At Salon.com, Stephanie Zacharek explains that cheap and plentiful goods are not a good idea. Her article is a review of a new book, "Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture," by Ellen Ruppel Shell. Here's how Zacharek's bottom line regarding Shell's book:

The wealth of cheap goods available to us doesn't make our lives better; instead, it fosters an environment that endangers not just the jobs of American workers but the idea of human labor, period.

It turns out that Shell is not only picking on Wal-Mart. She's talking about those mass-farmed shrimp, as well as trendy stores like IKEA. "We no longer expect craftsmanship in everyday objects; maybe we don't feel we even deserve it."