Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Is it not fact that the waltons who own walmart are worth 100+ billion? Is it a fact they own 50% plus of walmart stock? Is it a fact that walmart cost the american tax payer billions in taxes for low wages? We talk about welfare to the poor as a waste because most are able bodied. I can't see anyone more able bodied to be socially responsible to communities or its employees then Wallmart. You said it Walmart operates over 11,000 retail units under 71 banners in 27 countries. They employ 2.2 million associates around the world — 1.3 million in the U.S. alone." Walmart Locations Around the World.
Didnt Wal-Mart CEO Doug McMillon Get a $25.6M Pay Package? Didnt Walmart CEO Michael Duke's $35 million salary converts to $16826.92 an hour? Half of Walmart workers made less than $22,400 in 2012. So i ask you which ma & pa type operation owner is worth 100+ billion? Pays there CEO or manager 35 million? Or the owners personal pay is 16k an hr?
OpenD is correct ma & pa local stores do pay more.
None of the above, ^^^ matters with what we were discussing.
Walmart is a retail operation. They pay normal retail wages.
Would you be whining about Walmart if they had a $10 billion loss this year?
I bet no, you would still complain about them, because "all corporations are evil"
It is what the socialists have been screaming for years, hoping the phrase sticks.
Too bad though, that almost all small businesses (unless they are really dumb) are incorporated!
So are most "family farmers"!
All of those other big stores that have now opened all around Walmart in Hilo, as well as all of the other small shops that have done the same, have bettered Hilo's economy - not decimated it as obsolete and misleading mainland studies might have one to believe. Just because you google a mainland study done by a liberal group with an agenda doesn't mean it is true, especially in Hawaii. It certainly isn't in this case.
So we should ABSOLUTELY be talking about those small stores in Hilo, who limit workers to 19 hours a week and pay less per hour than what Walmart does. Why do they get a free pass on wages and hours?
ps - despite a weird reference on another post that they sell books - the Hilo Walmart has no book department. They sell the odd book or two here and there in some departments, but there is no book department that could have possibly caused a small book store or two to close up shop in Hilo. Just more false information.
The Wal-Mart in Hilo does have a small book section; however, it's presence has little impact on other book retailers -- Amazon.com and the increasing use of e-books did more harm to small bookstores than anything else. Some folks tend to forget that we're in an era of technological innovation and change. Traditional bookstores, newsstands, music stores, DVD rental stores, etc. are "retail dinosaurs" that may eventually become extinct.
The Wal-Mart in Hilo does have a small book section; however, it's presence has little impact on other book retailers -- Amazon.com and the increasing use of e-books did more harm to small bookstores than anything else. Some folks tend to forget that we're in an era of technological innovation and change. Traditional bookstores, newsstands, music stores, DVD rental stores, etc. are "retail dinosaurs" that may eventually become extinct.
True, but I was talking about the impact on the community 18 years ago, before Amazon et al had become a major factor. It was not "nothing" and it absolutely changed the face of Hilo. Whether that was for the better or not is a matter for debate, but personally I would love to see the old Downtown area brought back up to full economic health, although it seems unlikely any time soon due to the dominance of the big box stores in South Hilo.
I'm not a fan of Walmart and only on rare occassion do I go to one. However, the bottom line is that real people DO see a real value in Walmart. If they didn't, Walmart never could have expanded the way it has. In Hawaii, if people didn't see the value, they wouldn't shop there. You could also make a compelling argument that WalMart has made living on the Islands easier for local families by reducing the costs on essential items needed for daily living and thus freeing up more money for each local household to spen on other necessary things like housing, electricity, gas, etc. If not for Walmart, the cost of living, particularly for lower income working families, could be substantially higher and force more of them out of their homes and off of the island.
And while I've never been to the Walmart on the Big Island, I can tell you that the WalMart near Ala Moana mall on Oahu is surrounded by many small local businesses that don't seem impacted at all.
I'm not a fan of Walmart and only on rare occassion do I go to one. However, the bottom line is that real people DO see a real value in Walmart. If they didn't, Walmart never could have expanded the way it has. In Hawaii, if people didn't see the value, they wouldn't shop there. You could also make a compelling argument that WalMart has made living on the Islands easier for local families by reducing the costs on essential items needed for daily living and thus freeing up more money for each local household to spen on other necessary things like housing, electricity, gas, etc. If not for Walmart, the cost of living, particularly for lower income working families, could be substantially higher and force more of them out of their homes and off of the island.
And while I've never been to the Walmart on the Big Island, I can tell you that the WalMart near Ala Moana mall on Oahu is surrounded by many small local businesses that don't seem impacted at all.
True, but I was talking about the impact on the community 18 years ago, before Amazon et al had become a major factor. It was not "nothing" and it absolutely changed the face of Hilo. Whether that was for the better or not is a matter for debate, but personally I would love to see the old Downtown area brought back up to full economic health, although it seems unlikely any time soon due to the dominance of the big box stores in South Hilo.
It wasn't necessarily the "big box" stores that changed the face of Hilo and its downtown retail environment -- it was the opening of Prince Kūhiō Plaza in 1985. Unfortunately, Prince Kūhiō Plaza has it's own particular challenges, such as being anchored by department stores that are on the decline. Here's a link to a "U.H. Hilo Retail Demand Study" that analyzes the overall retail market in Hilo. http://hilo.hawaii.edu/villageCFO/do...rch-8-2011.pdf
None of the above, ^^^ matters with what we were discussing.
Walmart is a retail operation. They pay normal retail wages.
Would you be whining about Walmart if they had a $10 billion loss this year?
I bet no, you would still complain about them, because "all corporations are evil"
It is what the socialists have been screaming for years, hoping the phrase sticks.
Too bad though, that almost all small businesses (unless they are really dumb) are incorporated!
So are most "family farmers"!
No corporations are not evil, greed its evil. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Being rich isn't bad, being rich and not putting back into the trikle down economic model is bad for everyone. To make billions at the expence of others and taxpayers is ugly. Sorry.
Your quote: Would you be whining about Walmart if they had a $10 billion loss this year? end quote: Yes if they paid there CEO 35 million and used the loss as excuse to cut wages etc.
Your quote: And while I've never been to the Walmart on the Big Island, I can tell you that the WalMart near Ala Moana mall on Oahu is surrounded by many small local businesses that don't seem impacted at all. end quote:
Huh, you are aware that they used to be inside ala moana yes? In fact ala moana used to be a local business mall with the excecption of a few large businesses, that should tell you the effect of large outside businesses on local business.
The graphs, figures 5a and 5b are particularly stunning.
I hope the naysayers here will read thru this report as it parallels what I have been saying regarding what has happened here in Hilo.
I can also find a study that says walmart is the savour of our country if i look hard enough lol.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
