Cheap china from China.

[The Backlash Cometh]

How long will this trend last?

I just spent this last week storming the stores for the usual campy Thanksgiving decorations and serving dishes to make the festivities complete. I was rather excited about it because it was the first real Thanksgiving in 17 years that I was free to do as I pleased, having wiggled out of the usual Thanksgiving spent with the right-wing relatives.

In the shopping spree that ensued, I discovered that whether it was Linen and Things, Bed, Bath and Beyond or Dillards or even Publix, all the Thanksgiving china was made in China and it was so cheap that it scratched and chipped easily. Not even two days old and the stuff is already flaking. I'm a bit disappointed because the stuff looks great aesthetically, but isn't going to hold up over time.

So, I'm wondering how long this trend is going to last? It's planned obsolence in items that once would be handed down from generation to generation and it doesn't look like we have an alternative.

[NMDemDist2]

1. thrift stores are full of holiday stuff this time of year

they save it from season to season and pull it out


if it made it to the thrift store, it's usually indestructable

the stuff i pick up there is mostly Italian, Japanese or domestic

[The Backlash Cometh]

2. Pass the word. There has to be a better alternative than the badly

made stuff I bought new.

[leftofthedial]

3. This whole country is now made in China, flakes and chips

and will be obsolete long before we hand it over to our kids.

Thank a corporate capitalist near you.

[The Backlash Cometh]

4. I say we start looking for the old and real stuff, like Blenko is to

colored glass.

[Warpy]

5. Face it, you don't buy heirlooms at prole stores

You might have been better off at an import store, but not much. The other alternative that won't break the bank is getting lucky at an estate sale or thrift shop.

[NMDemDist2]

8. I find Hall's and Homer Laughlin stuff at the thrift store all the time

also Milk Glass and depression ware

You rarely find Fiesta Ware, but the quality manufacturers can be found. Especially in the specialty theme stuff like Holiday wares.

[Warpy]

9. My favorite so far is an English lead crystal

vase, label on the bottom, for two bucks.

Yes, you do occasionally get lucky at the thrift shope, but "Antiques Roadshow" has those folks a little savvier these days.

Still, it's cheaper than retail.

[The Backlash Cometh]

12. Explain to me why lead crystal is being sold if lead is still a health

issue? I realize that a vase is okay, but there are still other fine crystals out there for goblets and wine glasses. Is the amount of lead so small that it's irrelevant?

[Warpy]

18. No, it's locked up within the glass

What you get is a very fine crystal that lends itself to very fancy cutting and is incredibly heavy. I've seen it used mostly in decorative items, including old, fancy chandelier "lights" and vases.

Two bucks was a real find. It should have been at least fifty.

[NMDemDist2]

23. i inherited one from Grammy as well as a huge punch bowl

they weigh a ton!

[Hekate]

32. Good for occasional use, not storage; i.e. don't decant liquor...

...into those fancy lead crystal bottles and then store it there. Use for dinner party, etc. Punch bowls same thing -- make punch ahead but pour into bowl just before the party.

Older pottery items may turn up with high-lead glazes -- very pretty, but really hazardous because it easily leaches out into acidic foods. I bought a lead-testing kit at my hardware store to use on my grandmother's old blue jug, but since all I ever use it for is dried flowers I haven't bothered to test it yet. Nowadays you'll find stickers on imported glazed items that tell you if what's for decorative purposes only.

I think it's a great idea to shop the local thrift stores for old holiday china and glassware.

Hekate

[The Backlash Cometh]

11. How valuable is milk glass?

How can you tell the expensive stuff from the cheap stuff?

[NMDemDist2]

22. depends

and it's hard

it's a vast world of collectables in the milk glass variety

since i'm not a collector, I'll leave you to your own research, but one gal did tell me that if you look at the edges of the better milk glass it will look almost transparent

McKee is a big name esp the animal dishes

i can't help much past that..

[cap]

6. furniture is equally crappy...

all those factory workers who made decent stuff are getting laid off so that we can have cheap crap with a finish that flakes off when you touch it. You cant take folks out of the stone age and have them make decent stuff. I pity anyone in financial troubles... they will be living with scratched up furniture until their fortunes revive.

