Welcome to December 2008 and another Holiday Season. Made In USA Warehouse would like to wish everyone a Safe and Happy Holiday. With that said recently there are many terms being used in political forums such as Global Free Trade, mechanisms for Forced Disbursement of funds among others. Forced Disbursement Basically takes from Countries whom have trading surplus and offers it to countries with trade deficits. These ideas are launched to somehow instantly fix the global economic crisis. For all the complex ideas that are being proposed the most simplistic idea to fix our own crisis is to keep our currency revolving within a defined area, which may be within a city, state or country. This is a bit more complex than years ago as the money spent at large retail companies may be owned by larger conglomerates and ultimately be owned by overseas companies. Even American owned large companies transfer many jobs overseas to maximize profits for windfall executive bonuses while keeping American payroll to a minimum. To Made In USA Warehouse this is counter-productive and unsustainable for the future. Obviously if Americans have less jobs payrolls will shrink, causing a heavier burden on health care and unemployment that very well may lead to higher taxes for those Americans who are lucky enough to have a job. We must be close or beyond this critical mass as even with good times the last couple of years our deficit continues to grow. How do we plan to decrease the deficit with less jobs, less taxable income and more Americans on welfare?

As we navigate through another Holiday Season with our eyes hopefully wide open it is important to understand the impact of the decisions we make on a daily basis. Are we going to continue to save a couple of dollars purchasing overseas products while mortgaging the future of the country and the global environment?

The general opinion from most we talk with is "nothing is made in the United States anymore". On the contrary nearly all components that Americans use, with the exception of most electronics, are made here in the United States. It is our goal to offer as many products as we can over time to make the American choice easy. Consider it a Stance, a Patriotic Act or even a Donation to America but please try to buy American products whenever possible during this Holiday Season!

Best Regards,

Made In USA Warehouse

New Government

Congratulations to US President-elect Barack Obama on his new position as President of the United States. Barack faces many challenges in his new position and many are looking to him for direction on how the pull the United States out of this recession. It is our view at Made In USA Warehouse that US citizens have to take a more direct role in what we can do to assist with the turn around. Although very intelligent unfortunately Mr. Obamas’ hands are tied as he cannot publicly announce purchasing American products is a major step towards a turnaround since this would erode foreign relations with countries such as China who are currently purchasing most of our debt. While retail sales are down across the board the only company that has maintained or exceeded their earnings report is WalMart. We find this fact very discouraging that the majority of Americans do not seem to understand or care about the cycle of job loss that is at work. The message we are trying to send is It Starts With You! Every American consumer has the ability to make a difference in the direction of your country.

To create jobs in America the formula is rather simple ---- buy American products. Americans begin to purchase American made products at a higher percentage than they do now which leads to manufacturing companies having to hire manufacturing workers, sales, finance, quality, shipping and other essential positions for a growing business. This leads to more money in the local economy as well as higher dollar values going to State & Federal Income Tax and Social Security. Most American manufacturing facilities offer health care as well. So instead of having workers collecting social security, welfare or unemployment the country would benefit by having the same individual paying taxes, adding to social security and have their own health care provider. It all starts with the simple concept of making a conscious decision to purchase American made products instead of always going to the lowest cost. The lower costs now will cost this country plenty in the end. The few dollars saved is costing plenty in tax dollars. We pay much more than the $15 dollars saved on a product on welfare, medical insurance and even the interest on the T-bills to foreign countries.

We understand the mindset of the current consumer trying to maintain a lifestyle with less income, however we believe our kids will be satisfied with 3 toys for Christmas or birthday instead of 5 but they are Made in the United States. This country imported most of our goods in the late 1700’s but made a conscious effort to produce and purchase our own goods. Over 2 centuries we became the model for manufacturing and grew this country to what it is today. It is time to refocus our efforts making conscious decisions about what products we purchase to better our neighbors and common citizens. We must look at ourselves to see what we can do to make this country stronger and not what new Government has planned. The American consumer is the most powerful demographic in the world. We believe everyone understands one cannot purchase everything Made In the United States --- although we are working very hard to offer nearly everything. The key is to buy what you can and look for American products first before allowing the small savings today haunt us for generations. It is time the American consumer takes matters into our own hands to make conscious purchasing decisions and it Starts with You!

