Made in Argentina

Islas Malvinas (Falkland Islands) war memorial in Rosario

Monumento a la Bandera… at night

This past weekend being un puente turístico – holiday weekend – and patriotic one at that (El 25 de mayo – El Día de la Patria) with Argentine flags flying everywhere, I got to thinking, while in Rosario, about, of all things… the USA. Why you may ask? Well, partly because I’ll be returning home in less than a month and I’m beginning to really start thinking about my return but mostly because it reminded me a lot of July 4 – US Independence Day – and the times after 9/11 when American nationalism, patriotism and pride showed stronger than ever. Indeed, while seeing the celeste y blanca on every building and home and outside car windows and monuments dedicated to Argentine history from the revolution in the early 19th century to the Falklands War in the 1980s (here known as la Guerra de las Malvinas) I thought of how important and powerful these monuments, flags and other symbols are to demonstrate the pride of a nation. Argentina, clearly, like the USA is no different in the lengths it goes to make their patriotism known to all around on.

Unfortunately, though patriotism and nationalism are often positive and good elements of a country, they certainly aren’t always so. While, yes, I love seeing the overt signs of Argentine nationalism and patriotism around the country, there are many things at which I, as a US expat, am frustrated about Argentina. Nowhere is this more evident here in Argentina than in my ability to purchase quality products that I like and am used to being able to get easily, particularly nowadays in the global economy of the 21st century. While I am keenly aware that I cannot expect to be live like I did in the US and get everything I was used to there and, yes, I accept it as part of the way things are here, once again, it doesn’t mean that I have to like it nor be happy about it all. Indeed, as my next 2 “Things I am not going to miss about Argentina”, I’ll explain to you what I’m talking about and why sometimes it can be frustrating as an expat living in Argentina.

Things I’m NOT going to miss about Argentina

6) To import or not to import… that is the question

Now, I’m not going to start ranting on how I can’t live in Argentina without my favorite things from back home. Far from it. Indeed, I can live fine here without most American and other products I was used to being able to get in the USA. However, as every expat knows, there are always a few products that you’d like to be able to get that, for the most part you can’t get in your new country. For the most part, of course, the best solution would be either to bring them yourselves from home or to have people, if at all possible and feasible, bring them to you when visiting. Indeed, for the most part when it comes to things here for which we have the occasional craving – maple syrup, for example, for us and “Mac and Cheese” for the kids – this is what we’ve done and, in the 10 months or so we’ve been here, it’s worked out quite well and we’ve all been able to ration these things and enjoy them freely.

While a few of those desired imported products we can get here from time to time, for most of them we don’t/can’t get any. The reason we don’t (or can’t) is that:

1) It is WAY too expensive OR

2) They don’t import it here

Many of our loved products, of course, aren’t imported here because, as I’m sure marketing experts and/or previous efforts have shown, Argentines likely just aren’t interested in purchasing them. Cultural differences, completely understandable. However, some of these products simply aren’t imported because Argentine import taxes are sky-high, 50% if not more on most products, and, if they are, the things often prohibitively expensive – often 2-3 times the price it would cost in the US – and, thus, not often able to be bought by us. Imported items such as food, electronics, clothes, et al. are few and far between here as it is. Many imported items simply aren’t even being allowed to be imported and it’s creating lots of problems for businesses and consumers alike. Argentina is very protectionist now (and getting more and more so) and unless a company is willing to build a factory, create Argentine jobs and produce products in tierra argentina, they are going to be subject to these tariff laws and import restrictions. It is as it is and it’s unfortunate. What’s even more frustrating, however, is the alternative… (see next)

5) Industria Argentina

It’s always great for a country to have lots of jobs for its people and part of the reason, of course, for those high tariffs on imports is to encourage foreign businesses to make their products in Argentina and provide jobs for the locals. Perfectly logical and reasonable. Companies, of course, need to weigh the pros and cons of the huge financial investment of building a factory to make its products and decide whether, in the end, it’s worth it. I’m not sure how all Argentines feel about it in their country, but I know many other Americans that go out of their way to buy products that are “Made in USA”, even if their cost is more and quality (or perceived quality) is perhaps less than the foreign equivalent. While the “Made in USA” sticker may be seen less and less on products in stores in the US (Made in China, Made in Vietnam, etc. are much more common nowadays) I think, to some, the label still evokes a sense of national pride and conveys a certain sense of quality that, perhaps, other products may not, simply because of the sticker. I know that for my father, for example, just seeing “Made in Italy” on certain types of products, conveys to him (correct or not) a sense of quality that cannot be beat. While this may not always be true, of course, there is no question that there is power in the name and label.

What kills me, though, about products made in Argentina (products made here are labeled Industria Argentina) is that, while, of course, I don’t mind buying things produced here, the relative quality of many products just don’t compare to their American, European or other counterparts. Toys, clothes, electronics and other products that are industria argentina are not only generally of poorer quality but they are much more expensive than the comparable product that I would buy in the US (though, of course, the imported American products here, with the heavy taxes, are more expensive than the Argentine equivalents). Indeed, we know many people (and OF many more people) who take trips to the US in part to shop and get the cheaper, better quality products and “unpurchasable in Argentina” American brands. Indeed, not a lot of Argentines are overwhelmed in any way buy the industria argentina label as it’s not a moniker that they associate with quality necessarily. They are proud to be Argentine, of course, but, for the most part, they still want quality over country. In the US, while I, too, would prefer to buy American if at all possible, I still will usually buy on account of quality and cost over “Made in USA”, even if I think, for the most part, that American products are very good. While some Argentine products are, naturally, of good quality, my feeling, overall, is that, the overall industria here is lacking and, as an expat, it’s frustrating and sometimes difficult to have to decide between cheaper and crap quality or better quality but much more expensive.

Don’t get me wrong, I like many Argentine products, some of which you’ll see when I get to my list (hopefully next week) of “10 Things I’m going to Miss about Argentina”. However, as much as I like Argentina, its people and culture alike, as I am equally proud of in America, when it comes to buying things, in general regardless of its country of origin, I’m usually going to buy the best quality product that I can get at the cheapest possible cost. Living in a country like Argentina where I would pay more for a worse quality product than I would if I were living in the US, it’s not something I like and, understandably I hope you’ll see, not something I’m going to miss.

Prof Rabner