When you really think about it, it is pretty sick that retail employees (especially those at the big box discount retailers who are frequently making that incredibly low minimum wage) are the ones expected to give up their time with friends and families to work during stressful, frenetic, and often dangerous conditions.
Recently, I saw a post circulating Tumblr (which I can't locate for the life of me right now) that showed people lined up/camping out for deals and said something to the effect, "If you do this, you are part of the problem." I couldn't agree more...if you believe in fair wages and the ethical treatment of workers, then you cannot patronize these stores/sales. When you purchase items at incredibly low rates, that has a direct impact on other people. Someone, somewhere isn't receiving a fair wage and/or benefits because you needed that steal on a laptop.
I also saw this very poignant Tweet that nicely summarized the core of the problem:
"If you work and still need food stamps, your employer is the one getting the handout." Fight for a #LivingWage! pic.twitter.com/P2LWBb0bFH
— Ben Norton (@HeartsMindsEars) November 23, 2013
Big corporations like McDonalds and Walmart are taking advantage of their employees, and in our capitalistic society, they will continue to do so as long as it is paying off. It is the duty of those of us who are capable to NOT give these corporations our business. Each of us plays a critical role in changing this economic landscape and it won't work until the trend to cash in on these "mega deals" ends. It reminds me of a Stanislaw Jerzy Lec quote (often misattributed to Voltaire):No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible.You might not see how camping out 10 days before Black Friday for a cheap plasma TV has an impact on your fellow person. In our economy, where gigantic corporations run the show, it's designed so that it's hard to follow your dollars and you don't directly see the impact your purchases have on others. And then myths about the poor are promoted so that they are blamed (ie, they're lazy, unmotivated, etc.) But even a simple understanding of basic economics will reveal that someone is short changed by the "Black Friday" frenzies. And if you participate in it, you are enabling that.
So yes, we each must approach the economy and spending just like we should approach anything: fully informed and making sure that our dollars are spent (and given!) in a way this supports our personal values. I think it's important to throw in some important caveats here...I am specifically talking about Black Friday/Holiday "deals" in this context and upper/middle class individuals who are financially capable of not shopping at big box stores, yet still choose to. The people who are waiting for 10 days to get a deal on a flat screen TV most likely possess some kind of economic privilege if they are able to devote that much of their life to sitting in line for a material want (not need). Specifically, this is not meant to shame low income people who shop at Walmart because that is the only grocery in their area and/or how they can stretch their dollar the furthest so that they can feed their families--that is an entirely different situation.
I've written in detail before about my personal struggles with the appeal of shopping and acquiring things, so I know that participating in these sales can be quite alluring. But we've got to weigh the cost/benefit of this all against a system that is much larger than our personal checking accounts.
Please see the commenting policy before replying to this post.
I accidentally deleted a comment from my phone while trying to approve it (damn mobile screen.) Danny said:
ReplyDelete"I couldn't agree more...if you believe in fair wages and the ethical treatment of workers, then you cannot patronize these stores/sales."
This demonstrates great ignorance of class struggle. Low income working class consumers will be concerned for fair wages and ethical treatment of workers because they are workers too.
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It's really too bad you didn't keep reading. I also said:
"I think it's important to throw in some important caveats here...I am specifically talking about Black Friday/Holiday "deals" in this context and upper/middle class individuals who are financially capable of not shopping at big box stores, yet still choose to. The people who are waiting for 10 days to get a deal on a flat screen TV most likely possess some kind of economic privilege if they are able to devote that much of their life to sitting in line for a material want (not need). Specifically, this is not meant to shame low income people who shop at Walmart because that is the only grocery in their area and/or how they can stretch their dollar the furthest so that they can feed their families--that is an entirely different situation."
Sorry you're wrong. It isn't just people with economic privilege who que up or camp out for sales but it's likely to also be people on low incomes who will rush to try and take advantage of sales to for a chance to get discounts on luxury items they can otherwise afford. People struggling to feed their families still have material wants and will seek out bargain and cut prices on things such flat screen TVs because they also want those things.
ReplyDeleteIt'd like to point out that it's usually those with economic privilege who sneer at and look down on people snapping up bargains.
Most people love a bargain and if we try to blame ordinary people's desire to get things cheaper with low wages and unethical treatment of workers we divert the blame from the greedy corporaitons and the rich bosses that own them.
I 100% agree we should be blaming greedy corps, but how do you explain the demand side that is consistently affirming and literally rewarding unscrupulous business practices. We can't place ALL the blame at people who aren't us. As a middle class person myself who SEES my family and peers funding unjust systems, I'm disgusted with them and will call this out.
DeleteThat demand is created by social inequality. There is a massive demand for cheap products, especially cheap food and other essential items because food prices are going up, wages are going down, benefits are being slashed and people are struggling to make ends meet. This creates a huge demand for low cost/cheap products which is made using exploitation of workers.
ReplyDeleteThe rich have created a system where the poor is forced to buy the cheapest and often the lowest quality of food (and other products) and they can use this to justify paying workers very low wages. The bosses of companies like Walmart can justify the low wages paid to their employees by saying "Well we are helping the poor by giving them cheap prices".
I don't think it's about attacking people, middle class or working class for their shopping choices. Because a few people changing their shopping habits isn't going to end worker exploitation because the system will remain in place.
Again, I am watching my families and friends choosing to participate in unjust buying and I'm not ok w/ that.
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