Unbelievable Prices
Why are clothes so cheap today?
Jeans for less than 1,000 yen. T-shirts for less than 300 yen. This is the age of very, very cheap clothing. In the past couple of years, the economy has been in a recession and more and more people want to buy cheaper things. Many companies are competing for customers. This has led to some of the cheapest clothing ever.
Despite their low prices, their quality and designs are surprisingly good. Have you ever wondered why they are so cheap? One reason is that they are mass-produced, which means that many of the same items are made so that each can be sold for a low price. Another reason is that technologies are improving. Clothing companies can now make better fabrics for less money. The main reason for the low prices in Japan, however, is cheap labor in other countries.
For many years, cheap goods such as these have been produced in China. However, China’s economy is growing, so wages for workers are rising. This makes the goods more expensive in Japan. So Japan’s top clothing makers have moved production to less expensive countries such as Vietnam, Cambodia, and Myanmar.
The system seems to work well for everyone. Customers in Japan get cheaper clothes, while people in developing countries get jobs. However, there is concern about the conditions in countries such as Cambodia, where wages are about one-third of Shanghai’s and less than one-fortieth of Japan’s. The work in manufacturing is long and hard. Workers in Cambodia earn less in one month than most Japanese workers earn in one day. Because their living standards are very low, not only adults but also children have to work instead of going to school. The children may learn skills in their jobs, but they are missing their education. As developing countries grow, as is the case in China, conditions for their workers will gradually improve. However, today there are still large income gaps between developed in developing countries. Cheap clothing in Japan can only be cheap if someone in the world is earning low wages. Do you think this is fair?
