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The Tip is 'Where They're Proud' I recently saw an ad in our local newspaper for a big box home improvement store. Their newspaper ad had USA made products and American flags all over it. Several weeks later, I checked the ad again and sure enough they were still advertising their American made products. It was obvious they are proud to carry products Made in America. Their competitors made no mention of things Made in America. I have been to this store and asked what products are made in the USA? A clerk told me they primarily carry imports. Obviously they are not proud. I now realize you can buy many Made in the USA building supplies, including tools Made in USA and appliances Made in USA., in stores that are proud to carry brands Made in the USA. Here is another example of a store proudly carrying products Made in the USA. I was shopping for men's shoes in a local department store when I tried on three different pairs of shoes. I couldn't decide which pair I wanted so I went out on a limb and asked the clerk, "Are these shoes imports?" The salesman said "yes they are" so I asked, "Do you have any Made in America shoes like these?". To my surprise he said, with GREAT PRIDE, "yes sir, we have a whole line of Made In USA shoes". He brought me the same color and style with the Made in USA label. These Made in America shoes were less expensive, came with a better warranty, and were more comfortable. Looking for companies that are PROUD is simple and can have a great impact on our country. I encourage you to try this some time- just ask. You will love it when you realize you are making a difference that all of us will benefit from. With your help America will be ours again and that is a good thing. Buying Tip Continued - Read more on Made in America Products by American Apparel Passion, innovation & ethical practices for the clothing industry. That's American Apparel. Our Garment Workers Are Paid Up To 50 Times More Than The Competition A garment worker in Bangladesh earns an average of $600 a year. An experienced American Apparel garment worker can earn $30,000 and receive bene?ts such as comprehensive health care. American Apparel garments are created by motivated and fairly-paid employees who don't just have jobs - they have careers. Our culture recognizes outstanding performance and promotes from within. Most importantly, our workers have a voice and in?uence the direction of the company. At American Apparel we call it Sweatshop-Free, a term we coined in 2002. Unlike Our Competitors, We Make Our Own Product The American Apparel factory is the largest sewing facility in North America. We believe that integrating our manufacturing, distribution and creative processes keeps our company more ef?cient than those who rely on offshore or onshore sub-contracting. By leveraging art, design, and technology at our Downtown LA campus, we are able to pay garment workers fairly AND sell garments pro?tably so we can sustain our business and grow. Everyone bene?ts - customers, workers, and shareholders alike. The New Standard That Others Will Follow There is clearly much more overhead, capital investment and training involved in manufacturing in the USA, as some critics point out. But at American Apparel we passionately leverage art, design and technology to advance our business process and we are con?dent we'll prove that vertical integration is a viable business model that can work even better than the status quo model of continuous outsourcing. It's not just about made in the USA. More importantly, it is about designing a business that does not, at its fundamental core, rely on the relentless pursuit of low cost labor to survive. As wages and transportation costs increase worldwide, we believe our business model of vertical integration to be the path of least resistance. For the record, American Apparel supports free and fair trade, and almost half of the company's 250 stores are outside the USA, allowing the company to export hundreds of millions of dollars of US-made apparel annually. Environmental Commitment American Apparel is also committed to sustainability. We've set the precedent for sustainable and ethical manufacturing in California?the state with the strictest and most progressive EPA standards in the country. By concentrating our entire operation within a few square miles, American Apparel has a smaller carbon footprint than our competitors. We recycle almost all our manufacturing waste?an average of 125,000 lbs of textile and 25,000 lbs of paper, plastic and cardboard per week (over 260 semi truck loads per year). As of 2014, we are virtually land?ll-free. Our solar panels offset as much as 20% of our electrical usage, and we ship the majority of our goods to our worldwide stores via excess space on passenger ?ights and busses, minimizing our environmental impact. Investing In The Future Manufacturing in America requires risk taking and long-term investment. We think it's well worth it. The apparel industry's reliance on low wages cannot be sustained over time, ethically or ?scally. As labor and transportation costs increase worldwide, exploitation will not only be morally offensive, it will not even be ?nancially viable. For us, American manufacturing is not a trend - we've been doing it since the day our company began in Los Angeles ?fteen years ago. We are extremely proud of our model, which provides thousands of good jobs both domestically and internationally. American Apparel's current head count is 6,000 in Los Angeles, with an additional 5,000 working at our stores worldwide. The employees of American Apparel thank you for your support. |
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