The consensus is that unless retailers point out country of origin during the sales process, most consumers have no idea where their flooring was made. It’s also true, dealers note, that many shoppers are unwilling to pay a premium for a flooring product unless it meets other criteria, namely style and design.
FCNews asked dealers how important the American-made label is to their customers. Here are some of their responses:
“There is a minority of customers who strongly prefer products Made in the USA due to factors such as perceived quality, patriotism or supporting local businesses. Conversely, most customers are not inclined to pay extra, prioritizing factors such as affordability or brand reputation.”
—Bruce Odette, Carpet Exchange, Denver
“Ultimately, Made in America should be important to all of us; however, style and design rule. Country of origin
and price doesn’t seem to matter when our customer finds what they are looking for. That was evident during COVID-19.”
—Doug Peeples, Myers Flooring, Nashville
“I believe if the price was the same my customer would prefer American-made.”
—Phil Myer, Carpet One Floor & Home Concord, Concord, Calif.
“Our customers love the Made in USA products. They respect that it comes from our country and are willing to spend more. Our Made in USA sale in February was the second-largest month in the last six years.”
—Typhannie Harker, Carpeting by Mike, Somerset, Wis.
“Made in the USA is very important to some of our customers, but almost all would rather purchase Made in USA if within a 10% cost difference and readily available. Commercial projects place a great emphasis on Made in USA when long lead times and LEED projects are being worked on.”
—Carlton Billingsley, Floors and More, Benton, Ark.
“A small segment of customers is emphatic that they want Made in USA, but more are unwilling to consider products Made in China. Few will make [U.S.-made] part of their buying decision.”
—John Bretzloff, Barefoot Flooring, Castle Hayne, N.C.
“I don’t think it matters at all to our customers [that it was Made in USA]; and to the extent that they certainly wouldn’t knowingly pay more.”
—Joel Schreier, Home Carpet One, Chicago
“Most of my business is residential replacement. It rarely comes up if carpet is Made in USA, but I often inform them of that fact.”
—Bob Gaither, Quality Carpet & Flooring, Akron, Ohio
