I Tried For 2 Weeks To Buy North American NF

[bushart]

This is not a huge deal but definetly a pretty good indicator where we're at..

 

I wished to purchase a new meat thermometer for the BBQ---now Wally World and Cdn Tire carry your typical stuff--priced about 5-12 dollars---of course all made in China

 

So on I went, right?----went online and looked for therms made in Canada---zip

 

Then I found the Weber site---sold at Home Depot----made in USA---ok good

 

now this was priced at 23 dollars---I thought--ok I can pay a little more to help our side and feel a little more at ease that the quality of the steel will not be a concern---and I realize it may not be with the Chinese models

 

So yesterday I go into HD and find the Weber one----now it says---"engineered" in Illinois---Made in China

 

I Give up---guess I'll cut into the meat to see if it's done---thinking I cannot even attempt to do the right thing.

 

It's like when I wanted to buy a hardwood cutting board at Wally world----all made in China----and I thought---this is Canada--pretty sure we have a couple trees here----jeez---it frustrates me

 

Note did find the CDN made board at Cdn Tire

 

OK --off the soapbox now

[Jacob]

I feel your pain, to find anything made in Canada that is readily available is almost unheard of anymore.

[crappieperchhunter]

The way of the world. If you wanna guarantee you are buying Cdn go garage saling. That way even if it isn't Cdn made the $$$ you paid went to a Cdn...unless of course you are garage saling outside Canada

[mercman]

I hear ya Bush. Simple economics for the manufacturers though.Its cheaper to sell our trees and scrap metal to China, and have it turned into stuff we use,ship it back here, than it is to pay someone here to produce it for usOur big salaries and high cost of living are the reason.

[bushart]

it's just dissapointing that's all---and I know we seem to have lost this one.

[Dave Bailey]

At Canadian Tire a few years ago I saw little cedar blocks for sale, you put them in linen closets to keep moths out. The package said that the wood was North American, but the blocks were made in China. Great, so now we don't even have the capability to cut wood into small pieces and sand the edges smooth. We had to ship wood all the way across the Pacific Ocean to get that job done.

 

But blame the politicians. From what I understand, under the previous American administration the rules were changed and American companies were actually given tax breaks to move their operations off-shore. So they get a government benefit to kill American jobs. I don't think 'economic treason' is too strong a phrase.

[kickingfrog]

I just read an article about the benefits of Canada with a population of a 100 million instead of the 34-35 million we currently have.

 

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/time-to-lead/what-would-a-canada-of-100-million-feel-like-more-comfortable-better-served-better-defended/article2436609/

 

[Dave Bailey]

I'd blame the big unions before the government on this one....

 

Jobs that should be minimum wage starting at $30+/hour.

 

Not me. More people with more money means a better society for everyone, a few billionaires contribute nothing compared to a working class and middle class with disposable income. That's undeniable economic fact.

[John]

I hate to break it to you, but even products that say "Made in Canada", Made in USA" etc, are likely only partially assembled in those countries.

 

You'd be shocked to know what constitutes "Made in Canada".

 

It's called phase transformation........for example, I can buy steel in China, wind it from one coil into another and a small amount of additional processing...... and call the resulting product "Made in Canada".

[mercman]

Not me. More people with more money means a better society for everyone, a few billionaires contribute nothing compared to a working class and middle class with disposable income. That's undeniable economic fact.

 

 

This is True Dave, but paying someone 16 bucks an hour to sand a piece of cedar. turns a 3.99 item into a 20 dollar item.

In China, All the necessities of life are provided to the employee for a small fee, by the employer.Housing, meals, entertainment, education etc., provided to the worker for a nominal charge.

So, they pay the workers to work for them, then charge the workers to live with them. Almost like having free labourers.

Saw this on Mega-Factories on NatGeo channel.

[rmarentette]

Blaming this on big wages, pensions and benefits denies the fact that without a good standard of living it wouldn't allow us to buy these extremely expensive products. How can anyone argue that wages are the problem when they sell rods and reels, running shoes, motorcycles, clothes and other consumer goods at the prices they're charging.? Like it was mentioned giving tax breaks- which is our money to corporations to build offshore is economic suicide. The claim about workers asking for too much only covers up the real issue and that is no rules for the corporations and no interest in social responsibility. They keep promising jobs, jobs, jobs- but at what cost?

Edited May 25, 2012 by Rolly

[mercman]

Money comes in from work, then goes out to housing, food, heat, electricity....

 

 

We do the same over here...they've just cut out the middlemen!

 

 

 

 

Those middlemen are gettin' fat

[rmarentette]

The god old days of the company store!

