According to Deloitte’s annual forecast, holiday retail sales will climb by as much as 9% this year to $1.3 trillion. But a boost for the economy won’t come easy — that’s because the supply chain slowdown that’s rippled across the globe has been particularly intense at backed-up U.S. ports.
Some experts believe that buying locally-made products may be more critical this year than ever. A recent article in AdWeek detailed a message sent to the customers of American-made apparel brand, American Giant, where its founder used the global supply chain crisis as a “teachable moment” to stress that, because the company doesn’t rely on foreign supply or production, its shelves will be full and ready to service shoppers.
American Giant asks consumers to “invest in clothes that match your values” and offers an array of items from sweatpants and shirts to blankets and outerwear, made from American-grown cotton and produced in California and North Carolina.
If you’re not in the market for sweats, there are plenty of other American-made brands that are ready and waiting to help you get their products under your tree… and they might surprise you.
Take, for example, NFL mainstay Wilson Footballs, which are made at a rate of 4,000 per day in Ada, Ohio. If you need to cool off after your pickup game, do so in front of a Lasko fan, the sleek standup cooling device made in plants in Tennessee, Texas, and Pennsylvania.
Even products made for kids can be found with made-in-the-USA quality, including Crayola Crayons, K’Nex Toys, and Slinkys.
For anyone who wishes to take it a step further, the AFL-CIO provides a list on its website that details items that are both American- and union-made goods. For the game lover in your life, you can choose Candy Land, Life, Monopoly, and even a Barrel of Monkeys. The organization also suggests you stuff your stockings with items like Rayovac batteries, Bic lighters, and Jelly Bellys.
For more, you can find a list of 74 interesting and useful products on the Cheapism blog, and don’t forget to visit the Alliance for American Manufacturing website in early December for their annual Made-in-America Gift Guide.
And no matter where you buy your products, the experts seem to agree on one thing: buy them early, especially if you have a very specific gift or popular item in mind. Last-minute shoppers might find their efforts to be too little, too late.