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Made In America? Not Anymore.
August 10, 2007

It used to be that furniture companies would boast "Made In The USA".  This was a symbol of American pride, quality, and craftsmanship.  Now, no one makes furniture in the US.  Is it because the consumers no longer want quality furniture?  No.  It's because the consumer no longer wants to pay the high price associated with American-made products.  Why, then, is it surprising that we have so many issues with our furniture these days?  I am constantly ordering touch-up stain, tops, drawer fronts, etc.  How can a customer get upset with me, the retailer, when there are continued problems with his furniture?  Isn't it, in a round-about way, the fault of the consumer market?  An example outside of furniture would be the recent massive toy recall.  Would those toys have been dangerous had they not been produced outside of the US?  Probably not.  Would those toys have sold with a higher American-made price tag?  Probably not.  It is a consumer driven market and until the consumer is willing to pay for quality, American-made products, this is what we get.  The retailer is stuck in the middle on this one.  Any thoughts?

Posted by Kelly Nelson on August 10, 2007 | Comments (1)