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The season of getting

Posted: Monday, December 29, 2008 4:00 PM by Rob Neill
Filed Under:

We uncharacteristically dropped our head and strode past the bell ringer in front of the supermarket the other day. Too busy. Too beaten down by this unforgiving, apprehensive year. Too eager that, if by rushing through it, we could make time hurry too and just be done with it. And, we have to admit, a little too tired of giving. 

Season of giving? This was the year of giving. Although, unlike the giving the patient bell ringer who dealt with the slow but constant snowfall was seeking, it was less the charitable sort than the bailout sort. Banks (ridiculous). Investment banks (worse). Automakers (yet to be seen how bad a move). Airlines (lining up in the wings we hear). Contractors eager for a chunk of the billions Obama wants to (wisely) spend on infrastructure – and maybe can convince the government that retrofitting is so tired and public schools need the McMansion treatment that has served the real estate market so … never mind. And of course homeowners (oops, our mistake, that’d be socialism after all).

You’d think that in this supposedly resolute and independent country, there’d be a business not seeking a handout, and customers eager to subsidize that virtue. Well, one bank in rural Oregon makes that case.

Evergreen Bank

We’ve spent our time in rural Oregon. We won’t be back. Love the scenery, though. To be kind, the people observe a sort of steadfast conviction that just because it has been done that way for 50-or-more years, it must be right (while most of our graduating college classmates wasted hours on the Internet post-matriculation, we were greeted with blank stares in our new Klamath County digs when broaching the subject to our new neighbors).

Evergreen Bank appears to be one of those businesses. In two newspaper (not online, we’d make the joke here but we think we already did) advertisements, the regional financial institution makes the case that it is not seeking, and will not seek any federal bailout money, and, potentially, “raise your taxes.” (As if recent history hasn’t proven that Republican executive conventional wisdom and Congressional Democratic conventional wisdom joined hands to open the barn door to let that horse quickly skedaddle.)

While we can certainly appreciate Evergreen’s for its virtue and making that virtue central to its sales pitch, we’re not sure it’ll work. For one thing if being independent and regional was a virtue to most consumers, Washington Mutual wouldn’t have had roughly a bazillion branches in Western Oregon to Evergreen’s seven. And we all know how WaMu worked out.

After all, if Americans really cared about supporting regional, ethical businesses, Evergreen – and businesses like it – would have locked up their customer base leaving the big banks out in the cold. And if our fellow citizens really cared about community-based sustainable businesses that weren’t being constantly dragged into court to prove they forced their employees to work off the clock, maybe Wal-Mart wouldn’t be a) the biggest retailer in the country and b) having a good year despite how the rest of the country’s year has been.

We wish Evergreen, and every local business that is seemingly too small and smart to fail, well. They deserve our money. That said, we worry that if all they can offer is slow, sustainable growth and pragmatic management, they’ll lose out to the no-money-down, zero-interest-balance-transfer, double airline miles and option-payment-arm strategies of their larger competitors – regardless of how that ends up being paid for through a bailout.

It’s the holidays, after all. We Americans love our shiny toys above everything else – especially at no interest for the first-year.

BTW, we did circle back on the way out and drop a dollar with the ringer. A feeling of responsibility, after all, moves money. Just not very often.

Evergreen's site is here. You can view its two ads as a .pdf file here (you will have to scroll to the bottom of the page).

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Comments

And your point is...?
Yeah, I drive my children nuts with stories of unlocked bicycles left outside the $.25, all-day Saturday Cartoon marathon. Candy bars were a nickel and gas was a quarter and my first car was $100, that I earned on my paper route. But growing up in The Midwest, seafood was exotic and the only way to have a glass of orange juice was to squeeze it yourself or buy awful concentrate. As a mechanic, I blew dust out of brake drums. Even though they knew about it since the 40's, the laws warning people didn't happen until the 70's. Every generation has it's good and bad points. Am I upset about the bailout? YES! More than losing a lung? No!
I just hope the kids have an easier time navigating the Twenty-first Century than i do, I have a feeling they do. I just don't feel the need to whine about it.

David (Sent Monday, December 29, 2008 8:59 PM)

Pride cometh before a fall.

John Doe, Seatle, Wash (Sent Tuesday, December 30, 2008 4:17 AM)

Bless their hearts, those folks at Evergreen.

Of course, the average consumer is not interested in their bank's financial statement as long as they know the government is insuring their money. It's about convenience first. Any other factor is a distant second.

Case in point: I have a checking account at WAMU. I barely noticed when JPMorgan Chase took them over because I rarely have more than a couple hundred dollars in my account--in other words, I have little to lose.

