I just don't understand why there must be 20 wal-mart stores within 25 miles of my house! Isn't that a bit excessive?
WalMart is Evil
by joelbear 76 Replies latest jw friends
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Nolita
emo of the 'grows her own veg and tries to buy Fair Trade' class
Hurray for Fair Trade!
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ballistic
Although they have bought out "ASDA" in the UK, the real take over here is Tesco. One in every EIGHT pounds spent in the UK is to Tesco. However, I have not seen the same criticisms of Tesco as you do of Wallmart. They obviously do a good PR job and put on a slick face for the public here.
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cyd0099
I have made a deliberate choice to shop there as little as possible, maybe twice a year-if at all.
I probably have the least amount of money of anyone I know. I have chosen a life of voluntary simplicity and yet I cannot see myself not supporting my community's economy, even if it is more expensive.
From the drain on the city infrastructure, to the tax breaks it receives, to the local businesses that die because they didn't know how to react to the behemoth box store. Wal-Mart does nothing positive for the communities they descend upon but charge you less. -
cyd0099
Nolita,
Hi, and welcome.
I just want to say, as someone who works with coffee and that it is the current "in" thing to say that the beans are Fair Trade, F.T. is only the beginning. It is a good starting place, but it isn't the curative to the growers that many pundits claim it to be.
I may start a new post if anybody's interested... -
rebuilding
I do not shop at Wal-Mart. I know too much about the company to justify supporting them. I happily spend $5 more to buy the same products elsewhere. - rebuilding
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Nolita
F.T. is only the beginning. It is a good starting place, but it isn't the curative to the growers that many pundits claim it to be.
I don't believe in cure-alls, and I'll readily admit I am no socio-economic genius...heck I don't even know what that means...but I suppose the very idea of Fair Trade and what these organizations are hoping to accomplish make any effort of supporting them feel like a real contribution to the society of man- something I've neglected to see as important until recently.
I'd be interested in an "insider's" point of view...I am young and have much to learn.
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Sad emo
just want to say, as someone who works with coffee and that it is the current "in" thing to say that the beans are Fair Trade, F.T. is only the beginning. It is a good starting place, but it isn't the curative to the growers that many pundits claim it to be.
I may start a new post if anybody's interested...Go for it cyd
What's worrying me a little is that the big boys - eg Nestle are jumping on the bandwagon. I just don't understand how they can work that - choosing who they give a fair price to for coffee. Something doesn't seem to add up....
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daniel-p
This debate between wether WalMart is good or bad is a very deep one with a long history. There are MANY issues at stake here, and I have done a lot of research about this issue because of the profession I am going in to. On one hand, it is an issue of "good ol' American values" and the wonders of economies of scale and capitalism and on the other hand, its just a matter of how and where they build. Studies have shown that a WalMart does impact those general "mom and pop" stores nearby, but not if they offer stellar service and have some stock that Wal-Mart doesn't have.
Then there is the issue of employment. Some say that Wal-Mart is a bad employer, while I tend to believe this has more to do with store management rather than corporate management. While the jobs are not "career" jobs (unless you have at least a 4-year college degree), they do offer opportunities to those with little educational background. While Wal-Mart may not pay "living wages," who else does in the retail world? It is uncommon, but not unheard of. For example, Costco pays living wages and has relatively generous benefits. So there is that issue, but to me, it does not prove that Wal-Mart is inherently bad. The fact is they do offer a lot of jobs to those who may have touble getting employment elsewhere.
Third, and the most important issue to me, is land use. Wal-Mart has the potential to greatly impact circulation (traffic), stormwater runoff, and aesthetics, just to name a few. Wal-Mart may not pose the kind of development options a community wants. Most cities generally fight over who gets the big-box retailers because of the enormous sales tax potential they have. But more and more, they are experiencing more resitance to their pattern of development. In more cases recently, they are willing to work with cities and even the community on how their development can fit in with the community in which they want to build a store. in the future, expect Wal-Marts to give up on the "big-box" form they currently have, as they move into more urbanized areas. This will be good for future uses, because if and when a store closes its doors, the building will hopefully not create a big dead-zone with a sea of a vacant parking lots.
As far as where I stand on the issue, I do not dislike all Wal-Mart development. However, I do dislike it when they take advantage of a community and tell half-truths about what to expect and refuse to work with they city in conforming their form to local cultural and historical values. The most important issue to me though, and the only valid one in my opinion, is their current pattern of development. If they could just take more care in how and where they build these places I think they would experience less resistance, certainly from the cities' and counties' side of the matter. -
FlyingHighNow
I just don't understand why there must be 20 wal-mart stores within 25 miles of my house! Isn't that a bit excessive?
Well, you're pretty lucky in my book. In Michigan there's a *cough* "discount" store chain called Meijer. They also have groceries, like a Super Wal-mart does. They have high prices though. Their prices aren't any cheaper than the regular chain grocery stores around here.
An example price: Campbell's Chunky Soups per can.
- Family Fair = $2.50 per can.
- D & W = $2.60 per can.
- Wal-mart = $1.45 per can.
Meijer lobbies heavily to keep Wal-mart to a minimum here. We have a regular Wal-mart that is five miles a way. Then we have a Super Wal-mart that is 20 miles away. Wal-mart just tried to build a Super Wal-mart to replace the Wal-mart five miles from here. Meijer threw a stinkin' fit. Heck no, they don't want competition because they will actually have to sell their products and especially their groceries at true discount prices. Meijer can afford to lower their prices. They count on the lack of assertiveness of the local culture, to be able to gouge everyone and still claim to be a discount store.