Whether born of patriotism ignited by 9/11 or quality concerns triggered by tainted imports such as lead-laced toys from China, some consumers have been giving the "Buy American" mantra a fresh look.

It's no secret that in this global economy, imports have taken a prominent position on U.S. store shelves.

With that in mind, the Post-Gazette wondered how hard it would be for a shopper to stick to buying U.S.-made goods. And how much extra, if anything, might that strategy end up costing?

To find out, the newspaper took a trip to Target to buy supplies for a fictitious family gathering. Our shopping list included 25 items, from paper plates, napkins and cups to cleaning supplies, invitations and a folding table.

Overall, we found that a determined shopper willing to spend some extra time, and in some cases fork over some extra dough, could find a fair number of U.S.-made products.

Still, it was easier to find imported goods than those made at home.

For 12 items -- or roughly half the items on our shopping list -- we had no choice but to buy an import. In contrast, there were just five items for which the sole option was a U.S.-made brand.

For the rest of the items on our list -- eight in all --we had a choice of buying either a foreign or a domestic brand. But in some cases, the selection for the U.S.-made version was considerably more limited, and often more expensive.

For example, there were five brands of imported blenders on the shelves, all either made in China or Mexico. They included Hamilton Beach, Chefmate, Oster, Black & Decker and Bella Cucina. Each brand had two or more models to choose from, ranging in price from $13.99 to $71.49.

When it came to the lone U.S.-made brand, the Waring Pro, there was just one model, priced at $59.99.

The dozen products on our list that offered only imported brands included invitations, plasticware, a corkscrew, rubber gloves, sweeper bags, a sponge mop, a folding table, a fabric tablecloth, light bulbs, hair brush, hair dryer and children's clothing.

The children's clothing category was especially confounding. We could not find one piece of clothing in the infants and toddler section (up to size 5T) that was made at home.

Choices included Target's private-label brands, Cherokee, Circo and Xhilaration, which were made in either China or Indonesia. The store also carried Carter's (made in China and Thailand) and OshKosh (China).

Ditto fabric tablecloths. There were three brands, Fieldcrest, RE Style and the Target label. There were lots of colors and styles to choose from, but they were all made in either China or India.

There were three brands of corkscrews (Chefmate, Houdini and OXO Softworks) all made in China, and two brands of folding tables (Cosco and Target), also made in China.

In the hair dryer category, all five brands on the shelves, including the Target label, were imported. The closest domestic option was a Remington that said "Designed in the USA."

The five products on our list that offered only U.S. brands included batteries (Duracell, Energizer and Rayovac) and some of our least expensive items: cleanser (Comet, Soft Scrub and Ajax), paper plates, paper napkins and plastic cups, including the Chinet brand, which, despite its name, did not come from China.

Trying to buy American took some extra time. It was often difficult to spot a "made in" designation on the packaging. In some cases, we couldn't find one at all.

Shopping for toothpaste was especially tricky. The first box of Colgate we picked up, marked "Total Advanced Clean gel," said made in the USA. But other boxes of Colgate -- "Sensitive Whitening," "MaxFresh" and "Total Whitenting" -- said made in Mexico. The Aquafresh and Arm & Hammer brands were made in the USA, while Ultrabright came from Mexico. We were unable to find any country of origin on the Crest and Aim boxes.

Besides toothpaste, the seven other types of products that offered both U.S.- and foreign-made choices included a pen, blender, flashlight, decorator candles, shampoo, dish soap and liquid household cleaner.

When offered a choice between an import and a domestic-made product, we often had to pay more to buy American.

For example, when looking for a pen, the only U.S.-made option was the Pilot brand, which offered a two-pack for $1.49 and a six-pack for $4.99. In contrast, the Bic brand, made in Mexico, was selling a 10-pack for $1.02.

Two aisles over, Nature's Wick scented candles, a U.S.-made brand, was selling for $12.99 for a 10-ounce jar vs. $5.99 for a Chesapeake Bay 15-ounce jar candle made in Vietnam.

Across the store, the only domestically made flashlight brand on the shelves, Maglite, was priced at $7.89 for the "mini" size. That compared with a similarly-sized Energizer flashlight, made in China, and selling for $5.19.

In the cleaning aisle, the cheapest brand of liquid cleaner was Extra Pine, a made-in-Mexico brand priced at $1.47 for 28 ounces. The same size Pine-Sol, made in the USA, cost $2.99.

Homeland products weren't always priced higher, however.

In the toothpaste aisle, for instance, the U.S. and imported brands were competitively priced.

When it came to shampoo, there were only a few imports to be found along either side of the packed aisle, and they weren't any cheaper than the U.S. offerings.

Still, the choice of buying either a U.S. or foreign-made brand was an option for only about one-third of the items on our shopping list. The rest of the time, the choice was made for us.

Of course, shoppers more dedicated to buying American could expand their search by visiting another store.

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