Occupation of a supermarket?

[SpikeyRed]

Hey, I work in a Safeway supermarket in Australia (Owned by Woolworths LTD) and I 've been wondering, if a mass workers uprising came tommorow (And I'm not suggesting it would, but suppose so) - How dose occupation of a super market work :-S
I mean I get the basic idea of factory occupation, but granted I'm not incredibly well read yet - So dose anyone have an ideas how this would work?

[Black Cross]

Originally posted by [email protected] 02, 2007 03:08 pm
Hey, I work in a Safeway supermarket in Australia (Owned by Woolworths LTD) and I 've been wondering, if a mass workers uprising came tommorow (And I'm not suggesting it would, but suppose so) - How dose occupation of a super market work :-S
I mean I get the basic idea of factory occupation, but granted I'm not incredibly well read yet - So dose anyone have an ideas how this would work?
Well I assume it would still be a super market until a socialist system is set up. Even then, I think you can still, and just about always, make use of a super market. But the capitalist dog who owns the place would have to be kicked off of his corporate throne, naturally.

[More Fire for the People]

Reduce the price of shit in half or just give it away free.

[AmbitiousHedonism]

I think what happened at any particular site would be dependant upon the character of the general upheaval. I imagine the place would get looted and burned unless there was some sort of worker organization that was ready to facilitate supplying the store and somehow distributing the products.

[Entrails Konfetti]

At a super market during a wildcat and occupation, you'd be responsible to the general public for providing it with food. So you'd have to allow in trucks. You could reduce prices, and even give stuff away for free. With the team you work with, just set up shifts for picketting out front, security, publihing pamplets, doing other duties, and when you all go home and come back.

Though I don't know how you'd prevent sabotours from entering, alot of people go in supermarkets, so you'd have to have a well organized patrol, aswell as immediately revokable and replaced.

[rouchambeau]

I work at a super-market, so I can't stop thinking about this sort of question during work.

I would say that the cashiers would basically just refuse to accept money for food; everything would be free. Or maybe the cashiers would be off somewhere else. Everyone else would probably do what they do every other day (face isles, stock shelves, etc).

And of course, the managers and bosses would be out on their asses ;)

[SpikeyRed]

Haha, thanks guys, sounds good!

We have an in-store Butcher and an in-store bakery as well, so theres some seriously useful local means of production right there that can be taken over and managed.

You reckon if we took money still then perhaps it goes to some sort of community fund or something? Hmm.

Woolworths LTD is covered by a union - The SDA (Shop, Distributive and Allied employees)... But its a right wing consevative union :-< so I don&#39;t think there&#39;d be much use there&#33;

I think we&#39;d need immediate cooperation with what we call "Transport" which is the warehouses and truckies too be very useful though =&#092;

Also - How about sabing the joint if it looked like we we&#39;re gunna be &#39;crushed&#39; - Just set it on fire? I&#39;m not so sure saying the B word on a public forum is smart, but perhaps that too?

[koler]

The over through of a supermarket would be an interesting spark to ignite the flame of the people. However, at least in my local, we are not ready. There are two, maybe three, known communist, Marxist, socialist type folk about, and one is me. However, with enough public disapproval, or perhaps if the public realized there subconscious disapproval, this act would work. Unless you want to be mangled, your cause crushed and gone unheard of, you would have to have quite a few fellow revolutionaries. If, perhaps enough co-slaves shared your passion, and enough people in your community would react in the same way, it would be a success.

Afterwards, the task of appropriating goods for distribution would be immense. Unless a cooperative revolt happened within the warehouses and factories were goods are produced, you would basically achieve nothing but looting a local store. And public perception of your cause would be negative. SO, basically, years of persuasion, planning and talking and strategy would need to be undergone, but in effect, this is what all of us desire, and the talking and strategical planning is underway. We must turn our conversation from what if? to How? Then we will be on the road to revolution.

