"Or, are we just accustomed to poor quality no matter where it comes from?"

I would put another proposition by way of an answer

"We are more interested in price than quality no matter where it comes from"

In the end, people will go for a balance of price and quality, and whoever delivers an acceptable balance "wins". Before that balance is achieved, people will always lurch towards price than quality no matter their public statements.

If they didnt sagas like the "China Question" would never occur.

I think that you're right. I know that I really pay NO attention to where the food I purchase comes from. When I go to WalMart to purchase, say, pasta, I just assume that the wheat its made from comes from the Dakotas, and you know, since I'm from there, I figure it's a quality product.

I guess I just figure if it's on the shelf the FDA and the USDA have given the product its stamp of approval and it's safe. I suppose, as we know, its not true.

You've challenged me to take a look at the packaging a little closer the next time I go to Wal-Mart. I hate shopping there, but things are so inexpensive, we really can't afford NOT to at this point.

I think that is in part due to the general greed of this company.  We want everything and we want it cheap.  I buy things because of quality.  I rather pay more in the beginning than to have to replace it (I also hate being wasteful).  However, I know many people who are more the "quantity over quality" types.  I'm not even sure that people look for a balance in most things.  I think they look more for price (which is why we have so many things made in China).

It's a good habit no matter where you shop.  Don't assume that even the "higher class" markets sell only quality products.  If this trend continues, food is going to get pretty scary.

 

Gimme chinese food, it can't be any worse than what Richmond has to offer.

Yikes!  I don't know if I could handle that.  I guess I'd end up having to buy as many fresh ingredients as I could and prepare stuff from scratch.  That's pretty awful, though.  Kind of reminds me of how they were relabeling eggs and selling them as fresh a few years ago.  Ack..

over the past couple days, i've been working on a flier for a client who'll be exhibiting at a national gathering of gymnasts, coaches, etc. later this week.  not that long ago, competing manufacturers still made their mats in this country.  it's no longer the case.  almost all of them are importing oem branded mats made for them in china.

alert consumers may not need to have the dots connected for them.  none of the importing firms seems interested in doing any dot-connecting for the rest.

my guy has no problem with an educated market choosing to favor price vs quality so he's decided to school the public.

this piece--altho configured to fit a standard 8.5 x 11 sheet--is a sort of broadside (in both the literary and military senses of that term).  i converted the press-ready pdf to jpg and, to keep it as small as possible, cropped it a bit...but nothing fatal.  this was my favorite part anyway.

i'll letcha know what kinda reception it received as soon as they fill me in.

 

40 years ago it was Japan (although not the food stuffs).  Today China.  Tomorrow it will be another nation.  People dont buy quality because it costs too much.  They want cheap.  And as long as they want it, someone will make it that way.

china was a long time coming and it'll be more than few tomorrows gone. japan, west germany, taiwan and korea moved on up and on relatively quickly--as shanghai seems likely to do. it's gonna be a while tho before anyone but the chinese get a foot up on that ladder.

I think the nascent middle class in China is going to force it. No nation is going to do anything to China. It will happen due to economic forces.

You say that Japan rose quickly, but not really. Their reputation was earned in the 50s, solidified in the 60s and carried into the 70s. Over 25 years of cheap - and shoddy. It was not until the late 70s that they started making quality, and their products started to be known for their workmanship. China has been at it for about 15 years (give or take). We will see where they stand in another 10. It very well might take them longer since they are not a free society. But the fact that they are getting an upper (non-political) class, and a middle class indicates it is coming.