Once upon a time, everything in Walmart was made in America. We learned in history it used to be one of their advertising strategies. Nowadays you'd be hard pressed to walk through Walmart and fill a shopping cart with American stuff. Well, maybe not. Rock salt and big bags of cat litter are proudly made in USA. I think. Maybe five gallon bottles of water.
Went to buy a new chain for my chainsaw last week. Try to find someone who sharpens chainsaw blades. So. Off we go to buy a new blade.
The hardware store was in complete disarray. Total shambles. Nothing was where it was supposed to be and shipping pallets and boxes were blocking the aisles.
Sold out. Instead of family business, it is now Ace Hardware. Which means if I need a 14¢ cotter pin, instead of going to the Nuts 'N' Bolts Dept and reaching in a bin, I have to purchase a blister pack of six cotter pins for $2.79. And by the next time I need another cotter pin to replace one on my coaster wagon in six or seven years, I will have misplaced the package.
It is a good thing I had my electricity updated from Dr Frankenstein's laboratory in the Universal films to sleek circuit breakers because that was the only hardware store that had electrical fuses that looked like shotgun shells.
And shotgun shells.
You may not have noticed this but I am Asian. Yes. My whole life.
While being Asian is really great and everything, I need Asian shampoo and conditioner.
Old fashioned digital answering machine: [BEEP] 勝美! 勝美! This is your mother. Mrs Nakamura and I are going to Mitsuwa. Do you want me to pick anything up for you? How are you with seaweed and umeboshi and S&B? What is that candy you like? The gummies. Not the Hello Kitty. How do you expect to get a husband if you don’t eat like an adult? Do you want me to get shampoo and [BEEP]”
Mitsuwa is about a two hundred mile round trip. Point being there are some things you cannot buy locally. Except S&B curry powder marked up 250%. And my mother would have said aonori, not seaweed.
In retrospect, it would have been easier for me to tell you how I have to schlepp to the east side of town to Glorioso's for puttanesca, Bolognese and vodka sauces (instead of Prego or Ragu) and Sciortino's for cannoli and sfogliatelle.
It takes me more time to find a parking space than driving. To and fro.
Cosmetics and Guerlain are purchased on the internet. So. I have to stick with trusted brands (Shiseido, Guerlain) and have very little wiggle room for new things. There is no way to test them. The last time I bought a new product was Sycomore from Chanel. That is a pretty big gamble.
For other things on the internet, how do you know whatever you are buying isn't being drop shipped from another source?
Just performed a cursory check to describe internet clothes shopping... F A MacCluer, American shirtmaker since 1856, one of my sources for heavyweight oxford cotton button downs, appears to no longer be in business.
Brooks Brothers, who invented the button down shirt so the wings of the collar wouldn't go into polo players' faces and that is why a button down is technically a sports shirt and shouldn't be worn with a suit even if you are Cary Grant, only makes lightweight pinpoint button downs.
I bet George Clooney and Mick Jagger wouldn't wear button downs with a suit.
Proper Cloth's (made-to-measure) idea of heavyweight is less than 5 oz. Too drapey. I prefer more structure to the fabric. And Gitman Bros and O'Connell's prêt-à-porter starts at $165.
2 comments:
Once upon a time, everything in Walmart was made in America. We learned in history it used to be one of their advertising strategies. Nowadays you'd be hard pressed to walk through Walmart and fill a shopping cart with American stuff. Well, maybe not. Rock salt and big bags of cat litter are proudly made in USA. I think. Maybe five gallon bottles of water.
Went to buy a new chain for my chainsaw last week. Try to find someone who sharpens chainsaw blades. So. Off we go to buy a new blade.
The hardware store was in complete disarray. Total shambles. Nothing was where it was supposed to be and shipping pallets and boxes were blocking the aisles.
Sold out. Instead of family business, it is now Ace Hardware. Which means if I need a 14¢ cotter pin, instead of going to the Nuts 'N' Bolts Dept and reaching in a bin, I have to purchase a blister pack of six cotter pins for $2.79. And by the next time I need another cotter pin to replace one on my coaster wagon in six or seven years, I will have misplaced the package.
It is a good thing I had my electricity updated from Dr Frankenstein's laboratory in the Universal films to sleek circuit breakers because that was the only hardware store that had electrical fuses that looked like shotgun shells.
And shotgun shells.
You may not have noticed this but I am Asian. Yes. My whole life.
While being Asian is really great and everything, I need Asian shampoo and conditioner.
Old fashioned digital answering machine: [BEEP] 勝美! 勝美! This is your mother. Mrs Nakamura and I are going to Mitsuwa. Do you want me to pick anything up for you? How are you with seaweed and umeboshi and S&B? What is that candy you like? The gummies. Not the Hello Kitty. How do you expect to get a husband if you don’t eat like an adult? Do you want me to get shampoo and [BEEP]”
Mitsuwa is about a two hundred mile round trip. Point being there are some things you cannot buy locally. Except S&B curry powder marked up 250%. And my mother would have said aonori, not seaweed.
In retrospect, it would have been easier for me to tell you how I have to schlepp to the east side of town to Glorioso's for puttanesca, Bolognese and vodka sauces (instead of Prego or Ragu) and Sciortino's for cannoli and sfogliatelle.
It takes me more time to find a parking space than driving. To and fro.
Cosmetics and Guerlain are purchased on the internet. So. I have to stick with trusted brands (Shiseido, Guerlain) and have very little wiggle room for new things. There is no way to test them. The last time I bought a new product was Sycomore from Chanel. That is a pretty big gamble.
For other things on the internet, how do you know whatever you are buying isn't being drop shipped from another source?
Just performed a cursory check to describe internet clothes shopping... F A MacCluer, American shirtmaker since 1856, one of my sources for heavyweight oxford cotton button downs, appears to no longer be in business.
Brooks Brothers, who invented the button down shirt so the wings of the collar wouldn't go into polo players' faces and that is why a button down is technically a sports shirt and shouldn't be worn with a suit even if you are Cary Grant, only makes lightweight pinpoint button downs.
I bet George Clooney and Mick Jagger wouldn't wear button downs with a suit.
Proper Cloth's (made-to-measure) idea of heavyweight is less than 5 oz. Too drapey. I prefer more structure to the fabric. And Gitman Bros and O'Connell's prêt-à-porter starts at $165.
I try to do my best....
Wish I'd known about your challenge earlier.
Which big box store?
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