Vendor Lock-in and Supply Limitations

My endeavor to avoid things produced in China took a serious slam in the last two weeks.  One started with an unfortunate accident.   I use an Apple Macbook Pro for work.  The vast majority of my development happens on Linux systems but I don't terribly care for using Linux on laptops.  They don't play well with batteries.  While there are some detractors to that assertion, an extended dialog with most Linux-laptop owners will eventually lead to a concession that, "Yeah, it's not quite as long on the battery as when I boot to Windows."  In my case, strike Windows, add Mac OS/X.

I use iTunes, I was an early adopter of using non-stolen music on my computer.  Very little of the music is DRM'd anymore, probably only a dozen songs from holier-than-thou-art labels. But I like iTunes well enough that seeking out an alternative has never been a priority.

I have an iPhone which I like.  I also have an Android phone but it doesn't last 8 hours of useful time like my iPhone.  It helps that iTunes nicely syncs between my iPhone and my Mac.  The system just works, with no quirks, questions, or exceptions.  I write code for a living, manage technology products, and I don't like the technology I use needing heavy setup, nor having unlivable quirks.  That means more of my time in fixing the system I need to do work.  Those types of time sucks are money and productivity losers.

My family uses an iPad.  My daughter has been fickle about her favorite stuffed animal to cuddle, her favorite TV show, and her favorite foods.  She has never once chosen to play with any toy over getting to use "the black computer."  At only three years old, she is highly proficient at finding her video games and "videos."  I feel abandoning that platform would be a foolhardy parenting choice.

The Macbook Pro upon which this ecosystem revolves was damaged by beer.  Not my own beer but that of a good friend of mine.  It was a complete accident and I hold no bitterness or resentment against him for the spill.  It took out the keyboard, the audio ports, and the power adapter no longer really charges the laptop.  The track pad no longer feels "right" either.  Replacing this with a Windows or Linux laptop seemed problematic. It would be more downtime and setup and most of the laptops I looked at would have been made in China.

Of course, what doesn't help is that there is only one manufacture of MacBook Pros: Apple.  All of Apple's products are made in China.  Recently, the New York Times ran a series espousing that Apple's factories offer slave like conditions to their works and have been under scrutiny for some of their practices.  All of which Apple is accused of ignoring.  Apple fired back and I'm sure at some point, litigation will find a "winner."   So, I bought the MacBook Pro, made in China, to do my work.  I'm a huge capitalistic pig.  Really, I don't actually feel good about it, but at this point couldn't find a reasonable away around my own Apple vendor lock-in.

Sorry, Ace

I stepped into my local Ace Hardware today to pick up a couple of small tools for a project.   I have a 3-inch and 6-inch extension for my impact wrench but may need a 10-inch.  Ace had one but I was unable to buy it -- Made in China.

This was an Ace-branded extension and they are changing their stock over to Craftsman branded wrenches but I don't know if that will be any different.

Successful First Grocery Shopping Trip

Grocery shopping takes a lot longer when reading every origin label.  I didn't find any products I was looking to buy that were either made in China or advertised the packaging as made in China.

And a change.

I thought just about every product was subject to point-of-origin labels.  Apparently, this is not the case.  My usual dish soap, Dawn, did not have an origin label.   In fact, none of the Proctor and Gamble soaps advertised where they were made. For this reason, I picked up Palmolive, a Colgate/Palmolive product.  Both soaps were price competitive at the grocery store from which I bought them.

Day One

While my first blog post was today, I should summarize about day one.

I didn't buy anything yesterday.  Not a single thing.  It was a good day.  I should have purchased dishwashing detergent because the dishwasher and sink are full and I really didn't do all of the dishes.  Oops, my bad.

On the upside, I did have some time to verify my detergent of preference does not come from China.  "Finish," formerly "Elecrosol," is made in the USA.  On my next shopping excursion, I can buy it, woohoo!

The Rules

I'm quite sure January 1st and 2nd are probably the two biggest days of Blogger's year.  Everyone logging on and saying, "No! This is the year I will blog!"  I've moved on from convincing myself of such lies.  This blog is partially inspired by a New Year's Resolution but more about a long-standing gripe that has internally and externally echoed over the last year:  Why must everything I buy be made in China?

I don't have anything against China, or the Chinese people, or industry barons who do business with China.  I just struggle to grapple with how it can be cheaper to ship large amounts of raw materials to an otherwise resource-strapped nation across an ocean, have it processed, then ship it back.  In the United States, we have foundries, we have plastic processing plants, we have mills, we have people.  As I write this, we have one of the highest unemployment rates in our history as a nation.  We have the technology, the skill, and the workforce, but still many of our materials are shipped to China, Mexico, Thailand, Taiwan, and then send back in assembled form.

My goal for the next year is not to buy anything made in China unless I desperately need to do so.  The stated intent is as follows, the rules as they are:

1. If I need to purchase something, I will option for the item not made in China.  This will be done regardless of cost.  I will try to document what difference was incurred to pay for the item made not in China.  I will preference things made in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.  This is the major economic block which effects me, and my community, most directly.

2. If I cannot find a non-Chinese made product at a store then I will try to seek out a different store with that item.  For example, if I need a 90-degree 1-inch PVC elbow,  and all the 90-degree 1-inch PVC elbows at Home Depot are made in China then I will try Lowes, Menards, Ace, etc., until I determine that they are all made in China.  To be honest, I prefer smaller local retails such as Ace hardware or Hardware Hank, but for them to compete with larger box-retails such as Home Depot they usually need to have lower-cost goods that were made in China.   This may create a huge conflict in my "shop locally" preferences but that's why there is rule #3.

3. If I all reasonably sourced stores have products made in China then I will need to concede and purchase the item.  By default, I will lean on my preference for a smaller local retailer.    This will be documented here with no exceptions.

4. Emergencies exception: bad things can happen, we all need to react quickly, and I tend not to be so religious in my beliefs to prevent me from reacting to them.   I have children, a wife, a home, and all the trappings that come with those things that I may from time to time just need to get something and need it now.  I will document all of these exceptions as long as the severity is not too great to made the situation more of a priority than documentation of that situation.

From time to time I hope to poll my social media outlets for help sourcing products if I have the luxury to do so.