[bombeverything]

I work at Coles. I think it would be the way others have mentioned. I have also thought about it and the fact that supermarkets basically stock necessities so they would play an important role in the distribution of these to the community. Ahh.. the thought of it. We have a long way to go there but I won&#39;t stop trying until I get fired. I am also in the SDA and it does indeed suck.

[rouchambeau]

You reckon if we took money still then perhaps it goes to some sort of community fund or something? Hmm.

I think that&#39;s the last thing anyone should do. When you already have a workers&#39; uprising, why would you want to perpetuate the use of money?

[Labor Shall Rule]

Hopscotch Anthill presented what would probably be done.

I think that the worker councils in the neighborhoods and workplaces would have the duty of forming food supply centers. I think the members of the selected community would have the interchangeable profession of being the distributor; in other words, I would have to work at the center a certain week, and then someone else the next. The food, of course, would be free of charge.

[DiggerII]

While occupying a supermarket would be pretty cool, I have to wonder whether such an action would actually be in favor of or even in solidarity with the international proleteriat. Produce and meat are all produced by exploited labor so if you were to give the food away for free (which again would be really cool) how would that affect all the labor that worked to stock the shelves of that corporate store? how would that affect the ability to stock the shelves in the future?

[rouchambeau]

Do you have a point DiggerII or are you just trying to be difficult.

[SpikeyRed]

DiggerII - At Safeway, they tell us, I&#39;m not sure how true it is, but they tell us our meat and produce are produced here in Australia, so giving it away free during an Australian Revolution, wouldn&#39;t really affect the &#39;International Proletariat&#39;.
Anyway, even if current supply was not 100% from within Australian borders, this could defiantly change within the context of uprising&#092;revolution where we decided to take control of all of this. 80% Of Australia&#39;s agricultural produce is exported (wiki) so surely Australia has the capacity to feed it&#39;s self, and therefore in a collective uprising we could organize to give food away free? I think this would definitely be a major advantage in defending against counter revolution.

In a country where they didn&#39;t have the capacity too produce enough food too feed their entire population I can see how this would be a problem.

This has all got to do with Marx&#39;s idea&#39;s about the material conditions for a revolution, no?

[bombeverything]

Hey, what city do you live in?

[DiggerII]

I&#39;m not trying to be difficult sorry lol. I&#39;m just curious and not sure that that&#39;s the most effective way to bring about change. You can occupy the supermarket, give away the food, believe me I&#39;m all for it. But after you do so, then what?

[SpikeyRed]

Bomb Everything - Melbourne

DiggerII - Like I said we have a whole butcher facility and a bakery, and surely these are useful local means of production? Not to mention we have commercial sized fridges and freezers, large purpose built storage and distribution for food and general goods as well as tools like pallet jacks for use in these instances. So I think the point is deeper than just give away all the food in the store and let that be that. I think, like I keep saying, in the context of a greater revolt and occupations and such, if the major Distribution Center&#39;s and supermarket transport networks are brought under worker control, then the supermarkets themselves become like local distribution houses for food and such :-)

[rouchambeau]

I&#39;m not trying to be difficult sorry lol. I&#39;m just curious and not sure that that&#39;s the most effective way to bring about change. You can occupy the supermarket, give away the food, believe me I&#39;m all for it. But after you do so, then what?
In that case, I would have to say that as a worker at a supermarket I would have no problem giving food away. Sure, we wouldn&#39;t get paid for it, but I think it&#39;s far more important to create communism ASAP rather than worry about where my pathetic excuse for a paycheck comes from. I mean, if others are doing the same as me, then I shouldn&#39;t have to worry about having money in the first place.

Of course, one store giving food away for free in a town where everyone refuses to give up money and exchange is not going to create communism. However it can be an effective way of winning demands from the boss.

