Bad Day at the Store, Rant!!!

[madmac]

With the economy looking as grim as it is I have been stocking up on food for the last year or so. It makes for a good investment as well as a little security if things go south. So I have been thinking lately about canning as well. Maybe even buy a mill. I already am the bread maker of the family. I think it is both fun anf relaxing, not mention how good it taste. Yesterday I was on a mission. Went to several stores to pick up a some stainless steel mixing bowls as well as a few other supplies on my list. What a bad day. Everything I was looking for I was able to find. But all of it was made in China, Mexico or some other country other than America. Needless to say I didn't buy a thing. Man was I mad. How can a store stock thousands of kitchen items and none made in America? I finally started hitting up the second hand stores without much luck. Seems like the fast food industry has eliminated the need for prepping foods at home. I guess I will have to look online for my needs. What are you folks buying. OK I feel a little better now. Rant Over!!!!!

[AlchemyAcres]

Went to several stores to pick up a some stainless steel mixing bowls as well as a few other supplies on my list. What a bad day. Everything I was looking for I was able to find. But all of it was made in China, Mexico or some other country other than America. Needless to say I didn't buy a thing. Man was I mad. How can a store stock thousands of kitchen items and none made in America?

Because most people shop for price and not quality.

In addition to used stuff at second hand stores, yard sales and auctions, check out restaurant supply stores for new high quality stuff, some of it is still made here in the USA.


~Martin

[Roots_Farm]

Look for auctions around your area. I’ve seen quite a few restaurant supply auctions and with the economy the way it is there’s a good chance someone around you has folded and their stuff is up for auction.

[madmac]

Great ideas. Thanks. Glad I posted my rant now. I guess I am old fashion as I want American made products. It just urks me when I see all this stuff made in other countries and no representation from our own country. Clothing is really bad. Pretty much have to go online for American made clothing. Anyway, I appreciated the suggestions a lot. I will do some looking in those areas.

[CarolAnn]

US-made clothing is truly a rare thing. About 20 years ago, I worked for a short time in a shirt factory in Arkansas. They've since all been moved south of the border. Even then, they had a lot of stuff being made in Jamaica - and it was such crap that they had to ship it back to us to be ripped out and re-sewn. I'm sure THAT was cheap, huh! (Good business decision!! Doh!):girl_wacko:

The working conditions in that factory were horrendous - loud, dusty and set up so that it was almost impossible to earn more than minimum wage. Every second counted. To earn more than $3.75 an hour, I had to sew on one shirt cuff every 12 seconds - or faster. If you made mistakes, you had to tear them out on your own time - and re-sew. Since it was piecework, even threading the machine cut into what you could make. Taking breaks was something we avoided - because that also cut into how much we could earn.

Bad old days. Now some poor schmuck is doing that work for half the money, so why should they care about quality?

If you can find clothing made here in the US, you can bet it will wear because it was sewn right in the first place - by someone earning more than minimum wage. The few clothing businesses that survived here were managed better & treat their workers better.

[Prairie]

I just checked my closet. Of jeans and slacks that I own, Dakota & Mustang are made in Canada, as is Canadays, which is made 3 blocks from where I am sitting right now. :yes4: I also own 725 Originals (Walmart) made in China, (every one developed a hole in the crotch next to the zipper, long before the denim wore out), Wrangler, made in Mexico, actually these are fairly decent, and Levis, which, of course, are made in Bangledesh. The Levis were made of very poor quality denim, and blew the knees out quite quickly.

[gandrimp]

Madmac a couple of months ago the better half of my marriage wanted stainless pots and pans so we went to the only place in town (11000 pop.) that sells new pots and pans (wally world) mostly stuff made in china, zero made in USA. So the next sunday after church we drive 100 miles to the big city (450,000 pop.) and stopped at all the stores that are open on sunday afternoons. 7 stores and the only pots and pans we found made in the USA had the handles on upside down (very uncomfortable). If you find something new that doesnt cost 300.00 a piece would you share with us the brand?
I have been trying to buy made in the USA but it is extremely hard to find anything thats made here.

[madmac]

When I find what I looking for I will let you know. I gotta say though, the price on what I am seeing online is a bit more than I expected. But I guess that's what it takes to make them here. It will be worth the extra to keep the business in our country. Still looking. Hoping for some kind of Christmas sale.

[stilltryinat50]

Here are a couple of websites that I have stored on Favorites. Also the local Rural King (a farm supply store) carries quite a bit of inventory made in the USA.

http://stillmadeinusa.com/

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/ConsumerActionGuide/how-to-buy-american.aspx


Hope this helps,

Deb

[Grizzy]

The second info link no longer exisits at that addy..

~Grizzy~

[stilltryinat50]

Had to copy and paste.....for some reason typing letter for letter didn't work. Sorry 'bout that.

Deb

[GoodDaughter]

Levi's that my employer carries are made in Viet Nam; they come in the freight every week.

Diamond jeans are made in North Carolina, I think? Very good quality from what I've seen.

[anna]

My policy is if I buy second hand I don't worry about where it was made cause I didn't buy it in a store and thereby endorse foreign made. My $'s will not benefit China etc. only the sellers and/or auctioneer. I bought a set of 4 stainless mixing bowls for $1 at an auction that were only $5 new at Dollar General. They are light weight and cheap and very handy.

