The Company Store

Spencer: Mine operators would also often dock the pay of their miners when they found slate and rock mixed in with the coal. The man who did the weighing was the judge of this and since he was paid directly by the mine owner, it was not uncommon for him to just lie about how much non coal wound up in the coal. Some companies would actually make it would ban or fire miners from going into other towns to shop at stores that weren't owned by the company.