> That said, I think they are also to blame. My personal belief is that
> they
> got complacent and greedy. How much does to cost to make and sell
> something? I needed a set of impact sockets back in about 88. I went
> to Sears to purchase a Craftsman set. They wanted $56. At that time
> NorthernTools was in the area, and they only wanted about $10 for a
> set. I'd have gladly paid $15 to $20, but 5 times the price of the cheap
> junk?
Ah but there is the rub. It does cost a whole lot more to make something
here in the US. Just look at the US auto industry as a prime example.
Medical insurance, retirement, workers compensation, liability insurance,
property taxes, inventory taxes, permit fees, social security, vacation
time, sick leave, osha requirements, environmental control devices, etc.
The list goes on and on. It costs a fortune to run a company in the US,
especially if you are manufacturing something.
I've spent some time with the importers down on the shipping piers because
of my job. several of Pacific rim companies are making money hand over fist
with their cheap cars because it costs them less than $2,000 per car to make
it and drop it off here in the US. Ford can't even come close when making a
car here in the US with US labor.
Ah well. To get back to the good vs cheap tools. I dearly love how well
Snap-On screwdrivers work. But I can't convince myself to spend that kind
of money on a screwdriver. Not when a Craftsman screwdriver works quite
well. So I'll eschew the paper-mache screwdriver at the Dollar Store in
favor of the Craftsman (or perhaps Stanley or Proto or Husky), but I really
don't need the super expensive top of the line Snap-On screwdriver either.
Especially when it means buying that Snap-On screwdriver prevents me from
buying any wrenches or car parts because there would be no money left over.
_______________________________________________
Support Team.Net http://www.team.net/donate.html
Shop-talk mailing list
http://autox.team.net/mailman/listinfo/shop-talk
http://www.team.net/archive
|