ilovedolphins
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Post by ilovedolphins on Sept 29, 2015 20:17:46 GMT -5
Do you look at where the items are made before you buy them? I usually don't but I thought I would start and just see how many things I own that are made in the US.
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busymom
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Post by busymom on Sept 29, 2015 20:33:57 GMT -5
I've made more of an effort to in the last few years. No, I don't buy everything made in the US, but if I have the choice between several different brands, I'll buy the US product. I'm trying to do my little part to keep more jobs at home.
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billisonboard
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Post by billisonboard on Sept 29, 2015 21:01:40 GMT -5
How many people only buy products made in the USA? In 2014, 12 people did.
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chiver78
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Post by chiver78 on Sept 29, 2015 21:07:07 GMT -5
I try to. there are certain areas where I really don't - like clothing, since I'm losing weight and don't want to spend much money at this size.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2015 21:49:32 GMT -5
We work at it. It's not always possible but I've found some good prices by doing a Google search on (name of product) made in USA. I also see more things with a Made in USA label and we do buy those.
If we can't find something made in the USA we at least try to avoid items made in countries with the worst human rights records.
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mroped
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Post by mroped on Sept 29, 2015 21:58:19 GMT -5
When it comes to tools,then yes, I prefer buying Made in U.S. Everything else, there is very little made in this country anymore.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2015 22:07:02 GMT -5
I try to, but it's pretty hard. I work for an electronics company and even though stuff we make goes out saying "Made in the USA", the components are all from China and we have plants in China, Thailand, Romania, and Mexico where we ship out the high volume board level stuff to be built with the cheap labor.
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whoisjohngalt
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Post by whoisjohngalt on Sept 29, 2015 23:53:41 GMT -5
My husband was adamant about not buying anything made in China for the kids. We were able to do that for the longest time. They still don't have any clothing or bedding made in China, but most of it not made in US either.
And while we would have love to buy it made in US - certain things are just not made here anymore. Or ever. I don't know.
Interestingly enough I was going through my closet this past weekend and got rid of a lot of clothing from years ago. 99% of it was made in US. I certainly wasn't trying to buy made in US on purpose. Back then the only thing I looked on the labels were brand and size.
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bobosensei
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Post by bobosensei on Sept 30, 2015 0:53:52 GMT -5
I try to, but it's pretty hard. I work for an electronics company and even though stuff we make goes out saying "Made in the USA", the components are all from China and we have plants in China, Thailand, Romania, and Mexico where we ship out the high volume board level stuff to be built with the cheap labor. This is good to know. Probably happens a lot more than people think.
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wvugurl26
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Post by wvugurl26 on Sept 30, 2015 6:20:14 GMT -5
Our new washer is like that. Assembled in the US of foreign made components. I try to look for stuff made here but it's impossible for some things. I found a dress line I like but very little is carried in Macy's etc and for clothing I need to try it on first. I have no problem trying on a different color or whatever in store and buying what I want online.
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andi9899
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Post by andi9899 on Sept 30, 2015 7:03:23 GMT -5
I buy quality whenever I buy something. Doesn't matter what it is. If that item happens to be made in the US, so be it. If not, that's OK with me too.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Sept 30, 2015 7:52:16 GMT -5
I try to avoid China and they know that a lot of people do try so they are getting trickier about it. Clothing is now a lot easier because I only buy now for myself and DH at this one store and they don't buy anything from there. There's a thing out about how to read bar codes. I'm not sure if it's true but I took a picture of it and I look before I buy.
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The Captain
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Post by The Captain on Sept 30, 2015 8:40:19 GMT -5
I try to buy made in the USA as much as possible. As others have mentioned, it's difficult to find some things that are made in the US.
I avoid things made in China as much as possible. ESPECIALLY food items. Next time you're in walmart look at where that can of mushrooms came from. Where sissy lives (at least) it's from China.
Don't trust their agricultural practices at all.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2015 8:46:14 GMT -5
I always find it funny that my company outsources so much even with the cheaper labor because we have so many quality issues from our overseas plants that cost us a ton. A lot of our products are FDA regulated so one escape is a huge deal and often we'll just throw away assemblies rather than pay to ship them back to fix, but, I guess that goes to show how cheap they can build things if we're still coming out ahead.
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imawino
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Post by imawino on Sept 30, 2015 9:11:16 GMT -5
I buy Tito's vodka and California wine.
I do look for made in the USA items when I can. I can't imagine that anyone could really get by buying things only made in the USA. Have you ever seen the Made in America series on World News Tonight? They have asked people if they think they buy a lot of goods made in America, and then they have asked if they can clear out their house of all things not made in America and inevitably the shocked homeowner comes back to an almost empty house.
It's an interesting series and I haven't seen too many but they do showcase some interesting items made in America.
