Buy American? Sure, If You Can Afford It
Is it possible today to buy U.S.-made goods in mainstream, reasonably-priced stores? The answer, ABC's John Donvan learned while reporting a "Nightline" story to be broadcast tonight, is a rather emphatic "no" when it comes to clothing, and otherwise "maybe."
[Former La-Z-Boy factory employee] Christensen and his former colleagues are facing a central irony of the U.S. market. Unable to afford American goods, they end up buying foreign — in effect, paying the very workers who took over their jobs.
In a 2004 Associated Press poll, 93 percent said they prefer to buy American if the prices are the same; 54 percent said they'd prefer to buy American even if it cost more. How much more was not specified.
ABC had the best results shopping for tools at Lowe's, finding most of the items on their list made in the U.S. - though often from foreign components.
Made in the U.S.A.; Sold ... Nowhere? [ABC News]
(Photo: fauxpress)
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Still summed up perfectly by the action crap fest: Armageddon. "American spaceship, Russian spaceship, ALL MADE IN TAIWAN!"
I gladly pay a premium and forgo buying American when it comes to beer.
@dohtem: Hey, surely you mean mass-market American beer. Americans can make some damned good beer! Try a local brew.
Shiner, Rogue, Pyramid and New Belgium... Why on earth would you want to avoid them? If your talking about budweiser, miller or coors, none of them are american.
@Darrone: Did you mean China?
I think Taiwan produces higher quality stuff like microchips and the like. It's more skilled labor rather than manual labor like China where workers fit one piece into another.
I always choose American-made goods when the quality is at all comparable (usually it is better). I'll pay double the price, or more in the case of little kitchen tools.
The one sad exception is with cars, only because it's so hard to buy American if you're not interested in a truck or SUV (and then there's the fact that a lot of foreign brands are built here in the USA). I'm hoping the new mileage standards will mean more small, efficient, US-made cars from which to choose.
@Snarkysnake: No joke. I recently was looking for a replacement microwave to take the place of a crappy $30 Emerson which had begun taking upwards of 10 minutes to cook TV dinners.
I went to Sears to take a look, and saw a nice small Kenmore that would fit perfectly. Upon closer inspection, I realized that the entire keypad was the exact same as the one on the Emerson I had already. A flip through the instruction booklet revealed the exact same details as well.
I went to take a look at Best Buy's offerings, and discovered that the GE, Oster, and Emerson microwaves all had the same graphics on the buttons, and some of them had the exact same wording and button layout as well.
I'm not sure what incentive I am supposed to have to buy a brand name product (ie GE or Kenmore) vs a cheap budget brand (ie Emerson), when they both not only come out of the same factory, but are identically the same aside from some minor cosmetic differences.
@dohtem:
YOU ARE MISSING OUT.
Seriously man. I used to be the same way, but for at least the last 5 (maybe longer) years the US has been making the best brews in the world. From Brooklyn and Dogfish out east to Stone and Anchor out west, and then coming around to Bells and Great Lakes in the midwest.
It is really a golden age for American breweries. I like my trappes and other Euro beers as much (or maybe too much) as anyone, but in 100% honesty I think the US is brewing the best beer in the world- hands down. My Euro friends and relatives have been in agreement too once I steer them past Millers and A-B.
@lockers:
Absolutely. American beer is where it is at. It makes sense with the amount of good soil for rowing grains, but as of late the brewers have really been ramping up their game... Big time.
@balthisar: You are right but local and micro brews are too hit-and-miss for me.
OTOH, I know I can walk into any chain grocery store in this country and pick up a six-pack of Becks or Heineken.
I think the thing about buying American is a lot of people are unaware of the options out there and are generally unwilling to pay the premium.
The best example I can think of is American Apparel.
A 7 pack of plain white Jersey T-shirts from American Apparel is $91 while a 5 pack of Hanes White T-shirts are $11.50. Obviously the choice for the lower middle-class is simple at $2.30 per shirt or $13 a shirt plus you can pick up the Hanes at your local Wal-Mart versus ordering online from American Apparel.
The Hanes T-shirt however will probably wear after one wash. That's why I have friends who buy t-shirts on a near 3 month basis. However I own many American Apparel Shirts(Mostly though band merchandise and Shirt.woot.com) and the fabric still stays strong and color does not fade.
People do not care about American quality(or lack thereof). They would rather go with the quick and easy choice. Also American Apparel is only "for the hip young kids" so there is always that.
I know that late last year I searched for a pair of American made sneakers, and not only could I not find expensive ones I couldn't find any at all. I was surprised that no matter the price point there was nothing. I thought that if Nike could justify $150+ shoes made in China that I could find something with less bells and whistles for a similar price, but nothing.
