TELL ME IT’S COMING FROM CHINA

Thanks to Covid, I began shopping for clothes online. It doesn’t always work out, because what looks good on a size 4 model doesn’t always translate well to a size 14 body. However, the luxury of shopping from my computer vs. driving to a mall outweighs any negatives. There’s just one thing I wish they would change. When I order a garment, I’d like to be told upfront where it’s being produced. Please tell me it’s coming from China.

TELL ME IT'S MADE IN CHINA, and also being shipped from China — TELL ME IT’S MADE IN CHINA, and that it’s also being shipped from Dongguan CN.

What difference does it make, you ask? After all, 90% of every thing you buy in brick and mortar stores or online comes from China. But here’s the catch. Sometimes, the garment you buy is not just made in China, it’s being shipped from China. Usually, if you order a new top, it will be in your mailbox within a week. Just in time for the picnic or party you’re planning to attend. But this doesn’t happen if you’re waiting for something that’s being shipped from 3, 586 miles away.

On May 24, I ordered a top from Amazon, hoping to wear it on Memorial Day. That did not happen. I was okay with that, thinking I might wear it at a social event the following week. Nope, still didn’t come. Meanwhile, I checked on my order and found the price had been reduced to less than half since I placed my order, but I was still paying the full price. Shrugged my shulders. Luck of the draw. Just for fun, I checked my tracking order, and that’s when I found that my poor little top was coming all the way from Dongguan, Guandong CN. China.

Tracking order info:

Thursday, June 1

10:30 AM

Completed customs clearance.

Chicago, US

6:18 AM

Package left the carrier facility.

Sunday, May 28

12:32 AM

Package arrived at a carrier facility.

Dongguan, GUANGDONG CN

Friday, May 26

Carrier picked up the package.

According to Trip Advisor, Dongguan is a pretty touristy place to visit. “Places to see, ways to wander, and signature experiences.”

Unfortunately, I will probably never travel to Dongguan CN. The only contact I will have is when I receive a top that was apparently produced and mailed from there. Amazon has now committed to delivering it by this coming Friday June 17. That may or may not happen. Here’s the catch. What if it doesn’t fit, or I don’t like it? How long will it take to return? One thing I know. I will not be placing a re order.

When I order something online, please tell me it’s coming from China.

June 25, 2021June 25, 2021

CHINA IS STILL AMERICA’S SEAMSTRESS

Remember when Trump was campaigning for the presidency back in 2016? He kept going on and on about how everything we buy is made in China. He bared his teeth when uttering the word CHII-NAH. So naturally, we assumed that things would change under his administration. But it didn’t. If we bought a new dress at the mall or ordered a coat from Amazon, it had a brand name that sounded American. But if you looked inside at the label, it usually said “made in China.” Still does. 90% of the clothes in my closet were made there. China is still America’s seamstress.

Politicians keep talking about the trade war, but I’m not sure what they’re doing about it. If they’ve imposed tariffs on clothing made in China, they aren’t high enough to make anyone want to open more garment factories in the USA.

Back in the forties and fifties, a lot of us sewed our own clothes. It was fun to look at patterns and go through stacks of materials, dreaming about the new outfit you were about to create. And you had the satisfaction of saving a lot of money. A homemade dress cost about 1/3 of what you would pay for a “store bought” outfit. Somewhere along the way, that began to change. Clothes were so cheap that it really didn’t pay to sew. Why? Because of China. They did– and still do– have the advantage of low labor costs. Obviously, there are no labor unions in China..

China is still America's seamstress. Grmet workers in China make very low wages. — China is still America’s seamstress. Workers in garment factories make very low wages.

Amazon won’t tell you if a dress is made in China in their product description. But there are small clues. Usually, there are strange, grammatical errors, for example:. “it fit like dream.” Instead of “It fits like a dream.” Little nuances that show there’s something lost in translation. Another thing they’ll do is suggest you order a size larger than usual. Apparently, this is because Asian women are so much smaller than Americans. But it also saves on material. If vanity compels you order your usual size, and it’s a little bit snug, you might blame yourself for weight gain. As a consequence, you keep the dress in the hopes of eventually losing five pounds or more. Just one tricky little way that Chinese clothing manufacturers fool us.

What would happen if our government really got serious about imposing tariffs on Chinese clothing imports? Prices would skyrocket. And maybe—just maybe—we would start sewing our own clothes again. Until that happens, China will continue as America’s seamstress.

