ago! Why are tools like Snap-on and Mac, etc so expensive? Personal GREED. We all know it doesn't take that much to make a tool in America. I bet the big truck brands could sell their tools for half the price if they only hired immigrants and paid them what they would make for the same job in their respective country. Face it people. The problem with outsourcing production to make the bottom line is the PEOPLE.
I strongly believe that American companies that use China to manufacture their tools are very likely made to the same quality as here. And I have no problem giving my money to a hard working China man working 16 hours a day in a factory because he probably works harder than any over paid American. But I'll be damned if I'll willingly support the Chinese government that oppresses their citizens. I am a true believer in capitalism so long as it is not over come with greed. If we keep it up, the next thing we will see is our pay checks imported. American workers need a reality check, wether the blue collar communications worker marking $30+ an hour, or the corporate executive, it's a nation wide epidemic that neither political party has a clue how to fix. All that just to say, it's not Sears fault it's their investors. I no longer buy Tools from Sears but I also will not buy tools from the over priced big trucks. I buy tools from local Pawn shops and individuals that live in America, and may use that money to put food on their table. Some may say Craftsman, some snap-on, or Mac. Maybe even Napa, or Kobalt, most say USA, Spain, or Germany, but none say China[\soap box]

 

[NHBandit]

Re: Dear Sears(5 years from now)

Wealth with 17 trillion in debt? That's cute.
So, no one will admit owning a chinese sks?

I own ZERO Chinese made weapons. I have Belgian FN FAL rifles that were brought in as parts kits and rebuilt using US made recievers and a variety of other US made parts, a couple US made AR15 rifles, a small collection of US made M1 Carbines, an M1 Garand, a Marlin .22 rifle made in Kentucky, among others... I use strictly US made ammo in all of them or I reload my own. Steel case Russian and Chinese rifle ammo has been proven to be not only unreliable but also sometimes dangerous so I avoid it completely. Thanks for asking... Do you know the difference between an AR15 and an AK47 ? This is not a political statement. It is a fact that shows the difference in how various governments look at things. AR15s cost about $400 to produce and are made to last a long time. AK47s cost about $5 to produce but they make tens of millions of them so if one fails you throw it away and grab another one.

 

[Strouty]

Re: Dear Sears(5 years from now)

Most countries around the world have products that are made very well. Even my beloved Volvo is now owned by a Chinese company. The Chinese are very smart, heck they pretty much own the US, I just don't want to become an indentured servant to a Foreign power, our ancestors fought many battles to free us from that. I just hope it doesn't become a cyclical thing. The one thing that comes to my mind when I think of quality and China is fireworks.

Here is an interesting link about manufacturing and why it is important:

http://m.strategy-business.com/article/11306?gko=c3e5f

 

[Armstrong1720]

Re: Dear Sears(5 years from now)

I still try to buy only usa tools. That way 15 yrs from now my son will say WOW !! They use to make tools here in the US ? Lol

 

[Conductor562]

Re: Dear Sears(5 years from now)

Someone on here awhile back claimed to have either participated or knew someone who participated in a Craftsman focus group. Supposedly the focus group cited COO as an almost non-issue and wrote it off as simply being a reality of the times we live in. I go out of my way to buy American tools and always will, but Average Joe who wants a socket set to fix his kids bike doesn't give a damn where it's made and truth be known, probably never even bothered to look. We here at GJ who know what is made where, by whom, and for whom, are the minority. Those of us who demand our wrenches say USA are little more than champions of a dying cause, if not a lost cause altogether.

 

[Strouty]

Re: Dear Sears(5 years from now)

Those of us who demand our wrenches say USA are little more than champions of a dying cause, if not a lost cause altogether.

This is why I can't sleep at night!

 

[Conductor562]

Re: Dear Sears(5 years from now)

This is why I can't sleep at night!

