Susan Hogarth wrote:

Dweezil Dwarftosser wrote:


Nope. From everything I've seen in the past few years, it
was the idiot, strip-mining MBAs demanding more profits this
quarter, pressuring buyers and store managers to replace the
stuff on the shelves with something containing a higher profit
margin. So they dropped the el cheapo model, the mid-range,
and the high end - replacing them with only one offering: an
inferior Chinese model bought for a song, but selling at 80%
of the excellent-quality high-end version price.
Since it is the only widget available, those who *need* a
widget buy it.

Could you name a few products that people *need* where only an inferior
Chinese model is available?

Here's one: a wheel or gear puller. Try buying one in a
Triangle retail business that isn't made in China.
A non-Chinese anvil, or heavy vise. Want some more?
Trot on down to a local computer store and try to buy a
PC with an American-made motherboard. Even IBM's are made
in China... Same deal for a VCR or TV set. (Probably DVD
players, too...)