The future of yet another is being jeopardised by the rise of the internet, specifically online shopping. This time it’s our beloved op shops and Aussie charities being forfeited as the online giant crushes everything in its path- and this time the Australian public are suffering.
The ability to now buy and sell anything and everything online is appealing to the major retailers, which were responsible for a large proportion of donations to the Australian Charities and op shops, and the charities are now facing an uncertain future. The big companies whom used to donate their surplus or damaged stock to the op shops are now choosing a buck over their charitable responsibility.
This is the same situation for the Australian public, and instead of donating their unwanted items, they’re choosing to sell them over EBay to the highest bidder- making it too hard for charities to compete with the other buyers. Mr Magro, the retail support coordinator for Lifeline Australia, says it’s “getting harder and harder for charities to rely on donations to stock their op shops, which in turn, is forcing up store prices.”
The issue contained in this media article is the diminishing social responsibility for our country, caused by online shopping facilities. Is the internet turning us all into money and power-hungry people by supplying everything at our fingertips? Is it also taking away our kind Aussie spirit, and crushing the less-fortunate whom cannot compete with its existence? Will the day come, when the internet is considered more valuable than that of human beings?
Image source: http://www.humanrights.gov.au/racial_discrimination/partnerships/images/redcross_logo.jpg
News source: ABC News Online, November 4, 2010, ‘Op shops losing out as retailers go online’, Amy Simmons
No comments:
Post a Comment