FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the American Retail Blog?

The American Retail Blog is the place where we share our favorite things about being a part of the American made movement. From shopping tips and discounts to American made style guides and giveaways, this blog has just about everything you need to become a true American made champion! It's also a place where you can share your experiences about shopping American made and learn from other's who are embarking on the same journey.

We also share exciting stories about the people behind the products, giving you behind the scenes insight into what it takes to be truly Made in the USA. Be sure to check out our shopping guide for a full catalog of some great American made brands!

What is American Retail?

American Retail is an online shopping guide that finds great American made brands, products and companies, and then lists them all in one place. We then break them down into different categories to give you a more efficient and enjoyable experience. One of our goals is to make American made shopping a little bit easier by showing you the incredible American made options available and providing you with the resources to learn more about them or to make a purchase. We are also very passionate about giving both small and large American made businesses a platform to get their products out to a larger audience. We hope to connect you with high-quality products made in the USA and to help you further support American jobs and manufacturing. As you browse our product guide we have provided links for every product so you can purchase them directly from the manufacturer or from one of our retail partners.

Do you guys sell anything?

No. We currently do not sell anything, either on our website or otherwise. We are simply a blog and shopping guide that lists great American made brands and breaks them down into different categories to help you in your shopping quest. However, one of our goals was to create a shopping guide that emulates an actual online retailer. Our hope is that the products listed on our site will be easy to find and that the overall feeling and experience will be familiar to you.

How do you know if something is really Made in the USA?

While we do our best to check every product personally, we do not have access to every product listed on our site. This means we are largely limited to the information available to us from manufacturers and their customers. However, if you ever discover something listed in an article that is not made in the USA please be sure to and we'll look into it.

Why buy American made products?

This is quite possibly our favorite question. There are many great benefits to purchasing American made products but perhaps the biggest benefit is that it helps strengthen our domestic economy and create jobs for thousands of Americans. For instance, studies have shown that if every American spent an extra $3.33 on American made goods it would create almost 10,000 new jobs! Studies have also shown that for every ONE manufacturing job created, FIVE to EIGHT other jobs are also created. As wide ranging as the economic benefits are, American made products also offer greater sustainability, environmental protection and better worker environments while typically being of higher quality than their imported counterparts. This topic is far too great to discuss here so please check out our page for more information.

I see you have user accounts, how do I sign up?

All you need to do to sign up is visit our page and fill out the appropriate information. You will need a valid email address to register.

How do I comment on a blog post?

To leave a comment on a blog post just click the "Leave a Comment" button at the beginning of the comment section and type your comment in the textbox. Once you're done click "Finish". To leave a comment you must have an American Retail account and be logged in. We also ask that you review our for comments to make sure everyone has an enjoyable experience.

How do I reply to a comment?

To leave a reply just click the "Reply" button at the bottom of the comment you want to reply to and type your reply in the textbox. Once you're done click "Finish". To leave a reply you must have an American Retail account and be logged in. We also ask that you review our for comments to make sure everyone has an enjoyable experience.

How do I edit or delete a comment?

Unfortunately, once a comment has been submitted it cannot be directly edited or deleted. If you have a comment or reply you would like removed from a blog post you can contact the and they can delete it for you.

How do I change my account information after I have registered?

To change your account information, username or password all you have to do is login, visit our page, edit your information and then save the changes.

How do I change my account icon?

To change your account icon simply visit our page, click the "Change Icon" button, pick your favorite and then select a background color. To create your own custom background color, just click the "Custom Color" button right below the pre-made colors and enter your new color as a hexadecimal color.

What in the world is a hexadecimal color?

Hexadecimal color notation is a standard web based color system that is based on the digits 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,A,B,C,D,E,F with 0 (zero) being the lowest and F being the highest. The hexadecimal color is built from a 6 digit combination of those digits and represents the amount of Red (R), Green (G), and Blue (B). All hexadecimal colors follow the format #RRGGBB. Using varying values for the RGB components you can create an amazing and beautiful spectrum of colors. Here are a few examples:

Black = #000000
White = #FFFFFF
Grey = #888888
Blue = #0000FF
Green = #00FF00
Red = #FF0000
Yellow = #FFFF00
Cyan = #00FFFF
Orange = #FF9900
Transparent (no background) = #00000000

To learn more about web based colors like hexidecimal or to use a handy color picker hexadecimal generator visit .

I lost my password, how do I access my account?

For privacy and security reasons we do not store your actual password in our database so it is impossible for us to retrieve it. However, if you cannot login just with your full name and the email address you signed up with and we will email you your security question (if you provided one at sign-up). Once you reply with the answer to your security question we will send you a temporary password. Once you sign in with your temporary password be sure to create a new one by visiting our page and clicking the "Change Password" button. Then just enter your new password and save.

If you opted to not provide a security question and answer at sign-up then we will send you a temporary password when you first send us your name and email address. Since this tends to be fairly common information, this method is less secure. That's why we always recommend adding a security question to your account. If you would like to add or change your security question or answer at any time just visit our page and then save the changes.

How do I delete my account?

To delete your account all you have to do is login, visit our page and then click the delete account button at the bottom of the page. However, please feel free to with any questions or suggestions that would make you rethink deleting your account.

I already have an account for American Retail, do I need a new one for the blog?

Nope. If you have already created an American Retail account on our website you can simply log in using the same account. Your account will work for both the shopping guide and the blog.

Do you guys allow guest authors to post articles on your blog?

We don't make a habit of having guest authors, but we're always open to the idea. If you're interested in writing an article for our blog please contact the to see if there are any opportunities available and to learn more.

How do I like a blog post or a comment?

To like a post or comment simply press the "Like" button on the post or comment. To unlike a post or comment simply press the "Unlike" button on the post or comment. You must be logged in to your American Retail account to like a post or a comment.

What are discounts for and how do I use them?

The discounts on our blog are sales and coupon codes that we feature to help you save on great American made products. They may be online codes, special sales or seasonal discounts. To use them simply follow the instructions on each discount.

How do I enter a giveaway?

We are thrilled to partner with some of the greatest makers in the country to give you the opportunity to win some great American made goods. To enter simply follow the instructions on each giveaway. Also, be sure to read our to ensure you are eligible before you enter.

How do you pick a giveaway winner?

Giveaway winners are always chosen at random. Certain giveaways may allow you to put your name in multiple times, but even then the winner is still chosen randomly. For more information on how we select a winner please read our .

How will I know if I'm a giveaway winner?

We always notify our winners either through social media or by email (depending on the entering requirements of the giveaway). You only have a limited time to respond so be sure to use a social media account or email you check frequently. For more information on how we contact the winner please read our .

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