$14

My husband buys everything at Sears, including clothes. He just bought a pair for jeans for $14.

Is it possible that the full cost of producing a pair of jeans can be less than $14? I know, I know. Economies of scale etc. But $14?! Someone prepared a field, planted cotton, tended cotton plants for a season, picked it, transported it to a processor, processed it into thread, wove it into denim, dyed it, transported the cloth to a manufacturer, cut the denim and sewed it into a pair of jeans with added metal hardware, attached labels, transported them to stores, had a worker unpack them and display them on shelves and a worker to attend to checkout lane. And all along the way, there was inventory tracking and software and data entry to keep track of materials and accounting systems. There was probably a trip or two across an ocean and a pass or two through Customs, not to mention miles traveled on our freeways and a bunch of packing, loading, unloading and unpacking. There's all kinds of electricity for lights and fossil fuels for boats and trucks.

It just doesn't seem possible to me. It looks to me like not all the costs incurred are paid by those reaping profit from this pair of jeans.