A certain retail chain got famous in its early days because its founder and chairman insisted on trying to find things made in the USA which were of equal quality and resale price of foreign competition. After his death, his family took over the company. These days you are hard-pressed to find anything made here in the USA for sale in the store. Most products are imported from China, specially packaged with this store's name on the box, or from other countries where a dollar-a-day wage is living large.
Lately I've developed a little quirk in which before dropping a non-food product into my cart, I check the label for country of origin. If I can find the American-made (or in the case of pillows, American-finished) product for about the same price, I'll buy that. Sometimes I have to pay a few dollars more, but it's worth it to me. American business needs all the encouragement it can get from consumers to keep doing business, and do that business here in on US soil.
Today I wandered into one of the 4 local stores in search of a mosquito lawn spray and replacement lawn chairs. When I saw the prices of the China-made metal chairs, I thought $22 for the cheapest folding chair was a bit steep, especially since I needed 5 of them and was planning on splashing out next spring on an awesome patio set for our new deck TBBL*.
I opted for plastic chairs, and sighed when I saw the measly $13 price tag. "More China," I whined inside my head. As I was unloading the chairs, I started to peel the labels off before taking them to the back yard. It occurred to me that I had forgotten to check the labels, and so I did.
And I nearly dropped the chair.
They were nice-looking but cheap, comfy, and proudly made in the USA.
Yay!
*to be built later. Come party when it's ready!
Lately I've developed a little quirk in which before dropping a non-food product into my cart, I check the label for country of origin. If I can find the American-made (or in the case of pillows, American-finished) product for about the same price, I'll buy that. Sometimes I have to pay a few dollars more, but it's worth it to me. American business needs all the encouragement it can get from consumers to keep doing business, and do that business here in on US soil.
Today I wandered into one of the 4 local stores in search of a mosquito lawn spray and replacement lawn chairs. When I saw the prices of the China-made metal chairs, I thought $22 for the cheapest folding chair was a bit steep, especially since I needed 5 of them and was planning on splashing out next spring on an awesome patio set for our new deck TBBL*.
I opted for plastic chairs, and sighed when I saw the measly $13 price tag. "More China," I whined inside my head. As I was unloading the chairs, I started to peel the labels off before taking them to the back yard. It occurred to me that I had forgotten to check the labels, and so I did.
And I nearly dropped the chair.
They were nice-looking but cheap, comfy, and proudly made in the USA.
Yay!
*to be built later. Come party when it's ready!
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