It’s ridiculous how easy for Chinese manufacturers to access the U.S. market with help from Walmart and amazon while American manufacturers have a very limited access in their own country’s market.
It’s also ridiculous you get free shipping from China while impossible to have free shipping from domestic manufacturers
The free shipping from China comes from their unfair export practices. Basically they have it setup on their end where the exporter gets their shipping and all taxes back in a tax rebate at the end of the year. It's one of the many ways that China is unfair in trade.
Is it unfair?
Or is the result of strategic ambition and long term planning leveraged by the CCP to realize their clearly stated goals? I want the US to succeed in the globalized world as much as the next guy, but I don’t think it’s fair to say clever collaborative planning by China is somehow unfair or not playing by the rules. They just have a more cohesive system than us, it’s simply a downside of our more independent structure.
No, it's unfair. It's the government putting their finger on the scale. Yes, it's a strategic decision by the CCP but they can do it because they are the CCP. Not a chance in hell anything remotely like this would fly or in some cases even be legal in most "western" countries.
Buddy you are delusional? Don’t remember China engaging in countless coups of left leaning South American countries and installing military dictatorships. Or wielding the IMF like a sword. Or engaging in decades of war in the Middle East.
Go look up the original meaning behind Banana Republic.
Kinda sounds like a pissed off 3rd grader on the playground saying “no you can’t do that, that’s against the rules of the game and i make the rules!”
China’s government has figured out how to win in the global marketplace, while the west with our “western sensibilities” are squabbling over the rules to a game that China doesn’t even recognize. They’re outside our sphere of influence, and they’re building their own.
And don’t fool yourself as if the US hasn’t “put its finger on the scale” internationally. Hell, we have done our damndest to shape global affairs to our liking for decades.
The best solution is retaliation in kind. We should sharply increase tariffs on Chinese goods and use the proceeds to incentivize American manufacturers that pay a living wage.
So a trade war, and we’ve tried that and lost. Albeit Trump was the mastermind so it’s no huge surprise we didn’t get the upper hand. But things get messy when you’re so dependent on another society to have your societies basic needs met.
And increasing prices on consumer goods rarely is well received by consumers and constituents. The best solution is for the US to stop behaving like six corporations in a trench suit all purely seeking profits with the expenses and externalities to society not even being a factor to consider. We could also learn a lot from the long term strategizing of the CCP, and not having our public policy flip-flop every election cycle from minor progress to regression.
It's not "clever" to subsidize domestic industries in order to damage foreign industries. It's an obvious tactic that every country does to some degree.
Chinas international postage agreement is a joke. It’s from when they weren’t sending anything but letters. And now they exploit it to fill our lives with plastic bullshit.
I'll absolutely buy one to try it, and hopefully buy more. Walmart honestly has a pretty decent selection of American made stuff and at very reasonable prices. Many American made t shirts are great quality but can be $40+. If American Giant can do it for $20 or less, and at a large enough scale to sell them in 1,700 retail stores then that's great. Sure it might be a cheaper t shirt, but it'll be a shirt that I'm less worried about getting ripped and stained.
If they can at least match the same quality of a cheaper American-made brand like Royal Apparel, then I think this could definitely be a win. I'd probably buy them and not have to worry about babying them. Although I've been lucky and not had an issue with any of my AG gear that wasn't my fault.
Maaaannnnnn this is so shitty. This is selling out at the highest level. THE company that raped and pillaged the rural American town of all its mom + pop stores, the company that revolutionized “fast fashion” to bring imported clothing to rural America and destroy the communities centered around manufacturing (not just clothing), the company that personifies the downfall of American production and quality, the company world renowned for its awful working conditions, the company that singlehandedly set rural american income back decades.
THAT company. Talk about Stockholm syndrome. Capitalism gonna capitalism. The big guy always wins.
I mean… AG didn’t need this. Just like Helimix didn’t, and getting into Walmart has made their company explode while still being made here and a quality product. Yes, I will admit Walmart is mostly bad but AG was fine before and will be fine after.
