This gif is just so illuminating (“horrifying” is what the original post called it), I wanted to share it. This is a post written by Brandon Weber and posted on UPWORTHY, as part of a special Upworthy series about work and the economy, made possible by the AFL-CIO (of which I am a member, through CFT-AFT).
When big box stores (I’ll leave it to you to decide just WHICH big-box stores) come to town, they almost always shut down all the mom-and-pop stores in the area they open in. And it’s a pretty simple formula:
- Move in.
- Open doors with lower prices than anyone else.
- Get employees on welfare and Medicaid because you don’t want to pay well or provide medical insurance.
- Force smaller shops out of business.
- Raise prices, because now you’re the only game in town.
- Rinse, repeat 15 miles down the road.
I’ve heard some say, “capitalism works this way, and great for the owners of [INSERT_BIG_BOX_STORE_HERE] that they’re able to do so well because at least they create jobs.”
To them I say, “At what price?”
Note: This map only goes to 2006; it’s much worse now, believe it or not.
About:
This image was found on PolicyMic. It was created by Daniel Ferry, Excel Hero, who explains how it’s done. For some of the facts about Walmart’s pay and etc., there’s this from last year. And for even more facts about its pay, here’s an image and data source from a previous post as well.
Last Updated on March 9, 2014