I bet the couple hundred folks losing their jobs to Chinamen thanks to the closing of the Apex factory where many Craftsman tools WERE made would say the same thing. Like always, some assswipe will waste no time in telling me how I'm behind the times, manufacting jobs are a mindless, menial, existence, and how those people will probably go back to school, get a degree in astro physics and end up working for NASA, but that's just not the case. In this "recovering economy" most of these men an women will end up on unemployment and when that's gone they'll take whatever job they can find for about half what they made at the factory. Some will come out ahead, some will break even, and some will never again be able to achieve the quality of life they once had. In 1991 my dad's best friend lost his job at the plant he worked in when they shipped production of his units product over seas. He got another job and after about a year that plant shut down as well. They sold their home, bought a small mobile home, and struggled through a host of slave wage jobs until a week before Christmas in 1993 when he shot himself in the face. I'm not trying to justify what he did by any means, but it taught me to always look at the effects these things have on real people. To Sears it's just numbers on paper, to some of the posters here its "just as good" because when their cheap Chino ************* fails, Sears will keep giving them cheap Chinese ************* tools for as long as their hearts desire, but to the people who depended on the jobs making the tools it was their livelihood and to some, it may be a life or death decision. Again, I may be the champion of a lost cause, and some of my GJ peers may put in the same group with those people who stand on the side of the road with the "Jesus Saves" signs (and maybe they're right) but I'm going to continue to do what I feel is my part until I'm no longer able to do so. I respect the views of others and I hope they have the courtesy to respect mine.

 

[NWphotog]

Re: Dear Sears(5 years from now)

Someone on here awhile back claimed to have either participated or knew someone who participated in a Craftsman focus group. Supposedly the focus group cited COO as an almost non-issue and wrote it off as simply being a reality of the times we live in. I go out of my way to buy American tools and always will, but Average Joe who wants a socket set to fix his kids bike doesn't give a damn where it's made and truth be known, probably never even bothered to look. We here at GJ who know what is made where, by whom, and for whom, are the minority. Those of us who demand our wrenches say USA are little more than champions of a dying cause, if not a lost cause altogether.

Not just minority but an extremely small minority. This battle was fought and lost a decade or two ago.

 

[d.mcfarland]

Re: Dear Sears(5 years from now)

The US government can bring back jobs in a hurry if they pass legislation saying that imports have to be taxed higher or certain tarrifs have to be paid. Then there is the issue of currency manipulation.

 

[BRIANBB]

Re: Dear Sears(5 years from now)

This has been a great discussion. My point was to open some eyes and hopefully change some minds. I work in manufacturing for a 100 billion dollar company that claims they are bringing jobs back to the U.S. They are in some cases and in others they are still on the China bandwagon.
We all grew up with Craftsman tools and it would be a shame to piss it away. Politicians can talk all day about higher education and degree's and the future will require more knowledge. My belief is there will always be a good percentage of the population that is just not cut out for higher learning and it would be a terrible mistake to ignore these people(me) to the point there are no jobs for them because those jobs have all gone to overseas production. I am great with a wrench but not that great with puters and technology. We need to spend more on educating the trades in the public schools instead of saying everyone HAS to go to college. This makes some drop out because there is no avenue for them.
So MR Sears if you are reading this, please see what you can do to open your factories in small towns across the land and invest in your future customers livlyhood.

 

[shoturtle]

Re: Dear Sears(5 years from now)

The US government can bring back jobs in a hurry if they pass legislation saying that imports have to be taxed higher or certain tarrifs have to be paid. Then there is the issue of currency manipulation.

Not really anymore, china owns way to much of the US note. They may say those stuff in an election years. But when it comes down to doing it, they can not, and could not without causing huge a trade war currently. China would raise taxes on all US business and products. And at the end of the day, the US consumer will be flipping that bill a well. China would just get their products form the EU instead. And the US would have way higher prices on all products. Both US made and imports.

 

[thetreshon]

Re: Dear Sears(5 years from now)

It is not that much different here.