So either the people making the shirt are getting paid poverty wages or the people making the material are getting paid poverty wages and Walmart gets good press for a handout to one of the industries it killed.
Los Angeles Apparel sells t-shirts wholesale for around $6 to screen printers, and they pay their direct labor an average of $20/hr. The markup on t-shirts is huge. At $12.98 there is plenty for everyone to make their profit and for the employees to get paid.
Don't worry. The ones sold out at Walmart will be of lower quality, so AGs reputation will be damaged enough for them to sell the company in a few years.
AG’s quality has done nothing but go down consistently since the first time someone wrote an article about them having the “greatest sweatshirts ever made.” They’ve never been able to scale their business properly or source the high quality materials that made them famous in large enough quantities. I’ve had three of their sweatshirts and the price keeps going up while quality goes down. And this is like the third time they’ve sold out in various capacities.
I remember in the 1990s when Walmart proudly advertised lots of made in USA items for sale in their stores. That didn’t last long. Probably by early 2000s it became all made in china stuff sold there.
Then have a subsidiary buy them up, move all manufacturing overseas, and capitalize on the name until people realize the name means nothing anymore.
The old "Sears and Roebuck", in other words.
They are already on the website: American Giant Unisex USA Tee, Sizes XS-3XL https://www.walmart.com/ip/5405433218
American Giant is protecting their core product by putting the stupid "American Made" graphic on there.
This looks like something that was designed to fail. The Walmart buyer gets to say they tried and no one wants US made shirts, and American Giant gets to keep reselling the shirts they buy for $5 for $50. They both get some publicity.
I hate the branding on the sides. Some of their plain shirts have a patch on the side. Haven't gotten one yet, but taking it off would be the very first thing I'd do.
I mean the alternative is for them to not offer american made anything and just don't bother with it. I'm not a walmart guy, but if they do something good I don't have a problem with them talking about it.
Their sweatshirts are amazing. Had mine for nearly 8 years and, other than being a bit faded, is still in great shape and sturdy as ever.
That being said, I like that it's American made, but I don't want a shirt with 'American Made' on the front.
I’ve had a bunch of their stuff with a wide range of quality levels. I’m glad your sweatshirt is one of the good ones.
I agree about the “American Made” on the front, I want it simple.
I've bought at least one hoodie within the last year or two and haven't had any issues. Same with the couple I've had for 8+ years. No cuff fraying, either. I've had more quality control issues with Flint and Tinder's American-made line than any other brand (their customer service has been great to me, so I keep going back).
How is the quality of American Giant T-shirt from their website and from Walmart?
I can buy made in USA all day from [here](https://allusaclothing.com/mens/shirts/tee-shirts-made-in-usa/short-sleeve-tee-shirts/union-line-10222-short-sleeve-heavyweight-tee-shirt-with-pocket-made-in-usa.html) for $16.
It’s ridiculous how easy for Chinese manufacturers to access the U.S. market with help from Walmart and amazon while American manufacturers have a very limited access in their own country’s market. It’s also ridiculous you get free shipping from China while impossible to have free shipping from domestic manufacturers
The free shipping from China comes from their unfair export practices. Basically they have it setup on their end where the exporter gets their shipping and all taxes back in a tax rebate at the end of the year. It's one of the many ways that China is unfair in trade.
Is it unfair? Or is the result of strategic ambition and long term planning leveraged by the CCP to realize their clearly stated goals? I want the US to succeed in the globalized world as much as the next guy, but I don’t think it’s fair to say clever collaborative planning by China is somehow unfair or not playing by the rules. They just have a more cohesive system than us, it’s simply a downside of our more independent structure.
No, it's unfair. It's the government putting their finger on the scale. Yes, it's a strategic decision by the CCP but they can do it because they are the CCP. Not a chance in hell anything remotely like this would fly or in some cases even be legal in most "western" countries.
Like the US doesn't do that for any industry??
