After 14yrs I have to sell the shop, to stay in business. Retail eh.
Our sale is on now, everything is half price. It should last a couple of months, then we’ll move online only.
People will always be greedy, that’s just human nature – but governments don’t act to constrain the evil animal that is greed. I say they should. They’re supposed to be here to govern. My thoughts on the problem:
It’s time to talk about Jeff
Eight men own half of all the money in the world. The rest of us (eight billion people) own the other half. Eight men vs eight billion people: the same amount of money.
Most of those eight billionaires are American. Jeff Bezos is one of those men. He earns about $9M per hour. Government’s allow that. That’s OK. That’s legal.
Immoral? Obviously, but that’s not a government problem. I ask, why not? You’re not allowed to walk into Starbucks naked, or urinate up a library, or punch a dog, or even drink a beer in a park. Laws based on morals, even if the last one is idiotic.
How is it possibly legal to be one of the richest 8 people in the world and have no legal obligation to build a recycling centre, or pump money into art, or combat cholera. Imagine if Jeff was just judged on his contribution to combat cholera? F for fail.
But the Western governments seem totally cool that a CEO’s wage has increased to about 400 times that of their typical workers (it used to 40 way back). As for Jeffs wage? It would take an Amazon worker 154yrs without vacation, to earn Jeffs 1hr wage.
If governments don’t wrangle-in greed, do you expect people like Jeff to do it, because he feels guilty? This is not happening.
Canada’s cost of living crisis has worked for Jeff
Why print your one-of-a-kind photo you took in Paris with MrPhotoCanvas downtown, when you can buy NEARLY the same canvas print from Jeff Bezos for less?
Because Jeff Bezos earns $9M per hour. And that picture is a bit shit now you see it in real life eh. It’s a washed-out cheesy stock-image of Paris, made in India (by children?)
It arrived smashed up, with an import tax, and it’s not really what you expected is it?
My business has to go online (only) to survive now, working from a warehouse outside Toronto, like Amazon. The irony.
Governments get some of the tax Amazon should pay (once it’s been around the Caribbean on a tax-dodging cruise) but I know my company paid a higher tax percentage than Amazon, obviously, so imagine the revenue from millions of businesses like mine.
I ask you to quit Amazon.
Greed in Canada
Here in Canada: Loblaws, No Frills and Shoppers Drug Mart are ONE COMPANY. $64 billion revenue last year. Canada needs more competition. I’m forced to bring my annual cheese supply from the UK. I bloody love cheese. I could write pages on phone and booze monopolies, but let’s push on, you see my point.
Greed in Toronto
Despite thousands of new condos in the last few years, I haven’t noticed any new parks around here. I have also (partially as a result) noticed Torontonians are more stressed than ever. Stuck on the Gardiner (which wasn’t designed to be here now) or politely ignoring the poor guy sleeping on the TTC’s unstaffed psychiatric wards on wheels. Did City Hall become greedy?
Me me me
I have to take some accountability too: I could have given 1% of my company profits to build wells. I could turned up at every Toronto planning session demanding parks. I could have taught ex-offenders Adobe software, not just paying peeps. I could have done 1000 things more moral and this argument would be stronger.
Small acts add up though…
During Covid we gave away paint-by-numbers kits for kids. When Russia invaded Ukraine we gave away Ukraine flags. We built a website promoting small businesses. Our pay-on-pick-up policy has made nearly 10,000 Torontonians very happy, so far.
So I know we’re better than Jeff and that makes me sleep well.
Now at this point, you might think I sound bitter. The truth is, I’m a lucky guy and I love having this business. I sometimes run this business from a laptop, which means I get to travel the world – making travel podcasts. Listen at vinneywhite.co.uk Apple / Spotify
It gives me great joy to record my travels. I spend time in places like Ghana and Nicaragua contemplating human nature. I’ve learned we are all remarkably similar – After security, we just want love and joy. Some of us think you can buy that stuff, some of us know you cannot. Jeff will learn.
MrPhotoCanvas continues… thanks for being part of it.
Vinney x
Hear travel podcasts on: Apple / Spotify / Amazon (yes, Amazon, fuck)