Made in China or Not II

The experiment to go a full year without purchasing anything carrying the tag "Made in China" had its first full-on failure this weekend (see previous post), though I blame the need for expediency ...

Of course, the choice to go shopping ... shudder ... at K-mart (yes, there are a few of these left, including one within a mile of our house) pretty much set me up for failure. I needed a few items -- belt, white undershirt and black dressy shoes -- for a wedding that was taking place within 24 hours. I didn't have time to shop around, so after making a token gesture by going to our local mega-Goodwill store to score something cheap and used, and hence less consumerist, I trudged to the Big Box store.

I found a leather belt made in Mexico, while the package of three white shirts (but I only wanted one, dammit) was from somewhere in Central America. Then I tried on the shoes I wanted. Made in China. Damn. But that was OK, because there was a shoe store nearby, but the selection was crap and the one pair I considered buying was, of course, made in China.

Back to K-mart, where I grabbed the shoes and started toward the cash register. I froze about halfway, put the shoes back, and started to leave, then changed my mind and picked them up again. I agonized for five minutes or so, as if were planning on stealing them and not just in a quandary over my own self-inflicted rules.

On the positive side, the shoes, of course, were on sale. I'm sure the $25 I spent on them will turn out to be a wise investment that will last many years to come.

I wonder why the heel feels a little loose ...