Honestly, I don’t want to buy anything at all anymore because I don’t know which of the lot voted for Trump
Please if you have the opportunity to start buying from small businesses. It may be a bit more inconvenient and probably a bit more expensive but it is a great way to help out your neighbor.
Additionally the money you spend locally usually stays local and not go to a CEO or Chairman of the board that really doesn’t need another vacation home in Italy or Aspen.
I struggle with this narrative, because it’s just not that simple. This is pretty much just something that small business owners like to say to guilt people into buying their stuff. Small businesses still need to compete on price and quality.
Large retailers still employ local people, and your pension fund probably owns shares in them, or you can buy shares directly yourself.
Some small local retailers have very shady employment practices. I don’t think employees are necessarily paid or treated better in small businesses. Some might be great, others are terrible.
Having said that, buying locally produced seasonal food directly from growers makes a lot of sense. Fresher, more nutritious, fewer food miles, less middle men.
Basically, local Butcher baker and green grocer.
Your logic only makes sense if you completely ignore we’re in the middle of a class war…
It really is that simple. Sure the big box stores hire local but the money doesn’t stay local if there are no smaller shops. Their paychecks go to other large corporations that have their big box stores in the area. So no money actually helps the businesses but instead just enriches a small group of people that really don’t give a shit about the people of the town.
This isn’t a guilt trip to get you to buy local, this is the truth. It’s been happening since the 80’s starting with Walmart.
Small business can’t compete on price but a good business will compete and win on quality. It means that their products will be more expensive and I get that some people will not be able to afford it. But for those people that have the means its a win-win for the business and the consumer.
Some small businesses have shady employment practices, so do large corporations and every sized business in between. This isn’t a good argument not to try to buy more locally, but it is a good argument for better labor laws.
Basically, local Butcher baker and green grocer.
So local butcher’s, bakers and green grocers somehow get a pass on possibly having shady employment practices?
Aren’t you advocating then that people are taking from the pension plans of large grocery stores by buying local ?
Settle down mate.
I don’t think you really understand pension plans.
When you shop at a large conglomerate store, the profit goes to shareholders. Most people are shareholders.
A small business owner is just as likely to spend the profit on an overseas holiday.
The idea that buying local helps your local economy is reductive, and doesn’t bear scrutiny. The only reason it’s a popular idea is that local business owners like to say it.
Most people are shareholders.
This doesn’t play out in the data. Analysis of the Fed data found that the lion’s share of these gains went to the richest 1 percent. This elite group owns 54 percent of public equity markets, up from 40 percent in 2002.
Most people that work these in these large big box shops are not making enough to invest significantly in the stock market. Who are are the owners of these big box stores.
Also this idea all small business owners are some large conglomerate of self-righteous all for me fuck you doesn’t play out over the larger population. Sure some people are but you are also making sound bad that someone that was successful with their small business shouldn’t travel?
What do you think the owners of these large companies like target and walmart are doing with their profit? Not all of that is going to pension plans.
Also, this idea that big conglomerate stores are some how the savior of the free market is a weird hill to die on.
Do you mean to tell me that wealthy people own most things? I’m shocked!
I didn’t say mum and dad own Walmart. My point us simply that the “buy local” catch cry of small business owners isn’t as simple as you’re making out.
Again, I didn’t say small business owners aren’t allowed to go overseas. Merely that there’s no guarantee that buying local means your money stays local.
I don’t know about your area, but my local small businesses are disproportionately right-wing. Target’s trying to appease the government from fucking them with a red hot poker by quieting down DEI, The body shop near it has trump signs all over their building.
Hell, even local minority-owned shops aren’t a sure bet.
I have had a lifetime of listening to people say “I vote on my wallet not your party” … well then let me spend on my politics not your bottom line.
the cool part about voting with your wallet is 99% of your mandatory budget spend where you are locked in and have little to no control over what company you use (power/water/garbage utilities, rent or mortgage, internet, health insurance) all goes to companies that support the fascists anyway!
That’s what happens when you privatize public utilities (well that and the power cutting out during winter, or burning down half the state). Get ready, they are coming for public education and the post office next.
They’ve already gutted education in southern states. The largest school “district” in Oklahoma is Epic Charter Schools, which has been investigated multiple times for financial malfeasance (originally, it worked like an MLM - teachers got paid based on their roster number, and some would recruit a hundred+ students and made bank) and the fact that “attendance” is spending five minutes on a log in screen. Parents were getting kickbacks with a “learning fund” people were buying TVs and Christmas trees with.
It’s the future. Kids whose families can’t afford private will get to set them in front of a laptop and let AI-slop “teach” their child.
And when you allow creditors to buy and sell loans amongst themselves, with no recourse for the borrowers to choose who they do business with short of immediately paying off the entire balance. Like, even if you went out of your way to take out the loan from a company you liked, they can just immediately turn around and sell it to some borderline scammer who will try to screw you at every turn.
How much faster we could’ve change the world if we only were as smart as these Americans and stopped shopping at certain stores.
