falling dominos

THE DOMINOS ARE STARTING TO FALL

This week I read on the Business Sporting Goods web site that Nike is now selling Walmart via their Jet.com division web site. I looked at it and found they sell a large variety of products not any Nike products thus far but will have Nike this fall and winter and possibly forever.

Why is Nike doing this when other outdoor activity companies have walked from the other entre into the outdoor business chosen not to sell Walmart’s Moosejaw division?

Because Nike is I suspect losing business with the big box stores who are getting the same products as Nike has made in China. These big box stores believe they will sell their look alike merchandise due to lower prices. They essentially eliminated the premium paid due to advertising. Also, many of the smaller chains have gone out of business so Nike has taken some big loses.

Walmart pays their bills and I suspect that Nike will also make Walmart branded merchandise to sell in the Walmart stores and maybe even some Sam’s stores.

The basic end result will be or is cheaper merchandise for the consumer to choose from. This is what the North Face did several years ago. You may recall that I exposed one of the North Face sleeping bags about a year ago that was at the time sold at retail by rei for $180.00. That price is highway robbery as far as I am concerned because it was filled with the cheapest chopped staple fiber known to mankind. Nike will most likely do the same thing as will their competitors. REMEMBER Nike and their competitors are publicly traded companies and as such the CEO’s MUST show their stockholders profits.

As material costs increase the materials that have been used are replaced with cheaper materials. Gore and now Sympatex are offering complete linings that can be placed in shoes which eliminate the need to actually make the lining. Of course these readymade linings have each of these companies bogus waterproof breathable membrane in them. The sales pitch is you do not have to make a lining any longer that is costly in labor.

What the Gore and Sympatex companies do not care about are the thousands or millions of people who may buy these footwear items and have wet cold feet with a wonderful breeding ground for all sorts of foot sores and fungus because the material traps the water and sores develop.

All of these companies; Nike, Adidas, Under Amour, etc. are all working as hard as possible to stay afloat so their stocks stay high and when you report revenue drops which amount to loses the stocks drop. Many of these companies are buying other companies to increase revenues and hopefully profits.

All of these very large companies are in what I believe are survival mode. People today do not realize the large companies can go out of business such as the Packard car company. The dominos are starting to fall.

The following letter was received today. Are there any other companies out there that can ever claim to get a letter of this nature in this day and age? NO!!! I am very grateful whenever I receive one.

To all at Wiggy’s,

I am so grateful I recently found your website. Upon packing for an upcoming fall gather of cattle and dreading being cold and miserable yet another year in freezing mountain temperatures, decided I needed to upgrade my sleeping bag. I purchased both a FTRSS Overbag and Core bag combination which is a perfect set for varying temperatures. Sir, this is the first time ever I have been warm and comfortable outdoors!

I sincerely appreciate you and your staff’s exceptional customer service in shipping my order overnight and arriving just prior to my departure.

Thank you for making such an excellent sleeping bag! Thank You for being an American manufacturer!

You all are awesome!

Kelly Smith

MADE IN AMERICA is the only way to go.