Since my mom arrived in Kentucky, she has taken on a new project—get Kelsey to buy a bed. Those of you who have hosted me during World Tour stops know how infamously frugal I am with the church’s money. Don’t think I become a spendthrift when the money is my own! When I moved to Louisville, two years ago, I went out and found the cheapest possible twin bed I could from a store aptly named “Mattress Mart.” Last summer, David let me take an old full-sized bed from his house to sleep on. After thinking deeply on the topic, Mom has decided I need, as she calls it, “an adult bed.”

So last night we went to both the Serta and Seely mattress stores to look around. Obviously I’m not too picky about beds, or I would have ditched David’s 20-year-old set months ago. But after a bit I found a beautiful Serta Perfect Sleeper Amber Night Plush, Queen Size… for $850.

Here’s the dilemma—Mom tells me I can get a bed of comparable quality, for about half the price, if I’ll only go to Sam’s Club. Now personally, I’m not a Sam’s Club/Wal-Mart fan for a couple of reasons: I don’t really like the goods, to be honest, and I’m too aware of Wal-Mart’s business tactics. Things like the fact that the largest civil rights class-action lawsuit in U.S. history was filed against Wal-Mart on behalf of 1.5 million female employees, charging sex discrimination. Or the fact that when workers in a Quebec Wal-Mart recently unionized for fairer wages, Wal-Mart shut down the entire store. Many people, especially from rural communities where Wal-Mart is the only game in town, don’t have a choice of where to shop. I do, and I choose not to shop at Wal-Mart or Sam’s Club. It is simply a personal ethics issue.

Usually, this stand isn’t a problem when we’re talking about a $12 CD that I can buy just as cheaply elsewhere. But the temptation to crack becomes much greater when we’re talking about the difference between an $800 bed versus one for $400 at Sam’s Club. If you’re like me, in college or just striking out on your own, $400 pays your rent for a month. People my age, unless you’re Paris Hilton, don’t generally blow off that kind of money. Our resources are too limited.

But you see, that’s how they suck us in. I once watched an episode of a certain cartoon show about a “Wall-Mart.” In it, all the residents of a small town decide not to shop at this Wall-Mart because it is decimating the local economy. After the resolution, though, characters start obsessing over all the bargains they’re missing. When one of them finally goes to the store, secretly at night, he discovers all his neighbors have broken the boycott as well.

The cartoon eventually points out that the evil really lies within each of us—as consumers, we’re so individualistically-minded, so addicted to the best buy, that we ultimately destroy ourselves and our communities (lower wages, dying small businesses, outsourced manufacturing jobs) by letting our greed overcome our principles. Ultimately, unethical companies of any kind can’t exist without our collective consent. And we give it to them with our almighty dollar.

I’m still not sure how I’ll solve the bed problem. Maybe I’ll just keep the old bed, or maybe I’ll bite the bullet and get the $800 Serta. But really—what’s the point of having morals if you’re going to abandon them with the first $400 bed that comes along?

“You shall pay them their wages daily before sunset, because they are poor and their livelihood depends on them; otherwise they might cry to the Lord against you, and you would incur guilt.” --Deuteronomy 24:15

Kelsey

PS—If any of you have recommendations for a good, comfy bed, I would appreciate it. I’ve read some online reviews that make me kind of leery of this whole bed-buying thing.

I too need help finding the right bed.

I need to find somewhere that sells REALLY cheap mattresses. I've just moved into a new house, but I'm only renting so god knows how long I'll be here. It isn't furnished, but I already have a bed so that isn't important (it's standard double size, by the way). I don't want to spend loads purely because I'll probably just end up throwing it away when I move again.