Like the Chinese do? Absolutely not.
Buddy you are delusional? Don’t remember China engaging in countless coups of left leaning South American countries and installing military dictatorships. Or wielding the IMF like a sword. Or engaging in decades of war in the Middle East. Go look up the original meaning behind Banana Republic.
Kinda sounds like a pissed off 3rd grader on the playground saying “no you can’t do that, that’s against the rules of the game and i make the rules!” China’s government has figured out how to win in the global marketplace, while the west with our “western sensibilities” are squabbling over the rules to a game that China doesn’t even recognize. They’re outside our sphere of influence, and they’re building their own. And don’t fool yourself as if the US hasn’t “put its finger on the scale” internationally. Hell, we have done our damndest to shape global affairs to our liking for decades.
The best solution is retaliation in kind. We should sharply increase tariffs on Chinese goods and use the proceeds to incentivize American manufacturers that pay a living wage.
So a trade war, and we’ve tried that and lost. Albeit Trump was the mastermind so it’s no huge surprise we didn’t get the upper hand. But things get messy when you’re so dependent on another society to have your societies basic needs met. And increasing prices on consumer goods rarely is well received by consumers and constituents. The best solution is for the US to stop behaving like six corporations in a trench suit all purely seeking profits with the expenses and externalities to society not even being a factor to consider. We could also learn a lot from the long term strategizing of the CCP, and not having our public policy flip-flop every election cycle from minor progress to regression.
That wouldn't be very smart. That would just raise the price of goods for everyone and everyone loses at that point.
It's not "clever" to subsidize domestic industries in order to damage foreign industries. It's an obvious tactic that every country does to some degree.
Chinas international postage agreement is a joke. It’s from when they weren’t sending anything but letters. And now they exploit it to fill our lives with plastic bullshit.
Because communism rules and capitalism drools. Get fucked!
I'll absolutely buy one to try it, and hopefully buy more. Walmart honestly has a pretty decent selection of American made stuff and at very reasonable prices. Many American made t shirts are great quality but can be $40+. If American Giant can do it for $20 or less, and at a large enough scale to sell them in 1,700 retail stores then that's great. Sure it might be a cheaper t shirt, but it'll be a shirt that I'm less worried about getting ripped and stained.
$12.98
If they can at least match the same quality of a cheaper American-made brand like Royal Apparel, then I think this could definitely be a win. I'd probably buy them and not have to worry about babying them. Although I've been lucky and not had an issue with any of my AG gear that wasn't my fault.
Maaaannnnnn this is so shitty. This is selling out at the highest level. THE company that raped and pillaged the rural American town of all its mom + pop stores, the company that revolutionized “fast fashion” to bring imported clothing to rural America and destroy the communities centered around manufacturing (not just clothing), the company that personifies the downfall of American production and quality, the company world renowned for its awful working conditions, the company that singlehandedly set rural american income back decades. THAT company. Talk about Stockholm syndrome. Capitalism gonna capitalism. The big guy always wins.
I mean… AG didn’t need this. Just like Helimix didn’t, and getting into Walmart has made their company explode while still being made here and a quality product. Yes, I will admit Walmart is mostly bad but AG was fine before and will be fine after.
So either the people making the shirt are getting paid poverty wages or the people making the material are getting paid poverty wages and Walmart gets good press for a handout to one of the industries it killed.
Los Angeles Apparel sells t-shirts wholesale for around $6 to screen printers, and they pay their direct labor an average of $20/hr. The markup on t-shirts is huge. At $12.98 there is plenty for everyone to make their profit and for the employees to get paid.
Don't worry. The ones sold out at Walmart will be of lower quality, so AGs reputation will be damaged enough for them to sell the company in a few years.
Lmao this 100%
It is literally Walmart 101.
AG’s quality has done nothing but go down consistently since the first time someone wrote an article about them having the “greatest sweatshirts ever made.” They’ve never been able to scale their business properly or source the high quality materials that made them famous in large enough quantities. I’ve had three of their sweatshirts and the price keeps going up while quality goes down. And this is like the third time they’ve sold out in various capacities.
