19 Iconic Products that America doesn't make anymore

[SaraJayne]

Just to clarify, I realize that we aren't the only country that is consumer-driven...it just seems like we are the biggest one that consumes the most.

 

[Geoff_M]

I find the "consumerism" drive of this country fascinating. And generally speaking, how everyone has to have more, more, more. Of what? Most of it is junk.

You may classify your possessions as mainly so, but I don't think most people would call their "stuff" as "junk". I'm also wondering what alternative scheme you're suggesting?

 

[Geoff_M]

I agree! I wish there were opportunities to make certain that the things we purchase are Americn made. There is an email heading around my elders email forwards that has the UPC codes that shows you the manufacturing codes for each country. That is the only way I know to know for sure.

Welcome to the DIS! Congrats on your first post!

The e-mail you refer to is incorrect. A product's country of origin cannot be accurately determined by a product's UPC code. The "country codes" in UPC codes are the country where the code was assigned, not where the product was made. An American company selling clothing made in a plant in Vietnam will most likely have a "country code" of the USA on the UPC code.

 

[bicker]

Yet, Toyotas and Honda's cost more then their corresponding "American made" car but people still buy them .

First: What I said was that people won't buy American if it means paying more for the same. Second: Second, your assertion assumes that what you are comparing is "corresponding". That's not your decision: Each purchaser makes that decision for themselves, and their appraisal is what matters.

People WILL pay for quality because they know the overall cost of ownership is less in the long run.

That's simply not the way things are anymore. Commodity by commodity, service by service, one by one, consumers are switching to a "price only" decision model.

And now I pay more for a "Japanese" car (though it was not built in Japan) because of the quality. And I'm not alone. I think people would buy American if there was a reason. Either lower price or higher quality.

Cars will probably be the last product that get sold at Wal-Mart. Let's focus on the list outlined in the OP.... starting with the item that my comments, the ones that you're replying to, were regarding: Sneakers.

 

[golfgal]

But if there was not such a demand for "stuff" in this country, the people of China and other countries wouldn't have to work like they do.

I find the "consumerism" drive of this country fascinating. And generally speaking, how everyone has to have more, more, more. Of what? Most of it is junk.

If I'm thinking of the same town you're referring to, people in that town do have a lot of money. lol

You may classify your possessions as mainly so, but I don't think most people would call their "stuff" as "junk". I'm also wondering what alternative scheme you're suggesting?

I was going to ask the same thing--what do you propose instead that we should go back to living off the land? I guess I don't understand your issue with "consumerism"

 

[tlbwriter]

Cars will probably be the last product that get sold at Wal-Mart. Let's focus on the list outlined in the OP.... starting with the item that my comments, the ones that you're replying to, were regarding: Sneakers.

Sneakers are a hard one. I'm willing to pay more for quality, and I'm even willing to pay more for local/American products under some circumstances, but sneakers either fit or they don't. I'll buy lesser quality sneakers if the better ones hurt my feet. I'll pay extra for sneakers, no matter where they're made, if they fit comfortably. There is no wiggle room on sneakers.

 

[Geoff_M]

I'm also calling "bull cookies" on Gerber baby food being on that list. While Gerber is clearly owned by Nestle now (and Sandoz before that), Gerber is still very much in business in the US. They are still Newaygo County, Michigan's largest employer, and I found a State of Michigan publication that clearly references baby food manufacturing at Gerber's main Fremont, MI plant well past the supposed 1994 termination of US based food making activities. In addition, tax breaks for the plant were discussed in 2008. This doesn't mean that some Gerber products are now imported, but it doesn't appear to be the case that no Gerber baby food is made on US soil.

 

[pepperw23]

Interesting. Sad. On a lighter note, my Grandmother met my Grandfather when she worked in a shirt factory somewhere in the south and put her name and phone number in the pocket of a shirt she was shipping. He found it and the rest is history.

What a fun story!!!!