The irony is that every single one of us us complaining about the demise of American manfacturing on Chinese made computers!

It IS a global economy, and if we do not learn how to take advantage of that fact, we will become a third world country!

Jim

I'm way out of date, but the last Mac computer I bought (G4) was at least assembled in USA. What's the latest with Mac's....anything actually assembled in USA anymore?

 

[thetreshon]

Re: Dear Sears(5 years from now)

This is definitely a hard topic to deal with for some.
The issue is all about standards of living. Some will say "what" we are talking tools.
If all you want is "the best bang for your buck" then you need to understand that your saying that it's OK to lower your standard of living. This is not disputable whatsoever! Take China, they can produce tools cheaper than we can here, simply because the people who make them are getting WAY less that the people making tools here are. Yes I know the quality of their steel argument. That aside, even where the same quality steel is used, that steel is produced by people making WAY less than the people here who make steel do.
Is there anyone who can't see the pattern here?

If we are willing to continue to shop in this manner we will be saying "it's ok to pay people less for doing that job". By doing this, we as consumers are saying that the guy who lives down the street who works at the steel plant should have his wages cut. This attitude has a waterfall affect that well eventually effect all of us.
The steel worker looses his job @ $25/Per.Hr & is now working at Wallmart (you know, that wonderful company providing jobs for us North Americans) for $10 Per/Hr. Now he can no longer afford to buy cloths from Red Cap or Duluth & must resort to buying clothes imported from a place where the person making them is only earning $2 a day. Now the guy who use to work @ Red Cap is out of a job due to slumping sales & now works @ the mall making $7/Per.Hr as opposed to his former $15./Per.Hr

It's happening right in front of our eyes!
They (countries who abuse their workers) are using "best bang for your buck" false scenario to erode our way of living?
Do you think the owners of Snap On would pay the would pay the wages they do to North American workers if they could get away with paying less? By outsourcing to these low wage paying countries they are doing just that.

I just bought a new ratchet set from Grey Canada & I paid more for it than I could have by buying an imported tool, a tool that, might, have been able to do the Job just as good.
Is my Grey Canada ratchet set a good tool, YES.
Is it "the best bang for my buck", At first it does not appear to be, UNTILL I look at the big picture, Then It IS a WAY better bang for my buck ! ! !

Disagree all you want, but Wallmart(for themselves alone) has a fleet of massive cargo ships that are continuously running back & fourth from China to North America with the **** they sell there. They run here loaded & return empty, CONTINUOUSLY!
Every piece they bring over represents a job that is being ever so quietly taken away from your neighbours (or yourself).
After that happens, ask your hungry kids if that was really "THE BEST BANG FOR YOUR BUCK!!!

I will NEVER shop at a Wallmart for any reason. Even by buying your groceries there (many of which are locally produced) you help them make a profit. A profit that is being directly used to destroy our quality of life. It won't effect me as I will not be around long enough to see the affects. Our children on the other hand, will be completely screwed if we as a society don't see what's happening & do something to fix it QUICK!

SHOP LOCAL, BUY LOCAL ! ! ! ! !

Steve

P.S. Sorry for the affect/effect if I got them mixed up

Steve, I totally agree with everything you've said....EXCEPT - it's Gray Canada with an 'A' !!!! Grey with an 'E' is the overseas made Grey Pneumatic! Don't mix up our Canadian Gray with that other one!

 

[Holedgr]

Re: Dear Sears(5 years from now)

Only in America is this said and mean the opposite.

The rest of the world say " I couldn’t care less, meaning “it is impossible for me to have less interest or concern in this matter, since I am already utterly indifferent”.

I don't post often but was moved by this point. THANK YOU, Justanoldguy for actually posting it!! You are absolutely correct. It drives me Freaking crazy that people say it backwards!! That is all.

