We Have the Power to Save Some American Jobs--But Time Is Running Out
Written: Oct 26 '09 (Updated Oct 26 '09)
Product Rating:
Pros: An eye-opening look at the world trade situation. Likeable characters. Easy to read.
Cons: Not too deep, shies away from the hard questions.
The Bottom Line: The book shows how dependent we have become on Chinese imports. It's a wakeup call to the increasing scarcity of US-made products and its impact on US jobs.
jmatsu's Full Review: Sara Bongiorni - A Year Without "Made in China": O...
Sara Bongiorni's A Year Without 'Made in China' is the true story of one moderate-income family's attempt to go one year without buying anything that was made in China. They did it on a whim--as an experiment--after Sara read about someone else's attempt to go one Christmas without made in China and then noticed how many things they got had been made in China.
The book was written before the recent recalls of contaminated Chinese products, so there's no mention of all that. As far as the author could determine, the workmanship and quality of Chinese products was just fine. Her boycott wasn't even inspired by any moral objections: the author wasn't protesting sweatshop working conditions or interested in other political issues. She just wanted to see if it could be done.
(This review is a spoiler:)
In case you don't have time to read the book, her short answer is: it can't. That is, it can't unless you are willing to do without things that are a normal part of the average modern consumer's life: cellphones, many popular toys, holiday decorations, birthday candles...
The format of the book is anecdotal and chronological. Sara tells stories of the challenges that each month brings as things break down and replacements need to be found (and in some cases non-Chinese replacements CAN'T be found) or birthdays require extensive often fruitless shopping for non-Chinese gifts. In some ways the format is repetitious: Sara tries to find a specific thing not made in China. She can't. However, sometimes the search yields surprises. (Want some American-made sunglasses? Try Oakleys, made in California). Her child's ever-growing Christmas wish list to Santa wrenches her heart and gives her nightmares. Imagine a long list of items your child has his heart set on, but even though you can afford them you just can't bring yourself to buy any of them because of where they are made. In some cases she bends the rules and gets a friend/family member to buy an item so that the children won't be disappointed.
By the time she got to November I was starting to lose interest in the book because to me she had already proven that the boycott couldn't be done. I didn't see the point of them all suffering through Christmas, but the end of the book brought some surprises that proved me wrong.
If you do have time to read the book, I think it's worth it. Before reading it I was aware that a lot of things were made in China. I watch Dragon's Den on the BBCA and had noticed that the first place businesses go for inexpensive manufacturing is China. I knew that the need to stay in business was driving more and more American companies to move their manufacturing out of the country in order to stay afloat. However, until I read this book, I had no idea of the depth and breadth of the problem. It was really eye opening.
In view of the current economy and increasing number of layoffs, this book is scary.
Will 'Made in the USA' Become Extinct?
After reading this book, I've found that I'll occasionally go out of my way to turn items over in stores to see where they are made. More often than not I've found that Sara Bongioni is right. Her emphasis is Made in China. My emphasis is Made in the USA (even assembled in the USA is fine). When I find a "Made in the USA" label I feel a little thrill, similar to the way I feel when I see a rare bird.
I'd like to offer some suggestions of things we can do to help.
I Think We Consumers Can Help Save American Jobs
Consider Buying American. If you see two similar products and are trying to decide which to get, pause before picking one and see where each is made. If one is American and costs a little more (and you can afford it), then consider choosing it. If you can't afford to spend more, or you don't like the American product as much--then do what you want to do. It's your hard-earned money and you have every right to spend it as you want to. All I ask is that we take the time when we are shopping to consider buying American.
Contact Customer Service. If you bought an expensive product or if you often buy a cheap product and it's made in the US, call, write or email Customer Service and thank them for supporting our economy. We don't know if a company might be considering moving it's manufacturing overseas, until after they've decided and factories are closed down. If we let companies know that being "made in the USA" is a reason we've been buying their products, they may be less likely to shut down local factories in an effort to save a few bucks.
Ask for American Made. If your store doesn't have any US-made items, ask for them. Maybe they will start carrying them.
Mention Where It's Made in Reviews. Those of us writing reviews on Epinions, Amazon or other sites: If we know where a product is made, mention it. If it's made in the US--mention it PROMINENTLY.
Made in the USA Labels. If you own a business and make a product, pls put "Made in the USA" on your labels. If possible, big and on the front. Make it easy for us consumers. The law mandates that products NOT made in the US must have a label that states where they are made, so anything that doesn't say where it's made should be from the US. However, companies should be aware that being Made in the USA might help a product to sell. If you make it here, let consumers know. Put it on your products. Put it on your web sites. If I were you, I'd mention the town and state on your websites too.
If a million Americans were to choose to buy one American product over one made in China (or other countries), it probably wouldn't make a bit of difference to China, but it might help to keep American companies afloat during these difficult times.
Other Info
Here are some websites that make it easier to find American-made products:
(www.madeinusa.com is another--but I have trouble with it's search engine)
I don't know if these resources were available when Sara did her boycott--hopefully they might provide some of the items that she wasn't able to find.
Another thing I'd recommend looking into is the pending Clean Energy Act (aka the Cap and Trade or Cap and Tax bill). This is expected to have a profound impact on local manufacturing. (I heard a recent news report that said it's expected cost Washington State $2 billion in jobs and revenue). See how it will affect your state's economy and businesses. Given the national job situation, we should consider postponing it till after our economy recovers.
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