Who are you calling cheap?

I finally read Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture by Ellen Ruppel Shell, which explores where bargains come from and what the real costs are.  The history of retail discounting and the far-reaching consequences are discussed, as well as the human and environmental costs of inexpensive goods and food.  And it shows what, exactly, you are supporting when you buy a (practically disposable) coffee table from IKEA, cheap toothpaste from Wal-Mart, or eat all the shrimp you can at Red Lobster for one low price.  Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture shows how quality and craftsmanship have been traded for fun design at low prices and how that affects workers, the environment, and American businesses.  (1)