Losing our independence

I was flipping through the channels the other day and came across the movie "You've Got Mail." You remember this one - the romantic comedy that reunited "Sleepless in Seattle" stars Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, who fall in love over the internet, only to find out they are bitter business rivals - he the owner of the big box book store chain and she the owner of the small, independent children's bookstore.

In the end, love - and big box - prevail. Whether this was an economic statement made by the writers, or just a statement of reality, I don't know. But it got me thinking of consumers, the discrepancy between what we say and what we do, the Wall Street Journal and Seven Jeans.

Rupert Murdoch has purchased The Wall Street Journal. The wires are all a-buzz about whether the paper will maintain its editorial independence or if Murdoch will use it as another one of his mouthpieces. It's really quite sad that a paper with this kind of credibility will potentially be tarnished by bias. (I don't blame Murdoch, per se...I blame the Bancrofts for getting it in this situation.)

And earlier this week, Seven Jeans (Seven for all Humanity) was purchased by VF Corp - the same company that makes Wrangler. Not quite the same cache. What will the new owner mean for the designer jean brand?

Everywhere we look, it seems like the independent companies are being gobbled up by bigger companies. And I wonder, what does this mean for quality- for the quality of our newspapers, the quality of our jeans, the quality of our bookstores? Economically, I know that this is not all bad...with consolidation we get economies of scale, which means quicker service and cheaper prices for consumers, not to mention a friendlier effect on our environment. It means more exhaustive distribution and potentially better management.

But what do we lose? Do we lose editorial independence (the right to think for ourselves)? Do we lose brand prestige and uniqueness? Do we lose customer service and comfort?

And maybe we, as consumers, as to blame for the loss of independence. What are our demands, and can small business keep up with them? Do we demand that the Dow Jones, despite being a small company, keep up economically with -er- the Jones's? Do we demand that our small bookstores carry the latest titles and be open at our fancy? Maybe our big box ideals are driving the smaller businesses into the ground. We say we want independence to prevail, but do we really?

We can only wait to see what happens with the Wall Street Journal and Seven Jeans. I hope that a new kind of hybrid could emerge - one in which both strengths are leveraged. Maybe these newly purchased companies will prove that.

After all, it all turned up roses for Tom and Meg.