New poll says Americans prefer lower prices to items made in the USA
Source: AP
12:54 PM, Apr 14, 2016
WASHINGTON (AP) The vast majority of Americans say they prefer lower prices instead of paying a premium for items labeled "Made in the U.S.A.," even if it means those cheaper items are made abroad, according to an Associated Press-GfK poll.
While presidential candidates like Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders are vowing to bring back millions of American jobs lost to China and other foreign competitors, public sentiment reflects core challenges confronting the U.S. economy. Incomes have barely improved, forcing many households to look for the most convenient bargains instead of goods made in America. Employers now seek workers with college degrees, leaving those with only a high school degree who once would have held assembly lines jobs in the lurch. And some Americans who work at companies with clients worldwide see themselves as part of a global market.
Nearly three in four say they would like to buy goods manufactured inside the United States, but those items are often too costly or difficult to find, according to the survey released Thursday. A mere 9 percent say they only buy American.
Asked about a real world example of choosing between $50 pants made in another country or an $85 pair made in the United States one retailer sells two such pairs made with the same fabric and design 67 percent say they'd buy the cheaper pair. Only 30 percent would pony up for the more expensive American-made one. People in higher earning households earning more than $100,000 a year are no less likely than lower-income Americans to say they'd go for the lower price.
Read more: http://www.newsnet5.com/news/national/new-poll-says-americans-prefer-lower-prices-to-items-made-in-the-usa
My Good Babushka
(2,710 posts)they don't really have much of a choice.
Blue State Bandit
(2,122 posts)daleanime
(17,796 posts)closeupready
(29,503 posts)Online, the best you'll see is "Imported." I say no thanks.
msongs
(67,433 posts)MADem
(135,425 posts)The cost to pay the foreign worker IS less. No question there.
The reason the company (assuming it's an offshore one, and not one home-grown in the lower-cost nation) is sited abroad does have to do with maximizing profit, which might be construed as greed.
RiverNoord
(1,150 posts)I tried out 'All American Clothing' ordered 2 pairs of $50 a couple of weeks ago.
I'm 6' tall but have proportionally short legs, so it can be tough to find the right fit. They fit great.
http://www.allamericanclothing.com/
I'm not well-off by any means, but there's an awful lot of quality American-made product if you really look. Unfortunately, none of it goes into the computers that we're all using to discuss American made products - which is a bit ironic, I guess...
Reter
(2,188 posts)Shop at Target, $20 max.
Reter
(2,188 posts)Just got new pants at Target for $18.99, and I don't care who makes them.
daleanime
(17,796 posts)when you're looking in Salvo for 'new' pants.
KansDem
(28,498 posts)Looked similar to this--
Broke the very first time I used it.
I thought, "Yeah, I saved a few pennies, but the 'Made in the USA' can opener would still be working today!"
I've bought several items now, mostly appliances, made abroad that turned out to be pure crapola!
closeupready
(29,503 posts)for my coffee grinder - made in Germany and lasted 25 years, daily use.
Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)closeupready
(29,503 posts)shanti
(21,675 posts)i have a braun coffee grinder that's about that old too, bought from costco in 1992. still works great.
closeupready
(29,503 posts)I bought it at Marshall Field's in the late 80's, lol. Was a shame to throw it out. I have a Melitta now.
MisterP
(23,730 posts)Jnclr89
(128 posts)The local Do It Best has a "bargain bin" next to the check aisle filled with that crap. Orange handle crap made in China. Makes me cringe every time I check out. It's crap, don't buy it!
elljay
(1,178 posts)unless you can buy lots of cheap, new crap. I used to wonder why I seemed to be the only one around who didn't have the latest phone, Hummer, etc. and then I realized that I was the only one who had retirement savings and equity in their home. If I don't impress someone with my car or wardrobe, I don't care. I would rather buy a well-made, Union-made, American product that I can use for 5-10 years than the new model from China that needs to be replaced in 2.
Person 2713
(3,263 posts)IthinkThereforeIAM
(3,076 posts)... when my coffee maker went out a few years ago, I mentioned it to a relative, she said she was at the store (wally world) and would get me one. Durabrand, lasted 6 months and then junk. I know Mr Coffee makes their machines in China, but they last for years with me, and I drink 3 pots of coffee a day.
NobodyHere
(2,810 posts)MADem
(135,425 posts)MADE IN AMERICA hoodie is ninety bucks, and the MADE IN VIETNAM one in nineteen bucks, and they
a) Look the same
b) Are the same quality
Well...there ya go. That's seventy one bucks that could go towards groceries, or something.
Maybe, just maybe, the thing to do is let countries that do certain things well just do them. And we just need to INNOVATE and do things that others can't do as well as we can.
pbmus
(12,422 posts)Doing the same job for a lot less ...
