Cross-posted at the Writing on the Wal
This is an excerpt from one of my Christmas presents, Your Call Is Important to Us: The Truth About Bullshit by Laura Penny:
Walton dismissed the claim that his chain has slaughtered small-town Ma and Pa Kettle retailers, and guffawed at the notion that they should be protected, like endangered whooping cranes. Sam preferred to highlight the billions he's saved Americans by offering low, low prices. I love the way he, and all Wal-Mart's defenders, deploy this savings argument-by spending billions of dollars at Wal-Mart, you've actually conserved billions. The only problem with this kind of feel good math is that the only saved billions in evidence are those in Wal-Mart bank accounts. You simply cannot save more money by buying lots of things, even if you're buying cheaper things. Even though Wal-Mart is praised by free-marketers for bringing down the price of goods, these low, low prices have only encoraged people to buy more shit.
[Emphasis added]
JR