Golf Tees, Ball Retriever, Golf Grips Made in USA

Zero Friction Tees Made in USA

 There aren't many products at your local Golf shop that are made in America.  We've written about American made Titleist balls and PING clubs, in this article we'll show you a few more golf items made in the USA.

We've searched every item in our local golf stores and have found almost nothing!  But here are some tees and a ball retriever that you can purchase to support American manufacturing.  

If you spot others please give us a link to the photo and we'll add it to our American Made Golf Equipment archive.

 Purchase any of the three American Made Golf Tees via Amazon on this handy list I made that displays all of them at once for you.  

Professional Tee System Made in the USA

These Epoch golf tees from evolvegolf are amazing!  This is our favorite pick by far, there is no good reason for you to not be using this tee.  Buy it for friends, give it as a gift, you must buy this tee!  Buy American golf tees right now on Amazon!

• MADE FROM RECYCLED PLASTIC
• EXTREMELY DURABLE
• MADE IN AMERICA

No trees were hurt in the making of this tee.  Me and my buddies have a joke about the Epoch tee, we think it's a flawed business plan.  The problem is that the tees are too durable.  You'll only need about 1 tee per round, a single box of 50 could last years.  A friend of mine went 28 rounds of golf on a single Epoch evolve golf tee!  Instead of cracking, the tee is likely to fly, so losing it 20 yards away from your teeing location might require a replacement tee.  I can't remember ever seeing one actually break.  They do no damage to driver heads under extreme swing speeds, we've got plenty of proof for that.  Buy the Epoch tee from Golfsmith here.

Aside from finding three American golf tees, we found one other item in the shop that was made in America.  The iGotcha ball retriever comes in a few sizes ranging from 6 to 18 feet.  They all have the "Proudly made in U.S.A." label.  

Purchase an iGotcha ball retriever at Golfsmith right now.

Purchase an iGotcha ball retriever at Amazon.

GOLF GRIPS

Pure Golf Grips are made in the USA.  There are several PURE grips to choose from (soft wrap, smooth wrap, pure wrap, pure midsize wrap, and a pro grip).  PURE makes great feeling grips ranging from a soft to firm feel grip.  The grips are made in Tempe, AZ.  PURE makes a very tacky grip and feels like it will hold up really well, the price is fair. h/t ttgolf

Buy PURE grips now at Golfsmith.  Or buy your PURE American grips at Amazon.

Star Grips are Made in the USA, Tacki-mac grips are Made in the USA, and Mint Grips are made in the US by Gibbs Plastic and Rubber.

Sadly, Golf Pride no longer makes grips in the USA.  

Golf Clubs Made in the USA (info about PING)

 Over the last 25 years almost all production of golf clubs has been moved to China, Japan, and other locations overseas.  Most of the production was moved overseas to cut costs, but some was necessitated by EPA law which makes certain powder coatings, and titanium construction golf equipment impossible to make in America.

Informed consumers will find that PING (Karsten Manufacturing Corporation) is heavily American and manufactures more golf clubs in America than any other manufacturer.

Not only does PING make golf equipment in the USA but they also are the only family owned company of any well known manufacturer.  The other companies are all traded on stock exchanges and function with the primary goal of returning value to shareholders.  The company was started out of a garage in Redwood City, CA by Karsten Solheim.

you might like: Made in USA Golf Balls  --- Made in USA Tees, Grips, & More

1990 PING ad

Karsten was a GE Engineer, and he's responsible for revolutionizing the game more than any golf club maker in history.  He is the only club engineer in the Golf Hall of Fame. No matter which clubs you purchase, there is a technology/system being used that was initially created by Karsten Solheim, his son John, or the Karsten Manufacturing Corporation in general.

In the late 50's Karsten created the first perimeter weighted iron and heel-toe weighted putter.  In the 1970's and 1980's while the patent was in it's first 20 years it was very common for people to order PING equipment after seeing a PING ad and using the fitting chart that PING patented in 1966 to be measured at home.  Today 98% of the clubs on the market are perimeter weighted, but in the 70's if you wanted forgiveness in a golf club you could only buy it in PING Eye irons.  Karsten was the first "rocket scientist" to work on golf clubs, today if you aren't one you're probably not designing golf clubs.  I'm just getting started, and won't bore you with the long version but socially responsible consumers will find that buying PING isn't just an American thing, it's the right thing.  Sure, patents only last 20 years, but doesn't it make sense to purchase from the manufacturer that created the technology?  But lets get back on the main topic, which golf clubs are made in the US.  

