TRYING to spend my money locally!

[Bruce Wayne]

That is true, there was not so long ago, a special on the Television about the life of Sam Walton. He himself told of how he wanted to buy and sell clothing only made in the USA to try to help support the dying textile industry here in the USA. I cannot figure out what happened? He had a great idea and vision, but it fell apart for sure!

I suspect his family took over & they got greedy.

 

[lolly_loisides]

Oooo... chocolate.... mind if I ask who??

Great chocolate, but here's why I don't buy it anymore.

 

[Tomasso]

Same here, as best I can.

Yeah, but there is no way to avoid consuming conflict resources and minerals. They're in our oil supply, our electronics, our jewelry, our food, our clothing, etc....but if it makes people feel good to boycott Chinese goods.....have at it.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I think you've got to pick your battles. I refuse to wear foreign made shoes, period. My family had people who worked in the shoe industry who lost their jobs thanks to cheap imports, and we don't forget those things. I'll go barefoot before I'll wear foreign shoes, as a matter of principle.

 

[lolly_loisides]

I think you've got to pick your battles. I refuse to wear foreign made shoes, period. My family had people who worked in the shoe industry who lost their jobs thanks to cheap imports, and we don't forget those things. I'll go barefoot before I'll wear foreign shoes, as a matter of principle.

That's exactly it, if you don't buy products based on ethical issues like foreign politics (apartheid during the 80's comes to mind), green miles, labour laws, origin of production, or animal rights you'd probably be walking out of the supermarket with a locally grown potato & not much else.
If you feel passionate about a particular cause, great make your money count, but you can't be perfect every time.

 

[rue]

Great chocolate, but here's why I don't buy it anymore.

Wow.... I wasn't planning on buying it anyway....

Really curiosity got the best of me, because I love See's

 

[Tomasso]

I think you've got to pick your battles.

You really do, because when the energy, transportation and communication infrastructure is tainted there is no way to deal with the enormity. I wonder who I can boycott......

 

[LoveMyHats2]

You really do, because when the energy, transportation and communication infrastructure is tainted there is no way to deal with the enormity. I wonder who I can boycott......

In all fairness, it really would be a hard thing to totally not have some exposure to source materials and supplies, components being used in some manner of service we use in many walks of life. But to set a goal of trying to not give a business to some outside USA companies, at least helps keep some USA spending in the USA base markets.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

As I've commented before someplace else, even something that says "Made in the USA" doesn't necessarily mean that it's made entirely in this country. Often the components and subassemblies are made somewhere else.

 

[Tomasso]

As I've commented before someplace else, even something that says "Made in the USA" doesn't necessarily mean that it's made entirely in this country. Often the components and subassemblies are made somewhere else.

 

[rue]

I know that just because I choose to try and buy only American that I'm not always getting completely made American products and I know that just because I'm one of a very few (or so it seems) that do, that it won't really make a big difference, but it makes me feel like I'm doing something. Our country is suffering like so many others and I think everyone should at least try to do the same by buying from their own country. That's just what I believe [huh]

 

[Tomasso]

You have nothing to apologise for, rue. If every American had your attitude we would be much better off.

 

[Pompidou]

I know that just because I choose to try and buy only American that I'm not always getting completely made American products and I know that just because I'm one of a very few (or so it seems) that do, that it won't really make a big difference, but it makes me feel like I'm doing something. Our country is suffering like so many others and I think everyone should at least try to do the same by buying from their own country. That's just what I believe [huh]

You doing so alone makes no difference at all - you're right. That said, if you find a source of, say, all American peanut butter, and it tastes good, you can let your friends know. If it's reasonable to do so, I suspect almost anybody would opt to support locally produced products. In my case, (and I don't like the taste of chocolate), I've been buying people Equal Exchange chocolate that's fairly traded and produced by worker-cooperatives rather than slave labor and sweatshops. Lizzie says, "Pick your battles," and she's right - at least as far as making an impact goes. Sun Tzu said if you try to defend everywhere at the same time, you'll be weak everywhere. That's how I do it, anyway. Since I want to have a cafe some day, picking my battles in that sphere seemed natural.

 

[rue]

You have nothing to apologise for, rue. If every American had your attitude we would be much better off.

Thank you A.C.

You doing so alone makes no difference at all - you're right. That said, if you find a source of, say, all American peanut butter, and it tastes good, you can let your friends know. If it's reasonable to do so, I suspect almost anybody would opt to support locally produced products. In my case, (and I don't like the taste of chocolate), I've been buying people Equal Exchange chocolate that's fairly traded and produced by worker-cooperatives rather than slave labor and sweatshops. Lizzie says, "Pick your battles," and she's right - at least as far as making an impact goes. Sun Tzu said if you try to defend everywhere at the same time, you'll be weak everywhere. That's how I do it, anyway. Since I want to have a cafe some day, picking my battles in that sphere seemed natural.