 

[C.Ann]

C Ann--since you bring up yourself as an example of someone who has no extra $$ to spend (you and your DD are not out in the stores shopping you say) I can just say that from your posts only I know that you have a place to live with your DD and do live there half the year, yet you continue to maintain a second address "at the lake." You buy lots and lots of books (online--not supporting a locally run book store). You have a computer and internet connection. You buy crayons and other craft items. You own a TV and have cable (based on you checking the weather channel every day). Your DD is about to buy a new dryer (also not a necessity--I run mine maybe twice a month for convenience's sake--but folding racks set up in the basement or even the living room do indeed work)..

I think you misunderstood my post - and since I always enjoy reading your comments, I wanted to pop back in here just one more time to respond directly to you and clarify a few things - then I will be on my merry way..

I wasn't talking about "my" financial situation - or the financial situations of anyone else in my family.. I was simply responding to a blanket statement from someone else that "everyone" was out shopping which wasn't (and isn't) the case..(And one other small point - for DD her dryer "is" a necessity based on her physical disabilities - and my buying used books on half.com is basically just another way of recycling if you think about it..).. But again - what I spend or don't spend has nothing to do with the point that I was trying to make about others who are less fortunate - for any number of reasons..

I then when on to create an "imaginary" person - in dire straights - to try to make a point of what someone in that situation would have to do out of "need".. It seems that people are having difficulty understanding that not "everyone" is out there spending money freely without having to decide which item is going to be realistic (in terms of cost) for their current financial situation.. (During the summer I believe, there was an extremely long support thread over on the BB for people who had lost their jobs - and I recall several posters here on the CB recently announcing that they or their spouses had just obtained jobs after being out of work 2+ years..) Thus the "not everyone is in the same financial situation" comment..

As for the part of your response that I bolded, I just wanted to clarify for you that this is not a "second address".. This is my primary address/primary home - in that I own no other property (home); I pay residential taxes (not "seasonal" - as others do up here); I pay electric and phone year-round; this is the address on my driver's license, bank accounts, etc., and I live here for the majority of the year (not just 6 months).. It would be no different than if my DD lived in Florida and I chose to spend winters with her there.. This is my "home" - although I do tend to refer to returning to my DD's for the harshest of winter months as "going home" because they're not hundreds of miles away so it would seem silly to say "I go to visit my DD and her family for the winter".. LOL..

Hope I've cleared up what my prior post was based on.. It would be interesting if someone did a poll here on the CB - as well as the BB - to see how many are still out of work - as well as their other family members, close friends, etc.. Maybe that would make things a little clearer as to why folks are in a position where they are purchasing the "cheaper" item - regardless of where it's manufactured..

Now I'm off to find some threads that aren't so depressing.. LOL..
Have a great day - and a nice discussion..

 

[Mommee]

And now I pay more for a "Japanese" car (though it was not built in Japan) because of the quality. And I'm not alone. I think people would buy American if there was a reason. Either lower price or higher quality.

Uh, people do buy American. While you might not be alone, you're certainly a minority. Both GM and Ford individually outsold Toyota last month. Combine them as "American" and it kind of crushes Toyota.

 

[tlbwriter]

Uh, people do buy American. While you might not be alone, you're certainly a minority. Both GM and Ford individually outsold Toyota last month. Combine them as "American" and it kind of crushes Toyota.

Well, sure. I said people will buy American if there's a reason. And I buy Japanese because there's a reason. No argument there. I was simply disputing the statement that Americans buy based on cost alone.

 

[SaraJayne]

I think you misunderstood my post - and since I always enjoy reading your comments, I wanted to pop back in here just one more time to respond directly to you and clarify a few things - then I will be on my merry way..

I wasn't talking about "my" financial situation - or the financial situations of anyone else in my family.. I was simply responding to a blanket statement from someone else that "everyone" was out shopping which wasn't (and isn't) the case..(And one other small point - for DD her dryer "is" a necessity based on her physical disabilities - and my buying used books on half.com is basically just another way of recycling if you think about it..).. But again - what I spend or don't spend has nothing to do with the point that I was trying to make about others who are less fortunate - for any number of reasons..