Made In USA Warehouse

Economic Crisis:
Americans are caught in the midst of an economic crisis that appears to be moving global. While the government tries to bail out the financial companies and banks with nearly 1 Trillion dollars it is unclear how this will help support small businesses and the middle class --- if at all. Many people we meet say they would like to help and charity/community service is certainly one way to offer your time. However, a major way to support the community and country is to help maintain American jobs by purchasing products made in the United States. It sounds reasonable and this simple act does have a major effect on retaining jobs here in the United States. By consciously purchasing everyday products and or gifts from American companies this supports jobs, local taxes, income taxes and the payroll is typically used within the community for other products and services circulating the dollars. When purchasing from overseas companies, or even American companies who manufacture overseas, the dollars are sent outside the United States most likely never to return (unless of course the US government purchases T-bills loaning our own money back to us with interest).

Purchasing American products is a simple strategy and something every day Americans can do to make a difference in your community, your state and your country. At Made In USA Warehouse we continue to align ourselves with the most reputable American manufacturers offering products such as toys, kid’s furniture, mailboxes, patio furniture, apparel, kitchen products and much more. We are in the process of loading many new products such as office and bedroom furniture, slippers, range finders outdoor products and much more. Together we can make a difference and our strategy is to offer the most cost effective way to purchase American made products. We offer Free Shipping and the price marked is the price you pay (+tax in Michigan only). We feel this approach is important because the final price should be disclosed before checking out with no hidden surprises. Other sites offer a lower product price but then charge huge shipping and handling charges which disappoints me as a consumer. We had the opportunity to change this misleading approach and decided to run our business a bit differently, which is being honest and upfront. We hope that you find value in the resource we have created and find it as important as we do to support the American economy.



Made In USA Warehouse

Let’s talk about purchasing and trying to be ‘Green’. Trying to be environmentally conscious has been a hot topic of discussion on a local, political and global scale over the past few years. Global Warming, whether due to human air pollution or not, seems to be real enough. Forests are being cut down at an unprecedented rate and waterways, including the ocean, continue to be effected by large amounts of trash. Obviously purchasing products from American manufacturing companies offers Americans jobs, business opportunities and financial strength. One of the other major benefits of purchasing from American manufacturing companies is the impact on the environment.
The United States does have strict limits for businesses and restrictions for contamination of ground water and air pollutants. Certainly the products being made outside the US have the manufacturing benefit of low energy cost burning coal and low workers wages at the expense of the environment. For example, China is burning coal at such a rate and without filters that mercury is being detected in the air from mountain ranges in Colorado.
Aside from cheap energy and the huge amounts of pollutants being released into the air everyday there is also the issue of shipping these products from China to the United States. A large cargo ship can carry 15,000 storage containers. It is reported that up to 10,000 storage containers go missing each year into the ocean. These containers carrying all kinds of plastics, wood, lead based paint, cars, chemicals and other materials are falling into the sea, 10,000 containers per year is a huge number considering the number of products that can fit in a single 40ft container can reach hundreds of thousands. Each container at the bottom of the ocean affecting the environment in ways we do not understand yet. The amount of material being left in the ocean is a little known fact and certainly not publicized by companies or political figures but should be recognized by consumers.
There is also the issue of our money continuing to invest in oil rich countries in the Middle East and elsewhere. A typical round trip for a cargo ship is around 55 days. The larger ships can use 190 Tonnes of fuel a day which equates to 1392 barrels of oil per day per ship. One round trip by a cargo ship can use 76,560 barrels of oil. A conservative estimate would suggest 240 million Tonnes of fuel oil per year (about 1.57 billion barrels a year, or 4.3 million barrels a day) is consumed as bunker fuel on ships. Cargo ships also typically use the dirtiest fuel which contains high amounts of sulfur which can lead to other environmental concerns. Ballast water and waste water are also issues as the large ships discard their wastewater just offshore before moving to port and ballast water in cargo ships is proving to have harmful effects on fresh water in the Great Lakes region. All of these issues lend reasons why Americans should purchase American products made from American manufacturing companies and workers. The global economy is a complex issue and not easily evaluated from one perspective. It is in our best interest as American consumers to understand what purchasing overseas products entails besides saving a couple dollars. Given the information we know it is important to purchase American products for the sake American jobs, the financial strength of the country and the overall environmental benefits it will has on earth. Made In USA Warehouse

