JCPenney's "American Made" Tee Shirt is Made in Mexico

JCPenney has a line of products which they call American Living. The line includes apparel, luggage, furniture, home furnishings & decor items.

Reading labels at JCPenney reveals an array of countries that contribute to their inventory including China, Taiwan, Honduras, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Mexico, etc. How might you expect the U.S. to be represented in such a diverse setting? You might like to think that the American Living brand would be the ideal means for the U.S. to be included, but alas, that brand is nearly all or entirely foreign made.

Before you frown, upset that so many other countries contribute to JCPenney's inventory rather than the U.S. - know that JCPenney found a use for our beloved country.

The U.S. & all things American makes a splendid marketing tool for JCPenney.

Yes, the foreign made American Living brand has a logo with a bald eagle carrying our U.S. flag and the brand is marketed with wholesome American families, country bands & singers, and white picket fences. JCPenney doesn't feel obligated to actually offer American made products instead they are content to simply brand foreign made products with all things that are American.



In addition to leveraging our national symbols and our American lifestyle to hawk foreign made goods, JCPenney placed a Memorial Day advertisement for a tee shirt with the slogan "American Made."

The advertisement caught the eye of a man named Joe Allen.

Mr. Allen was a clothing manufacturer until his company was lost due to unfair foreign competition.

At first, Mr. Allen was delighted with the tee shirt that JCPenney advertised with "American Made" across the front until he read the label in the store that disclosed the shirt was made in Mexico.

Incensed, Mr. Allen brought the tee shirt to the attention of the A.A.M. who contacted JCPenney about the garment. Their spokesperson, Kelly Sanchez explained the slogan "American Made." "This type of slogan is referring to the actual person wearing the shirt and not to the manufacturing of the merchandise."

As I sit here in my American made chair, at my American made desk, wearing my American made undergarments, Capri pants, top & New Balance footwear, I realize that I was lost to the fact that I myself am American made. Does this mean there is a Made in USA label stitched to my birth certificate?

We have JCPenney resorting to reminding their customers that at least they are themselves American made if not the garments that JCPenney wants to sell to them. JCPenney thinks we Americans might be in need of a shirt that promotes American made people, but not American made products.

It gets better - JCPenney told BusinessWeek that the line is “intended to evoke our American lifestyle and pride in being American.”

I've not seen the shirt yet somehow it most certainly evoked something in me which can not be described as pride.

So, JCPenney believes that pride in being American is best accomplished with a shirt that is made in Mexico. I'm now wondering if JCPenney requires an American flag to fly outside their headquarters that was made in China for them to feel pride in being American.

JCPenney has been in operation in the U.S. for 105 years yet I can't help but conclude that their management & marketing personnel have not been in this country for long.

As a businessperson, I'm sensitive and mindful of marketing. The origin of that tee shirt & the American Living brand makes all the difference in the world between a sincere marketing message and one that is profoundly vacant.

All things American brings a world of meaning to us which is exactly why JCPenney unconscionably brands all things imported with everything that is American.

JCPenney hi-jacked our American flag, our bald eagle, our American families & lifestyles, our country & Rock 'N Roll artists, our celebrations in life, our nations scenery, even our white picket fences to brand their imported schlock and now wants to sell Americans a made in Mexico shirt to promote pride in being American.

All things American holds no greater meaning for JCPenney than how well it can move imported product out the door.

All things American though goes bone deep to the rest of us.

The only thing in all of this that I recognize as genuinely American is Mr. Allen.

This elderly former American manufacturer was tricked by JCPenney into thinking they were offering a tee shirt that was made in our own country promoting a message that was very important and meaningful to him.

It was a wasted trip to the store for Mr. Allen - he found nothing American at JCPenney.


If you care to share your views, you can contact JCPenney's CEO, Myron Ullman at 972-431-8200. You can also phone Kelly Sanchez at 972-431-3961 or email her at ksanch18@jcpenney.com.


For an example of a sincere marketing message, see the New Balance video in the post below.

If you are shopping for an American made tee shirt, may I suggest Union Shirt Supply. They offer 100% USA union made tee shirts. A loose fitting style for women in colors can be purchased for $7.50.

The imported American Living tee shirts at JCPenney with their logo were selling for $30.00 and are presently priced at $14.99.

Mary - Webperson for FindUSMade.com

New Department - Union Made in the USA

Our descriptions usually note if union made goods are offered at a location and we've decided to gather up such sites and duplicate them in a new department -Union Made in the USA This will permit visitors to more easily browse and shop products made by union workers.

