Vote Using Consumerism, Multinationals Care About That

[liberalmike27]

I've recently made the decision to stop shopping at Walmart. Sure I like the low prices, but I' sick of them paying slave wages, and hiring illegals, and changing time cards to take off overtime, making people work off of the clock, and using predatory pricing (dumping) an an area until it drives others out of business, then raising the prices back up. I'm not sure where I shop is much better, but I'm determined to try to make a change.

I'm reading a book by Noorena Hertz now called The Silent Takeover which basically talks about the corporate takeover of our governments all over the world. Yes, we all know that they buy laws by campaign contributions on both sides of the aisle, but the true story is much more sinister. The threat in the multinational and more imprortant transnational corporations is to just simply move away. If they don't like environmental regulations, taxing issues of either their own industry, or even executives, politicians are hamstrung by their threat to simply move away to a more receptive environment.


While I'm not willing to give up on voting, or the Congress, she makes a very good point. Some have realized this for years, so I'm not telling anyone anything new, but the only people corporations might respond to is us, the consumers. If Exxon dumps oil in the ocean, when we go to get gas, we go to a different station. When Walmart fires more experienced workers for no reason, or doesn't allow unions to collect, we drive across the street to Target or K-Mart, or go to the local businesses. Only by each of us examining corporate actions all over the world, and deciding whether we will let them get away with it, will corporations respond to us. Dell recently moved jobs to India, should we stop buying Dells in America? Remember the Kathy Lee Gifford sweat-shop controversy? Walmart and she turned back-flips to fix that problem, and she even went to some of them and gifted their employees with $300 a piece, which bewildered most of them.


So while we should still vote for people we believe will try to make our lives better, each day we should vote with our purchases, trying our best to pick the products and services from the people who care about the issues we do. THose who buy mutual funds can switch and by socially conscious funds, that don't buy stocks in offending companies, some are called green funds. Believe me, the only thing they respond to is a drop in the bottom line, and we are the ones to administer it to them. Just remember, each time you pull out your wallet, or purse, you are voting for how you want this earth to be. Make wise choices. Sometimes the cheapest place is actually the most expensive.

[Warpy]

1. Gee, welcome to the club

On the day Bush stole the presidency, I went on strike. The only thing I've been buying new is my food, and much of that is at the food co-op and local produce stands, and the gas I put into my truck every 8-10 weeks. Oh, and I did buy a couple of cords of firewood this year, for my woodstove. Thanks to drought and bark beetles, firewood is plentiful.

If something breaks, I fix it. If something wears out, I look for a replacement at one of the really fine thrift shops in my area. If they don't come through, I do without until they do.

I'm still hooked to the electrical grid, and I still need a phone line for this computer. Alas, I'm not wealthy enough to afford to dump both of them in favor of the alternatives.

At any rate, I will remain on strike until Bush is gone, and possibly thereafter, if his replacement isn't much of an improvement. I am deeply angry, and this is something I can do, every day, legally, and without fear of running afoul of the Patriot Act.

[abelenkpe]

3. right on!

I love thrift stores. Small Mom and Pops and used book stores. You are so hardcore, quite an inspiration. I am addicted to technology though. Ipod, printer, cell phone, Mac, PC, DVD's, digital camera.....am I evil?

[Warpy]

4. Nope.

You can always start now and continue to enjoy your toys. However, you might consider sharing them with people who went on strike a little sooner.

[abelenkpe]

2. green funds?

I agree completely. Our dollars and how they are spent speak as loudly as our vote. Do you know how to get more information on these green funds? Are their any businesses it would be OK to put our money into? Do you have any information on other businesses one should boycott? I have stopped shopping @ mainstream places like the Gap, jCrew or Abercrombie and Fitch. I also don't buy Levis or Nikes. Thoses businesses have shipped almost all their work overseas and laid off their American workers. Interestingly, the result of moving the jobs overseas has lead to the quality of their products going down and the prices going up. I would never shop at WalMart, because they are very open about not paying women as much as they pay men. I'm reluctant to give my money to an organization that openly feels women do not deserve the same wages for the same work. If one is looking to purchase a PC I would recommend putting their own machine together. It is more cost effective than purchasing a Dell. And it really is quite easy. I've put together several machines over the years and never had any regrets or problems.

[Warpy]

5. The box I have

..and the backup box are generics put together by techies, both purchased at auction. These are much easier to work on when something breaks down than the brand name boxes, which like to discourage ordinary mortals from tackling them.

[abelenkpe]

8. so true!

I'm surprised more people don't do the same. I even work with a ton of computer geeks and the majority still purchase name brand boxes because they feel that there is some sort of security attached to purchasing something from a large company. (These are for home use.) Which I find ironic since they will admit that 9 times out of 10 the service personnel don't know as much about computers as they do.

[veganwitch]

6. my personal campaign against dell

besides their "former" use of prison labour and now all their service reps are in india (ive talked to about 80 different ones) their credit program is bullshit.

first they charge an exorbatant amount of interest the effective APR is 28.74%. (i can get a morgage with better interest than that.) second they charge interest for the previous month's balance

so rather than total - payment = new total x interest = new balance

they go

balance x interest = total - payment = new balance.

that means they get to charge you more interest because they are multiplying it to a higher total.

crunch some fake numbers and see the difference.

for example

my computer was 1800 (roughly) and i payed 100 dollars off for the first payment.

my next statement showed that my new balance was 1778. i paid 78 dollars in interest and would continue you do so so until in was paid off. you would get know where paying the minimum balance.

also because of this retroactive interest, my computer, which is paid off thanks to my parents and im paying them, still has 23 dollars on it because of interest from the previous balance.

and they didnt send me a statement (nor was i expecting one as it was paid off) and then i get this statement saying i owe 23 dollars then two days letter i get a letter saying my payment is late and then i owe 15 dollars in late fees. then the day after i get the september statement. (and this statement is post marked a day after the warning letter) what??

you think im paying any of that shit?? hell no!!! and of course i get to speak with all these lovely people in the customer service. i bought the computer from a white sounding person, i want to speak with the white person. when you make a big purchase you want to continue to speak with the person who sold it to you. dont send your phone calls to someone else so that you can continue to fuck people over guilt free. i honestly think they do it not only to save money but to creat this beurocracy between the people and the heads.

and they cant touch my credit. i will have no credit card bills soon (i cut up my card before this or i would have charge it myself - my limit was over 3000). my rent is always on time and i paid off all my loans (granted there werent many, thanks to my scholarships that i worked my ass off for) before i finished school.


so tell everyone you know not to buy dell computers (ive already stopped someone in my office from buying one).

[abelenkpe]

7. interesting story

I had no idea that dell was charging people in such a manner. I'm surprised that it is not illegal. I will definitely save this story and pass it on to friends of mine who are considering to buy from Dell. By the way, good move with the credit card! I never buy anything on credit. The only outstanding loans I have are student loans. Unfortunately, even with scholarships and grants school was quite costly. Amazingly the cost of tuition has gone up 1000 a semester since I left. Students who graduate today will be saddled with approximately 80,000 dollars in debt while having to compete for jobs in this crummy job market. We desperately need to get rid of the Bush administration in order to provide an economy where young adults can actually survive.

[minto grubb]

9. Good for you...

Another worthwhile choice I would like to plug shamelessly is Fair Trade goods.
When you buy coffee from Traidcrft, or any other company bearing the free trade logo, you are putting your money into a desperately poor 3rd wold community, not some multinational company that is screwing the environment, or a military dictatorship.
Traidcraft also do tea, sugar, nuts and other stuff.
Here endeth the plug.