Is your life better or worse as a result of commercial suburban developments, such as big box retail stores?

Better

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by Terri Kleinberg

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Are our lives better because of the Big Box Stores? Generally I would say yes. Not a resounding, pound on the desk yes, but a slow yes with some thought behind it. I live in an area that has fought the Big Box Stores with tooth and nail. The result is Wally World, which is the nick name for the biggest one, is over 20 miles away. Of course there is a Freddies on every corner, and a few others that I would consider rightfully under the Big Box Banner. But they've been around for so long people see them as a part of the landscape.

The fight centered on control of traffic and crime not on the philosophical argument that we are cutting our own throats by outsourcing and importing goods. They weren't even concerned much by the working conditions of many people in the third world countries where a lot of the merchandise is manufactured. Phone call campaigns sponsored and paid for by stores that don't want the competition were common. The callers used scare tactics, such as "Did you know the drug trade increases when these stores are built?' When the caller was asked where she got this statistic, she hemmed and hawed and refused to answer the question. I don't like the current school of campaigning by fear, and am more impressed when advertising tells me the advantages of our current stores instead of making me fear something new.

As for the erosion of our lifestyles by the introduction of less expensive goods. Where is the spirit of competition? Didn't we deregulate and break up Ma Bell a few decades ago to bring about less expensive service? There are laws against monopolies these days. Price fixing is a dirty phrase, as well as being illegal. A friend who works for a manufacturer in the area was incensed that Wally had negotiated for lower prices on the goods made by her company. She felt it was unfair the company should compromise their price. The fact that they made a tidy profit by virtue of the sheer numbers of units sold was unimportant. The thing she focused on was the purchaser shouldn't negotiate for a lower price, the seller should set their prices. What I saw was they could make a profit at a lower price, they just wanted more and she had a job.

I watch people struggle to get jobs here where unemployment is over 12%, the second highest unemployment rate in the nation, and I can't help but wonder if we have priced our work so high that we are out of the market. In order to live in the style to which we have become accustomed, the average worker in the US has had to demand more and more wages. It is rather like the question: Which came first the chicken or the egg? Did the demand for higher wages help to drive up the prices, which resulted in the need for even higher wages?

I'm a housewife. The overwhelming philosophical points that come up when we talk about this topic are a bit beyond me. When you are trying to make ends meet in the middle with no gap, anything that will help is welcome. Four years ago I bought a sewing machine table after looking for a long time. The least expensive one I found was over $200 made of melamine. My husband could make one for about $175 in materials, but he didn't have the time. I found one at the store 20 miles away for $98. It was made of melamine, same as the competition, only it had a few more features than the more expensive model. Neither were made of cherry wood like my last one, that doesn't fit my new machine. But they don't scratch as easily and will hold up for a longer time. Guess which one is in my sewing room today.

Profit keeps businesses going, I get that. But while watching Detroit circle the drain, I can't help but wonder if our need for ever gaining profits contributed to the demise as much as bad management. Three years ago I gave up my American made car for one with better mileage, better warranty, and a lower price than the American made competitor. I feel guilty about it, but I couldn't afford the American made vehicle.

I think at this point in history we need to look at what got us into this mess and what can get us out. Everyone has fewer dollars in their pockets to spend. While we debate the ideas behind whether these stores are good or bad for us, their parking lots are full, their employees have work, and they are providing goods and services that are affordable. Thats the bottom line, and while high minded ideals look good on paper, reality is the filled parking lot.

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