MADem
(135,425 posts)affect them.
It's the GOP way. "You" are regarded as having bad luck, while "they" look down from on high and say "Oh well, too bad for YOU."
Protectionism doesn't work. It only stems the tide briefly, and creates opportunities for smugglers.
pbmus
(12,422 posts)15 bucks for first time workers
20 bucks after 3 years
35 bucks for college graduate
45 for specialty i.e. Medical, dental, etc
CEOs paid based on percentage of growth of company with limits
ETC ...
MADem
(135,425 posts)I think there might be problems with that, though--it could be viewed as discriminatory.
I know a few people who have never gone to college but are just "different" learners and are smart as hell, successful, too. They shouldn't be punished for not having a piece of paper.
pbmus
(12,422 posts)Race to. The bottom
Then please start thinking again ...
And the ones who have gamed the system should be. Rewarded with an. Honorary degree much like all the rest of. The 1%ers have done.....
Omaha Steve
(99,686 posts)http://www.unionlabel.com/okabashi-usa.html
With a 2 year warranty. It took me 4 years to go through my first pair. I wear them almost every day except for snow or extreme cold.
My style.
MADem
(135,425 posts)Reminds me of Otafukus (LOL!-you can guess how we pronounced it) that were very popular in the Middle East. They make very similar styles--Japanese company. Now they make shoes w/magnets in them!
Nice company, that Okabashi--in business in USA since 84.
LiberalElite
(14,691 posts)vkkv
(3,384 posts)against their own best interest every election..
STOOOOPID AMERICANOS !!!!!!!!!!!
saturnsring
(1,832 posts)they want everything cheap until it comes to wages
Duckfan
(1,268 posts)..Don't believe it.
GAP has a sweatshop in Saipan which is a U.S. TERRORITY!!!
If you don't know where Saipan is, it's a 30 minute flight from Guam on the other side of Hawaii.
MADem
(135,425 posts)You do realize that the Marianas Islands produces a fair number of members of our Armed Forces....? They are Americans. The people who were making the garments were imported as low wage workers, but the only ones who remain are those who have children born on US soil who want to keep their children's citizenship in play.
Jnclr89
(128 posts)Many Americans are there too.
SoapBox
(18,791 posts)Nothing like the good old price gouging...sweat shop working conditions, get the dumb Americans to over pay and then do a "Panama Papers" with the money!
Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)seabeckind
(1,957 posts)The difference between the $50 pants and the $85 pants is ridiculous once you actually look at the real world difference in labor costs.
Just exactly how much labor is in a pair of pants? How many minutes?
You wanna bet that foreign factory has the latest and greatest robotic technology and it was subsidized by the foreign country?
And then add in the transportation cost.
And the hidden subsidy that WE are paying in the port handling and transportation here.
Gotta call bullshit.
onehandle
(51,122 posts)Tax heavily everything flown into the U.S. like my beloved Apple products.
See manufacturing return.
ffr
(22,671 posts)My problem is that there isn't much of anything today that is still made here, but I will go out of my way to buy them and pay more.
The cool part is, for the tools made in the USA, like my tree branch lopping sheers, they just need sharpening occasionally. When trimming trees, I can literally use all my strength to cut the largest branches I can find. Same set from 25 years ago. The one's my neighbors have use those cheap wooden slip-on handles. The best those things are good for are trimming tulips.
Pakid
(478 posts)I go out of my way to buy US made tools. Even if I have to buy used on Ebay which if you play your card right is a great place to find real tools the kind your Father and Grandfather used.
I hadn't thought of that!
OkSustainAg
(203 posts)that last. I want to buy things that will work for a longer period of time.
shanti
(21,675 posts)the only place you could buy imports was at an imports store. i looooved those stores then, but haven't seen a one in many years. i wonder why...
EndElectoral
(4,213 posts)And that there'd be better controls over worker and environmental absues.
The money factor is only one component of a complex issue.
seabeckind
(1,957 posts)Doing a little digging, it would appear that this is a push poll and that the individuals selected for the poll tend to lean toward a corporate viewpoint.
GfK is a marketing/consultant firm for corporations selling products and themselves.
This paragraph was the first thing that gave me pause:
Americans are slightly more likely to say free trade agreements are positive for the economy overall than negative, 33 percent to 27 percent. But 37 percent say the deals make no difference. Republicans (35 percent) are more likely than Democrats (22 percent) to say free trade agreements are bad for the economy
At this point in time I believe there are few Americans who think free trade is good for our economy. That is unless you are someone who profits more....
ie, a corporation that has outsourced.
Definitely bullshit.
http://www.gfk.com/about-gfk/about-gfk/
cheapdate
(3,811 posts)Both in the things I purchase for my work, and the things I purchase for my home.
