as i've been saying....Death to Walmart

[Guest guest]

The True Cost Of Things

By Richard Baynton

AlternativesMagazine.com

6-5-4

 

The day Wal-Mart came to town, the townsfolk were

downright joyful about it. A huge, brand new,

job-providing, property tax paying mega-store planting

itself on the edge of the community. And did I mention

huge? And amazingly low prices, too! Get the kids!

Let's go shopping!

 

And they did. Suddenly that $25 widget at the downtown

hardware store could be had for a mere $14.95.

Incredible! Film developing at the local camera shop

was way too expensive now. Prices at the market down

the street? Forget about it! Too high compared to the

brand new superstore. And the convenience! Food, car

batteries, electronics, books, beer, clothes, jewelry,

and more, and more, and moreÖ The local unemployed

lined up for the new jobs, thrilled at their fresh

prospects for a steady paycheck and the self-respect

society confers on those with a job. So what if it

pays only minimum wage, with minimum benefits... it's

a job!

 

The vast parking lot overflowed, the "deals" crowded

like cornucopia in consumers' carts, and all was well

in their world.

 

Well, sure, there was that "Going Out of Business

Sale" sign that appeared in one of the downtown store

windows. But only one... well, maybe there were two or

three after awhile. But no worries. It happens, you

know, very sad to see them go, but after all, their

prices were always a bit high, so it's no wonder they

went under. The independent bookstore, a fixture for

30 years - the store that people had deeply woven into

their life stories - gone. The owners - your

neighbors, your friends ñ moved away, disheartened and

disillusioned. The hardware store, that ancient

edifice, the old paradigm of personal, knowledgeable

customer service - gone. Same with the sporting goods

store. One by one, the downtown core, the heart and

soul of the business community, dying away. And

gradually, as stories of fear and financial failure

from friends and acquaintances spread through the

town, people finally began to wonder. How did this

happen? Why are there no jobs anymore with decent

wages? Why are the lines at the unemployment office

growing even longer? Why have I lost touch with so

many people I used to see downtown every week and

share the local news with? Why do I have to drive all

the way to the edge of town on a busy stop & go street

just to buy something I need?

 

Too late. This town, this community of decent,

hard-working people, was addicted, and they didn't

even know it. Having sold their souls to Wal-Mart's

company store for a cheap consumer high, their fate

was sealed. They never realized they were degrading

themselves, their friends, their families, and their

community - just by going shopping.

 

The mega-store, the so-called Big Box store (Wal-Mart

being the biggest of them all) comes to town with a

Big Plan. The plan usually works because "consumers"

(known locally as "people") are so predictable. They

want to buy things cheaper. What could possibly be

wrong with guaranteed lower prices? Let's shop!

 

The Shadow of Low, Low Prices

 

Almost every dollar spent super-shopping immediately

leaves town for corporate headquarters out-of-state,

never to re-circulate again in the local economy. Life

blood lost.

 

Wal-Mart is so powerful, it usually gets its way

through sheer economic force. It can under-price local

businesses because it coerces suppliers to cut their

costs in order to get the contract with them. As a

result, manufacturing jobs fly to places like China,

where girls and young women in sweatshops slave under

horrific conditions for next to nothing, so Americans

can buy cheap clothing & widgets 10,000 miles away.

What a deal! The local hardware store, bookstore,

sporting goods store, bakery, electronics store, music

shop, toy store, food market - all closed through lack

of local support because Americans chase those

guaranteed lower prices. The local factory - you know,

the one that used to manufacture widgets, that used to

employ 100 local people at family wages with benefits;

the one that was part of the town's identity? Closed.

More life blood lost. Money is the blood of a local

economy, and this community is bleeding to death.

 

And guess what? Your job at the local supermarket is

about to be sucked dry, too. You see, Wal-Mart doesn't

pay its employees what you get paid, nor does it give

the benefits you receive. So, to remain competitive,

your employer has just lowered your pay and cut your

benefits! Don't like it? Not gonna stand for it! Fine,

they say. Go try to find anything better in this dying

town.

 

The cycle affects everyone in the community. Everyone

is sucked into the downward spiral. And that sound you

hear? Yes, indeed, it's a sucking sound. Wal-Mart is a

parasite on the town body. Like a giant tick, it

attaches itself to the side of a community, digs in

and begins to suck the money out. It entices local

folks with goodies at prices unheard of. Like

innocents entering an opium den, people succumb to the

illusion of prosperity, not realizing the enormous

price to be paid soon after. Everything sinks to the

lowest denominator (or is that dominator) - wages,

prices, products, and services. Until most people have

to shop there, because either they can't afford to do

otherwise, or there's no other widget stores left.

 

Maybe that $14.95 widget wasn't so cheap, after all.

Every purchase is political.

Every purchase affects the environment.

Every purchase is your conscience.

Every purchase is a vote.

Every purchase is a prayer.

Every purchase matters.

 

Buy local. Buy little. Buy organic. Live in the world

you want to create. Create the world you want to live

in.

 

- Richard Baynton is a co-founder of Alternatives

Magazine. He lives in Eugene with his family and can

be reached at info.

 

http://www.alternativesmagazine.com/index.html