Gyft recently added Whole Foods and gives Bitcoiners the option to purchase fresh high quality produce for Bitcoin, but this news also opens a proverbial pandora’s box for the Bitcoin community.
Bitcoin has succeeded at increasing the number of thousandaires and millionaires on the planet with vastly different values than those who have been wealthy for the past 50 years and will be reshaping history for the foreseeable future… creating a world where all you have to do is hold up a sign and magically 23 Bitcoins appear in your wallet… giving you the power to give back to a non-profit that serves the homeless like Sean’s Outpost.
With this power comes a considerable amount of responsibility as the places we choose to spend our money often dictate our commercial landscape. Every time Bitcoin is sent they establish and “up vote” many small businesses and retailers around the world.
Whole Foods is a chain that seeks to have the twin goals of supporting sustainable farming and expanding their profits. So it would seem having a path carved to spend Bitcoin at this pricey retailer is good despite being expensive.
A bigger issue arises when small decisions are scaled up. How many other Bitcoiners will be sending their Bitcoins to large corporations with the same currency that has the power to start newer, more local businesses? It seems as though Gyft has become an enormous steering wheel with the power to careen a volume of Bitcoins to companies built on convenience.
While I am happy that Bitcoins can now provide high quality food in areas saturated with low quality supermarkets, I wonder when we will draw the line and start to undertake initiatives with Bitcoins to intentionally further the values of those who live within a 30 mile radius from where we live.