Stanley / B.D. Merge...

[Ed in Tampa]

I believe Heathicus is correct. If it is made outside this country it must be so labeled.

While I totally disagree with Americans buying anything made in China it is almost impossible to avoid in today's economy.

It seems we Americans want high wages but low prices and retailers have found out few of us consider country of origin over price.

Now back to the merger. I believe Stanley makes things in the US but they also import and some imports come from China. I also believe some Stanley tools are fairly high quality but some are "you get what you paid for" junk.

My concern over this merger is competition. There is basically very little left. These tools lines aren't in competition with each other since they are all owned by the same company. They are simply priced to fit the owning companie's product price line.

Without healthy competition prices rise, quality comes down and the consumer suffers. That should concern us all.

Instead we bicker over whether buying tools in Walmart or not is arrogant.

Also many Americans have become complacent, they will accept junk without complaint. Unless we demand quality and the right price manufactures and retailers are free to offer anything.

Today I hear people complain about high prices. The solution is simply stop buying. If you think paying $30,000 for a car that will be worth $15,000 in year is crazy stop buying $30,000 cars. Instead we allow our common sense to be manipulated by ad hype and we feel our possessions define us. When in fact many times they own us.

We are our own worst enemy, in our form of economy we have to learn we can't have our cake and eat it too. If you want high wages, high quality you have to pay for it.

Thud! (me jumping off my soap box) Sorry!

[JPG]

I believe Heathicus is correct. If it is made outside this country it must be so labeled.

While I totally disagree with Americans buying anything made in China it is almost impossible to avoid in today's economy.

It seems we Americans want high wages but low prices and retailers have found out few of us consider country of origin over price.

Now back to the merger. I believe Stanley makes things in the US but they also import and some imports come from China. I also believe some Stanley tools are fairly high quality but some are "you get what you paid for" junk.

My concern over this merger is competition. There is basically very little left. These tools lines aren't in competition with each other since they are all owned by the same company. They are simply priced to fit the owning companie's product price line.

Without healthy competition prices rise, quality comes down and the consumer suffers. That should concern us all.

Instead we bicker over whether buying tools in Walmart or not is arrogant.

Also many Americans have become complacent, they will accept junk without complaint. Unless we demand quality and the right price manufactures and retailers are free to offer anything.

Today I hear people complain about high prices. The solution is simply stop buying. If you think paying $30,000 for a car that will be worth $15,000 in year is crazy stop buying $30,000 cars. Instead we allow our common sense to be manipulated by ad hype and we feel our possessions define us. When in fact many times they own us.

We are our own worst enemy, in our form of economy we have to learn we can't have our cake and eat it too. If you want high wages, high quality you have to pay for it.

Thud! (me jumping off my soap box) Sorry!

Climb back up on it anytime!

I won't tell OSHA about the lack of a yellow safety railing on that soapbox!:D

[dusty]

I believe Heathicus is correct. If it is made outside this country it must be so labeled. ...................

Instead we bicker over whether buying tools in Walmart or not is arrogant.

Also many Americans have become complacent, they will accept junk without complaint. Unless we demand quality and the right price manufactures and retailers are free to offer anything. ...................

Thud! (me jumping off my soap box) Sorry!

First of all...I think that the container may be labeled with country of origin but I don't believe we always see that container. I just did a walk through at Lowe's handling probably fifty different items specifically looking for origin. I found it, most of the time, but NOT always.

I also found what is a new statement "to me". I read something like "Made in the USA from imported materials". I understand that but I don't know what it really means.

I do not believe that we are bickering over whether or not to shop (buy) at WalMart or K-Mart. I simply do not buy tools there. No bickering.

As for accepting junk...I am not certain that these people accept junk when they make their purchase of these various imported goods. I don't believe that they know quality when they see it. Many of the young people that we are talking about have ever been able to shop where "Quality is the Rule". You have to admit, finding quality involves more than just going to the mall to buy it.

At Lowe's today, I picked up several "Kobalt" tools that I would not carry home. On the surface, they looked like they might be OKAY. Nothing real obviously says "these are not quality tools" except price and origin.

Made in China, made in Taiwan and Made in Canada predominated the search.

I did find a number of Stanley Tools that were made in the USA. But right along side were similar Stanley tools Made in China. Tape measures were one that I recall.

[robinson46176]

For years they have talked about us becoming an "information economy"... For years I have been yelling, "We can't all shuffle papers, somebody has to make something"...

[Ed in Tampa]

Farmer
Unfortunately everyone doesn't think that way. I'm afraid we are quickly becoming a nation that must depend on others to be productive.

