Always low price, always
we pay the lowest wage
our crew’s expendable
Always
Always low price, always
we pay the lowest price
to offshore sweatshops
Always
Always low price, always
workers sleep in dorms
mothers miss their children
Always
Always low price, always
poisoned fields are left
when factories are obsolete
Always
Always low price, always
you can save some cents
handing dollar bills to us
Always
Always low price, always
saving money as you spend
for things you leave unused
Always
Always low price, always
but the choice is yours
you can stop and say
Never
Just do it

Gasworks by Vincent van Gogh
At dVerse today we write poetry on slogans with Brian. Slogans should be repeated to be effective, but I guess it can be a double edged sword, he he. Pub opens at 3 PM EST.
At first I thought about using a failed slogan, that still is effective because you remember it (and therefore the failure was most likely intentional.

—
August 31, 2013
Perfect commentary eloquently put – you might like my piece Sweat Shop
I did.. thanks’ a lot
Nicely crafted with a message close to my heart!
Thank you 🙂 yes it’s an important subject.
Excellent Björn. When we pay a low price, someone else is paying a high price.
Low price is not necessarily high value.
you know, we never really think about the working conditions of those that made the clothing we buy, and that is a little sad because many of them are paid a pittance for something we spend $40+ dollars on…it is our choice to be conscious of the world we live in…
I guess some think about it, but decide not to do anything because it doesn’t matter…
So true, Bjorn. So sad what we all buy into sometime. Oftentimes we buy into it without knowing it (because of the price), and sometimes we turn a blind eye…….
I admit I do it… Btw the slogan above is supposed to be Walmart’s
The refraining lines work so well ~ It’s always our choice but we want to spend less, so we go these stores that sell for cheap ~ I actually buy in stores that make things locally, not from some off shore sweat shops ~ Good one Bjorn ~
Thank you… yes I try to… but it’s not easy.. and my big problem is always buying too much.
Powerful message here, Bjorn. I love your take on the prompt.
Thank you… I understand why they got rid of that slogan.
yep – it’s terrible – we buy things for a few dollars and don’t think about the working conditions for those that produced it — ugh– we even have a company that have greed is cool as their slogan – and honestly – makes me wanna vomit
Worst thing is I buy things I don’t need… it’s scary.
You do remind us through painful words what is involved when we buy very cheap goods!
Unfortunately buying expensive does not change anything… the gap is just covered by greed.
Sadly true!
And yet, what can we do? Without places like Walmart, so many would be without. It’s a conundrum. I loved that failed slogan. Made my day!
Thank you … yes.. there are consequences good and bad in all we do..
Nothing sucks like an Electrolux. Great slogan for them and my life. But this is about you and your writing which is profound. I expect nothing less. Reading this with pounding head and eyes going. Glad I made it here. Three out of a hundred isn’ t so bad, right? ….
Oh I’m glad you are here.. Hope it helps you. We are here for you
Clever, humorous, witty, & snarky all in stanzas that sting like nettles, that prick like rose thorns; now Walmart is putting forth a campaign to “BUY AMERICAN GOODS”, this after being the catalyst for outsourcing. What a world; love your take on the prompt, and thanks for dropping by my blog so promptly.
Ah. same to you Glenn.. have to, soon bedtime here in Sweden.
Great job, Bjorn!
You well put forth the reality of the branded goods in your words. Getting a football made in an Asian country, paying a labor of merely a dollar, they stick their symbols over it and make it available at a 50 times more selling rate.
A sad truth.. And for non-branded stuff it’s not really better
Excellently done Björn – a fine write on a difficult subject.
Often when it is learned that child labour is used in producing cheap goods there is an outcry here and much self-righteous chest beating until the particular company withdraws from such a supplier or the children lose their jobs.
What they fail to realise is that families are reliant on their children’s (jobs) for putting food in their bellies
We in the West think everyone is like us – but not so. Children working helps alleviate poverty in many cases and our outrage removes this opportunity…
Sad but true.
Anna :o]
Yes – definitely – but even better would be to pay the parents decent salaries so the kids could go to school ;-/
In an ideal world ‘yes’ Björn. But sadly this is not an ideal world and there are many realities of those who do not live in the West that we are uncomfortable with and do not face – for we cannot do anything to change it.
We have no comprehension of the real world of those that continually exist in poverty and perhaps we never will…
Kind regards.
Anna :o]
yes, this
those who pay the price for what we save…
Bjorn, this was a hard slogan to handle as there is a lot of controversy around the store and their practices but, with rising prices here in the states many need these super saving centers to survive. We can try to do the best we can. You are right we have a choice..nice job with the poem as it has a message.
Made me think about things in a new way. Very powerful stuff here.
Soo true, well put! It’s almost inescapable not to contribute to some one else hell!we keep misery alive and well when we can’t see the details…Made in the USA? hmmm that’s an idea-and so is the word voice-
You brought the classic feel into it! Yes, repeats, repeats! That’s the beauty of ads. Nicely Bjorn!
Hank
Repeating gets it remembered. Called brain washing. Like I say there is the ‘off’ button and we should learn to say ‘no’.
Well said and done.
Hi Bjorn – agh – absolutely true. One will wonder — how can some item (at WalMart) be so cheap – and of course this is the reason! And the stuff is not very good anyway! And the world needs less stuff–but what we do. k.
ps – great commentary
A crafty way to use their slogan! So many disheartening truths – the use of exposing them through their own manipulations – very good indeed.
Ruthless repetitious sloganising indeed, Bjorn.
Sam Walton, eat your heart out. I refuse to shop there for so many reasons you mentioned. Nice one Bjorn.
I don’t shop there…not anymore, but that’s not to say my lack of knowledge doesn’t have me shopping at its equivalent without a second thought. a very nicely laid out commentary.
The repetition screams (your product), as do the incessant commercial diatribes they present. Well done, Bjorn.