I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you that we live in a country where time and money have become the forefront of everyone’s attention. Although no matter how many time and money saving techniques we practice, there is never enough of either. But why does our financial system seem to be getting progressively worse for us? I have a theory. And it has to do with all the ways companies are claiming to make your lives easier.
Movie rentals at once famous chain Blockbuster were a favorite pastime for many. But with the expansion of the internet came piracy. A noted method that was both cheaper (free of course) and saved time from having to get up and go to a video rental place or a retailer that sold DVD’s. As piracy grew into a bigger problem, we saw services like Netflix and RedBox thrive. Why? Well it’s no secret that either service is completely legal and saves both TIME and MONEY. The result? Not much. Just the bankruptcy of Blockbuster which was forced to close down all but 500 of its stores. And what of the jobs? At its peak in 2009, the company employed some 60,000 workers in 4,000 stores. How many do you think are bumbling around in those 500 now? I’ll let you figure that out (if you average it out, the figure comes to about 7,500. But that’s being generous). So what am I saying? Saving time and money in Blockbuster’s case single-handedly killed 52,500 jobs in this country. Jobs that I’m sure would be much appreciated right now.
What about grocery stores? Remember just a few short years ago, a decent sized grocery store had between ten and 20 checkout lines that when fully operational, usually contained a cashier and a bagger. Next time you go shopping, see how many of those cashier and bagger positions have been replaced by self-scanner machines installed by the store who claims they are for YOUR convenience. What is it in actuality? The company saving ITSELF time and money by eliminating the need for these two people to be employed. Oh yeah, and they’re making YOU do more work by having to scan and bag your own groceries. Congratulations folks, not only are you paying more for the same groceries, but you’ve been employed to work at the grocer for free.
There are many other examples of these kinds of economic injustices everywhere in this country. We as Americans are always attempting to make our lives easier by saving time and money, but we never think of long term costs. Sit back and think about that the next time you are wondering why there are no jobs in this country.
Tweet me with other examples of jobs being replaced by convenience: @SirDizzle7
words by: @SirDizzle7
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