Consumer greed is the real problem with America.

[Wyatt earp]

Yes the problem is YOU....


Consumer, Not Corporate, "Greed" Is Ultimately Behind Layoffs


Here's a dirty little secret about capitalism: consumers, not corporations, run the show. If you find something about the marketplace objectionable, it would be more appropriate to blame those who actually call the shots: the ruthless, cutthroat, and disloyal American consumers.


Don't believe it? Ask a large corporation, Coca-Cola, about the power of consumers when it introduced "New Coke," and the product promptly flopped. Then talk to the owners of the more than 600 Michigan businesses that filed for bankruptcy in 2001 and ask them who controlled their destiny? Then visit the International Supermarket Museum in New York, and view the 60,000 products that have failed in U.S. supermarkets, a convincing testament to what economists call "consumer sovereignty."

Consumers are the kings and queens of the market economy, and ultimately they reign supreme over corporations and their employees. When corporations make mistakes and introduce products that consumers don't want, which happens frequently, you can count on consumers voicing their opinions forcefully and immediately by their lack of spending.

What about the corporate layoffs the business writer calls "callous" and "nefarious"? Corporations may issue the actual pink slips—and sometimes there might be a more compassionate time and way to do it—but consumers are ultimately responsible for the layoffs, too. For example, consumers abandoned American-made cars in the 1970s in favor of Japanese-made Toyotas and Hondas. General Motors subsequently had to lay off Michigan workers because of the decline in sales.


But if American consumers hadn't been so greedy themselves in their concern about quality and low prices, those layoffs wouldn't have happened. Had consumers tolerated high prices, low quality, and poor service, they would have loyally continued to buy expensive, poorly built American cars. Instead, in the name of getting maximum value, consumers abandoned U.S. automakers in favor of low-priced Japanese cars, forcing GM to lay off workers.

Another oft-cited example of corporate greed is Wal-Mart's practice of opening up stores in small towns around the country. Usually located on the outskirts of town, Wal-Mart must compete against existing downtown merchants. Wal-Mart is at an initial disadvantage because it is new to town, and the downtown stores have been around for generations in many cases. However, Wal-Mart has one effective weapon to attract customers away from the downtown merchants: low prices. After several years, the usual story is that Wal-Mart "has driven downtown merchants out of business with its low prices." But Wal-Mart can't force people to shop at its stores; all it can do is offer a low-priced alternative to the high-priced downtown merchants. "Greedy" consumers do the rest.



If you don't like the message of the marketplace, don't assume that corporations and greed are to blame while consumer behavior plays no role in the outcome. We should be thankful, in fact, that the marketplace puts consumers on such a powerful pedestal

 

[Harry Dresden]

But if American consumers hadn't been so greedy themselves in their concern about quality and low prices, those layoffs wouldn't have happened. Had consumers tolerated high prices, low quality, and poor service, they would have loyally continued to buy expensive, poorly built American cars. Instead, in the name of getting maximum value, consumers abandoned U.S. automakers in favor of low-priced Japanese cars, forcing GM to lay off workers.
so you are expected to keep buying shit products to show loyalty?....i dont think so.....

 

[Compost]

People running a business call them customers.

 

[Skull Pilot]

Excellent

But if American consumers hadn't been so greedy themselves in their concern about quality and low prices, those layoffs wouldn't have happened. Had consumers tolerated high prices, low quality, and poor service, they would have loyally continued to buy expensive, poorly built American cars. Instead, in the name of getting maximum value, consumers abandoned U.S. automakers in favor of low-priced Japanese cars, forcing GM to lay off workers.
so you are expected to keep buying shit products to show loyalty?....i dont think so.....

If they cared about American workers they would pay the high prices for crap products but consumers, selfish motherfuckers that they are, only care about themselves

 

[Pogo]

Yes the problem is YOU....


Consumer, Not Corporate, "Greed" Is Ultimately Behind Layoffs


Here's a dirty little secret about capitalism: consumers, not corporations, run the show. If you find something about the marketplace objectionable, it would be more appropriate to blame those who actually call the shots: the ruthless, cutthroat, and disloyal American consumers.


Don't believe it? Ask a large corporation, Coca-Cola, about the power of consumers when it introduced "New Coke," and the product promptly flopped. Then talk to the owners of the more than 600 Michigan businesses that filed for bankruptcy in 2001 and ask them who controlled their destiny? Then visit the International Supermarket Museum in New York, and view the 60,000 products that have failed in U.S. supermarkets, a convincing testament to what economists call "consumer sovereignty."

Consumers are the kings and queens of the market economy, and ultimately they reign supreme over corporations and their employees. When corporations make mistakes and introduce products that consumers don't want, which happens frequently, you can count on consumers voicing their opinions forcefully and immediately by their lack of spending.

