Buying domestic products

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I am a Pole pisses me off that my compatriots prefer to buy trashy products in foreign supermarket chains, than the national Polish products despite the fact that in many cases are better than those of supermarkets.

I would like to have developed such a mentality is that when buying domestic products it supports the nation's economy, which also creates jobs.

Couldn't agree with you more. I always try to buy American, and buy from American businesses. It costs a little more, but it creates jobs in America.

Buying locally-made products also significantly reduces your carbon footprint.

I used to buy American-made cars only. Then I realized that with what I was spending in the first three years on repairs alone, I could make a decent down-payment on a Japanese car. Financing was easier, too.

I just sold my 10-year-old Toyota (200,000+ miles with no major repairs!), and used the proceeds as the down-payment on a Honda CRV. This was after FMAC and GMAC screwed up and/or lost my loan applications for a new Ford truck or a Dodge Ram. I expect to be driving the CRV for at least 3 years before it needs any major work, or I might trade it in on another one after one or two years, so as to keep the trade-in value high.

My brother goes through his beloved Chevrolets on a yearly basis. He is of the mindset that you are supposed to spend your weekends repairing, tuning, and polishing your (American-made) car or truck, or there is something morally wrong with you. I'm of the mind-set that if I'm going to be spending money on something as expensive as a car, it had better be more reliable than any other vehicle of its class on the market.

Screw the unions and their protectionist attitudes, anyway.

Hey, you ARE aware that the Japanese auto makers hold their employees to higher standards of quality than the American auto manufacturers, right? And the American workers are happier working for Japanese bosses, because those Japanese bosses actually listen to and value their American employees as partners, and not as adversaries on the other side of the bargaining table.

I'd never buy anything made in Mexico - if I can do better elsewhere - and that includes cars.

I buy whatever is in the local wallyworld, as they are the only game in my little town.

I don't really make any effort to buy American, I want to buy the highest quality product for the lowest price. I'm happy when it is an American product but going out of my way to buy American products is a luxury I don't have. I am not happy where my food comes from or how many products I buy that are made by slave labor in countries like China but it is impossible to avoid. You can't fight it.

If price and quality are somewhat close then I'll buy domestic. It is a consideration but not the only one.

I drive a ford explorer with 180k miles. Made in Illinois and assembled in Missouri. I have done no major repairs, just the usual routine maintenance.

Stuff like this has me wondering just what the heck counts as "domestic" any more...

Chinese Chicken Processors Are Cleared to Ship to U.S. (link)

I like to order things from China off Ebay with Free Shipping, for .25 cents or less.

I've gotten .15 cent packages with free shipping and tracking from china and I know I'm screwing them out of dollars to the cent shipping it and that's my prime motivation.

I like to buy hand carved Chinese antiquities, and fakes out of genuine jade or other materials for almost free and use them as art supplies to make Cthulhu Mythos props.

Buy local, but don't be a slave to it and the worlds your oyster.

I mainly do it with food because we have hardly any industry left in this country any more. All my meat, vegetables, beer and dairy come from Britain. I try to buy fruit grown here too (I wait for strawberries etc, to be in season) but some stuff just doesn't grow here. I can't get locally-grown tea/coffee/sugar, either - for obvious reasons. Well, I can get beet sugar, I suppose - but I like demerara better.