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Walmart is a plague.
When my wife & I would shop there we couldn't shake the feeling that we were in a oversized thrift or dollar store.
The savings isn't worth it.
The staff is what you'd expect for minimum wage.
What we cant get at Costco, we finish up at Smith's
I think it's a good thing, i was worrying what was going to happen to that space, But isn't it a bit smaller than a traditional walmart?? Not sure how it would affect chinatown merchants. They dont really sell the same items IMO and there is a ROSS next door and a Longs nearby too, but that is the same at the Keeaumoku location with a ROSS and Sams club in the midst and dont forget the Walgreens too. Walmart Keeaumoku is packed at midnight too, It certainly is an experience!
There is a sign at the old taco bell store on Fort Street about Marukame Udon moving in and has been there for a bit, I was worried since Macys announced their closing that Marrukame would shelve their plans to open up a downtown store, but Im sure now it will open as usual as Walmart will bring people into the area.
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Originally Posted by Dthraco
I also wonder how they will deal with the homeless in downtown.
Probably the same way they deal with the homeless at the Keeaumoku corridor?
The big problem with Walmart, in my view, is that they are gaming the American social safety network as part of their corporate strategy to keep prices low and profits high. Not only do they squeeze their suppliers for every cent of discount they can muster, even if they force them into no-profit deals, they hire their workers at less than livable wages... experienced retail managers might make $11/hr... then they provide coaching to their workers on how to apply for food stamps and other welfare benefits.
It's easy to find the documentation of this fact online. The CEO of WalMart pays himself $10 mil a year, while the average wage of his workers is about $9/hr. Compare to Costco, where the CEO pays himself $500K a year, and the average worker wage is $18/hr.
And all that cheap WalMart merch is subsidized by US taxpayers. Yikes!
The big problem with Walmart, in my view, is that they are gaming the American social safety network as part of their corporate strategy to keep prices low and profits high. Not only do they squeeze their suppliers for every cent of discount they can muster, even if they force them into no-profit deals, they hire their workers at less than livable wages... experienced retail managers might make $11/hr... then they provide coaching to their workers on how to apply for food stamps and other welfare benefits.
It's easy to find the documentation of this fact online. The CEO of WalMart pays himself $10 mil a year, while the average wage of his workers is about $9/hr. Compare to Costco, where the CEO pays himself $500K a year, and the average worker wage is $18/hr.
And all that cheap WalMart merch is subsidized by US taxpayers. Yikes!
Keep your dollars in your community, buy local, keep the box stores out. Very good doc right here took me awhile to find it again.
This doc explains how Walmart mainly (and other box stores) crush everyone around them and destroy communities.
Is there room for independent retailers in an American landscape littered with big-box corporate chain stores? Husband and wife TV-news veterans Hanson Hosein and Heather Hughes set out on an epic, 32-state cross-country road trip to see how independent businesses are faring. Their rules: avoid interstate highways and try to patronize only locally owned establishments. In the process, they discover stories of ingenuity, self-reliance, community activism and a growing nationwide opposition to corporate uniformity.
It's a downward spiral. We make less, so we try to save money on the things we buy. The big box stores sell things for less and keep all the profits for themselves. We get paid less because all the profits go to a few people. We have less to spend, so we try to get the best deals. So on and so on.
I don't believe humans are capable of breaking out of this cycle. Activism and education on the problem won't fix it. Just my opinion.
It's a downward spiral. We make less, so we try to save money on the things we buy. The big box stores sell things for less and keep all the profits for themselves. We get paid less because all the profits go to a few people. We have less to spend, so we try to get the best deals. So on and so on.
I don't believe humans are capable of breaking out of this cycle. Activism and education on the problem won't fix it. Just my opinion.
I've come to the conclusion our economy is a process where we constantly "take from each other" (legalized stealing). Just my humble opinion.
I shop at Walmart if it suits my needs. I shop at Costco if it suits my needs. I shop at the neighborhood market if it suits my needs. I shop at the recycling center at the transfer station if it suits my needs.
Yes, it is important to keep the "well being" of the local economy in mind, but I wonder about the selectiveness that the public can show in their decision making. How many feel OK about spending $$ on booze (while some folks do without a meal due to finances)? How many buy GMO products/foods (while there is highly suspected health concern as well as conglomerate ownership of certain GMO crops)? How many still spend $$ at a certain fast food outlet that has a history of lying to customers about food content?
How many toss their "shopping/eating ideals" to the wind when on vacation, in effect saying that the place they are visiting is less important than their home town area, or that their health is less important to themselves when on vacation than when at home?
And what about foreign owned US companies, how much of that money even stays in America?
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Citizens For Equal Trade (CET) is projecting that Foreign Controlled Domestic Corporations (FCDC) will reach 51% as a percentage of the whole by the year 2033, if current trends keep occurring along with large yearly U.S. trade deficits.
Last edited by CyberCity; 04-10-2013 at 07:09 PM..
Sam Walton, an Arkansan, started Walmart to promote and only sell American products. When his heirs took over... try to find ANYTHING in there made in USA. In the Memphis area there are about 35 Walmarts, most of them SuperWalmarts. *sigh* I'm not a Walmart people. I think there are enough of them on Oahu!
I understand the concern of local merchants that think they can't compete with the low prices - but I also think it will drive more people into the area - and can be a benefit for the area. It didn't seem to impact Ala Moana.
What do you think?
I agree with you. I USE to think that it drives local merchants out of business.
But, these days, I've noticed more urban environments across the US are bringing in Wal-Marts, like in New York, Washington DC, etc. It seems to be mostly positive. They create the Wal-Mart more into the urban enviroment, and people can live more downtown, and have access to it.
Also, as a person who has lived in San Francisco and New York City, there were certain things I needed to get, and I'd have to try to figure out how to get to a suburb to a Target or Wal-Mart to get them. You'd think it would be easy to find a 'laundry basket' or something basic in an urban environment, but sometimes it's not.
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