Union workers tend to understand well the value of manufacturing in the US and they also tend to shop wisely in the marketplace for US made goods.

Many commercial goods, which aren't listed on our site, are made by union workers. There is a considerable amount of consumer goods that are made by union workers so this new department will expand in the future. Presently, there is a sampling of a number of consumer products that visitors can browse.

I suspect often consumers don't realize how many well liked products are union made. The EMCO storm doors you may have purchased for your home - made by union workers. If there's Land 'O Lakes butter in your refrigerator - it's union made. And if there's a Bradford White water heater delivering hot water for your shower in the morning - that's union made.
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When I first started work on our site, during verification there was a union made urban tee & sweatpants that caught my eye. I ordered them and when they arrived I marvelled at those garments. I'm so accustomed to US made quality, yet I found my new purchases impressive. The tee was heavyweight, soft cotton, expertly stitched. The sweatpants were also heavyweight, fleece lined, double stitched and had 2 large side pockets. They are so snugly warm and they look great.

Out of curiosity I went to Amazon and searched for sweatpants. I found them. They were imported, lightweight and had no pockets. They were $18.00 - just what I paid for my union made domestic pair. Neither was sale priced.

The maker of my sweatpants was Eagle USA and they made a profit on my purchase and paid union workers. I can't help but wonder what the profit margin was for that foreign manufacturer who had much less in labor & material costs. There was no savings for the consumer, but there was a larger profit margin for the manufacturer.

Somewhere there was a shopper on Amazon that bought those imported sweatpants. Possibly they thought they got a deal. Foreign manufacturers and retailers promote the notion that consumers will find savings with imported goods. US made products are so expensive, right?

Wrong. That poor Amazon shopper will probably be on their third or fourth pair of sweatpants in the time it takes me to wear through these. That shopper may have spent $18.00 on their pair, but I invested $18.00 in mine.

The first time I used our site when live was to reorder these sweatpants in other colors. I wanted a good source for Eagle USA which has a Dealer Locator but I discovered that by using a search engine and searching Eagle USA with the style number of the garment I wanted, I could usually snag the item at a retailer. This is when I discovered my sweatpants on StitchXpress for $16.44 available in 10 colors. Well now, I can buy union made in the USA for less than imported. Does this mean more whining from foreign manufacturers about competition?

Sadly, some folks think union wages add to the cost of products. As an American manufacturer I understand well the distribution of profit behind the ultimate price to the consumer. The presence of union workers in US manufacturing explains only the value & craftsmanship found in the products they produce.

Did you, the consumer, believe that companies moved production abroad with an altruistic intent to pass on the savings to you?
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I offer my appreciation to whichever of my fellow Americans made my tee and sweatpants. I've often laughed aloud in stores at poorly made imported goods but I've always owned US made sweatpants and these are the nicest I've ever owned. The stitching is expert & they launder extremely well. The long trip to the mailbox is much easier to brave this winter with this fleece lining. I've hauled pet toys, mail, paperwork and several cans of soda in these huge pockets. You've artfully mastered product quality, value & customer satisfaction. You're the competition the foreign manufacturers whined about, aren't you? The best they could do was match the price while coming nowhere close to matching the quality. (Bless their hearts, they think they can compete with you.)

Now I can ponder whether those foreign manufacturers are simply enriching themselves by manufacturing abroad or if perhaps they're just terribly inefficient operations unlike domestic manufacturers with union employees...

Mary - web person for FindUSMade.com

Frantic Parents & a Microwave Ablaze

Prior to the 2007 holiday season, I so often came across frantic parents who were searching on the Internet for safe toys for their children. Meanwhile, a friend wrote to me explaining that her foreign made microwave caught fire in her kitchen. She has 3 children and keeps well informed about current events via the Internet. She was well aware of the many recent recalls of foreign products. The microwave catching fire in her kitchen, demonstrated to her a clear threat to her family's well being. She reacted by putting down her foot and declaring that her family would only purchase Made in the USA products whenever possible. This prompted a notable increase in the link sharing among friends.

In addition to my friends, I also wished I could help those frantic parents. I suggested to the group that we combine and place our sources online. The idea was well received and after some discussion, we began work on the site.

Our own small business has operated the past few decades by following our number one rule - do right by our customer. As I started work on our site, present in my mind was how we could do right by our site visitors. Truly, it was not until the third day of work that I slapped my forehead when it came to mind that we were American manufacturers and I could proudly list our own company on the site. We have a simple link and description on the page and we're honored to be in the good company of so many fine American manufacturers.

Mary - web person for Find US Made.com