tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post4475587120285110558..comments2024-03-26T11:33:59.219-06:00Comments on Religion in American History: Adventures in “Christian” RetailPaul Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881964303772343114noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-89929653496144472992011-11-02T18:59:45.083-06:002011-11-02T18:59:45.083-06:00This article is weak on so many levels. First a li...This article is weak on so many levels. First a little background since I am in Christian publishing I know a little about Christian retail. About 10 years ago there were about 7500 small independent Christian retail stores that primarily sold books, bibles, and perhaps some music. They were, for the most part, started by individuals or couples who felt called to promote Christian books and so they started Christian bookstores. Then with the advent of major bookstore chains like Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com these small, family owned stores couldn’t compete. Most went out of business and today there are only about 2500 Christian retail stores still operating in the US. These remaining stores were able to survive because they joined “buying groups” which are loosely affiliated groups of stores that pool their buying resources to better compete in the marketplace.<br /><br />The store that this article is written about is one of these formerly independent stores that is now part of a buying group. There are a couple of large chains of Christian retail stores but this is not one of them. I know this because I know of the store that this article was written about. How do I know which store it is without the author identifying it? This store is pretty well known in the industry because of the rather infamous “mark of the beast” comment about bar codes. That is indeed true about this store but the truth is that this is one store out of 2500 that is known to take this position.<br /><br />This brings me to my MAJOR criticism of this piece. The author takes enormous liberties in classic weak writing style where she points out one outrageous example and tries to position it as the norm, the ultimate straw man scenario. If one was unfamiliar with Christian retail and read this piece one could easily draw the conclusion that this is representative of all Christian retail stores. This is grossly and unfairly irresponsible on the part of the author and borders on deceitful in my view.<br /><br />Further, based on my knowledge of this industry I would say it is fair to surmise that the author likely has an anti-Christian bias and took this job with the sole purpose of gathering negative intelligence in order to discredit Christian retail as whole. It is beyond logic to think that she innocently applied for this job at a place that obviously lacked any form of technology or current business practices with the expectation that it would be run anywhere near the standards of a contemporary business. No I think it is safe to assume that this self-proclaimed PHD had a plan from the start.<br /><br />I would suggest that if she is so outraged by what she found at that store then she should identify the store by name and then research a broader cross section of Christian retail and see if her “experiment” was representative of her presuppositions. But then I guess there would be no basis for her paper then because her agenda would be ultimately discredited.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-87612196608068116702011-09-20T13:48:04.698-06:002011-09-20T13:48:04.698-06:00If I am correct in my guess as to which CC you are...If I am correct in my guess as to which CC you are referring to, this chain also advertises its "Christian" values by remaining closed on Sundays but still requires employees to come into work semi-regularly on Sundays for inventory checks (again, if I'm right about the particular company you're writing about and if this practice is consistent for the majority of locations, not just the one I worked at.)<br /><br />So much for a day of rest, right?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-8434154260489768812011-09-09T09:19:53.645-06:002011-09-09T09:19:53.645-06:00Charity and I had a great over-the-phone conversat...Charity and I had a great over-the-phone conversation the other day, and we're going to cook up something extra special for y'all. So, stay tuned.DEGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12172696007825023445noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-5850789920927818482011-09-07T12:25:14.431-06:002011-09-07T12:25:14.431-06:00Protestants were at the vanguard of capitalism, bu...Protestants were at the vanguard of capitalism, but I'd say they were also the vanguard of anti-capitalism (especially in the Anglo-American world)! I'm also so hooked!Janine Giordano Drakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15743145462085629472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-19458607495669223482011-09-06T12:45:51.105-06:002011-09-06T12:45:51.105-06:00Thanks, everyone, for your input. I'm planning...Thanks, everyone, for your input. I'm planning another installment soon and would love to hear what you all think about my other experiences. Stay tuned...!Charity Carneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04077601938598923292noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-59848033314354778252011-09-06T08:30:54.222-06:002011-09-06T08:30:54.222-06:00Great teaser--I'm hooked. I'm also fascina...Great teaser--I'm hooked. I'm also fascinated by the historic and ongoing relationship between Protestantism and capitalism, particularly the attempt (or lack thereof) to apply religious principles to business practices. Your experience seems so contradictory--Protestants were at the vanguard of capitalism (to paraphrase David Brion Davis), and Americans in particular see no contradiction between wealth and faith, but these business owners seem to be deliberately limiting their ability to prosper.Carol Faulknernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-60483276441004189972011-09-06T06:41:26.245-06:002011-09-06T06:41:26.245-06:00I actually find the association of barcodes with t...I actually find the association of barcodes with the mark of the beast a bit surprising. It seems like new technology is often greeted with suspicion, but after that technology becomes more commonplace it is seen as less threatening. No one thinks railroads will usher in the NWO anymore (right...?) <br /><br />I wonder what it is about the barcode idea that has more staying power, at least for some folks.Charlie McCraryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07974315175707119170noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-45722352619742031862011-09-06T05:56:39.430-06:002011-09-06T05:56:39.430-06:00Charity,
"Several other (lower-paid) employe...Charity,<br /><br />"Several other (lower-paid) employees told me that the lack of barcodes was CC policy because barcodes represent the mark of the beast. Wha?! I know, this seems far-fetched. But this is a widely held belief amongst employees and thus should not be discounted." <br /><br />Per, the above quoted line, I am not surprised by this at all. As you likely now, much end times theology/prophecy fiction fixates on UPCs, tattoos, and microchipping as a sign of the end as well as a handy way for the Anti-Christ to monitor all humans. I did an interview last year about end times theologies, and the reporter asked me about these bodily marks/implants as a sure sign of the end. <br /><br />All of this to say, this has some presence in certain evangelical and fundamentalist circles. We should talk soon.Kelly J. Bakerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14328894784072518452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-81081538251334349102011-09-05T22:10:26.253-06:002011-09-05T22:10:26.253-06:00Interesting observations. I look forward to readi...Interesting observations. I look forward to reading the larger piece. If you have not done so, you might want to read <i>To Serve God and Wal-Mart: The Making of Christian Free Enterprise</i> by Bethany Moreton. She offers some great insight into the interplay of retail sales and the christian conservative right in the United States.JWhttp://jgwarren.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-76970945015876475162011-09-04T20:09:32.432-06:002011-09-04T20:09:32.432-06:00the store I worked in was at least slightly more t...the store I worked in was at least slightly more technology savvy than that, but I think most everyone who has ever done a stint in Christian retail has some horror stories about the way the business was run...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-11591623158921642212011-09-04T15:18:18.968-06:002011-09-04T15:18:18.968-06:00I bet Deg has a thought or two on this!I bet Deg has a thought or two on this!Paul Harveyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13881964303772343114noreply@blogger.com