The Search for Made-in-USA

After almost four years in China trying to sell American products to the Chinese I'm in no mood to buy made-in-China products. As you may have heard, China runs up a huge trade deficit with us every year. In fact at $7 gazillion, it's the largest trade deficit we have with anyone - including the Ferengi. There are many reasons for this but at the end of the day it boils down to the Chinese liking American products a lot - so much so that they like to copy them and then sell them to each other. And more and more they like selling our creations back to us at discount prices. And we're so stupid we think this is just great - that is until we lose our job at the plant.

It was with this in mind that I started out on my quest Wednesday to buy a coffee maker that had not been made in China. I checked Wal-Mart grocery first because it was closest. They had four makes and they were all made in China and sold under names like GE and Mr. Coffee. Ok, this was going to be harder than I anticipated so I went straight for the high end. Williams-Sonoma is in the Utica Square shopping plaza - Peavine's highest end shopping area. The coffee makers there were high tech, gleaming brushed aluminum, and pricy - $130 - $400. Cuisinart and Krups. Surely these were made in Germany or Paris or by out-of-work actors in Beverly Hills. I had the sales lady look at the boxes and NOOOOO! Even these over-priced luxury brands were all made in China! What are the profit margins on these beauties I thought? Would I join the ranks of those who happily plunk down several hundred for a "German" coffee maker that probably cost $20 to make in China? Not about to.

I headed to K-Mart for one last try before I'd resort to the Internet. Here there were eight makes of machines, Hamilton Beach, Mr. Coffee, Proctor-Silex, etc and all were made in China. But then I spied one forlorn Bunn coffee maker on the bottom shelf and Yes! - it was "assembled in the USA". That means its parts are made elsewhere but at least some Americans are employed to screw the parts together in some metal building somewhere in America. I'll take it! It may cost $50 more than the made-in-China options on the shelf but I'm willing to pay it.

USA! USA!