Anser Milled Label

Today the only golf club foundry in America is in Dolphin, Arizona.  Karsten bought the foundry in the 1970's.  Watch this video tour of the foundry.  At that point the foundry could make all the golf clubs the American market needed.  As the other manufacturers lowered pricing by moving overseas, EPA laws changed, and production at Dolphin exceeded factory capacity PING started producing clubs overseas.  Today the Dolphin foundry employs tons of Americans who make PING equipment in Arizona at full capacity at all times.  This predominantly includes, replacement irons for loss, and overflow need of specific irons on an as needed basis.  Milled PING putters are all American made, and the grooves on the 2013 Tour Gorge wedges are milled in America.  

Anser Milled 100% American

There is a differentiation between the overseas production of PING and their counterparts.  PING owns their own plants in Japan and Vietnam.  The plants are run by a Solheim, and the employees are PING employees.  Some of those employees are American citizens, and have worked at the Arizona locations at some point in their career.  PING has extreme loyalty from both their consumers and their employees.  And yes, of course I play all PING.  

PING has more club components produced in America than any other brand.  There are quite a few people with G10, G15, G20, or G25 irons out there completely made in America.  

PING Nome with USA and China made heads

Current made in America PING club list:

• Milled Putters like Nome, Sydney, Anser (check individual labels)
• Grooves for Gorge wedges are machined in America
• Some G10, G15, G20, G25 sets of heads were made in America
• ALL replacement iron heads of any style of any year is made in Arizona.
• All steel shafts from PING are made in the USA.
• PURE golf grips are available from PING and they are made in America.  

I want all American golf clubs (irons)

You could purchase a set of PING Eye 2 irons.  If you buy them online, get the serial number and confirm authenticity with PING by calling 1-800-4-PING-FIT.  Eye 2 and prior are all American, and you'll be supporting an American when you buy them second hand.

Take your irons to a PING fitter and ask to be fit.  Ask the fitter to recommend a new shaft, the old ones are too old but the heads are not!  Get fit for length, lie angle, flex, and grip.  You might have to pay for the fitting.  Then have your clubs sent to PING, to return them to new.  You can get the heads retumbled and they will look new when they come home.  PING Eye 2 irons from 80's-90's can only be adjusted 1-2 color codes so have someone help determine your wrist to floor measurement (don't do it yourself!!!!!!!!).  Once you know your measurement, buy your irons as close to that color code as possible.  Don't worry about which shaft is in there, you're going to have PING reshaft them.  Make sure to pick an American grip (not Golf Pride anymore).  Use PURE Grips, Tacki Mac, Star, or Mint grips for American made grips!

You should pay $40-175 for a set of PING Eye 2 irons.  Go to Golfsmith for a free 5 minute fitting and have them send the clubs back.  Reshafting with a new grip will cost $20-$50 per club depending on shaft.  Lie angle change will cost about $4 per club.  All of the work will be done at the Phoenix, AZ office.  You could be playing an all American club that is of extreme historical importance to golf for about $300.

With all that said, if playing good golf is your primary goal you really should not be playing irons from before the year 2000.  You can make any comment you want about how you play good with your dads old clubs, PING Man scientifically verifies that every club made is better than it's predecessors.  We are many years more advanced scientifically than we were 20, 30, 40 years ago.  Todays PING irons are better than any they've ever made.  Are you reading this on a 30 year old computer right now?  Would it even be possible?

Some other great major differences between PING and other brands:

• A very large manufacturing/repair/warranty division in Phoenix cares for your clubs many years past year 1. 
• Warranted against manufacturer defects for a very long time, in some cases... lifetime.
• Only cast iron that can have a lie angle adjustment after purchase.
• They are the industry leader in tolerances and quality control.
• If you lose an iron you can order an exact replica of the missing iron, forever.  That replacement head will be hand poured by an American citizen in Dolphin, Arizona!
• All PING carry bags are assembled in America at the Phoenix plant.  The bag itself is made in Canada or Mexico.
• PING stock shafts are used as a means to improve quality of golf. No expense is spared.

Scotty Cameron Heads are made in the USA (shaft and grip are Chinese).

