[Vision2020] Goodnight Goody, Goodnight Ridge

[Tom Hansen]

>From today's (March 3, 2006) UI Argonaut with a special thanks to Jay
Feldman.

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Goodnight Goody, goodnight Ridge

Dear Editor,

Am I the only one that noticed the irony in the placement of the column
"Death of a pop supercenter" next to the anti-Superwalmart editorial?
The writer, Jon Ross, laments that Sam Goody is going out of business
nationwide (including Moscow) while he dreams of an indie-esque record store
in Moscow to replace it. Oddly though, Ross tells us there is just such a
store in Moscow, Paradise Ridge Records, but he is unwilling to patronize it
because its prices are higher than the defunct Goody.

Well, as consumers, we can't have it both ways. We can't have quality
independent stores that pay more into the local tax base, offer personalized
service, a greater selection, a professional staff that is paid a living
wage, along with, as the writer expects, "cheap music." Yet, we expect to
because Wal-Mart has responded to our deep desire for the lowest price by
setting us on a race to the bottom where every store must match its prices
regardless of what that store might offer its patrons and its community.  

Unfortunately, in America, price has become the sole factor in deciding
which stores we frequent. As the world's largest retailer, Wal-Mart can
offer the lowest prices possible but at a high cost to communities like
Moscow. Shoppers have come to assume the Wal-Mart price is the proper market
price and the Wal-Mart price thus is the price we should expect to pay.
Because of such a mentality, shoppers - including Ross, at his own admission
- will not pay more than this false standard. As a result, when forced to
compete with a Super Wal-Mart, small independent stores, like many in
Moscow, go out of business and small towns are left with the impersonal,
poor selection, tax-base draining, Super Wal-Marts, just the position Ross
laments.

Certainly paying a bit extra is difficult for many, and luckily we have the
independent chain WinCo to provide us with groceries that beat any Super
Wal-Mart's prices and an existing Wal-Mart for those who wish to shop there.
What we don't need is a Wal-Mart Supercenter that will reinforce this
"lowest price at any cost" mentality.

Ross laments not having a quality, all-music store in Moscow, when in fact
we do have one. Ross needs to do what so many of us need to do, overcome our
addiction to low price and support the local businesses whose tax revenues
support us.

Jay P. Feldman
Department of philosophy

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Seeya round town, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho


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"A bad cause will ever be supported by bad means and bad men." 

- Thomas Paine (English Writer, 1737-1809)

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