Quibble over the quality of IKEA or Wal-Mart products if you like, but here's the heart of this story: "The idea is that when global corporations squeeze labor in China and other developing nations, they're able to use the threat of low-wage competition to, as Shell puts it, 'roll back decades of hard-won gains in wages, benefits, and dignified treatment for workers in the United States.'"

In "Deer Hunting With Jesus," writer Joe Bageant describes the lives of workers at the local Rubbermaid plant in his hometown of Winchester, VA. To cut unit costs and reacquire their shelf space in Wal-Mart, which kicked Rubbermaid products out in 2001 for a cheaper knockoff, Atlanta conglomerate Newell/Rubbermaid closed plants and exported thousands of jobs from the U.S. They kept what's left in places like Winchester thanks to unholy tax giveaways, and by transforming above-average factory jobs on which people once built decent careers into a brutal workplace. Winchester may be proudly Old South American redneck, but the Rubbermaid workers there might as well be speaking Chinese.

Bargain shopping extends to so many other goods and services that we don't even think about.

What about a hotel that offers discounts, yet cuts costs by underpaying it's own employees?

What about a township that offers lower taxes, but the trade off is less fire protection?

What an airline offered cut-rate discounts, even if it risked the safety of its own customers by cutting back on maintenance?

There is no litmus test you can ever apply to everything you purchase that would assure you're paying the true cost. It's not as simple as declaring "X" is worse than "Y". However, if you're getting a 'bargain', you're always accepting some sort of trade-off. Just look around at the various ads on this web site...are they offering you the true cost of their products?

This is one reason some families rely on fast food. They don't have time to cook and sit down for a meal together and, of course, they like the price. But the costs show up in health problems which are expensive to treat and, not to mention, avoidable.

A supercenter was recently shot down in my county. Those who live in the surrounding community did not want the delivery traffic it would have brought, at all hours of the day and night.

I know it's been mentioned plenty of times in the thread already, but I'm quite satisfied with the Ikea things I have, from a queen-sized bedframe that's quite sturdy and fits my style, to the Leksvik bookcases (solid wood) and a solid-wood coffee table that isn't made any longer. And then there's the dining room table, and the desk on which I'm typing this - they've all held up well, they fit my style, they weren't exhorbitantly expensive, and I'd buy them again. I do have plenty of non-Ikea pieces - dining room chairs from my great-grandparents; my great-grandmother's bedside table; my grandmother's glass-topped small table, and the Ikea pieces fit well with them. I don't have the time or energy to spend on searching Craigslist, and I don't like shopping generally - so I don't go to yard sales. Sure, some Ikea stuff is cheap, but not all of it is, and it's certainly not disposable. My fiancee and I enjoy period trips down to West Chester. Their environmental record? Probably as good as anyone else's, and at least they're aware of the issue on a public level...

This is a common arrangement which lets the brand-name company off the hook. They are buying from a local middleman who assures them it was harvested legally. Same with cocoa beans in the Ivory Coast, where the use of child slave labor is rampant. We're not talking about kids helping their parents but boys who've been abducted from neighboring Mali. How are Nestle's inspectors supposed to tell the difference?

It's not unlike the business which contracted to do my aging parents' lawn work in Philadelphia. The owner, Jorge, speaks English and has a green card. But the men who show up to mow the lawn, rake the leaves and clip the hedge don't speak English and don't furnish the clients with any proof they are authorized to work in the USA. Can't categorically reach any conclusions but the arrangement really doesn't pass the smell test. (Mitt Romney found himself in this situation after talking tough on immigration and it was revealed his staff of gardeners included people who lacked papers.)

I'm in agreement regarding IKEA being similar to Wal-Mart. I analyze building address numbers and they tell me the behaviors of people on the inside. Here's what I see.

IKEA is owned by the Stichting Ingka Foundation. The address is: Strawinskylaan 3105 Atrium. This is a "9" energy building which attracts ethical and unethical people. The biggest issue here is the "5" which stands for deceptive/illegal activities; hence, your mention of illegal logging practices.

There are also issues with other IKEA headquarter addresses; however, it's most important to address the source.

WalMart Corporate address is: 702 Bensenville

This is a "9" energy too and welcomes ethical and unethical people. They do their research, but are not entirely honest and there's very little communication between people.

Wegman's headquarters is not all it's claimed to be either:

1500 Brooks Ave in New York. This is a "6" energy and most of the people who work here are primarily under 45 years old. The concern here is also the "5" which is deceptive/fraudulent activities.

It's my hope that one day there will be a deep investigation into these companies' business practices and the truth exposed.

9 is a lucky number for Burmese. Shell Oil, which partnered with the military junta government to develop natural gas resources, had a decidedly unlucky experience with the Burmese. Specifically, it found itself on the receiving end of a lawsuit filed on behalf of ethnic minority villagers who were forced to dig the pipeline for no compensation by the Burmese military which was also accused of killing people and raping women. "How were we supposed to know this was going on?" didn't prove to be a viable defense for Shell which, can't resist the bad pun, was forced to shell out big bucks in compensation.