The mayor’s office says it would be the first major U.S. city to enact such a plan.

  • bobman@unilem.org
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    1 year ago

    Eh, where I live the employee-owned grocery store is of lower quality and higher priced than Walmart.

    I went in expecting more, was sorely disappointed and left without buying anything.

    It’s essentially the same products in a worse store for a higher price.

    I know a lot of people like to beat the ‘employee-owned’ drum, but unless that translates to lower prices or better quality, I don’t see a reason for customers to subscribe to it.

    • twopi@lemmy.ca
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      1 year ago

      I agree. At the end of the day it’s a business. But if two companies offer similar products go with the employee owned company.

      The main thing about is decision making structure. Because employee or community owned stores are owned by the users. It means the end users have power over what is offered. As opposed to big box in which case it is non local non user shareholders.

      • bobman@unilem.org
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        1 year ago

        But if two companies offer similar products go with the employee owned company.

        Completely ignored my point about lower quality and higher prices.

        It means the end users have power over what is offered.

        What do you mean? The employees or the customers? I don’t really care if the employees have the power. That just moves who’s trying to take advantage of me.

        As opposed to big box in which case it is non local non user shareholders.

        It also doesn’t matter if they’re local.

        What matters is if they give me a better deal. If they can’t do that, I will go with someone who will.

        • twopi@lemmy.ca
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          1 year ago

          I almost completely agree with your first and last points. I was trying to say if they provide the same product at the same quality and price try to prefer the co-operative. I say similar because, personally I’d give some leeway to the co-op. But there are limits and co-ops are businesses and if they give sub par products and services than we shouldn’t buy from them.

          The power is held by the owners. If it’s a consumer co-operative it is controlled by the consumer and a worker cooperative is owned by the workers. So the end users of products or the ones who have jobs. It depends on how it’s structured.

          I somewhat agree with your last point. The big thing is ownership is wealth and control. If you control your store you get to chose the available options if someone else owns it it means someone else has control. So I’d rather I have control over it. Again with the previous thing. If someone else can do it sooo much better than I than I should someone’s product.

          But we have to be careful because you can lead to the problem with data and big tech. I use an alternative to Google Cloud that is a cooperative but I have to pay. But with Google I don’t pay but loose my privacy. In that instance you have to determine what’s more important, given what I need it for is comparable to what I need what is important and I chose ownership and privacy over having neither of those.