Scotty Cameron makes his popular putter heads in America!  Sure Scotty copies PING designs, but you can't take away the beauty that he brings to putters.  These are gorgeous putters that resemble artwork.  They even have a custom shop to focus on paint colors, and other personalizations that make your putter unique to you.  The grip and shaft to a Cameron come out of China.  The parent company for Titleist is FILA of South Korea.    

Some Steel Shafts are made in the USA

• True Temper makes all their steel shafts in America from American steel. 
• The NS line of shafts is made in Japan.  NS stands for Nippon Steel, a Japanese company.  
• KBS/FST is made in Taiwan.  
• The Rocketfuel shaft from Taylormade is made with American Carpenter Steel in America.

That can't be all the clubs made in the USA can it?

No, it's not.  There are more.  There are a few small companies with some all American golf clubs.  TaylorMade, Callaway, Nike, Cleveland, Adams, and Mizuno assemble many of their clubs in America, from foreign parts.

Scratch Golf makes heads with our English friends over the pond and completes the work in Detroit.  "Housed in a secret location in metro Detroit MI, The Armory houses the most talented group of craftsmen in the game of golf and each one is tasked with making golf clubs specifically for YOU."  The President of Scratch Golf wrote about where his equipment is produced on GolfWRX in April 2010.

Sassy Malassy putters are machined in the Philadelphia area. The approximately $200 putters will come with a "Made in the U.S.A." headcover.

Dandy Putters are CNC milled out of a metal bar and include a True Temper American shaft with an American grip from Gripo's of Nevada.  Gripo's also makes grips in America for AME, known as Percise.

Prairie Golf says they mill some CNC putter heads in Omaha, Nebraska but they don't make each specific head clear.  I suggest asking them before purchasing if you are in doubt.

Louisville Golf will make you an all American hickory shafted persimmon wood head driver if you have a sense of adventure.

Please let us know about all the other great American small golf manufacturers out there!  Check out our article about American golf balls.  We also have an article for American golf tees and grips.

Golf Balls Made in the USA - Titleist & Bridgestone

2013 Titleist All American

For the 2014 season look to Callaway, Bridgestone, and Titleist to get golf balls made in the USA.  

• All Callaway balls except some Supersoft
• All Bridgestone Balls over $30
• Many Titleist balls (check box)
• Taylormade assembles some balls with foreign parts in America.  

For the first time in it's storied history Titleist has started producing a large portion of their balls overseas, Thailand to be exact.  This move comes a few years after Titleist was purchased by Fila of South Korea.

Bridgestone has a commitment to produce balls at it's plant in Covington, Georgia. Bridgestone is headquartered in Japan.  Both companies are publicly owned.  

Buy Titleist balls 

on Amazon

Please read the side of the box to ensure you are buying American. Titleist balls sold in America are mostly manufactured at their 3 Massachusetts ball plants in Fairhaven, North Darthmouth, and New Bedford.

Bridgestone Golf 

B330-RX made in USA and Japan

In April 2012 Bridgestone Golf announced that it would increase its golf ball production at its Covington, Georgia facility by 40% in 2012. As part of the plan for increased United States-based production, Bridgestone Golf will manufacture its popular TOUR B330-RX family of Urethane-covered golf balls in Georgia, beginning in June 2012. The production increase will necessitate the hiring of 20 additional full-time workers at the facility, 40 miles east of Atlanta.

At left: two boxes of the same ball, one of which was "Made in USA" the other of which was "Made in Japan." 2013

More made in USA/Japan confusion.

In 2014 Bridgestone started an ad campaign promoting their increase in American production.  A commercial with David Feherty shows off the Covington, Georgia facility.  Bridgestone has produced balls in Georgia under the Precept and Bridgestone brands since the 1990s.

As of 2014, expansion at the plant in Georgia is complete.  This has allowed Bridgestone to move production of all of their premium models (13 models: B Series, e Series, & Lady Precept) to the states for 2014.  Prior generation models or product made prior to this transition might be foreign made.  Check the side of the box to ensure you're purchasing American!


The increase in production at the Covington plant comes as they celebrate an important milestone. In 2013, Bridgestone Golf completed manufacturing of the company’s 50 millionth dozen of golf balls. Since 1990, when Bridgestone began production of its golf balls in the United States under the Precept brand name, the company has produced more than 600 million golf balls at its Covington facility. If one were to line up 600 million golf balls side-by-side, the line of balls would cover 15,782 miles, stretching from Covington, Georgia to Tokyo, Japan and back.

