Richard Gottlieb

Made in China – A Retail Reality Check
December 3, 2007

I decided to see just how easy it is for shoppers to find toys that are not made in China. To do this, I visited a major retail chain store in Manhattan, which carries a very large mix of better quality toys.

Thinking like a consumer and wanting to get this little expedition over with as quickly as possible, I first found the department manager and asked her: “What toys do you carry that are not made in China?” 

She looked a bit befuddled by the question and then, shaking her head a little too slowly, responded that she had no idea. 

I then asked a nearby clerk the same question and she, like her manager, could not identify any toys they carried that were not made in China.

Now, a bit bemused by these answers, I asked: “Well, hasn’t anyone asked you this question before?” 

“No,” they both responded. “No one has asked that question.”

At this, I found myself feeling both surprised and discouraged because I knew that I would now have to spend the time seeing if I could find anything not made in China.

And so it began. I slowly worked my way through the department picking up toys and looking to see where they were made. This was not so easy a task.

Now, before I explain why it was not so easy, let me digress for a moment, and tell you that as a small child, I was shown a penny with the entire “Lord’s Prayer” printed on its reverse. It was, to say the least, an astonishing achievement as the letters were teeny. Now, I don’t use the word “teeny” because I have always felt it to be an imbecilic word. In this case, however, I cannot think of a better word to describe just how small these letters were.

And "teeny", my friends, is the word I will use to describe just how small the words “Made in China” are on the back of most toy packaging. That is if you can actually find them.

One company that co-packs its line of books and toys puts the country of origin on the inside of the book cover. That means that you have to first look on the back of the book and toy, and then not discovering it there, have the motivation to now open the book and think to look inside the front cover.

This is a challenging task for any shopper but it was made worse because the book was SEALED IN SHRINKWRAP!!!!” The only way I found where the products were made was to find a book that had already had the shrink torn off.

Ultimately, I checked approximately fifty toys and all were made in China.

So, here is what I learned from my trip:

If you are really interested in finding out where a toy is made you will need to arm yourself with fortitude, a great deal of disposable time,  a magnifying glass and a small knife or scissors.

I learned also that it's possible that consumers aren’t as concerned about safety or country of origin as we are led to believe. Remember, according to the department manager and clerk, no one is asking where the toys are made. 

Let me point out that this is an upscale store in Manhattan, a city where people get worked up over whether feeding pigeons should be outlawed. If these people aren’t asking where toys are made, no one is.

Happy shopping!

Posted by Richard Gottlieb on December 3, 2007 | Comments (4)