[klaatumail] Re: How Big is Walmart?
- From: Jaimie Vernon <bullseyecanada@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <klaatumail@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2011 14:19:48 -0400
At Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2011 17:09:32 Dave wrote:
> Again, put things in perspective. The big businesses around here went to
> the zoning board to complain about Walmart coming in. They bribed the board
> to require the highway changes as a prerequisite to Walmart coming in because
> they thought it was enough to make Walmart go elsewhere. Walmart called
> their bluff, paid for the changes, and you know what? Those stores that
> tried to stop Walmart coming to town got MORE business because of the easing
> of congestion on the roads. Wow! Imagine that! Someone tried to bribe
> Walmart out of existence, and both Walmart AND those people are happy now.
>
Not the situation here Dave. The congestion isn't being eased with Wal*Mart's
re-developments. The roads are being built to ONLY drive traffic into
Wal*Mart's stores while bridges, divided highways and other deterrents for
getting into the other nearby stores are being built as barriers and
impediments.
We have a toll road called the 407 north of Toronto. One of the interchanges
features an older town that's been in existence since the 1800s. They were
hurting after the 407 got built but an interchange was installed allowing them
to thrive with the new traffic that the new highway has brought. So much so
that the government offered to build a road to run parallel to the highway to
drive traffic from one of the farther interchanges. What does Wal*Mart do? It
pays the government to build yet ANOTHER interchange that bi-sects the proposed
parallel road one full kilometer before the small town...now the government
isn't having the parallel road built because all the traffic will be diverted
to Wal*Mart's interchange first. The store literally stands in a farmer's field
all by itself without another building around it. The small town is once again
hurting.
Unlike your scenerio -- Home Depot, Target and a myriad number of other
businesses didn't kill this town (in fact the small town contains its share of
big box stores who moved there BECAUSE the initial highway plans allowed them
to take advantage of the bustling small town). Wal*Mart's strategy is
ANTI-community.
And when the big box market dies (as in all cyclical economic strategies) and
Wal*Mart takes the first hit by laying off scads of people to save their own
capitalist necks, there will be NO jobs...and nowhere for the people to go
after Wal*Mart decides to pull up stakes and go somewhere else to downside.
> As for the prices they pay for CDs, I never buy CDs at Walmart. Can't find
> anything there. They only stock the top sellers or budget labels that use
> poor mastering or re-recordings. AND, they've never heard of the alphabet.
> You have to go through bin after bin after bin looking for something because
> there's no rhyme or reason to how they are put out on the shelves. Abba next
> to ZZ Top next to Beatles next to Metalica next to Jethro Tull. Hmmm, yeah, a
> Beatles disc in aisle one, a Beatles disc in aisle three, and who knows where
> else. Not conducive to someone who is looking for something. More like if
> something catches your eye you'll buy it as an add on sale. They aren't
> selling to people looking for music. They are selling to people who aren't
> looking for music who caught sight of something and bought it.
>
You don't get it, do you? You can't find CDs you want there because of the
policies and undercutting I described in my previous email. They're selling the
product of the desperate wholesalers -- which means they're selling CRAP. You
want quality music and quality CDs? You'll never see them at Wal*Mart because
of the cutthroat, discount, cheaply made business deals they make. It goes hand
in hand with their employment practices, their carpet bombing of communities
and their greed.
Like I said...when Wal*Mart goes belly-up, they will leave a bigger path of
destruction than they currently enjoy.
Jaimie
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