Buy American Made Gifts This Holiday Season

Washington, D.C, District of Columbia Nov 25, 2022 (Issuewire.com) - As shoppers around the nation get ready to buy holiday presents, one national group is urging gift buyers to choose products that are Made in the USA this holiday season.

To help consumers find the right gifts made at home, the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) recently released its annual guide of American-made gift ideas and tips on how to identify country-of-origin labels on products. The gift guide highlights companies that make products in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The online tool gives shoppers a wide variety of gift ideas for products made locally and throughout the country.

Three-quarters of American consumers say they would prefer to purchase holiday gifts that are made in the United States, but a third say they rarely or never see American-made products while shopping, according to a new poll released by AAM.

"Americans want to shop 'Made In USA,', especially around the holidays," said AAM President Scott Paul. "Retailers are missing out by not doing more to promote American-made gifts in their marketing and store displays. We're doing our part by shining the spotlight on some great companies that are making their products locally. Now, it's up to retailers to stock their shelves with more Made in America options, and better showcase them in their stores, too. It could benefit them at the cash register."

Only 14% of adults say they see American-made products "a lot" while shopping. More than eight in 10 (81%) say they would purchase more holiday gifts that are Made in the United States if they were more widely available at large retailers. Consumers blame major corporations for moving production overseas as the main reason, cited by 43%, that they do not see more American-made products while shopping.

"It's no surprise that the majority of Americans want to buy domestically made goods, both to make the holidays brighter and to help support good jobs and a stronger U.S. economy," said USW International Vice President Roxanne Brown. "USW members proudly make a number of high-quality products that make great gifts. We're grateful to the AAM for putting together this important resource to make both holiday shopping and investing in our communities easier."

"We are here to educate the public on how to find American-made gifts, and how to use country-of-origin labels to figure out where a product was made," added Paul. "Labels offer transparency about a product; unfortunately, online retailers don't have to disclose where products are made like in-person stores."

Support is high for online retailers to include country-of-origin labels. Nearly eight in 10 adults (79%) think online retailers should be required to include a country-of-origin label for products like in-person retailers do.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) has introduced bipartisan legislation to fix outdated labeling laws to inform Americans shopping online about where products are made, and to help boost the American businesses and manufacturers selling their goods through online retailers.

"Regardless of whether shopping online or in a store, Americans have a right to know whether the products they buy are being made right here in America, by American workers," said Baldwin. "With more and more consumers buying their goods online, we must ensure online retailers are being just as transparent as brick-and-mortar stores."

According to the survey, the major reasons shoppers want to buy American-made are:

• 72% say it can boost the U.S. economy.
• 58% say it creates American jobs.
• 57% say it supports small businesses.

While some (25%) say domestic production cost is a driving factor in keeping American-made products off the shelf, most people--87% of those earning $50,000 to $100,000 and 76% of those making less than $50,000--still are willing to buy American-made gifts.

"Our annual Made in America Holiday Gift Guide gives us the opportunity to shine a spotlight on companies that support jobs and manufacturing in America," Paul said. "It makes it easier to find the right gift this holiday season."

The consumer survey was conducted Nov. 3-5 among 2,213 adults by Morning Consult. The results have a margin of error of +/- 2% points.

Visit www.americanmanufacturing.org to find the holiday gift guide.                              

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AAM does not endorse any product. The Made in America Holiday Gift Guide is intended to educate consumers on how to look for and buy American-made products. AAM highlights companies that support American jobs and that make great products in the United States. We rely on the companies listed to provide accurate information regarding their domestic operations and their products. Each company featured is individually responsible for labeling and advertising its products according to applicable standards, such as the Federal Trade Commission's "Made in USA" standard or California's "Made in USA" labeling law. We do not review individual products for compliance or claim that because a company is listed in the guide that their products comply with specific labeling or advertising standards.

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