Stacy Mitchell chronicles the successful campaigns of community activists around the country who’ve taken on retail giants and won. The key to victory is “getting people to see themselves not just as consumers, but as workers, producers, business owners, citizens, and stewards of their community.”
Alternet:
Citizens groups are waging a growing number of successful campaigns against big-box retailers. They are winning victories in places as far-flung as Damariscotta, Maine, a coastal village where two stay-at-home moms ignited an uprising this past spring that not only blocked a Wal-Mart supercenter but led several towns to adopt store size cap laws that effectively ban big boxes region-wide, and Inglewood, California, a working class city near Los Angeles where voters handed Wal-Mart a stunning upset two years ago even though the chain spent over $1 million on a massive public relations blitz.
Despite differences in circumstances and demographics, all of these successful campaigns—and there have been dozens in the last two years—have one striking commonality: a core part of their strategy involves getting people to see themselves not just as consumers, but as workers, producers, business owners, citizens, and stewards of their community. When people walk into a voting booth or city council meeting with this vastly expanded sense of their own economic and political identity, they are far more likely to reject big-box development projects and to endorse measures that force these companies to adhere to higher standards. This is a crucial lesson as we work to knit these local efforts together into a broader movement to counter the power of global corporations.
In contrast, when the big chains win, they do so by getting people to assume the familiar and narrow role of consumer and to view their relentless expansion and radical restructuring of the economy as simply a matter of shopping options.
Although pervasive in its influence today, this consumer identity is a relatively recent invention. It only became a powerful force in U.S. politics in the years after World War II. To a large degree, it was created and propagated by the first generation of chain retailers-companies like A&P, Kroger, and Woolworth-which encountered such strong public opposition in the 1920s and 30s as to call into doubt their continued existence. The chains responded with a massive PR campaign that managed to transform American citizens into consumers-a sharply circumscribed identity that corporations have used to augment their power ever since.
Link
Lock Up Washington
 . '/' . substr('9780230611337',-6,3) . '/' . '9780230611337' . '.jpg'; ?>)
Email 
Print
Share
Email to a friend
Newsletter 
Like Us
Follow Us
Get Our Feed
By Doug, September 28, 2007 at 11:44 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
Go work at wal-mart for a month then come and post a pro-wal-mart rant. I have worked great jobs in my day but wal-mart is the worst workplace I have ever been subjected to.
Report thisBy James Marshall, December 10, 2006 at 1:31 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
Wal-Mart, a leading American retailer, recently announced that they would no longer offer customers a layaway option for purchasing merchandise. Previously, customers who could not afford an item all at once and did not qualify for a credit card could establish a credit history through Wal-Mart using the layaway plan. Customers paid a percentage of the total as a down payment and the spread the remaining amount due over the course of several months.
According to Wal-Mart’s Website, http:llwww.walmartfacts.com/articles/4438.aspx , Wal-Mart will: “phase out its layaway program as it expands other financing options. Customers had until November 19th to place items in layaway for this Christmas season and merchandise must be picked up by December 8.”
As more traditional brick and mortar retailers abandon their layaway programs, Financing Alternatives Inc. (FAI) is poised to offer their former Wal-Mart customers a program that not only allows them to purchase high quality goods on a layaway bassis, but also afford additional opportunities. By offering the highest quality items that include, but is not limiteed to computers, HDTV’s and jewelry. FAI hopes to enable customers the convieniece of a hybrid layaway program that is concienient and fiscally sound alterntive t high interest credit cards.
FAI http://www.myfai.com, works with customers to help them build a payment history by paying on layaway for a short period of time, after which the product is shipped to the customer and FAI offers zero-interest finaincing of th remaining balance. The customer receives the product prior to paying for it in full. Products offered through FAI include desktop and laptop computer, plasma televisions and jewelry.
Report thisBy Roger Hummel, December 9, 2006 at 4:44 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
Response to Comment #41382 by B on 12/08 at 11:39 am. My original comment #41304 by Roger Hummel on 12/07 “Only in America does the people and government fight progress.”
Instead of blaming Wal-Mart, fast food restaurants and all the others that pay low wages with substandard benifits, etc., why don’t you and everyone else look in the mirror to see who is really at fault. You vote for members of the U.S. Senate and House who have not increased the minimum wage from, I think $5.15 per hour, in 10 years even though a low cost rent that was in the $300 per month range is now in the $700 range. If someone invests their money in a business you expect them to perform better then your own elected government. Wal-Mart does more to help the people on low incomes and the eldery on Social Security to make a feeble attempt to afford the basic necessities of life then the voters of this great country, When you reach retirement you will know what I am talking about.
The Salvation Army is a wonderful organization with limited funds and in addition to what they collect in front of the stores Wal-Mart donates to them too. Consider this, for more than 20 years, The Salvation Army has been one of the recipients of Wal-Mart corporate donations. Last year, The Salvation Army collected $27 million nationally from Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club. One more thought, the things you said about dirty tricks, etc. sounds just like those who the people vote for. Take some responsibility and do something worthwhile with you votes.
Report thisBy Anonymous, December 8, 2006 at 3:17 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
You guys are full of shit!!
Report thisGet a job instead of going around closing or stopping stores from opening.
Ex-Workers who complain usually got fired for doing stupid stuff, and where held accountable. If they did theyre job they would work and not goof around ,so why dont you open up training facilities for idiots like you, who like jobs but dont work hard
By B, December 8, 2006 at 12:39 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
In response to : Comment #41304 by Roger Hummel on 12/07 at 9:16 pm
“Only in America does the people and government fight progress.”
