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A Road Less Travelled - The Big Box Phenomenon - page 2
By: Sven Kraumanis - owner/operator Legacy Vintage Building Materials & Antiques
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The application of power to manufacturing processes is generally described as the Industrial Revolution. Watt’s invention emancipated industry from the riverbank. All over the world this led to mass production by machinery of articles hitherto laboriously manufactured by hand. North America embraced the advent of steam power and enjoyed the Machine Age from 1865 until 1900. Midway through this robust period, techniques were perfected to harness electricity and by 1900 hydro dams were generating electricity for public consumption.
Industry was poised to respond to every need and as roads criss-crossed the wilderness, trains introduced the coasts to each other, and radio and telephone communications shrank distances ever further. Concurrently, a marketing industry flourished and developed techniques to inseminate the public with an insatiable desire for abundant new and improved goods. As a result of the confluence of all of these developments, and as if by immaculate conception, the “consumer “ was born. Few laments accompanied the concurrent demise of the artisan. The consumer no longer had to make all his or her own stuff. The consumer instead had to learn to make money. The consumer made money by providing labour and services to others. Thus, productivity and efficiency became the measure of value. Money became the measure of worth. This was the triumph of science over art. Store bought goods were more highly esteemed than the “real” thing. “Home- made” was a pejorative epithet. After an incubation period that spanned a depression and two World Wars the consumers emerged with a voracious appetite. Lowe’s was there to meet their needs. Lowe’s built on the demand, reinvested and grew organically.
There were many other players who joined in the race. Some sold pieces of their business plan and raised public money to fuel their sizzling growth program of mergers and acquisitions which through balance sheet magic created a self–fulfilling prophesy where the whole appears greater than the sum of its parts, according to generally accepted accounting principles. In short, the corporations behind some of these Big Box Stores have in a few short decades created cash flows and political power that exceed the gross national product and influence of some sovereign nations. I repeat…there is no precedent for the consumerism and potential for manipulation achieved by the Big Box stores that dictate our tastes and values.
How much of a consumer are you?
A mere one hundred years ago our independence and individuality carried with them a heavy mantle of responsibility. Each member of a pioneer’s clan had daily chores. It took each member of the family to ably perform his or her tasks if there was to be a realization of the hopes and dreams the family unit. Today, even family units are the subject of experimentation and redefinition. However, one primary and universal responsibility of the consumer has been clarified by George W. Bush of the Excited States of America. In America, freedom is underpinned by every individual’s civic duty to keep the economy going by spending money. In a rousing speech shortly after the 9/11 debacle it was made clear that America had to get back to business as usual. Go visit friends, travel and by all means shop, shop, shop. If citizens stop spending the economy will falter, the capitalist system will stall and may actually fail. The responsibility, and fault, for the risk of a triumph of terrorism over freedom now falls on the shoulders of the recalcitrant consumer.
I have always taken the road less traveled. This curse results in many rewards and vicissitudes unknown to those whose faith in the well- beaten path is unwavering. However, personal responsibility for the defeat of terrorism is not something I think I want to take on right now and I’m not even sure that it’s even my fight. I’ve always enjoyed the sciences, especially figuring out how things work- but in my world beauty trumps efficiency and value is only a distant relative of price. Some of the best meals I’ve had were in restaurants with no signs and some of my most remarkable keepsakes are found art. If success is measured by size I am sure The Big Box stores will fight it out to the death unless corrupted from within. I may drop in to pick up a bargain during the battle but I sure won’t spend two thirds of my time or purchasing power in chains. For them, winning is imperative. For me it’s the journey and not the destination that makes commerce worthwhile. I have grown suspicious of the benefits of being a consumer and am wary of the siren’s call. If you need me I’ll be in the shed, making my own stuff.
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Footnote: (1) Ken Jones speaking at the 2005 Canadian Hardware& Housewares Manufacturers Association Spring Conference and Annual General Meeting.
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