By now I am going to go ahead and assume that many of you have viewed the internet video of that one grandmother who staged her own personal protest against the Target store chain in regards to the company's funding of an anti-gay political candidate in the Minnesota area, as well as the numerous posts that have been appearing in open newsfeeds on Facebook. That very same day I also noticed that Best Buy was also involved in the anti-gay funding activities which really surprised me because up until now I wasnt aware that the two companies were even associated with each other. I have been a Target shopper as well as a Best Buy shopper since the mid 1980's and I too am extremely infuriated that my partronage of both of those stores all these years hasn't meant a thing to their corporate leaders, more specifically, that apparently I and many other members of the national LGBT community don't count in those corporations eyes as legitimate consumers. Well, we will all see about that, that's for sure.
My first encounters with shopping at Target did take place when visiting my relatives in the Midwest more than 25 years ago. At that time I was impressed with the selection, prices and cleanliness of the Target stores I visited; but, when I moved to the Boston, MA area in the mid 1990's, boy, was I amazed at the differences between the Targets there and the stores in the Midwest, especially the size difference alone! In western Ohio, they were lucky if they had a maxinum of 6 to 10 checkout counters, whereas the ones in the 'burbs west of Boston, have like 22 to 28 checkout lanes - practically 2 to 3 times the size of their Midwest counterparts. Loving retail as much as I do, it literally blew my mind, especially at my "flagship" Target store, the one located on Route 30 in Framingham, Massachusetts. Whether it be for regular weekly shopping, picking up last minute items after work or even gift-giving, that store was a place I could always depend on. But the best part? Their prices!
You see, in the Midwest, it's a known fact amongst everyday folks like myself that Wal-Mart is the leader when it comes to prices and selection; but, on the US eastern seaboard, especially in Massachusetts and Connecticut, the exact opposite is true - Target actually has cheaper prices and their selection of various products is so good that most folks say "If Wal-Mart doesnt have it, you can bet that Target does" whereas, again, in the Midwest it's the exact opposite. All of this, of course, has been my personal experience and I'm not saying that this is the case in every area of the two geographical regions that I just mentioned but I think it's a safe bet that it pretty much well stands true in general.
Another thing that I've loved about my Framingham Target store all these years is the people. Don't get me wrong, I don't talk to every single sales associate on a personal basis in every store that I frequent but when more than half of the cashiers on duty any night of the week and/or weekend greet you by your first name or chuckle & guffaw about your prescence in the store, occassionally accompanied by the "What kept you? I was waiting for you to get here before my break!", well, in a way you sorta do feel like family with those people. And you know it's even more uncanny when you're in the store and one of the managers is not around and one of those very same cashiers says to another customer other than yourself "Follow that guy, he knows this store better than any of us do!" It's not that I actually do, it's just that when my grandparents were raising me my Grandma always taught me to have respect for people that you do business with and make certain you build a good repoire with them because that's always good when you are looking for a certain item or trying to get the best deal possible. And she's right. Albeit her advice may have come from the 1940's when people were not considered actual consumers but "those who traded at certain stores" it's not impossible for any of us to imagine the scenario - the local neighborhood grocery store or butcher shop where you went every week to shop, and knew the owners and their children and how things were going in their lives, simple salutations and civilities which now seem part of a by-gone era.
But, whether the 1940's or the year 2010, it's just good common sense for consumers and retail places such as Target to build good relationships with each other because when it really boils down to it, the bottom line is this - with the exception of the internet, without these places we wouldn't have any access to the latest necessary household items we need or the latest modern technology we desire; and, without us, they wouldn't be able to pay their numerous employees and make a profit; and, most importantly, they wouldn't be able to stay open for business. The same applies to every kind of store out there, even Best Buy is not exempt from this universal code of ethics.
I've had an off-n-on relationship with Best Buy over the years strictly because growing up my family moved around all over the country and even as an adult I've moved here-n-there. While living in the Midwest and Central areas of this country I always went to Best Buy when it came to cd's, videos, and dvd's. But when I moved to Massachusetts, when Tower Records was in business, that store was my "entertainment flagship" where I bought any and all such items. It was only a few years ago that they closed, but up until that time whenever I got the chance, that's where I would go whenever a new cd by a favorite artist was released, or when I needed to search for any hard-to-find recordings. Sure, there were places like Strawberries and FYI but they never had even half the selection of a Towers or Best Buy store, and their prices were always so much higher, every single time - and they still are, especially FYI, whatta stinker of a store that still is! Of course, nowadays alotta folks purchase their music via the internet from iTunes and even Amazon.com.; but, still, for the best selection and prices when it comes to cd's, videos and dvd's, in most cases Best Buy is the place to go when you're out shopping in person.