Welcome to Made in USA Warehouse

We can certainly see the appeal of shopping at discount department stores, who will remain nameless but I think we all know whom I am referencing. The low prices on the surface appear as a savvy purchase but the end result can and will be disastrous for the United States. It is no secret some of the largest companies in the world leave much to be desired in employee relations including manufacturer benefits --- as depicted in the following link:
http://consumerist.com/consumer/retail/walmart-pays-for-brain-damaged-employees-medical-bills-then-sues-for-the-money-back-325514.php
With large discount department stores looking for nothing but profit for themselves it is no surprise they move jobs outside the country rewarding manufacturing facilities willing to submit the lowest bid regardless of the effects to the surrounding communities, people, working conditions, environment etc… It is worth pointing out products that are less expensive are typically less quality as well. It can be argued that by purchasing a higher quality product you will actually save money as the product will most likely last longer. In today’s global market it is difficult for consumers to find American made products. Often American companies reduce their own costs or move jobs offshore to compete with overseas manufacturers even though they manufacture a far superior quality product here in the US. The playing field is not level as often foreign countries subsidize the costs of the products to keep the business in their country. Typically few people actually benefit from this approach mainly the executives of these companies and obviously foreign countries and business owners. Many employees of these manufacturing facilities overseas are working extremely long hours performing hard labor for pennies which in turn they sell product to large department stores for pennies and they in turn sell the same product to American consumers for dollars. Huge windfall profits go to the Department store and the consumer receives a slight discount on the purchased product over buying an American manufactured product. Typically the byproduct of this ‘Discount’ is manufacturing facilities that are unsanitary, environmental issues directly related to manufacturing facilities going unchecked and workers who are still barely able to support their families while being worked to the point of exhaustion.
Let’s dive a bit deeper than Department Stores making profits at the expense of the environment and American workers. China is currently the largest player in low cost job outsourcing. Not by coincidence China also continues to be the largest purchaser of American debt currently over $1Trillion of our $9.5Trillion and growing quickly. With China purchasing this debt we become more reliant on China to keep our economy stable. China has always been a forward thinking country looking decades down the road and strategic future planning. They are certainly using this strategy to their advantage knowing that American consumers have proven they will buy the less expensive product to save a couple of dollars. The largest companies, and of course the foreign countries, lobby hard to make sure that import taxes are never imposed or even the safety of these product materials are rarely inspected. China has free reign to keep its 1Billion population working and shipping this material to American consumers at an unprecedented rate while continuing to mass pollute the air, surrounding environment and have a majority of their citizens in poverty. The day can certainly come when China will no longer purchase American debt having already funded their development by supplying jobs, money and the latest technology. The Technology itself is a very unsettling reality that China is able to use the latest technology developed in the United States at their disposal, copy it and offer to any outfit, country or group willing to purchase it. China is so wealthy with American Dollars they can actually go on a spending spree to purchase American Technology companies with our own money to obtain the technology they require. In fact this process has already begun with the purchase of strategic American companies for technology.
I will address more concerns and complexities of outsourcing in future blogs as there are certainly many more facets to this issue than just China. NAFTA and South America also come to mind as open boarder benefits being heavily unbalanced.
Made In USA Warehouse was created to work directly with American owned companies using American manufacturing workers to offer consumers the ability to patronize these companies and stem off the steady flow of jobs and technology overseas. We have worked feverishly to offer as many reputable companies as possible allowing the American consumer the option of purchasing American made goods. We certainly hope you purchase American made products and so do the generations who will inherit this great country in the years to come. Please search our store for gifts, gift cards, toys, furniture and products you may use every day. We certainly appreciate your patronage. Made In USA Warehouse