Saturday, July 11, 2015

Report Finds 100+ Walmart.com Products Labeled “Made In U.S.A.” That Were Made Elsewhere – Consumerist

This should surprise no one!! Walmart's marketing ploy back when they first arrived in the Buffalo area was the "Buy America" slogan.  Although I remember seeing signage such as "Made in American" in their stores, I couldn't remember finding anything of the sort. As noted by a story I highlighted in 2013, the "Buy America" schtick had turned out to be a sham.
The program raised questions about how effectively Wal-Mart monitors its import standards and whether the "Buy America" program to create jobs in the United States that Wal-Mart's late founder, Sam M. Walton, started in 1985 was more an advertising gimmick than a substantial plan. Acknowledges Some Mistakes
While Mitchell's piece talked numbers, "the company announced that it would purchase an additional $50 billion worth of domestic goods over the next decade,,, but measured against Walmart's galactic size, it's not.  An additional $5 billion a year amounts to only 1.5 percent of what Walmart currently spends on inventory." Morran, looks at, labeling, ie.false advertising.
While there is no official review process required for labeling a product as “Made in the U.S.A.,” a company can get into legal trouble for misusing that label, as doing so may constitute false advertising. A new report from an advertising watchdog group claims that Walmart’s website has more than 100 examples of products incorrectly marketed as made in America.

According to a letter [PDF] recently sent by the group Truth In Advertising to Walmart CEO Doug McMillon, “Walmart’s website is mired in USA labeling errors.”
,,,
“False made in USA labeling on Walmart’s website has misled consumers looking to purchase American-made products,’’ said TINA.org Executive Director Bonnie Patten. “The largest retailer in the world should have made sure its American-made claims were accurate before affixing made in USA labels on the products. Until Walmart cleans up this mess, consumers cannot rely on Walmart with regard to where a product is really made when shopping on the site.”

Report Finds 100+ Walmart.com Products Labeled “Made In U.S.A.” That Were Made Elsewhere – Consumerist

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