Pierre's not any better than Joja

[Linus Hyper]

All Pierre ever dream of is to open more shops and become wealthy.
He openly confesses this when being talked to. He's not even shy about it.
No care at all for the customers.
And he's also a drug addict.

Morris was the same. The only real difference was that he was part of a company, while Pierre's independent.

Ah well, at least I restored the Community Center.

[paugus]

Yeah, there's a lot of hypocrisy (especially among the fanbase) about Joja vs "Community." Basically, Joja is just a more successful version of what Pierre wants, but he gets a pass because there's a nasty little sentiment being popularized that success = you did something immoral to get there.

Sorry kids, apparently hard work and elbow grease don't matter in success anymore, as soon as you achieve wealth you become (read: you always were) an evil slaveholding environment-destroying heartless capitalistic savage.

Only reasons I shop at Pierre's are very slightly cheaper prices and very slightly shorter walk.

[Loathsome Llama]

I don't see evil vs. good here. I see you, the customer deciding which business flourishes and which does not. This is accurate in real life as well. Ultra big corporations like wal-mart don't thrive because evil reigns and nice guys finish last. They have a good business model, and customers respond to it. By shopping at walmart or by not, I help shape how successful that company is. The same can be said of Pierre vs Joja. Two men seeking wealth and success, both with business models. One is a clean store with professional shelving and a large selection of products. The other is a mom and pop country store with less accomodating hours, fewer selection, but local, with a down to earth feel. The customer (you) gets to decide which store to patronize, and thus, which one survives. Afterall, you are without a doubt, their biggest customer.

[Linus Hyper]

Originally posted by Sabertooth:

snip

Good point

[Lamplighter]

I like the idea of restoring the community centre over turning it into a warehouse, however I don't like that you drive the JojaMart out of business because it gives Pierre a monopoly and takes away choice from the people living in the town. Now they have to shop at Pierre's.

Would be nice if a new family moves to town and opens up their own store giving Pierre some much needed competition again.

[I Kinda Fail]

I don't think he's really a drug addict?

[Linus Hyper]

Originally posted by I Kinda Fail:

I don't think he's really a drug addict?

I put a spoiler there for a reason.

[I Kinda Fail]

Originally posted by Linus Hyper:

Originally posted by I Kinda Fail:

I don't think he's really a drug addict?

I put a spoiler there for a reason.

Spoiler tags don't make it true?

[CeliriaRose]

Agreed. One of the biggest problems with the writing in the game for me is that it feels like ConcernedApe wasn't sure where he wanted to go with the Joja vs Pierre conflict.

On one hand he writes both Morris and Pierre in a lot of cases fairly ambiguously. Neither is necessarily good or bad they simply both have their good sides and flaws. This could have made for an interesting story choice and plot. But then the game turns around and treats Joja as the stereotypical big evil corporation hell bent on running Pierre out of business as they run their cold soulless work facility, and try to drive away small town values and nature.

It would have been better if the game had just chosen a side. Do you want to be ambiguous or do you want Joja to be evil, trying to do both at the same time just causes the sides of the story to clash with each other weakening the overall story as a whole.

[Linus Hyper]

Originally posted by I Kinda Fail:

Originally posted by Linus Hyper:

I put a spoiler there for a reason.

Spoiler tags don't make it true?

Go play CoD instead.

[Lamplighter]

Dude I was confused af about your drug addict comment but then after googling I found out some people Think his secret stash is drugs? I always thought it was something more comical like Joja cola.

In addition even if someone is a drug addict it doesnt make them a bad person necessarily

[Seraphita]

Originally posted by Linus Hyper:

Originally posted by I Kinda Fail:

Spoiler tags don't make it true?

Go play CoD instead.

This really wasn't needed... Why not just explain why you think he's wrong, instead...?

[Nakos]

The thing about Pierre's Secret Stash is that you don't know what it is.

It's something illicit (within context) but it doesn't actually matter what.

The whole point is that it's actually funnier if you don't know what it is specifically. If people knew what it actually was, then the arguments would shift, because some people would find the specific item horrifying, and some would find it innocous.

But if you don't know, then the fact that it is an illicit stash takes center stage.

And that's the point. Pierre is hiding something, he's got a secret. The fact that it's a secret is more important than what the secret is.

There are pros and cons to both paths (Joja vs the Community Center). I personally think the community center is the best path, but it's not all good (Shane and Sam both lose their jobs for example). But Pierre is at least a real part of the community, whereas Morris is clearly only interested in sucking out the cash.

Yes, companies like Walmart do offer a successful business model, but that doesn't mean that they're actually good for any given specific community. They're more efficient, but they centralize the profits instead of re-investing them into the communities they "serve". All you have to do is drive through a local town before and after a Walmart moves in and count the number of empty store fronts. Sometimes inefficiency means better distribution of wealth at the level of the private citizen. Stardew Valley is an abstration, it doesn't actually represent that very well. In the real world, it would take more small business to replace a Walmart, meaning more people would (eventually, not right away) be employed. But if we're going to start looking at that, then we also need to look at the impact of Amazon, which is even cutting into Walmart's profits. Retail brick-and-mortar are waning, and that's a lot of jobs that have been lost, and a lot more that are still going to be lost before all the dust settles.

Regardless, SDV is a game. The game needs to offer choices in order for individual players to feel empowered. Joja vs the Community Center is one of the big ones. In terms of game structure, the two paths serve many purposes.

[Ekat]

Originally posted by Nakos:

--snip--

Good point. I completely agree.

[The Y'All Of Us]

I always thought that stash was just pornographic. Now I've had my eyes opened to much crazier possibilities.

[M. fasciatus]

Originally posted by Nakos:

I personally think the community center is the best path, but it's not all good (Shane and Sam both lose their jobs for example).

Personally I wouldn't mind giving Shane and Sam work on my farm. It's not like I can't afford it.

That said what I'd really like is for the Joja Mart building to get reopened and put to better use. It's not like the town couldn't do with a recycling shop judging by the kinds of things that they throw out in the trash...