Did you hear about the toothpaste/toothbrush combo? They are packed together and this is what the label says:
"Toothpaste made in USA. Toothbrush made in CHINA. Packaged in CHINA."
Think about that. Shipping toothpaste 10,000 miles, packing it, then shipping it back is still more cost-effective than making it here. Anyone care about wasted diesel fuel from a tanker? Nah, just raise the prices of merchandise to offset it.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Apple Juice???
We were at the hospital this morning for Eric's operation . While he we recovering, not drinking his apple juice, I observed the C word on the container of juice. I thought, "am i crazy, or is juice made in China too?" Well, poor Jen didn't believe me, but this story tells it all:
http://www.bostonnow.com/news/local/2007/09/24/madeinchinaitsnotjusttoys
Hard to believe...
http://www.bostonnow.com/news/local/2007/09/24/madeinchinaitsnotjusttoys
Hard to believe...
Friday, January 4, 2008
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Chinese Toys
Given the title of my blog, I figure you know I will be talking about Chinese stuff once in a while. One thing I have noticed lately is that every part of something you bought has its proud stamp of CHINA on it. I think this is a little overboard, and probably mandated by the government. Think about it, you buy a box of plastic animals, and each one has it on there, along with the box. Maybe a little much.
I walk around stores now looking for things that are made here, and occasionally I find something. It seems fairly random though. All of the stuff I had as a kid is now proudly stamped out overseas, and now that the dollar is weak, I guess that means we are paying more for it.
Sometimes I take heat for being cheap, talking about yard sales and selling stuff, or complaining about the kids having too many toys. I think I am right. Why should the majority of things (stuff, junk, crap, etc) be bought at inflated retail prices then thrown out or stacked away? All of us blindly walk into stores every weekend, buy stuff, clothes and junk, mostly from China.
I walk around stores now looking for things that are made here, and occasionally I find something. It seems fairly random though. All of the stuff I had as a kid is now proudly stamped out overseas, and now that the dollar is weak, I guess that means we are paying more for it.
Sometimes I take heat for being cheap, talking about yard sales and selling stuff, or complaining about the kids having too many toys. I think I am right. Why should the majority of things (stuff, junk, crap, etc) be bought at inflated retail prices then thrown out or stacked away? All of us blindly walk into stores every weekend, buy stuff, clothes and junk, mostly from China.
Gift Cards -- Hidden Ripoff
Everyone knows that credit cards love to rip off people with fees, rules, high interest rates, and courtesy checks. I've seen too many specials on 60 minutes and Frontline on this. My problem is that too many people are ignorant or just don't care. i know many people who are ok with 25% interest simply because the payment is low. It doesn't matter that a 150$ item might take 15 years to pay off.
Anyways, did you ever think that gift cards were bad? This is the new fad, a failsafe gift for any occasion. Well, I hate gift cards, some more than others. What if I said to you, "Loan me 100$, and I will pay you back some of it at some point, no interest. If you forget to ask for it back, I will too." You'd say I am crazy, right? Well last year we spent $35 billion on them. Every card had the following properties:
We got a bunch for Christmas this year. One of them said it was worth $25 but said there was a $3.95 fee for having the card. I though "geez, the person who got it for us actually paid $28.95 for this" and was annoyed. Then I tried to use it at 2 places (declined), before getting smart. At the 3rd place, I said to the cashier, "run this for $21.05", ad voila! I was now even more pissed off than before. I really doubt the purchaser knew this fee was there, given the size and location of the fine print. And starting the card 16% below the purchase price seems like a dirty trick. If I get around to it, I want to complain to someone.
No matter what I say, I'm sure another 35 billion will be loaned to already fat retailers and banks. If you read this, think twice and just GIVE CASH or better yet, support support our country and buy SAVINGS BONDS.
Anyways, did you ever think that gift cards were bad? This is the new fad, a failsafe gift for any occasion. Well, I hate gift cards, some more than others. What if I said to you, "Loan me 100$, and I will pay you back some of it at some point, no interest. If you forget to ask for it back, I will too." You'd say I am crazy, right? Well last year we spent $35 billion on them. Every card had the following properties:
- No interest paid
- Might have sat around before getting used
- Might have been lost or forgotten
- Might have been tossed after balance was less than a buck
- Might have had a fee to get it or after inactivity
We got a bunch for Christmas this year. One of them said it was worth $25 but said there was a $3.95 fee for having the card. I though "geez, the person who got it for us actually paid $28.95 for this" and was annoyed. Then I tried to use it at 2 places (declined), before getting smart. At the 3rd place, I said to the cashier, "run this for $21.05", ad voila! I was now even more pissed off than before. I really doubt the purchaser knew this fee was there, given the size and location of the fine print. And starting the card 16% below the purchase price seems like a dirty trick. If I get around to it, I want to complain to someone.
No matter what I say, I'm sure another 35 billion will be loaned to already fat retailers and banks. If you read this, think twice and just GIVE CASH or better yet, support support our country and buy SAVINGS BONDS.
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