Me and my homies gonna put a beat down on Wal-Mart! (Hampton: appliances, purchase)

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by Copanut

I have no problem with the store, my beef is the traffic through North Park. It's bad enough right now with people exceeding the 25mph limit. A 24 hour Walmart generates a large amount of tractor trailer deliveries per week. One of the main entrances will be from Ingomar Road which is a 2 lane road that can barely handle the current traffic. I would rather the main entrance be from McKnight. Sure, some people don't want the "clientele" that Walmart supposedly caters to. Doesn't bother me or most of the people I know, it's the traffic that concerns me.

If the tractor trailers were coming from the North, it wouldn't be a big deal because they're going to turn left at the cinema light. Unfortunately, the main warehouse is located on Route 22. They will be arriving via South on McKnight. That's a lot of truck traffic for Ingomar Road along that little stretch to the light near the funeral home. You may have significant traffic cutting through North Park to make deliveries to/from the Walmart stores on Route 8, but hopefully the new store will be on the route of the trucks that deliver to Cranberry.

I can understand them not wanting to spend the money for a separate ramp, and I truly doubt a separate ramp would prevent trucks from taking the first Ingomar Road ramp. But there IS an old ramp across the street from the entrance into Ingomar Road. Look at google maps. They could repath that and widen it. That way trucks come down the Ingomar Road ramp and simply crossing Ingomar Road. I believe this old ramp was built for deliveries to the old K-Mart. I knew about this ramp because I used to work at that K-Mart and the Ames across the street when I was in college.

I think it's a worthy fight because significant traffic will ruin Ingomar Road and . You just need to come up with a more realistic alternative to a ramp directly off of McKnight that trucks won't likely use anyway. You need to write it all out logically like this town did: Stop the Killingly Wal-Mart Also, start a petition. You should have no problem getting signatures from fellow McCandless township residents. Once the councilmen realize they might not get reelected, they might start pushing Walmart to meet their criteria. Since there really is nowhere else for Walmart to get its foothold in the McKnight area, it's likely to make accommodations that are required by McCandless.

Keep up the good fight. Ross residents were successful in stopping the ramp from McKintire Road to Ross Park Mall. Granted, it's a huge hole in the hillside this many decades later, but there is no traffic going through that residential area. You can rally McCandless rsidents similarly to the Ross residents, but I'd also try to get the county involved because it will negatively impact North Park if the traffic isn't properly addressed. There are actually traffic engineers who study these things to make the best determination of traffic flow. Demand McCandless hire an engineering firm to study it and make a report.

[Copanut]

Originally Posted by Hopes

Ross residents were successful in stopping the ramp from McKintire Road to Ross Park Mall. Granted, it's a huge hole in the hillside this many decades later, but there is no traffic going through that residential area. You can rally McCandless rsidents similarly to the Ross residents, but I'd also try to get the county involved because it will negatively impact North Park if the traffic isn't properly addressed. There are actually traffic engineers who study these things to make the best determination of traffic flow. Demand McCandless hire an engineering firm to study it and make a report.

I had forgotten about that, it would have emptied out near the Middle School, a good comparable.

[Copanut]

Originally Posted by jay5835

Maybe now is the time to treat Mrs. Copanut to that Market Square condo she's been eyeing.

Hey, if she pays for it, I'm in!

I fit the demographics for the average buyer moving into the Strip and Downtown in AGE only. I have a friend in the construction biz working on some condo developments in the Strip. Typical buyer is 50 plus, empty nesters, usually 2nd marriage, or widow who got the cash. And a lot of buyers are from NY, Chicago, and DC that can't believe you can get a condo for under a million. Not sure how that will improve the night life situation. Met a young woman who lives in the Cork Factory with her boyfriend, both in their late 20's. Asked her how she liked it, Well, with all due respect, it's all OLD people living there.

[gg]

Originally Posted by I_Like_Spam

I'm somewhat skeptical of anti-Wal-mart literature and films, I just don't see them as any worse than Target, Family Dollar, K-Mart or Giant Eagle.

