Would you pay more for items?

[java]

If it was a better quality than yes. I don't by made in China anymore(and boy is that hard!!) so I am a step jump away from made in the USA. But I won't pay more for subpar goods.

 

[EthansMom]

I'm willing to pay more for higher quality products.... Sometimes those products are produced/manufactured here in the U.S. Often, though, a product that says "Made in the USA" is only finished in the U.S. from parts manufactured in other countries. And, often, products that you would consider to be foreign-made are largely produced here in the U.S.

For example, most of the steel imported to China comes from the U.S. If everyone in the U.S. stopped buying any products manufactured in China, we would see a negative impact on our steel industry here.

DH and I have recently gotten more strict about buying foods grown and produced here in the U.S. (or sometimes Canada). We've been reading quite a lot about the different standards for insectisides and environmental cleanliness in other countries and have more confidence that U.S.-grown/caught/produced foods have tighter controls.

DH and I have had this discussion today regarding the possibility of the gov't propping up the U.S. auto industry. Yes, there are some U.S. jobs that would be lost if the U.S. auto companies fold, but by and large, manufacturing of U.S. cars is done in foreign countries (Mexico and Canada are two big ones). While cars that you would think of as Japanese-made are often manufactured here in the U.S.

IMO, it's pretty darn difficult to define "U.S. made". I and the country are better off if I use my money to buy the best quality products that I can reasonably afford and use any savings to buy even more products.

 

[LilyWDW]

I will buy the best product available no matter where it is made. I am for quality of product and there are just some things not made as well in the USA as in other countries

 

[Rora]

I voted YES!

 

[Galahad]

You can't put the Genie back in the bottle. We have a global economy. If we try to isolate ourselves from it we will not just go through a recession, the U.S. will be alone in not coming out of it. If your objection to buying Chinese goods is objection to their treatment of their people I agree and would avoid their products. If you think you'd be protecting American jobs by trying to "buy American" it will have just the opposite effect. Any company that is headquartered here that is punished for its global operations can just move. If we prohibit them from doing business here we are decreasing the amount of commerce actually being done here and will destroy even more jobs. "Buy American" simply won't have the effect you want. If wages reset themselves in this recession we might become competitive again and there would be demand for U.S. labor again.

 

[Planogirl]

Given a choice, I would pay more for an American product. But that is only if the quality is at least the same and if it's not too much more. I can't afford to pay a lot extra.

 

[Colleen27]

If wages reset themselves in this recession we might become competitive again and there would be demand for U.S. labor again.

That's what concerns me - the only way American labor can be competitive is for wages to reset to a level that cannot support even a subsistence lifestyle here. That's the downside of a global economy that no one talks about; wages in developed nations have to fall enough that there's no savings to be had by outsourcing or else accept that any job that can be outsourced will be. Either way, a large segment of the American workforce is stuck in the position of being unable to support themselves, much less reasonably provide for a family.

 

[Buckalew11]

I have always loved getting a good deal and have shopped at places to get them. However, now our country is paying for some of that savings in these hard economic times. I would be willing to pay more for items made, built, grown etc. in the USA.
Esp. with all the scary stuff coming out of china (dog food, toothpaste, toys, etc.)

 

[Planogirl]

It's not just wages. You can include benefits as another reason for the disappearance of good American jobs.

I often see commentary that we are becoming a service industry economy but in most cases, those don't pay too well even if they STILL pay more than jobs in many developing nations. I can't see surviving while employed at many of these service jobs.

 

[Anewman]

That's what concerns me - the only way American labor can be competitive is for wages to reset to a level that cannot support even a subsistence lifestyle here. That's the downside of a global economy that no one talks about; wages in developed nations have to fall enough that there's no savings to be had by outsourcing or else accept that any job that can be outsourced will be. Either way, a large segment of the American workforce is stuck in the position of being unable to support themselves, much less reasonably provide for a family.

I wish it was just about "wages"... dont forget environmental, safety and labor laws that companies in the US are required to follow, while other nations have no such regulations.

 

[Galahad]

That's what concerns me - the only way American labor can be competitive is for wages to reset to a level that cannot support even a subsistence lifestyle here.

I don't the the "reset" will be that dire. But if wages decline in a recession, in most recessions everything else does as well. It's that part of the population that are effected less (they keep their jobs, etc) that start to take advantage of the buyer's market in all things that cause the turn around to start in the first place.

 

[Cool-Beans]

Nope.

But I'd absolutely vote down taxes that make it impossible to compete with foreign countries.

Everyone loves taxing the big, bad businesses and rich people until they find out that it will bite them in the butt...just like the big, bad businesses and rich people told them it would.

Get rid of the taxes, fees, paperwork and unions and watch the country prosper. Or say, "No, no, they're bad. And I'm right!" and watch the country go down the drain. Take your pick.

 

[2BigKIdz]

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

I do the same. I was shocked to learn that some frozen shrimp we really like is a product of Asia (can't recall which country it says, either China or Korea), even though the company is located in Georgia.

 

[Colleen27]

I don't the the "reset" will be that dire. But if wages decline in a recession, in most recessions everything else does as well. It's that part of the population that are effected less (they keep their jobs, etc) that start to take advantage of the buyer's market in all things that cause the turn around to start in the first place.

I'm probably a bit pessimistic because my POV is that of someone running a business in an industry effected by illegal immigration. Jobs that paid $10-15/hour five or ten years ago are paying $8-10/hour now, and a big reason for the drop is that those of us who use legal labor are at such a disadvantage competing with companies using illegal labor.

The most successful roofing company in our area built their business on illegal labor, paying a flat $50/day for 10-12hr days. Once we account for the costs of doing business legally (unemployment, workmans comp, payroll taxes, etc), we'd have to cut our guys' pay by about 70%, from $10/hour to $3-ish, to be on even footing when it comes to labor costs. That's not a reset our economy can bear on a widespread scale, and I fear the adjustment would need to be just as dramatic when it comes to manufacturing. Yes, there'd be some savings from lower shipping costs, but how little would American workers have to accept to truly compete with the 35-50 cents/hour production workers earn in Asia nations?

 

[KristiKelly]

Absolutely, I would pay more for any products made in U.S.

Just think, if Disney would have all the products from clothing to hats to stuffed animals in and around the parks made in USA what a jump start that would possibly be for other companiesl.

 

[Galahad]

Absolutely, I would pay more for any products made in U.S.

Just think, if Disney would have all the products from clothing to hats to stuffed animals in and around the parks made in USA what a jump start that would possibly be for other companiesl.

It would kill Disney. If you think prices are high there now - wait until they did something like this. Middle class America would no longer be able to afford to go there. It wouldn't last long enough to jump-start anything.

 

[Yen Sid]

I would pay a little more but like others have said, I will not pay a lot more because money is tight with the economy tanking right now.