I agree. I bought a package of white tube socks at MaoMart a year ago and this week half of them I had to throw out because they developed big holes. I used to be able to get at least three years of wear out of a pair of white tube socks before I bought these socks from MaoMart. I'm fortunate these days to have the disposable income that allows me to spend more money on a quality pair of tube socks. But these days I'm trying to be frugal and I should not have to pay $8 for a pair of tube socks that won't fall apart in a year.

Save the GREAT bigbox sox for dust rags. At least you get a little for your money.

This doesn't make any sense. Why "shouldn't" you? If that's what it costs to make quality socks, that's what it costs. Rest assured, they would be selling them cheaper to compete with Wal-Mart if they possibly could. Quality costs more money. If you don't think the price is fair you're welcome to shop around.

What leads you to make that assumption about every small business? :rolleyes:

I was exaggerating to make a point here. You have to realize that most tube socks are made with a high degree of automation and the variation between materials is only 20%. It's possible to pay $5 for a package of quality socks but I haven't found those yet.

Farmer's market.

I said corporations that want to be like Wal-Mart. That is not an absoute statment so it won't make an assumption about "all" of anything. That means I don't think every corporation wants to be like Wal-Mart.

Also, I never said anything about small buisnesses, I don't know where you go that from.

Socks were once made with cotton/polyester blends that last maybe 4 or 8 times longer. Notice that to increase market, clothing manufacturers promoted 100% cotton as superior? Only thing that changes - socks wear out faster. What those domestic cost controller did not realize - they set themselves up to be replaced by Chinese products.

Why is target getting such a free ride here? I worked there for a year or so some time back. Most every box that comes in there off the delivery trucks is from China too.

Target doesn't engender as much hatred because they're not quite as aggressively expansive and undercutting of existing retail businesses. And I don't know, maybe it comes from better factories in China, but their merchandise is still higher quality than Wal-Mart's, no doubt.

It seems to be a never ending cycle with WW as the only winner. They buy from China (or India, or...) very, very cheaply and then sell a cheap product here. In some cases they kill the local economy and put people out of work, the unemployed can only afford to shop at the WW which put them out of business. It just feeds the monster. By the way, before someone gets all offended and tries to jack me up, I am not saying here that only the poor shop at WW.

I sell to companies who sell to WW and I will tell you that most all of my customers who deal with them are only there because they HAVE to be. Shareholders would not like it if they decided to boycott the biggest game in town. WW kicks the crap out of their profits, - even sometimes requiring to know true cost - they, in turn, try to kick down my profits, but I will only go so low before I let someone else have it. WW then finds a source from which to buy my customers segment cheaper in China.

Then, there are the whole other topics of brand protection and counterfeiting.