Rising Costs Have Wronged China's Making Santa Claus.

　 Holiday season is usually a joyous occasion for Yiwu. Retailers know that the small town of southern China is the world's largest market for selling Christmas tree ornaments, blowing Santa Claus like Sax and other Christmas products.

But this year, rising costs may make more than 400 Christmas in this city. Articles Manufacturers began to cut corners.

On the surface, the situation does not seem to be very bad. According to an informal survey conducted by the China real time newspaper, a number of companies have made an increase in orders this year due to the slow but steady recovery of the global economy from the financial crisis. Huang Yiming, general manager of Yiwu aerospace crafts Co., Ltd., said the company's orders this year are 20% to 30% more than last year. He said, our annual orders are full.

But Huang Yiming said, because labor costs rose more than 30%, offset. Order Increment. The company has about 1000 workers. According to Huang Yiming, the average monthly salary of workers in Yiwu's Christmas products industry this year is around 1300 yuan (195 US dollars), which is higher than the average monthly salary of 1000 yuan last year. He said, this is really a headache big problem.

Labor costs are not the only increase. Manufacturers complain that the price of raw materials has also led to a decrease in profit margins. For example, cotton prices are rising all the way. In the early November, the price of every 25 kilograms of cotton rose from 260 yuan to 280 yuan, and then rose to 350 yuan a few days later, and finally rose to 380 yuan in the middle of 11. Zhang Zifeng, who makes Christmas products in Yiwu, says that prices are changing every day; worse, cotton supply has been tense since November.

To cope with rising costs, some Christmas products. Manufacturer Began to replace the cotton that was always used with synthetic fiber material to make Santa's jacket. The stuffing of Santa's belly was cotton and was replaced by sand. Santa Claus is not the only commodity that uses cheaper raw materials. A businessman in Yiwu who did not want to be named said that our snowman toys are filled with sand. This saves cotton and increases weight and makes toys easier to stand up.

Since the quality of the products made in China is quite worrying, global consumers may not accept such a cost cutting approach, but Huang Yiming insists that the adjustment is worthwhile. He said Christmas products are consumables, so replacing cotton with chemical fibers will not change the function of the products, but it can help us cut costs.

Yiwu is not the only troubled city with rising costs. The Yiwu Christmas Products Industry Association says that about 90% of Christmas products manufactured in Yiwu are exported overseas. The official media, CCTV China (CCTV), recently reported the cost of making Christmas products in China. Among them, a shopkeeper in a Christmas shop near Bryant Park, New York, said that almost all the Christmas products in the shop were made in China and are becoming more and more expensive. He told CCTV that prices are rising every year, and higher and higher.

According to CCTV, about 70% of Christmas products sold in the United States are made in China.

However, even if retailers in New York and elsewhere are willing to spend more money, Christmas products exporters in Yiwu will not be able to enjoy Christmas this year. Cai Qinliang, general manager of Zhuo Yuan Christmas handicraft yard in Zhejiang, said that our profits will definitely decrease this year. Our cost has increased by 5% to 10%, and the price has increased by only 2% to 3%.

It is hoped that the days of filling snowmen with sand will be over before next Christmas.