BUY BRIDGESTONE BALLS AT AMAZON

Taylor Made Penta TP5 Cover and assembly in US
The 2013 version of Penta is "Lethal"

Callaway and Taylor Made both produce some of their lineup in America.  Again it's important that you read the box carefully to determine if you are supporting American manufacturing and keeping more tax dollars and spending in the states! 

As you can see in these pictures we have the Taylormade Penta TP5 which has a urethane cover made in America and the ball is assembled in America.  4 of the 5 layers of the ball are made in South Korea.

Also pictured are two Hex balls from the 2013 Callaway lineup.  The Hex Chrome ball is a pure American ball, a good ball for all skill levels as well. As stated on the box The Hex Black Tour is "assembled in the USA from US and/or Chinese components."

That's it!  It's as simple as that for 2013 if you want to buy American, it's Titleist, some Bridgestone, and the Hex Chrome ball from Callaway as well.

There are websites claiming to be selling other brands of golf balls made in the USA. I have heavily researched every box, site, and golf product in the industry and find no reason to believe the following balls are manufactured in the USA:
Nike Power Distance, Callaway Hex Solaire, Callaway Hex Hot Pro, Nike 20XI, Nike Vapor Black.

Check out our article about golf clubs made in America.

See our article about golf balls made in America in 2013.

Jeans and Clothing Made in America

You might think Levi's and Wrangler jeans are made in America. In reality, its a rarity to find the Made in America tag anymore on either of those companies products. Here are the list of companies that still proudly manufacture jeans in America...

All American Clothing:  

Their mission is to support USA families and jobs by producing high-quality clothing in the USA at an affordable price. By keeping their production in the USA they provide jobs and a tax base that supports American communities.  They care about our country and the people in it; if "we were only in it for money we would move our production overseas. We will NOT trade USA jobs for foreign profits..."

All American Clothing also offers a great return policy, satisfaction guarantee, and good customer service.  Their products are Made in USA certified meaning that 100% of assembly is in the US and all or virtually all of their core components are made in the USA.

All USA Clothing

At All USA Clothing, they strive in offering the best clothing at the best prices Made in the USA. They are committed to this country, its future and to supporting and promoting manufactures determined to remain - Made in the USA.

Visit them on Twitter: @AllAmericanJean

Bonobos Clothing

Bonobos was started to solve what they say is a simple problem: "men's pants just don't fit well." Bonobos fixes this problem with their clothing by making good looking clothes that are comfortable as well as Made in America.

Bullet Blues Clothing

Bullet Blues' success began with quality American-made jeans, but the company has gone on to produce a luxurious collection of apparel. Combining superior quality and design with high-quality fabrics, Bullet Blues offers pieces with a European flair, comfort and sophistication, all made in the USA, with American-made materials.

Visit them on Twitter: @JeansBulletBlue

Todd Shelton

At Todd Shelton, they found that making products abroad was not right for them. They didn't feel it was sincere and they understand the importance of American manufacturing.

There is no charge for return or exchange shipping. You can return or exchange a product anytime, and for any reason. They encourage all customers to use this free service, when necessary, to ensure a proper fit.

American Apparel

American Apparel is one of the more popular All-American companies. Their average worker gets paid up to 50 times more than the workers in Asian countries.

They recycle almost all of their manufacturing waste (over 150 semi truck loads per year) and as of 2012 they are virtually landfill-free. Their solar panels offset as much as 20% of our electrical usage, and they ship the majority of their goods to their worldwide stores via excess space on passenger flights and busses, minimizing their environmental impact.

Pointer Brand

Their employees are committed, dedicated and deliver on time.

They represent the phrase Made in America.

Pointer Brand clothing is made by The L. C. King Manufacturing Company in Bristol, Tennessee.

Texas Jeans

Texas Jeans was founded long ago with one idea in mind. Keep it American. Owner and President Wallace Thompson wanted to have a jean that was top quality, rugged, and great fitting. But he also wanted to keep the price so everyone could take advantage of this idea. Many other big name brand jean companies moved their production overseas to keep their costs down, yet for some reason the price of the jean went up! Mr. Thompson vowed his factory would never go overseas, nor would he compromise quality for cash. He would bring a great fitting, high quality, reasonably priced jean to the masses.

