When Small Business Turns to Corporate Greed

Just down the road from me is a Wal-Mart Super Center. It has just about anything that you might want or need from a gallon of milk for dunking cookies to a quart of oil for your car. You can do all of your grocery shopping from fresh fruits and vegetables, to deli, dairy, bakery and packaged foods. You can buy a new cell phone (and contract) from most cell providers, a new computer, iPod, or flatscreen TV. You can get school supplies, bedding, hardware and tools, clothing from slacks to shorts and dress shirts to t-shirts. You can get exercise equipment, sporting goods, toys and tents. You can fill your prescriptions, get your vitamins and supply your medicine cabinet. You can decorate your yard, fertilize your lawn, buy a lawn mower, weed eater, leaf blower, patio furniture, gas grill or charcoal grill. You can buy tires or batteries, get the oil changed in your car or buy all of the stuff to do it yourself.

It is the great one stop shopping place...and it's cheaper than any other place around.

...That is, if you can find another place around.

I'll admit that it's easy to go in there when you're in a hurry and need a few diverse things. Or when it's almost midnight and you're on your way home and need to get a gallon of milk for the next morning's breakfast.

Your kids will never make a fashion statement dressed in Wal-Mart clothing, but if money's tight (and it usually is) you can buy a couple weeks worth of t-shirts, shorts, sock and underwear for a lot less than at a "clothing" store.

This might sound like a big push for Wal-Mart Stores...IT IS NOT.

Wal-Mart is the ultimate example of how corporate greed can upset the balance of healthy competition, small business and community pride. It shows how profits for the major stock holders and corporate executives outweigh honesty, integrity and just plain fairness when it comes to dealing truthfully with communities and employees.

The High Cost of Low Prices is a documentary film that will will make you think twice before spending another dime in a Wal-Mart store or make you become active in keeping a Wal-Mart from coming to your town. You can watch it here.

I know that it's an hour and thirty-eight minutes long, but it's worth the reminder that we are still paying a high price in round-about ways and it's all going into the pockets of the corporate big shots.

Come back after you've watched the film and tell me what you think.

Today I'll sign off as...

John

the Union Member

Commercial Food Workers 1985-86

International Association of Machinists and Sheet Metal Workers, Dist 9 1989-'92

National Air Traffic Controllers Association 1992-present