Yes, Lizzie is exactly right. I agree with choosing battles and one of the things I do is to buy local produce and meats and all natural products at a local small grocery and I tell everyone to shop there. I want them to stay in business so badly that if I could get them to make cards, I would hand them out.

 

[1961MJS]

Hi

The whole "shop locally" thing is tough.

I own a Subaru, made in Indiana. Is it an American car? It was made here, but the corporate profits went to Japan. When I graduated from college in the 1980's my Dad said he'd toss me a little money on a new one "as long you don't buy from the Japs or Germans who spent 4 years trying to kill me."

In 2007, he said, "Well it's made here, it's more American than a GM assembled from Parts made in Canada and Mexico" (I think). That attitude would make Walmart a part of the "Buy American" group, which is NOT where most people put it.

Clothing is even more difficult. I read an interesting article about the constant shifting of clothing manufacturers to the next lowest priced country. I wish I'd have copied the article. This may be out of urder, but most clothing used to be made in America, then it went to Japan for say 20 years, then Taiwan, Vietnam, Cambodia, India, Bangledesh, China, and Indonesia. The article said that clothing prices will eventually rise because we're run out of inexpensive (slave labor rates) countries to shift manufacturing to. After they've been manufaturing, they become wealthier, and become consumers. Then they want more money and the jobs go to the next country. The article left out the African continent due to their constant turmoil.

So, which better supports America, buying Chinese made goods from an American Company like Walmart, or buying American assembled or manufactured goods from a Japanese company like Subaru? In the interests of full disclosure, I own Walmart Stock, and drive a Subaru.

Later

 

[ButteMT61]

When I think "buy American" I'm more thinking of the company that is making the product, not so much who they employ - i.e., Wally*Mart. I can't stand that place and places like them, however, I realize that some people have no choice after such places ravaged the local mom & pop shops.
It takes more work to get American, but I also like supporting folks like Aero - which is in Scotland as many here know. I like the idea of people having a business and doing things the way I'd do them if I could. I like the thought that someone made something I wear/use and didn't just push buttons and put in a computer aided design code and hit RETURN to make my <fill in the blank>
But I stop at being obsessed with this and won't not buy something I need if to out of spite. If I can spend a reasonable amount of time and even some extra money, I will. If it's too big of a PITA, then no.

 

[sheeplady]

That is true, there was not so long ago, a special on the Television about the life of Sam Walton. He himself told of how he wanted to buy and sell clothing only made in the USA to try to help support the dying textile industry here in the USA. I cannot figure out what happened? He had a great idea and vision, but it fell apart for sure!

He died. I really have to wonder what he would have thought about the current state of Walmart- good or bad.

I try to buy US and Canada made goods because I want to keep people employed in jobs beyond the service economy. I don't think that having an entire economy based upon education, healthcare, retail, and other service type jobs and professions is healthy. Obviously, we need those types of service jobs, but we also need to manufacture things. Manufacturing jobs can be well-paying and generate wealth for a country.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

clothing prices will eventually rise because we're run out of inexpensive (slave labor rates) countries to shift manufacturing to. After they've been manufaturing, they become wealthier, and become consumers. Then they want more money and the jobs go to the next country. The article left out the African continent due to their constant turmoil.

That's why China was/is so attractive to manufacturers. Many countries with cheap labor are also politically unstable. China is unique in that regard in that they have the cheap labor AND political stability thanks to their authoritarian regime.

 

[Edward]

You have nothing to apologise for, rue. If every American had your attitude we would be much better off.

I'd need to be a hell of a lot better off to be able to afford to buy American.... fortunately there are equivalent or better quality items available here much more cheaply. When it comes to locally made goods, I don't care to spend more than I can afford to "support" the country in which I live. I do pay sales tax on whatever I buy in the UK. I would prefer to buy locally where I can moreso because of the environmental impact of goods shipping across the world. There are companies from many different countries from whom I will not purchase due to the (lack of) company ethics, though it would be terribly mistaken to assume that this can be determined on a national rather than company by company basis.

 

[Tango Yankee]

The problem with the big boxes is that they actually offer a very limited choice of items -- if you don't want the most popular products, you don't get anything.

And the choices seem to be shrinking all the time, at least at Wally World. I've noticed that they've started cutting back on variety of name brand products and filling the shelf space with their own brand replacements.

Unfortunately, we're fairly limited in places to shop in rural southern Ohio. More often than not I'll turn to the Internet first rather than waste my time on fruitless searches locally.

Regards,
Tom