Deeper Shade of Green

It’s been a nice relationship. Over the ten years or so, you’ve provided me with tons of cheap stuff, some of which even looked like decent quality for low price. Your return policy was impeccable, heck I even returned twice! my cheap surround sound system after a year and got my money back. Yes, the honeymoon was great.

However last few years I started to be disappointed. The availability of your products created what I’d like to call Costco Nation and although I am sure it was good for your business, I felt that it killed originality. Every Christmas and birthdays everyone would get the same stuff as all our neighbors. Getting a gift ment getting something at last minute at Costco…because they always have something everyone would want.

Then there is the issue of packaging. I mean, did you see the size of that clear plastic packaging for the small 2 gig compact flash card I bought for my camera? Is that really necessary? Do I need such huge packaging so I can feel like I actually bought something? If so, why don’t you sell your $1000 ear rings and rings in huge plastic packaging? Would be more impressive, no? What’s that under the tree…looks like a huge box…honey, did you get me that mixer I so wanted? Hm, let me see…oh my gosh, it’s a beautiful ring! How do you open this thing…kids, bring mommy those big shrub shears so she can open her present.

And last but not least, you stopped listening when I wrote in your suggestion box, telling you many times that we wanted more organic, local food in less packaging. I don’t want jumbo strawberries from Cali in January that are hollow inside and taste like something you squeeze out of your used kitchen sponge.

Did you listen to my woes? Nope. So, after so many years, I handed you back my passport to your idea of consumer paradise. I gave you back my Costco card. And it was an easy and liberating decision. Because money isn’t everything we value. We value clean organic products, we value supporting our local farmers. We value supporting small local eco businesses that have ethics, social and environmental responsibility.

Hello MEC, hello Spud.ca, hello Citizens Bank of Canada, hello Green Works, hello Roots. Goodbye Costco.