Dana Dane Investigations Hits Close To Home

Like I did so many times in past blogs I investigate stuff, but this time this shit is local.

I already blogged today...but I want to get this out to hear the feedback so I can go finish beading and wake up tomorrow and know how to go about this.

You all know these few facts.:

I live on a reservation, not only a reservation but the poorest reservation and county in America with a median income of $2,600 per year with an 85 to 95% unemployment rate.  I already blogged that.  I got this info from an online article called The Arrogance of Innocence by Stephanie M. Schwartz.

As I said, I already blogged this and I am sick of this shit.  I am sick of the conditions I see around here.  I even said I was sick of nobody doing anything about it.

So even though this is a small thing, here is what I did today.

I go and check my mail...I get a flyer from the only grocery store here.  I see a flyer for a 3 day sale on the 8th, 9th and 10.  I show my auntie, I was like "I can't believe it, they are having a sale on the 10th!"  Not that I really shop there, I go out of town, but sometimes I have to.  So my auntie says "No way."  She needs vinegar from the store so we go and we see a huge sign on the outside that says "3 Day Sale Nov 7th,8th, and 9th."  I was like "WHAT THE FUCK?"

My auntie was like "See I told you they wouldn't have a sale on the 10th, they do that to us every month."

See, EBT day or food stamp day is on the 10th.  And you know with the median income around here almost everybody and their mama gets some.

When we walk in there is a guy in produce giving out free samples of sour ass oranges on sale.  So my auntie asks him as I am trying to choke down the sour ass orange "So why does the flyer say the sale is on the 8th,9th, and 10th when your sign out there has it a day earlier?"

He smiles at her and says "You know how it is around here, they do that so you can't buy anything cheap on EBT day." 

"Thats just wrong."  she says.

So I go home fuming.

I dial up the happy ass manager, well first I have to get through a buncha (copyright Ant) chicks with attitudes who are nutty enough to say yes it is because of EBT.  Anyway I ask the manager WHY WHY WHY?

He is like "Oh we always do that." 

I was like "WHY?" 

He was like "We would just rather pick the 7th, 8th, and 9th...it has been on our calendar for a month. "

So I was like "IF you knew for a month and changed it that long ago, then why send the flyers to every household on the rez saying otherwise."

He said "That's just how we do things here.  We don't even see those flyers...do you have a copy to show me?"

I was like "One of your workers told me it was because of EBT benefits."

He was like "Well sure, we will be busy that day."

So I said "So you say you will be busy, so you can't possibly have a sale to attract more people when you know damn well there will be hundreds of happy Indians in your store anyway?  Are you sure your not taking advantage of us and gouging the food stamps?"

He was getting irritated by now and said "Listen bring me the flyer, I will show you the calendar so you can see Miss, what did you say your name was?"

"My name is Dana, I write for The Lakota Times, I will be in in the morning." 

"Uh...excuse me...what did you say"

"I said I will be in in the morning."

"No before that."

"I said my name is Dana and I write for The Lakota Times, I will see you tomorrow."

""Ok"  he says and I swear, I hear him gulp.  I love playing that media card.

So then I have to wait for a ride to go and take a picture of the sign.  Finally when I get down there, I see the sign.  It now says

 4 Day Sale Nov 7th,8th,9th, and 10th.

I smiled and left.  I still got some issues I want to bring up to him, like why the prices are more there than in PoDunk and the other border town when clearly the rez store is the biggest one and has more traffic and they are both owned by the same country club going,golf swinging dude in Cali.

I can't believe no one stood up and said something before.  My uncle once said "writing about something and doing something are two different things."  Maybe so and maybe nothing will change next month.  After all, they have no competition and we are at their mercy.

But at least thanks to me, people can get their ice cream for 2 bucks on Saturday and whatever else is on sale.

Don't think I haven't been online all night on that companies website looking at their shit, though.  I'm going in guns loaded.

(I will take any advice anyone has to offer.)

 

 

*The blog where I had "had it" with the rez.