A few years ago, back when Sam Wahl was alive, his Walmart stores bragged in the advertisements that they "bought American."
Then the founder died and "Made in America" seemed to just "fade away."
I'd like to blame it on the bean counters - and to a degree I do - but the blame lies with the people who shop at Walmart for low prices. I'm one of the guilty.
Perhaps I was one of the guilty.
This "awareness" came to mind today as I tipped over a 42 cup "GE" coffee urn we use on Shabat and haggim. It's about 3 years old.
I noted a leak after filling the container early on Friday - my jobs include setting the table, filling the urn, and making sure all the timers are set and the refrigerator light switch is taped down (light is off). I also get to sweep and mop the floor. (When we lived in Holon, I also got to do the end-of-week shopping that included parve chocolate and carnations for the Spouse - and a falafel for me.)
Since the discovery was made well before I left for a very late minhah, the water was transferred from the urn into a kettle. The water was boiled just before candle lighting and the kettle was put into the over - along with the hamin ("cholent" for Sefardim).
Sunday, with the urn fully dry, it was tipped over and we read that while "GE" was printed on the front, "Walmart" was boldly stamped on the bottom - along with the discouraging words" Made in China.
So much for Sam Wahl's legacy.
This particular urn replaced one we had for perhaps 7 or 8 years that bore the brand name "Sunbeam" on it. Granted, I had to replace the spigot assembly after four years, but since I found the owner's manual on line and was able to order parts, I managed to "do the deed." Maybe that urn also was made in China. Unlike the Sunbeam urn, I failed to find any repair information from either GE or Walmart. I can, I suppose, go to a third party and buy a repair manual and maybe fix the unit.
Cost cutting.
Blame the Chinese? We all know that there are far, far too many shoddy - and often dangerous - Chinese products.
But as a risk management practitioner, I contend - and the courts usually agree with me - that the importer and the retailed have some responsibility for quality control.
I have several Lasko devices in the house - space heaters and fans. Lasko products, like the GE-Walmart urn, are made in China. Given that (a) we've had the products for many years and (b) they continue to work as advertised, I suspect that the Lasko people perform a farily rigid incoming inspection on its Made in China products. Likewise, I suspect that the GE-Walmart QC people may have blinked when the urn came into the country. Certainly U>someone blinked when it was decided not to put a manual on line. "Sell it and forget it."
Many, many years ago, when I was a young reporter, I bought my first 35 mm camera (with a loan from my newspaper employer). It was a "Honeywell" Pentax H3v, a simple, no-nonsense, interchangeable lens, TTL camera. I don't think it even had a light meter which was OK, I only used Tri-X and every box included a light meter (chart).
The camera was made in Japan by Pentax, a company with a good reputation even then. (Americans still were suspicious of anything Japanese in those day.) Honeywell, the importer, put all the cameras - even the lowly H3v - through its own QC before it put its name on the equipment.
Walmart put its name - and reputation - on the coffee urn. It only was used to keep water hot for Shabat and haggim (and granted, than in some cases means 75 hours). GE also put its name on the urn.
We - Americans - apparently are willing to sacrifice QC for a few cents in savings.
We buy Chinese products knowing we are (a) taking a risk and (b) that the products may be made under conditions no American worker would tolerate (even in this economy).
I might buy Chinese again - but know that I will make every effort to "Buy American" before I put down cash for a replacement urn.
Recently there have been tv shows and articles that if someone buys smartly, Buying American can be less expensive than buying foreign-made goods.
With the Internet putting the America's manufacturers at our fingertips, Buying American is well worth the effort.
