shirt.woot.com – Made in America, and Damn Cool Too
shirt.woot.com is an interesting business. They are the t-shirt sales wing of woot.com, a business whose entire goal is to sell exactly one item a day. Not entirely unexpectedly, shirt.woot.com sells a single shirt a day, and once they run out of a predetermined amount, they’re sold out (well, not exactly, but they definitely don’t sell an unlimited quantity).
One of the most notable things about shirt.woot.com is that it’s a great place to buy cheap t-shirts that were made entirely in the USA. Think about all the clothing you own. Now take out all the clothing that was made overseas, and what do you have left? Not much, I’m guessing.
I’ve always been a little leery about what goes into the making of goods overseas – sweatshops are a reality in many parts of the world. On top of that, it seems more and more that US retailers are accepting goods that are manufactured under these conditions without asking questions. Deniability through ignorance/negligence seems to be a viable business strategy nowadays. It’s important to note that I’m not arguing against globalization. I think that raising the standard of living worldwide is a great thing, it’s just that there is a big difference between globalization and exploitation.
At the same time, there’s shirt.woot.com. The t-shirts they print on are manufactured by American Apparel, a company based in California with US manufacturing operations (and hence US labor regulations, which are some of the best and strictest in the world). They are then imprinted locally to woot! HQ (Texas), and put out into the world. And the best part? These American-made goods retail for less than the cost of a t-shirt at many retailers across the country ($10-$15, including shipping), making them also one of the best values around! Who says you can’t make American goods at a competative price?
Seriously, if you haven’t checked out shirt.woot.com, give it a try. Chances are if you like t-shirts at all, you’ll find something worth buying, and you won’t have to feel bad about yourself doing so.
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