Made in the USA: Quality Products, Quality Assurance

[SillyChef]

Have you ever had a customer that didn't want to buy product since it wasn't made in the USA? What did you tell them?

 

[ChefBeckyD]

I had someone who wouldn't book a show because we have products made in China...........
Nice in theory, but in reality, she probably buys a ton of products that, if not made in China, or other 3rd world countries, have components that are.

You can't really argue with peoples convictions though.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Without saying it, I'd wonder how long she's had her Made in USA television. Whaddya wanna bet she drives an "American" car that was made in Canada or Mexico? (Most of us do.)

 

[ChefBeckyD]

And her refrigerator, stove, microwave, dishwasher, toaster oven.......the list could go on and on!

 

[finley1991]

HA HA... that's funny... When Berkshire Hathaway bought PC, a fellow consultant sent a ranting e-mail about Warren Buffet's ties with Bill Gates and Ted Turner and announced that she was leaving PC. In her e-mail she said that she found out "all about it" on CNN.

So she was leaving PC... but was okay using her Microsoft-based computer platform to make her announcement and had heard about it on CNN... I suggested that it was a bit hypocritical. She didn't get it.

And ironically, when I had my Honda Accord, it had a little sticker on the door stating, "Made in Kentucky." Go figure.

 

[raebates]

People react emotionally, not intellectually. You can't argue with them. Just thank them for their input and move on.

 

[BethCooks4U]

Without saying it, I'd wonder how long she's had her Made in USA television.

Whaddya wanna bet she drives an "American" car that was made in Canada or Mexico? (Most of us do.)

Well I drive a Toyota that was made in America. (My son's American car was made in Mexico.)

Back to PC though, I have had comments made about the China thing. It's hard. Personally, I don't like it either. I hate that our expensive forged cutlery and our top of the line executive and stainless cookware all have "China" stamped prominently on them. I really don't see why those products can't have been made here or at least in Europe. lol

Oh, well, I do say that we have an aggressive quality control and our warranty assures that the product is up to our customers' standards. And I do point out that our stoneware is made in the USA.

 

[missyciccolella]

Has anyone questioned the quality of our products made in China? I'm just curious as we've had several toys recalled...I'm sure we're ok or HO would let us know! I do like the "aggressive quality control" approach.

 

[susan g]

Sell her the stoneware-it's made in USA!

 

[pamperedpals]

Has anyone questioned the quality of our products made in China? I'm just curious as we've had several toys recalled...I'm sure we're ok or HO would let us know! I do like the "aggressive quality control" approach.

I am waiting for an email back from them on this issue.

I had a guest who wanted to buy some Simple Additions pieces, however, she wouldn't when she saw it was from China. Her concern had to with all of the recalls with the lead in the paint.

 

[tx_deputyswife]

People react emotionally, not intellectually. You can't argue with them. Just thank them for their input and move on.

This is the best advice.

My mother is one of these people. After a mission trip to a third world county, she began refusing to shop at Walmart, and buy things from these countries. blah blah blah. I'd never want her to host a party or partake in my business in any way, shape or form, because she has an illogical arguement for everything.

 

[dwyerkim]

People want things both ways... made in USA, but best price. It just doesn't work that way, without getting into political issues, labor is cheaper in other countries (and I'm not saying that's ok, it is just what is). If our stainless were made here, what do you think it would cost? No advice on how to handle it, other than to refer to the warranty and quality control with PC, but sometimes I think people just like to complain... They are rarely consistent in their application of these "bans" on foreign products.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Well I drive a Toyota that was made in America. (My son's American car was made in Mexico.)

Back to PC though, I have had comments made about the China thing. It's hard. Personally, I don't like it either. I hate that our expensive forged cutlery and our top of the line executive and stainless cookware all have "China" stamped prominently on them. I really don't see why those products can't have been made here or at least in Europe. lol

Oh, well, I do say that we have an aggressive quality control and our warranty assures that the product is up to our customers' standards. And I do point out that our stoneware is made in the USA.

What's an American car? No one really knows anymore. GM and Ford have factories all over the world - Ford trucks were used by the Wermacht after Hitler nationalized the factories. Chrysler is owned by a German company. As has been pointed out, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Toyota build cars here.

Many of the products that used to be made here, that are now imported, cannot be made here anymore.