What a revolutionary act that will destroy fascism in no time!Besides, Americans will do this for a week and then feel it is too much effort.
Or when they get a good deal on a vat of Coke.Me too. But mostly because I’m poor and can only afford food and rent. For now.
That’s a very large amount. I’m impressed.
Yep. Dropped amazon for their support of the orange waste of space
partner and I have been gradually modifying our consumption habits to favor what we see as more ethical models such as pro-labor entities & environmentally-minded ones
I avoid Target because they bailed on trans people. I should get rid of Amazon, now that I think about it.
Kudos for supporting trans people and you should absolutely get rid of Amazon who’s responsible for union busting and dangerous labor practices that have resulted in the death of their employees.
When it’s the people you love, you sorta get angry that someone’s trying to hurt them. Go figure.
We cancelled Amazon Prime, and I won’t buy on their platform anymore. I bought something off Ebay, and sure enough it came from Amazon anyway. I guess they either dropped shipped or they fulfill their orders. I’ve bought a few things straight from the company and the price was the same. Shipping took a little longer, but I’ll gladly wait if means not supporting these companies that grovel to dictators.
I bought something off Ebay, and sure enough it came from Amazon anyway. I guess they either dropped shipped or they fulfill their orders.
Argh, this drives me crazy! I went to ebay and was willing to pay more to avoid Amazon, but the stuff comes from Amazon anyway. I’m pretty sure this is just 3rd-party sellers drop-shipping stuff. I don’t believe ebay sells anything themselves.
Anyway, I finally figured out that anything being sold new on ebay with only stock photos for a higher price than amazon has a very high likelihood of being cross-shipped from amazon and the seller is pocketing the difference (minus ebay fees?). Either look for non-stock photos, prices less than 5-10% higher than Amazon, or ideally both to avoid this.
A couple of times that I fell for this I made it a point to return the products for a refund. I didn’t give the sellers a negative review because I figured that it’s just some poor slob trying to eek out a living, but I came close.
Buying direct also gives those companies a higher profit margin; meaning they have the opportunity to expand, or better pay their employees (whether or not they do, is a seperate matter).
I finally got a different credit card to use outside of my Amazon Prime card because all that did was encourage me to have a prime subscription and buy shit on amazon…so “I’m doing my part” I guess.
I also canceled Prime and wrote something that would crack up whomever read it (presuming anyone actually reads those things).
Care to share? I’m pretty sure most of us like to laugh.
I didn’t save it but it asked when I’d consider resubscribing and I answered something like when Bezos changes his whole worldview, stopped cozying up to fascists, made his newspaper a nonprofit, and stopped forcing his employees to pee in bottles…so never.
I jumped off Amazon and am now using Target. Target tried, but took so much backlash they took a step back.
cklash they took a step back.
I think target will re-engage, but they’re not going to do it until the people do it.
You can’t expect them to put up a good fight to their own detrement when we are hardly in the streets.
Not everyone can be Costco.
I put the distilled and brewed booze(alcohol), from the red states, back on the shelf. Yeah, I read the labels or find out where stuff is produced.
You may want to consider any lvmh brands. Which is hard, but doable.
Ideally also don’t take vacations in red states.
I cancelled everything. Amazon, Walmart, Netflix, ect… I have a costco account and I shop local when I can. Learn to sew and fix your clothes. Maintain an older car instead of buying new. Vote with your wallet. The only power we have is our money.
So… no power, is what your saying.
There is another power we have, but it requires organization. Voting with your feet. Walkouts, strikes.
Seeing a nationwide general strike is extremely unlikely, but my god it would be magical to see.
Goods Unite Us is a free app that tells you which political party companies donate to
This app still has Sears in it. No way is it properly maintained.
Sears is still in business though i doubt it’s campaign donations amount to much
I prefer the no thanks app
I tried this out by searching for Amazon, and if this website was all you knew, you’d come away thinking it was a rather left leaning company, with a donation distribution of 68% Democrat and 32% Republican. That may or may not be true, but it ignores all of the hostile working conditions and anti-union behavior they are responsible for.
Just saying, don’t rely solely on this app for evaluating companies.
Not to mention Bezos lining up for the Broligarchy
Tesla swasticar sales 📉🔥
Soon enough Leon is gonna start suing people for not buying his cars, for political reasons or otherwise
I suspect the fedral government will just buy more unsold Teslas
Oh boy Tesla cop cars 👐
I would support that. They tend to blow up.
Tesla firetrucks bring the fires to the houses
Hello citizen! It’s time for your annual physical, please relax your anus while your physician installs this years Tesla Chess Tracker™ and calibrates it to remove left leaning thoughts. You may feel some discomfort in your intestines however it is normal while focusing on un-American thoughts like empathy or critical thinking. To disengage please reduce thoughts to a minimum level and remember to not vote again! Thank you, please remember to tip your doctor 20% on top of your medical bill you will receive 4-7 months from now after you’ve completely forgotten this mandatory annual appointment.
Yeah! Also WHAT FUCKING MONEY DO YOU THINK THEY CAN SPEND?
