In addition to Allahpundit's points, I wonder how the poll would have looked if it had been framed toward the majority of people in this country for whom even $50 is an outlandish price for a pair of pants. It's hard for me to imagine much of America outside of the coastal cities ever drops that kind of cash on jeans. Would I pay $85 for a pair of pants made in America? No. Would I pay $50 for a pair of pants made in America? No. I typically buy my jeans at the thrift store, where I pay ten bucks or less for them. I'm planning to wear them out quick with hard work and play, so I don't think of them as an investment into which I'm prepared to sink much money.
Apparently 30% of respondents to the poll said they'd pay the eighty-five bucks to wear American-made jeans, though.
Well, yeah.
ReplyDeleteAnd will Trump impose tariffs on the seven, or so, car companies in the American automobile industry? After all, they assemble their cars from parts that are imported; there are no Made in America cars.
And he's threatened to punish Ford for building (another) auto plant in Mexico.
Eric Hines
I just don't see how any of that is going to work given the interconnectedness of trade in the world today.
ReplyDeleteBut you're wrong on jeans, Grim. I know people who drop $200 on jeans in 'flyover' country. Fashion knows no limits. (And fashion victims are everywhere).
That said, proliferation of stores like Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Burlington Coat Factory makes it easy to find, even in 'coastal cities' cheap clothes. But, even those places only exist because some other retailer bought too much of something.
Now, buying at a thrift store is thrifty, but it actually doesn't really support industry--(assuming by thrift store you mean a place where you can buy used clothes)--you are just buying somebody else's cast offs, which are available only because that somebody got rid of them.
I'm aware of the fact that I'm not much supporting industry. Mostly I'm supporting the church charities that run the thrift stores. But that helps local Americans in my community, too -- it keeps some of them employed, and provides charity for others.
ReplyDeleteProbably not as good as if I were willing to drop two c's on a pair of jeans, I'll admit. Then there'd be plenty to spread around.
Hmm, looking around I stumbled on this site, and it turns out you can get USA made jeans for $25 (on clearance). Who knew?! I may have to have a closer look at this site, now that I've found it. I'd pay a little more for 'Made in USA', but I'm not at all against imported goods, per se.
ReplyDeleteI may try a pair of those out Douglas. I usually buy from Duluth Trading. Their ballroom carpenter jeans are great for work, made well and last. I get them for $54. The made in USA are $30 more. Too much.
ReplyDeleteA friend of mine agonized a little over buying a dress made in Eastern Europe for about $50. Right up until she looked at how much it would cost her to make the dress herself only to find should couldn't even buy the cloth for that little here in the US. The issue is that most Americans (like everyone else in the world) are rational actors. Most of us live on limited budgets. Those budgets dictate that if we spend an extra $30 on product A (instead of product B) that we will have $30 less to spend on anything else. So unless product A is vastly inferior to product B, we will make the rational choice and chose A.
ReplyDelete