Shoppers aren’t buying ‘Buy American’
Trump’s rallying cry hasn’t proved as strong as lure of low prices
President Trump’s call to “Buy American” isn’t stirring demand for U.S.-made goods as many shoppers focus more on low prices than labels.
Even those who are willing to pay for pricier home-grown items say finding domestic-made merchandise is easier said than done.
Trump signed an executive order April 18 that urged government agencies to “Buy American, Hire American,” a message he carried from the campaign trail to the Oval Office.
So far, though, it has been met with a shrug. Retail chains like J.C. Penney and Toys R Us have not seen a rise in requests for domestically made shirts, dolls or other items.
Google searches for the phrase “Made In America” last spiked in June just before Trump sealed the Republican nomination for president. Searches for “Made In the USA” have been negligible. And companies like WeatherTech and L.L. Bean, which tout their U.S.-made automotive floor mats and rugged boots, say sales were strong long before the presidential election.
It’s not that shoppers aren’t interested in U.S.-made goods. A 2012 survey by The Boston Consulting Group found that nine out of 10 consumers said they would pay more for domestic-produced items to keep jobs in the U.S., and four out of five agreed that purchasing American-made goods showed patriotism.
“It’s something an overwhelming majority of people, regardless of their political affiliation, agree with,” said Scott Paul, president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing.
But for many consumers, prices matter more.
Carrie Aulenbacher, who manages commercial real estate in Erie, Pa., is happy with the quality of the American-made kitchen set she bought 12 years ago, which she has never had to repair or replace. But when it comes to smaller, everyday purchases, a cheaper item that made in China does just fine.
“If I’ve saved up ... I prefer something made in the USA because it’s often better quality,” she said. “But when deciding on a spur-of-the moment purchase, price comes first for me.”
Even if cost isn’t a major concern, finding a blouse, pair of shoes or flat-screen TV that is produced in the U.S. can require going to extra lengths, if the item is available at all.
Franklin Dohanyos, who once worked for Chrysler, drives an extra 5 miles and is willing to pay a few more dollars to buy from a store where he knows the shirts have been made in the USA.
“I’ve always said ‘Buy American first,’ ” said Dohanyos, who now owns a public relations firm in Royal Oak, Mich. But “it’s getting harder and harder.”
Trump’s order is aimed at federal agencies. It gives them 220 days to review policies that require them to buy Americanmade goods and directs them to cut down on waivers and exemptions to those rules. But those policies do not cover technology like smartphones and computers, which were granted a waiver in 2004. And those are just a few of the items that are largely produced outside the U.S.
“Apparel, footwear, toys and other kinds of products all moved overseas years ago,” said Jonathan Gold, vice president of supply chain and customs policy for the National Retail Federation.
China’s entry into the World Trade Organization in 2001 made economic borders more porous and gave U.S.-based businesses the chance to take advantage of cheaper labor. Cheaper labor costs in China, Vietnam and other foreign countries also helped contribute to the loss of hundreds of thousands of manufacturing jobs in the USA.
Job losses in the textile and apparel industry were particularly steep. Levi Strauss, the 163-yearold San Francisco-based company whose blue jeans are an emblem of Americana, closed its last owned and operated manufacturing facility in the U.S. in 2004.
It “was a difficult decision to move away,” said Levi Strauss spokeswoman Andrea Hicklin. But given the required handiwork, it generally costs at least twice as much to produce a pair of jeans in the USA. “To move manufacturing back to the U.S., there would need to be a lot of technological breakthroughs.”
L.L. Bean has chosen to continue making its signature “Bean Boot” within its own manufacturing division in Maine. “It’s the iconic product that we have made a commitment to always make here,” said company spokeswoman Carolyn Beem.
But such a pledge did not make financial sense for its various other products.
“It’s an easy thing to say ‘make things domestically,’ but the infrastructure is not there,” Beem said. “If there’s going to be a move to making more, in a big way, in the USA, it’s going to take time.”
Brad Schweig, whose family has owned Sunnyland Furniture, an outdoor furniture business in Dallas, for 47 years, said his top sellers are imported brands. U.S.made items tend to linger.
“I have a feeling price is a big portion of that,” Schweig said. “People are all about ‘Made in the USA’ until it involves U.S. dollars, and then it’s ‘Do we really care?’ ”