The Bay Area (transplants, rent, house)

[majoun]

Originally Posted by Nineties Flava

Again that vacant space costs $$$$$$ that big box retailers aint willing to spend. It's the exact same reason why there's no Target in Oakland and the only Walmart is in one of the worst hoods in the entire city.

Walmarts in California tend to be "ghetto businesses". They don't want to pay the high cost for vacant space elsewhere and they're also not wanted in many places.

[NorCal Dude]

A lot of people would rather get the same goods at a higher price from a mom and pop than go to walmart. I dont really care if it is a chain or not. Some walmarts are okay, and others are some of the most god awful jerry springer experiences.

[andyadhi01]

Originally Posted by NorCal Dude

A lot of people would rather get the same goods at a higher price from a mom and pop than go to walmart. I dont really care if it is a chain or not. Some walmarts are okay, and others are some of the most god awful jerry springer experiences.

I don't care about these 'mom and pop' stores. Their whole business model seems to rest upon fleecing as much money as they can from their customers and lobbying hard to keep low priced competitors out. They don't bother to upgrade their stores, stock it well or keep it clean. They are a relic of the past and can't survive in a competitive market economy.

[Nineties Flava]

Originally Posted by NorCal Dude

A lot of people would rather get the same goods at a higher price from a mom and pop than go to walmart. I dont really care if it is a chain or not. Some walmarts are okay, and others are some of the most god awful jerry springer experiences.

Walmart has some outright terrible business practices. They deserve the criticism they get.

[majoun]

Originally Posted by andyadhi01

I don't care about these 'mom and pop' stores. Their whole business model seems to rest upon fleecing as much money as they can from their customers and lobbying hard to keep low priced competitors out. They don't bother to upgrade their stores, stock it well or keep it clean. They are a relic of the past and can't survive in a competitive market economy.

Those stores keep SF unique. They often have long ties to the community. If SF were to be FURTHER homogenized with even MORE of the same chains one finds across the US it would lose some of its character. Bloomberg inviting the chains into NYC (Giuliani actually started it but under Mike they really started pouring in) has caused Manhattan to lose much of its character and threatens Brooklyn's character as well. LA has already lost most of its mom and pop businesses except in a few neighborhoods. It would be a shame for this to happen in SF even more than it already has.

[andyadhi01]

Originally Posted by Nineties Flava

Walmart has some outright terrible business practices. They deserve the criticism they get.

No! Walmart has some the best salaries and benefits for employees in the industry. They have the most technologically advanced inventory management and distribution system. Walmart is also one of the greenest (energy efficient) business. If the mom and pop store owners were remotely as intelligent and efficient as Walmart executives, they would have built a much bigger enterprise. There is nothing wrong with Walmart as a business.

Whether you like shopping in Walmart or not is a different matter altogether!

[NorCal Dude]

Originally Posted by majoun

Those stores keep SF unique. They often have long ties to the community. If SF were to be FURTHER homogenized with even MORE of the same chains one finds across the US it would lose some of its character. Bloomberg inviting the chains into NYC (Giuliani actually started it but under Mike they really started pouring in) has caused Manhattan to lose much of its character and threatens Brooklyn's character as well. LA has already lost most of its mom and pop businesses except in a few neighborhoods. It would be a shame for this to happen in SF even more than it already has.

Good point, Manhattan looks more like disney these days.

[Nineties Flava]

Originally Posted by andyadhi01

No! Walmart has some the best salaries and benefits for employees in the industry. They have the most technologically advanced inventory management and distribution system. Walmart is also one of the greenest (energy efficient) business. If the mom and pop store owners were remotely as intelligent and efficient as Walmart executives, they would have built a much bigger enterprise. There is nothing wrong with Walmart as a business.

Whether you like shopping in Walmart or not is a different matter altogether!

... Do you live in a bubble? Search "walmart tax evasion" or "walmart unpaid overtime" or "walmart parking lot crime" or anything that's on the news about walmart. Walmart is about as lowbrow as it gets and they don't apologize for it either.

[andyadhi01]

Originally Posted by majoun

Those stores keep SF unique. They often have long ties to the community. If SF were to be FURTHER homogenized with even MORE of the same chains one finds across the US it would lose some of its character. Bloomberg inviting the chains into NYC (Giuliani actually started it but under Mike they really started pouring in) has caused Manhattan to lose much of its character and threatens Brooklyn's character as well. LA has already lost most of its mom and pop businesses except in a few neighborhoods. It would be a shame for this to happen in SF even more than it already has.

Well its only a matter of time before economic competitiveness triumphs over hippie sentimentalism and fascination with old and dysfunctional relics! Such are the ways of capitalism whether you like it or not

[andyadhi01]

Originally Posted by majoun

Those stores keep SF unique.

People in SF don't seem to have a problem with Whole Foods (even though its from Texas) and Starbucks though! I guess chains are okay as long as these hypocrites can act snooty and give the holier-than-thou speech to rest of the country.