Walmart in your small town.....any opinions??? (Shelley: sales, to buy)

[Sandpointian]

I think that to consider Wal Mart, one must look beyond Wal Mart simply as a retailer and provider of cheap consumables. It is also a huge source of demand for manufactured goods, a source of charity money, and a conduit both of financial inflows and outflows. The question then for any community is what is the net value.

When we look at Wal Mart as a whole, almost all its demand for manufactured goods is being met by overseas manufacturing jobs. It does provide retail jobs for its "associates" (albeit at "retail-plus" wages) and a smattering of local managerial jobs. What about store profits? Most of those go to corporate and are distributed among shareholders, the largest being the Walton family (which resides somewhere other than Idaho). What about taxes generated? There should be some numbers here, although many Wal-Marts get sweetheart tax deals to locate (mortatoria). What about "giving back to the community?" THere should be some numbers there.

SO when we shake out all the numbers and the opportunity costs of manufacturing jobs being shipped overseas, the proof over net benefits should be seen in the numbers.

My guesstimate is that for some rural areas, Wal Mart would likely be a net, mainly on its ability to keep consumer prices cheap. There are no manufacturing jobs to beging with and no propsect for them. However for other communities, Wal-mart is effectively a foreign country, siphoning off manufacturing jobs and local funds that instead of being recirulated get shipped overseas and elsewhere.

I think for NID it is not not so easy to judge them, since I think they are +/-10% on either side of neutral. Perhaps only when it is -30 to -40% do communities start to actively move to push out Wal-Mart or protest against.

For the time being, I would like to pressure Wal-Mart into purchasing more local product. This might be win-win. Also, I would like to see a full accounting, esp of any sweet-heart tax deals with our dear community leaders.

[Jarndyce]

Originally Posted by SacTown11

I can see you are objective and that your judgment is not clouded by emotion. lol You may think that, but others are free to see Wal-Mart as a source of employment, good deals, and convenience. Are they just red neck inbred morons or are they allowed to believe in something you personally despise?

btw, I do not disagree with you...I think Wal-Mart is a well run business with some of the most worthless crap ever built stocked on its shelves. It is wholly unworthy of my patronage...except, that is, when forced to do a secret Santa at my place of employ. lol

Let freedom reign!

So, the point of your response is to simply launch a front-loaded, weak personal attack with a begrudging acquiesce couched within bizarre qualifications?

WalMart is not a source of any meaningful jobs. The true economic cost of those jobs--the construction of a massive energy-hogging big box store, the destruction of small businesses and traffic congestion--does not make those jobs an efficient longterm tradeoff.

If, as you term them, redneck inbred morons let me make all important decisions for them, their quality of life would improve exponentially and they could still cling to their "freedom."

[SacTown11]

Originally Posted by Jarndyce

So, the point of your response is to simply launch a front-loaded, weak personal attack with a begrudging acquiesce couched within bizarre qualifications?

WalMart is not a source of any meaningful jobs. The true economic cost of those jobs--the construction of a massive energy-hogging big box store, the destruction of small businesses and traffic congestion--does not make those jobs an efficient longterm tradeoff.

If, as you term them, redneck inbred morons let me make all important decisions for them, their quality of life would improve exponentially and they could still cling to their "freedom."

I was not attacking you personally...I was just making an observation on your emotional state. A Wal-Mart opened a few years ago just north of my hometown in California. A town called Anderson. The economy there was languishing and most residents were "crackheads" as far as I could tell. The entire town has been revitalized because of Wal-Mart. You may hate what it stands for and that it donates to Republican causes. I apologize for the redneck inbred moron reference...I am just so used to hearing it from those who despise Wal-Mart here in California. lol

I don't shop at Wal-Mart and I don't even like Wal-Mart, but I don't deny its success and try to impose my dislikes upon the rest of society. Also, you should check into all of the rest of the corporations. Wal-Mart is practicing the same business practices as all major players. I worked at Staples for a few years and they treat their employees worse than Wal-Mart! Staples is based out of Massachusetts and donates to Ted Kennedy so they are okay to treat their employees like garbage. I despise all big box stores simply because they don't offer anything in the way of quality and none of them treat their employees like anything other than expendable, uneducated sub humans! lol

Don't let the media promoted hate/fear mongering rule your life and your judgment of all things. The net gain for Wal-Mart in rural areas is a positive because money flows into that small town from the surrounding areas. Money that never would have come their way before. Wal-Mart in a large city does little other than reap huge profits and is more of a plague upon the landscape. I am sorry you feel you are so superior to rural folk. I live in a city today, but I grew up in a small town and I much prefer the life and people in rural America to those that I run into on a daily basis here in the city...

btw, you sound very much like a Californian...