Why WAMU? Closest facility to my home, and the access is easy whether I am heading toward home or leaving home to go to the bank. They also offer a free account and free checks. That's good because it pleases my inner penny-pincher.

Rick, Denver CO (Sent Tuesday, December 30, 2008 6:17 AM)

The political commentary here is completely misplaced and innappropriate.  If I wanted your (flawed)opinions on politics, I would have (avoided) read the the political side.  Perhaps you should (be fired) re-think your agenda?

Ben Rogers (Sent Tuesday, December 30, 2008 10:21 AM)

I applaud Evergreen! I currently have my money at a "Big Nine" bank, but that will change as soon as a "Patriot Act" deposit clears on Jan. 3. I have decided that I won't condone this bailout. My bank took $25 billion and hoarded it. I'm putting my deposits in a bank that took zero bailout money.

I also haven't shopped at Wal-Mart in over a decade, because I know how they are affecting our retail market: they have threatened Kmart and Sears twice, plus they are a major player in the Circuit City bankruptcy, along with Best Buy (which is also now on my boycott list). Not to mention, their employment practices are despicable - the least salaries the market will bear and part-time so as to avoid benefits.

I shop local as much as I possibly can, especially in this downturn, because small businesses need all the help they can get. We need to return to real FREE market capitalism - not capitalism that is dominated by millionaires. Anytime a corporation is headed by a multi-millionaire, the employees are oppressed, almost without fail, unless they have union protection. This Christmas, the entirety of my budget was spent either locally or at the companies threatened with closure - Sears, Kmart and Circuit City.

Pam C, Las Vegas, NV (Sent Tuesday, December 30, 2008 10:46 AM)

The author here; Mr. Neill, is clueless.

David Wilson (Sent Tuesday, December 30, 2008 12:03 PM)

It all comes down to saving a buck at the expense of principals.

Over the Christmas season a friend went to Bestbuy shopping for a TV. He received very little info and poor service and complained to anyone who would listen. He then went to circuit city where the staff supplied him with helpful info about several TV’s. Guess where he finally bought the TV he decided on? Bestbuy It was 15 dollars cheaper.

Tom C,Chicago, ILL (Sent Tuesday, December 30, 2008 1:26 PM)

that was poorly written. shame.

John Doe, Seattle, Wash (Sent Tuesday, December 30, 2008 2:22 PM)

Pam C,
Your response proves FREE market capitalism at work in 2 respects:  
1.  Your not forced to shop at a specific place:  You have a choice where you shop.  The more people (who feel the way you do) that stick to their beliefs and only shop at the specific stores that they are comfortable with, the better for those small stores and their sustainability.  The flip-side to this reality and freedom is that everyone gets to make that choice and most people will choose to pay the cheaper amount because they would rather have the $15 (thanks Tom C for the Best Buy example) themselves - no matter how good the service may have been.  
2.  You aren't forced to work at a specific place:  Regarding the wages and benefits at Wal-Mart - although many say it's so horrible, the reality is that there are many people that still work there.  Even in this economy, I can't go to any restaurant and most big retailers and not see that they are hiring.  The truth is that the job they have at Walmart is still better than flippin' burgers - otherwise, they would leave.    

Erika W, Columbus, OH (Sent Tuesday, December 30, 2008 2:23 PM)

Erika,
I'm sorry, but I beg to differ. I think that irresponsible consumerism is what has upended free market capitalism. Saving a buck at the expense of our entire economy is what has devastated the entire global economic system. We condone this behavior of suppression of the classes, upward redistribution of wealth, by buying into it. We make choices every single day.

Sam Walton proudly announced when he went into the grocery business that he was doing so to put a small mom and pop out of business.  He succeeded. I cannot, in good conscience, shop there.

In Las Vegas, we had 1,000 applicants in one day for 50 jobs at a burger joint, many of them prior professionals.  Of course people work for Wal-Mart when there are no other choices.  Come to Vegas: nobody is hiring and the casinos have been laying people off by the thousands even before the crash in the economy.  Live where I do (you will soon--it's infectious); it's a different world here.  We have the highest unemployment in the country and probably the highest homeless.

When there is only one retailer left standing, yes, you will be forced to shop there.  I hope America will see this trend coming before it gets here.  I knew the foreclosure debacle was coming.  I predicted it two years ago, about the same time Obama did - a little sooner than he went public, actually.

The goal of Wal-Mart is zero competition.  It seems they have convinced the overwhelming majority of America to join in their efforts.  I pity us when they succeed, because they will hold the reins for pricing structures on everything we consume, as well as earnings.  Mob mentality is a very scary thing.

