Who's still wearing Crocs?

Gimme some sole
London, ON
May 2009
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Crocs were all the rage a few years back, with kids and adults alike buying these plastic-fantastic shoes with frightening frequency.

Somehow it seemed fine when a munchkin wore them as a sort-of replacement for sandals or sneakers. On the playground, these colorful togs seemed to fit right in. I didn't feel the same way when adults started wearing them to work. I appreciate the workplace shift toward more casual dress, but this was more than a little silly.

I remember the bloom falling off the rose when the company that made them announced it was planning to close its Quebec factory and move production to a more flexible facility in Mexico. Lovely if you're a shareholder, I guess, but not so lovely if you were one of the 670 people thrown out of work.

I know that this is how globalized markets work. But that doesn't mean I think any of it is right from a longer-term, society-building, giving-back perspective. The economy doesn't seem to work that way anymore. Pity that.

Your turn: Do you look for goods that have been produced locally?