What about the corporate layoffs the business writer calls "callous" and "nefarious"? Corporations may issue the actual pink slips—and sometimes there might be a more compassionate time and way to do it—but consumers are ultimately responsible for the layoffs, too. For example, consumers abandoned American-made cars in the 1970s in favor of Japanese-made Toyotas and Hondas. General Motors subsequently had to lay off Michigan workers because of the decline in sales.


But if American consumers hadn't been so greedy themselves in their concern about quality and low prices, those layoffs wouldn't have happened. Had consumers tolerated high prices, low quality, and poor service, they would have loyally continued to buy expensive, poorly built American cars. Instead, in the name of getting maximum value, consumers abandoned U.S. automakers in favor of low-priced Japanese cars, forcing GM to lay off workers.

Another oft-cited example of corporate greed is Wal-Mart's practice of opening up stores in small towns around the country. Usually located on the outskirts of town, Wal-Mart must compete against existing downtown merchants. Wal-Mart is at an initial disadvantage because it is new to town, and the downtown stores have been around for generations in many cases. However, Wal-Mart has one effective weapon to attract customers away from the downtown merchants: low prices. After several years, the usual story is that Wal-Mart "has driven downtown merchants out of business with its low prices." But Wal-Mart can't force people to shop at its stores; all it can do is offer a low-priced alternative to the high-priced downtown merchants. "Greedy" consumers do the rest.



If you don't like the message of the marketplace, don't assume that corporations and greed are to blame while consumer behavior plays no role in the outcome. We should be thankful, in fact, that the marketplace puts consumers on such a powerful pedestal

What seems to be left out of this equation is the critical factor of deliberately playing to the lowest common denominator. Expressed as "Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public". That's an ethical question. It's a very deliberate manipulation that exploits a psychological vulnerability.

If you actually think the People are organized enough to call the shots, let's go back to the example of GM and laying off workers.

---- Remember all those street protests in the 1990s where We the People demanded Detroit started making inverted-bathtub freak cars that sponged up fuel and handled like a watermelon on ice? Me neither.

Or take the pickup truck. Please. Some day when you're out for a drive look around and take a count of how many you see are actually carrying anything.

I would say the real problem is not called "consumer greed" but rather "commodity fetish". It applies to both the exploiter and the exploitee. If the fetish did not exist, both ends would starve

 

[Wyatt earp]

Yes the problem is YOU....


Consumer, Not Corporate, "Greed" Is Ultimately Behind Layoffs


Here's a dirty little secret about capitalism: consumers, not corporations, run the show. If you find something about the marketplace objectionable, it would be more appropriate to blame those who actually call the shots: the ruthless, cutthroat, and disloyal American consumers.


Don't believe it? Ask a large corporation, Coca-Cola, about the power of consumers when it introduced "New Coke," and the product promptly flopped. Then talk to the owners of the more than 600 Michigan businesses that filed for bankruptcy in 2001 and ask them who controlled their destiny? Then visit the International Supermarket Museum in New York, and view the 60,000 products that have failed in U.S. supermarkets, a convincing testament to what economists call "consumer sovereignty."

Consumers are the kings and queens of the market economy, and ultimately they reign supreme over corporations and their employees. When corporations make mistakes and introduce products that consumers don't want, which happens frequently, you can count on consumers voicing their opinions forcefully and immediately by their lack of spending.

What about the corporate layoffs the business writer calls "callous" and "nefarious"? Corporations may issue the actual pink slips—and sometimes there might be a more compassionate time and way to do it—but consumers are ultimately responsible for the layoffs, too. For example, consumers abandoned American-made cars in the 1970s in favor of Japanese-made Toyotas and Hondas. General Motors subsequently had to lay off Michigan workers because of the decline in sales.


But if American consumers hadn't been so greedy themselves in their concern about quality and low prices, those layoffs wouldn't have happened. Had consumers tolerated high prices, low quality, and poor service, they would have loyally continued to buy expensive, poorly built American cars. Instead, in the name of getting maximum value, consumers abandoned U.S. automakers in favor of low-priced Japanese cars, forcing GM to lay off workers.

Another oft-cited example of corporate greed is Wal-Mart's practice of opening up stores in small towns around the country. Usually located on the outskirts of town, Wal-Mart must compete against existing downtown merchants. Wal-Mart is at an initial disadvantage because it is new to town, and the downtown stores have been around for generations in many cases. However, Wal-Mart has one effective weapon to attract customers away from the downtown merchants: low prices. After several years, the usual story is that Wal-Mart "has driven downtown merchants out of business with its low prices." But Wal-Mart can't force people to shop at its stores; all it can do is offer a low-priced alternative to the high-priced downtown merchants. "Greedy" consumers do the rest.



If you don't like the message of the marketplace, don't assume that corporations and greed are to blame while consumer behavior plays no role in the outcome. We should be thankful, in fact, that the marketplace puts consumers on such a powerful pedestal

What seems to be left out of this equation is the critical factor of deliberately playing to the lowest common denominator. Expressed as "Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public".