Statically they are all about the same. Walmart is the biggest, so they get the publicity. Just like McDonalds is the biggest, so they get attacked all the time. No one cares that Giant Eagle pays bad wages as well as Target. They aren't as big, so everyone likes to attack the biggest. If you want to shop at a store that pays better wages and treats employees better, you can shop at Costco, Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. They pay employees pretty well. Whole Foods pay isn't quite up to the first two though.

[Nick538]

Wal-Mart's pre-tax profit margin in their last full fiscal year was 5.18%.

Lowe's had a pre-tax profit margin of 6.88%.

As a percentage of sales, Wal-Mart's cost of goods sold was 75.18%.

As a percentage of sales, Lowe's cost of goods sold was 65.41%.

What this means is that Lowe's spend 10 cents less for every 1 dollar in sales vs. Wal-Mart.

Finally, Wal-Mart's pre-tax profit per employee was $11,207

Lowe's pre-tax profit per employee was $21,994

I realize that these are two completely different business models but I wanted to make a point. Accurate comparisons should be Wal-Mart vs. Target vs K-Mart, Lowe's vs. Home Depot, Trader Joe's vs. Whole Foods, Costco vs. Price Club and Giant Eagle vs. Shop N Save vs. Kroger.

If the average Wal-Mart employee works 28 hours per week, 51 hours per year, this is 1,428 hours. Wal-Mart could, in theory, pay out an additional $7.85 per hour (actually about $5 when you figure payroll taxes, unemployment, workers comp, etc.) to each employee. So the average wage would go from about $10 per hour to about $15 per hour. This would not improve benefits for employees, nor would it lower prices for customers. It would not guarantee a better shopping experience or cleaner bathrooms. What it WOULD do is wipe out 100% of Wal-Mart's profits and leave no margin for future growth, investment or compensation increases.

BTW, Kroger has unionized employees who get roughly the same amount of hours and pay as their counterparts at Wal-Mart (both groups having worked for a few years). I have never been in a Wal-Mart restroom as filthy as the one in the Wheeling Kroger, which is a nice, newly updated store. So much for union benefits, eh?

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by Nick538

If the average Wal-Mart employee works 28 hours per week, 51 hours per year, this is 1,428 hours. Wal-Mart could, in theory, pay out an additional $7.85 per hour (actually about $5 when you figure payroll taxes, unemployment, workers comp, etc.) to each employee. So the average wage would go from about $10 per hour to about $15 per hour. This would not improve benefits for employees, nor would it lower prices for customers. It would not guarantee a better shopping experience or cleaner bathrooms. What it WOULD do is wipe out 100% of Wal-Mart's profits and leave no margin for future growth, investment or compensation increases.

Costco Pays Retail Employees $20 An Hour - Business Insider

[Moby Hick]

Originally Posted by Nick538

BTW, Kroger has unionized employees who get roughly the same amount of hours and pay as their counterparts at Wal-Mart (both groups having worked for a few years). I have never been in a Wal-Mart restroom as filthy as the one in the Wheeling Kroger, which is a nice, newly updated store. So much for union benefits, eh?

I'm so very sorry you had to urinate in a dirty pot. Maybe there's a support group for you.

But even at the same salary, the union benefits the workers. You add "both groups having worked for a few years," which is a key qualification. If you have a union, you can't be fired as easily. If you can be fired without cause, you can be fired just because you've been there long enough to get a raise. This is a practice WalMart is known for.

For example:

Benefits that new hires don't receive. Long Term associates keep these benefits *Hence a reason to get rid of them*

Decades of Greed: Behind the Scenes With An Angry Walmart Manager

[I_Like_Spam]

Originally Posted by Hopes

Costco Pays Retail Employees $20 An Hour - Business Insider

Wal-Mart and Costco have two very different business models.

[Nick538]

Exactly. Costco cannot be compared to Wal-Mart, because they have vastly different business models.

The average Costco opens only in upper middle class areas, carries 2,000-3,000 SKUs, is only open 96 hours per week and loses money on sales (profiting only on membership sales).

The average Wal-Mart opens anywhere, is generally frequented by a variety of income earners, carries 200,000-300,000 SKUs, is open 24/7 and makes money on sales.

Costco might pay these wages and benefits now but once Charlie Munger (in his 90s) dies and is off their board, Wall Street pressure will begin.

[Copanut]

Think I'll plant this tomorrow.