[*mac_capital*]

the whole occupation would have to be planed so that it would work for the people in the long term.

the only thing that could plan the takeover of the distribution, shipping, and store distribution and have it work to the benefit of the community and everyone in the community would be a SOCIALIST ARMY :ph34r:

A SOCIALIST ARMY is what the world needs. traveling around to countries taking over distribution and setting up a system where money is actually working for the people and helps build better communities.

considering in a peaceful country like canada or Australia the SOCIALIST ARMY could then converg on that section of the world from all over the world and occupy, setting up a socialist society to the communities benefit and the benefit of the worker, peacefuly.

but why stop at a grocery store why not something like fast food restraunts, home depot and even WAL-MART. just occupy and re-destribute the wealth. Set up community councils where every voice is heard, really getting the system to flow the other way.

But really what it comes down to is setting up an alternative government. A SOCIALIST government would use the money generated by the taken over stores/businesses and improve the community/give the workers/people a tax break. the money the people save,which they inturn spend back into the community business, helps improve the community to everyones benefit.

A system where the money flows back to the people.

[Black Cross]

You&#39;d have to do that real fast, before the US comes knockin&#39; down your front door. But i&#39;d be willing to try it if you could organize that many people. But we would definitely have to sit down for a few days and get our strategy straight; there&#39;s no sense in rushing in and taking over a grocery store if we don&#39;t know exactly what we&#39;re doing thereafter.

[which doctor]

Basically just allow in customers, run the store as usual but just don&#39;t charge anyone for anything. Post patrols at the doors to make sure bosses/cops don&#39;t try to enter. Barricades may come in useful if cops try to raid the place, shopping cars come in useful in situations like this.

[Never Give In]

Originally posted by Hopscotch [email protected] 02, 2007 07:06 pm
Reduce the price of shit in half or just give it away free.
Just what I would post.

[ConfusedAntiCapitalists]

I work in a grocery store and have thought about this.

I believe the public should have free access to the goods in accrodence to their needs.

I wouldn&#39;t get paid of course..but those customers would work in industry that would in turn provide goods and services to me for free, so it all balances out.

Also, consider this as an indication of how wasteful capitalism is when it comes to labor and resource.

In a non profit system...any employee in the store (over half of them&#33;) whose job is to take money or to accumulate profit in any way would instead spend their time in a more productive capacity..bringing in the product, stocking the shelves, etc.


Also, any technology invented to lessen the labor load would be a good thing, freeing up time for the workers to be at leisure or put their labor into another area that needs it.

Of course in this system that same technology would simply cost me my livlihood.

I&#39;ve always thought that when talking about a true socialist workers democracy it&#39;s easier to explain to the masses using everyday examples and places they are familiar with.

[SpikeyRed]

Just on a side point, CAC mentioned capitalism wastefulness, and it reminded me of where I work. Every night I work, when I go out the back to the dumpster, theres a fuck load of vegetables and fruit in there. Also, our meat and deli departments throw out a shit load of stuff, and I&#39;ve seen Bakery dump a lot too. One day there were like 3 trolleys full of donuts on the back dock waiting to be dumped&#33;
All this stems from a policy, that I remember from my training, of baking fresh every 12 hours and butchering fresh every 12 hours and throwing out almost everything in our "Fresh Food Departments" every 24 hours.
So incredibly wasteful *shakes head*

[ConfusedAntiCapitalists]

Originally posted by [email protected] 09, 2007 02:13 am
Just on a side point, CAC mentioned capitalism wastefulness, and it reminded me of where I work. Every night I work, when I go out the back to the dumpster, theres a fuck load of vegetables and fruit in there. Also, our meat and deli departments throw out a shit load of stuff, and I&#39;ve seen Bakery dump a lot too. One day there were like 3 trolleys full of donuts on the back dock waiting to be dumped&#33;
All this stems from a policy, that I remember from my training, of baking fresh every 12 hours and butchering fresh every 12 hours and throwing out almost everything in our "Fresh Food Departments" every 24 hours.
So incredibly wasteful *shakes head*
Same where I work.


Disgusting.