In citing some study of donation patterns in the primary contest, Ross Douthat labels the GOP the “Party of Sam’s Club” citing donations from janitors, waitresses, etc. Sam’s Club? Perhaps Sam’s Club is different here in Maryland, but the Sam’s Club clientele trends upward – upper middle class suburban folks who have the cash and home storage space to buy goods in bulk.
I don’t think the lower end demographic Douthat is trying to associate with the GOP (and that’s flawed as well since most of those folks vote Democratic even if they’re not donating) is the Sam’s Club demo. Wal-Mart, more likely.
Back when I was a poor redneck in Louisiana, I shopped at Sam’s Club all the time. One thing you have to realize is that while our double-wides might be tornado magnets, they are much, much larger than the kind of places you’re thinking about, the tiny cubbyholes that poor people in big cities live in. It was 50 miles from my home to the nearest mid-sized city, so I basically went grocery shopping once per month for anything that wasn’t perishable (because little country stores are *very* expensive, much like inner city stores) and had a well-stocked deep freeze as well as tons of canned and dry foods. So buying in bulk was the only way to go for everything that was possible to buy in bulk — I basically bought only bread and milk and in-season vegetables locally.
Now, I understand that things are different up there in Yankeeland. Probably more like out here in EssEff, where if you’re poor you’re going to cram a lot of people into apartments (the apartment below me, a 1 bedroom “below market rate” apartment with income restrictions, has anywhere between three and five people living in it depending upon which relative has had a fight with their spouse recently). But we’re not living in the places that this dude was talking about — where, believe me, working class people do buy in bulk from Sam’s Club.
- Badtux the Redneck Penguin
Yeah, I’m going to have to agree with the esteemed representative from Rebeltraitorland. I live in Ohio and you mostly see retirees and lower-income people at my local Sam’s Club.
Cool, Badtux is back.
Out here in Colorado, Sam’s club is busy with Hispanic families, small business owners, and yeah, upscale shoppers too.