I then when on to create an "imaginary" person - in dire straights - to try to make a point of what someone in that situation would have to do out of "need".. It seems that people are having difficulty understanding that not "everyone" is out there spending money freely without having to decide which item is going to be realistic (in terms of cost) for their current financial situation.. (During the summer I believe, there was an extremely long support thread over on the BB for people who had lost their jobs - and I recall several posters here on the CB recently announcing that they or their spouses had just obtained jobs after being out of work 2+ years..) Thus the "not everyone is in the same financial situation" comment..

Hope I've cleared up what my prior post was based on.. It would be interesting if someone did a poll here on the CB - as well as the BB - to see how many are still out of work - as well as their other family members, close friends, etc.. Maybe that would make things a little clearer as to why folks are in a position where they are purchasing the "cheaper" item - regardless of where it's manufactured..

Now I'm off to find some threads that aren't so depressing.. LOL..
Have a great day - and a nice discussion..

Just to be clear C.Ann, you are the one that used the words "everyone" and "lots". No one else did.

 

[SaraJayne]

You may classify your possessions as mainly so, but I don't think most people would call their "stuff" as "junk". I'm also wondering what alternative scheme you're suggesting?

Not buy as much? That's the best alternative I can come up with.

I think people could live quite happily with half of their "stuff" gone. Maybe that's just me though, living a clutter-free and simpler life.

 

[S. C.]

Yup, which is exactly what caused the explosion of Walmarts.

Which is a store you'd be hard-pressed to find anything made in the USA.

True for a lot of stores!

Yet, Toyotas and Honda's cost more then their corresponding "American made" car but people still buy them . People WILL pay for quality because they know the overall cost of ownership is less in the long run.

Toyota: Made in America
http://www.autoweb.com/content/shar.../article_page_order_int/2/article_id_int/1153

 

[bicker]

Sneakers are a hard one. I'm willing to pay more for quality, and I'm even willing to pay more for local/American products under some circumstances, but sneakers either fit or they don't.

A television either works, and looks great, or it doesn't. And so on... It is those rationalizations that are the issue.

I'll pay extra for sneakers, no matter where they're made, if they fit comfortably.

The question is whether or not you'll pay more for American sneakers, even though they're not more or less comfortable than foreign sneakers. Pay approximately 30% more just because they're American. And not just for sneakers, but for everything, without excuse, without equivocation, without exception; and not just you, but practically everyone.

 

[Toad_Passenger]

A television either works, and looks great, or it doesn't. And so on... It is those rationalizations that are the issue.

The question is whether or not you'll pay more for American sneakers, even though they're not more or less comfortable than foreign sneakers. Pay approximately 30% more just because they're American. And not just for sneakers, but for everything, without excuse, without equivocation, without exception; and not just you, but practically everyone.

But why would I pay a 30% premium on something that is the same as the other product? Just because it's American? I understand the idea of helping out your neighbor, but I'll do that in other ways, I don't need to take money from my bank account to put directly into his, just because.

 

[runwad]

Who makes appliances? I'm tired of that junk that only lasts 7-9 years but doesn't have a disposable price. I'd gladly pay more if my furnace and fridge would last 30 years like the ones my parents and grandparents had. Today's crap sucks and I don't care who makes it! Give me a quality product and I'll pay more to have it.

Oh and I'm pretty sure if you shop Sam's Club, all Members Mark products are made in the USA. At least that's what my batteries say and why I bought them over the energizer and duracells!

 

[mster425]

I know in Canada and probably other countries also "x" percent of products they sell have to be produced in Canada. Television, produce, etc. I know that's more government intervention than many Americans would be happy with, though...

 

[bicker]

But why would I pay a 30% premium on something that is the same as the other product? Just because it's American?