If you actually think the People are organized enough to call the shots, let's go back to the example of GM and laying off workers.

---- Remember all those street protests in the 1990s where We the People demanded Detroit started making inverted-bathtub freak cars that sponged up fuel and handled like a watermelon on ice? Me neither.

So you are saying the majority of the people are uneducated?

Check..

So what's all this talk about liberals being educated?

What's the point of school then? If they are to dumb to figure it out?

 

[Wyatt earp]

Excellent

But if American consumers hadn't been so greedy themselves in their concern about quality and low prices, those layoffs wouldn't have happened. Had consumers tolerated high prices, low quality, and poor service, they would have loyally continued to buy expensive, poorly built American cars. Instead, in the name of getting maximum value, consumers abandoned U.S. automakers in favor of low-priced Japanese cars, forcing GM to lay off workers.
so you are expected to keep buying shit products to show loyalty?....i dont think so.....

If they cared about American workers they would pay the high prices for crap products but consumers, selfish motherfuckers that they are, only care about themselves

Exactly

 

[Pogo]

Yes the problem is YOU....


Consumer, Not Corporate, "Greed" Is Ultimately Behind Layoffs


Here's a dirty little secret about capitalism: consumers, not corporations, run the show. If you find something about the marketplace objectionable, it would be more appropriate to blame those who actually call the shots: the ruthless, cutthroat, and disloyal American consumers.


Don't believe it? Ask a large corporation, Coca-Cola, about the power of consumers when it introduced "New Coke," and the product promptly flopped. Then talk to the owners of the more than 600 Michigan businesses that filed for bankruptcy in 2001 and ask them who controlled their destiny? Then visit the International Supermarket Museum in New York, and view the 60,000 products that have failed in U.S. supermarkets, a convincing testament to what economists call "consumer sovereignty."

Consumers are the kings and queens of the market economy, and ultimately they reign supreme over corporations and their employees. When corporations make mistakes and introduce products that consumers don't want, which happens frequently, you can count on consumers voicing their opinions forcefully and immediately by their lack of spending.

What about the corporate layoffs the business writer calls "callous" and "nefarious"? Corporations may issue the actual pink slips—and sometimes there might be a more compassionate time and way to do it—but consumers are ultimately responsible for the layoffs, too. For example, consumers abandoned American-made cars in the 1970s in favor of Japanese-made Toyotas and Hondas. General Motors subsequently had to lay off Michigan workers because of the decline in sales.


But if American consumers hadn't been so greedy themselves in their concern about quality and low prices, those layoffs wouldn't have happened. Had consumers tolerated high prices, low quality, and poor service, they would have loyally continued to buy expensive, poorly built American cars. Instead, in the name of getting maximum value, consumers abandoned U.S. automakers in favor of low-priced Japanese cars, forcing GM to lay off workers.

Another oft-cited example of corporate greed is Wal-Mart's practice of opening up stores in small towns around the country. Usually located on the outskirts of town, Wal-Mart must compete against existing downtown merchants. Wal-Mart is at an initial disadvantage because it is new to town, and the downtown stores have been around for generations in many cases. However, Wal-Mart has one effective weapon to attract customers away from the downtown merchants: low prices. After several years, the usual story is that Wal-Mart "has driven downtown merchants out of business with its low prices." But Wal-Mart can't force people to shop at its stores; all it can do is offer a low-priced alternative to the high-priced downtown merchants. "Greedy" consumers do the rest.



If you don't like the message of the marketplace, don't assume that corporations and greed are to blame while consumer behavior plays no role in the outcome. We should be thankful, in fact, that the marketplace puts consumers on such a powerful pedestal

What seems to be left out of this equation is the critical factor of deliberately playing to the lowest common denominator. Expressed as "Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public".

If you actually think the People are organized enough to call the shots, let's go back to the example of GM and laying off workers.

---- Remember all those street protests in the 1990s where We the People demanded Detroit started making inverted-bathtub freak cars that sponged up fuel and handled like a watermelon on ice? Me neither.

Or take the pickup truck. Please. Some day when you're out for a drive look around and take a count of how many you see are actually carrying anything.

I would say the real problem is not called "consumer greed" but rather "commodity fetish". It applies to both the exploiter and the exploitee. If the fetish did not exist, both ends would starve.

So you are saying the majority of the people are uneducated?

Check..

So what's all this talk about liberals being educated?

Uh............. what talk?

What's the point of school then? If they are to dumb to figure it out?

Beats the hell out of me. I detested school. Every damn day of it.

 

[The Irish Ram]

So all the American companies who took their company and their jobs to Ireland did so because the Irish are less greedy?
If all those greedy Americans in Walmart buying toilet paper made in China, would just wipe less, America could resume manufacturing toilet paper in the States again?
We are the stupids. Let us wipe....

 

[PredFan]

Bull shit.

Entitlements and an entitlement mentality is what's wrong.