We were at the Museum of London over the weekend and were browsing at the shops. I’ve always loved those die cast toys – the London bus, the post box, the telephone box. Things I’d hoard if I were a tourist.
But doesn’t you heart sink a bit when you look a bit more closely and see the words ‘Made in China’ at the bottom?
It just makes it less special. That here I am in a museum that’s supposed to uphold things British, is selling wares that doesn’t support the local economy.
But maybe they don’t make them here anymore?
I would hate to generalize. And I am not against globalisation. But I like the products I buy to last – clothes, appliances, furniture. And I don’t want to worry about safety when I buy them here, in the UK. But these news did scare me.
A number of people shun ‘Made in China’ products as a protest against their policies. My opinion is based on my personal observation – on things I buy for myself. Clothes bought on the cheap don’t last. A few washes, maybe at most one season, and they’re making their way towards the waste site. I have a few gadgets as well that doesn’t really stand well against normal usage.
No I am not blaming China. As this blog has educated me, it seems the blame is still on us the consumers who clamour for cheap goods and the retailers, keen to supply us with what we ‘need’.
And it isn’t just China that worries me as a manufacturer. Though I know it’s one of the first things we’ll point out as eveything we use seems to be coming from there. Primark’s ‘Made in India’ could mean your clothes were made by companies employing child labour. (Note that Primark have dropped the firm as soon as they found out and have been pushing their ethical stance since.)
I do have a point - don’t let the price dictate what you buy. Aim to find out more about the retailers you support. Cheap, most often, means some shortcut was taken. You will pay – on the good’s quality, on the good’s safety, or worse, it could mean another person’s welfare was compromised. If you buy fakes, you could even be funding drug lords and terrorists.
Buy because you love it, need it, will last until you’ve given it away and will get your money’s worth on the product. Spare a thought as to where and how it was manufactured.
