Would you pay more for items?

[eliza61]

First, I am not an economics major. I've been trying to broaden my education (so to speak) since this economic melt down.
One of my pet peeves at Disney is when you visit the American Pavillion in Epcot, nothing absolutely nothing is made in the USA.
With so many of our manufacturing jobs being shipped oversees would you pay say $25 bucks more for a cell phone to keep the jobs in the US.

P.S. I know that's very simplistic and that is not the only problem effecting the economy.

 

[c4a]

Whenever possible, I do try to buy "Made in the USA". Sometimes, the extra time spent coupon clipping can bring the price down a little more competitive to foreign made.

 

[Colleen27]

Yes, I would, but I know I'm in the minority. People just don't want to pay a little more or be even a little inconvenienced for the sake of a healthier economy or a healthier planet.

Through the community garden I've been trying to organize, I've become involved with a group that promotes buying locally grown foods and locally made products as a way to reduce our fossil fuel needs, and I cannot believe how strong the resistance is to the idea, even when the price difference is minimal (for example, 20 cents/gallon more for milk from a dairy in our county rather than the store brand which is trucked in from another state).

 

[tinkryansmom]

I try to buy Made in the USA whenever possible. Shoes are extremely hard!! But I believe we have to protect US interests. I don't figure little ol me is really making a huge difference but maybe, just maybe, those "somebodies" will "get it"?

I continue to hope.

 

[LuvOrlando]

-

 

[happygirl]

I try to buy things that are made in the USA as much as I can,

 

[fairykin]

My husband and I were talking about this a week ago...


Could You go one week without purchasing something not made in the usa?

Meaning purchasing only things made in the USA?

We might try it in the new year. make it a week goal..then a 2 week out of 4 goal.

The problem would be in knowing where your produce came from.

 

[Pinkgurlshubby]

We have a popular bumper sticker here. Still employed? Keep buying foreign.
I laugh everytime I see a car with this bumper sticker at Walmart...
You buy made in USA, I buy made in Canada. No offence to foreign economies but we have to take our economies back and buying a 6 pack of socks for 3 dollars that are so thin they rip the first time you use them is not the answer. I'll pay 10 dollars for the socks made in Canada or the USA and I know they will last.

 

[Kathi OD]

I said that other factors are involved. Most of the time I'd say yes, but you never know what circumstances will befall you that would make the ability to pay a little more for everything just out of the question.

 

[Piglets Mommy]

I picked Other....for the most part, yes I will pay more for something made in the USA...but only so much more...I won't pay double the cost. I am very picky about foods though...with all the scares of foods from China and other countries, if it's going in my body, I try to buy things that came from the USA.

 

[Demosthenes]

I buy the product I want for the best price, regardless of where it is made. That is what fuels an effective global economy. If we can't compete making equal quality widgets in the US, then widget making isn't the right course for us. No one should artificially prop-up what the economic selection naturally eliminates. Instead, we should focus on what we can and do perform well. Frankly, I think propping up industries (like auto and textiles) in order to keep American companies competitive stymies research and development of new innovation.

 

[Quiksilvr]

I buy the product I want for the best price, regardless of where it is made. That is what fuels an effective global economy. If we can't compete making equal quality widgets in the US, then widget making isn't the right course for us. No one should artificially prop-up what the economic selection naturally eliminates. Instead, we should focus on what we can and do perform well. Frankly, I think propping up industries (like auto and textiles) in order to keep American companies competitive stymies research and development of new innovation.

I generally agree with this comment. Keeping things around that are no longer competitive prevents new innovations from coming about. If a company knows they aren't competitive, they have two choices: (1) make themselves more competitive by lowering costs on current offerings, or (2) make themselves more competitive by coming up with a new/better way to make the product or with a new/better product. If you prop up the industry, they don't have an incentive to do this.