I wonder how long it will be before the world starts looking at us useless parasites that only shuffle papers and produce nothing. We all know the fate of most parasites.

My wife just returned for a opening of a new Walmart store and remarked that they don't even have a sewing dept like the old store did. We were discussing this and figured it was probably not profittable since most people don't know how to sew anymore.

I remember back a in the 90's with desert storm. My buddy was laughing saying we had the Iraq's out in their yard baking bread in mud ovens because we had bombed their infrastructure. I looked at him and asked if we lost our electricity would you or your wife know how to build a mud oven and bake bread in it? He went pale when he realized if he were in the Iraq's position he would be in trouble and hungry.

We are quickly losing all the skills and abilities that once was used to build and sustain this great nation. However we can shuffle paper with the best of them. We can tell you how many are being made, how much they cost, where they sell best and who is buying them but we can make them. Sad sad day and worst days are coming I fear

[heathicus]

I completely agree with you, Farmer and Ed. And I'm much too young to have those fears...

[a1gutterman]

Actually, Tim, I didn't ask for proof. (I guess I misunderstood your meaning:o) I asked to be shown how one would know that everything with a Stanley name was made in China. (I did knot state that everything with a Stanley name on it was made in China, I said, "...Stanley has already shipped much of it's manufacturing to China. " And I was knot able to find any post in this thread that used the words "everything with a Stanley name...") So many things do not come marked with country of origin. (You are absolutely right there! It is my understanding that they MUST be so labeled, if they are imports, so what is that all about?!)

Side Comment: Have you looked for a statement of "country of origin" on the Shopsmith stuff you buy? Most all of what I have gotten (since we began this discussion a year or so ago) is not so marked. (see above)

"Please show me how you know this. I searched as best I know how and found no China association".

I found business reports and financial s that clearly indicate that much of the Stanley Tool Works production has been moved overseas (to China)(You must have discovered that AFTER making the post that you found no China association???) but I also went to Ace Hardware and looked at items for sale. Many were not marked with country of origin. I also noticed that many that were marked were manufactured in Canada, Mexico, Germany, etc.

I have long ago quit denying that there is a movement that will one day take nearly all manufacturing out of the USA. You don't have to prove that to me. However, not every low cost item or every poor quality item available is made in China. (It is knot ALL about quality]

Hi Dusty,

Regarding the labeling of imports with the country of origin, I have noticed that when I buy an import, sometimes the product is marked, sometimes the package is marked, but knot the product, and sometimes the case is marked, but knot the product or individual package. Our inspectors need to be more diligent!

There are many reasons to boycott items made in China; some are political, some are economical, some are to do with safety, some are environmental and still others are to do with labor. There are both inferior and quality parts made in China (but IMHO, mostly the former). If our country taxed imports from China at the same rate China taxes our exports, we citizens wood be buying fewer China made product and/or citizens of China wood be buying more of ours. We are being sold out.

Please keep this in mind: Buying a product made in the US will NEVER hurt our economy; you can knot say that about buying product sold here that is made out of the US.

In post 37 of this thread, I mentioned e-mailing Stanley. Here is the latest question and response. Their answer does knot satisfy me, but I think they will knot give a better answer and my efforts to get an answer from them have ended.

My 2nd attempt:

Hi,
Right now, I am hoping to find out if Stanley is still basically making
their tools here in the US or not. I am not looking for an exact number, or
for a particular item. Will you tell me are more then 50% made in the US?
60%? 70%? Are more then 50% made in China? 60%? 70%?
Thank you for your response!
Tim

Their response:

Thank you for contacting us.
We have generated a support ticket to help us track your inquiry. Your ticket code is XXXXXXXXXXXXXX. Please use this code in any further communication.
Stanley is a global company with products made at our plants round the globe including the US.
In case this email does not fully answer your question, or you would like to contact us for any reason, simply reply to this email.
Thank you
Stanley Tools Customer Care
Visit us online at http://www.stanleytools.com

[keakap]

Farmer
... Sad sad day and worst days are coming I fear

But business is on the rise- rapidly- for such American stalwarts as Ruger, Smith & Wesson, etc., and the ammo makers.

Apparently more and more people are realizing that when Obama senses he won't be getting re-elected his only choice will be to declare martial law and declare elections suspended "for national security reasons".

I believe his buddy Hugo C is helping with the planning details...

[RGR- pays dividends, too!]

[robinson46176]

Can't we leave our politics at the door? Much more of this crap and I am gone... I don't care what party...

[dusty]

Can't we leave our politics at the door? Much more of this crap and I am gone... I don't care what party...

Geez, you should of posted this under " A Cranky Old Man".