This is so wrong in so many ways…
First I don’t think the people fighting Wal-Marts are standing in the way of progress. They are standing in the way of a fascist organization. An organization (and employer) that is RABIDLY anti-labor, anti-environment, and anti-competition. They have used every dirty and many illegal tricks that they can get away with. They unfairly squash ANY attempt to unionize (which is an EMPLOYEE’s RIGHT, and is in fact ILLEGAL For them to take actions against) in their own workforce. They are working to kill unions entirely by shelving non-union in their stores while avoiding union goods. They also have a red-line program where they go in to a suppliers books and tell them where they can spend their money and reduce their costs (lose the employee health care benefits or lose our shelf space).
Next, I would like to say that many of the protections that we have been able to fight tooth and nail for in this country ARE progress. Wal-Mart in their monopolistic zeal are breaking down these protections in any way they can. Challenging employee rights (unionization), employment laws (overtime, unpaid work), anti-trust laws (retail to gas sales, industrial banking), and competition (think back to school wasn’t this one of the BIG ideas behind free markets?). In NONE of these areas have we seen progress.
So perhaps progress to you is having a big shiny new store?
B
http://b-political.blogspot.com/
Report thisBy HeadlessHessian, December 8, 2006 at 9:22 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
Tracy..you dont have to wonder…those items are made with child labor. also with the cheapest labor ever. We dont stand a chance. The way to stop the WalMarts is from person to person convincing others that they are only helping their own demise. I never shop at Walmart…and those that do that I know, I am constantly giving them hell. I suggest we all do the same.
Headless
Report thisBy Roger Drowne EC, December 8, 2006 at 8:31 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
Hello T.D.
Community United, Is Always the Answer
Gandhi, King, Etc
See What Earth Citizens Have Been Working On 4 40 Years at…
http://www.OneGlobalCommunity.com
Also See Creating - Good Earth Community Ans.
Earth Ball Homes & Green House 4 All E.C.s at…
http://www.EarthBall.org
Thank U, another, Earth Citizen
Report this.
By Roger Hummel, December 7, 2006 at 10:16 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
Only in America does the people and government fight progress. Warren Buffet just made a major investment in Target because they would rather expand in other countries than put up with the problems of opening new stores in the U.S. Wal-Mart will have 900 full service banks in Mexico by mid 2007 and are expanding to India and many other countries. The U.S. won’t let Wal-Mart open a bank in the U.S. Russia, China and other countries will be drilling for oil off the coast of Florida, but the U.S. will not let U.S companies drill. Already, 40% of Citigroups money comes from other countries and Bank of America is looking to buy foreign banks and I have heard they are looking at the famed London Barclay Bank.
Report thisAs other countries progress Americans can continue to pay high prices for fuel from other countries and pay more for banking services, food and other things they use. The small town grocer was put out of business by supermarkets and now they are whimpering when it happens to them. We have 2 Wal-Mart stores in large shopping centers and all the stores are doing so good that Wal-Mart is building 3 new supercenters and a lot of new stores are being built with most of the new stores are already leased, months before the Wal-Mart stores are scheduled to open. 2 years ago the unions had a major grocery strike in So. Calif. and it was an awful Christmas for those on strike. Some went back to work using other names to save their seniority. Some sold their homes and others moved into lower priced rentals or moved in with someone else. At the end of the strike the poor workers had less than they had before the strike and the CEO of Safeway Stores was the hero for winning. Union execs. need more members because they are loosing so many and that’s why they are going after a company with the most employees. They would get a fat raise if they win. Good luck with your efforts, but don’t complain if you win.
By Anchorite, December 7, 2006 at 10:13 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
CORPORATE SQUEEZE
This guy at Walmart was working there a few months and paying into the benefits package. They took him in the office and had him a resign and then re-hired him on the spot. He asked why. They explained that this way they can avoid paying benefits for a few more weeks.
Sickening. Outrageous. Rub-it-in-your-face exploitation.
Years and years ago people use to wonder if robots would take over the world and enslave humans. No need, we got Corporations. Business law must address this issue or else we’re going back to France, 1789.
A poem by Anchorite:
CORRUPTION
A hundred holes
A hundred Hells
I’d travel going tippy-toe
To find the hottest glowing heck
And plug it with your wretched neck
A thousand sores
A million cramps
Could never ever balance
Your greedy game of just desserts
And cumulation callous
You blind yourself
To better spread
Material seduction
You say you’re striving
For the best
Yet authorize aggression
As wreckage nears and common tears
Are building to a flood
A silent impropriety
Might stop you if it could
For now we labour while you dream
Up another crime
None would seek or dare to work for
Justice in our time
~ A
Report thisBy Kevin, December 7, 2006 at 6:25 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
http://www.merchantcircle.com is a site where small businesses post their online presence with pictures, blogs and links to other neighborhood businesses. It’s grassroots and a lifeline to making sure Wal-Mart isn’t the only business coming up high on search engine listings.
Report thisBy Tracy, December 7, 2006 at 5:14 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
Why aren’t more activists discouraging consumers from discount stores? I try to buy local, but the independent book stores, grocery stores, clothing stores have nearly disappeared. Have you tried to buy something made in the USA? Every time I buy something from China or Pakistan or Argentina I wonder if it was made by a child or a prisoner…
Report this