There's a phrase they use in television to refer to a show that has simply gone one step too far in pursuing the entertainment dollar. The show that has finally entered the vast wasteland in its quest for ratings. They say it has "jumped the shark"--a derisive reference to a Happy Days episode that drove its audience away when the character Fonzie…actually jumped a shark. On water-skis.
The show's audience never fully returned.
In recent years, Americans have gotten used to hearing reasons why we should boycott Walmart. So much so that we barely pay attention to the emails, right and left, that flurry into our inboxes, insisting that big-box discount giant Walmart no longer deserves our patronage.
On the left, we hear that Walmart, a stubbornly non-union shop, is unfair to its workers, pays sub-optimal wages, offers lousy insurance, and is destroying the mom-and-pop store (the what?) On the right, we are told it is too commercial, too materialistic, does business with nasty regimes--like China, which seems to be its number one supplier of…well, just about everything but food.
Through it all, Walmart has sailed on, secure in the knowledge that, as long as it delivers the goods without alienating its core market--the red-state, semi-rural discount shopper--nothing can take it down. Even while becoming the number one target of American lawsuits, with a new one filed every day of the year, America kept coming to buy its groceries, guns, lingerie and lawn tractors at Walmart. 24 hours a day.
Until now. Now, Walmart just might have jumped the shark.
All over red-state America, the news was "out" last week.
Walmart is now a proud--though apparently only "loud" because the American Family Association got wind of it--member of the Gay Chamber of Commerce.
The what?
Yes, Virginia, there is a Gay Chamber of Commerce,
and Walmart not only is part of it--it went down on its big corporate knees to beg for the privilege.
As part of the partnership, Walmart is not merely pledging not to discriminate against gays--which there has been no evidence it has ever done. It will also sponsor two conferences of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, and pursue corporate relationships with businesses with lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgendered owners (LGBT.) In addition, one of Walmart's corporate vice-presidents will serve as an advisor to the Chamber.
Why Walmart would feel the need to pander to what amounts to less than five percent of the public is a mystery--
One reason may be the oft-repeated claim that gays have more disposable income than heterosexual consumers. But the data on this assumption has yet to be clarified.
Even if that is the case, Sam Walton's dream wasn't about people who could afford to go elsewhere. His genius was in maximizing the consumer dollar of those who had little to begin with, in bringing quality merchandise at discount prices, while making the consumer feel welcomed and valued. Walmart has always done so in an environment deliberately designed for the comfort of the consumer. At Walmart, you get a friendly smile, a family-friendly atmosphere, and an invitation to come back soon (which most of us know we will.)
But maybe those of us in the red states have gotten over our psychological need to be greeted at the door by a warm and friendly smile. There are now other stores that keep late hours and have reasonable prices. It's nice that Walmart price-matches, so you only have to roam around cyberspace and page through the ads that come in the mail, then head to Walmart to get the sales prices on everything. At this point, however, we may have to admit that "nice" and "convenient" cannot be our highest values.
It may be time for Christians and moral conservatives to ask themselves whether it is too high a price to pay, to save a little money. Walmart may have forgotten that it's only the premier store of its kind because consumers made it that. And they did it because Walmart cultivated the image of being a "family-friendly" store. Other stores have imitated it and are making inroads into its market share.
Already, the usual suspects in the Christian activist community are weighing in. From the American Family Association:
Randy Sharp said his organization wasn’t surprised by the news because it was the latest in a “long list” of Wal-Mart actions to “recognize and endorse a personal sexual behavior.”
“It’s disappointing. I personally chose two months ago to stop shopping at Wal-Mart ... and I think others will follow suit,” Sharp said. “Up until a year and a half ago, the AFA applauded Wal-Mart for their pro-family policies, but now it seems Wal-Mart has decided to push aside that legacy left by (founder) Sam Walton and joined those who look at the bottom line and stock prices.”
The Family Research Council's response:
"I don't think this is something that will sell on Main Street America, where most Wal-Mart stores are located," said Tony Perkins, president of the conservative Family Research Council (FRC). "I don't think cheap prices on goods from China will be enough to stop a rollback in their customer base if they choose to go down this aisle."
Shoppers, generally, will go where the best deal is. But if the deals are essentially the same--but one constitutes a morally offensive environment--I wouldn't bet the market that Walmart can stay on top.
Walmart should have checked the waters before it jumped this shark.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
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