Where does my relationship stand with both Target and Best Buy, presently, in the year 2010? Quite frankly, hit-n-miss with the former and virtually non-existent with the latter. Before I moved closer to Boston city itself, I use to go to Target at least once a week to purchase stuff like personal toiletries, various appliances, miscellaneous grocery items and stuff like that; but, now my relationship has changed greatly with Target because it's quite a hike from here to the Western suburbs, especially when you don't own a car. So what I do now is whenever one of my former neighbors calls me up and says "Hey, ya wanna go?" I usually do jump at the chance because buying the same items I buy at Target elsewhere, like at lthe ocal grocery stores or even Walgreen's, there is a very BIG noticable price difference. As for Best Buy, hell, I havent bought a cd or dvd in months but that's strictly because those things are not only a financial non-priority for me right now but I couldn't afford them if I wanted to, especially with cut hours at my job. Trust me, it's not that I dont want to, I have a wish list of cd's that I just must have but those things are gonna have to wait until things get better for me as well as for this country's overall economy.
Do I believe in supporting boycotts of both Target and Best Buy? Hell yes, hand's down, 100% - but, will I still continue to shop at both or either outta necessity? A big "No" when it comes to Best Buy and as for Target, I'm not sure, I may still have to go there from time to time. Now I know that by writing that just now some people may start screaming and telling me how disappointed they are in me, but those of you who are rip-roaring mad over this issue need to calm the fuck down and listen to the little guy - that's right, cause I'm a perfect example of the little guy. I'm not saying that anyone should say "It's okay for Spice to feel that way" because I am no exception to any rule; but, I have reasons for my stance, not excuses - and there's a big difference between the two, people.
I've said it before and I will say it again - I'm not as well-off as alotta of my fellow members of both the LGBT and Hiv'er communities are. I'm on my own, single, I do not have a 2nd income to buffer me financially like the majority of the LGBT couples out there have; and, in regards to being Hiv+, I'm not living on disability, I am still working and again, I don't have a partner with a 2nd income like most of the Hiv'er couples have either. And after what I've been through this summer so far, even looking for a 2nd employment opportunity, I am still barely making it. I don't like to talk about that angle of my existence with anyone for I am not looking for sympathy or pity, it's just that this is my reality right here-n-now and if shopping at a place like Target will make a considerable financial difference for me, then I may have to consider still shopping there, because I will tell each and every one of you out there this right now - if any of you think I am gonna fork out more money for my daily needs and risk losing what little I have only to end up on the streets of Boston - or worse yet, back in the Midwest which I truly loathe with every single red and white blood cell in my entire fucken body - sorry, it aint gonna happen children, it just aint gonna happen. I''ve come too far in my life and have survived too much to gamble with my daily independence and my daily survival.
The solution? I think it's rather simple. We as a concerned community need to immediately start seeking out those stores - or even internet websites for that matter - which can meet our daily living need expenditures and start patronizing those places immediately so that it will allow those corporations to expand their product demand and hopefully lower prices in the near-future long run. If we can do this, I think we all will be much better off, myself included. But until then, I suggest that we all carefully look at the fliers that are in our weekly Sunday newspapers and find other places to shop other than Target and Best Buy; and, communicate with each other about these things, spread the word to each other so that we are just as united in taking care of ourselves and helping each other as much as we stand united against corporations like Target and Best Buy. Make sense?
So there you have it, my entire opinion. I cant even afford any cd's right now, so Kylie Minogue, the Black-Eyed Peas, the Scissor Sisters and Christina Aguileira (sp?) and countless others will have to wait till I can afford them at another location other than Best Buy. I have not shopped at Target since this has happened and I dont plan to anytime soon. When any of my former neighbors have offered to take me with them out to Framingham in the past, it's usually been about once or twice a month; but again, I don't see that happening any time soon and let's face it, it's not like I would announce that online anyways; however, I will say this - if I were to go to Target and mention it I better not hear one word outta anyone's mouth about it cause unless you're gonna start helping me pay my bills each month then you need to politely shut the fuck up. I don't mean to be so obnoxious and crude about that but damn, as much as I love living here in the Boston area, it hasn't been easy guys, not one bit, no pity-seeking here, just 100% real truth. Whatever happens with this boycott business, I hope that we all win out in the long run but in the meantime, I hope we all survive it too. Thank you for reading.
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