-T

 

[Free Willie]

Re: Dear Sears(5 years from now)

Not really anymore, china owns way to much of the US note. They may say those stuff in an election years. But when it comes down to doing it, they can not, and could not without causing huge a trade war currently. China would raise taxes on all US business and products. And at the end of the day, the US consumer will be flipping that bill a well. China would just get their products form the EU instead. And the US would have way higher prices on all products. Both US made and imports.

I would agree if China actually got anything from the US. If there was real free trade there wouldn't be such a trade deficit in the first place.
You don't think they put tariffs on our products?

 

[shoturtle]

Re: Dear Sears(5 years from now)

China gets allot of food form the US, airplanes, nuclear reactors and some other stuff. It is slanted in favor of china, but they do buy US stuff.

 

[thetreshon]

Re: Dear Sears(5 years from now)

China gets allot of food form the US, airplanes, nuclear reactors and some other stuff. It is slanted in favor of china, but they do buy US stuff.

And last I heard they've been buying a lot of their chopsticks from the U.S. - I'm not kidding. They've depleted so much of their forestry, they've been sourcing them from the U.S. amongst other countries.

Of course, they could also be more environmental and just manufacture reusable/washable chopsticks. But a lot of people all over the world just like everything to be throwaway.

 

[R6 Racer]

Re: Dear Sears(5 years from now)

Steve, I totally agree with everything you've said....EXCEPT - it's Gray Canada with an 'A' !!!! Grey with an 'E' is the overseas made Grey Pneumatic! Don't mix up our Canadian Gray with that other one!

Dammm
I did F up.

Sorry
Steve

 

[albaran]

Re: Dear Sears(5 years from now)

There is another issue here besides the Chinese one. The people responsible for designing the products and specifying the quality are here, not in China.
Recently I wanted to replace my 30 year old Craftsman drill press with a new one. When I got it home, any thing I put on the table portion would walk off because the vibration was so bad. I called the engineers and they said it was the belt which they sent me but it didn't make any difference. I took it back to the store and I am still using the old drill press. Other items I bought at Sears also had similar poor design and or quality.
A lot of people on this forum (including me) bought the HF 44" tool chest because it was higher quality than what was being currently sold at Sears.
GM went down the path of cheapening the product for greater short term profit and look where that got them.

 

[Strouty]

Re: Dear Sears(5 years from now)

I have to stop looking at this thread, it is depressing me way too much.

 

[cburnscrx]

Re: Dear Sears(5 years from now)

I'll just say this because there are so many different directions we could go with this discussion...adapt or die.

I personally want the best value for my money. I bought craftsman, not because of coo (i really couldn't care less), I bought craftsman because it was a quality tool at a good price, and in addition to that it had a lifetime warranty. I also bought craftsman because I could go replace a socket and get the exact same one I lost. Pretty simple to keep a complete set. Now, if the quality goes down by being made overseas, it might change my opinion on if I buy craftsman or not. The warranty is nice, but I don't want to use it, I just like to have it if necessary.

*I am sure I am not Sears ideal customer, as I only buy things when they are on a significant sale (1/2 off), or on Black Friday.

 

[kngelv]

Re: Dear Sears(5 years from now)

Sears, and the Craftsman warranty, might not exist in a few years. I'm done with Sears for anything, no matter the country of origin. On another note . . . How does one determine who is an overpaid worker, or which union is greedy? I'm so sick of those comments. There are a lot of angry, jealous, insecure people on here who just like to *****.

James

 

[shoturtle]

Re: Dear Sears(5 years from now)

I doubt sears will be gone in 5 years. They will restructure their operation and be better. don't think the US Govt want to see 140,000 people loose their job. Shoot they did not want to see a cash bleeding company like GM go under, they will not want to see a retailer that employs 100K+ people go under.