When I was growing up, Milwaukee was nicknamed "The Machine Shop Of The World" in fact, we had Nike missile sites here to protect the factories from a Soviet attack. Allis-Chalmers, Harnischfeger, Rex Chainbelt, Kerny & Trecker, Ladish, Falk and the list goes on and on. All of those heavy industries were fed by smaller machine shops, tool & die makers, die casters, foundries, metal distributors and that list goes on and on. Small engines, motorcycles, heck, even Ford Motor Company once built Model T's here.

There were also the breweries - Schlitz, Blatz, Pabst, Gettleman, and Miller.

Printing - at one time, the bulk of the rotogravure (high quality, four color printing) in the United States was done here (a great deal of it still is, incidentally) and every major packaging company had plants here to support the breweries.

We even made Osterizer blenders here.

But most of those products are no longer made here, nor could they be made here.

Why?

All those years that kids my age were growing up, it was assumed we would follow our fathers' footsteps into the factories. But no, our fathers all told us to get educations and get a career outside of the big, dirty factories.

So we did. One by one, the factories closed. The world changed - the endless demand for farm equipment slowed, competition from overseas began to cut into orders and the sales dropped. It was not only lack of orders, but it got harder and harder to find help - the next generation of workers got college educations and we went in difference directions.

Today, most of those shops are gone. The Allis-Chalmers campus, which at one time had hundreds of buildings, is mostly parking lot, except for a shopping center. We couldn't built a tractor here anymore, or a power generating alternator or any of those products. We no longer have the infrastructure nor do we have the trained workforce.

Some of it is still here - what's left of Harnischfeger still builds mining shovels, but mining technologies and techniques have changed and there aren't as many mines needing big shovels anymore. Miller is the only major brewery left. The factory where Briggs & Stratton made engines is a Lowe's.

It is neither bad, nor good. It is just the way it is.

And the same scene has played out in every manufacturing center in America.

 

[Chefgirl2]

I called pampered Chef about the safety of our products since so many are made in China. They said something to like- Our products are constantly being tested for safety. She didn't go into too much detail, but it did make me feel better.

 

[nikked]

I agree that I wish more products could be made in the USA, but I have answered with something like:

I know some of our products are not made in the USA, but the COMPANY itself is completely American for our American customers. Our customer service, warehouses, etc., are all based in the USA. It's just as important to support American companies as it is to buy American.

It has helped in several situations to approach it from that angle.

HTH...SIID!

 

[raebates]

One of my favorite host rants was the woman who stopped the show she was hosting to make a speech about how horrible microwaves are. You should never microwave your food. It changes the food on a molecular level.Umm, that's called cooking, sweetie. She did this when I pulled out the micro-cookers. Didn't sell many that night.The funny part is that this woman smoked five cigarettes while I was setting up. She also left the party three times to go out and smoke. Yep, and it's microwaves that are unhealthy.The really funny part? When I met her to close her party, she was microwaving a piece of quiche for her lunch.I think of her as The Health Nut.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

One of my favorite host rants was the woman who stopped the show she was hosting to make a speech about how horrible microwaves are. You should never microwave your food. It changes the food on a molecular level.

Umm, that's called cooking, sweetie. She did this when I pulled out the micro-cookers. Didn't sell many that night.

The funny part is that this woman smoked five cigarettes while I was setting up. She also left the party three times to go out and smoke. Yep, and it's microwaves that are unhealthy.

The really funny part? When I met her to close her party, she was microwaving a piece of quiche for her lunch.

I think of her as The Health Nut.

And she's a couple of lock washers short of joint.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

When I was growing up, Milwaukee was nicknamed "The Machine Shop Of The World" in fact, we had Nike missile sites here to protect the factories from a Soviet attack. Allis-Chalmers, Harnischfeger, Rex Chainbelt, Kerny & Trecker, Ladish, Falk and the list goes on and on. All of those heavy industries were fed by smaller machine shops, tool & die makers, die casters, foundries, metal distributors and that list goes on and on. Small engines, motorcycles, heck, even Ford Motor Company once built Model T's here.

But most of those products are no longer made here, nor could they be made here.

<snip>The Allis-Chalmers campus, which at one time had hundreds of buildings, is mostly parking lot, except for a shopping center.

And once again, we no more than mention it...and an Allis-Chalmers portable rock crusher appears before my very eyes.

(They were actually built in the Fox River Valley, and that part of the business was acquired by a Swiss company and is now known as Boliden-Allis.)