do this by looking at the label on the merchandise. If they see that it was made ina third world country that regularly uses sweatshops such as: China, Burma, Haiti etc.., thepossibility is greater that the merchandise was made in a sweatshop. If the consumer does not feelcomfortable going by the label alone, they can ask a store manager. Store managers are usuallyfriendly and willing to share any information that they know about their products with theconsumer. However, this could both be an advantage or a disadvantage. The store manager mayknow less than you do about the situation or could have even been instructed not to talk aboutsuch an issue with customers. The opposite could be true as well. The store manager could havebeen trained with the knowledge of all the company’s labor laws and issues and would be eager toshare this learned knowledge. It is worth the chance to try either way. Once a consumer has found where the product was made, they should be cautious ofcertain countries. Some of the tactics taken are consumer boycotts. This is the tactic that the Mueckler 6opponents of the regime in Burma employed. Boycotting is not always the best action to take, asexplained by a Reebok executive: “ If Americans decided that they weren’t going to buy soccerballs made in Pakistan, a million people would be out of jobs tomorrow” (par. 3). Simply, boycotting is not helpful, all this does is make more people lose their job. This is not a permanentsolution. A more effective way to show concern is to ask questions about the countries of origin. Learn more about the products that consumers buy. If the consumer sees a made in the U.S.A label, they should not assume it is safe. Manyproducts made in the United States are also made under less then ideal situations. Consulting amonthly State Labor Review shows that the United States is still trying to work against this. “Child labor continues to be an i...
