Why Does a Brand's Headquarters Matter?
Why do we care about Brand Headquarters?
- It matters a LOT – and we know it matters to you, our customer. That’s why we’ve included it on each product detail page.
- ECONOMY - If a brand has its headquarters here in the USA, that means our purchasing and selling those products to you supports the USA economy (i.e. USA jobs). Yes, the manufacturing may be in another country, but these manufacturers are still paying the salaries of product designers, graphics gurus, warehousing, shipping personnel, etc. Supporting jobs in the USA is as big a deal to us as our customers!
- SAFETY – Brands that are headquartered in the USA are required to abide by all federal regulations regarding food, employee safety, etc. Sure, every business that sells here in the USA SHOULD be abiding by these regulations, but there is little incentive for companies that don’t pay taxes here to ensure strict compliance. It’s easier for them to close shop at the slightest whiff of regulatory oversight than to ensure they are selling safe products. These same companies then pop up under a different name and break the same laws, selling the same products.
Case in point: Baby products with lead paint are still being sold in the USA on Amazon (https://www.insider.com/amazon-selling-toxic-toys-lead-poisoning-2019-8)
Having a legally registered US business entity, with employees and assets here in the US means the odds of these shenanigans go WAY down.
- ACCOUNTABILITY – IF said shenanigans happen and something goes wrong with a product, there is someone here in the USA responsible who will respond to the problem. Companies based in the USA can be held responsible for that product and will work with you on any warranty or product support issues that may develop over the lifetime of the product.
Companies that staff overseas do not offer these services. These “brands” only have staff overseas. And even IF you can get hold of them, the odds that they are able to help are almost nonexistent in comparison to talking to someone about your issue here in the USA.
What does this mean for Kooi Housewares?
We ONLY offer products to you from manufacturers that have physical operations here in the United States. We wouldn’t use unsafe products from sketchy companies in our homes, so we won’t offer them in our store either. Almost all of the products sold at Kooi Housewares are purchased from brands who are 100% based in the USA (even if they source products globally).
In our current global economy, brand headquarters matter a lot, and we think it’s information you should have access to, so we’ve included it on our product detail pages.
Why does it matter? If you didn’t read the paragraphs above, let me sum it up:
First, and probably most importantly, a brand that has major offices or its headquarters here in the USA means that purchasing products from that brand is going to support US jobs.
Second, it requires the brand to abide by all US regulations in regards to food and employee safety, etc. Even if every company is technically supposed to be following these regulations, companies that don’t have a presence in the US have little incentive to ensure strict compliance.
Look for the “Brand Headquarters” info on each product’s detail page.