Sunday, February 25, 2007
Shopping Used to be FUN!!
I really miss the days when shopping was fun.
When I thought about this boycott, I knew it would be a challenge. However, I did not ever seriously think that it would usurp the fun from shopping.
I went to the mall yesterday and damn near everything is made in China...I mean bras, picture frames, clothing, books, bedding, towels...
While I don't think I found anything new on this trip that was made in China, I was growing increasingly more disgusted with the idea of this boycott, as well as the nagging knowledge that my own desires to pay as little as possible for stuff I don't need anyway, is fueling this vortex of overseas manufacturing.
For awhile, I am able to temper this disgust with smug satisfaction that I can't buy the really cool shirt I thought would be perfect for Luke. Two stores later, I am debating the merits of lying about the origins of the waterproof boots I want to buy. Even though they really aren't what I'm looking for, I like the $10 price tag. If it weren't for the ban, I would have bought them just for the "bargain" factor.
I was in Kohl's for a bit and even found a few things made in America. I didn't really like any of it, but there was this disconcerting feeling that I SHOULD BUY IT because it is made here.
An even more disturbing reaction I am having is the, "Where is this made? Oh, not in China. Okay. It's okay to exploit that country!" feeling. It started out as sort of a joke at the Lincoln Park Zoo when we were exploring this boycott idea, and I fear that it is rapidly becoming a second mantra.
I never really gave much thought to the idea that this project would open my eyes to the various places where my merchandise is made. I have never even heard of some of these places until I started obsessively reading labels.
Have you ever heard of the Northern Marianna Islands? Do you know where they are?
I answer "no" to both questions.
I have no idea where some of the countries are, never mind what the capitol of that country is, and yet the people who live there toil to make one more product for myself and millions of other faceless consumers.
What are their working environments like? Do they have health care? Do they enjoy what they are doing? Why do I care? Why doesn't this shirt fit?
What happened to the fun of shopping?
Friday, February 23, 2007
A Flooring Dilema
Today I was feeling particularly frustrated by this f'ing boycott.
When I first brainstormed this idea, I never planned on buying major household items, which seem to almost exclusively be made in China.
Things have changed in a few short weeks and I promised my mom I would pay for the flooring in my old bedroom. It dawned on me today that it is made in China.
This wasn't such a big deal when she was paying for it (and my bedroom was not going to be re-floored) but now, purchasing the flooring would be another violation of my self-imposed ban.
We tried to find something that wasn't made in China and was along the lines of what we were looking for. It wasn't happening.
How on earth can it be more cost effective to import laminate like flooring all the way from China? The boxes are ridiculously heavy!
Perhaps it isn't just about being cheaper. I imagine China's environmental laws are considerably more lax than American laws.
Oy vey! Maybe we will have to go with carpeting instead. No one seems to know where that is made, not even the knowledgeable staff at Lowe's.
I felt all the emotions I've talked about well up inside me. Again, I wanted to give up this idea, I mean, it is one thing to have my principles, but another thing when they effect someone else's home.
I don't know what I will do about the flooring yet, but dinner with my best friend, and a gift from Julie, helped put some things in perspective.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Days and Night of Life in Hotels
I've been home for two weeks now, dealing with a family emergency that resulted in an almost two week stay in hotels.
Hotels are cool places, sometimes, when you are on vacation. They are not so cool when situations render you unable to get back into your house.
Since this was an unexpected trip and there were a lot of phone calls to make and endless details to take care of, I did not do much shopping. I did take note of the origins of things in our various hotel rooms however.
1) Down comforters-made in China (I forgot to see where the pillows were made)
2) Alarm clock, telephone, hair dryer- all made in China
3) USA Today-a rather crappy paper, but delivered outside your door each day, made in America
4) Fresh baked chocolate chip cookies at the front desk each night (except when someone foolishly put peanut butter cookies out instead)-made in America
5) Daily fresh, hot breakfast-made in America
6) Television-I never did turn it around to see where it was made. Luke and I don't watch t.v., but my mom does, which, by default of a small hotel room, meant I watched it as well. I was too mesmerized by the pretty moving pictures to care where it was made.
Okay, so this list makes hotel life sound pretty sweet and in retrospect, it wasn't so bad. This was due in large part, to the great staff at the Holiday Inn Express in Easton, PA. I highly recommend this hotel, even if they do buy their incredibly comfortable bedding from China.
