I don't buy levi's anymore

[Wcross]

Levi Strauss Shuts All U.S. Plants

San Francisco, Sept. 25, 2003

"The closures are an absolutely necessary part of ensuring the long-term competitiveness of our business."
Julie Klee, Levi Strauss & Co.



(AP) Levi Strauss & Co. will close its last manufacturing plants in the United States and Canada, eliminating nearly 2,000 jobs, the struggling jeans maker said Thursday.

[proud patriot]

1. This is a real bummer

we are a Levi family . but I am leaning that direction myself.

[Robb]

2. Heck

I switched to Carhartt's a while back... and no, not just because I live in the sticks. :eyes: I just went through Levi's knees a little too quickly.

Plus, usually you get to buy them in tool stores, which is always fun. :)

[Don_G]

12. Same Here

Plus at least the Denim is manufactured in the US still. They're the nearest thing I've found to "Made In The US" nowdays.

[FireHeart]

3. Yup

We had a family council today...we all agreed to completely avoid Levi & Strauss products--forever.

We all need to pull together over this. It's an abomination.

[Wcross]

6. Thats great!

Should we support the corporate big-wigs? Hell no! If you buy levi's now, you are encouraging sweat shops and making other companies think about moving production to low wage areas- costing the american workers good jobs.

[blondeatlast]

4. They used to have a plant in Coolidge, Arizona,

(I spent several growing up years there). It was a real tragedy when they closed the plant.

[4_Legs_Good]

5. This is absurd!!!

Levis are some of the BEST most durable products that I can possibly think of!

Why the hell can't they just say they're going to charge $85 for a pair of jeans (which will last at least 5 years), and slap a MADE IN THE USA sticker on there, rather than trying to compete with other pseudo jeans makers for the $30/pair slot.

Grrrrrrrrrrrr...

david

Kucinich 2004

Arianna YES
Recall No

[mitchum]

7. Neither do I

screw these vampires

[alphafemale]

8. I'm actually starting to sew some of our family's clothes.

I'm also starting to enjoy it.

Granted it doesn't solve the problem that the fabric is also likely imported.

But at least I feel like I'm doing less harm.

[name not needed]

9. i no wear levis

i dont even where levis jeans. mostly i wear american eagle jeans. dont know where there made though.

[newyawker99]

11. Hi name not needed!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[blondeatlast]

10. Actually, most fabrics are milled in the US.

The materials may be imported, though. I used to sew a lot when I had more time. I miss it.

[alphafemale]

21. Thanks for that info...

I don't have much time either. And it is incredible how much time sewing something actually takes.

The prep time is a killer.

I turn out maybe one or two items a month on average.

[HEyHEY]

13. oops, I thought it was a new country song

[ornotna]

14. Wow

Bobby Orr....My hero
Nice pic

[HEyHEY]

15. haha

thanks!

[Deja Q]

16. Their "business" can rot in hell (and a productive comment too)

Anti-american imperial blood sucking leeches!

The CEO just wants a bigger paycheck.

All of this ourtsourcing stuff is going to hurt the US in the end. Maybe not now. Maybe not in a year. But as the trend continues, the chances of disaster will increase exponentially.

The 400-to-1 ratio of pay between CEOs and workers has got to end. Wasn't a 40-to-1 ratio that existed before REAGAN good enough?!

That's the problem. The problem must be resolved, not the symptom temporarily lulled by moving things to cheaper lands.

People won't like it if they have to endure pay cuts and layoffs if the management capitalize on situations to make themselves richer.

We need to make the people aware.

And I'm going to tell everyone I know.

I'd do leaflets on car windscreens, but that's illegal - gee, prohibiting freedom of speech, I wonder if I could make a case... Naah, not worth it. Can't afford it.

[ALoeppert]

17. And for a laugh....

check out the corporate propaganda

"EMPATHY ~ ORIGINALITY ~ INTEGRITY ~ COURAGE"

what a load of shit.

And PR people get paid (well) for coming up with kind of horse shit. They even goto school and get degrees in this.

