My kids used to laugh when I’d unleash some choice words about ‘Cheap Chinese Crap’ – some item or other that I got that had the all-pervasive ‘Made in China’ label on it. The quality of these kinds of things has never been great. Now even that level of craftmanship is deteriorating.
One time I even went into a baby supply store to get a gift and challenged the staff to find me anything not made in China in their entire store. They could not find a single item.
Tools that break, clothes that disintegrate, shoes that don’t fit right and don’t last long, household items that just look cheap. This is really getting annoying.
My favorite brand of shoes, Florsheim, which I have worn for more than 40 years, has even succumbed. Recently I went to Men’s Wearhouse to get a new pair, since the 30-year-old (American made) ones I had in the closet were finally looking a little too shabby.
I recall that a nice pair of Florsheims cost about a hundred bucks in the 1970s – worth every penny. Right now they still cost about the same and aren’t so nice any more. Guess what? Made in China.
My friend Harvey Hess recently talked at my Rotary club about our economy and how so much of it has been outsourced. READ: cheaper. This is a well-known trend that undermines our lifestyle in many ways here in the U.S.
With the advent of NAFTA, CAFTA, and the unstoppable Trans-Pacific Partnership coming soon, the situation for our economy and for any chance we have of getting quality products in our homes continues to diminish.
The joke today by the financial page idiots at USA Today is that our trade deficit grew this past quarter because of some sort of port strike, or freezing weather, or some other kind of BS. It has been growing for more than 7 years! Yes, this is a bad joke alright.
Recently I decided to start the hunt for American made products, however that is defined these days. Looking at labels in stores is inefficient. So I used the Great and Powerful Google to find some suppliers.
The first few results are very encouraging:
http://madeinusaforever.com/
http://www.ibuyamericanstore.com/
http://www.madeinamericastore.com/
http://www.madeintheusa.com/
http://hometownusastores.com/
http://madeinusaforever.com/
https://usamadelist.com/
Yes, the prices are generally higher. Not always, though.
The prices we are paying for cheap products are even higher. Society-wide prices.
Fortunately, we can always speak with our wallets.
I almost forgot that I had discovered the document linked here: My Company ‘Tis of Thee: 50 Patriotic American Companies American Consumers Should Know About. Looks like a great resource.
It is a big pdf file (155 pp., 3.7 MB), so be patient while it loads up.
Dr. Dennis Clark,
Came across your blog post “Cheap Imports Getting Really Annoying” and saw a list of American-made resources. I wanted to see if you can add my website USA Made List (https://usamadelist.com/) to your post. It’s a searchable table by category or state of companies that make products in the USA with pictures and links. Purpose is strictly to get the word out about all the great makers and manufactures in the US.
Thanks
USA Made List
I’m glad to do so, Brian. Your link is now on that list. Also, your link will show up in the comment here, too. Thanks for the heads up. And keep up the good work!
Cheers,
Dennis