You'll never look at shampoo the same way.

If you buy stuff (and we all do), you should read Paul Midler's book Poorly Made in China: An Insider's Account of the Tactics Behind China's Production Game.

Midler lived and worked in China for many years (in the manufacturing city of Guangzhou) as a sort of facilitator for global companies hoping to have their products manufactured, cheaply of course, in China. Speaking the language and understanding the culture a bit more than did many of the executives he helped, who often flew in for just a few days for brief factory tours and meetings, he was perfectly placed to someday write a tell-all from both sides of the story. And so he has.

The book's not perfect. The prose is a bit clunky, and it starts a bit slow. But all in all I'd put it right up there with John Bowe's Nobodies: Modern American Slave Labor and the Dark Side of the Global Economy as one of the biggest perspective-changers I've ever read (I also listed it as a best Business Book of 2009--The Economist liked it too so I felt I was in good company). What's surprising is not learning about all the way that Chinese manufacturers cut corners and save costs to help their bottom lines (Midler works extensively with an American soap and shampoo company manufacturing in China; hence, the title of this post) but how they view their business practices, and how, eventually, people who want cheap crap (yeah, that would be everybody) won't always be in the role of being able to dictate what we want and how we want it. I wouldn't say this narrative is frightening, but it's definitely unsettling.

Libraries won't own enough copies of this one to be able to hold a book group about it, but they should. But whether or not anyone would have the heart to discuss it after reading it, I don't know. Either way: take a closer look at all your stuff, think about what you paid for it, and ask yourself if it would still be such a bargain if you'd had to buy it in a three- or four-dollar store, rather than a one-dollar store. There should be interesting days ahead.

Comments

[Venta]

I want to read this book, because I want to know why I can't buy a mop (yes, to those who have been to my house, I do housework occasionally.)that won't break after one or two uses. It is unbelievable how many broken mops we have in our house. I know they are cheaply made when I buy them, but what else am I going to do? Yes. I will spend an extra ten - twenty dollars for a durable mop. I bet my mom had one mop and just changed the mop head when needed. I don't want cheap or cheaply-made. I want something that is supposed to do its job.

O.K. I feel better, and my husband has a day off from my mop rant.

[Patty]

Once when I was about 9 or 10 years old my older brother told me that shampoo was made with 90% dead bugs and 10% vegetables, it took an entire month for my mother to convince me to wash my hair after that.

[Tripp]

Thanks for posting on this one. I was talking with a friend the other day who does legal work for one of the dollar stores. He enjoys the work, but isn't happy about supporting the movement of cartons of crap from China. The poorly made angle only makes it worse.

[Citizen Reader]

Venta,
This is exactly why I hate shopping. You go to the trouble of buying something, it falls apart, you have to go shopping again, it's endless. I say stop doing housework, period. If this sort of thing annoys you, you will find this book very interesting. The author talks at length about how Chinese manufacturers will do anything to secure an order, and then will set about making it ever cheaper (using less plastic or metal in the molds, making smaller lengths, not filling bottles, etc.) so they can actually make some money. And once the products are here, there's no point in returning them, because it's not worth the shipping costs back. I would imagine a lot of that would explain your mop issues.

BTW, how nice of you to spare Mr. Venta some rants! I'm sure Mr. CR wishes I would take my cue from you. :)

Patty,
Oh, brothers, they're terrible. I saw the movie "Black Beauty" when I was little and immediately after it my brother told me they shipped Beauty off directly after filming and made him into glue. So mean! And bugs in your shampoo is pretty mean too. Although if it was JUST bugs in your shampoo now you'd probably be getting away lucky... (I know. Ewww.)

Tripp,
I'd be interested to hear what you think of this one. And I know totally how your friend feels. I get a feeling a lot of us are working jobs we're not real happy about (as we're perpetuating all sorts of lousy systems) but what are you going to do? At some point you need to finance food and a roof over your head.

[Venta]

Although it was sad at the time, the black beauty story is hilarious. And, don't read if you are easily grossed out, I still worry that the stories of spiders hatching out of people may not be an urban legend.

You're probably right about the housework. People probably think it doesn't get done anyway. I may just be wasting my time.

[Citizen Reader]

Venta,
Yes, I've decided to be the bigger person and forgive my brother, even though he also told me after a viewing of Friday the 13th that the authorities never found Jason and he was still out wandering around someplace.

Ugh, spiders. Actually, when you read how weird parasites are, you start to wonder if the hatching stories and worse aren't ALL true.

[Heather]

I've decided to be the bigger person and forgive my brother, even though he also told me after a viewing of Friday the 13th that the authorities never found Jason and he was still out wandering around someplace.

[Citizen Reader]

Heather,
Good for you! If you can forgive your brother for the Jason story (although that IS mean--Jason was scary!), I will work on forgiving mine for the Black Beauty story. Brothers. Sheesh.