Pam C, Las Vegas, NV (Sent Tuesday, December 30, 2008 3:42 PM)

I hope the gentleman who bought the TV from Best Buy doesn't ever have any questions or problems with it because he won't get any help from Best Buy.  This has already been proven.  Sometimes that $15 payout is worth it.  While working in the jewelry industry, I got so tired of people yelling at me because I couldn't help them with their broken or fake watches ir jewelry they bought on-line from non-authorized dealers which invalidates any warranty from the manufacturer.  And they didn't seem to understand that it was unreasonable for them to expect my company to take any responsibility to rectify the situation at my company's expense. We did what we reasonably could to offer assistant but what usually happened is that the customer would end up spending more overall than if they had purchased at full retail from an authorized dealler.  Or they ended up with an expensive "paperweight".  If they had bought if from my store for a few dollars more, I and the company I worked for would have bent over backwards to help them.  So  many times in life you get what you pay for, I don't mind paying a little more for better quality and service.    

A L Stillwell, Destin, FL (Sent Tuesday, December 30, 2008 4:25 PM)

Pam,

Sorry, I disagree with your assertions.  Your implication that irresponsible consumerism is the bane of free market capitalism does not add up.  Consumers are responsible to their family, not to the businesses they shop at.  

Walmart, like any other business, exists to dominate the marketplace just like a sports team exists for the purpose of winning championships year after year.

As to re-distribution of wealth, the only kind of re-distribution happening is when the government steals (sorry taxes) a small minority of the population to pay for services consumed by the majority of the country.   This is otherwise known as our outrageous progressive income tax system.

As to suppression of the classes, I disagree there as well.  I came to this country with two suitcases between my wife and I and only $20 in my pocket.  Now I have a house in a middle class neighborhood and I'd imagine I am in the top 50% of America in terms of income/wealth.  It is a delusion to think America suppresses the underclasses.  In most cases, the underclass in America exists because of lack of personal responsibility (have kids outside wedlock, drop out of school, sustained spending greater than income, borrow beyond capability to repay).

I come from a third world country where the underclass is suppressed, so don't think for a moment that America comes anywhere close.

Asian Indian by birth, Proud American by choice (Sent Tuesday, December 30, 2008 9:03 PM)

Had you taken the chance to truly research your article before spewing ignorance in this article, you would realize that Brady Adams is more than just a banker making a buck off the back of this community.  He gives to charitable organizations and organizes fundraisers for our children.  

If Southern Oregon gave you the impression of hanging on to years gone by, perhaps you did see a portion of the truth.  There is a great deal of satisfaction to be had in a community that still relies on tried and true methods of living.  

I hope the next time you find yourself in my "neck of the woods", you'll leave behind something other than the stench of ignorance.

Peggi O. Grants Pass, OR (Sent Tuesday, December 30, 2008 11:41 PM)

Beautifully (NOT) written.

Joe B, Bellingham, WA (Sent Wednesday, December 31, 2008 10:15 AM)

Pam C.,
We all have taken a hit in the jobs market, but please check your stats before you publish.  Nevada has 8% unemployment, Las Vegas is at 7.9% for the month of November.  Here in Michigan, the unemployment rate for the state is 9.6%, 10% for the Detroit Metro area (http://www.michigan.gov/dleg/0,1607,7-154-27673---,00.html) and 20.5% (http://www.simplyhired.com/a/local-jobs/city/l-Detroit,+MI) for the city of Detroit...it would seem "our" casinos are not the saving grace they were marketed on.  BTW, I to have taken to purchasing from local establishments when ever I can, I find that the service is far greater.  This is not to diminish the capabilities of the people that work in the large stores, nor is it a statement that I never shop a large chain. I think their companies policies are to blame.  Perhaps some of the companies (Walmart maybe?) prefer to run the customers through like cattle and rely on trivial niceties such as door greeters to make the purchaser feel welcomed.  Still, if push came to shove and I had to support my family??? I to would work any place that would hire me.  I can always make a change when the weather clears.

Tim L, Detroit area, MI (Sent Wednesday, December 31, 2008 11:43 AM)

"We’ve spent our time in rural Oregon. We won’t be back."

THANK YOU (on behalf of Klamath County, and the Pacific Northwest generally.)

Jeff Drago, Woodland, WA (Sent Tuesday, January 06, 2009 8:14 AM)

So why are we berating this bank for touting its sound and practical business practices?  Is it because their viewpoint is the direct opposite of a renter putting a 60" flat screen TV with Blu-Ray player in their 500 sq ft apartment?  That sounds business practices should not be advertised, but pandering to the material excesses of the consumer cult is acceptable?