Precisely my point. The issue raised by the OP was the fact that these kinds of things aren't made in America anymore. Why? For this reason I outlined, and you confirmed with your questioning. Why are these things being made elsewhere? Because Americans won't pay more for American products, and that's what is necessary to make products in America, because we are better paid and better protected than workers doing the same jobs in China or Pakistan.

 

[NHdisneylover]

I think you misunderstood my post - and since I always enjoy reading your comments, I wanted to pop back in here just one more time to respond directly to you and clarify a few things - then I will be on my merry way..

I wasn't talking about "my" financial situation - or the financial situations of anyone else in my family.. I was simply responding to a blanket statement from someone else that "everyone" was out shopping which wasn't (and isn't) the case..(And one other small point - for DD her dryer "is" a necessity based on her physical disabilities - and my buying used books on half.com is basically just another way of recycling if you think about it..).. But again - what I spend or don't spend has nothing to do with the point that I was trying to make about others who are less fortunate - for any number of reasons..

I then when on to create an "imaginary" person - in dire straights - to try to make a point of what someone in that situation would have to do out of "need".. It seems that people are having difficulty understanding that not "everyone" is out there spending money freely without having to decide which item is going to be realistic (in terms of cost) for their current financial situation.. (During the summer I believe, there was an extremely long support thread over on the BB for people who had lost their jobs - and I recall several posters here on the CB recently announcing that they or their spouses had just obtained jobs after being out of work 2+ years..) Thus the "not everyone is in the same financial situation" comment..

As for the part of your response that I bolded, I just wanted to clarify for you that this is not a "second address".. This is my primary address/primary home - in that I own no other property (home); I pay residential taxes (not "seasonal" - as others do up here); I pay electric and phone year-round; this is the address on my driver's license, bank accounts, etc., and I live here for the majority of the year (not just 6 months).. It would be no different than if my DD lived in Florida and I chose to spend winters with her there.. This is my "home" - although I do tend to refer to returning to my DD's for the harshest of winter months as "going home" because they're not hundreds of miles away so it would seem silly to say "I go to visit my DD and her family for the winter".. LOL..

Hope I've cleared up what my prior post was based on.. It would be interesting if someone did a poll here on the CB - as well as the BB - to see how many are still out of work - as well as their other family members, close friends, etc.. Maybe that would make things a little clearer as to why folks are in a position where they are purchasing the "cheaper" item - regardless of where it's manufactured..

Now I'm off to find some threads that aren't so depressing.. LOL..
Have a great day - and a nice discussion..

Thanks C Ann--again I was NOT criticizing how you spend your money at all (and even recycling by buying used books means you have that money you spend on them to buy "something" non essential with--which was what I was talking about). Anyway, I had thought you were using you as an example of someone not out there shopping because you cannot shop right now--sorry for misunderstanding.

I do know there are a lot of people out there who really are out of work with NO prospects and are trying and watching every. single. dime. We have been in that situation and it IS really hard. Sadly, I also know MANY people (actually know them--not just heard of them) who are out of work, even long term, and are doing things like filling bankruptcy to get our from under a home loan and credit card debt while keeping a newer, bigger (just bought) home and DVC in a S/O's name, taking vacations and putting them on credit cards even thought they have been out of work for months (and have failed to pay utility bills and the kids are getting free lunch at school), people who have been out of work for months and are begging for help from family/friends/church but consider cable TV and dance lessons for the kids to be essential items that they pay before then begging for help to make the mortgage payment, people who COULD have a job by now but refuse to relocate--not matter how dire the situation is where they live, etc. To some extent we as a society (with obvious exceptions--it is never all or nothing) has gotten spoiled and thinks what we should have to do to take care of ourselves is less than what we used to think and what we have to have to survive is more.

Bicker--I got that that was your point and wondered why Toad seemed to be arguing with you by supporting you myself

SC--thanks for posting the link showing what I was trying to say about vehicles not being made where there name indicates anyway