Have you ever wondered if everything you purchase is made in
China? I am not against buying products that are made in different countries
other than my own. I have known for some time now that there are literally
thousands upon thousands of products currently being made in China and being
exported all over the world. It doesn’t seem to matter what store you shop in,
when you check the merchandise for where it was made you will find a big
portion of that store’s merchandise was made in China.

It never used to bother me because when I bought product
manufactured in China it was always cheaper than like product manufactured in
North America. If you want to spend less and don’t mind a sub-par product then
buying merchandise made in China is your best bet. If you don’t mind
strengthening another countries economy instead of your own then by all means
purchase product that was not manufactured in your country. Like I said it
never “used” to bother me but a few months ago I went to my local home builder’s
store which proudly states they are Canadian owned and from what I gathered
over the years they proudly sold Canadian made product. Well they do sell some Canadian
product; they also sell quite a bit of product produced in China. I was
somewhat disappointed because I was proud of myself for shopping there to
purchase all of my home building and renovation products over the years instead
of their competitors down the street. Now when I need a new paint brush I check
to see where it was made even if I buy it at my proudly Canadian owned home
building store.

I have nothing against China at all; in fact I am impressed
with how much the world depends on the Chinese to produce their favorite
products. What I am against is convincing myself that I am doing as much as I
can for my own country and continent economically when I buy product from half
way around the world. I don’t make an effort for every single product to look
at the label but I do check most products. I will pay more money to buy
something manufactured locally if I can. I don’t care about getting a deal as
much as I care about Canada’s economic future so I spend more than I have to in
some instances. It makes me feel good for trying to pump more money in the Canadian
pipeline and hopefully even in a small way I hope it is helping keep some jobs
here in North America.  

It truly is amazing how many products are imported from
China and surrounding area. So why are so many products made in China? It’s all
about profit margin for companies and shoppers who want a good deal. So how do
we get companies to start creating manufacturing jobs here in North America? I
am by no means an expert in this area and only have my own views on this subject
which I am going to share with you now.  

I purchased something from NFL.com for someone this
Christmas and assumed automatically that a Mickey Mouse stuffed toy with fleece
blanket dressed up in one of the NFL team’s colors and attire would have to be
manufactured in the USA or possibly Mexico but never from China. The item
arrived and after checking the tag I was shocked that an American Icon like
Mickey Mouse dressed up in an NFL teams colors and logo was manufactured in
China.

The reason companies have product manufactured out of
country is because of the cost and profit factors or quite possibly they are
from China and this is their way of giving back. I think however that it is all
about the profit margin for businesses. If it isn’t about profit then they are
a non-profit organization and the amount of product they are dealing with is no
concern to anyone wanting to help strengthen their economy.

For the shopper it is all about saving a buck. People shop
at the dollar store because it is cheap. I have friends and family who always
say why should they buy a product somewhere else when they can get it at the
dollar store for just a buck? I now say because you should support your own
country if and when possible.

People will argue that if businesses start manufacturing
product in the USA or Canada that the item will cost too much and no one will
buy it because they can buy the cheaper Chinese version of the product. It is
true that product would cost more to buy if it was made here at home but if you
can overlook that higher charge up front and focus on what could happen down
the road we can all benefit.

So what happens if we all start buying more products that
are manufactured in the USA or Canada? What happens is you create more jobs because
of the increased need of workers to work in the factories and manufacturing
companies because more people are buying products from home. Over time the company
makes the profit they need and the people working in these jobs will start
making more money because of the success of the company. Better paying jobs for
you and I here in North America. Of course this would take quite a huge effort
and it won’t happen overnight.

I look at trying to buy merchandise made in Canada or the
USA instead of China just like I look at recycling paper and other items. Even
though the amount I do is small compared to the whole of everything being used consumed
and recycled it makes a small difference and does help. If more people start
taking the same steps then over time we can all make a difference and slowly
but surely help strengthen our own economies instead of keeping another economy
strong.

This is all just food for thought and just my view and
opinion. Just like you I care about the success and strength of my economy and
country and want to make a difference. The next time you go out shopping check
where your items are made and see how shocked you are when you find a familiar
theme from product to product. .