Visit them on twitter: @TexasJeansUSA

Union Label

Made in USA products - They sell Clothing and products Made in USA by US Manufacturers. Their products include Union and or American made apparel from Round House, Camber, Okabashi, New Balance, Union Line, Kamik Winter Boots, Northstar Gloves, King Louie, Union House men's briefs and boxers. They also sell Made in USA Cookware and Toys.

LJC Apparel

LJC- The Longhorn Jean Company, was inspired by Matthew and Amanda Kimes. They were desperately searching for a better jean. They are the backbone of this USA made company.

For Matt and Amanda, LJC is a simple idea. Create an excellent product at an affordable price. Being American made was also very important; they weren’t impressed with what was coming out of China or India. The company, which started with 2 styles ofjeans, began their journey in March 2009. In just two short years, the company now has 9 styles for men and women.

Round House Clothes

ROUND HOUSE® Made in USA jeans, Made in USA overalls, Made in USA workwear and Made in USA kids clothing as well as everything else are produced by Round House Manufacturing LLC in Shawnee, Oklahoma USA. The company was started in 1903 and soon after began producing ROUND HOUSE® brand workwear. At 110 years old, Round House is the oldest all USA made manufacturer and the oldest manufacturer in the state of Oklahoma.

Brilliant You Denim

Brilliant You LLC is a small start-up business located in Bellevue, Washington, specializing in unique designs for a very old industrial – denim jeans, with the goal of adding more comfort and elegance to your everyday denim ware. All our jeans as well as our denim materials are made in the U.S.A.

Their vision for the future is to become a top customer choice for providing high quality, cost competitive, unique fashion, and unparalleled comfort merchandise to women across the globe.

Buddy's Jeans

Buddy's ® Jeans were designed and originally manufactured by Buddy Steverson of New Hebron, Mississippi. Buddy worked as a rancher and rodeo cowboy, as well as a manufacturer all his life. Living this way, he found out first-hand the kind of jeans it takes to hold up when you work from can to can't. He could not find a single pair in the stores that would pass his test. Most of the jeans he bought would have twisted leg seams after the first washing.

The front pockets would have holes worn in them long before the garments wore out -- especially when he had them full of staples, keys or change. At the time he started developing Buddy's ® Jeans his size was an in-between (odd size) that no store handled. This caused Buddy to wear a jean too large and made him realize there were people all over the world with this same problem. He wanted jeans that were tough, durable, comfortable, and yet affordable.

J Brand Jeans

J Brand set out to create classic and sophisticated jeans with an emphasis on fit, timeless products and the inspiration to make a woman look and feel beautiful in her jeans. With this mission, J Brand has achieved a winning combination of style, comfort and sexiness in denim.
http://www.certifiedjean.com/index.html
CERTIFIED jeans are made from 100% organic cotton grown without chemicals in the USA. Wear what you care.

Wearing CERTIFIED jeans protects you from foreign unknowns because they're made from beneficial fabrics, grown in the USA, and made in the USA under US labor laws.

AG Jeans

Rooted in design expertise and manufacturing ingenuity, AG is a genuine "Made in USA" brand.

An eco-minded company, AG produces their jeans using Ozone Technology, a process that reduces water consumption by over 50% while using minimal chemicals and less energy. Factory to retail, AG recycles thousands of pounds of denim scraps each week and distributes reusable shopping bags in their stores.

Visit them on twitter: @AGJeans

Laurina Jeans

Laurina LLC, is a designer of embroidered denim jeans. Passionate about endangered animals, The Endangered Collection displays these beautiful and not forgotten animals. Look fashionable and show your public awareness as you wear the slim fitting, dark denim jeans.


Visit them on twitter: @LaurinaJeansUSA

James Jeans

"Inspiration comes from everywhere so it is hard to pin point precisely.

We get inspired from everything from a Multitude of Art, current fashion, History, and by sourcing new textiles and just being hands on with different fabrics.

We take all of that inspiration and filter it utilizing Trend reports and Current research on Past/Present Fashion trends.

What we end up with is a huge grid of styles which we then edit and trim in order to tighten and Polish.

Our muse is your everyday woman looking for an amazing pair of jeans that exceeds all of their Denim Expectations. "

Visit them on twitter: @JamesJeans

Red Engine Jeans

Constantly searching out the world's finest's denim, they import only the best fabrics from Europe and Japan then produce the line entirely in Los Angeles. By producing it locally, Red Engine stays constantly involved in all aspects of the design, development, and production processes ensuring the highest quality product possible.

