While families can probably shop at Costco with a cleaner conscience than if they did at Walmart (and what middle-class family in the Bay Area doesn't have a Costco membership?), is saving a buck here and there all that matters? (I don't think the sale of Costco pizza along with everything else is enough to justify its existence, even though it is a good bargain-$9.99 for an 18" pizza, with a choice of pepperoni, vegetarian, and supreme as toppings.)
It may be true that many families just cannot afford to shop regularly at farmers' markets for locally-grown food. But before we make look for an easy excuse to justify our current shopping choices, shouldn't we look a little bit closer at the consequences of maintaining our current political economic arrangements? What are the hidden and not-so-hidden costs that are incurred and the injustices committed to make it possible to for us to buy things so cheaply?
The Costco Challenge: An Alternative to Wal-Martization? (July 5 ...
Wal-Mart vs. Costco
Rivalry between Wal-Mart, Costco also extends to national politics ...
How Costco Became the Anti-Wal-Mart - New York Times
Costco: The 'anti-Wal-Mart' - MSN Money
How Costco Became the Anti-Wal-Mart
Costco: The Only Company Wal-Mart Fears
At Rebellion, Mike Tuggle draws our attention to The Big Box Swindle by Stacy Mitchell, which discusses the negative impact of big-box stores and large retail and service chains on local communities at all levels (from the environment to the political realm).
The Hometown Advantage
New Rules Project
Institute for Self-Reliance
Once again, the website for Local Harvest:
Local Harvest / Farmers Markets / Family Farms / CSA / Organic Food
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