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Break the monopoly of mom-and-pop shops - put a Wal-Mart in Hyde Park
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Let's leave it that way.
Let's leave it that way. Wal-Mart feels it appropriate to dictate what it will or won't sell to consumers. If I want to buy something that they don't politically agree with I should be able to. It's bad enough what HOme-Depot and Lowes did to the local hardware stores - put in a Wal-Mart and see it happen to the rest of the mom and pop stores. I don't judge ppl that shop at Wal-Mart b/c I understand the need to save money but the one thing we should all try to do is BUY LOCAL. If there were no Wal-Marts, Sam's Clubs, Costco's, Home Depots the mom and pop stores could compete with each other and not huge conglomerates and the prices wouldn't be as high in these local stores.
Not good
Walmart drives everyone to the bottom line. Their vendors are given an ultimatum: cut your prices by 5 percent, or it's bye-bye. Can't do that? Shut down your plant and move production to China.
—— That's what's driving a big part of our unemployment! Manufacturing jobs are falling like flies. Those who can get jobs are greeters at Walmart, at a fraction of their previous wage. And this is good for America???
Um. The mom-and-pops aren't
Um. The mom-and-pops aren't afraid of being put out of business, they will be put out of business. It happened across America, and now Wal-Mart holds most communities captive to what they want to charge. There's not even an illusion of competition.
As for increased product quality? HA.
Terrible idea. But who gives a fuck. Let's just let this corporate bully (with their values, America's "Heartland" values, the values of people Patriotastic as Fuck, the corporate self-servicing profit-driven values that ignorant people can't see is what forced their own home-town mom-and-pop stores out of business), let's just let them drop a big windowless concrete box with a 12 acre parking lot right here in Boston.
Instead of Roxbury, let's put it at the intersection of Park Drive and Boylston Street. Who needs a Victory Garden when Wal-Mart will provide?
Better yet, I propose we shut down City Hall. Who needs government when Wal-Mart will provide?
(Does Wal-Mart have doctors? My head maybe just exploded.)
In fairness to those who don't like Walmart...
...I'm not in any way decrying the local shops that have been doing a great service for people for many years, and where cost and selection is of no great importance, as you've know the owners for many years, the owners have done a great job and a huge service to people for decades. If they didn't have what you wanted, they would go out of your way to find it and bring it to you. I would go to my mom and pop first before going to Walmart.
So why do you want to destroy all that with a Walmart?
If you value what you just said, I don't see why you would ever want a Walmart to come to Boston.
"where cost and selection is
"where cost and selection is of no great important"
I'm not being personal here, but what?
Wal-Mart dictates to communities what they can purchase, indirectly (by costing out mom-and-pops) and directly (by only stocking one brand of product ________). For all the national screaming by those of a certain political leaning about FREEDOM OF CHOICE, and PERSONAL CHOICE, and ABILITY TO DECIDE WHAT'S BEST FOR THEIR FAMILY WITHOUT INTERFERENCE, these same people are mysteriously content with a monolithic and monopolistic corporation deciding what products will be available in the community decimated of mom-and-pops (i.e. "small businesses") by that same corporation.
You end up making my argument for me: if I like Dawn dishsoap, but there's only Joy on the shelves do you think I'll have a better chance convincing a mom-and-pop to stock it or convincing Wal-Mart to stock it?
So, if the status quo is serving the Boston area, why encourage Wal-Mart? Is the illusion of choice is more important than actual choice? I don't think so.
Home Despot and Lothes are even worse than WallyMart
as regards what products they will stock. According to people I know who used to work at both of those stores, if a specific product (regardless of brand name) doesn't meet the company's sales expectations within a six-month period, they discontinue carrying the product COMPLETELY. So, it's not just a matter of having limited choices, it's facing the possibilty of having NO choices.
Alternatives to Lowes and Home Depot
The two big hardware-store cooperatives, Ace and True Value, still exist with many affiliates throughout the Boston area. In my neighborhood, locally owned Tags Hardware (an Ace affiliate) is quite popular.
Even in West Roxbury
You've still got the True Value. And over in Roslindale, there's the immortal Roslindale Hardware as well as Wallpaper City.
What Home Depot on the VFW Parkway did was help to knock out the mini-chains: Anybody remember NHD and Ashmont?
