A review by balletbookworm
Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture by Ellen Ruppel Shell

4.0

A book I probably would have had trouble with in paper but since it was on audio and listened to in 30 minute chunks or so it breezed by. Shell has a lot of history to get through regarding how we got to our current state of discount retail (as of about 2008, since the book was originally published in 2009). Suffice to say, everything is poorly made by an underpaid and abused worker in a developing country and that in turn drives down wages and labor advances in the United States. It's a whole vicious cycle and there doesn't seem to be much of a way out. I'd like to see an updated edition of this book now that we've gone through the 2008 recession, etc. Shell also really only focuses on discount retail, outlets, and the food industry - she doesn't even touch the big green A and other internet retailers. But a book worth reading to remind us of what we're buying when we think we're getting a deal - there's a difference between "cheap" and "thrifty."