This is a great article about the Wal-Mart effect. I really hate all the Wal-Mart bashing that goes on these days. I, for one, would have a very tough time raising 3 kids without Wal-Mart.
I hate SPAM email as much as the next guy but I am not sure about this case. I guess I need to know more about the Virginia law.
Wow! Al Sharpton is a corrupt politician! Who would have thought?
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6 comments:
Little Brother,
I can understand city people not having a hard time with Wal-Mart. There is is however, the small town effect. We here in Ava, MO have very few remaining small businesses in town due to Wal-Mart. They come in to our stores, including mine, and check to see what we sell and for how much. When I opened my frame shop, the next month Wal-Mart had a big center aisle display of picture frames. It wasn't there before, and then it was. A lady opened a dress shop three months ago. She carries a certain style clothing. Wal-Mart didn't have this type of clothing in stock until the new dress shop opened. Wal-Mart is guilty of anti trust due to the market share they hold in our town. They can go to hell....they don't care....they take the profit out of small town economy and send it elsewhere. Burn baby burn...
Little Brother II,
Now that I have read the article, I must disagree with the point of the article. The "Wal Mart effect" the author refers to is only valid in towns with draw for money from outside it's own area, ie a college, gobs of manufacturing, etc. We here in Ava have one employer here of more than 50 people(not counting wal mart). So, wal mart takes 80-90% of our retail dollars, employs many people less than full time at low wages, and they are to be praised? They did not cause new and inventive shops to open in my comunity, they attempted to close those shops...
I can understand the frustration that a small business owner would have when trying to compete against Wal-Mart. Would it be easier for you to compete against Target, or Michals? Would those retails stores use different tactics that Wal-Mart does?
As for jobs, how many people do you employ? Did you lay-off people? How many now work for Wal-Mart? Those people who work for Wal-Mart in Ava - how many work there because Wal-Mart put someone out of business? Did these people make more money at the mom and pop stores? Did they have benifits? I only ask these questions becasue I don't know anything about the job situation in Ava (I have only been there once).
I can say that, here, Wal-Mart works just like this article says. The build the one in Avondale in an empty field a mile from anything. Now it is the canter of a larger retail complex with dozens of specialty shops around. How do these shops stay in business? Many of them sell products that Wal-Mart sells and at higher prices. Somehow they stay in business.
I think that is Wal-Mart were so evil people would not do business with them (many don't I know). I willingly and happily support local stores that provide goods and services that I want and need. This weekend I had to go to Wal-Mart to buy a couple of tires, not because I wanted to but becasue I needed tire and no one else was open on a Sunday. They were inexpensive and I was out in just over an hour.
Keep fighting brother, no one should like there competition, they are trying to put you out of business, but that is how business works. If you provide better service and a better product you will survive.
Little Brother,
The problem with Wal -Mart is their idea is to be the only business in town. We don't have the people to support the typical big box store. Best Buy would never open in Ava. Wal-Mart moves into areas of retail they were not previuosly in, to put someone out of business. Then, after the small retail shop closes, their inventory changes to remove the products the small store carried. If I closed my doors, in 6 months the frame inventory would be as it was before we opened. Of course this has all changed, since the opening of the "Supercenter."
As far as the positives for the employees, a major majority do not qualify for benefits. They are not scheduled enough hours per week.
In the big cities, a commerce center will build around a WM. Here it will not. There are only 3500 people in our town. There is not enough money to be spent in these other businesses. Before wal mart showed up in Ava, the square was full of businesses, and the money travelled in a circle in town. The few manufacturing jobs in town brought more money into the town. Now that the majority of those businesses are gone, the money goes to Bentonville, AR. Yesterday I counted 4 empty buildings on the square, 3 very inactive businesses, and mine. I am thinking about closing due to the drop in business since the supercenter opened. Heck, what's another empty building on the square anyway?
I try to look at this without the prejudice of a competitor. It's hard to do. I just don't think it is in the town's best interest to have only one location to buy 90% of our consumables. What's next? The bank of Wal-Mart, insurance, medical care, auto sales?
I hear ya bro. The real issue is how to you keep people from doing business with Wal-Mart and keep them doing business with you and other small business owners? Tough situation to be in!
Lil' Brother,
THAT is the crux of the biscuit!
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