Consumers and Wage-Earners: The Ethics of Buying Cheap

"Consumers and Wage-Earners: The Ethics of Buying Cheap" by J. Elliot Ross is a book from the early 1900s that looks at the moral side of how we shop, especially how it affects workers. The story connects shoppers and workers, asking important questions about fairness in economics. It begins with an image of a child buying a prize-bag. Ross then shows the connection to young women working in bad conditions to make such items; the author uses this to highlight how chasing low prices might support unfair treatment of workers without us even realizing it. The writer suggests that shoppers have an obligation to ensure fair labor practices, particularly when companies don't treat their employees well.