Name: Adam Ruins Everything - Why "Buy One, Give One" Companies Don't Help Anyone
Uploaded: 2021-07-05T21:01:10.000Z
Duration: 4 min 9 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

Adverbs of manner

Their buy-one-give-one business model has made them massively successful.

"What if I start a shoe company, and every time I sold a pair of shoes, I gave a pair away?"

Oh, no no no, he's just a myth, like Santa Clause.

But the real owner of Toms is a guy named Blake MyCoskie.

And as noble as Blake's intentions may be, the "buy-one-give-one" model is incredibly misguided.

I'm sorry. I don't know how to talk to kids.

Well, it's my show, so I could just like... whatever.

It's not common knowledge, but before Blake founded Toms shoes, he was a reality star.

Who appeared on the Amazing Race and Fox's Sexiest Bachelor America pageant.

Where he gave away something more valuable than shoes. DAT ASS.

But while on a trip to Argentina, Blake saw the devastating effects of poverty with his own piercing-blue eyes.

And he decided, then and there, to devote his life to helping the needy by giving them shoes.

Is he? Is it generous to give people something they don't want or need?

What are you talking about? People in those countries need shoes!

I don't know... uh, when I picture someone in Africa, I imagine them living in a village,

you know, with no shoes and no clothes, and they live in this cute little hut with an elephant,

and everyone is always playing music, and walking around with water jugs on their heads.

Oh my god this is condescending, isn't it?

Tell you what, why don't we just ask someone from Africa?

Yah we should probably.. yeah let's do that.

Surprisingly, yes we do have shoes. We also have shoe stores, and we also have cobblers.

But, what about those Toms ads? You know, with all the videos of the shoeless children?

They find the most extreme situations and make it look like the most common situation on the continent.

Shoes is the least of our problems, really guys.

We're more worried about Malaria, we're worried about getting jobs, or just worried about having electricity in the village for example.

Well if those kids don't need free shoes, why did them take them in the first place?

A kid doesn't understand the ramifications of "me receiving these free shoes from somebody in America".

Well, what it does is actually put people who are creating shoes right out of business.

It takes away the agency of the community to be self-sustaining.

Yeah, one study showed that free clothing donations to Africa reduce employment in their garment industry by half.

The shoes Toms gives away cost them only $4 to make.

So if I get a pair of $4 shoes, and they give away a pair of $4 shoes, where did the other $52 dollars go?

Look, Toms may kind of act like they're charity, but they're a for-profit company.

And last year, Blake sold his stake in Toms in a deal that valued them at six hundred million dollars.

Oh, no, look, corporations are capable of doing plenty of good in the world.

Like, when they contribute to local economies.

But the buy-one-give-one model, doesn't help anyone.