 

Some people say a man is made out of mud

A poor man's made out of muscle and blood

Muscle and blood and skin and bones

A mind that's weak and a back that's strong

 

You load sixteen tons what do you get

Another day older and deeper in debt

Saint Peter don't you call me 'cause I can't go

I owe my soul to the company store

 

I was born one morning when the sun didn't shine

I picked up my shovel and I walked to the mine

I loaded sixteen tons of number nine coal

And the straw boss said (well a bless my soul)

 

You load sixteen tons what do you get

Another day older and deeper in debt

Saint Peter don't you call me 'cause I can't go

I owe my soul to the company store

[bushart]

Working in Hamilton when the free trade hit with Mulroney---I watched them vacate like rats from a ship

 

Firestone--- Harvester--P & G etc

 

How was everyone making money before---wages there were always good

[F7Firecat]

Buying from China might be better than buy a canadian made bbq made in Barrie and it being the biggest piece of crap bbq I have ever bought, next bbq I buy is not going to be Canadian made I know that.

[Jigger]

I'd blame the big unions before the government on this one....

 

Jobs that should be minimum wage starting at $30+/hour.

 

Dont know which job you're talking about? Im a union member and, although im not the biggest Rah-Rah kind of guy, they serve my purpose just fine. I feel pretty lucky to be in the situation im in with them. And our Apprentices start at roughly half that.

 

If i knew there was a job i couldve started at 30 an hour, id be retired soon.

[Big Cliff]

As a purchasing agent for a Canadian Corp. I do try to buy Canadian or at least North American products whenever I can. I have to tell you though when I can buy components made in China for less than 25% of what I can buy the similar product made in North America it sure makes it tough to convince the board of directors that we should buy locally made products.

 

I have to be honest, often the off shore products are better quality than the NA made ones. I resent every dollar that goes off shore but if I did pay the higher price we couldn't be competitive and you could say good by to another Canadian employer.

[Ralph Field]

With the demise of the auto pact and the fact that wages in the U.S. auto sector are less than the Canadian wages it is only a matter of time before all Canadian auto plants will be closed. Many of the highest paying manufacturing jobs have already left and will never return and yet nothing seems to said by our political leaders to stem the flow of our best jobs. Perhaps we will be left with the fur trade which is certainly out of favor presently.

[fish_fishburn]

I spent the last winter trying to find a new 3 ton floor jack for my personnal use. I checked every big box store and all the auto parts stores and no luck. One guy at Napa told me the ones they sell were made in the U.S.A. and were on sale for 190 bucks. I went to pick it up and no such luck it was made in China. I'm just so tired of buying crap at full prices and throwing it away in a couple of years because it no longer works. Plus for personal reasons I would rather not support the Chinese economy.

[grimsbylander]

Our company has shifted production to Eastern Europe but the concept is the same. The unfortunate truth is if we had not made the transition, the jobs that are still here would also be gone. So in fact, 60 plus jobs disappeared so 15 could survive. We were losing money like mad before the downsize occurred. Nonetheless, it is horrible for the men and women who are displaced and trying to care for their families. Ironically, since many of them have lower family incomes, they are forced to buy cheaper products. The cycle continues.

[Dave Bailey]

Some people are allergic to this truth - usually the people who have no experience buying from China, and whose personal bigotry and racism get in the way.

 

It isn't racism to refuse to buy products from a country which cuts up people for spare parts after being convicted of minor 'crimes' like belonging to Falun Gong. Their human rights record is atrocious, and I don't want to support it. That isn't racism at all, but I'll proudly admit to bigotry - I am bigoted against cultures that would do such a thing. In fact I'll wear that brand of bigotry like a badge of honour. Might even get a T-shirt made up advertising it...

[bushart]

Some people are allergic to this truth - usually the people who have no experience buying from China, and whose personal bigotry and racism get in the way.

 

 

 

Always interesting to have this matter of fact truth injected into the fray---maybe a few more miles on the carcass leans a person to not default to calling concerned countrymen--bigots

[Billy Bob]

a few billionaires contribute nothing compared to a working class and middle class with disposable income. That's undeniable economic fact.

 

No one I know was ever hired by a poor person.....it's the rich that hire middle class workers.

[Billy Bob]

But back to the meat thermometer.....

 

I have a nice one that's electronic with a probe that has a wire feeding the readout part.....works great......it's been with us for many years....paid $20 for it about 12-15 years ago.....

 

So we purchased one for my son and his wife because they like how we can cook to temp in the oven or out on the BBQ......first time he uses it we were over for a roast venison dinner.......but the stupid thing keep shutting off after 10 minutes....so it's not constantly moderating the temp of the roast....so sure enough it gets a little over cooked....

 

Well we thought it was a bad unit so we purchased another one.....but this time a different manufacture name on it......SAME THING....turns off after 10 minutes.....I "GUESS" to save on the battery..... ....pretty useless as it is....it's supposes to moderator the temp and a buzzer is suppose to go off when it reaches the predetermined temp....

 

YOU GUESSED IT..........MADE in CHINA

[Rattletrap2]

Buying from China might be better than buy a canadian made bbq made in Barrie and it being the biggest piece of crap bbq I have ever bought, next bbq I buy is not going to be Canadian made I know that.

 

I'm sure if you check further into it, that BBQ from Barrie is not made there! They may assemble and store them in a warehouse there, but they too are Chinese manufactured.