Visit them on twitter: @RedEngineJeans

Truck Jeans

Truck Jeans is a bold fashion statement that embodies the essences of the Original American Ride. Each piece is created with the consumer in mind focusing on quality, fit, affordability, and authenticity. Truck Jeans was developed in 1997 by the owners fascination of both denim and classic trucks. He came to the conclusion that by combining his two passions, he could create denim jeans that reflect an iconic trend in American fashion. As trends change from year to year, Truck Jeans thrives to produce the most up to date styles for everyone to stay in fashion.

Made in America News Flash

Manex Corporation has created "Made in Northern California" page.  

Manufacturing is an integral part of California’s economy. The Golden State is home to more than 44,000 manufacturers who employ approximately 1.4 million people!  Manex is proud to highlight the importance of manufacturing in the state by launching the NEW Made in Northern California program! The goal of the program is to support the manufacturing sector by raising awareness of the products made in our state and providing resources for the manufacturing community.

WeatherTech products are an American success story

Dave MacNeil founder of WeatherTech is a serious American patriot. "In an age when much manufacturing has been outsourced to China and other low-wage nations, WeatherTech's entire line of more than 5,000 car floor mats, rooftop cargo carriers, side-window deflectors, license plate frames and mud flaps is made in America, much of it in the 400,000 square feet of factory and warehouse space in Downers Grove and Bolingbrook he built in the past five years. He reminds everyone of that fact in an almost-impossible-to-miss outpouring of print ads, billboards and television commercials."(source) 

Madera manufacturer launches 'Made in USA' line

Nemat Incorporated from California's San Joaquin Valley has created a line of products entirely made in the USA.  They will be manufacturing the "Mighty Mount" television mounting system in America.  The television mount with the "Made in USA" label is constructed of anodized aluminum and can handle a wide range of tv's up to 2,500 pounds.  Available in three sizes: mini, small, medium, large. 

Tektite Flashlights, LED bulbs, Dive Gear, Strobes all made in USA!

Founded by current ownership in 1990, Tektite manufactures a product line featuring more than 200 SKUs. Our TEKTITE brand lights and strobes are made in the U.S.A. and feature HIGH-TEK™ lamps, space age polymers, computer-designed reflectors and other features that makes Tektite the best choice when quality, reliability and performance is required. Purchase Tektite products here.

Walmart adds Veterans jobs and Made in America products (not)

Yesterday I wrote a post accusing Wal-Mart of being anti-American.  As America's largest retailer and employer we must insist that they act socially responsible.  Yesterday we learned that Wal-Mart has created a PR stunt designed to make consientious consumers like myself happy.  Wal-Mart claims that they are willing to hire 100,000 veterans over the next five years within 12 months of the service person being honorably discharged.  They also claim they will increase the dollar amount of American-made products they purchase by $50 billion over the next ten years.  Don't get excited, these aren't changes.  In fact, Americans should be insulted.  I stand by what I said that Walmart is anti-American.

Allow me to explain why the Walmart initiatives aren't worth applauding.  The following quotes and data come from an article by Christopher Matthews in Time. 

Walmart employs 1.3 millions sales associates in the U.S., and because of their horrible pay and treatment of employees they have an astonishingly high turnover rate of 37%.  Therefore Walmart needs to hire 480,000 people per year to replace the outgoing workers.  They are boasting that they will hire 100,000 veterans over 5 years, or 20,000 workers per year, this represents 4.16% of their inbound workforce.  But veterans make up a much larger portion of the population than 4%.  In fact the civilian veteran workforce is over double that number at 9% of the working population.  If Walmart wants to impact the unemployment problem amongst veterans they would need to hire a larger percentage of veterans than 9% of new hires, they're not.  Even if we give Walmart the benefit of the doubt, let's pretend for a moment that Walmart is a good place to work (far fetched I know but work with me), and we assume that all of the veterans who are hired stay at the company, they will still make up only 7% of the associates.  Shame on Walmart for releasing this as if they were helping, they're actually acting socially irresponsible again, but this time they're preying on people who pride themselves on being patriotic.  Walmart is not patriotic, Walmart is anti-American.

