What does “Made in USA” mean to you?

I’ve been doing a little “Windows” shopping, searching online to find items, like shoes, clothing, etc.  And I’m noticing there is very little online that is made or manufactured here in the United States.

We do have some shoes made here - but they are not fashion runway shoes, at least not that I have found.

Dexter has some bowling shoes.  How big of a sport is bowling internationally?

Carolina Shoes has hiking boots and other styles that are waterproof, etc.  And their prices were pretty comparable to items manufactured elsewhere.

There are athletic shoes made here, but I don’t recall the site names or brands at the moment.

I was searching today for some comfy clothing and decided to add in my search “Made In America”.

I came across a few sites, including one that lists companies who make their products in the US.  I was disappointed that at least two of the links I clicked from that site, led me to more “search” type sites.  These people didn’t make anything, but a space to land when surfing the net.  And while I will have to dig deeper, I am thinking that they can’t possibly know where the items are made, when they are a search site, and not a seller or manufacturer.

But here is the main gripe I have for today. During the above search, I came across a site called “Shop Made in USA”.  I thought, YES!  Finally someone has done it!  That site takes you nowhere.  But if you are interested, it is for sale!  I’d be curious to know what he or she is asking for it, and whether he or she is in America, or even an American?

I’ve noticed that so many online companies don’t even bother to tell you an item is imported, let alone where it was made.  I did notice that several entries at Amazon do say where an item is made, but not all of them.

If you want to go cheap, buy it from overseas.  And then be satisfied with what you get, because “you get what you pay for”.

At the same time, so many products sold here that are Made in USA are significantly more expensive.  With so many companies going belly-up, we need to lower those price tags just enough to make them more comparable.  Times are hard for most of us in the US.  While some of us want to buy products made here, sometimes we simply can’t afford to.

These companies should be willing to make a little less and earn some customers.  When times are better, surely a good amount of it will be made up for by having those loyal customers.

And as for those of us who want to purchase items made in America, we can consider it an investment in our future, in our kids and grandkids’ futures!

We need to not buy an item that is made elsewhere, especially if we can find it made here.

We need to decide now what items are necessary and which ones (that we have lived without till now) we can live without, at least for a while longer.

The USA has made other countries rich buying products made overseas.

When you consider the sweatshops that you read about, the money is obviously not going to the “workers”, so why put it in someone else’s greedy palm?

Let’s keep our money here, in America for Americans!

And if, for whatever reason, you may not be feeling patriotic right now, then consider this when making your purchases:

The Chinese are a little people, with little feet.  The shoes will likely run small for an American foot!

The Chinese and other governments do not have our standards and so when you look at a pair of boots online, and you scroll down the page to find out where the product is made, don’t be surprised when you see that it doesn’t mean one California code or another.

You can search those codes if you aren’t familiar with them, but I didn’t because I know that polyurethane is flammable without anyone having to tell me.  And I just don’t see wearing a long pair of flammable boots.

Conspiracy theories or not,  just consider what is shipped here daily.  I want some rubber boots, but I can imagine everyone getting a pair of one color or another and all of us walking about doing our daily tasks….when all of a sudden a small nearly insignificant bomb is dropped and all of our colorful polyurethane boots catch fire, with us still in them!  That may be a bit of a stretch of the imagination, but in some way it’s also true.

Buying products elsewhere, especially if we can get there from America, made in America, fuels the outside economy with your hard earned dollar, and brings in items that are substandard.

Next time you venture into Walmart, go to the Customer Service area.  Its  usually in the front of the store.  Somewhere in there, you will see a bulletin board.  Just take a peek at how many recalled products they have.    And you may remember the lead-based paint toys for small children, or the dog food, or the car seats with this or that flaw, and so many more items.  Wasn’t there something about a gas grill that was catching fire not too long ago?

These companies, these countries, don’t have to answer to us.  They don’t have to make their products safe.  They can’t get sued.  Who’s going to sue them?  Who’s going to win?  They aren’t going to come here for a trial.  Our lawyers and judges cannot touch these people.

When you consider all of those returns, just at Walmart….you have to look at it two ways.  One, how many people didn’t hear it on the news and their children are putting those lead based painted objects in their mouth?  How many dogs and cats died from tainted pet food by brands we used to trust.  And two, all of these products that have been returned…imagine how much that costs Walmart.  Especially, and I don’t know that this is accurate, if they can’t recoup their losses from the manufacturers.  Yet they still manage to be a huge company (that runs the air conditioning at 81 and 82 degrees in their stores in my area.  So even American cashiers at Walmart are feeling a bit of the “sweat shop” atmosphere, not to mention the customers.  Personally, I’d think with food in there, it would make sense to keep the a/c lower so the coolers and freezers don’t have so much work to do…but that’s just me.

I also want to make mention of a site I landed on when searching for “made in america” tee shirts.  Shopwiki has tee shirts that say “Made in America” in the print, but does not mention where the product was actually made.  I would think this would be important information and they are letting me “assume” or “jump to the conclusion” that these “Made in USA” tees are made and manufactured here in the United States.

I don’t know about you, but I learned long ago what “assume” means, and I’ve been disappointed once or twice on the conclusions that I have jumped to.  For now, I don’t assume.  If these companies want my American Dollars, they are going to have to show me that these products are made here.  Just because it’s printed on the shirt, and even if they printed it here in the U.S., I want to know where the item is made.  Don’t be fooled!

"Made in America" - manufactured where?

If anyone is interested, I will begin a list and post it soon of companies that offer American products, made in the USA!

For now, this site seems to be doing exactly what I’m looking for:

http://blog.locallectual.com/?tag=made-in-america

Now, if I can just find something I like and can afford!

BUY AMERICAN!