OPINION: Consumers lack awareness of company morals

Starbucks logo with the front of the store in the background.

Consumers need to pay attention to a company’s morals when displayed, especially involving problems that directly negatively affect humanity.

Today’s evolving marketplace provides participants with a plethora of information that is easily accessible to individuals on various social media platforms.

Despite consumers having access to more information than ever, there is an active attempt to suppress certain information regarding the conduct of various organizations.

Organizational misconduct should not be exclusively limited to responsibilities concerning taxes. Instead, all unlawful and immoral activity should be documented and disseminated to inform consumers of the inner workings of corporate morality.

In 1994, Denny’s paid more than $54 million to settle cases filed against them by black customers who were denied service, forced to wait longer and paid more than other customers. Even though this occurred almost three decades ago, prejudice is still seen today.

In September 2023, a couple of truck drivers were discriminated against at a Denny’s in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. According to the two drivers, they were treated unfairly and did not receive the same service that was provided to others because of their ethnicity.

Individuals who support companies after becoming aware of misconduct should examine their contribution to humanity.

While buyers are attracted to easily accessible products that provide comfort and convenience, some individuals will rarely question a company’s morals to satisfy their desires such as putting aside incidents of racism in favor of a hot meal.

The question becomes whether this kind of thinking is beneficial for the collective. This course of action is self-pleasing and fails to offer any contribution to society. Consumers should strive to be more conscious of their purchases and try to resist the ease of accessibility.

It’s understandable why some individuals may truly enjoy certain products. Some people might value a company because of it’s product’s quality. Within this outlook, consumers might ignore or simply not be aware of a company’s contribution to society.

It would be prudent for individuals to not neglect humanity, and instead be inclusive when considering how the quality of the product can be compared to a company’s actions.

In April 2018, two black men were arrested just for sitting quietly in a Philadelphia Starbucks.Protests were held against Starbucks and a few people started boycotting.

This small assembly of individuals caused Starbucks to reflect on their morals and issue a statement apologizing for their misconduct. This example proves the effectiveness of an informed consumer populace to promote change.

As consumers, people should strive to demand higher standards against corporations that go against basic morality. Consumers who practice ethics would do well to encourage others to adopt the same approach.

If applied correctly, this may have a contagious effect. Immoral companies would alter their operations because their profitability has diminished.

Individuals privy to this fact within the company will seek to make modifications to regenerate profits and will become more conscious of satisfying the consumer first.

At the end of the day, being aware of company morality is incredibly important to hold them accountable. Consumers should always be aware of the power they have over the products they purchase. The customer is always right, right?