[The Backlash Cometh]

13. We had to throw fabric over our cheap stuff.

It's pretty bad.

[NNN0LHI]

21. I like Amish furniture. Better be sure you like it when you buy it though

Because chances are it will outlast you. So you must plan on looking at it a long time. We have an Amish kitchen set we bought 20 years ago still looks like brand new. Solid as a rock too. My kids will likely be fighting over it when I am gone.

Don

[wickerwoman]

25. I hope you're not talking about China.

The country that invented paper, gunpowder, porcelein, silk and some of the most beautiful and intricate classical furniture in the world.

Stone age, my ass.

I agree that modern furniture is shit. And it has one name: IKEA. Quality went down, not up, thanks to the influence of Western-style mass manufacture.

[cap]

30. I certainly am talking about China

Chinese modern furniture is pure crap whether it is western or traditional Chinese style... True Antique Chinese furniture is beautiful.

Modern Chinese factory workers are coming out of the Stone Age. Take a look at the demographic studies of workers migrating from the hinterland to the coastal cities. They are still living in the stone age on the farms in the hinterland.

[The Backlash Cometh]

33. And then it went down again in quality when the work was outsourced

back East.

[cap]

7. look at all the clothes that dont really fit people

Americans just dont care. We've lost our sense of culture.

[CountAllVotes]

10. it won't last

I'm still using some Japanese stoneware I bought about 20 years ago and it still looks perfect.

I bought a coffee maker recently (made in China special!) and it was blasting out steam and no coffee! It was ruining the paint job in the kitchen! I took the damn thing back and got a refund for the piece o'crap that it was.

I ended up buying a BUNN coffee maker made here in the USA in Illinois. It cost me $85.00 on sale at overstock.com. It brews up a nice pot of coffee in 3 mins. and it has a 3-year warranty that comes with it. I am satisfied.

As for clothing - Made in China crap clothes don't fit nor do the shoes they make. I tried buying some for a person I know and they need a size of shoe that is +1-1/2 - 2 sizes larger than they normally wear! :wtf:

If you shop around you CAN find things not made in China but you'll have to pay the price and you'll have to do a lot of diligent looking and shopping around as well.

Sad isn't it and it is also VERY BAD for the environment! All of this plastic crap they make ends up in a landfill and there goes more of that precious oil.

No one cares it seems does it?

I find myself buying old Revere Ware on eBay rather than buy the new stuff that is made in Korea (not good - crap as well). Pretty sad that one has to buy a pot or a pan that is 20+ years old to cook with I think.

:kick:

[The Backlash Cometh]

14. I guess my surprise is finding the cheap stuff in relatively pricey

stores.

[cap]

35. if you want a shock, look at the designers in the high priced stores

like Nieman Marcus and Saks. There are two lines of clothes: the traditional Italian/European/American made and the 3rd world manufacturers. So much stuff is going to China and they are charging premium prices for crap. I heard some of the trophy wives are complaining that they dont want to spend so much money for Chinese made crap with a fancy label.

[cap]

36. if you want a shock, look at the designers in the high priced stores

like Nieman Marcus and Saks. There are two lines of clothes: the traditional Italian/European/American made and the 3rd world manufacturers. So much stuff is going to China and they are charging premium prices for crap. I heard some of the trophy wives are complaining that they dont want to spend so much money for Chinese made crap with a fancy label.

[kineneb]

15. Surprising quality

found at of all places...Ikea! I have dishes and furniture from them and only some of it appears to be made in China. The dishes we bought are from Romania. I think they have better quality assurance than the discount places, and they are not much more expensive. Much of my cookware is good ole' American cast iron- the propane range burns really hot and thin aluminum pans overheat.

[CountAllVotes]

16. if you check around you can find things from other places

and much of it is very good stuff too, made in Bulgaria, Romania, Mexico, Peru, etc.

Just seems to me that the stuff made in China is JUNK.

Plain and simple. JUNK.

