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Buying "On The Cheap" Is Costing Us Dearly by Robyn Morris
The first time I walked into a Wal-Mart was only about two years ago. I had just opened the Bed & Breakfast, and needed to get a grocery item after 10 pm. I didn't want to like the place. I try to lean toward smaller and more local or regional stores.
Oh-my-goodness. When I walked in, I was dismayed to discover that they had nearly everything I needed, and at lower prices than I had been paying elsewhere! Most people might be happy at such a discovery, but I could see that the allure of Wal-Mart was very strong, and could draw people into store, even those who believe that Wal-Mart has practices or policies that are distasteful.
But - this article is not about Wal-Mart - other than to set the tone. This article is about our inclination to buy at the cheapest (oh, you mean "most competitive?) price, at the expense of quality, and at the expense of keeping our dollars circulating locally.
"So what?" you might ask. "What's the difference if I buy something made in Asia for 2/3 of the price of American-made?" You might even declare, "We all need to conserve our hard-earned dollars."
After saving so much money buy purchasing Asian goods, how much more will you need to conserve dollars when you are no longer earning the wage you make now? Do you know anyone who has either recently lost a job, or is being threatened with job loss through company closure, lay-off, loss of work due to outsourcing work to other countries, or just poor local economy?
The best way to spur the local economy is not a mystery. It's not just tax cuts and rebates. We need to spend our money locally in order to keep the dollars circulating locally. (What good to the American economy is a personal $1,000 tax rebate if you spend it on Chinese-made products? How will the Fed's lowering of interest rates improve American economic health if you use your credit-line to buy Asian imports?)
But, here's what my comments are really about - Amish Quilts.
I had a guest at my Bed & Breakfast who had a plan to purchase an Amish Quilt. She told me her story when she returned later that day. She went first to one of the Amish Quilt stores. She noticed a beautiful white quilt with an appliquéd grape vine on it. It was quite the beauty, and stood out because many of the other quilts were "pieced" patterns, rather than appliquéd. She asked about it, and was told that it was all "hand-quilted" locally. (Technically, that was true.)
Then, she went to a different Amish Quilt store, just to see what they had. Imagine her surprise when she saw the very same quilt in the second store. So, she asked about the duplication. The second Amish store owner told her, quite frankly, that in the case of the appliquéd quilts, the local Amish quilters purchase the quilt TOP only, already appliquéd, from a "dark-complexion woman who speaks a different language". The Amish store owner said that they can buy the quilt top, ready to be quilted, for less than it would cost them to make it themselves.
Through more investigation the next day, we discovered that the woman was Asian, and lived in Pennsylvania. She sells dozens, or maybe even hundreds of quilt tops throughout Amish Country across several states from her vehicle to local Amish quilters who then assemble and hand-quilt the piece.
But wait - don't get indignant yet... I have since learned that a refugee group - the Hmong Vietnamese, arrived in Lancaster, PA in the 1970s, after the Viet Nam War. (They fought FOR the United States. Don't get in a tizzy.) This particular refugee group was sponsored by the Lancaster Mennonites. It turns out that appliqué fabric design is an important part of the Hmong culture - and it was NOT part of the Amish quilting repertoire. So, the Hmong women began to create beautiful appliqué quilt tops for the Amish women who then assembled and quilted them. The Lancaster Amish completely adopted the partnership with the Hmong women providing beautiful appliquéd quilt tops. They considered the entire quilt to still have been made "Locally, in Amish Country". It was still 100% "hand-quilted" by Amish women.
Oh - in case you don't know, here's the difference: Appliqué is when fabric is sewn ONTO a base fabric, to make shapes. A "pieced" quilt (traditionally Amish) makes a pattern when pieces are sewn together at the edges (rather than overlaid onto a base).
APPLIQUED FLORAL DESIGN "LOG CABIN" PIECED
No...that's not the end of the story. Yes, my B&B Guest did buy a quilt here in Geauga County. Hopefully, it was made locally.
The story continues though. Here is the twist on the Hmong/Amish partnership that was working successfully in Lancaster and throughout Amish country.
