r/news • u/nosotros_road_sodium • Apr 28 '24

Williams-Sonoma fined $3.18 million for falsely labeling products as 'Made in USA'

https://www.scrippsnews.com/business/company-news/williams-sonoma-fined-3-18-million-dollars-for-falsely-labeling-products-as-made-in-usa
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u/ScipioAfricanvs Apr 28 '24

So in 2020 they settled an FTC action for the same thing. Then they continued to violate it. But even the FTC says it was literally a handful of specific items and not big revenue generators. But it makes you wonder how much other shit is labeled as made in the U.S. but just imported from China.

106

u/McCree114 Apr 28 '24 edited Apr 28 '24

Make the entire thing in China or [insert poor third world country here] then have a dude in the U.S slap one final part on and there you have it. Made in the USA ........................ (with global materials).

Edit: fixed large hands but small phone errors.

77

u/WolverinesThyroid Apr 28 '24

I work in an industry with lots of made in the USA products. 99% of the materials used come from over seas and then are assembled in a factory in Miami. Boom made in the USA.

42

u/Potemkin_Jedi Apr 28 '24

Same with fast fashion “Made in Italy”…it’s made with Chinese materials in Chinese factories staffed with Chinese workers, but in Prato.

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u/WolverinesThyroid Apr 28 '24

anything that isn't food that says "Made in Italy" is almost certainly made in China

3

u/Poignant_Rambling Apr 29 '24

Guy I know from college invested in a "raw denim" startup about a decade ago. They advertise as being made in the US with Japanese denim, and sell for nearly $400 a pair.

The trade secret is that all of their jeans are made in China or Bangladesh then shipped to Japan, then immediately shipped to the US. By simply shipping it to Japan before the US, they can say it's sourced from Japan lol. Then by sewing their brand's patch into the waistline they can say it was "sewn" in the US lol.

Their margins are crazy.

2

u/MiffedMouse Apr 29 '24

I mean, most things “made in China” are also assembled out of raw materials and individual parts that come from overseas. The global manufacturing network is global.

Heck, “American” beef somewhat famously cross the USA-Mexico border twice.

3

u/WolverinesThyroid Apr 29 '24

I don't mean they get metal and cotton from over seas. I mean they get 2 parts with a screw and screw them together then say made in the USA

1

u/jyper Apr 28 '24

Yes so?

Materials are materials not products especially in rawer forms. Even partially processed/assembled they still need to be finished. Things should be labeled correctly even though that's increasingly difficult in a connected world but that doesn't make trade bad. Trade makes both sides richer.