I know it's not news, but seriously.

[mrissa]

markgritter and I were at Kohl's buying tights* and a heated mattress pad, and the clerk was friendly and chatty. Conversation turned to Thanksgiving, and she said that she was going to have to be at work at 2:45 a.m. the day after Thanksgiving. She has a 1-year-old, a 3-year-old, and a 5-year-old. And it's not that she's leaving them alone at 2 a.m., it's that she'll have to be dealing with the three kids after she's been at work since 2:45 a.m. I know this is nothing new. I know this is not news. But it's crap all the same.

In years past I haven't done Buy Nothing Day for the day after Thanksgiving. I've observed Buy Nothing Stupid Day instead--if you're out of milk and you need milk, for heaven's sake buy more milk, but this is not the same as trampling other people to get to the fad toy of the season--for kids or adults. But the stores that make their employees show up in the middle of the night do so because they think they can get more of our money by treating their employees like crap. And the only thing I have to prove them wrong is to avoid giving them my money.

So in the comments here, please tell me of good businesses you know, either online or in brick-and-mortar form. Whether they're individual craftspeople who are doing an awesome job or larger enterprises who treat their employees decently, I want to know the good and interesting stuff that's out there and not feeding into the "haul people out of their beds at 2 a.m. after a major family holiday to use blenders as loss leaders" paradigm. Etsy stores are fine. Traditional stores are fine, although if they're not in the Minneapolis area and don't have a website, they'll mostly be of use to other people reading the comments instead of me. Just--go for it. Tell me what you know that's good. I don't like the word "pimping" in this context. But y'know. If I did and all.

*Thank you, thank you, Vera Wang, for making tights that acknowledge my existence. I am not unduly tall, nor crazy amounts of thin for my height, so I really should not fall between the cracks for makers of hosiery as often as I do. And then the Vera Wang tights are often awesome in concept and wear like cast iron. Hurrah.

Comments

[adrian-turtle.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure how I feel about spending my money at a store like Kohl's on days other than November 26th. I don't think we're talking about a company that generally treats their employees with respect, and calls for them to work a few difficult shifts during the busy season. If I buy stuff from Kohl's today, or in January, that still contributes to the company's prosperity...but if they lose money, that sleep-deprived clerk with the 3 little kids might lose her job. I don't know how I feel about it, in terms of shopping for social justice. (It's easier for me, personally, because I don't like the texture of most Kohl's clothing.)

So in the comments here, please tell me of good businesses you know, either online or in brick-and-mortar form.

Bob's Red Mill makes excellent cereals, some of them gluten-free, and specialty stuff like garbanzo flour and almond meal. Last winter, Bob Moore (who founded the company) turned it over to the employees.

[adrian-turtle.livejournal.com]

King Arthur Flour is another employee-owned company that does good things with grains. You're probably familiar with them. They try to help the bakers (teaching, research), as well as selling good flour.

[swords-and-pens.livejournal.com]

KA have a line of *awesome* gluten-free mixes now, which gives them +1 Cool in my book. I didn't know about them being employee owned, which makes me even happier to buy from them.