Through the 1980s and 1990s, demand for Amish Quilts began to skyrocket. Supply couldn't keep up with demand. So, about 8 years ago, some of the Hmong in Lancaster with connections back in Thailand did what much of corporate America does - they outsourced the work. Now, instead of a quilt being 100% made by Pennsylvania Hmong and Amish Women, some quilts are 100% made in Thailand, and then unwittingly sold in Amish stores side by side with the Amish-made quilts - sometimes at the same cost. The big difference is that an Amish quilt retailing for $500 - might have cost the merchant $400, while a comparable Thai quilt will cost the importer $60 to $100.
But - here's an even nastier turn of events for all...eventually, pressure mounts to sell at lower prices. Thai quilts can be discounted and still make a profit. But this pressure to sell cheap drives down the price for all, including the authentic Amish-made quilts.
Internet auctions of "Amish" quilts sell for about $150.00, sometimes less. This is appropriate for a quilt that wholesaled at only $75, because the Thai quilters are making the equivalent of 10 cents an hour. But for an Amish woman who has spent hundreds of hours on a quilt, anything less than $400 (still a measly dollar an hour!) is unthinkable.
Even local live quilt auctions on locally made 100% Amish quilts are beginning to show depressed winning bids only in the $300 range - much less than the amount needed by the quilter to make it worth her while.
And where does this get us? As much as I love our Asian World Neighbors - it does not help us when we continuously disregard our own suppliers in favor of products and goods made halfway across the world, even if they are cheap!
If an argument is made that we need to compete in the world market, I would suggest that providing an hourly rate of $1 per hour or less to an American home-based businesses is not in anyone's best interest. And, we are finding out that purchasing from those countries that pay workers less than $1 per hour is not in our best interest either!
One answer is for us to know the person from whom we are buying quilts, or anything else for that matter. Ask questions. I am completely supportive of our local Amish. I believe that the quilts sold locally are authentic and Amish-made, with the possible exception of the appliquéd tops being assembled in advance by non-Amish Pennsylvania based Hmong.
We need to be prepared to pay the real cost of materials, labor, and mark-up to local merchants and quilters. If we (collectively) try to continuously drive prices down, there will come a point where locally or regionally-made goods will no longer be available, and it will all come from China.
So, this brings me back to thinking about Wal-Mart. And local quilts. And local produce. And independently owned restaurants and retailers. Saving a few dollars is not worth it in the long run. It degrades our local economy. We are shooting ourselves in the foot - or worse!
For reference, see a series of articles from Allentown, PA, from April 23, 24, 25, and April 26, 2006:
To read the articles on The Morning Call's website, put this phrase into a search engine: {Hmong Amish Quilt "Morning Call" April 2006}
Or, view a PDF files of the text of each of the 4-part series. Article 1 Article2 Article 3 Article 4
For further reference, take a look at these quilts being "dumped" today (February 17, 2008) on E-bay. These sure look Asian-made. The opening bid on every one of these items is $49.00. This one E-bay seller sells hundreds of these quilts. Another E-bay seller is promoting the very same quilts (same photos and text), and also selling dozens per month. These quilts sell for between $50 and $130 - driving down the selling price of ALL quilts, including fine authentic Amish-made quilts. Since January 1, 2008 (7 weeks), ONE E-Bay seller has dumped 145 of these Asian-made quilts with misleading names like those below:
E-Bay Item title: "Handmade Folk Art Style Pennsylvania Life Quilt WOW!"
Robyn's remark: This is Pennsylvania Life???
E-Bay Item title: "WOW! Beautiful Handmade Amish Fan Quilt Queen Size
Robyn's remark: It might be called "Amish Fan", but it certainly is NOT Amish-made!
E-Bay Item title: "Handmade Sweet Kentucky Quilt, Applique"
Robyn's remark: The most oriental-looking Kentucky embroidery I've ever seen!
Lastly:
E-Bay Item title: Handmade Amish Pattern Quilt
Robyn's remark: An Amish Woman would be embarrassed to call this machine-sewn sloppy mess her work.