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HoneyBBQ
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Post by HoneyBBQ on Sept 30, 2015 9:48:25 GMT -5
Do you look at where the items are made before you buy them? I usually don't but I thought I would start and just see how many things I own that are made in the US. Some things. I don't like plastic toys or other plastic items that are made in China because they are lacking in laws that limit lead, cadmium, and other heavy metals from being pervasive in their products. Same with packaged food stuffs. I stay away as much as I can. But other than that, I only buy cars made over the water.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2015 9:59:36 GMT -5
I buy quality whenever I buy something. Doesn't matter what it is. If that item happens to be made in the US, so be it. If not, that's OK with me too. It matters to me because if they're using cheap labor but keeping their prices the same, it means that none of the advantage of cheap labor is passed on to the consumer. Coach is a good example. They used to make nearly everything in the US and I have a couple of classic bags from those days. They moved all their production to China (I once went into an outlet and found nothing that wasn't made in China) but they sure as heck didn't decrease prices. Over the years, the quality has deteriorated as well. I don't buy Coach bags anymore and when my current ones wear out I'll be looking for replacements made in the US, probably by crafters.
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cktc
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Post by cktc on Sept 30, 2015 10:24:29 GMT -5
Have you ever seen the Made in America series on World News Tonight? They have asked people if they think they buy a lot of goods made in America, and then they have asked if they can clear out their house of all things not made in America and inevitably the shocked homeowner comes back to an almost empty house.
It's an interesting series and I haven't seen too many but they do showcase some interesting items made in America. Just thinking about the idea of this show overwhelms me. Is this a last stop Made in USA sort of deal or does it have to be 100%? How would they even know? Most of the handmade stuff I own has foreign components, but there are no labels. Maybe USA granny knit a scarf while on vacation in Canada using Australian wool. Refurbished furniture? Paintings with either UK or USA based paints?
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phil5185
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Post by phil5185 on Sept 30, 2015 10:39:27 GMT -5
I'm not against any particular nation. But I have one exception - cars. I avoid US cars, I do not like to pay UAW people their outrageous wage for unskilled labor. The UAW drove much of the car market off-shore, and that has consequences. Plus, the Japanese cars are better quality and more reliable.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2015 10:57:04 GMT -5
I'm not against any particular nation. But I have one exception - cars. I avoid US cars, I do not like to pay UAW people their outrageous wage for unskilled labor. The UAW drove much of the car market off-shore, and that has consequences. Plus, the Japanese cars are better quality and more reliable. My Dad, uncle and grandfather all worked in the steel industry- I was raised in the Rust Belt. Even my Dad, who was management and never put another bumper sticker on any car he ever owned, once had one proclaiming, "United Steelworkers say: Buy American". And that was what we all did. Well, except for me. Fed up with my experience with American brands (first was a POS used 1973 Hornet, followed by a Mustang that was sexy but a deathmobile in snow, followed by an Olds Cutlass Ciera that was junk after 85K miles), I bought a Japanese-brand car made in the US. I got horribly ripped off on the financing so I won't give them any positive publicity by naming them, but I donated it to charity after 202,000 miles and we were moving halfway across the country. DH and I have stuck with other Japanese brands since and my siblings are slowly buying non-US brands here and there. My parents still buy American. I've heard that American cars now last longer, but I figured they got enough of my money when I was young and ignorant. I'm not going to start buying them now that they finally had to clean up their act to compete with imports.
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tskeeter
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Post by tskeeter on Sept 30, 2015 11:04:05 GMT -5
Do you look at where the items are made before you buy them? I usually don't but I thought I would start and just see how many things I own that are made in the US. Unfortunately, even when you buy products made in the USA, you often aren't really buying made in the USA. I used to work for a food manufacturer that most everyone would recognize. The agricultural crop that was used to make the company's signature product was mostly acquired from Chili. Although the products was processed in the US, and included US sourced ingredients, when measured by volume, it would be a product of Chili. The same applies to my current employer. Most of our products are assembled in the US, but almost all of our castings come from Asia. Based on where cost is added, it's made in the US. Based on almost any other measure of content, it's made in Asia. Rather than focusing on made in the USA, I tend to think about supporting my local merchants. That way I'm sure that at least some of the money I spend is staying in town. Sure, you can buy almost anything over the internet these days. And usually at a better price than from the local store. But, when it's Saturday, and the grass is six inches high, and the HOA is on my case, and my Toro lawn mower needs a part before it can be used, I can't run over to Amazon (or often, even to Home Depot) and get the part I need. I go to the local small equipment dealer. Cause he's got the part I need on the shelf. And he helps me figure out which version of the part is the correct one for my lawn mower. That is, unless he closed his doors because he can't make a living at it any more.
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tskeeter
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Post by tskeeter on Sept 30, 2015 11:21:24 GMT -5
I'm not against any particular nation. But I have one exception - cars. I avoid US cars, I do not like to pay UAW people their outrageous wage for unskilled labor. The UAW drove much of the car market off-shore, and that has consequences. Plus, the Japanese cars are better quality and more reliable. Phil, while I agree with your contention that Japanese cars are better quality and more reliable, I've driven Mazda and Toyota cars assembled in the USA by the UAW for decades. Both brands were much more reliable and better quality than domestic brands. So, I attribute the quality differences to engineering and the materal specifications and tolerances designed into the Japanese cars. The Japanese never did something like designing a spiral jacket for a parking brake cable that wasn't water tight, then route it under the car where it was exposed to salt laden snow. And then top it off by installing a parking brake assembly that was so light that heavy, slightly off center application of the rusty parking brake caused the parking brake arm to fold like paper. (You'd think the kids at GM, in Detroit, would know what happens with salt and snow.)
