Little Stores and Markets Need Unions Too!

As someone who has been a member of a union, I can honestly state that, when the union works together - with it's members and vice versa - they all benefit.

Why doesn't the small businessman do likewise when big-box, corporate cows move in their large operations and decimate the little guy?

For specialty stores, it's much harder. But the mom and pop food and vegetables markets, or variety stores? As far as I can tell, every freaking street corner in a large city is chock full of these places. Why in hell do they whine when the corporate cows move in with their big store operations, and do nothing? I guess it is far easier to close your doors and say "Uncle!"

There are some that have learned.

Organizing and co-operating with your small store competitors to bring a better quality, and/or cheaper product. If you are resigned to losing - then ignore me and your like-small competitors. Otherwise use your head, work with your partners - they can be across town - and organize into a single "logical" business.

Cigarette monopolies dictating your profits on smokes and cigars? Easy. Work together, and CLOSE OFF YOUR POINT OF SALE TO THEM. In fact, when any monopoly moves in, an organized union of small stores can do much to beat the living shit out of the big, corporate cows, and the corporate wholesaling cows.

Denying points of sale - EN MASSE - to little Johnny wholesaler decimates HIS business!

I know from experience that the Canadian wholesalers of all those Pall Mall brands are actually DICTATING PRICE AND PROFITS to every single mom and pop store in town (I live in Toronto). Only every single mom and pop store is NOT so stupid as to allow them to do it! At some stores, if you try to tell the store operator where and how far to go to make a buck, they'll have no hostile feelings about telling them where to go and what they can do with their product.

Big stores and chains can buy in bulk and offer cheaper prices by acquiring product at reduced prices.

Apparently, running a warehouse where large volumes of stuff is housed is a concept small business types are unable to fathom, manage, or undertake on their own, OR TOGETHER. If you look around the web, that is the reaction to big box stores and chain stores and large retail. They act like the only people in the world allowed to operate a warehouse, or to receive large quantities of goods, are big businesses.

I say, that's bullshit.

If Pepsi Cola or Farmer's Wholesaler A-Z  can drive a truck, or a freaking train-load of product to "your warehouse", I am certain you and every small store that works with you operating that warehouse can buy the same damn stuff they do at the same price. Moreover, you can learn to do it better, stronger, and faster. And if you are really smart and get THOUSANDS of those small operators together and run a mega-warehouse, you can dictate prices to the wholesalers that will find themselves dreaming of the profits they lost.

Small stores can have "door crasher sales" too. They only need to learn how to do it as nimbly as their competitor.

PS: Nothing takes the wind out of a door crasher better than finding a better offer for identical or near-identical product at a lesser price. Walmart is supposedly the king of prices. Their ad campaigns hammer away on this theme - dropping prices. I hate to tell you this, but very often, even during the same week of a "price drop" on a product at Wallymart, you'll find the same price or better at practically any of the food retailers operating nearby, or even in the same mall/plaza location.

If they are killing business, there are some communities thriving on making Wallymart and any competitor look damned stupid.