One thing a lot of people don't realize, "Made in USA" can also mean made in US territories or outlying islands, like American Samoa, etc. Almost all these territories do NOT fall under the standard worker protection laws that we've come to expect in the US, such as minimum wage, etc.
Thus, even "buying American" doesn't always really mean supporting "American" jobs.
@newdetroit: That reminds me of all those off brand foods that are made in the same factor a the name brand ones.
But if it's all the same factory for the microwave, all manufactures should have fairly comparable production and materal costs. In that case, those charging more are just charging more because of their name. If that company complains about lost sales, then they should following the pricing model of other companies making the exact same product in the exact same factory.
@nakedscience: A superficial complaint, perhaps, but it is very distracting. I had to read that comment about four times before the sense sunk in.
I notice you put extra spaces before some punctuation, too, like question marks. Is it some issue with using a non-standard keyboard, like on a phone, or what?
Wanna know something scary? I work at a hospital, and lots instruments and pre-sterilized packaged needles and "tools" needed for invasive procedures are made in China! I thought it was scary... They cant even make drywall that wont kill us, but we are using their manufactured medical instruments to stick and cut into our bodies!
Want American made sneakers? My last 2 pairs of New Balance were made in the US, in the Northeast as I was told by the CSR when I called to inquire and thank them. And, they were a third of the cost of those Nikes.
The headline of this post is misleading. It shouldn't be "If you can afford it." It should be "If you can find it." More often than not there isn't a non-Chinese choice. Welcome to the race to the bottom, the capitalist's wet dream.
@cherveny: The "Northern Mariana = USA" exception basically applies to the small number of items that can be manufactured on Pacific islands. That's cheap clothing and a small number of food items (like canned tuna).
The whole system is very shady (see the stories about Tom DeLay taking gifts to support the Mariana slavery lobby) so I try to avoid thos items if I can.
Part of the problem is that too many American manufacturers have been driven out of business by the foreign competition. Had Americans been buying American all along, this would not have happened, and there would be plenty of American-made goods. They would still be more expensive than goods made by exploited foreign manufacturers (or American manufacturers that go overseas and exploit foreign workers), not by so much.
Exploitation is one reason foreign goods are cheaper. Lower economic standards of living are another. And one big one is the lopsided exchange rate (one dollar exchanged into rupee can buy several dollars equivalent of consumer goods like food and shelter in India).
Some products will always be manufacturable cheaper and/or better in other countries, while other products will still be cheaper and/or better made in America. We do not actually need a "Buy American" buying philosophy. Instead, what we need is a strict trading balance that is vigorously enforced. It needs to ensure that as much money that goes out also comes back in the form of exporting an equal sale value of products to foreign markets. One possible approach to ensure that is a marketable/transferable export credit system used to apply to imported products.
"Buy American" is isolationist and limits our ability to participate in long term global economic growth. The answer is global balance. It can still mean shifts in what gets manufactured here and what gets manufactured over there. The government still needs to be involved to ensure stability in industry sectors experiencing changes to ensure that both businesses and workers can migrate to other businesses that will grow and prosper.
@flamincheney: Super shoe tip: Starter, the brand at Walmart is owned by Nike. If you have not been to the Walmart shoe department lately you will be shocked. The Starter shoes look exactly like Nike shoes and they feel great too. I bought a pair for the gym and I take my shoes seriously when it comes to working out, because they make a huge difference. The top of the line Nike shoes with fancy bubbles or shox on the bottom that are 150 are re-branded as Starter and sell at the Mart of Walls for a maximum of 28 dollars. Check it out if you stop by Walmart, you will be shocked like I was.
Note: I am not a shoe expert, so I will go ahead and post the inevitable reply of a self proclaimed shoe expert: if you buy shoes from Walmart, your feet will fall off.
@Snarkysnake: Please cite your sources on this 'mathematical certainty.' If you want to cite trends in quality of life in regards to manufactured goods, let's talk about how someone lived 20 years ago to today. My econobox handles better than a luxury car made 20 years ago, my computer is astronomically more powerful, and my workout clothes are wick and insulate better than wool.
@Bao Quy Phan: I don't buy American Apparel because the owner is an asshat and I'm not some hipster retard.
Also American Apparel is only "for the hip young kids" so there is always that.
That and sexually harrasive douchebags!
@MissPiss: You're extremely irrational if you're actually scared instead of just posting some FUD junk.
@csdiego: Taurus, Focus, Fusion, and now that I think of it, anything modern from Ford. Ahead of Honda on latest quality metrics (current model year), and tied with Toyota. Wonder if that has anything to do with being the one American company not taking government money or in bankruptcy (or damned close to it)?