When we had to check out of the Holiday Inn and went to a motel down the shore, I was too excited to be by the ocean and too sick with a cold or something to care where things were made, unless of course, it was my next meal.
My mom and I did spend several hours accumulating points on the boardwalk, where I feel it is safe to speculate that most of the prizes there were made in China.
My friend Tracey cashed her points in for a wall hanging of a buoy with a scene of tropical fish swimming in the center. It has an optical illusion or something, so the fish appear to be swimming. She plans to hang it in her boat.
It was made in China.
I meant to look for a laser pointer for our cats, but I forgot.
Instead, I relocated two authentic wooden ski balls to my coat pockets since they were not available to "win" with my tickets. If you've never played ski ball, you might not understand the importance of the history behind these balls, which are now being made in plastic to look like wood.
The new balls suck.
They don't have the same feel in your hands.
I could not continue to live a peaceful life knowing I had passed up the chance to own a piece of history. I have no idea where the wooden balls were made, but I'll tell myself they were made in New Jersey.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Ahhh, V'day
Well, it's been awhile since I last wrote and I thought to myself, "Why not get back to that blog on one of the most commercial holidays around?"
I also intensely loath this day, regardless of whether I am in a relationship or not.
One of the fun things about this ban is that you can't buy most of the cheesy hearts and crap that fill the stores to the point of bursting, threatening to spew forth "one size fits all" definitions of love and romance. Even the corny "romantic" coupon books, you know, the one some one buys you in a last ditch effort to seem romantic, are printed in China.
Luke and I are apart for V'day, due to a family emergency on my side. This gives us yet another reprieve from having to look for gifts until they go on clearance. Who ever said distance was a bad thing?
My mom bought me potted roses. I don't really care for the overpriced roses in abundance this time of year and my most favorite flowers, dandelions, are not growing yet, or if they are, they are buried beneath the ample snow outside. The potted roses are lovely and the "how to care for your plant" tag says it is printed in the USA. I assume the roses were grown here as well, but then again, I assumed that about our garlic and was wrong.
Tomorrow all the romance crap will be on clearance. How interesting...does that mean we only need to show our love once a year? At full price?
Friday, January 26, 2007
Banned Goods: What We Can't Buy
January 26, 2007
"There's always going to be some necessity that you never knew you needed, but you absolutely can't live without." - Ron Ponpeiel, 1982, Chicago History Museum
This list is an ongoing attempt to keep track of the "necessities" we had to do without this year:
1) An brand new exercise ball for physical therapy
2) Garlic. Or at least not the garlic we used to buy at Harvestime. It is made in China.
3) Sweaters from Express, and just about every other store we've visited.
4) A new cordless phone. The ones we've looked at, the ones we've schlepped all over the place to try and find in our price range, are made in China.
5) A body puff for making body wash last longer. Currently we share the same one which does not please me. Some things are not meant to be shared and we did not realize that buying a body puff would be a problem when we saw the great sale on Dove body wash, which was cheaper than bar soap.
February 22
6) The bedding from the Holiday Inn Express. Okay, realistically, I probably never would have purchased this anyway, but it is the most comfortable hotel bedding I've ever experienced. The down comforter at least, was made in China. I don't know where the sheets and pillow cases were made.
7) Hair accessories. There was a "buy one get one" sale on Goody hair clips and such at a local drug store. These kind of sales always get my attention, even if, sometimes especially if, I don't need the product. It makes sense really...why not have twice as much of something you don't need. Isn't that patriotic? They were made in China. All of them. They are still in the store. Apparently, they used to be made in America, as evidenced by the old Goody hair products packaging my mom had around the house.
8) Flooring for my old bedroom. The flooring I agreed to pay for is made in China. Crap!
March 13
9) Most of the trinkets sold at the Brookfield Zoo. This is the first time I have to admit to someone as they stand next to me, that I can't buy something. It was an uncomfortable experience!
March 14
10) Luke wants to buy a CD organizer so he is better able to sort through stuff for our move. Every single one we've found is made in China.
11) Laser pointers for our cats. We are looking for the kind that take AAA or larger batteries. I think that the cats might get their laser pointer workout next year.
