It better be imported

Before Super S and i moved to Cairo we had a few friends from Cairo visit us in the States. A big portion of all their visits was shopping. They bought clothes mostly, including shoes, but make-up, knick knacks and a few other items as well.

I witnessed the same thing happening on each shopping trip. They would pick up an item, look at the tag if it was clothing or turn it over and look at bottom of item it if wasn't. What in the hell are looking for? I knew it wasn't the size as they had picked up the right one, then on non-clothes items looking at bottoms of items, at back of boxes, wtf where they doing?

They were looking to see where that item was made. I was like "um, why?" I never fully understood why it mattered to them where something was made. Super S and I said to each other at the time, we could not remember a time we ever looked at an items origin before we bought it. We saw something we liked, we checked it out good, we bought it.

Ha, ha, ha. But now, now my friends WE look at EVERYTHING's origin. Whether its food, a shirt, electronics, lotion you name we MUST know where it was made. Why you ask?

Well see my friends because we live in Egypt. And here unfortunately, so unfortunately I add, Egyptian made products tend to suck. Bad.

Funny thing is many of my Victorias Secret underwear say "made in Egypt". I have awesome 450tc sheets that say "made in Egypt". I also have to die for fluffly 100% Egyptian cotton bath sheets that also read "made in Egypt." So where are these high quality excellent made Egyptian made products you ask? Not available for us to buy, HERE IN EGYPT!!! I know. Insane.

It seems all the good quality things are made here and then exported. Its sad as heck because in Cairo they import SO MUCH goods to sell locally, while they produce so much for export. Leaving Egyptian made goods of a very low quality available locally. Makes no sense at all.

We just got it actually. Well I'd say the second year we were living here. We went shopping for some home items with friends and everything I picked up, my friend looked to see where it was made. There she goes again. I asked her, "why does it matter..." She then told me Egyptian mde products were not good qaulity and do not last, sad but indeed true.

Now not everything made here is shit, but electronics, many (not all) clothes and shoes (ALL) available locally and made in Egypt all suck. Sorry.

It is a tragedy in so many ways. The better quality items that are imported and sold here are alot more expensive for people and many cannot afford to buy them.

So i ask myself, why is it that Egyptian companies that work in producing items to export cannot do the same for their country and make available here? Is it because the US and foreign companies pay for the better quality/materials for them and they themselves could not afford to do it for local availablity? It shouldn't be. Once they spend that money and make a good quallity product people will buy. They will buy for sure.

Its a fact that the population here is very poor. With a small number if people holding most of the wealth. The upper middle class is growing but there are so many people who live on just a few dollars a day. They will never be able to afford imported items and they have to settle for lesser quality goods no doubt.

How important is it to be able to buy imported goods is not my point. But I just wish some of the export quality was available to us locally. I mean I go to the States to buy good Egyptian cotton sheets, how cRaZy is that????

Just search e.bay, there is are so many items "imported from Egypt" and they are selling. Yes because they are good quality.

I remember a customer of ours said to me before we left "send me some good egyptian cotton sheets...
 Sure I said. She's still waiting.

*** DISCLAIMER***  I am NOT knocking Egypt at all. I love it here, its my home now. But this part of it fdrives me nuts and I just can't figure out why they do this. If you visit here you'll be sure to find some good quality Egyptian made items at tourist bazaars though, why of course.