Written by Jane Armbruster, Relate Intern
(Photo by www.mindyourmind.ca)
Most of America shops at WalMart; groceries, furniture, apparel, pharmaceuticals- it’s basically a one-stop-shop with poor quality goods at cheap prices. And as more and more people walk through their automatic doors, fewer and fewer are remembering why we shouldn’t shop there in the first place.
WalMart customers aren’t bad people; they just want their consumer goods at the lowest prices. That’s normal, that’s understandable. It makes sense. But when people are coaxed in by the lure of rock bottom pricing, they forget that superstore chains like WalMart are exterminating the very fabric on which a functioning society operates. By importing China-produced goods at barebone wholesale and distributing them nationwide to all Americans, they are single-handedly dissolving the American Dream one small business at a time.
In addition to forcing your favorite local, neighbor-owned shops into foreclosure, WalMart also abuses their employees with sexism, racism and general mistreatment. They are known for suppressing women and racial minorities while stifling employee well-being by failing to provide proper health insurance coverage. And while offering consumers rock bottom prices, they offer their employees rock bottom wages.
So why would anyone work there? When small towns lose their small businesses, nothing is left standing except the local WalMart Superstore, “Now Hiring.”
So what can teens do to fight WalMart? Refuse employment, for one. The second option is even easier: don’t shop there. Support your local antique stores, furniture shops and up-and-coming designers. Spend a little bit more money and put something back into your community. Stimulate your local economy. They say teens are possibly the most powerful consumer group in the nation, so use that power to your community’s advantage! And as you know, Relate is a big supporter of charity shops; we always feature their potential in our design pieces, so give back to the needy in your area by buying at your local Goodwill or Salvation Army retailer…it’s even cheaper than WalMart.
