veni, vidi, vici [translation]

Wal-Mart creeps me out a bunch. I can't remember seeing a Wal-Mart storefront any time in the past six years I've lived in Seattle (for some reason Wal-Mart has no presence within Seattle city limits), so I never really think of Wal-Mart when it comes to retail.

Apparently many others have vastly different experiences than I, though: via BoingBoing, an article about the shocking behemoth and its startling impact on the American economy. I'm glad to see people are putting the low prices to good use:

They'd eat a quarter of a [gallon] jar [of pickles] and throw the [rest] away when they got moldy. A family can't eat them fast enough.

So what you'll ideally start to see in the United States is more families combining resources, sharing households and supplies. Cohousing becomes vastly more attractive as an incredibly sustainable way of life. With fewer funds dumped into perished goods, families can afford other vital commodities like housing, healthcare, and offspring. And fancy houses like Robert Redford's.

Yeah, I know, it's unlikely. But I can hope. Because if we don't do something, as the article points out, we're pushing ourselves in two different directions, and eventually something's going to snap:

Wal-Mart has also lulled shoppers into ignoring the difference between the price of something and the cost. Its unending focus on price underscores something that Americans are only starting to realize about globalization: Ever-cheaper prices have consequences. Says Steve Dobbins, president of thread maker Carolina Mills: "We want clean air, clear water, good living conditions, the best health care in the world--yet we aren't willing to pay for anything manufactured under those restrictions."

Last updated by eric Sat Nov 15 12:03 2003 | thought | link