Most of the majority who voted for Obama and support Democratic economic policies are not inspired to boycott corporations for political reasons.
Some, like me, are.
Circuit City and GM have larger problems than that, but losing some untold thousands of informed customers because of stupid corporate decisions can only hurt them in their time of need.
I decided never to shop again at Circuit City when I read about how they screwed their experienced sales staff last year.
Dean Baker has a good summary of what happened then, and what happened next:
The wise men who run Circuit City came up with the brilliant idea of laying off their more senior salespeople, who get $14-$15 an hour, and replacing them with new hires who get around $9 an hour.
It turns out that this move was not very good for business. One of the reasons that people go to a store like Circuit City, rather than buying things on the Internet, is that they want to be able to talk to a knowledgeable salesperson.
Since Circuit City had laid off their knowledgeable salespeople, there was little reason to shop there.
Apparently, Circuit City came to this same conclusion earlier this fall and tried to hire back some of the people it had dumped. In any case, things have not gone well for the bottom line. The company is now losing money and its share price is down more than 75 percent from its value earlier this year.
We all know what happens when you mess up in the dog-eat-dog world of big business -- you get retention awards (that's because your stock options aren't worth anything). Circuit City's executive vice-presidents will get retention awards of $1 million each. That's 35 years worth of pay for one of sales clerks who earned $14 an hour. And that's just the bonus.
I have several options around here (upstate New York, near Albany) for buying electronics stuff at some place other than Circuit City -- Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Target, a few locally owned stores, and, of course, the Internet.
Since I heard about how Circuit City screwed its workers, I have not set foot in their local store.
I have a more political problem with GM -- it's one of the major advertising supporters of hate radio.
Limbaugh, Hannity and Savage, at least, are sponsored in part by GM.
Hannity, in particular, has benefited from millions of GM advertising.
He reads GM ads on the air, which is substantially more expensive than running a recorded ad, and enthuses every day lately about his new hybrid Cadillac Escalade SUV.
And, during the 2006 election, GM increased its commitment to Hannity's brand of hate radio:
General Motors has hired right-wing talk show host Sean Hannity to be the lead spokesman for a car giveaway campaign called "You’re a Great American":
"To stimulate consumer interest in its line of American-built cars, General Motors has turned to radio and Sean Hannity. Hannity will serve as the spokesperson for GM’s You’re A Great American Car Give-Away, offering radio listeners the chance to pick and win one of five GM vehicles."
Hannity’s hiring comes as GM launches a new patriotic-themed ad campaign. The ads for GM’s Chevrolet Silverado include the slogan "Our country, our truck" and feature images of Rosa Parks and hurricane-damaged houses.
For years, part of Hannity's radio schtick is that he, and his simpatico callers, salute each other as "great Americans" at the beginning of the call.
GM's multi-million-dollar advertising campaign amplified the wingnut meme that the majority who disagree with Hannity's far-right views are, by implication, not-so-great Americans, or simply unAmerican.
As with electronics, so with cars -- I have many options regarding what car I drive, and will not support hate radio with my vehicle choice.
According to the Wiki, the Hindu law of karma is:
The effects of all deeds actively create past, present and future experiences, thus making one responsible for one's own life, and the pain and joy it brings to him/her and others.
This definition of karma applies to the current plight of Circuit City and GM.
They are responsible for what they have done, in lousy labor relations and in sponsoring the worst of hate radio, and now they are, to mix religious metaphors, reaping the whirlwind.
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