FYI, most of their sandals are made in China now because of their limited production capacity.
You have to look for the “USA” mark in the middle of the sole at their factory store for their locally made sandals. Online orders don’t allow you to specify a country of origin.
In my experience running a very active pro eBay store, all you need to do is leave a note if the ordering system has such an implementation. Like even in general, a kind note with an order is such a rare pleasantry when a person sees a couple dozen orders a day and is trying their best to pack it well and keep everything sorted to send the right thing to the right place, that any kind gesture even with a request is a major positive against the monotony. It depends on who is filling orders and all. Like I ran the whole eBay thing solo, so logistics was a joke job title. Some dissonant kid will be very different in perspective. The few times I got any such kind note and request, I went out of my way in packing the item in a way that opened with presentation quality that also presented my note in reply thanking them. Implementing feature details like selecting a feature that may or may not be available at the time is too difficult to manage in the real world at this scale.
I’m sad to hear they are not doing all local production. I haven’t been able to wear flip flops since my broken neck and back. I haven’t been there in over a decade since, but pass by the location often. My big crash was on Coast Highway a half mile from there.
Sorry about your injury. It’s a bummer to lose out on something that brought joy.
I’ve talked with the shop folks about checkout notes. They said they can try to pick out but cannot guarantee it. For the most part it’s highschool/college kids at the front desk and will grab the first sandal for an ordered SKU.
It’s further complicated by their logistics. The last time I was in the shop there was only one pair of sandals in the model and size I wanted, and the source models were all mixed together (no made-in USA wall; that wall was a new special release). If I wanted a different color, then I’d have to buy a foreign made sandal. The quality is still great, but I like to support locals if at all feasible.
My trick is to make a trip to the factory store. I have family in socal and the sandals last so long that I just buy a spare pair to keep in my closet once every year or two. More hassle, but it comes with the benefit of great beaches and downtowns. ;)
All that said, they do maximize their US production. The reason they’re limited in capacity is the glue that’s used. VOCs in the glue are restricted in quantity and hence they can only make so many sandals a day before they run out of their daily limit of glue. The family made a choice to expand their brand and the only way to do that was to build another factory. China makes sense in this context.
I love my Rainbows. They’re great.
FYI, most of their sandals are made in China now because of their limited production capacity.
You have to look for the “USA” mark in the middle of the sole at their factory store for their locally made sandals. Online orders don’t allow you to specify a country of origin.
In my experience running a very active pro eBay store, all you need to do is leave a note if the ordering system has such an implementation. Like even in general, a kind note with an order is such a rare pleasantry when a person sees a couple dozen orders a day and is trying their best to pack it well and keep everything sorted to send the right thing to the right place, that any kind gesture even with a request is a major positive against the monotony. It depends on who is filling orders and all. Like I ran the whole eBay thing solo, so logistics was a joke job title. Some dissonant kid will be very different in perspective. The few times I got any such kind note and request, I went out of my way in packing the item in a way that opened with presentation quality that also presented my note in reply thanking them. Implementing feature details like selecting a feature that may or may not be available at the time is too difficult to manage in the real world at this scale.
I’m sad to hear they are not doing all local production. I haven’t been able to wear flip flops since my broken neck and back. I haven’t been there in over a decade since, but pass by the location often. My big crash was on Coast Highway a half mile from there.
Sorry about your injury. It’s a bummer to lose out on something that brought joy.
I’ve talked with the shop folks about checkout notes. They said they can try to pick out but cannot guarantee it. For the most part it’s highschool/college kids at the front desk and will grab the first sandal for an ordered SKU.
It’s further complicated by their logistics. The last time I was in the shop there was only one pair of sandals in the model and size I wanted, and the source models were all mixed together (no made-in USA wall; that wall was a new special release). If I wanted a different color, then I’d have to buy a foreign made sandal. The quality is still great, but I like to support locals if at all feasible.
My trick is to make a trip to the factory store. I have family in socal and the sandals last so long that I just buy a spare pair to keep in my closet once every year or two. More hassle, but it comes with the benefit of great beaches and downtowns. ;)
All that said, they do maximize their US production. The reason they’re limited in capacity is the glue that’s used. VOCs in the glue are restricted in quantity and hence they can only make so many sandals a day before they run out of their daily limit of glue. The family made a choice to expand their brand and the only way to do that was to build another factory. China makes sense in this context.