So have a local alternative to Walmart, then!
If there are people out there who despise Walmart but wouldn't mind trying to match or beat their prices, by all means, entrepreneurship shouldn't stop a local store from dropping their prices or opening a new store and saying, "Why shop at Walmart when we beat their prices by 10%? And, you can at least walk to our store rather than being stuck in traffic?"
I'd be the first person IN LINE once that store opens up...then Walmart would never be able to compete with them, the city councillors would be thrilled to pieces as they can pat themselves on the back that a Big Box can't step foot into the city because, hey, they would be undersold 15 seconds after they open their doors!
The responses to my post have proven one thing: when people hate Walmart, they REALLY hate Walmart. I like Walmart, but not to the point where I'll name my firstborn Sam Walton ;-)
We used to have local discount department stores
Remember Bradlees, Almy's, Caldor, Zayre, Ames, Ann & Hope? All based in New England, all with a similar format to today's Wal-Mart and Target, and all out of business now.
Zayre survives today in greatly altered form as today's TJX company (TJ Maxx, Marshall's, and AJ Wright). If you want to lobby for more shopping in Dorchester, how about encouraging this local company to open a few more stores there?
Dorchester already has an AJ Wright, doesn't it?
In Fields Corner? And then, as somebody mentioned, there's the whole South Bay experience.
Great point...
I definitely agree with you there. Even when I was a young kid, all of those stores were great! That's how I learned how to shop for the best prices...of course, going to the video game counter didn't hurt, but it sure helped!
I've heard of AJ Wright and I hear they're pretty good...the closest one I know of is Dorchester. Hyde Park could use an AJ Wright more than a Walmart, if you think about it, and wouldn't cause as much controversy.
Taxpayer subsidized from the employee on up
WalMart provides few benefits and even those are unaffordable. Guess who picks up the tab for health insurance, food stamps, etc?
and more subsidies
Generally Walmart also convinces the city or town in which it wants to locate to offer tax benefits. Walmart will play one town off another to get the best deal - one will offer no property tax for one year, the next town offers two years, etc.
Google Walmart property taxes for more info.
Walmart is bad for everyone.
Have you seen those people
Have you seen those people walking around in WalMart? There's so common! They even, like, you know, smoke! Ewwww...
WalMart doesn't do anything to anyone. Customers choose Walmart over local stores because they believe they get better value. Of course, you lose all hipster cred shopping there, but that's the price you pay to feed your kids.
Smoking in retail stores?
Pretty sure that's banned everywhere in Massachusetts, with no exception for Wal-Mart. I don't think even 'Live Free or Die' New Hampshire allows it.
My point exactly...
NotWhitey has it exactly right. (Except for the smoking part.)
I'm cheap. I don't like to spend any more than I have to on basic stuff. Walmart fills that void when other stores have exhausted all possibilities.
The problem lies in the fact
The problem lies in the fact that Walmart does offer low prices and on paper they look like they would be great for the community.
Here is the reality:
Walmart offers low wages for their employees
Many employees receive government help to support themselves
Walmart forces the people they buy from to lower wages for their work force to compete
Walmart can afford to run red in a community for years until they force out competition
Walmart chooses which books to not sell based off of their own liking and not sales based
I have nothing against the people that shop at Walmart because when you have a limited income you go for the best price. The problem is that as Walmart gets bigger those poor people will see their wages go down. What is the use of saving that 50 cents on your batteries when you lost your job at the battery factory because Walmart decided they could get them cheaper in China.
Other big stores are guilty of this as well but Walmart is the biggest offender and seems to be the most gutsy. Walmart does it, takes the waves of anger for a year and then the other stores follow suit because Walmart made it ok.
Bigger reality - The world is flat
If Walmart doesn't do it - some foreign company will - very possibly chinese and then all the corporate jobs, management jobs AND profits end up going overseas. As long as they obey zoning, build to code, obey the employment laws (and apparently a few rogue managers have been nailed for not doing that) they can and should be able to open where they want. As you seem to be saying, if you think they are evil and can get 150 million Americans to agree with you - then they will change their practices or go out of business. I worked for a company (#1 in its category by far) that years ago agonized over the decision to manufacture overseas. A lot of people lost their jobs as a result but the company is still number one and employs hundreds in high paying jobs in Mass - none in actual manufacturing. If they hadn't done that the jobs today would be in Oregon or CA or maybe not even in this country. Retail is not much different.