[omega minimo]

17. Gonna vote this up-- let's talk about "Made In China"

This "trend" started at least a dozen years ago. The only thing that's changed is that the outsourcing stories (and implications for labor, environment, economy, etc.) are mainstream news now.

Gawd the symbolism! You're looking for dishes for the American national holiday of feasting and gratitude and you notice that the stores are full of flimsy, seasonal CRAP! What's that say about the USA in 2005?

Great suggestions from DUers on alternatives include finding American made goods from decades past second hand. This is the best ways for anyone who wants to avoid "Made In China" for personal/political reasons.

What if we turn the game around and organize folks to avoid "Made In China"? (Maybe there's web sites-- I dunno). It ain't easy but there are ways around it-- the replies to your OP came up immediately with great ideas.

We don't have to support the system that is detroying US jobs and economies and exploiting Chinese workers and environment (which becomes our environment-- right now a giant flow of Benzene is headed from China downstream to Russia) any more than we have to.

:patriot: :hug:

[The Backlash Cometh]

19. You may be onto something.

Except that I would just suggest pointing out that the poor quality imported crap is no longer reserved for the low-end stores. It's not so much attacking China's products, as it is expecting quality from quality stores.

[omega minimo]

20. Nevermind

[The Backlash Cometh]

34. It was a good idea. You'll see it surface again.

I rarely shop the way I did this last week, so it was a huge surprise when I encountered the low quality crap. Think about what's happening to the rest of the Americans. Because their income has gone down with the loss of jobs, this crap is the best they can do without complaining. Maybe it's part of the grand design?

[madrchsod]

24. thrift or charity shops

bought 24pcs of 60`s style american made dinner wear for 10 bucks. each plate is worth 20 dollars. i never buy retail items that i can get a thrift or charity shops.

[haydukelives]

26. I've noticed

it has to be cheap to be good nowadays. Nobody buys anything because it is good, they buy it because it is "cheap"

[Ilsa]

27. Consider it an investment in the US's ability to get them to buy our debt.

We have to continue to make up 35+% of their sales, and they'll continue to buy our blossoming debt. God only knows when the bottom will drop out.

[in_cog_ni_to]

28. Royal Doulton is a classic English brand name in tableware and ceramics

and Royal Albert is part of the Royal Doulton company. Imagine my SURPRISE when I bought my first EVER set of China last year...Royal Albert "Old Country Roses" and the sticker on the bottom said "MADE IN CHINA." *sigh*

I swear...the entire WORLD is "Made in China" it's sad. Very sad. It's rare that I ever see an item "Made in the USA." Very rare. :(

[undergroundpanther]

29. Go to yard sales

Yard sales, auctions ,community sales church yard sales,PTA yard sales..antique stores in run down areas,and flea markets.

I have found the coolest and nicest stuff at junk shops that from the road look like a redneck yard of the week in a trashy area of town.
Everything in these shops has a layer of greasy dust on it,and it's a disorganized mess..and if you inhale too fast you cough, there is a space heater by the register and some old guy sitting there staring at an old black and white portable TV with a football game on.Two rusted out pickups with no tires are abandoned in the corner of the rutted gravel parking lot that look like 1960's vintage.There is lumber and old books,chandelier crystals and brass what the hell is its,tools with no discernible use and of course plastic kid thermoses Butt ugly 60's kitchen towels in god awful prints that make your brain hurt ,some even with mystery stains that IMPROVE the look of the towel,Sappy religious pictures and tiny bodied puppies with big melancholy eyes,bullfighters on black velvet,and a big box of action figures with chewed up feet and hands . Dig through the debris you can find treasure and unspeakable campy weirdness and alto of junk and it's fun.

[cap]

31. Just wait till you need parts for the car...

GM and Delphi are outsourcing to China. It wont be fun.

I've stopped buying most of my stuff from the big box stores. All crappy Chinese stuff. Even high end designer clothes are going there too. But the manufacturing isnt the same as the Italian manufacturing.

[mshasta]

37. made by the poor

[mshasta]

38. made in mexico