"There's always going to be some necessity that you never knew you needed, but you absolutely can't live without." - Ron Ponpeiel, 1982, Chicago History Museum
This list is an ongoing attempt to keep track of the "necessities" we had to do without this year:
1) An brand new exercise ball for physical therapy
2) Garlic. Or at least not the garlic we used to buy at Harvestime. It is made in China.
3) Sweaters from Express, and just about every other store we've visited.
4) A new cordless phone. The ones we've looked at, the ones we've schlepped all over the place to try and find in our price range, are made in China.
5) A body puff for making body wash last longer. Currently we share the same one which does not please me. Some things are not meant to be shared and we did not realize that buying a body puff would be a problem when we saw the great sale on Dove body wash, which was cheaper than bar soap.
February 22
6) The bedding from the Holiday Inn Express. Okay, realistically, I probably never would have purchased this anyway, but it is the most comfortable hotel bedding I've ever experienced. The down comforter at least, was made in China. I don't know where the sheets and pillow cases were made.
7) Hair accessories. There was a "buy one get one" sale on Goody hair clips and such at a local drug store. These kind of sales always get my attention, even if, sometimes especially if, I don't need the product. It makes sense really...why not have twice as much of something you don't need. Isn't that patriotic? They were made in China. All of them. They are still in the store. Apparently, they used to be made in America, as evidenced by the old Goody hair products packaging my mom had around the house.
8) Flooring for my old bedroom. The flooring I agreed to pay for is made in China. Crap!
March 13
9) Most of the trinkets sold at the Brookfield Zoo. This is the first time I have to admit to someone as they stand next to me, that I can't buy something. It was an uncomfortable experience!
March 14
10) Luke wants to buy a CD organizer so he is better able to sort through stuff for our move. Every single one we've found is made in China.
11) Laser pointers for our cats. We are looking for the kind that take AAA or larger batteries. I think that the cats might get their laser pointer workout next year.
Luke Feels the Boycott Burn
January 20, 2007
Well, he sorta felt the burn.
We went to the vertical mall in Lincoln Park (I can never remember what the mall is really called, but it is vertical instead of horizontal and sprawling like I'm used to) for the big sale at Express, one of his most favorite stores.
On the way to the mall, I tried not to fantasize about the things he won't be able to buy. I realize that I must sound like the most self-absorbed partner on the planet, but it isn't true, I swear! You'd get tired of being wrong too sometimes!
At any rate, it came back to bite me, this fantasizing about Luke not being able to buy anything. I would have liked for him to expand his sweater collection, but they were all made in China. Every one of 'em!
There were a lot of tee shirts he could have purchased, but he already has several dozen. He doesn't see the need for a scarf in the frigid winter ensnaring Chicago, and he hates the jeans that are on sale.
I do wonder if I've been rubbing off on him, since he scrutinizes the price of everything, tries it all on and reassesses the price again before buying two long sleeved cotton button-downs, in which, he looks very sexy. They are made in Indonesia.
Perhaps as punishment for thinking about what Luke won't be able to buy, I agree to see a movie he wants to see, even though this has been disastrous in the past. I agree, in part, because the vertical structure of the mall makes it very easy to sneak into a second film, and this is why we each get to pick out a movie.
The irony of our choices are that they are both made in China. This does not even dawn on us until we are back at the apartment late that night, despite the fact that we read the reviews before hand!
First we suffer through "Curse of the Golden Flower," which sounded good to both of us and was TERRIBLE!!!!! The only redeeming things I am able to say about the movie are, Luke paid and we saw my movie for free. Even Luke hated the movie. It is rare that we both hate the same movie.
After that punishment, we slip into "The Painted Veil," which was not terrible. It did not move mountains or exceed my expectations, but it was not terrible and the views of China were breathtaking. Clearly these are not the parts of the country which are being gobbled up in a race to export the most crap to the rest of the world.
When we finally realize that we payed to see movies which were, by the credits listed in the film themselves, made in China, I declare that this is a violation of the not made in China boycott. Luke doesn't agree. We go round and round on this issue for an insufferably long time, and it verges on an argument.
"If we ban movies made in China, should we also ban Chinese food?" "How are we the primary consumers?" Luke queries. He postulates that the movie theatre bought the film and we just paid for the tickets. I counter that if we look at things this way, the department stores buy the merchandise first, we just take it off their hands. It doesn't add up. The film industry keeps tabs on who pays to see which movies and the purchase of a ticket is our contribution to something in this case, made in China.