Dan, Cedar Rapids, IA (Sent Tuesday, January 06, 2009 9:26 AM)

I just want to be able hang out and get a check to cover my food and fun.

Buck Davis, Greer, SC (Sent Tuesday, January 06, 2009 10:08 AM)

Hear, hear. A few years ago I bought a watch at Kohl's Department Store in Wisconsin. Right down the street from where I live. I had to take it in to a local jewelry store to have the battery changed and I got a lecture about the fact that I should have purchased "locally". Low and behold, when there was no one in the store who could replace the battery, even though I was assured they could do it. they sent it out, without telling me! So much for local service.

jennifer S., Hartland, Wisconsin (Sent Tuesday, January 06, 2009 9:58 PM)

I read an article years ago that showed pricing on HD flat screens from the manufactures over the prior year had dropped over 50% yet major sellers like Circuit City and Best Buy had only reduced prices a few percent. Until Wal-Mart stepped in with pricing that provided 10%-15% profit as was normal for analog tv's & high end electronics they killed the goose that laid the golden egg. Well done Wal-Mart.

Larrymz (Sent Wednesday, January 07, 2009 12:37 AM)

I hate Wal-Mart and they will put everyone out of busines if we are not careful.  But so does growing too big too fast.  I mean really do we need a Starbucks on every corner?  We have become a I need it now society what ever happened to save and pay for it when you have the money?  Did the lessons learned during the depression not stick with us?  Obviously not.  Here we are again. We should learn from our history so as to not repeat it.  We are a country of whiners that want to save a buck and want it right now. Becasue I can't wait until I can afford it.  Shame on the greed of Wall Street, Banks that prey on people that they know can't afford a home but they can charge a higher interest rate to and forclose on to reclaim the house to resell it again, and the United Auto Workers Union.  Really?  No where in the world can you bb laid off work go to the "job bank" and earn 95% of your pay and never pay into your retirement but receive a pension.  But Yet the President of the UAW thinks it is because the greedy banks won't give loans for cars.  When for the last several years they have been producing more cars and trucks than they have been selling.  How's that working out for them?  As Dr. Phil would say.  It is all a big mess.  Stocks dropping people losing their jobs and buying less which causes other businesses to fail which causes more job loss.  It is a big, BIG, cycle that will have to hit rock bottom before we can climb out I am afraid.  Just like Georgie Bush said Wall Street got drunk.  But what about the responsible people?  What about us? Those of us that pay our bills on time and live below our means and afford a nice life and have money in savings.  We are the ones that have to pay.  Not really fair, but because of us things will turn around.  

Lura, Champaign, IL (Sent Wednesday, January 07, 2009 11:18 AM)

We in Grants Pass KNOW that Brady is the "REAL DEAL". No "BIG CITY"... LOL....The cynical disrespect, or suspision that PRIDE moptivates Brady is born of ignorance. His personal story is PURE Horatio Alger....There are SOME people of true personal, professional and civic integrity that are motivated by SERVICE not personal ambition. Just because there are few such men/women in corporate bank boardrooms these days, only means that the souless "greed, for lack of a better word, is good" Gordon Gekko's will be replaced by the philosophy of how much HUMANITY IS DISPLAYED in how our leaders conduct their business and their lives. Evergreen's zero default rate is a reflection of how Brady Adams conducts his entire life. The wisest big banks locally ARE FORCED TO FOLLOW ADAMS'MODEL of personalized, human banking. It is what true open market capitalism all about. The BEST business model sets the standard, not the me first, not my customer, gerrymandered political model pursued by most. The clue phone is ringing... to bring up and "oldy"...you who doubt, may want to answer... psst...it actually works !

Jeff , Grants Pass, OR (Sent Wednesday, January 07, 2009 2:32 PM)

All of you talking about the evils of the Wal-Marts and Best Buys of the world - I hope that in addition to not shopping there you are sure you don't own any large cap mutual funds in your 401K's - that would be ironic, huh?

Peter Bennett, Arlington, VA (Sent Wednesday, January 07, 2009 5:43 PM)

It amazes me how clueless people are about things like Walmart, and how it is (not) evil.  Walmart gives millions (literally) of people jobs.  You can argue about the wages and benefits all you want, but anyone who works there CHOOSES to work there.  Sure, we could go back to Target and Fred Meyer and all the other classic department stores, but then we'd also be paying much higher prices for every day consumer goods.  How can that be a good thing?  When did it become a bad thing to let the free market set the prices?  If it isn't ok for the free market to set prices, who should be setting the prices?

