Letter: Welcome to the United States of Corporate America

To the editor,

Have you noticed the stress in life has gone up? If stress kills, then why not reduce it. Start by eliminating things like automated telephone systems. Especially the voice activated type. I never know what to say, and eventually end up yelling something because the automated voice threatens to disconnect me. I thought if I didn't talk they would connect me to a real person, but apparently they are onto that one.

Next, get rid of automatic flushing toilets and paper towel dispensers. I can figure out how to push the toilet flush handle, and wash my hands, thank you. The problem being that the toilets decide to flush on their own schedule. Which is not always in line with mine. And usually the paper towel dispensers refuse to give me any towels, and I'm back to drying my hands on my pants. And please, no more of those ultra powerful hand dryers that about blow your eardrums out.

Notice that customer service is a thing of the past? Its because the big box stores have discovered it is more lucrative to try to trick us out of our money, rather than provide good customer service. So for example toilet paper. Ever notice there are about 10 different types of TP in the same brand? Double rolls, single rolls, 24-packs, 12-packs, six-packs and four-packs from plush to sandpaper. All designed to make it harder for you to figure out the value of what you're buying. Then you go to the store with a coupon, and the big box store says that they match coupons. But, oh, sorry, this is the wrong size package, and we don't carry that size. And since it is so inconvenient, you buy their product at the regular price. Congratulations, you've been tricked. And us small business owners can't compete with big box stores.

Every store, business, government agency, non-profit organization, housing association, etc., have their own set of rules, set up to benefit themselves, and we all have to abide by them. Every time someone screws up it goes on the internet, then we have a new rule set up to avoid that same problem, and we all have to live with another arbitrary and mostly useless limitation that someone decides is relevant in the moment. I think I'll set up my own rule right now. I'm going to be free even if I have to give up on having the extras. I'm telling Wall Street to take that role of confusing TP and stuff it in your automatic flushing toilet. Because we're being factory farmed just like cattle. The big guys are squeezing out as much production out of us as possible, while providing as little for us as they can at the cheapest price.

They have no reason to change because its working for them. Look at the stock market. Then look in your wallet. Welcome to the United States of Corporate America.

Debbie Jahnke

Hastings

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