With 10.1 million people unemployed in the U.S., why buy from China?
I recently Googled “catalog” and these sponsored links popped up:
SkyMall online catalog
Search hundreds of SkyMall products online. Official site. Shop now
Newport News
Runway-inspired fashions for less. Shop our 2008 styles and trends.
Signals Mail Order Catalog
Fun & Great Gifts for All Occasions Your One-Stop Holiday Gift Store
Crate & Barrel Furniture
Find Contemporary Furniture for Your Home Online at Crate & Barrel!
— November 11, 2008
Late last summer I ordered two pair of chino trousers from L.L. Bean and a couple of polo shirts. They arrived a day or two later. I clothed my upper and lower halves with the new merchandise and both pieces fit my dreadful flesh-case beautifully.
Where Lands’ End trousers seem to slip down the spare tire of my middle and threaten to drop down around my ankles when I’m carrying a heavy sack of groceries in one hand and a gallon of Stoli in the other, these marvels look and feel custom tailored. I was thrilled.
When it came time to put them in the washing machine, I looked at the label to see what the settings should be and discovered the polo shirts were made in Thailand. On the chino trousers label, a line of copy made my blood run cold: “Made in China.”
The Chinese government is brutal, repressive and vicious. In China, a nation of polluters, a new coal-fired plant comes online every 10 days. The Chinese are state-sanctioned killers of girl babies, American children (lead paint in toys), beloved dogs (poisoned pet food) and Tibetan monks, as well as jailers of dissidents and the press. China’s blatant counterfeiting of luxury and everyday products — together with massive theft of intellectual property — is responsible for billions of dollars of losses the world over.
I resent L.L. Bean making me an unwitting accomplice to criminal behavior.
The Besmirching of an American Icon
Old L.L. Bean was a gent as well as a very savvy inventor and marketer. “I never consider a sale complete,” Bean once said, “until the merchandise is worn out and the customer is still satisfied.” There’s a guarantee for you!
From Bean’s AP obituary of February 7, 1977:
His business was built on practicality, quality and honesty. Almost every complaint on a product was satisfied, although the merchant, shoes normal voice was a reverberating shout, was not known for a casual attitude toward money.
He manufactured many of his products in a rambling factory next to his shop over the post office in Freeport [Maine]. The store was open 24 hours a day simply because a fisherman might need a license or a packet of flies at 4 A.M.
So when I discovered the Bean chinos I’d bought were from China, I felt betrayed. How did I miss this?
The Weasel Word: “Imported”
I went online to find my chinos on the L.L. Bean Web site. Here’s the copy:
About This Item
For years, our customers have complimented the superior comfort and workmanship of our Chinos. The secret to their popularity is in the soft yet sturdy cotton fabric and the comfortable fit. Bonded to the fabric is a durable stain- and wrinkle-resistant Nano-Care® by Nano-Tex® treatment that ensures creases stay in, but stains and wrinkles stay out. The sturdy no-roll waistband is one of the most comfortable you’ll find, and the deep, roomy pockets have coin catches to keep your change secure. Rugged buttons and sturdy zipper will last for years. And we’ve included a center-back belt loop to keep your belt from riding up — a feature that many of our competitors do without.
Classic Fit has a trim cut with traditional straight legs. Plain front. 8.6 oz. fabric. Fits belts up to 1-1/2 “W. Imported. Machine wash and dry.
Note the buried fifth word from the end: “Imported.” Not “Made in China” or “Imported from China.” Just “Imported.”
I then went to the four catalogs — those “Sponsored Links” featured at the start of this article — and found they all described their merchandise one of two ways:
* Imported; or
* Made in USA or Made in America.
I then surfed a number of catalog Web sites and the results were the same: “imported” was the operative word. I also data entered “Made in USA” and/or “American Made” and some catalogs listed this merchandise, others drew a blank. The sleaziest cataloger was Coldwater Creek, which listed dozens of SKUs “Made in America.” Then you come to the weasel-wording:
Paisley tapestry cardigan with bejeweled French knot closure and lightly padded shoulders. Matching tank. Both galaxied with sparkle throughout.
