Karen Hirsch

We have been led to believe that products made in America will cost more to produce, and thus cost more to purchase. That is why it is so hard to find a label with “Made in America.” Manufacturing lost over 850,000 jobs to overseas production; thousands of corporations have moved operations to Mexico all while our economy suffers and our unemployment levels rise.

Where are the marketing campaigns that highlight “Made in America” products?

When we go shopping for anything these days, we are driven by price, but cheaper is not always better, and foreign made products are not always cheaper. Even corporations are now rethinking their oversees manufacturing expenses and realizing that it costs more to educate, build, maintain, ship and continue to manage a plant on the other side of the world as opposed to right here in their own back yard. They are also realizing that the cheap laborers of yesterday are now a new generation of spenders who are not willing to work for the low wages.

There is a movement in this country, a grass roots campaign to sell us on the value of looking at the labels and not just purchasing a product solely based on price. There are many “Made in America” products that are cheaper than their foreign-made competition. There are so many products that we just assume are made here, but not anymore. Hershey’s Candy, with its Main Street USA in Hershey Village, PA, is now made in Mexico, Colgate toothpaste, made in Mexico, GE light bulbs, made in Mexico….

This is something we can start to control just by consciously looking at the labels and making a decision to join this movement to purchase products that are labeled “Made in America,” even if they happen to be a few dollars more. The label you buy today may save a job tomorrow…maybe yours.

Do you buy USA?

Photograph Credit:
Sabrina Segal