 

[cabanafrau]

I really have to disagree with the PP who noted how much merchandise at Walmart & the Dollar Stores is US made, not so in my opinion. I firmly believe that the Walmart model of vendor agreements is in a large part responsible for how far down the rabbit hole the US economy has gone. Their strong-arm tactics to lower prices artificially drove many, many companies either out of the US or out of business altogether. The business was then given to overseas manufacturers, often with sweatshop conditions. Anybody remember the whole debacle of the Kathy Lee line of clothing many years back -- they were just getting started back then.

 

[Colleen27]

My husband and I were talking about this a week ago...


Could You go one week without purchasing something not made in the usa?

Meaning purchasing only things made in the USA?

We might try it in the new year. make it a week goal..then a 2 week out of 4 goal.

The problem would be in knowing where your produce came from.

Produce isn't that difficult. Look at the little sticker that has the code on it - it'll tell you the country of origin.

The tougher issue is consumer goods. Things like CDs, DVDs, shoes, etc. are rarely made here, and while you could easily go a week without buying any of those, they do present a challenge for people who want to make buying American a full time lifestyle.

My personal guideline is to buy American whenever possible while acknowledging that some things simply aren't made here. I can't get an American made gaming system for my kids for Christmas at any price, but I can spend a little extra to buy American made Carhartt jeans and Red Wing boots for the family.

 

[suzimar57]

yes i'd pay more for USA made - enough with the outsourcing, already.

 

[Free4Life11]

No. I just took an international economics class and firmly support free trade and think each country should specialize in producing the goods it is best at. Sure, I get the warm fuzzies when something I buy is Made in the USA, but I don't go out of my way to look for those products.

 

[Colleen27]

I buy the product I want for the best price, regardless of where it is made. That is what fuels an effective global economy. If we can't compete making equal quality widgets in the US, then widget making isn't the right course for us. No one should artificially prop-up what the economic selection naturally eliminates. Instead, we should focus on what we can and do perform well. Frankly, I think propping up industries (like auto and textiles) in order to keep American companies competitive stymies research and development of new innovation.

While I think that's a valid thought in an all-things-equal world, I don't personally value the type of efficiency that makes foreign-made products cheaper. They aren't building a better product or making it in a more efficient fashion; they're just taking advantage of the large and desperate populations of third world countries. And as long as the consumer supports those practices, there's no incentive for innovation - the status quo is high profits and low labor costs. Why mess with that?

 

[bavaria]

Yes, I do look at labels and I will pay more for items made in XYZ whether it be America or Germany or somewhere else. I realise that Germany does not manufacture every type of product, nor is something made in Germany necessarily better than something made elsewhere. But I do consider how the item was made, and the impact on the global economy.

It actually upsets me to see Old Navy selling hand knit hats and scarves for $1 - I know how long it takes to knit those things, and how little the woman who made them earns. I won't buy those items, but I will provide economic assistance to those people in other ways.

The reality however is that one cannot really entirely only buy 'made in XYZ' products unless one buys very little or spends a lot of money. But we can make an effort.

And I too agree that it makes sense to buy things from countries which specialize in that product.

 

[eliza61]

I buy the product I want for the best price, regardless of where it is made. That is what fuels an effective global economy. If we can't compete making equal quality widgets in the US, then widget making isn't the right course for us. No one should artificially prop-up what the economic selection naturally eliminates. Instead, we should focus on what we can and do perform well. Frankly, I think propping up industries (like auto and textiles) in order to keep American companies competitive stymies research and development of new innovation.

But how do we stay competitive? We can never compete with Mexico or India if they are only paying their workers $2.00/day.

I admit I do try to buy american where I can. I hate the cheap t-shirts coming out of China and it drives me insane when I call HP for help with my computer and I get some one in India who I can't understand. That was one reason I stopped using my American express card, every time I called their 800 number I got a representative that I couldn't understand that I had to keep saying "repeat that please". flame suit now on.

 

[gottaluvPluto]

I have always tried to buy American. It is very difficult. I need some forks for the kitchen, but I can't find any made here, so I'm doing without.