Cheap and easy like a $2 whore.

Let's think this through. Let's say company A sells shoes for $20. Company B sells shoes for $10. How does company B make more money than company A on the sale of shoes? Well, company B is Walmart. How do they do it? Simple. They feed our sense of a bargain.

Ever since the Industrial Revolution we have been taught that if an item is cheaper at one store instead of another, we buy it from the cheaper store. Capitalism has taught us that cheap + easy= value. We are taught to see the value of objects in terms of monetary cost, but we don't see all the other aspects of any good or service.

We need to look at the impact that the production had on the workers and the environment. We also must see the cost (in terms of the ecological footprint of the item) of shipping it to it's destination. And, finally, we need to see the impact to our community of our purchases. Chain retailers such as Walmart buy from huge agro-businesses which not only destroy the land they use with the chemicals they use, but they make food that's of less quality, introduce harmful chemicals into our food and water supply, and drive small farm owners who would produce good foods out of business. Suddenly that salad doesn't look so healthy anymore.

And it's not just famers, every producer is affected by Walmart. Any company that has the buying power of a world-wide $260 billion dollar empire can set their own prices. Which means more chemicals in our food to help increase production; more slave labor overseas to lower prices; and more oppression of Walmart employees and local producers and sellers.

The Walmart model is almost a self-perpetuating cycle. The one thing it is dependant upon is consumer participation. With every dollar spent, consumers cast votes on the things they want and the corruption they will put up with to get what they want. That's why Walmart is the world's biggest corporation. Walmart isn't the problem, we are. Walmart simply responds to the economic cues we deliver. The only way to stop the utter destruction of Walmart and capitalism in general is to choose wisely what we buy. The economic inequality should look like this: producers> local stores> local chains> national chains> Walmart. Favoring local goods reduces emissions from transporting, increases the local tax base and decreases the strain on it (as producers can make their own living), and allows the consumer to influence production. If the farmers around Indianapolis saw a sudden spike in the desire for organic peas, they would grow organic peas. It's that simple.

Now, i don't really have any way to wrap this up, but please feel free to comment. Especially if you disagree or i have upset you in any way.