 

[NWphotog]

Re: Dear Sears(5 years from now)

There is another issue here besides the Chinese one. The people responsible for designing the products and specifying the quality are here, not in China.
Recently I wanted to replace my 30 year old Craftsman drill press with a new one. When I got it home, any thing I put on the table portion would walk off because the vibration was so bad. I called the engineers and they said it was the belt which they sent me but it didn't make any difference. I took it back to the store and I am still using the old drill press. Other items I bought at Sears also had similar poor design and or quality.
A lot of people on this forum (including me) bought the HF 44" tool chest because it was higher quality than what was being currently sold at Sears.
GM went down the path of cheapening the product for greater short term profit and look where that got them.

Exactly. Does the tool do the job or not? If not it doesn't matter where it was made. US manufactures need to build quality products and at least be the ball park price wise.

 

[Toomanytools?]

Re: Dear Sears(5 years from now)

Seems like "We" are always looking to blame someone or something. We have as Americans brought this on ourselves. We want everything right now and we want it cheaper. Yes we have greedy companies out there, people like "Mr. Wonderful" on Shark tank that want to outsource your product to Asia so your CoM is pennies and he can make millions. Not everyone here (America) but a large majority don't want to work for minimum wage, but people in other nations will work for $3 dollars a day. It is unfortunate but to keep up places like Sears have to outsource or go under.
I try just like many on GJ to buy USA, but after flipping the box over for the 15th time and reading CHINA, you then walk away empty handed or try and choose the best made China item your looking for. I also agree not all Chinese products are junk many are built to USA standards for that company with USA approved materials, just the labor is lower. We have become such a nation of consumers it is sad, I have seen kids that are playing with an IPAd that costs $700 only to put it down and ask for the newer better tablet by Samsung or such. Are you fricken kidding me?
This topic could be discussed for days. What I have noticed is a surge in people wanting to buy made in the USA products. Hopefully with some new legislation to give companies an incentive to produce here we can become more of a producing Nation than one with such a voracious appetite to consume.

 

[Modifieddriver]

Re: Dear Sears(5 years from now)

Quote:
Originally Posted by HMCFab9 View Post
Agree 100%!
I was in Sears recently & one of the first things I asked was: "Is it still made in USA, or is it Chinkanese ****".

I don't think phrases based on ethnic slurs are appreciated here. Those of us who avoid Chinese products do it for economic/political/human rights reasons, not because we dislike Asian people.

I agree!!!!!!!!

He should've said Chinks and ****, and I like both of them.

 

[Modifieddriver]

Re: Dear Sears(5 years from now)

International trade and off shore production has plus's and minus's.

#1, I blame our government for creating this mess. Free trade agreements, currency value, rules and regulations, capital gains tax, corporate taxes, etc., etc..

An example was the stimulus package. Where did all that $dough$ go? The government cherry picked a bunch of losers to get the money. If they had given a loan to each small business in the country to purchase updated equipment or hire new folks the money would have been better spent.

As for China. I've been there. The place is a mess. They already have a labor problem and are out sourcing to places like Thailand and Vietnam. They'll have to clean up their environment and the wages will increase because their standard of living is going up.

The economic edge of manufacturing there will eventually erode to the point where off shore manufacturing will no longer be as attractive as it is now. Probably won't happen in my life, but it will happen.

Eventually you'll run out of underdeveloped third world countries to provide cheap labor.

In the 70's the Watergate president should've stayed at home and we should've kept our secrets here during the 90's. Can't mention names, otherwise I'll get busted.

 

[cburnscrx]

Re: Dear Sears(5 years from now)

Sears, and the Craftsman warranty, might not exist in a few years. I'm done with Sears for anything, no matter the country of origin. On another note . . . How does one determine who is an overpaid worker, or which union is greedy? I'm so sick of those comments. There are a lot of angry, jealous, insecure people on here who just like to *****.

James

I think Sears is toast too...and how you ruin a company that had Land's End, Crafsman, and Martha Stewart (through KMart), is unfathomable to me. All had a loyal following and strong customer support...and yet...

Craftsman will still exist, and I am sure Stanley is just counting the days till they can buy it from Sears, either through bankruptcy, or an outright purchase.