Glocal Story Idea: Red Wing Boots

I've started a sidebar column on this page called Glocal Story Ideas, and it will be the actual story idea list that I use as a journalist. However, I am publishing it here in the spirit of the new open and collaborative journalism. If any other journalist has any interest in using any of these ideas you are welcome to, just let me or the Glocal Man list know. And if you'd like to contribute a glocal idea, or your glocal list, please do. My first idea is to write about Red Wing Shoes. Based in Red Wing, Minnesota, the company proudly says they are one of the last two major U.S. manufacturers of work boots that manufactures boots entirely in the U.S. What's interesting and could be the peg of a feature story is how globalization is steadly eroding that claim -- and finding the point where that claim is just nonsense. For many styles of work books in the Red Wing line, most of the individual shoe parts are pre-assembled and pre-stitched in other countries, especially China. The percentage of these pre-made bits have been increasing over the years. At what point will Red Wing have to say, "Okay, our boots are no longer 'Made in the USA?'" Will it be at the point when the entire boot is made in Shanghai and sent over here, just so one American worker in Red Wing can put tissue paper in the box? There are folks already who say it's a stretch to say "Made in the USA." Getting those folks on the one hand, and the Red Wing folks on the other, with a few anecdotes and color thrown in and ... nice feature piece.

Comments

[John Barton]

Thanks for the info Doug!!!I have recently purchased a pair of red wing work boots.I have been wearing them for a month now,and have never had a pair of boots that gouge and tear so easily.I was under the impression these were American made,quality work boots,but was sadly mistaken.Red wing also claims this is not a defect in materials or workmanship and will not warranty them.They suggested a toe guard.In my opinion if you want good quality work boots with good customer service dont buy red wings

[Brian Lamson]

Bought a pair of Red Wings today, I always buy American made whenever possible. Guess what, the boots were gouging my leg, when I took them off to see what the problem was, I saw the tag...Made in China. What boots can I wear that are American Made? I'm taking these back to the store today.

[John]

I bought a pair of Red Wings boots six months ago, the front toe tore and scratched away until I had a hole in the front. I explained that I had them only one month before the sole began to separate around the perimeter and the leather started to deteriate, and the shoelaces tore repeatedly. The indicated as well that there was no material defect and that I was too rough on the boots. They have been sitting in my closet since they returned them. I told my self I was going to protest in front of their store until they honored their warranty. But I am a GC and really don't time nor energy for all that. But I hope someone searching for Red Wing reads the post and knows that when they have a problem their SOL. To date I have been wearing timberland's doing the same work as before and it's going on one year with no problems.

[joe]

I just paid $210 for a pair, after reading this I looked at the label, your right, Made in China.

[stagn]

I bought a pair of Redwing boots model 686 with a flat sole. The sole was of a weird construction in that it had a quarter inch of rubberized type material over the rest of the sole which began to peel off. I didn't wear them very much because of the peeling and also because they seemed unusually heavy. It's been a few years since I dealt with the Redwing store where I bought them so I don't remember all the details but I do remember I was PO'd about the runaround I got. As I recall, they told me the boots were only warranted a year and I had gone over the deadline by a couple of weeks before I told them about the problem. I called the company and they were going to do something but I don't remember what. In any case, I just decided not to mess with sending them in. After a few years of looking at these boots, I wondered if I couldn't get them resoled at a shoe repair shop. So I took them in and for $72.00 the shoe repair guy put a solid vibram sole on them. They look better, feel better and are lighter than the original boot. Why couldn't Redwing have done that to begin with. My next pair of boots is going to be an American made Thorogood by Weinbrenner