Global Q&A: Buying Products Made in Your Country

Krystal Kinmont, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA (The Epoch Times)

No matter where people live, from Slovakia to Australia, Epoch Times reporters found that people prefer to buy local, when we asked, “Do you purposely try to buy products made in your own country?”

Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
Krystal Kinmont, 26, Videographer

Consciously I haven’t thought much about it, but if I had the choice I would, for safety issues and quality, buy products made here.

 

 

 

 

Tokyo, Japan
Syo Ishimi, 65, Antique Shop Owner

Especially, I purposely try to buy food products which are made in Japan. I feel Japanese food quality is better than others. Eel, for example, I want to buy Japanese eel even if the price is three times more than Chinese eel. But these days, like TV the news said, Japanese food companies often lie in the indication of origin because other country products are harder to sell. If these companies lie, then there is no way to be clear about what the origin is. In the case of antiques, I try to collect Japanese antiques -- furniture, ceramic, sculpture, etc. And I feel that the customers’ needs are also for Japanese products, and these can be sold at quite a good price.

 

 

 

 

Athens, Greece
Maria Kostantakopoulou, 63, Retired Teacher

I prefer to buy products from Greece because of the rumors that I hear from foreign countries [about the poor quality of products].

 

 

 

Hedemora, Sweden
Anette Schwartz, 42, Self-employed Seamstress
 
Of course! I always buy as locally as possible so that there will not be any unnecessary environmental impact. I prefer those who work in the neighborhood, but sometimes I cannot buy from them. It has to do with the economy as well.

 

 

 

Sunshine Coast, Australia
Julie McKenzie, 60, Senior Care Administrator and Volunteer

I try to buy products made in our own country to support our local businesses. Like, we run our local newspaper. We encourage our local businesses so it’s very important to keep our money here and circulate it in our area. Well, that’s what we’re trying to do. We’re just about to put out a local directory of all our local businesses and groups and everything so that’s what we’re advertising all the way through it - “support your local business.”

 

 

 

 

 

Piestany, Slovakia
Monika Kusnierova, 31, Waitress in Vegetarian Restaurant

It depends on the product’s type. Anyway, I mostly buy our country’s goods. But regarding food, we grow our own vegetables on our farm. As I think our country is less developed, our chemical industry is not too advanced, which is why our food is free of unhealthy fertilizing, it’s cleaner and healthier.

Look for the Global Q&A column every week, when Epoch Times correspondents interview people around the world to learn about their lives and perspectives on local and global realities. Next week’s global question: What scares you, and why?