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Did you know? The average Walmart has at least 150 full time staff members. In total, there are more than 558 people who work at Walmart here in Bernalillo County. The reason I'm writing this thread is because I need to get to the bottom of this problem. In the last two years, Albuquerque has had an offer from more than two possible walmart locations. One, one Osuna NE and one on Montano NW and a Neighborhood Market in the North Valley. Both of these perspective walmarts we turned away and shunned from the nearby neighborhoods. The reasons mainly, "too much traffic", "blowing trash", and a "negative effect on the economy". I underline the last one because it is confusing to me. People in Albuquerque are mad because they can't find a job. Well, there were two oppertunities that Walmart would have made them employees. I once spoke to a homeless man who told me "I'd even work at Walmart if they'd take me". There was his chance. I'm not in support of the Walmart on Osuna because it WILL have an effect on our treasured Balloon Fiesta. However, when they decided to move it to Coors/Montano they had nothing better to do but to fabricate reasons in which Walmart was unacceptable. "Kids ditching school", "trash blowing into the bosque", all things that could have been resolved easily and fast after the Walmart was built. To get to the point. It is some residents of Albuquerque that are keeping away any potential job oppertunities like Walmart. Think about it. If those three Walmarts were built, that would have translated into more than 300 jobs. My auntie retired from Walmart in 2005 and she is living well off in her SW Albuquerque home that she "wouldn't have paid off without Walmart's help". The KEY point is that whenever there are plans to build a BIG BOX store, really do your reasearch and find out its true effects on the community. Thanks for reading.
I think the main reason people oppose Walmarts is because of the social stigma that comes with it. "Kids ditching school" is probably just a mask term. I moved here from Portland, and in the entire area including suburbs it has around five Walmarts. People fight to the death there to prevent Walmart from building. The usual argument is that it attracts crime and lower-class people and pushes out independent shops. I can understand to some degree why people might not want a Walmart in their neighborhood, even though it does produce jobs. I think bringing in more middle-class jobs would be better for the economy than a Walmart.
People oppose wal-mart because it hurts locally owned businesses. They also do not pay well and many, if not most, Wal-Mart employees are still on some sort of public assistance.
Attracting minimum wage wal-mart jobs should not be a priority.
I find it worthy of mention that a nontrivial percentage of the people on Coors on that stretch are on their way to or from the Walmarts at I-40 or Cottonwood. Allowing this Walmart to open would reduce that portion of Coors traffic by 50%. So the traffic argument's pretty silly.
The city zoned the lot the same as what Walmart wants to put in. I don't hear the people fighting it offering to buy the land to turn it into a nature preserve- they just want to prevent the rightful owners of the lots from exercising their rights. When and if it opens, on opening day, many of them will be the same ones busting down the doors to be the first inside.
Walmart pays more than average retail businesses. Mom 'n pop pay Miss Clerky less than Walmart would. Retail pay stinks across the board, but that's been the way it is since before Albuquerque had GrandCentrals, hence not Walmart's fault.
I am 100% for the Wal Marts. They create jobs that local people need; local people who get paid and spend the $ locally, which in turn helps promote more jobs. Nothing worse than people who say lets wait and only bring in places that need more skilled workers, the same places who, heaven forbid, do not want to actually train anyone for those positions.
All the thosands of sad people who are standing at that skilled job gate, unable to get in, are not impressed!
Wal marts do not breed crime, any more than Sonics create hot dog addicts. I have lived in several places that have been brought back to vibrancy by the Wal Marts and I say if you don't like them, don't work there and shop somewhere else!
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
10,749 posts, read 23,822,981 times
Reputation: 14665
Wal-Mart sucks. It's an attrocious crap hole store from hell. If we are relying on Wal-Mart to rescue ABQ for new jobs then standards must be pretty low.
Wal-Mart sucks. It's an attrocious crap hole store from hell. If we are relying on Wal-Mart to rescue ABQ for new jobs then standards must be pretty low.
Oh yes, obviously what you say is true. Oh, wait, why do 120 million Americans visit a Walmart every week? And how is it that a million Americans believe that the highest and best use of their time is to punch in at Walmart? Do yoou think these million people are passing up better jobs?
Sounds to me like ABQ is not smart enough to get the benefits of a Walmart. Too bad.
You really think another Crapmart at Montano is needed when there is one about 8 minutes in each ction north and south on Coors?
Their products may be somewhat cheaper than other stores but you get what you pay for, the quality of much of what they sell is trash. Clothes fall apart, housewares are junk. Grocery sections have stale outdated food on the shelves. They have a bully strategy with suppliers. They treat women like second class citizens. They do everything they can to not hire full time to avoid insurance and other costs.
Happy to shop at Target or Smiths any day knowing their employees are treated reasonably, paid better, and the product I am taking home isn't trash.
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
10,749 posts, read 23,822,981 times
Reputation: 14665
Quote:
Originally Posted by marcopolo
Oh yes, obviously what you say is true. Oh, wait, why do 120 million Americans visit a Walmart every week? And how is it that a million Americans believe that the highest and best use of their time is to punch in at Walmart? Do yoou think these million people are passing up better jobs?
Sounds to me like ABQ is not smart enough to get the benefits of a Walmart. Too bad.
Oh how tragic, as if we don't have several here already. Yes I'm sure we can do better, it's not like we're a small town that really needs one and I could care less what 120 million herds of sheep are doing.
Sounds to me like ABQ is not smart enough to get the benefits of a Walmart. Too bad.
We have like 10 Walmarts...
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