Anybody who shops for souvenirs or other durable goods in national park bookstores or concessions cannot fail to notice that the great majority of the products are imports. This T-shirt was manufactured in Honduras. That stuffed toy was made in China. And so on.
We know that it's all about money. Imported products are cheaper and yield bigger profits.
Do you think it's important to have more American-made products available for purchase in America's national parks? Would you be willing to buy these products even if they cost more than their imported counterparts?
Comments
The more products from the USA we can sell, the better- especially in our National Parks. But be careful what you ask for. Products from the USA typically cost more, so we'd all have to be prepared for higher prices in the gift shop. If that's OK, great- let's push for it! Plus, the comment "We know that it's all about money. Imported products are cheaper and yield bigger profits" is a little simplistic and somewhat misleading. Actually, cheaper products typically mean smaller profits, per item, where there's a standard percentage markup for profit, such as with gift shops, and more expensive products mean higher profits. Most businesses buy less expensive products so they can move more of the product, which does mean more profit overall. But let's face it, less people will buy the more expensive product, even if it's made in the USA. It's correct to say "it's all about money," but that applies to both the gift shop AND the visitors.
Since the Congressional gift shop only sells American made items, and I believe that American made items should be sold at gift shops at National Parks. That does not include books though. Things like Knick knacks, stuffed animals and clothing sold at NPS gift shops should be made in America, I believe.
In the case of the Bay Bridge a spokesman said that using Made in USA Union labor to build the bridge would have been unaffordable. You'd think that in "real world think" Unions would be more cooperative for the greater good. The Martin Luther King Memorial, I believe, is managed by NPS.
Great Smoky Mountains Association emphasizes not only made in USA but local products.
They have local honey, stone ground flour and other food stuff.
Check them out at http://www.thegreatsmokymountains.org/
Danny
I work in Yellowstone. I hear many folks complaining that so many items offered for sale are made in China. In an American Naitonal Park, they want to purchase items made in America.
Certainly most of the goods sold should be from the USA, especially in the National Parks. Ideally the goods would be produced as locally as possible. And don't get me going on free trade issues!
Unfortunately, the companies that made these trinkets in the USA are out of business because they could not compete in the world market. So if the buyer for the shops can buy an American made product that is comparible in price and quality, he should. I imagine the supplier for the shop does not give them much choice. So unless some of you open a shop making some of the things you are looking for, we are probably stuck seeing "made somewhere else."
The National Parks are our National Treasure. As such we should be promoting "Made in America". Tourists to the park, should they be Americans or Foreigners should be able to take home American made gifts from an American treasure. This will also create the much needed jobs here. It has been shown that items made here are not any more expensive than those made in China. Let's support American made instead of China made.