Eventually we agree to add yet another shackle, er, rule to the list, "no movies made in China" (see Additional Rules, Rules, Rules, posted on January 26, 2007).
After all, it is only a year.
Well, he sorta felt the burn.
We went to the vertical mall in Lincoln Park (I can never remember what the mall is really called, but it is vertical instead of horizontal and sprawling like I'm used to) for the big sale at Express, one of his most favorite stores.
On the way to the mall, I tried not to fantasize about the things he won't be able to buy. I realize that I must sound like the most self-absorbed partner on the planet, but it isn't true, I swear! You'd get tired of being wrong too sometimes!
At any rate, it came back to bite me, this fantasizing about Luke not being able to buy anything. I would have liked for him to expand his sweater collection, but they were all made in China. Every one of 'em!
There were a lot of tee shirts he could have purchased, but he already has several dozen. He doesn't see the need for a scarf in the frigid winter ensnaring Chicago, and he hates the jeans that are on sale.
I do wonder if I've been rubbing off on him, since he scrutinizes the price of everything, tries it all on and reassesses the price again before buying two long sleeved cotton button-downs, in which, he looks very sexy. They are made in Indonesia.
Perhaps as punishment for thinking about what Luke won't be able to buy, I agree to see a movie he wants to see, even though this has been disastrous in the past. I agree, in part, because the vertical structure of the mall makes it very easy to sneak into a second film, and this is why we each get to pick out a movie.
The irony of our choices are that they are both made in China. This does not even dawn on us until we are back at the apartment late that night, despite the fact that we read the reviews before hand!
First we suffer through "Curse of the Golden Flower," which sounded good to both of us and was TERRIBLE!!!!! The only redeeming things I am able to say about the movie are, Luke paid and we saw my movie for free. Even Luke hated the movie. It is rare that we both hate the same movie.
After that punishment, we slip into "The Painted Veil," which was not terrible. It did not move mountains or exceed my expectations, but it was not terrible and the views of China were breathtaking. Clearly these are not the parts of the country which are being gobbled up in a race to export the most crap to the rest of the world.
When we finally realize that we payed to see movies which were, by the credits listed in the film themselves, made in China, I declare that this is a violation of the not made in China boycott. Luke doesn't agree. We go round and round on this issue for an insufferably long time, and it verges on an argument.
"If we ban movies made in China, should we also ban Chinese food?" "How are we the primary consumers?" Luke queries. He postulates that the movie theatre bought the film and we just paid for the tickets. I counter that if we look at things this way, the department stores buy the merchandise first, we just take it off their hands. It doesn't add up. The film industry keeps tabs on who pays to see which movies and the purchase of a ticket is our contribution to something in this case, made in China.
Eventually we agree to add yet another shackle, er, rule to the list, "no movies made in China" (see Additional Rules, Rules, Rules, posted on January 26, 2007).
After all, it is only a year.
A Phone Call from My Sister
January 18, 2007
Kathy called today and in the midst of our usual sister bonding, she remembered ask me about the boycott. I told her that we are sticking with it but it has been difficult and there were a few mistakes.
She told me that she went our shopping with her friend, "Jen" and was complaining to her that Christmas was going to suck this year and that she hoped Luke and I did not draw her and her husband's name for gift giving.
"Jen" was surprised and asked Kathy how she already knew that Christmas, almost a year from now was going to suck.
Kathy told "Jen" about our boycott and "Jen", not believing that so many things could be made in China, tried to find something in the store that we could buy for them at Christmas time. Eventually they got tired of looking and gave up. Everything they found was made in China.
I am delighted to know that we are impacting the lives of people we've never met, even if it is just to frustrate them!
Kathy called today and in the midst of our usual sister bonding, she remembered ask me about the boycott. I told her that we are sticking with it but it has been difficult and there were a few mistakes.
She told me that she went our shopping with her friend, "Jen" and was complaining to her that Christmas was going to suck this year and that she hoped Luke and I did not draw her and her husband's name for gift giving.
"Jen" was surprised and asked Kathy how she already knew that Christmas, almost a year from now was going to suck.
Kathy told "Jen" about our boycott and "Jen", not believing that so many things could be made in China, tried to find something in the store that we could buy for them at Christmas time. Eventually they got tired of looking and gave up. Everything they found was made in China.
I am delighted to know that we are impacting the lives of people we've never met, even if it is just to frustrate them!
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