The fact is, Walmart helps anyone who shops there get lower prices on consumer goods, which means our dollar goes further.  I don't know why you don't appreciate that Pam C, but I sure do!

And anyone who thinks Walmart can possibly ever have a complete monopoly on retailing consumer goods and then skyrocket prices is out of their mind.  That cannot happen for several reasons.
1.  Because there will always be people who refuse to shop there for moral/emotional/status-related reasons.
2.  Because if they did become a monopoly, and tried to raise prices, competitors would jump right back in.  Retailing is not an industry with high barriers to entry (simple economics here people).
3.  Because of the US antitrust laws.

By the way, this article is absurd and stank of the usual liberal emotional-appealing propoganda.

Justin, Eugene, OR (Sent Wednesday, January 07, 2009 6:58 PM)

Small isn't automatically beautiful. Sometimes it's merely parochial and inefficient. Remember, Mr. Potter's bank in Bedford Falls only had one branch. I shop at Wal-Mart solely because they are most likely to have what I need when I need it. Here in Green Bay we have two long established regional retailers that could have been bigger than Wal-Mart but chose to remain static and even reduce their variety. I actually once had one of them tell me they only stocked light timers as seasonal items. I went over to evil Wal-Mart and found a whole bunch in stock, no doubt as part of their sinister plan for global hegemony.

And I have a lot of anecdotes of mom and pop stores revolving around lackadaisical, lousy service. I tried to patronize a mom and pop store near where I once lived in New York, but after repeatedly being ignored while pop chatted with customers, and being refused a newspaper because they were being saved for "his regulars," I decided "Let his regulars keep him in business" and went to the supermarket from then on.

A few years ago I was through Ashland and Medford, Oregon for the first time in over 30 years. I had forgotten how breathtakingly beautiful it is there. Cheers to Evergreen Bank, not because it's small but because it's sound. I patronize a regional bank that doesn't seem to be in fiscal trouble, myself.

Steve Dutch, Green Bay, Wis. (Sent Thursday, January 08, 2009 3:41 PM)

By all means shop at Wal-Mart but keep in mind the same name brand products you buy there are not the same quality you would get elsewhere.  Manufacturers reduce their quality to meet Wal-Marts price point. The few bucks you save may not be worth the loss in quality.

Ron, Nampa, Idaho (Sent Wednesday, January 21, 2009 4:18 AM)

My wife and I play a game whenever we're forced (yea, we're poor) to go to Wa-wa-wa, sorry ahem, wa-wa-wa-- okay, can't say it. One of us will hold up some random product and the other has to guess which country it was made in. Products made in the U.S.- J.B. Weld, some kitty litter box and I think Dickies' socks ( don't qoute me). I'm not an economist, but I'm pretty sure we should be keeping the majority of our wealth in the country. Wal-mart (there, I said it) is a China-owned company.

Barry J., California born, Wisconsin reside (Sent Wednesday, January 28, 2009 3:08 PM)

@Ron from Nampa;
What are you talking about? Are you saying that manufacturers have a separate facility just to make Wal-Mart goods? That is a completely ignorant statement.

Price points for buying from wholesale Distributors is based on the total number of a given item is ordered.

Since wal-mart has their own Warehouses in each State and ship product in their own trucks, It makes complete sense that they order for every Store to be continually supplied. Meaning they will order product for 200 stores for an entire Fiscal quarter minimum. Each Store send their orders to a Wal-Mart Warehouse not a product distributor.

That is the reason why Wal-Mart can charge less than the other big box stores and the Mom and Pop business's.
They CHOOSE to sell it at only a 15% markup because they realize that by doing so they open themselves up to a broader majority of shoppers translating into a steady stream of business and a continual profit growth. Instead of pricing many shoppers out of buying range because they mark a product up to 100% retail.

Heres an interesting bit of trivia for you. Did you know that most retailers will mark prices up a few weeks before they announce a sale, so that they can then offer a discount that is really the actual retail price.

I know all of this because I have owned or Managed numerous business's in my life.

One more thing.
within a two mile radius of my home i have a Super Wal-Mart, Harris Teeter, Kroger and a Food Lion.

Guess which one has the best pricing?

Mike Virginia Beach (Sent Thursday, January 29, 2009 4:14 PM)

The message is not about Consumerism, Capitolism or any other ISM... It's about Bad Fiscal Policy in any scale.
If you think you can make money by borrowing it then you are part of the problem. A Penny saved is a penny earned but a penny borrowed is a dollar owed.

Mike, Shelton, Washington (Sent Saturday, February 14, 2009 8:14 PM)



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