We prefer to buy American made products. They are not always, or often, it seems, easy to find. When we do find them, they are usually more expensive, though not always of a superior quality.
When we shop, our first priority is locally owned businesses, and other than a few restaurants they are as rare as hen’s teeth. There is some consolation in shopping locally regardless of the ownership because that at least supports the local economy with jobs and sales tax.
Sometimes, however, you just need a hunk of plastic. Time and distance factors into your decision to roll into the parking lot of whatever store happens to be nearest without pausing to consider the economic or philosophical implications.
This was the case recently when I found myself in one of those big box stores looking for a downspout extension. I can’t tell you the name of the store but the employees carry electronic devices designed to help them avoid eye contact with customers.
Having failed to attract any attention in aid of my search, I approached a captive (stationary) employee and waited for her to glance up from her computer screen. She answered my query by pointing to a corner of the store a short hike from the customer service counter.
A brief search of the area convinced me that my item was not there, so I approached what appeared to be an informal gathering of several employees and politely waited for one to finish telling her joke. I was then directed to the opposite corner of the store in the back of the garden section.
I don’t mind walking. It’s one of the healthiest things we can do, but I had made other committments for my time so I approached the area at a trot. After a quick ten minute search of the area I found the label for my extension. It was out of stock.
It was just as well that the store was out of my item because the price over that empty space on the shelf was shocking, doubly so considering that I knew my item contained about 30 cents worth of plastic. I left the store mentally reorganizing my repair plans for the afternoon.
Sometimes thinking outside the box happens naturally when we are required to improvise and adapt. Clear of that (big) box I remembered that my brother-in-law had recommended an Asian company which provides free shipping for items direct from the factory.
I went online to discover what was available. I saw the item I needed in my first search. It was identical to the out-of-stock item in the big box store, but I could get two of them for the same price, plus an adapter, with mounting hardware as well.
I paused for a moment to consider what “Buy American” means in the global tapeworm economy. The big box item and the online item were both made in the same factory in Asia. Big American Box probably paid half or less wholesale of my online cost for 30 cents worth of plastic, before doubling or tripling the price for retail. I could wait for Big Box to restock and help improve their stock price on Wall Street, and contribute a few pennies to the economy of a nearby town, or I could retain an extra $10 to put into my own gas tank. Score one for online.
The same logic applies to our grocery shopping. I can help support an American job buying groceries at a North Carolina based grocery chain which charges customers in our area more than their stores in other places. Or I can pay 1/3 to 1/2 less at a locally run German owned grocery, support an American job, contribute to a local tax base and save enough money to pay for my gas and eat out for lunch.
What do you think my choice would be? Das ist ein klarer Fall.
Outside The Box 