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imawino
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Post by imawino on Sept 30, 2015 11:29:19 GMT -5
Have you ever seen the Made in America series on World News Tonight? They have asked people if they think they buy a lot of goods made in America, and then they have asked if they can clear out their house of all things not made in America and inevitably the shocked homeowner comes back to an almost empty house.
It's an interesting series and I haven't seen too many but they do showcase some interesting items made in America. Just thinking about the idea of this show overwhelms me. Is this a last stop Made in USA sort of deal or does it have to be 100%? How would they even know? Most of the handmade stuff I own has foreign components, but there are no labels. Maybe USA granny knit a scarf while on vacation in Canada using Australian wool. Refurbished furniture? Paintings with either UK or USA based paints? I don't know the answer to that. Some information can be found on their website.
abcnews.go.com/WN/MadeInAmerica
I tried to do the Quiz on which brands are still made in the US, but the link didn't work for me.
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imawino
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Post by imawino on Sept 30, 2015 11:31:43 GMT -5
I'm not against any particular nation. But I have one exception - cars. I avoid US cars, I do not like to pay UAW people their outrageous wage for unskilled labor. The UAW drove much of the car market off-shore, and that has consequences. Plus, the Japanese cars are better quality and more reliable. Unless you are saying that the cars you buy are significantly cheaper than the UAW made cars, you are paying someone, somewhere the same premium for their "unskilled" labor.
I have no idea how accurate this is, but it was fun to put in car makes/models and see how much is American made.
abcnews.go.com/WN/MadeInAmerica/page/made-america-car-american-made-13795239
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wyouser
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Post by wyouser on Sept 30, 2015 12:15:06 GMT -5
With some lines of products that is a difficult thing to do.....
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The Home 6
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Post by The Home 6 on Sept 30, 2015 12:51:03 GMT -5
I am a bit more particular about clothing now. And it is really hard- is the fabric made in America, or is it from overseas? I don't want to be supporting companies that have abysmal human rights records overseas with running sweatshops, not paying their workers a living wage, and dumping chemical runoff into rivers.
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PK Bucko
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Post by PK Bucko on Sept 30, 2015 13:08:46 GMT -5
I would love to buy all American made goods but what the hell is made here anymore? Electronics, clothing, etc. It seems hard as hell to find domestic products. And when you do find them, they're leaps and bounds more expensive than the imports.
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ArchietheDragon
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Post by ArchietheDragon on Sept 30, 2015 13:10:15 GMT -5
I try to but so little is made here and less everyday its almost impossible. I pay more for USA made products, figure its somebody working paying in toward my SS, keep these people employed. Pat, sounds like there is a market niche for US made clothing. You should start selling what you make.
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Post by mojothehelpermonkey on Sept 30, 2015 14:29:07 GMT -5
I always find it funny that my company outsources so much even with the cheaper labor because we have so many quality issues from our overseas plants that cost us a ton. A lot of our products are FDA regulated so one escape is a huge deal and often we'll just throw away assemblies rather than pay to ship them back to fix, but, I guess that goes to show how cheap they can build things if we're still coming out ahead. My last two jobs have been at companies that sell non-FDA regulated immunoassays that are marketed as "made in America". At the first job, all of the products were actually made in Taiwan, but the quality was generally okay. At my most recent job, most of the products were made in China, and the quality was terrible. After seeing what passes for QC, I won't even buy cat toys that were made in China. I also wouldn't trade places with the Chinese R& scientists even though I am currently unemployed. The ones I worked with made terrible wages and seemed miserable most of the time.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2015 15:14:23 GMT -5
I always find it funny that my company outsources so much even with the cheaper labor because we have so many quality issues from our overseas plants that cost us a ton. A lot of our products are FDA regulated so one escape is a huge deal and often we'll just throw away assemblies rather than pay to ship them back to fix, but, I guess that goes to show how cheap they can build things if we're still coming out ahead. My last two jobs have been at companies that sell non-FDA regulated immunoassays that are marketed as "made in America". At the first job, all of the products were actually made in Taiwan, but the quality was generally okay. At my most recent job, most of the products were made in China, and the quality was terrible. After seeing what passes for QC, I won't even buy cat toys that were made in China. I also wouldn't trade places with the Chinese R& scientists even though I am currently unemployed. The ones I worked with made terrible wages and seemed miserable most of the time. I work in QC here, and the stuff they pull in the China plant are insane. Documents and procedures are often whipped up after the fact and we know they are sometimes creating data to "prove" corrective actions have been implemented and were successful when they didn't do shit. Our engineers occasionally have to go over there to whip them into shape and they come back just flustered by the mess. It doesn't help that the turnover rate is so high in China that nobody ever is there long enough to learn how to do their job properly.
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