More Proof that Walmart is evil!

[Grammatron]

You dont like zoning?

Whta disturbed me is how deep pockets Walmart tried to force their way in by buying a spot on the ballot.

It's not the issue of zoning, it's the fact they use it as an issue only when Wal-Mart is involved what I don't like.

Exactly how did they buy a spot on the ballot? I must have read a different article than you.

 

[Linda]

Does anyone else remember WalMart's credo that they would only sell goods that were made in America? Did I dream that?

Back in the early '90s I worked at a small ladies clothing manufacturing company in Miami. When I say small, our volume was about $2.0 million/yr, and our largest customer was a 9 store chain in Florida of specialty swim and sportwear shops. The vast majority of our customers were mom 'n pop boutiques in small towns across the country. They specialized in clothing you didn't find in the big department or chain stores. Fully 40% of our customers had an address on "Main St." (I was bored one day and did the analysis.)
Without exception, every town that had a WalMart move in, our customer would be out of business within a year. They just couldn't compete with their prices. And that was a shame, because everytime you lose an independent business, you lose the uniqueness of the merchandise they carried....whether it was clothing, jewelry, shoes, accessories, hardware...whatever. Eventually we lost enough of our customer base that we closed down too (I left before that). The sad part is that, just like major malls in every city in America, our towns are losing their individuality and unique character. You can go into any major mall or shopping center anywhere in the US and not be able to distinguish it from any other.

And I do shop at my local Walmart....a huge supercenter. It's just so convenient to find everything I need in one location for a good price. But I wish there were a Target store closer...at least they give back more to the community through their Foundation.

 

[Michael Redman]

Linda, my wife and I were just discussing the "Made in US" thing. They sure dropped that fast. I wonder if this could have happened if old Sam were still around.

A corporation taking profits out of town is not helping the community as much as a locally owned business, where the profits are spent locally. That's pretty obvious. In addition, the property value (and tax revenue) of a Walmart is a tiny fraction of the smaller stores it generally replaces.

Still, that's business. The reason Walmart is evil is that, compared to most employers, Walmart treats employees very, very badly.

 

[Grammatron]

..snip..
The sad part is that, just like major malls in every city in America, our towns are losing their individuality and unique character. You can go into any major mall or shopping center anywhere in the US and not be able to distinguish it from any other.
..snip..

I think you can take that point and expend to cover cities worldwide. It may be sad but it's an inevitable side effect of progress. It's also a romantic notion that small business somehow wants to help the community. I can't say all, but vast majority of them exist so their owners can make a profit.

At some point every big business was small.

 

[Grammatron]

Linda, my wife and I were just discussing the "Made in US" thing. They sure dropped that fast. I wonder if this could have happened if old Sam were still around.

A corporation taking profits out of town is not helping the community as much as a locally owned business, where the profits are spent locally. That's pretty obvious. In addition, the property value (and tax revenue) of a Walmart is a tiny fraction of the smaller stores it generally replaces.

Still, that's business. The reason Walmart is evil is that, compared to most employers, Walmart treats employees very, very badly.

Do they? I never worked there so I wouldn't know. I know aerocontrols claimed to have been employed there as well as his relatives, perhaps he can tell us how crappy it was to work for them.

 

[Tmy]

Exactly how did they buy a spot on the ballot? I must have read a different article than you.

They spent a million bucks on the initiative! Probably to hire a bunch of signiture hounds and run ads on how wonderful they are.

 

[c0rbin]

The ability to travel long distances made America, not small towns. Don't let John Cougar-Mellonball fool you.

There is a certain American cliche about breaking away from the small town.

So get in your car and go.

 

[Grammatron]

They spent a million bucks on the initiative! Probably to hire a bunch of signiture hounds and run ads on how wonderful they are.

You can do the same by convincing people to volunteer their time. In the end the voters decide no matter vote and in this case looks like the ballet did not pass.

 

[Skeptical Greg]

So WalMart is to blame because the locals stole so much from it that they drove it out of business?

Let me guess, then the Wal Mart moved 8 miles down the road?

I didn't say that.. ( blame ) You are apparently perceptive enough to see the 2nd death was not Walmart's fault, but wouldn't have happened without them...

I think the next closest Walmart was 13 miles.. I understand it's doing O.K..

 

[Skeptical Greg]

Whta disturbed me is how deep pockets Walmart tried to force their way in by buying a spot on the ballot.

Sounds like the ' good ol' American way ', to me...

 

[pgwenthold]

They spent a million bucks on the initiative! Probably to hire a bunch of signiture hounds and run ads on how wonderful they are.