My favorite bowls for bread making are my heavy crockery or Pyrex bowls that are close to 50 years old and made in the USA. Check out Lehman's for crockery bowls or a local potter.

How on earth will our country ever survive since all our manufacturing has gone away???

[onelook]

My husband uses a Stanley/Alladin coffee bottle every day. Recently, it quit keeping his coffee piping hot, so I sent it to the address on the bottom (in Tennessee) for a replacement...they are guaranteed forever. Imagine my surprise when it came back--address vacant=no forwarding. I looked them up on the web, and called their 800 number, and can you believe that they are located in Washington state, and the bottles now imported. Sure enough, I looked on the bottom, and there it was, stamped clearly, Made in CHINA!! (Gasp) I was shocked!!! Anyway, they took the numbers off the bottom over the phone, and said they would send me a new one through the mail. I dug out an older bottle I had put back, and it was twice as heavy, and you guessed it...Made In USA!!!.

The only thing the USA has for workers is fast food places...no more manufacturing here.

[Dayzee]

Gosh, I didn't even think about this. I bought my pots and pans from QVC on television a few years ago. They were called "Cook's Essentials". I must confess that I don't really do a lot of cooking, but I do like them and even bought a set for my son who had to learn to be "Mr. Mom" and has since become sort of a gourmet chef which is hard for mom to believe.

They are made of a heavy stainless steel with non-stick, non-scratch, insides. In a pan that you cooked oatmeal in, which is left to sit for a little while, the cereal dries and comes loose and you can just wipe it out with a paper towel--no soaking, no scrubbing.

Just now as a surprise to me, I went out to the kitchen at looked at the bottom of a pan. It says, "Designed in USA, made in Thailand!

I don't even know whether it is possible to buy USA any more. There are such high union wages and high taxes and incredible regulations, why not take your business elsewhere? No one is in business for the mere fun of it, and I can't really blame them. Who wants to try to run a business when you are up against everything possible and there is no profit to be made?

[madmac]

I gave up for the time being. I will probably buy used at a thrift store. It's truly amazing. I even typed in "Buy American" and came up with a few links that carried many American made products but no mixing bowls.

[Prairie]

Just out of curiousity, I checked my Royal Gourmet Vacu-Valve cookware, and I'll be darned. Made in USA!

Edit: After posting this, I went to check the company out online. I got the set 2nd hand, and was told it was an extremely expensive set. Bad news is, there is nothing that I can find about it online. I guess it folded.

[Suzy]

I cook with iron cookware made by Lodge and I hope hope hope they are actually making it at their plant in Tennessee!!!

[backlash]

The enameled cast iron is made in China.
The rest is made in TN.

[NCLee]

Sadly, I've given up on shopping for "Made In the USA" as an objective when I shop.

The sewing factory where I got my first job is gone.

The textile finishing plant were I worked for 10 years is gone.

The cotton mill where many folks in the community worked is gone.

The textile weave mill where my FIL & MIL worked is gone.

The lumber manufacturing plant where my brother worked is gone.

The office furniture plant where my SIL worked is gone.

The nearby earth moving equipment plant is gone.

The mill that manufactured a speciality filter fabric is gone.

The plant that made industrial valves is gone.

The plant that made gears is gone.

The plant that produced a national brand of makeup is gone.

Those are the ones that come to mind that were within commuting distance from my home. This is just a small sampling, as many of the above repeat around a small town to the north of us.

Lee

[TEX]

With the economy looking as grim as it is I have been stocking up on food for the last year or so. It makes for a good investment as well as a little security if things go south. So I have been thinking lately about canning as well. Maybe even buy a mill. I already am the bread maker of the family. I think it is both fun anf relaxing, not mention how good it taste. Yesterday I was on a mission. Went to several stores to pick up a some stainless steel mixing bowls as well as a few other supplies on my list. What a bad day. Everything I was looking for I was able to find. But all of it was made in China, Mexico or some other country other than America. Needless to say I didn't buy a thing. Man was I mad. How can a store stock thousands of kitchen items and none made in America? I finally started hitting up the second hand stores without much luck. Seems like the fast food industry has eliminated the need for prepping foods at home. I guess I will have to look online for my needs. What are you folks buying. OK I feel a little better now. Rant Over!!!!!


Found this link to companies still manufacturing in America. Haven't checked out any of the links yet but I do recognize many of the names.
http://www.americansworking.com/kitchen.html

Oh yea - Carharts are supposedly still made in the USA and I consider them to be of excellent quality.

[Anon001]

I cook with iron cookware made by Lodge and I hope hope hope they are actually making it at their plant in Tennessee!!!

I'm not certain but I think they make theirs in China now. I do know that their newer cast iron is not as heavy as their older cast iron.

Paul

[NCLee]

Paul, they're still manufacturing CI here in the US. Believe they are the last US cookware foundry still in operation. Their enamel ware is imported.

http://www.lodgemfg.com/lodge-history.asp

Lee

[rodamala]

...Carharts are supposedly still made in the USA and I consider them to be of excellent quality.

Nope... the Carhartt pocket t-shirt I'm wearing was "Hechoed" in Dominican Republic.