All the rage now in internet purchasing is Temu. Everywhere you look, or don’t want to look but have to, is filled with “gotcha” sponsored sites. Most all seem to have one thing in common. If you read the item description, you’ll see the words “imported.” If you can find just one item in any store advertisement that says “Made in the USA” you are lucky.
Manufacturing in the United States is all but extinct although, some of the foreign automobile makers are now manufacturing automobiles in the United States. GO figure. The good news is it is bound to create jobs for blue collar workers who actually want to have a career and good benefits. Lord only knows where the parts come from to assemble things that may be still manufactured here. In addition, if the parts ARE made in the USA, what do they do with them? Ship them overseas where the product is shipped from? Confusing huh?
Well, now I’ve noticed that some of the major Department stores are advertising on their sites, from vendors that I’ve never heard in the fashion industry. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that those items are coming from China or “Tim Buck Too” but certainly not the good ole USA. If you can’t tell from the name of the seller, you can sure tell when it says item ships internationally in the description.
So, how did we get to this point, inquiring minds want to know? It’s complicated and my brain can’t follow the money like it should, but we can almost guarantee that money is the root. Labor became too expensive for manufacturers. They figured they could go across the pond where they will be happy to work for probably half, or less, and we can turn a profit. Of course, there are probably other tax benefits, and the big guys know exactly how to work the system.
I don’t know when this business flight from America started, but it swept through us like a tsunami quickly, before anybody said, “wait a minute!”
So, here we are in America thinking that TEMU is the greatest gift from heaven because they sell goods so cheap. You’re at their mercy if the item is faulty or doesn’t fit. It’ll take as long for them to receive it back as it did for you to receive it and they’ll absolutely do everything in their power to not refund your money. In the meantime, they have YOUR credit card information and any other information you freely gave them when you ordered the product. They encourage you to download their app. Bingo.
So, what do we do? We keep feeding their industries and THEY are the ones making out like bandits. Of course, I might add here that in their infinite wisdom, our government has helped them along and has borrowed enough money from them that we’ll be in their debt to eternity. IF, they don’t blow us off the map first.
For every nickel we spend at TUMU, we’re helping them!
Remember a few years ago when everybody was all up in the air about some football team or teams or players or league. Swearing every day, “I’ll never go to another game!” Remember that? How about all the Save the Planet and green energy folks who at the same time they are marching for that, are drinking Coca Colas from plastic bottles, buying water, sipping straws, feeding an industry that is the largest one in the world to pollute with plastic!
So, we have painted ourselves into a corner where it seems we not only owe our souls to the company store financially, continue to sit back and watch while buying all their goods because we are attracted by cheap prices. So, now what?