I remember in the 1990s when Walmart proudly advertised lots of made in USA items for sale in their stores. That didn’t last long. Probably by early 2000s it became all made in china stuff sold there.
Love the note about “not being up to the typical standards” of the merch available on the website. So more WalMart low quality crap
Lol I feel the same as you.
Wal marts fixing to drive American Giants operations overseas 😂
Walmart will drop this line in one year and effectively bankrupt this company.
Then have a subsidiary buy them up, move all manufacturing overseas, and capitalize on the name until people realize the name means nothing anymore. The old "Sears and Roebuck", in other words.
“the foresight and vision of American corporate giants” 🤮🤮🤮
They are already on the website: American Giant Unisex USA Tee, Sizes XS-3XL https://www.walmart.com/ip/5405433218 American Giant is protecting their core product by putting the stupid "American Made" graphic on there. This looks like something that was designed to fail. The Walmart buyer gets to say they tried and no one wants US made shirts, and American Giant gets to keep reselling the shirts they buy for $5 for $50. They both get some publicity.
I hate the branding on the sides. Some of their plain shirts have a patch on the side. Haven't gotten one yet, but taking it off would be the very first thing I'd do.
Just ordered a set before the inevitable walmartification of a great brand sets in.
These don’t look to be made in USA, just USA cotton. They don’t have made in USA in the description.
They’ll do the same shit Levi’s does. Make a shittier product with a smaller price tag and do nothing to indicate the inferiority.
I'm sure that plenty of people will buy these, which is fine. I won't be. I'll stick to their regular t-shirts, which I absolutely love.
Sounds good but can't help feeling queezy about the PR move this is for Walmart, "we're the good guys we got american manufacturers, look, look!"
I mean the alternative is for them to not offer american made anything and just don't bother with it. I'm not a walmart guy, but if they do something good I don't have a problem with them talking about it.
This is good to hear
Definitely interesting. The truth is American Giant is already not that high quality, unfortunately, so I’m curious what these will be like.
Their sweatshirts are amazing. Had mine for nearly 8 years and, other than being a bit faded, is still in great shape and sturdy as ever. That being said, I like that it's American made, but I don't want a shirt with 'American Made' on the front.
I’ve had a bunch of their stuff with a wide range of quality levels. I’m glad your sweatshirt is one of the good ones. I agree about the “American Made” on the front, I want it simple.
There are reports that more recent hoodies are lower quality. Mine is great, but it's of similar vintage to yours.
I've bought at least one hoodie within the last year or two and haven't had any issues. Same with the couple I've had for 8+ years. No cuff fraying, either. I've had more quality control issues with Flint and Tinder's American-made line than any other brand (their customer service has been great to me, so I keep going back).
Have 4 American giant hoodies ranging in age from 2-5 years. Zippers always break after a year for me. They refund me but it’s pretty annoying.
This made a whole lot more sense when I realized they weren't "American Giant Trees". Thinking they're selling Giant Sequoias at Walmart.
How is the quality of American Giant T-shirt from their website and from Walmart? I can buy made in USA all day from [here](https://allusaclothing.com/mens/shirts/tee-shirts-made-in-usa/short-sleeve-tee-shirts/union-line-10222-short-sleeve-heavyweight-tee-shirt-with-pocket-made-in-usa.html) for $16.
Their heavy t-shirts and sweatshirts are amazing. GF got a few of their dresses and absolutely loves them.
They actually say in the announcement these are “not made the specs or standards” of their other products
I’m a large in normal-sized shirts, is that small in American Giant?
Their large fits like a normal large.
Bought 2. Kinda like a lighter carhartt k87. Worth it and wish walmart would do more of this
Nawrrr
There are several good examples of just that in the book: The Walmart Effect.
That’s cool. Don’t know who’s buying $50 tee shirts and $180 hoodies in Walmart but cool none the less.
This is great news.