I just couldn't work somewhere that I had to call my boss "Captain". Well, maybe on a ship ...

There’s a certain argument that happens in my store that, honestly, I try to avoid. Mostly because it never goes anywhere except to hard feelings. Still, if someone asks me a direct question, I feel it’s my duty to bring it up.

I don’t have a problem with people shopping at Trader Joe’s. It’s cheap. People need cheap food. It’s usually better quality than most cheap food. I could go off on why it’s generally not a good idea for producers to get hooked into their world, but sometimes a cash infusion is important for a business to survive.

But sometimes people just wanna fight. A woman approached the counter the other day and said, "You’ve really raised your prices on this Dutch Goat Gouda."

"Well," I replies, "all imported cheese prices went up at the beginning of the year due to the dollar doing so badly and added transportation costs."*

"Well, this cheese is $9/lb now. It used to be $7.99."

"Yes, that’s true."

"Trader Joe’s has it for less than you. How come?

"Well, they’re a huge company that can buy big volume, they don’t pay union wages, and they only carry a small amount of products compared to other grocery stores."

"No, their prices are lower because of their volume. They pay their workers a fair amount for the job. Sales clerks get $10/hour at least."**

I love it when they tip their hands. Obviously she already had an answer for the "question" she asked. And the only acceptable answer is the one that TJ’s endlessly markets. My answer enraged the customer because I mentioned that people’s wages are actually tied to the price one pays for goods. Now, there’s not a direct ratio obviously, otherwise Whole Foods would be a lot cheaper than it is, but she didn’t want to hear about it.

And honestly, I didn’t even wanna talk about it because showing any kind of class solidarity among jobs generally provokes a negative reaction. Mostly because it’s fucked up when you have to pay more, especially when you can’t afford it, to show that kind of class solidarity. The Nation actually had a decent article recently. One that discussed unions and Wal Mart where the unions admitted that their workers had no choice but to shop their because it was cheap.

The reason I don’t usually mention things like that in response to unknown customers is that they assume I’m trying to guilt them. Not an off-the-wall response really, since the Left’s most notable achievement from, say, 1981-1999, was creating a we’re-so-defeated-this-is-the-best we-can-come-up-with semi-politics of liberal consumerism and "Green" consumption. Sigh.



*All food products must be certified terrorism free by having a documented direct line of ownership and handling from farm to customs. Producers responded by raising all their prices. Plus there’s the whole price of gas thing.
**I tried looking up job applications online but couldn’t fin anything completely comparable. Their management positions seem to start at about $13/hour based on a "47.5 hour week". Did you know that they have to call their managers "Captains" and assistant managers "First Mates"? It’s like the fucking Salvation Army. Food samplers (Hello elusis!) and part timers seem to start at $8/hour in big cities.