I have a friend who smuggles Bibles and Bible-study material into China. The communist government frowns on this sort of activity. It is a dangerous thing my friend does.
You can imagine my confusion then, a couple months ago, when I was wandering through The Dollar Tree, and discovered a bin of New Testaments. I flipped through one and discovered that it was…made in China.
I was at the Dollar Tree again (to those who never go to such places–everything in the Dollar Tree is–you guessed it–one dollar). I was picking up candy for my grandkids’ Easter Baskets. Had filled my buggy with cute little candy rabbits, etc. Then it struck me. I wondered where all this stuff had been made. Started reading back labels. Made in China. Made in China. Made in China. Well what-do-you-know…..this one is made in America!
I put the made in China candy back on the shelf and started foraging for made-in-America candy, and there was plenty. All I had to do was look. Same price.
Wandered on down the aisle. I’ve been a little nose-out-of-joint lately because a card company I used to love working for, Hallmark, has begun to outsource their jobs to China. I assumed the greeting cards in Dollar Tree would be from China. Nope. Made in America. They were nice cards.
I needed hand soap for the bathroom sinks. I found two brands. The name brand was made in America. The no-name brand was made in China. Same price.
I then went to Big Lots. (Yes, I shop at all the finest establishments. LOL) Needed a glass measuring cup. I had a choice of two brands. Anchor Hocking had a nice one for a reasonable price. Made in USA. There was one on the shelf from China. Only a few cents different. Guess which one I bought?
I recently purchased two Kitchenaid appliances. A little more pricey than other brands–but oh the quality! And they are made right here in Ohio.
This discovery has given me a new hobby. Finding Made-In-America labels is becoming a treasure hunt to me. Not always, but frequently, there just isn’t that big of a difference in price. I figure donating those two extra seconds it takes to check the label is a small gift I can give to my fellow countrymen who are struggling to keep their jobs.
And that shopping trip to the Dollar Tree? It had quite an ending. As I was checking out, I noticed a little card with two American-flag buttons hanging near the cash register. Both buttons said “Proud To Be An American.” In large letters on the back it said–you guessed it–Made In China. I did not purchase one.
