The Made in USA Challenge
Too cold to walk outside yesterday, so I went to the mall. In an upscale department store I was looking at men’s clothing labels from many countries all over the world. One country was strangely absent, the USA. I told the clerk that I would buy anything he could find that was made in America. Three clerks took up the challenge, but gave up after an exhaustive search. One suggested that I try the mother of all department stores–the Web.
Yes, you can find American made clothes on the Web. Indeed there are sites that have nothing else, which seem to be designed for union members who really don’t like wearing imported clothes. The selection is limited, and the prices are are somewhat higher, but at least you’re helping to support the local economy. Try:
http://www.americansworking.com/clothing.html
R. D. Shelton
January 17th, 2010 at 10:54 pm
Another Lancaster cold rain today, so I completed my survey of mens clothing at the five anchor stores at our mall. The only thing I found made in America was some sox at one store, which I bought. The same brand also has identical sox made in Pakistan and China, so I have an uneasy feeling that the US ones are the last lot from a factory that has just been shut down. The mens clothing is made in a dozen countries, but it stikes me as bizarre that nothing is made here.
January 19th, 2010 at 12:00 pm
An email sent to the US makers of Goldtoe socks:
Dear Folks:
I went to the five anchor stores in the Lancaster, PA mall this weekend, and looked for American made men’s clothing, with the aid of the clerks there. While the articles were made in a dozen countries, one was missing: the USA. Finally, in a Kohl’s store, I found one article still made in the USA: your gold toe socks. After buying some, I passed a Pier 7 Imports store on the way out ot the parking lot, and reflected that a few years ago, imported articles were a novelty rating a special store. How times change!
Here’s an idea. Why not put an American flag on your US-made socks to differentiate them? This is what some apple juice manufacturers have recently started doing, after the Chinese started exporting apple juice concentrate to the US, and sneaking it into brands like Motts and our local Giant supermarket’s house brand.
Please keep your American plant going. Better times are coming.
Duane Shelton
February 14th, 2010 at 3:36 pm
There is an LA-based national chain - American Apparel - that sells clothes manufactured exclusively in the United States:
http://www.americanapparel.com/
February 16th, 2010 at 3:37 pm
Thanks for the comment Chris. I’m getting more paranoid about this issue. I went though my closet and filled the Goodwill bag with items I didn’t want to wear anymore. I don’t object to all imported goods; who wants to give up French wine, Irish beer, and Japanese wasabi? But I do object to my dollars being used to not just take away American jobs, but to do us harm.
R. D. Shelton