Land of seconds (and overstocks)

We went shopping for casual clothing today.  When you change T-shirts twice a day because of the hot weather and [dare I say] sweat, it's good to have a few in the drawer.
   What is interesting is the selection of shirts available.  Pictured here is a good quality shirt from  The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association,  2011 Football Champs, the Montclair Mounties.  The fact that we bought this shirt [and other much like it] in Guyana says alot about the goods available in the country.  I can only speak about what is available in stores and the market in New Amsterdam, but here it seems most of the goods are either manufacturers' seconds, overstocks from other countries [primarily the USA], and discontinued items like the clothes washing machine which the church bought for us that was so discontinued that the manufacturer didn't even list it on their website [not to mention that it only came with Spanish or Portuguese instructions].  One of the things that was stressed to us before we came here was not to bring too much clothing with us so that we could buy 'local' products so that we fit in and didn't look like tourists.  Little did we know that to fit in was to wear T-shirts from undefeated New Jersey high school football teams, complete with member names on the back.

This situation brings up several thoughts all at once:  First, it's good that we can purchase clothing that is already made that would otherwise go unused or simply sold as rags.  Second, the price is right, having purchased 3 or 4 T-shirts for the equivalent of $5.00 [USD or CAD] total.  Third, it answers the question, 'Where do all those unsold tees go?'

And this sort of 'off quality' does not end at clothing - our dishes show smears in the glazing and other flaws that makes one think they were rejected by more affluent buyers, to finally be shipped to Guyana - as they say, the last stop for the boat where everyone and everything that's left gets off.

This could be a depressing story, except that despite the difficulties, people here find their own style, find their own fashion [and there is high fashion here, indeed] and get on with their lives without worrying about what NJSIAA means on their T-shirt, or that the dish the put their cook up in isn't Wedgwood china. Maybe it's a good thing that people here can use what others reject and that they have the resources to think about other things.

So, congrats, Montclair Mounties, and thanks for the shirt.