Large chain retail stores in America have many negative
effects on the society. These large
retail chains exploited the opening markets of the global economy and
information technology. Whenever there
is a concentration of wealth, there is usually a concentration of power. Large
retail stores have exploited their power on a global scale. Retailers with
their power, are now even more powerful than manufacturers and influence
manufacturing decisions. They now
influence moving production off-shore. Another primary way that retail chains
generate so much revenue is by paying their workers very low wages. This means
that most workers have to work two or three other jobs to make ends meet. Most of these stores have a high job
turnover. The workers have no economic
security. Without economic security, there is no freedom. By paying workers
very low wages, the workers would not be able
to move from their jobs even if they were given the freedom. In this
sense, many of the employees are trapped in positions that make them no better
than a slave. The only difference between this modern slavery and the slavery
our ancestors had to deal with is that in this modern time, people may choose
who they want their slaveowners to be, whether it will be the organizations
like the bank, credit card companies, or retail chain employers. The majority
of people working for these retail chains are poor minorities like blacks and
Hispanics.
The giant retail chains system of labour has been cited as a prime example of American
capitalism, also known as laissez-faire
capitalism which means an economic system that is privately owned, have little or no
government control and where manufacturing and distribution are operated for
profit. Many large retail chains have exploited the freedom given to them by
laissez-faire capitalism. They have also outsourced many jobs. Many of the jobs
are out-sourced to eastern countries like China where they obtain very cheap
labour. The workers in the eastern countries are paid very low wages compared to the price that the
product they make is sold. The retail stores
became powerful in generating revenues that the Chinese government has
welcomed their strategies, in exchange for boosting the Chinese economy.
Large retail chains also put many small business owners out
of business. They sell their products very cheap in the US and generate a lot
of revenue. Most poor people can only
afford to shop at these large retail chains. The long term negative impact on
society far outweighs the short term
benefits offered by these companies. The administration of these large retail
chains try to show that they are helping
to sustain the economy . They claim to contribute to the nations health care.
However, what they really do is try to suppress the workers unions and labor’s
rights. They pay workers very low wages, inadequate benefits and poor working
conditions.
The giant retail chains in America have more negative
effects than benefits. It is an irony that in this modern world, many people
are still in slavery. They are enslaved by these giant retail
chains, and some are enslaved by the banks and credit card companies. The way
to escape from this slavery is education. With education, people will make
better decisions on how they use their money. Being aware of the methods by
which these large retail chains try to keep them enslaved, they can take steps
towards finding jobs that will pay more,
offer labor’s rights, and better working conditions. They can also take steps
toward demanding better working conditions, and making the workplace better for
future employees. The educated consumer also has influence by choosing where they
will spend their dollar. They could use their buying power to support
businesses that treat their workers humanely. This will force the
administration of these large retail chains to provide better working
conditions.
