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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