I wandered into this rabbit hole about “Made in USA” products the other day. Yeah, I know what you’re thinking – why? Not sure, maybe it’s the whole tariffs saga. Things are pricier, and “Made in USA” seems like a knight in shining armor, right? Uh, well, maybe not so straightforward.
Americans love the idea of buying local – or so they say. Weirdly enough, a survey from 2024 (November, I think… might be wrong) mentioned that 60% were trying, keyword ‘trying’, to buy U.S.-made goodies. Even crazier, 82% would buy more if stores just made it less of a scavenger hunt. Go figure.
Now, if you’re thinking, “Oh, easy-peasy – just buy American!” – hold your horses. Buying local doesn’t magically erase tariffs or factories in other countries. Even big-shot U.S. companies get bits and pieces from elsewhere. Crayola, for instance, does its thing in both the U.S. and Mexico. Icons like Levi’s, L.L. Bean, and Nike – you’d think they’re all stars and stripes, but nope. Parts, labor… cheaper abroad, I suppose.
Speaking of cars, those beasts have like 30,000 parts. The usual suspects – Ford, GM, etc., while they assemble here, they’re picking parts from everywhere. Every time something crosses a border, cha-ching – tariffs bite again.
And even when you see a made-in-the-USA stamp, it doesn’t scream “cheap.” You’ve got costs of labor, materials… Honestly, it’s like hunting for a needle. Funny story – I went looking for what’s more American than apple pie? A cast-iron skillet. I grew up with one of those bad boys, but never owned my own. Feels patriotic, doesn’t it? So I set off…
Started with All-Clad. Pennsylvania’s pride. Stainless steel made here, but their cast-iron? Made in Vietnam. Oops. Price was slashed from $189.99 to $109.99 – still pricey. Lancaster and Field Company had theirs, but at 200 bucks plus, I didn’t bite. Lodge Cast Iron – boom, Tennessee’s offering – under 25 bucks! Couldn’t resist.
Fun fact: For that “Made in USA” badge of glory, the FTC’s got rules. Companies have to be practically all-American-made to flaunt it. But, when you dig into the details of each product? Can’t promise they’re all made here.
So really, buying American is personal. Whatever floats your boat – cost, quality, or just sheer patriotism. Just remember, being thrifty might mean picking between homegrown products and, well, what’s cheaper.
And what about those tariffs? Trump’s tariffs – yeah, remember those? They were supposed to pull manufacturing back. But, even if some might find it still cheaper overseas, there’s this slight nudge upwards in domestic manufacturing. March 2025, they said – manufacturing construction spending up 3.7% from last year. Promising? Maybe. But quick fixes? Nope, there are factories to build, people to hire, before the stampede of “Made in USA” goods roll in. It’s a slow race, this reshoring thing.
Okay, enough rambling – hope you got something out of this.
