Predatory Business: Difference between revisions
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== Literature == |
== Literature == |
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* Early example: Ring's Come-one Come-all Up-to-date Stores from ''An International Affair'' by [[P. G. Wodehouse]]. Local, cosy "Ma and Pa" tea-shop depends on students of local boarding school. Along comes Evil Franchised Store, undercutting them something awful and fully intending to take advantage of the local yokels. Then some plucky students band together, have tea at the New Place, and secretly take something that makes them really sick, thus giving the New Place a reputation for food poisoning. |
* Early example: Ring's Come-one Come-all Up-to-date Stores from ''An International Affair'' by [[P. G. Wodehouse]]. Local, cosy "Ma and Pa" tea-shop depends on students of local boarding school. Along comes Evil Franchised Store, undercutting them something awful and fully intending to take advantage of the local yokels. Then some plucky students band together, have tea at the New Place, and secretly take something that makes them really sick, thus giving the New Place a reputation for food poisoning. |
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* Subverted in Emile Zola's ''Au Bonheur des Dames'', where the owner of the aggressively expanding corporation is the protagonist. It doesn't prevent Zola from pointing out (with impressive foresight) how such stores tend to drive their less competitive |
* Subverted in [[Emile Zola]]'s ''[[Au Bonheur des Dames]]'', where the owner of the aggressively expanding corporation is the protagonist. It doesn't prevent Zola from pointing out (with impressive foresight) how such stores tend to drive their less competitive neighbors out of business. |
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** And the owner is a manipulative bastard who plays on humans baser instincts. |
** And the owner is a manipulative bastard who plays on humans baser instincts. |
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* ''The Store'', a horror novel by [[Bentley Little]]. A large corporation places "The Store" in the protagonist's home town and [[It Got Worse|things go downhill from there]]. |
* ''The Store'', a horror novel by [[Bentley Little]]. A large corporation places "The Store" in the protagonist's home town and [[It Got Worse|things go downhill from there]]. |
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** The stores themselves appear to be clean if a draw for paranormal activity. It's just that the chain exists not to do business but to cover the movements of and provide (what are effectively) "arms caches" to a very high priced contract killer. It's left unspecified whether the chain is subsidized by the proceeds of criminal activity (which would indeed let it unfairly compete). |
** The stores themselves appear to be clean if a draw for paranormal activity. It's just that the chain exists not to do business but to cover the movements of and provide (what are effectively) "arms caches" to a very high priced contract killer. It's left unspecified whether the chain is subsidized by the proceeds of criminal activity (which would indeed let it unfairly compete). |
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* In the ''[[Barry Trotter]]'' parody series, the Voldemort stand-in Lord Valumart fits this trope by selling magical goods to the Muddle world. |
* In the ''[[Barry Trotter]]'' parody series, the Voldemort stand-in Lord Valumart fits this trope by selling magical goods to the Muddle world. |
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== Live Action TV == |
== Live Action TV == |
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