I don’t watch the news, listen to the radio, or watch much TV. I suck at pop culture, and I’m even suckier at current events the news, because, well, it’s depressing. Perhaps ignorance is bliss?
This drives my husband crazy. He listens to NPR nonstop, reads news articles throughout the day, and lectures me that I should be informed, that it’s my duty as a citizen to be informed about what’s going on. What is going on with our economy affects me because it could affect his job, which is related to American manufacturing.
He fills me in with the basics; American businesses have been moving jobs overseas to increase profit margins because labor in other countries is cheaper. The less we manufacture here, the less we can export, and this lowers our gross national product.
So what can we do about it? Naturally, we should buy American. But, that’s actually not as easy as one would think.
Some of our own cars (think: Ford, Chevy) aren’t actually manufactured here, and try looking for basic items with the label “Made in America” next time you go to Target or Walmart. Not that easy. Most of our every day products are made elsewhere because it’s cheaper for the company to make, therefore cheaper for us to buy.
But, what about the imported goods that aren’t cheap. How do we justify that trade off?
For example, Coach bags.
I used to buy a new Coach bag every season. It was my one splurge, and they made me feel warm and pretty inside, and the quality…well, you can’t beat the quality of a Coach bag, they’re made in New York.
Wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong.
As I began to notice that my Coach bags weren’t necessarily better quality than some of my other, less expensive bags, I decided to read the label, I couldn’t believe my eyes.
Made in China.
I had no idea. More American manufacturing jobs gone, lost to what I hope are not kids in China. And since labor costs are on the rise in China, Coach is planning to move its factories to an even cheaper country.
Call me naive, but does it always have to be about profit margins? I realize that in business, the answer is probably yes. But personally, I can no longer justify paying hundreds of dollars for something that a company paid someone a few bucks to make.
Therefore, I have banned Coach from my life. I’m not in charge of our country, I can’t change the laws or give businesses incentives to keep jobs here, but I can do my part in my own little corner of the world. I’m reading labels, and I’m not always reaching for the cheapest items anymore.
I am also on the lookout for a new purse, one made in America. I haven’t found one yet, because, well, they’re not all that easy to come by, so feel free to share your favorites!
Are you a domestic soil shopper? What locally made brands do you love?
You aren’t paying for high quality merchandise when you buy a Coach purse. You are paying for the name, regardless of where it was made. Coach has been made overseas for a few years now. I feel it’s unnecessary to buy only American made items. I’m all about patriotism and I hate that jobs are being shipped overseas, but if I ran a business where it would cost me $5 to make one item in the USA or $.50 to make it in China, you best believe I’d have that manufactured in China.
I disagree. When you buy Coach LEATHER goods, it is typically very high quality. I have some Coach bags that are 15+ years old and still in gorgeous shape despite heavy wear. Obviously some things change, and I think their shift to trendy patterns and canvas has hurt their reputation, but I still find that the all leather goods are wonderful quality.
You might like to search Etsy for a new handbag. Lots of really creative craftspeople, using materials sourced in the US!
I don’t really care that much. When buying clothes I tend to think more about where they’re made in terms of working conditions etc., not the degree of domestic origin, so I try and buy from brands that I know are ethical that way.
However, I need to buy a new phone and was thinking about buying Nokia b/c they were originally supposed to be domestically made, but they’re actually assembled in Korea. Oh well.
There’s a company called 115 Lill that makes bags here in the US. They have some really pretty bag options mostly online and a few stores throughout the US where you can see the quality and pick your own bag materials.
I agree that COACH leather good are still very high quality. However I stopped buying COACH when I noticed their “outlet” stores purposefully sold poorly made purses made of cheaper fabric versus selling their “retail” bags at a discount.
I still love to look at COACH but for now I just buy whatever is pretty versus whatever is trendy.
I have a personal policy against buying goods made in China, and now it seems that I need to expand that policy into other countries, as well.
I always prefer to buy locally made goods and then cast a bit wider and wider net as needed. So, I start by looking for an item made in my metro area, then expand to my state, my country, and finally another country that isn’t China. It’s exhausting and often keeps me from buying things that I want. I’m still hunting for a mirror and table side lamps that I can afford.
I’m willing to pay more for a product that I perceive to be superior, but only to a point. I won’t pay $400 for a US made lamp when the comparable Chinese made one is $40. I’ll find another solution or rehab something I already own.
It can be exhausting and infuriating, but in the end my policy has probably saved me money. I buy fewer “impulse items” and have discovered some wonderful families that are creating beautiful pieces in a “forest to furniture” fashion. I feel good about supporting small businesses and people with a similar mentality to my own. I believe we vote with our dollars every day and I hope this movement with catch on the way the local foods movement has. We can’t realistically hope to support the American workforce if we outsource so many American jobs and automate so many others. Our current trends don’t feel sustainable to my mind.
Thanks for bringing attention to this matter!
I am an American handbag designer. I have been manufacturing in the US for the past four years. But guess what? Nobody wants to pay for it! I am now basically being forced to manufacture somewhere else because as much as people like to talk about supporting American-made products, people don’t put their money where their mouth is on this one. I am NOT going to China, though. There are other options. There are fair-trade factories in Brazil, Mexico, and Indonesia. I am going to be producing in Mexico at a factory with living wages and good working conditions.
