For years Sears Roebuck ruled the world with their catalog sales stores
A person needing help with his garden would walk into the tiny retail store and from the catalog order a wheelbarrow to help with his chores
These small stores always contained a small sampling of what could be requested from the order department
As one had to stroll past an array of Kenmore appliances and Craftsman tool sets before placing the order and checking the length of time for the item shipment
For years the consumer had to accept the retailer’s terms with the only option of comparing prices with the competitor Montgomery Ward
As long as the need wasn’t immediate anything could be ordered, from dubious medicines to as big a house as one could afford
That all changed with introduction of the discount big box retailer and Walmart became the champion of all
Selling everything one might desire, the huge stores became part of the urban sprawl
But the great thing about these stores is founder Sam Walton stocked the stores with products made in the USA
But a better profit margin was found in overseas products and shipped in bulk to distribution centers much to USA manufacturers’ dismay
Soon, as home computers became affordable and on-line ordering became commonplace, the internet giant Amazon emerged
Starting as a book company but eventually offering anything anyone could want the bean counters watched as sales surged
Manufactured in China, so what? The merchandise was priced less than brick and mortar goods and Americans think first with their pocketbook
Soon everyone was in the online business and cost of goods of unknown quality came down to a few pennies and free shipping to get a second look
It seems Chinese manufacturing plants were springing up overnight anxious to throw their hat in the ring
Amazon had created a price war among Chinese manufacturers competing for American dollars all building the same thing
Suddenly on the horizon there’s a new player to steal some of Amazon’s thunder
Selling a host of Chinese goods direct with no middle man this retailer, Temu is looking to pull the Amazon rug from under
So if one is willing to wait for the merchandise that Amazon could have had in the mailbox in two days
The slow boat from China could save money from Amazon’s prices if one is okay with shipping delays
Sounding a lot like ordering from Sears in the fifties it has become an all out price war for the American dollar
Just look the other way as the forced labor to produce the goods is paid virtually nothing and will never be able to rise above living in squalor
An Observer of Life in Bad Poetry 