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This Could Be Your Made in USA Shopping List
As Christmas approaches, many patriotic consumers will no doubt
fret about how to make their loved ones happy with the right gifts and keep
themselves happy by remaining true to their values when making purchases at
the same time.
The good news is that buying Made in USA isn’t as difficult as most
people think, and the even better news is that shoppers can save themselves
time, money and frustration – not to mention American jobs – by buying
American-made products rather than imports.
How is this possible? First, the big misconception that needs to be
exposed is that buying imports does not always save the consumer money.
Before Levi’s closed their last domestic factory, the prices of the
American-made jeans I bought were exactly the same as the ones made in
Bangladesh. The winter sweaters I bought last Christmas sporting “Made in
China” labels were the same price as the ones sporting “Made in USA” labels.
Both sweaters were identical and made by the same manufacturer. There is no
significant price difference, if any, between New Balance sneakers made in
America and Nike sneakers made in China.
Second, consumers can save money by ordering over the Internet
where purchases are still tax free. And many of the American-made
alternatives are being offered strictly over the Internet by smaller
companies that don’t have the horsepower to muscle their way into the retail
stores. Most of the smaller companies making their products here can’t offer
their goods as cheaply to the big-name retailers as comparable companies
that import their goods from offshore. That’s one reason why most stores
stock predominately imported apparel, for instance, since they can get the
product cheaper from the manufacturer and realize higher retail profit
margins.
Third, shoppers can save a lot of time and frustration by not
driving from store to store and fighting the crowds when they may be
unsuccessful in finding Made in USA merchandise anyway. So save the gas in
your tank for something else and log onto the Internet to find those unique
Made in USA items that can’t be found in stores. Here are just a few
examples:
For Dad:
Denim jeans from www.diamondcutjeans.com and www.unionjeanco.com
Khaki pants and khaki shorts from www.quantumcotton.com
Work boots from www.capeshoe.com
Casual dress shirts from www.pattonshirts.com
Wallets from www.orvis.com
Briefcases from www.leatherartisan.com
For Mom:
Jewelry from www.bragelets.com
Stuffed animals from www.kathyskreations.com
Gifts from Vermont Teddy Bear at www.vtbear.com
Leather jackets from www.schottnyc.com
For Kids:
Baby clothes from www.mommyandwee.com
Toys from www.unclegoose.com
For Home:
Artificial Christmas trees from www.christmasdepot.com
Ornaments from www.buyamerican.com
A more complete list is available at www.howtobuyamerican.com,
which is constantly being updated. Every American-made Christmas gift
purchased this year and every year is truly a gift to every American.
Roger Simmermaker, Author
How Americans Can Buy American
www.howtobuyamerican.com
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