Can't wait for the day when I will be able to wake up in the morning, look outside, and see nothing but the Idaho sky!

Wow I talk a lot.

[SacTown11]

Originally Posted by Sandpointian

I think that to consider Wal Mart, one must look beyond Wal Mart simply as a retailer and provider of cheap consumables. It is also a huge source of demand for manufactured goods, a source of charity money, and a conduit both of financial inflows and outflows. The question then for any community is what is the net value.

When we look at Wal Mart as a whole, almost all its demand for manufactured goods is being met by overseas manufacturing jobs. It does provide retail jobs for its "associates" (albeit at "retail-plus" wages) and a smattering of local managerial jobs. What about store profits? Most of those go to corporate and are distributed among shareholders, the largest being the Walton family (which resides somewhere other than Idaho). What about taxes generated? There should be some numbers here, although many Wal-Marts get sweetheart tax deals to locate (mortatoria). What about "giving back to the community?" THere should be some numbers there.

SO when we shake out all the numbers and the opportunity costs of manufacturing jobs being shipped overseas, the proof over net benefits should be seen in the numbers.

My guesstimate is that for some rural areas, Wal Mart would likely be a net, mainly on its ability to keep consumer prices cheap. There are no manufacturing jobs to beging with and no propsect for them. However for other communities, Wal-mart is effectively a foreign country, siphoning off manufacturing jobs and local funds that instead of being recirulated get shipped overseas and elsewhere.

I think for NID it is not not so easy to judge them, since I think they are +/-10% on either side of neutral. Perhaps only when it is -30 to -40% do communities start to actively move to push out Wal-Mart or protest against.

For the time being, I would like to pressure Wal-Mart into purchasing more local product. This might be win-win. Also, I would like to see a full accounting, esp of any sweet-heart tax deals with our dear community leaders.

Great points! I am unable to rep you right now, but I wanted to let you know that you are dead on.

[pw72]

I will shop at Wal-Mart for the low prices, but the experience is rarely enjoyable. The parking at the location in my town is awful, especially on any Saturday, where it seems everyone in town has decided to to their shopping. (I guess I'm one of 'em ). In another small Idaho town, an Albertsons closed right across the street from a Wal-Mart. Another chain moved from across town, but it resulted in a net loss of a grocery store. How that could be a positive, I have no idea. There is only one place lower on my list than Wal-Mart, and that would be Winco. (Where a clerk actually told me they got rid of baskets because carts encourage more shopping!)

[SacTown11]

Originally Posted by pw72

(Where a clerk actually told me they got rid of baskets because carts encourage more shopping!)

That sent shivers down my spine....uhg.

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by Summering

OK......Well I'll take your Walmart. I am in a town where there is no stores. We need a Walmart.
I think that they don't realize that our town has many, many, lake communities that use it. Just for fast foods, car shopping, and groceries...
It won't ruin the Mom and Pop stores because we just don't have any....
Our Walmarts are a good 45 min. drive at the least.......
So just send one here.......Tell them to head to Brodheadsville, PA.

I like how this thread is bringing in people from other states, so I feel comfortable contributing. Our community got a Wal-Mart about 21 years ago, before WM became the Bete-Noir of retail. There was no downtown to destroy, it had gone away a long time ago.

Originally Posted by 5Lakes

Sounds like what happened years ago in the smallish town I grew up in. Walmart is only the beginning. Home Depot, Applebees, and all the usual suspects will follow. They ended up building Walmart and all the rest in my town. As you can probably guess the downtown is completely dead these days, complete with deterioration of the surrounding neighborhoods. Most of the mom&pop businesses are no longer. Continue to fight against the big box stores and keep your town nice! This is a common occurrence all across the country

Sears was accused of the same thing in the early days of the last century.

[IFGuy]

While I don't like Walmarts, they tend to bring new eating establishments and other small retailers to its vicinity. I guess that's one positive way to look at it.

[esselcue]

I hope when I finally get relocated to NID I can have a Walmart or other Big Box store close by...not because I love them but because of the convenience. Yup, I am a sell-out to convenience. I live 20 miles from any real sizeable town now (I am still in NO Arizona) and so using the Walmart in town really helps my gas expenditure and time element. They have almost everything. If I lived in walking distance to a lot of smaller shops and stores I would use them, but the sad fact is that Walmart gleaned its success not only on prices but also on convenience. It was the brain child of a very smart man.

[highdesertmutz]

Isn't that ironic.

Instead of it being 'a space odyssey' it truly is a oddity.

This one pushed our IGA out of business. Find it in the New Mexico forum.

When this walmart opened, yeah, they had low prices. Now, after only being in our small town, and shuttering one of our grocery stores, their prices are on the rise.

Walmart SUCKS.
mutz