In the end it was defeated. So how did WalMart actually "skirt" the things you claimed it does?

If the local government gives a zoning variance or whatever, then WalMart is not "skirting" anything. It means they are not subject to those things.

If you have a problem with that, take it up with the local government, not WalMart. They are only doing what the government lets them do.

 

[Tmy]

You can do the same by convincing people to volunteer their time. In the end the voters decide no matter vote and in this case looks like the ballet did not pass.

Lets step into the real world. Money talks, especially when it comes to politics. If you aint got the cash you're screwed, even if you are the better candidate.

Luckily the town won out. But it was close, Im surethe anti Walmarters didnt have the funds to match Wallys propaganda machine. Just cause its legal doesnt make it right.

 

[pgwenthold]

I didn't say that.. ( blame )

The title "The town that WalMart killed twice" says it.

You are apparently perceptive enough to see the 2nd death was not Walmart's fault, but wouldn't have happened without them...

"Honestly, your honor, they _forced_ me to steal from them. It wasn't enough for them to have lower prices than the stores where I used to shop without stealing."

 

[LostAngeles]

I think the nail's been hit on the head enough times to induce a coma.

Grammaton is right about L.A. Eight miles is nothing. Around here, you're right near everything. It's a really bizzare paradigm.

 

[Grammatron]

Lets step into the real world. Money talks, especially when it comes to politics. If you aint got the cash you're screwed, even if you are the better candidate.

Luckily the town won out. But it was close, Im surethe anti Walmarters didnt have the funds to match Wallys propaganda machine. Just cause its legal doesnt make it right.

How wrong and naive you are. You think "people" are fighting Wal-Mart? How about large grocery chains and unions, they have plenty of funds to match the "evil" Wal-Mart.

 

[Nyarlathotep]

Do they? I never worked there so I wouldn't know. I know aerocontrols claimed to have been employed there as well as his relatives, perhaps he can tell us how crappy it was to work for them.

I don't know about aerocontrols, but I used to work there about ten years ago. I have no beef with Wal-Mart over working conditions or anything. The pay wasn't great but it was about what one would expect for an unskilled job in my neck of the woods. They had a pretty good benefits package, though. They were also the first company I worked for that ever had any kind of profit sharing, meager though it was. It at least gave people the incentive to do more than the bare minimum work necessary not to get fired.

 

[aerocontrols]

Do they? I never worked there so I wouldn't know. I know aerocontrols claimed to have been employed there as well as his relatives, perhaps he can tell us how crappy it was to work for them.

Not me. My brother and sister were (sister still is) employed by WalMart, as well as my roomate during my undergrad years. I worked construction during and out of high school.

None of them had much bad to say that's any worse than working for anyone else. My sister moved from from getting screwed working for a 'Mom and Pop' restaurant to Wal-Mart, which pays her more than minimum wage. The 'Mom and Pop' restaurant makes all the employees work as wait staff so that they can pay less than minimum wage.

My roomate told me he thinks the female employees that are currently suing walmart for sexist practices in job promotion probably have a good case. I haven't asked my sister about it.

MattJ

 

[Jocko]

Not me. My brother and sister were (sister still is) employed by WalMart, as well as my roomate during my undergrad years. I worked construction during and out of high school.

None of them had much bad to say that's any worse than working for anyone else. My sister moved from from getting screwed working for a 'Mom and Pop' restaurant to Wal-Mart, which pays her more than minimum wage. The 'Mom and Pop' restaurant makes all the employees work as wait staff so that they can pay less than minimum wage.

I myself put in six months one summer as a kid at K Mart, and let me tell you, it was a union shop. I paid my dues every month - right off the top of my check - and got exactly jack squat in return. Apart from the Hoffa shakedown, it wasn't too bad a job.

F-unions.

Edited to add: That's F the unions, not "Funions" the fried snacks.

 

[Number Six]

This is only tangentially relevant but let me say it anyway because it's a pet peeve of mine. Bigger stores are okay with me except when they start mixing food and everything else in the universe. I go shopping for food every single week and it bugs me that it takes longer because I have to walk through the bath towel section or that I can't get my cart around the corner because there's a giant gas grill display set up or whatever.

Give me access to quick and easy food shopping because I have to do that 50 times a year. I only go shopping for that other crap once or twice a year so put it all in some other store so that I don't have to bother with it.

 

[WildCat]

Place is so damned windy because Texas sucks and Kansas blows.

Hey! Stop stealing Chicago's jokes about Wisconsin and Indiana! Chicago is the "Windy City", after all.

Oklahoman's have no creativity.