Polyester, acetate and spandex knit. Hand wash. USA/imported. [H50415].
USA/Imported?
The Web Site I Propose
With 10-plus million Americans out of work and unemployment at 6.5 percent and on the rise, I’m sure some of us would like to “buy American” and put our fellow citizens to work, so they can pay taxes and feed the economy rather collect unemployment payments (while they last), lose their homes and join the ranks of the homeless.
Others of us have foreign policy concerns, such as my xenophobia. Filipino residents might like to help the economy of their heritage. Mexicans might like to buy items made south of the border, Thais from Thailand, Indians from India, etc.
As a result, I believe all catalogers should aid the decision-making process by listing the origin of every SKU in their catalogs. Accordingly, I’ve bought one-year ownership of the following URLs from Network Solutions: www.SKUorigin.com; www.MerchandiseOrigin.com; and www.ItemOrign.com
How the Web Site Would Work
* All catalogers that are proud of their companies — and not ashamed of where they get their merchandise — would be invited to participate.
* The only ground rule: every item in every catalog must list the country of origin.
* Catalogs would be listed on the Web site alphabetically and by category.
* Catalogs that offer American-made merchandise exclusively would have an additional section of their own.
* Catalogs offering merchandise from one country would appear in their own country listing (e.g., Peruvian Connection, Thomas Pink, Hermès, Ferragamo, etc.).
* Each country of origin would have its own listing of merchandise by category, with hyperlinks to the original catalog.
* Cost to the cataloger yet to be determined, but likely one of three ways: a yearly flat fee; a small fee per SKU; or a small percentage of each sale generated through the Web site.
Anybody out there willing to take this on?
Takeaway Points to Consider
* “Two rules and two rules only exist in direct marketing. Rule No. 1: Test everything. Rule No. 2: See Rule No. 1.” —Malcolm Decker
* My bet is that more than one catalog has tested putting the country of origin on every SKU and it bombed.
* That said, remember the old J. Peterman catalog with copy by Donald Staley that read like a series of short-short stories out of The New Yorker? These were minitravelogues that described Peterman’s adventures in foreign lands where he found some marvelous item that was being imported and offered on an exclusive basis.
* In other words, Peterman/Staley turned the foreign provenance into a benefit — a unique selling proposition. Peterman had mystique.
* Peterman spent the last three years of his first run chasing money rather than great merchandise. He went out of business because his VCs wanted big returns and he ran out of cash trying to open 50 retail stores concurrently. John O’Hurley, who played Peterman on “Seinfeld,” is a major investor in Peterman redux. But that’s another story.
* I could imagine a lot of traffic on this new Web site from consumers who care about where their merchandise comes from, rather than being forced to buy pigs in a poke.
* Quite simply, if I were buying by mail, I’d go to this Web site first and search for American-made products, because I care about America — our economy and our future.
* As a rentable co-op database, it would add a fascinating new dimension about customer behavior.
* Catalogs that refused to participate would be immediately suspect.
Web Sites Related to Today’s Edition
L.L. Bean — Free $10 Gift Card with purchase of $50 or more.
SkyMall online catalog — Search hundreds of SkyMall products online.
Newport News — Runway-inspired fashions for less.
Signals Mail Order Catalog — Fun & Great Gifts for All Occasions.
Crate & Barrel Furniture — Find Contemporary Furniture for Your Home.
J. Peterman — Uncommonly good men’s and women’s clothing, accessories, home and one-of-a-kind items from around the world.
For information on my new novel, “COLDCOCKED,” visit www.tinyurl.com/36mfou.
Denny Hatch is the author of six books on marketing and four novels, and is a direct marketing writer, designer and consultant. His latest book is “Write Everything Right!” Visit him at dennyhatch.com.