Walmart also claimed they will buy $5 billion more in American products per year over the next 10 years.  They want us to believe they are doing Americans a favor when they mention that they already spend 66% of their money on products made stateside.  However, a huge portion of Walmart's business is grocery and if you ever notice, it is very easy to find American produced products in the grocery store.  It is not as easy to find American made products in a clothing store.  Walk the aisles of apparel, sneakers, slippers, electronics, sporting goods, housewares and note that those products made in America represent far below the 66% number Walmart is boasting.  Last year grocery and consumables (the almost all American department) comprised 55% of Walmarts net sales.  

"According to Walmart’s 2012 annual report, the firm increased its cost of sales (an accounting term that basically tells you what it pays its suppliers for products) by more than $21 billion from 2011 to 2012. This figure is more or less in line with annual increases in Walmart’s recent history. In other words, in a typical year of late, Walmart buys $21 billion more products than it did the previous year. Walmart doesn’t break out what percentage of these incremental costs are attributed to Walmart U.S., Walmart International, or Sam’s Club, but if we assume that the proportions mirror those of the firm’s operating profits, that would mean Walmart U.S. spends about $15 billion more each year on products than it did the year before.

So by promising to buy $5 billion more each year in U.S. sourced products, Walmart is promising to spend one-third of its annual new spending on U.S.-sourced products. Not bad, right? But Simon claimed in his speech yesterday that “items that are made here, sourced here, or grown here account for about two-thirds of what we spend to buy products at Walmart U.S.” If this is true, then shouldn’t Walmart promise — at the very least — to maintain that two-thirds proportion in its new spending?" - Time
 

Don't believe the hype, it's only hype.  Walmart isn't doing us any favors.  They are still a driving force behind outsourcing, the income disparity between rich/poor, dwindling benefits, the increase of part time workers over full time workers, and the destruction of the American small business.

“No other company has played as pivotal a role as Walmart has in the demise of U.S. manufacturing over the last 30 years,” senior researcher Stacy Mitchell said in a statement. “Its relentless insistence that suppliers provide ever lower prices has forced countless companies to shift production overseas, eliminating jobs and undermining America’s industrial capacity.” - ABC News

Americans should want better out of our largest employers, we are turning into a nation of have nots, and we are doing it to ourselves. 

Jolly Time American Pop Corn Company

Jolly Time makes popcorn in America!

Founded in 1914, the oldest popcorn company in America is still proudly representing the Made in America tag on their products. Jolly Time was a grass roots organization started in the basement of Cloid Smith's house with the help of his son Howard. Cloid developed the first way to correctly package popcorn and sell it to the masses. As time went on, popcorn was considered the perfect snack food and more people began falling into the popcorn craze.

Over time the market became more competitive for Jolly Time. They forged new marketing strategies by hiring spokespeople and having their product advertised on American game shows. Because of competition, Jolly Time decided to get innovative.They ditched their famous metal container that was used to cook popcorn on a stove, and replaced it with a plastic bag suitable for microwaving. They were the first company to make this change that the entire industry uses today.

Today, Jolly Time still manufactures their popcorn in America exactly where they started at Sioux City, Iowa. Jolly Time offers multiple different flavors including healthy 100 calorie popcorn bags, original, 94% fat free, white kernel, yellow kernel, and over 7 different kinds of butter flavors. With the amazing variety and taste Jolly Time offers on top of it being made in America, buying this popcorn over other companies is a no-brainer!

Popular competitor Orville Redenbacher is also made in the United States and is a wholly owned subsidiary of ConAgra Foods.

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Visit the Jolly Time website here: http://www.jollytime.com/products

Orville Redenbacher website here: http://www.orville.com/

Made in America Movement Growing

Since 1979, 19.6 million manufacturing jobs have been lost to outsourcing. The amount of Americans now living below the poverty line is the highest in over 40 years. About 16% of Americans are impoverished, or about 47 million people.  As the number of people who rely on government assistance grows, and those people fall into the lowest tax bracket, the middle class and wealthy are relied on more heavily to help cover the large debt that America has accumulated.  The American landscape is much different today than before outsourcing.  Small business has disappeared and been replaced by mega-corporations that often have one business principle and one alone: massive profits.  And if poorly compensating employees and finding ways to avoid providing benefits helps add to the bottom line, then you can bet that big business is doing it.  The wealthy stock holders are getting wealthier, the poor employees are getting poorer.  In the last 5 years America has lost 6.9 million full time jobs while part time jobs increased by 3.1 million.

