[at-l] Confusering in VT (Walmart)

[jurbine at west-chester.com (Joel P. Urbine)]

COMPARISON??? SHEETZ'S & WAWA's fuel & convenience stores in my area.  Both set up their agreed to boundaries so for now no turf wars just concentrating on and I might add successfully running the local small guy (family owned and operated stations) out of business by selling their fuel 10-20 cents cheaper.  
RESULTS! Family gone, and "THEIR" fuel is now as high (our normal? price) as the guy who gutted it out or was fortunate to be far enough away (FOR NOW) that they didn't affect him. Hope these Wally World Wonders see the light, it's only temporary, you'll see in time. 
By the way "HIKERS", the new Cabella's in Hamburg PA the "WORLD'S FOREMOST OUTFITTER" located 2 miles from the "AT" is slowly running "APPALACHIAN OUTFITTERS" located just 200 yards from the "AT", out of business. If it were not for kayak sales & float trips they would be gone I'm sure. Another fact: 
That Cabella's (in Hamburg PA)is currently the #1 tourist attraction in the state surpassing surpize, "THE LIBERTY BELL", "Do I hear a new ring for freedom"??? 

-----Original Message-----
From: Sloetoe [mailto:sloetoe@yahoo.com]
Sent: Wednesday, May 26, 2004 4:46 PM
To: at-l@backcountry.net
Subject: [at-l] Confusering in VT (Walmart)


Date: Wed, 26 May 2004 07:48:02 EDT
From: Bror8588@aol.com
Subject: Re: [at-l] Confusering

In a message dated 5/25/04 20:29:07 Eastern Daylight Time,
Slyatpct writes:
> you'll seldom, if ever, catch me in a Walmart.  I dislike them
as much as cellphones and feel they are as equally as obnoxious.
### Me, too. I admired Walmart's "Buy American!" campaign (in
the 80's, youngens) as it maintained domestic manufacturing
(where worthy) by prominently featuring informative stickers and
displays. I found their "reupted" predatory pricing and employee
abuse somewhat forgivable -- hell, they even give generously to
the "community." But the gloves came off when they wished to
enter Vermont and were put off -- *multiple* times. Big Message:
"GO AWAY." But ignoring concepts like "community" and such,
Walmart came on and, eventually, got one. Since that time,
they've chosen to go away from any aknowledgement of "Made in
USA", chosen to abuse customers in new and exciting ways, and
chosen to ride rough-shod over both manufacturers and, as
always, remaining competing retailers. (For example, pricing the
favorite Christmas toy $1.00 below Toys-R-Us, till the local
stores close, then raising the price $2.00. Or "firing"
part-time workers as they become eligible for the advertised
health insurance benefits.)

Can Vermont support 7 Walmarts? Yes -- the Indianapolis
metropolitan area has about the same population as Vermont, and
supports 9. And except for the meager employee wages, the wealth
of dollars spent at Walmart will go <cue flushing sound> right
out of the state, never to appear again. VERY unlike spending
within the community that Walmarts destroy.

### Skylander writes to Sly:
So your likes or desires should be imposed on other people who
may choose to shop where prices are low and the items are in a
central location?  You have the right to shop wherever you want
to shop but others have that same right.  People vote with their
feet.  Wal-Mart is successful because the population has found
value there.
### Without arguing specifics, I agree with much of what you say
-- it's reflective of basic market principles, and as a
certified econo-weenie, I'm all about it. But it's in the margin
where decisions are made, and in the margin that Walmart
"cheats" the market, and therefore the *community* of Vermont
cities, towns, and villages. I did alot of study on Vermont
15-20 years ago, and their sense of community is (if imperfect,
and subject to *rousing* debate, still) better than any other
state of the Union except perhaps Alaska. (They've even begun
accepting resident who moved there only 2-3 generations ago. Ask
Mrs. Gorp.)

Anywho, the point is, the people of Vermont have *loudly*
declared their "atmosphere" -- the whole rural landscape,
country stores, town government meetings, farm lands, history,
*community* -- to be of utmost strategic importance to the
region, and to be something to be preserved, nurtured, and
protected *for* *all*. Walmart has, and has continued to have,
shown itself insensitive and distructive to that very sense of
community.

Date: Wed, 26 May 2004 08:25:30 EDT
From: Bror8588@aol.com
Subject: Re: [at-l] OT-Confusing about VT
<snip>
> The mythic "character" of the rural ideal has been breached.
### I would have to heartily disagree.

> Adding a Wal-Mart will allow those who live on marginal
incomes to find what they need to enhance their lifestyle.
### This is the (financial) heart of matter, and something
Vermonters have wrestled with for 25 years. There are *many*
Vermonters on marginal incomes. And because of population
densities and transportation issues, many of those same persons
find that the feasible incomes come from equally-marginal
*businesses* like the Mom&Pop general stores that are found on
many rural road crossings. Prosperity brought the business a
location closer to town.

Now comes Walmart, with bulk gas, 2-3 brands of everything, and
enough "everything" that it reduces travel time on any
store-chore needing completion, and friends apologize to friends
for not "buying local". It's rough.

Personally, I think there's ways around it. One example, give a
tax break for new retailers selling second-hand goods. Another
would be to insure that no new construction gets a free ride on
Vermont's *highly* strained infrastucture. But overall, put a
*real* price tag on what's fully gained and lost with "BigBox"
retailers.

econotoe

=====
Spatior! Nitor! Nitor! Tempero!
   Pro Pondera Et Meliora.


	
		
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