August 19, 2019August 19, 2019

IS THIS CHINA’S LAST STAND?

Labor day sales have begun, and shoppers are going wild. Shopping baskets are filled to the brim. Today, I was at a clothing store where summer clothes were 70% off. Last weekend, while shopping with my granddaughters, we found bathing suits at 80% off. It’s the last giveaway of the season, and it’s never going to be this good again. Is this China’s last stand at the mall?

When you get home, go through those piles of clothes you’ve purchased at end of season sales. Look at the labels. Can you find one item that wasn’t made in China? Only 2% of the clothing products we buy are made in the USA. But next year, it’s estimated the cost of garments made in China will increase about 25%, due to new tariffs. Which really isn’t all that much.

We’re so accustomed to cheap clothes from China that we don’t want to think about how it’s affected the American labor force. We know that many Chinese laborers work sixteen hour days to produce those incredibly cheap clothes, but it doesn’t stop us from buying them.

What is going to happen now that we’re in a trade war? Will more clothes be made in the USA, and how is that going to affect the price of our next pair of blue jeans? Personally, I would be willing to pay a higher price for garments made in our own country, but it probably won’t happen for another decade. Clothing manufacturers will probably turn to other third world countries where wages are low.

Sales this labor day will be full of bargains from China — Department stores are filled with shoppers buying bargain priced clothes made in China

Here are some other things that could happen if clothing and shoes get too pricey: We might reduce the size of our wardrobes. People could start sewing their own clothes again, which will help the fabric industry. Sales at Goodwill Industry stores may increase, providing more jobs for the handicapped. Garment manufacturers might decide to open factories in the USA, which would create more jobs in the USA.

And so, while I’m snapping up the bargains like everyone else, it won’t bother me to pay higher prices next season, as long as it benefits the American worker.

And, if you didn’t get to the mall this weekend, don’t worry. Labor Day Sales are still ahead.

May 15, 2019May 16, 2019

NO MORE CHEAP CLOTHES FROM CHINA?

Have you looked through your closet lately? If you take the time to look at the labels, you will see that 90% of recent purchases have a Made In China label. Wow. Are the Chinese the only ones who know how to sew? I’m not sure, but I’m thinking these new tariffs may signal the end. No more cheap clothes from China.

When I was a child, “store bought” clothes were for people of means. Most lower and middle class people made their own clothes. Now, sewing your own clothes is a choice, not a necessity.

I still made my clothes until I was about 30. That’s when store clothes got so cheap that it was more actually more expensive to buy the pattern and materials to construct your own garments. A lot of those first cheap clothes came from places like Bangladesh and the Philippines. But now, almost all imported clothes are from China.

No More Cheap Clothes From China — IF WE CAN’T BUY CHEAP CLOTHES FROM CHINA, MAYBE WE CAN SEW OUR OWN

Sewing was actually fun. First, you sat down at the pattern table and looked through the books to find exactly the dress or outfit that you wanted. Once you decided on a pattern, it was sheer pleasure to look through all the fabrics and pick out something that would give you a one -of- a- kind dress. You never had to worry about running into someone with a dress exactly like yours, and no one had the slightest idea what you paid for it. We even made pretty dresses out of feed sacks!

Young girls were taught to sew before they were teenagers. My best friend’s mother worked at Singer Sewing shop—a busy store with many customers who paid the salary of this single Mom supporting three kids. She loved her work, even gave sewing lessons. My own mom was kind of a slap dash seamstress, but this lady taught me the importance of following patterns exactly—a skill that has helped me follow directions for all kinds of self-assembled products.

Women used to make their own clothes before they were so cheap from China — SEWING YOUR OWN CLOTHES USED TO BE COST EFFECTIVE

Store bought clothing was expensive in the old days because it was made in America. Garment workers didn’t make much but it was a lot more than people in China, where the average wage per month is $270 in terms of US Dollars. A factory worker in China may work over sixteen hours, sometimes six days a week. The pay for all of this overtime is sometimes as low as 55 cents per hour.

If we can’t get cheap clothes from China because of new tariffs, will that be such a bad thing? Maybe young girls will get off their cell phones and start making their own clothes . Or garment workers in the USA will have more job opportunities. And we won’t have to feel guilty about that “bargain” coat from China made by women who are forced to work in sweat shops for low wages.