BTW: The site was kind enough to remind me that "Dockers" is a levi brand as well.

[ALoeppert]

18. look at the numbers

Statements of Income Data: (Dollars In Thousands)

                        2002            2001            2000       

Net sales            $4,136,590     $4,258,674      $4,645,126
Cost of goods sold    2,451,785      2,461,198       2,690,170
Gross profit          1,684,805      1,797,476       1,954,956

Marketing, general and administrative expenses 
                      1,332,798      1,355,885       1,481,718

Other operating (income) 
                        (34,450)      (33,420)        (32,380)

Restructuring charges, net of reversals(1) 
                         124,595       (4,286)        (33,144)

Operating income         261,862       479,297         538,762
Interest expense         186,493       230,772         234,098

Other (income) expense, net 
                          25,411         8,836         (39,016)

Income before taxes       49,958       239,689         343,680
Income tax expense        24,979        88,685         120,288
Net income              $ 24,979     $ 151,004       $ 223,392

Sales had gone down a bit from 2000 to 2002, but not that much. It looks to me like the bottom line was the restructuring charges in 2002 that were the big difference. And they were still making 25,000,000 in profit...

That's some real "INTEGRITY and COURAGE" to cut job because a company is only making 24 million in profit. Granted that it's not a lot given their total sales... it would have been much larger had the execs not decided to fuck around with the company and "restructure".

It seems to me you don't cut jobs when your company is still profitable.

[gate of the sun]

19. yikes

my boyfriend will only where made in the USA goods if you look through a stack of levi's you can find some. This just made my life harder. Not too mention more jobs lost in the US and more sweat shops opening up. LIfe sucks just a little bit more.

[scarlet_owl]

20. I have a question

The Levi company should be boycotted, no question about that. My question is this. I am really poor and can only afford to buy my clothes at the Goodwill store. I can't be too picky about my jeans, because I'm a rather large woman and those sizes are hard to find. If I buy Levis second-hand, and the company is not seeing any of the profits of my purchase, it doesn't count as supporting them. Right?

[Wcross]

24. I wouldn't think that is bad

You are supporting goodwill- not levi. Plus- it is a great way to get deals on clothing!

[hussar]

22. I just had visitors over from the UK

I guess you guys know how hard it is to find anything made in the USA, I took one of my friends to do some shopping, she wanted to buy something from here to take back for her friends in the UK. We looked and looked and looked but just about everything she liked was made in China, she wanted something made here damnit, it was so hard, we ended up with a tea towel ! but even that was nigh impossible, no I won't buy Levi's if they are made elsewhere, we need jobs here.

[democracyindanger]

23. Levi's is hurting

They have been for a while. Attempts to diversify their product line have been, on balance, a failure (When's the last time you bought a Levi's shirt?). The Gap really started kicking their ass when it started selling 501 knockoffs.

I'm actually surprised Levi's hadn't moved all their manufacturing overseas a long time ago. But the thing about Levi's is that the Haas family knows the soul of the brand lies in America. So I figure that's why they've kept manufacturing stateside for so long.

Maybe if their competition (as they see it) was Carhartt, they wouldn't be faced with the problems they are. But as it is, their competition is The Gap, American Eagle, Abercrombie and Fitch, etc.--and all of these have been using foreign manufacturers from the get-go.

Yes, it sucks that Levi's is closing domestic factories. But this is not the case, as is being suggested, of a money-hungry corporation trying to increase their profits. This is a case of doing what has to be done to stay competitive. Boycott if you feel you have to, but I hope everyone who does has already been boycotting the Gap, A&F, et al. I may be wrong, but I'd bet my last dollar that Levi's is one of the--if not the only--last American fashion apparel manufacturer to move manufacturing overseas.

Disclaimer: I don't work for Levi's, but I worked for one of their vendors. I saw firsthand how well they treat their employees, the generosity of the Haas family and the business environment they faced.

[trof]

25. A jean by any other name

is just as blue.