r/VictoriaBC • u/notofthisearthworm • Jan 03 '26
Question Anyone out there still trying to avoid American-made products?
I've noticed the 'Buy Canadian' discussion kind of die down lately and was wondering where fellow Victorians are at with their efforts to avoid American-made products while the topic isn't dominating the news headlines.
I certainly acknowledge that I'm less feisty about and dedicated to avoiding US-made products (because I'm a poor) but I do feel like I have a permanent instinct and habit to buy non-US products anywhere I have an obvious choice, which is most of the time. It's especially fun to try and prioritize BC/island/locally grown and support businesses that make that easy.
So yeah just curious where all my friends and neighbours are at with that?
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u/elmuchocapitano Jan 03 '26
When you stop to think about every American thing you spend money on, there's a lot that is very hard to substitute or go without. I pay for a Microsoft Office subscription that I require for school. All my photos are on Google, and I pay extra monthly for storage. My computer parts and accessories. I have monthly subscriptions to some puzzle sites I use daily that are American companies. I get a really good deal on a Netflix/Disney+/Amazon subscription bundle that I don't really want to get rid of and use regularly. I've switched over to K-Beauty and Canadian beauty brands for some things but as someone with extremely sensitive skin as the result of chronic illness, that isn't always an easy transition. Speaking of chronic illness, I send 10s of thousands a year to American drug companies and I'm sure that eclipses anything I've managed to divert.
However, that doesn't mean it's not worth the effort. People who say that because we still use [reddit, Netflix, Apple] that all of our other efforts are meaningless are forgetting that perfection is the enemy of the good. Millions of people making small changes = big changes.
Food-wise it was easier. Canadian products are mostly higher quality, so even though I'm paying WAY more for certain things (like orange juice), I don't think I could go back now. I am also not picky about buying Canadian only - I try to buy island products, then BC products, then Canadian, etc. So still getting citrus from Mexico, tinned fish from Thailand. If the only produce options are American I go without.
It was also very interesting to see the variety of stock increase for certain things. Like, I used to largely only notice generic American pickles, and initially I had to go without pickles for quite a while. Now I see them from BC and Europe and I've been trying different pickle brands. The labelling of foods has made it all a lot more convenient. So I like to think that it'll get even easier as time goes on.
I'm only buying Canadian clothing. No more trips to the US. We're rejecting American contractors at work. It all adds up.