I'll pay more to buy from local owned business.
I'm not rich. It's just a principle for me.
warrprayer
(4,734 posts)Ebay and flea markets, full of stuff so well made it is as functional now as it was four or more decades ago, and of vastly higher quality than Walmart crap.
Only thing is Americans aren't making a living from it anymore. The 1% gets it all now.
IkeRepublican
(406 posts)...with a reasonable four-terminal Stanton or Ortofon cart and stylus. I suppose it would be possible with a good metal-maker with some engineering experience to copycat a Dual or Thorens type manual-balance tonearm, cart and stylus.
Other than that, those old units - most of them - carried turntables that contained ceramic stylus' where it would "push apart" the grooves to artificially maximize the audio signal. Eventually, after a while using the same albums on the same player, the vocal portion heavily distorts and the remainder becomes muddy sounding.
But, I do dig those old all-in-one units that contained the turntable, radio and 8-track. Especially those 1968-and-later RCA's that also contained their XL-100 TV package. Couldn't kill those things if vacked-out inside every couple years.
warrprayer
(4,734 posts)this Magnavox console, am/fm with air suspension turntable. You gave it a tiny push while it was turned off (not in gear) and it would spin for half a minute, so little friction.
_srz_309_232_85_22_0.50_1.20_0.00_jpg_srz
Tube amp, featherweight tone arm, it sounded just gorgeous.
warrprayer
(4,734 posts)the old Magnavox stuff is commanding, even today!
http://m.ebay.com/sch/i.html?isRefine=true&_sacat=0&_sop=16&_nkw=magnavox+vintage&_frs=1&_mwBanner=1
warrprayer
(4,734 posts)the cartridge on the Mag was diamond.
The one I saw on ebay was close to $500,, but some of them are in the thousands..
Pure American made quality.
olddad56
(5,732 posts)greymouse
(872 posts)that they would pay more for quality, when the alternative is crap that breaks early. Apparently those people were not polled.
No question, made in the USA stuff is better quality, imho.
Jnclr89
(128 posts)When it comes to tools and equipment. People here might get a rize with big American corporations, but I stay with Craftsman and John Deere. They don't let down.
CentralCoaster
(1,163 posts)We don't teach sustainability, we don't teach people to be discerning buyers.
We don't teach that it's better to buy good quality than to have to replace things.
We don't teach about the working conditions overseas, or how bad for the environment it is to import crap.
We DO teach young people that they aren't good enough unless they buy this, or that.
And even after that we teach them that they must have more, that having stuff = success.
I share this video with young people, it's good to watch, I hope you share it:
inanna
(3,547 posts)Thank you.
northernsouthern
(1,511 posts)This is a stupid biased poll. It may be the same fabric and design, but one is stained with the ashes of dead workers from a sweatshop that does not care about its works...FU to whom ever in Bangladesh was supposed to check these factories for safety! I am pretty sure every study shows places move production overseas, but keep many prices high to gain profit since they found they can sell the item for that price. It really only matters in items with competition that are not name brands where they reduce the cost to the consumer.
Califonz
(465 posts)Oldie but goodie from JibJab!
JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)They should have asked "What do you like more, a job that pays well or cheaper stuff?"
They just asked the wrong question.
EdwardBernays
(3,343 posts)Our entire society has been mutated from a democracy with a manufacturing base, to a consumerist society with democratic trappings.
The main driving force of moat people's wages is consumption and without it we would collapse quickly.
Shifting from manufacturering to lower paid service industry jobs means, while still basing the economy on almost purely consumption means that the cost of goods has to be brought down to sustain economic growth.
And economic growth is what we've chosen to benchmark out economies success to.
People want to do the right thing but how can they - the entire US economy is working against them.
crim son
(27,464 posts)We received thousands of calls complaining that not all of our merchandise was made in the U.S. but when we decided to introduce a few choice items that were made right here and cost about 40% more, nobody bought 'em. What was interesting is that the complaint calls could be really nasty but evidently the level of nastiness had nothing to do with any actual convictions held by the caller.
Jimbo S
(2,958 posts)We have the power to hold the 1% accountable for their actions, but many are low-information and/or just don't care.
Bradical79
(4,490 posts)I know with some of the goods I sell, U.S. made products that are then replaced with Chinese products don't change price all that much. Sometimes it's just a difference in the profit margin.
Fast Walker 52
(7,723 posts)Money is always the bottom line in our system.
Democat
(11,617 posts)If pro-union DUers won't support American workers, no one else is going to either.
Oneironaut
(5,519 posts)History teaches us this as a lesson. I don't care how patriotic a populace supposedly is - one-sided loyalty is impossible. This country doesn't give a shit about them - why would they care about this country? They're just returning the favor.