What I realized is that I’m not doing much good for my country by producing here because the only people who benefit are the factory workers. If I could actually mass produce my bags and become a profitable company, then I will be able to hire employees and provide jobs here in America. But the only way to do that is to reduce my costs. It’s a double-edged sword as a designer. People want made in America, but they also want good prices. It’s a tough balance! Little by little we will get there, but I think the biggest way to try and make a change is to support smaller and independent designers. Coach makes so much money, they could open their own factory in the USA if it was important to them. But independent designers don’t have the same advantages, and by supporting and lifting up companies that are growing and open to change, it will help to make things different as we move forward.
Wow! Thank you so much for sharing your story! I am going to check out your bags now.
Try Brahmin handbags, made in Massachusetts. I found mine at Dillards. I’m not sure if any production is outside the us.
Try Julia Duren bags – I bought my first a decade or so ago at the Nordstrom in San Francisco. Bags are made in Northern California, leather inside and out.
Also meant to include that Brahmin bags ARE made in the US as well.
Also, spent 3 weeks in Italy recently and it’s difficult to find “made in Italy” items, too, but it can be done. Unfortunately I bought two small bags at Campo dei Fiori in Rome that turned out to be made in China and I was so upset by the time I found out it when I got home – they were gifts and why gift someone with an item made in China that you bought in Italy?
i’m an australian reader and i have the exact same problem trying to buy australian goods. i try to only buy food thats grown in a country that has the same standards as australia, american, uk etc and it’s quiet hard to get everything i want. i wonder if you guys have the same problem? so much of our food is made in china, where they happly poison there own people through poliution.
Sarah-
We absolutely have the same problem in the US. I’ve had to adjust my family recipe for pesto, because I have such a hard time finding Italian pine nuts, while Chinese grown fill the shelves! I’ve also noticed a lot of Chinese fish. Knowing a little about the hygiene in some of the poorer areas, I wouldn’t touch that fish if it were the last ounce of protein available to me!
I don’t know much about Australia, so I don’t know how easy it may or may not be to shop at smaller Co-ops or Farmer’s Markets. I find those to be very helpful, and I also eat seasonally. Which means if I didn’t freeze it in season, I won’t get to eat it out of season. That keeps me from buying tomatoes grown halfway around the world in the middle of Winter!
As I said above, I believe we vote with our dollars. I just wish it were easier to spend mine ethically.
Oddly, I believe that Toyota or Honda, one of the major Japanese car manufacturers, actually produces cars in America. It might be worth looking into if you’re ever in the market for a new car. I remember a few years ago there was a commercial talking about how this company was opening auto manufacturing plants in North Carolina, despite the fact that they are not an American company.
@SwingCheese, you are correct, it’s Honda. I live in Ohio and My father-in-law, sister-in-law and brother-in-law all work for Honda.
Barely related to this topic: My husband had to be in a meeting that included a member of the board of directors of Coach.
I insisted he take a long look at her bag and report back details.
She carries a Prada.
Toyota makes some of their cars in the US, too!
Found this website…… Links to everything made in the USA !
I agree….used to buy Coach…….NO MORE !
http://www.americansworking.com/index.html
Same goes for made in China costume jewelry !
Nothing beats vintage made in the USA costume jewelry….
it looks awesome after 50 years!
There is a great seller on ebay that sells awesome vintage jewelry on ebay………. why anyone would buy the junk coming out of China that tarnishes in one season is beyond me.
Vintage is always classic and timeless……
http://www.ebay.com/sch/bebedarling/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686
I am finding out that the expensive Brahmin purses are also made in China. I am so glad you guys shared your shopping experiences as both Coach and Brahmin are VERY expensive — at least for me.
Yes, I may have to pay for some items made outside the U.S.A. Usually these are lesser price necessary items. But I REFUSE to pay for over-priced luxuries made overseas — especially in China.
Thanks for sharing and reading my rant
Many of the most popular (in the US) Louis Vuitton bags are made in their factory in California (one of the oldest factories in the world). If you go to an LV store or LV section of a department store…ask to see what bags are made in the US…I know that most of the Speedy handbags and Neverfull totes are made here.
I agree about the Made in China stuff. First of all, it’s not only costly to bring in merchandise from China, it’s also really bad for the environment (oil, pollution, and don’t forget the non-native species that are brought over on those ships too). Also, China has really lenient regulations on production…the environment is low on the list of concerns. They also don’t have labor laws like we’re used to.
I buy USED purses that are sold on Ebay, Craigslist and at thrifts. I just go in and hope I get lucky. I have Made in America bags that are authentic Coach, Brahmin, Dooney and Bourke, etc. that are well-made and at a fraction of the cost. I’ve also found other brands, NOT made in China (I’ve even found a LV bag -I live in Silicon Valley and people come and go in this economy and discard really nice stuff like it’s nothing, it’s crazy). I figure why should I buy brand new when this area is so rich in designer “castoffs” like I’m used to? Anyhow, great post. Kudos to you for sticking with your beliefs!!!
Comments on this entry are closed.