The T&G broke the news today that Wal-Mart is coming to town. This is bad. I consider myself to be the single biggest proponent of hard core, blood thirsty capitalism this side of Iowa, but Wal-Mart still manages to make me ill. Here’s my take.
You have this company that manages to sell cheap stuff for next to nothing. But they can only sell all that crap at low, low prices due to a distribution system which relies on inexpensive transportation costs. We’re all familiar with the notion of fuel prices rising, we see it at the gas pumps every day. Well if you have a company smashing local business and then you take away their inexpensive distribution system. You’re stuck with no local business and a big box store that no longer provides an inexpensive service. On a long enough time-line Wal-Mart stops making any sense at all. The company doesn’t care about those details because, well, it’s a company and they make money either way. But I do, because a local economy with no future makes my investment in said community rather pointless. Like I said, this is bad.
Now you don’t have to agree with my take regarding fuel prices, peak oil and rising costs of overseas labor. Like I said, I’m a capitalist; but I don’t expect you to share my ideals. If you don’t, feel free to examine their anti-labor stance, poor health insurance record, low wages, disregard for the environment, reliance on sweat shops and back room deal making with local government. Normally I’m not going to pick a fight based on those issues, but in this case I’ll make an exception. If those are things you care about, consider us on the same team today. But I’m just one guy with a six pound sledge hammer. Not much I can do, alone, to take out a retailer of that size. As a team though, we might be able to put a dent in this here juggernaut.
If anyone shares my concern, or has concerns of your own regarding Wal-Mart we only have so much time to get the ball rolling to make this foolishness stop. I’d like to make my copy of WAL-MART: The High Cost of Low Price available to any group who wants to host a screening and I would also like to offer my assistance to any group that wants to take up a serious fight against Wal-Mart before they break ground. That includes the use of my sledge hammer.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I got home today and read the paper, to the unfortunate news that there are plans for a Wal Mart supercenter to come into my city. Worcester the second largest city in the state prides itslef on being a friend to small business and it’s inevitable benefits. In fact if this were to go through (and I myself will do anything I can to try and stop it) it would be so detrimental to the mom and paps that Worcester will look just as boxy and mundane as the others. This will no doubt lose jobs not gain them and it will no doubt hault, what even I believe is a city on the move. Most of you probably already know all the harmful affects that Wal Mart embarks upon each and every day. So I was wondering if their was anyone else who feels that Wal Mart has no place in Worcester, or if their was anyone who had any advice as to how I might be able to tame this corporate beast.
Hi if there is anyone else who thinks this is bad news, I would like to know so we could get together and prevent this travesty before it comes to fruition. Not sure how to do it but I know there are experienced minds out there that can help.
It’s bad news….but only if they don’t have an extensive selection of 6.99 DVDs.
Honestly though, it’s not a good sign for Worcester. I think we see enough empty store fronts as it is. How many damn sushi joints and cafes can we effectively install to replace all the small businesses that are soon to be driven out?
Please visit http://www.worcesterfirst.org ! Learn more and please help if you can.