Starbucks SUCKS!

For the first time in 3 years, I decided to go Christmas shopping yesterday.  My goal, all be it remote, was to locate a gift Made in the USA for around $20 at the only "local" stores in that area Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, Ross Dress for Less and Old Navy. 

I didn't really hold much hope for accomplishing my goals at these particular retailers but in a time crunch I thought I'd do the experience anyway.  I started at Target with the thought that they have a wide range of goods and the odds of finding something made locally was at least a possibility.  I wanted to get a insulated Thermos and some coffee for a co-worker.  Since the plastic items we use in our product are made right up the street from our shop, I thought for sure there would be at least one in the bunch but that it might cost more than my $20 budget.  I began turning over the Thermos' one by one to find each was Made in China.  One even said Hecho en China and had no English on the tag whatsoever! To add insult to injury they were all $15+ and I learned later in the evening that the same model could be purchased up the street at the Dollar Tree!

Disgusted by my discoveries I made my way over to Ross Dress for Less.  If I was going to spend money on a product Made in China I wasn't going to pay what Target wanted! So I roamed through the isles, saw a few options also Made in China, no big surprise, but I was shocked that the price was only $5 to $10 less.  Finally I decided to stop by the Bed Bath and Beyond that was right next door.  After my discovery at Target I didn't hold much hope at all.  True to form after scouring the inventory I left empty handed after 30 mins. Along my way I noticed a plethora of "Earth Friendly" products which of course we're priced at a premium but sadly non where Made in the USA. Exactly how does freighting a "Green" product half way around the globe save the planet anyway?

Tired and frustrated the thought to change my gifting goal all together came to mind and I popped into the Old Navy to check out their Techno Gear clothing. The price was right, the product seemed ok, but I couldn't bring myself to plunk down the dough when I really wanted to stick to my convictions and buy something, ANYTHING, Made in the USA.  Again I walked to my car without a bag in tow.  In a last ditch effort I pulled into a Starbuck's Coffee along the way.  I knew I wasn't going to find anything there, I don't even care for their coffee but the person I was buying for did so I thought I'd give it a look.  Years ago I worked for the Green Monster and they would give a free drink with any mug purchase so I figured at the very least my gift recipient would enjoy a cup of joe and have something to show for it.  But Starbucks has gotten greedy over the years and no longer gives you a drink voucher for your $20 contribution.  In addition to that all of their mugs were again made overseas.  However, I made a really funny discovery that I wasn't looking for.  Next to the registers was bracelet attached to a piece of cardboard that read "Create Jobs for USA"- out of curiosity I decided to  investigate this bracelet and what I discovered almost made me loss my breakfast. 

Seems this campaign to raise money for small business owners like me is JP Morgan Chase's way to make interest off of donations.  This money isn't been given to business owners, oh no, we're expected to pay interest on it.  Something is wrong with this picture don't you think?  The bulk of the economic calapse is predicated on debt and this marketing ploy only feeds off of struggling businesses need by padding the pockets of wealthy bankers and greedy corporations. If you really want to help us small businesses grow please don't waste your money on a bracelet that funds corruption and greed! Instead why not pay $5.00 more on a US made product that actually helps businesses grow and keep their doors open!!!

Does Anyone Really Buy This Junk?

Yesterday was day two of the family get together at the Oregon Coast.  True to form, the day started gloomy and wet.  Since most of the family was occupied with building up the family tree and looking through photos, Ryan and I decided to take a trip in the car to see some of the Antique shops in the area. 

The weather isn't really predictable at Oregon beaches and the water isn't warm enough to swim so most of the little towns offer a series of gift and antique shops to entice visitors and sightseers. Neither Ryan or I had been to this area of the coastline in many years so we drove south from Manzanita Beach to the one street town of Nehalem Bay about 10 mins away. 

The first shop we stopped into was called Hal's Emporium.  It was about 3 blocks long and a block deep, the largest of the 3 shops in town.  Upon entering we found ourselves in a place that was crammed full of souvenirs, and nick knacks.  99% of these "treasures" were mass produced somewhere overseas and marked up way over the value they were worth.  From plastic crabs and brass plates to 'The Head' to The Redneck Beer-o-Meter, the shop had everything you never knew you needed.

All these goodies got my brain going.  My first thought was, does anyone ever buy this junk? Followed by, Why?

I've been a longtime fan of the beach and enjoy browsing the shops on rainy days but over the years I can count on one hand the swag I've brought back from the shore.  4 out of 5 of the items I've ever purchased were tee-shirts.  I get the want to bring back a personalized tee-shirt of the places I've visited.  It's functional.  The occasional magnet, also functional but never have I said to myself, Gee I could really use a plastic pirate skull that doubles as a wine holder.  So back to my first question... Does anyone buy this stuff?

If I was a vendor on the Oregon Coast I would offer products that were handmade locally and were something that you could only find at the beach.  But it seems that most shops spend all their money stocking their shelves with crap that no one needs and every other store along Oregon's 363 miles of shoreline is also offering. 

The shops that do offer crafts from local artisans have dubbed themselves galleries which in my mind spells dollar signs and most of the time disways me from even bothering to leave the car.  9 out of 10 times although the work is gorgeous it is very cost prohibitive and I guess that is why cruising Made in China junk has become a boardwalk standard. 

I do however wonder how these little shops make enough money to keep their doors open year after year. I also wonder if there is some magical catalog of crap that all of these vendors source goods from.  Over my last dozen trips to the coast I don't think I've found anything truly unique at any store unless it was truly an Antique shop.  But even those are being filled with trinket junk.  Couple this with the now standard Outlet Malls and the coast has become less about celebrating the beauty of this natural wonder and more about filling your house with needless clutter.

It's really a sad state of affairs for all of us American product manufacturers whose wares would be lost in a sea of plastic nick knacks if we even attempted to sell in one of these small coastal shops.  If I could speak directly to these shops I would encourage them to branch out and offer the public quality American and/ or locally made products that people can really feel good about bringing back as souvenirs.  The profit may not be as great at first, but once people start to realize that shopping at the coast is worth the extra drive, I think it will increase sales and beach shop traffic.

After our disappointing shopping experience Ryan and I decided to make a trip to the Tillamook Creamery.  Many Americans know them for their cheese but North Westerners also know they make a mean ice cream too. The ice cream was our motivation for the 45 min drive down from Nehalem. Even on a rainy day the place was swamped with visitors buying locally made cheese and filling their faces with ice cream. Sure this is a nationally known product, but I firmly believe that it is the quality of this locally owned and operated product that drew all these people in. The bummer about our trip to the creamy however was that beyond their gift shop once again was filled with junk! However they did have some interesting unique products that were made locally including "Poo Paper," a series of stationary made out of recycled cow patties.  Gross, but I had to commend them on the creativity of that particular product line.  The other product that stood out to me was a bird house crafted by an artist in Tillamook.  You could instantly tell just by looking at it that these bird houses were quality and it wasn't surprising that they were made in town.  The disappointment on this item was that the shop had stuffed it in a low lying shelf amongst other junk instead of displaying it in the window that looked out to the entrance of the building or somewhere else that would give it the presence it deserved. Instead the window display was a clutter of foreign pottery and resin garden art. Totally a bummer. I think that I will write them and give them some feedback.  I'll let you know what they say...