A Big IF Stevil
Oregon has had strict zoning and land use laws within the urban zones, and WalMart thought that it, being WalMart, could just ignore that and build its usual mega store. They sued and lost when they were told "no" and told to revise their plans to meet zoning regulations, and tried to play the "they're just picking on us" card. Judge didn't buy it because the restrictions had been in place before they even looked at the property.
WalMart is famous for just buying its way out of zoning and land use laws, taxes, and everything else. They want everyone to play their game - including their storied history of promoting only white men that is now landing them with large judgements. A few rogue managers my ass - it's a national class action suit, dear!
Exactly
They need to abide by the laws and when they break them they should be held accountable- I don't think they are inherently evil - they are running a business and have to represent their shareholders. In Oregon they were just doing their job - in case two re. promotions they were not.
But I don't want Mayor Menino or any government making the choice of where I get to shop (like what happened when they "picked" target over WalMart in South Bay).
All due respect, but..
can you spare me the Sean Hannity talking points? Wal-Mart is inherently evil and that responsibility to their shareholders line is total crap. When Exxon screwed Alaska over by getting the Valdez award lowered, were they evil or just being responsible to their shareholders? When KBR electrocutes our heroes overseas while they are in the shower, are they evil or just being responsible to their shareholders? When Halliburton allows their male employees to rape female employees and then lock them in containers, is that corporate responsibility?
Trust me, I'll take Gerry Angiulo over any Wal-Mart CEO. At least Gerry never tried to hide behind the veil of false respectability. He was a gangster, plain and simple. He did his time. Union Carbide whacked more people in the Bhopal disaster than died on 9/11 and yet not one person went to prison.
As far as Big Brother keeping you from enjoying those low, low prices, if Wal-Mart spread enough cash in this town, there would be one on Boylston St.
Hey, I'm cheap too, but
by buying at Wal-Mart, you continue to support entities like BPI, who poison us with their tainted beef and you support countries that allow child slave labor, all in the name of low, low prices. Add to that their oppressive labor practices here and I'm glad there's no Wal-Mart in Boston. F**k them. You want alternatives, I'll give you 2 local alternatives; Market Basket and Ocean State Job Lot. The Job Lot is so cheap, I knew a guy who would go in there, take pictures of stuff for sale there cheap, post them on Ebay for more money than Job Lot was selling the items for and when someone bought them, he'd just go into Job Lot and pick the item up, making a tidy profit in the meantime. And Market Basket, locally owned and operated and so cheap, they don't even have a frickin web page!
Yep and yep - and I'm waving the white flag here.
Been to both OSJL and Market Basket. There's a OSJL in Quincy on Newport Avenue and Norwood and they have excellent deals. I'll up you on one other store in Dedham - Tuesday Morning, which also has good stuff at low prices.
All right, folks - thanks to dvdoff's examples, I'm going to wave the white flag here. I concede (no recounts or pregnant chads required). You convinced me that anything else other than a Walmart would work in Boston. Come to think of it, that new shopping center on River Street would be a great place for an AJ Wright or an Ocean State Job Lot.
Wamart is bad for the economy
At one time, if we couldn't afford something, we did without. Now, if we can't afford something, we go to Walmart to buy from an unethical company offering discount prices at a tremendous human cost.
If you can afford to shop elsewhere, you should.
mom and pops are not automatically better
I agree we don't need a Walmart. But I'd like to throw out that mom and pop stores are not automatically better. There are plenty of local hardware stores that I avoid because their sales staff is rude as hell or they don't carry what I need. For an indie to survive, they should focus on service as what separates them from the big box stores. Yet too many mom and pops refuse to take that extra step and hire/train quality employees.
I made an earlier comment
I made an earlier comment about the evils of Walmart but I agree with your point. There are local stores I will not go into because they get pissed at me for browsing the aisles. They don't say anything but they are obviously not happy I am taking so long. That being said there is nothing better then a local shop with an expert owner, especially one who has been at it for so long that he/she has a rotating stock of the essentials for that season WHEN YOU NEED IT not the season before.