@Bao Quy Phan: Sorry but $91 for a pack of tshirts is ridiculous. Mr. Pi's Hanes shirts have lasted many, many washings. At $2 a shirt I don't think we can squabble. It's also the matter of not spending $91 on tshirts.
Hardware stores are still good places to buy American, if you avoid big, formerly good brands like Stanley.
Not only did Stanley's management close all their American factories, they moved the company to a tax shelter on Cayman. And now their products suck -- no surprise.
It's surprising how often you find that the store brand (Ace or True Value) is US made. Or you'll find a product made by a Midwestern mom+pop company.
@dohtem: The thing about foreign is even great beer is old by the time we get it. I try ot only buy beer with bottled on dates that are less than a month old.
Most every beer I have that is less than a month old is delicious. The think is very few breweries date their beers.
I'd settle for "North America" -- Canada and Mexico are huge trade partners, and unlike with China, it's not all unidirectional. I'd gladly purchase from them if the opportunity were to arise. Similarly, goods from most of Europe are acceptable in my book, too, because it's not unilateral trade.
@William Brinkman: Not taking either side (as I'm not knowledgable to do so), but I think while technology advancements have made your car/computer/clothes better, I think the point was that the build quality is lower...that a car made 20 years ago would be more durable and last longer than one made today.
Hell, I'd think it'd be worse to ones wallet to get used to a standard of living filled with GPSs, MP3s, Blu-Ray, etc...then have low build quality items crap out on you, then having to buy the product again to maintain your standard of living.
Did most turntables last longer than DVD players?
I'm surprised nobody has brought up unions in this? I wonder why it costs so much to buy American...
Also, unions have gone way too far. They act as if it a moral right to make $20 an hour with free health care without a degree or experience.
In my opinion buying American is only sustainable for so long. Let's say a company that only produces it's pants in the US charges $200 for them (in comparison a place like Ann Taylor, whose clothes are not American made, charges $100.
I, being a middle class professional can't fathom spending $100 on dress pants and wait for them to go on sale. What of the $200 American pants? How long do I wait and what are re chances I'll ever see that sale?
I can't afford the $100 pants let alone the $200. I need the quality and the difference cannot be $100 worth.
My girlfriend asked me to get something out of her Coach purse (not a knock off, but bought at their outlet) when I saw the label on the inside. MADE IN CHINA.
The $200 she paid for that purse probably was what the person who made it earned in a month or more.
crazy
@William Brinkman: Agreed. I'd need to see some facts.
For example, this study showed that there is a small but statistically significant reduction in obesity rates in towns that have a Walmart vs ones that don't.
In this case, the availability of cheap products, specifically fruits and vegetables is potentially increasing the standard of living for people.
However, I'm convinced someone could find a study that backs up the original claim with "mathematical certainty" because usually that's just some statistics, and we all know statistics can be manipulated. Basically, my study, your study, it's all propaganda.
@pecan 3.14159265: Agreed. I love my Hanes Tagless Ts from walmart. I pay 4-5 dollars per, and have about 10 plain black ones. Some are grey now, but I wear them as under shirts or to work out in, and have had many for over a year.
@frank64: Hooray for stone and pizza port. I couldn't have managed the depression if both of them weren't 5 minutes from my house.
@Lance Peeples: I am a capitalist, and my wet dream is a free market where there are no barriers to starting a company to sell American made products in markets where you can only find a Chinese choice. The reason there isn't one is because it's not economically viable to sell the same product for 250% more just because it's made in one place or another. There's your free market - and it has spoken loudly.
I find anti-Capitalist rhetoric like yours both confusing and hilarious, because right now you either:
a) work for a private industry, which pays you money thanks to a free market.
b) work for the government, in which case the taxes taken from private companies and workers pays your salary.
c) don't work, in which case either your mooching off the government or mooching off someone else.
@AlteredBeast: i don't know...but I do know that my sister has gone through 3 DVD players in the past 5 years. The DVD player on her DVD/VCR doesn't work, so she bought a cheapo DVD player which no longer works, and then she stole the mid range DVD player I had bought for the 3rd floor entertainment room. That still works.
The TV my parents bought in 1984, while weighing a million pounds, was still operational in 2003. The TV I bought in 2002 was dead by 2009. Sure it lived long for it's cohort but still, it didn't live for 20 years.
Slowly,but with mathematical certainty,our standard of living is declining. We have no choices other than cheap,junky foreign goods of low quality for some items (even though they are sold at a premium under a recognizable brand name,at a brand name store). Where did the difference in manufacturing cost go ?