Companies like Wal-Mart have become an extreme detriment to American society.  Forget for a minute that they've made profiting at a small business nearly impossible, Wal-Mart is America's largest employer and it's least patriotic.  By the numbers it is clear that Wal-Mart leadership is Anti-American.  The average Wal-Mart employee is so poorly compensated that they require about $2,000 in government assistance for healthcare, foodstamps, and susbsidized housing.  They have a higher percentage of people on government assistance than any other American company.  Clearly Wal-Mart illustrates a total lack of social responsibility.

Not only does the Wal-Mart CEO make more in an hour than his average employee makes in a year, but try finding American products in a Wal-Mart.  I can not name a business that has contributed to sending American manufacturing jobs overseas more than the "high cost of low prices" business model advocated by the anti-American Wal-Mart Corporation.  Even the American flags at Wal-Mart are made in China. 

While companies like Wal-Mart destroy your way of life, Americans have been searching for answers.  A movement is gaining steam, one that is not unknown but has been forgotten for quite a few years.  The "Made in America movement" is slowly forcing business to rethink how it makes it's profit.  Albeit slowly, people all around this beautiful country realize that their collective purchasing power is strong, and we can make an impact simply by diverting some of our purchases of foreign products to American products.  Why buy Chinese clothing when we can buy American clothing?  Why buy foreign import beer when craft breweries here at home will pay taxes here at home?  Why buy foreign TV's when Element Electronics makes TV's here in the United States?  The list goes on and on.

At a time when the American economy needs a boost more than ever before, many incredible American citizens are spending more money on made in America products.  This movement is growing!  Alex Smith and Aaron Lorell are part of the movement.  They are currently on a cross country journey in a firetruck to advertise the need to buy American.  They call it the "Made in America" tour.  AS they travel the country they are advocating for business to make it easier for us to buy American by creating "Patriot Zones" or aisles that sell nothing but products that are made in America. 

I don't think any of us expect the anti-American Wal-Mart to add a "Patriot Zone" but maybe you can play a role in encouraging small businesses near you to help segregate the items made in America.  Tell your local business owners that you want them to purchase more products made in America.  Sign my petition to ask Amazon to make a "Made in USA" search option.

Save the American economy, buy American!

American Made Bird Feeders featured in news

Kare 11, Siren Wisconsin just released a story about North States Industries.  North States Industries builds bird houses in the United States.  They also build childrens play areas and protection gates for stairs.  The company has stayed American through thick and thin, even after a tornado destroyed the factory and the workers assumed they were going to move production overseas, they didn't.  Instead they rebuilt and all American employees kept their jobs.

The company is even owned by the American employees!!

There are USA Made products from North States Industries featured on Amazon. 

Made in USA Baby Gates, Play Yars, Pet Gates, Pet Yards,Bird Feeders and Bird Houses from North States!

Amazon needs to add a search option for "Made in America"

Amazon.com is America's largest online retailer, but they don't make it easy for you to buy American.  I think they should.  If you agree, please sign these petitions and spread the word.

 

AMERICAN PATRIOTS SIGN THESE 2 PETITIONS:

 

PETITION AMAZON TO ADD MADE IN USA SEARCH

 

PETITION OBAMA TO GET INVOLVED

Made in USA stuff is sponsoring the first petition, every signature sends an email to the CEO and VP of Amazon. The Made in America store is sponsoring the petition to get Obama involved.

There is a growing number of Americans willing to help solve our economic woes by purchasing American made goods.  It would be easy enough for Amazon to add a search option for "Made in America" and allow retailers to mark their items as such.  If they don't want to alienate international business they could offer a search option for other "made in X" as well.

Adding the "Made in America" designation is not just patriotic, it's a smart business decision.  Chinese consumers have recently shown they are willing to pay a premium for products made in America.  Much of the world likely feels the same way.  And if the old rumor that American made goods are more expensive, this is a chance for Amazon to generate more revenue, since people are willing to spend more for the USA label.  I don't believe the rumor is true, in fact I posted an example last week of kitchen spoons, that you save a ton of money buying American.

Do your part, sign and spread the link to this page so others can easily find both of these important petitions.

THE LINK TO THIS PAGE: http://madeinusastuff.blogspot.com/2013/01/petitions.html

REDDIT LINK TO THIS PAGE: http://www.reddit.com/user/PhiladelphiaPatriot/saved