Lets face it, as consumers we are constantly confronted with the challenge of what to buy, where to buy it, and how much of it. Questions such as can I find this at another store for less? or will I be completely satisfied with this purchase? are constantly circulating our heads. Now even the question of where is it made from and who and what am I supporting when purchasing this accumulate to what seems like a list of never ending questions from whom we see no correct answer. Perhaps it is because these are but mere attempts to understanding our economic system and how our decisions relate on a global scale.
We of course hear things such as "buy American" and "buy local", but some may be wondering why? The answer to the unexplained chants lie in an economics book. For one, buying American means that a particular product was made and distributed using American businesses. As such, buying a product made in the US will insure a continuous support for those companies who in turn will continue to employ US citizens keeping your dollar circulating in this Northwestern Hemisphere. As economics will denote, the flow of cash is typically followed by the investment made by producers and proceeding to the returns made possible by consumers. Because of this when an American industry is no longer obtaining the returns needed to keep it afloat, it is then that a further minimization of costs need to be devised for the sake of survival. More often than not these cost reducing strategies tend to comprise the liquidation of employees. Employees, or people, tend to be the first ones to get xeroxed from accounting sheets in other for companies to remain hopeful of a larger profit margins. Even though some may be able to bargain other alternatives, most general managers are too overtaken by human instincts such as fear and react all too naturally.
Still as consumers we have the ability of increasing our conscience to the reality of our daily economical dilemma of who to buy from. This ability is often neglected, but a simple reminder to keep facts in mind might help better our decisions to slowly change the direction of this economic crises we are all facing around the world. So remember that all that is American made is supporting American economy as well as the American public. So when your asking yourself what to buy try to think who you would rather support, your home or the neighbors. When it doubt think, what goes around comes around and you'll know just what action to take.
Sometimes we support the neighbours first. It happens because we are doing much better actually. The question that bothers me is whether this support always helpful and given in the right form. From my shopping experience, the price depends more on the brand than on the country. I remember Armani boutique on Manhattan where everything was made in China and the priced were not cheap.
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