With the holidays coming up, one thing comes to mind, and it’s not celebrating the birth of Jesus or another holiday. It’s the shopping. All of the holiday sales, the music and long lines at the mall. Over time, these have become staples of the holiday season. People are entranced by deals like 25 percent off or free gift with purchase in the hope of finding that perfect gift.

But shoppers should also be “checking their list twice” for which stores they should be supporting.

Companies develop reputations in many ways. It’s up to consumers to decide what aspects of a company’s reputation they want to take into consideration when making purchases. However, doing some research into a company’s ethical background is beneficial for people who want to be informed about how and in what environment the products they are buying are being made.

One way a company can gain a reputation is based on its ethical conditions and treatment of employees. Many companies have been exposed for making factory workers work extremely long hours in poor conditions for dismal pay. For example, according to Action for Our Planet, an animal and human rights website, Nike had production facilities in South Korea and Taiwan, but workers demanded wages that were higher than poverty-level. So Nike moved its factories to Thailand and Vietnam where it could continue paying workers less than livable wages. However, over the past decade, Nike has done a considerable job changing its working conditions by making sure contract manufacturers comply with its code of conduct.

This doesn’t mean consumers should stop buying from companies similar to Nike and only support fair trade companies. But maybe you don’t need to buy that third pair of Nike LunarGlide 6 Flash’s when your old pair has hardly been worn.

A company’s reputation can also be damaged with discriminatory practices it endorses through people it hires or consumers it attempts to attract. For example, Abercrombie and Fitch has a history of fat-shaming young women by only stocking XS-L sizes to avoid overweight women being seen in its brand and for hiring people based on appearance. Its exclusionary and demeaning business practices can directly affect you as a consumer. It is important to think about what companies like this endorse before buying from them.

Walmart practices unethical business practices through a history of discrimination against women, minorities and people with disabilities. According to the East Tennessean website, though 92 percent of of Walmart’s cashiers are women, only 14 percent of female employees are store managers. While Walmart’s actions may not directly affect you, it is worthwhile to consider if its actions are worthy of your support as a consumer.

An alternative is to invest your money in companies that give back. Toms and Love Your Melon (bonus: founded by St. Thomas students) are based on a buy-one-give-one model. These companies and others create platforms that help people in need and are a good way to make a difference with your money.

But why you should care if most of these things do not directly affect you as a consumer? Why should you care as long as it doesn’t interfere with customer service or product quality? It is each individual’s choice to decide if supporting companies with a good ethical track record is important.

For me as a consumer, it is important to consider what I am indirectly supporting through my purchases. You are probably not in favor of worker mistreatment or discrimination, but this holiday season – and any time of year – think about which companies are the companies you want to support.

Claire Noack can be reached at noac8702@stthomas.edu.