Evil multinationals.

Why is it that large multinational corporations are seen as evil, like Starbucks, Walmart, (in the UK) Tesco and McDonalds - all seen as evil compnaies, whilst their competitors aren't.

I'm not talking in comparison to the little Ma and Pa enterprise down the road, but why is it that in the UK, Tescos is evil, whilst Sainsbury's isn't. Why is Burger King not quite as bad as McDonalds.

If these Evil Multinationals didn't exist, then surely the others'd just fill the gap in the market.

I think people dislike any business that prizes income far far higher than either customer satisfaction or employee happiness. The popular ones are just more prolific and therefore easier targets. Although Macdonalds is worse than Burger King in terms of deforestation and crap food, and Starbucks contributes to the repression of 3rd World coffee farmers.

I'm still confused as to why people don't simply pay about 5% more for local, independent retailers as a price to pay for not bolloxing the planet, but hey, capitalism at it's best.

And for future reference then I think this might belong in "Discussion" rather than "Chat". Maybe.

Businesses value customer satisfaction alot actually, otherwise they would have no customers!!

But nine times out of ten the little ma and pa outfit will give better service and a higher quality product. The only thing a corp can do is lower price (cheap parts/ingredients, underpaid workers/suppliers) and a whole load of psychological mind fscking (endless barrages of advertising and product placement), so you're convinced you're getting something better.

You don't need to worry about customer satisfaction when you've got so much advertising out there no-one is even aware of the competition.

its all the money talking, which is the same reason people hate it

I buy local
but i do have to admit that Starbucks make the nicest coffee hummmmm

oh im a bad bad man!!!

But why do people hate McDonalds so much, as compared to Burger King/Hungry Jack's?

I think that's what's being asked, rather than a comparison between McD's and the little old lady's shop.

Now I'd buy local if i could,, but the high street where i live now only has one shop that isnt part of a big chain And as its a cycle shop i dont really have anything from there i want most of the time.

As for the McD's vs BK,, maybe its because often (in my experience) BK's tend to be franchised out so theres some little differences between store to store rather than the Ridged everyone is exactly the same style that McD's appears to have....

Yes, I was getting at why is tesco seen as evil, whilst you never hear about the evilness of Sainsburys, or even Asda (who are now owned by Walmart).

Conmparing them to the little greengrocers down the road has been done to death before, but I still can't see why some Multis are less evil than others. I've heard people say "I don't like Starbucks, they're evil, lets go to Costa instead"

i think it's because, as this post shows, and as i have found out from talking to my friends, it's amazing how many people don't know that ANY companies are evil, let alone which ones. it's not just the huge companies that do it, or just the ones with cheap stock.

in a list that was published recently, debenhams and gap were named alongside cheap outlets such as primark (apparently the wost offender) as some of the least ethical comapnies operating in the UK. here's the link to the news story, it's quite short so not too much reading

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3509470.stm

I prefer BK to McDs for 3 reasons:

1. Their Packaging has got some funny stuff on it, not just the usual marketing crap. "Buying this Burger shows you to be a unique and positive individual. It shows that you know what you want and you're not afraid to ask for it. This deserves special recognition, so give yourself a round of applause, and then people will know that you're not like everyone else" or something. Freaking funny is what it is.

2. Their Bacon Double Cheeseburgers

3. It's either them or Subway, because I flat out refuse to go to McDs.

have you ever thought you may have been a victim of BK's clever advertising that makes you feel like you are a unique and positive individual because you bought a burger

dont be silly, the writing on the wrapper is intended for the burger, not the consumer. how would you feel if you were made on a production line? i pitty the little guy

and i think you'll find MDs are franchised, at least they are where i live

We'll I'm always willing to be corrected

sethis this isnt going to turn into a whole thing where you disagree with everything?

hey arent you supposed to be at school mr henas?

it's a scam and an urban leg...

actualy the "evil" and the "not so evil" multinational are both owned by the same investmentgroup/ bank/ holding... the rest is only PR and giving you something to feel good about ("I never drink @ starbucks/ eat @ McD/ fuel up @ Shell...)

get real guys - you're trapped! woahahaha *wooshes off with a smell of sulfur*

sethis: just u seem to never disagree with everything

FRD: well u were online at 1:02pm and usually your in lesson

I work for one of those 'evil' multinationals, ASDA.

To me its no diffrent from any other shop, apart from its bigger and everything is in one building.

Mulitinatonals are good, they pay me.

ASDA are evil? With their cheap as chip prices?

DA: Free period. Course, I was supposed to be working and all... but meh.

ASDA are evil. I worked at one, and escaped (just). They made us make uniforms out of bing bags and sellotape in the interview. If that's not evil, I don't know what is.

Nothing is a luxury anymore, because however much you earn, you can always afford the budget approximation of the original. Like the quite-nice-but-obviously-dirty 25p big bars of chocolate in Tesco or whatever.

I'm clearly being idealistic, but it must've been nice to consider the chance to eat chocolate as something to look forward to. Now no-one has to, and I mean no-one. You can literally find that sort of money in an hour if you put your mind to it.

Perhaps people wouldn't be so fat in the west if everything wasn't so cheap.

An unpopular position, but a valid one I think. As a student I have to stretch my budget pretty far, and I don't drink. But however much I have to think about finding the money for rent and books and stuff, I never have to worry about whether or not I can afford a "treat", and as such they make up a large part of my diet. And yet I can't afford to buy organic.

[/babbling]

im still free from working at a multinational, but i start uni soon....

is uni a multinatonal? its all over the world and teaches many of the same concepts? (although its true they dont work together, but still)