D.C.'s Mom 'n' Pops Aren't Afraid of Walmart; They're Afraid of Wal-Mart's Greedy Customers
From today's Washington Examiner, an article I have edited slightly and re-titled "D.C.'s Mom 'n' Pops Afraid of Walmart's Cost-Conscious Customers":
The District's family-owned businesses are worried that greedy consumers who shop at Walmart for its everyday low prices will kill their livelihoods if the retailer forges ahead with plans to open four locations in the coming years.
"I think we've got enough local grocery stores around," said Jeremy Frost, manager of 5th Street Ace Hardware. "They (Wal-Mart customers) drive local small businesses out of business. It's a slippery slope once you start letting consumers' greed for low prices determine which merchants create the most value for the District. Once you let value-conscious customers shop at four new Walmarts in ... I can see a lot of developments turning to big box businesses that would appeal to District families trying to stretch their hard-earned dollars as far as possible."
Posted 11:42 AM Post Link 9 Comments
9 Comments:
Fear of Walmart has always cracked me up. It's like saying "we capture more value in our prices than we provide to our customers in forms other than price, therefore, they'll shop at Wal-Mart when it comes".
They're practically admitting to being a rip-off by not balancing higher prices with added customer value in other forms.
As the Free World's largest customer of Chinese exports, Walmart prices should soon start going up. Inflation in China is becoming a problem. Thus, the Chinese currency will inevitably have to rise despite more costly exports.
what cracks me up is the way that consumer line up behind the mom and pop stores.
gouge me! overcharge me! offer me limited selection!
the same people who demand 9 cellular companies fighting for their biz want their local store to have a monopoly.
I think we should hire Wal-Mart to provide our national defense for $50 billion a year.
The goal: No invasions of US soil.
I bet they could do it.
Yesterday 12/3/10 our San Diego city council essentially banned super Wal-Marts within the city limits. It was done STRICTLY for the grocery store labor unions (backed by all the other unions).
I'll be shopping at a new super Wal-Mart in neighboring Poway. Others will shop at similar stores being built in surrounding communities. These smaller towns gain from the lower prices, tax revenue and increased jobs. The fiscally beleaguered city of San Diego will lose on all three counts.
Sadly, it's the lower income people who depend on public transit, and they will not be able to go to these adjoining communities to shop for the lower prices. But our Democrat cc majority cares little about the little folk.
One hope remains -- Walmart sponsors a referendum of the ordinance -- a citizen vote. IF they do this, Walmart will win in a landslide, and I'll be actively campaigning for the effort.
This may be a stupid question, but why does nobody hate Target? I have no understanding of this double standard.
Mike, for many, "big is bad." End of story.
The fact that Wal-Mart got big(gest) by providing more consumer satisfaction better than anyone else is not a factor to be considered.
If tomorrow Target got bigger than Wal-Mart, I suspect that they'd be moved to the top of the evil-retailer list.
Mike... "why does nobody hate Target?"
I think it's all about aesthetics..Target stores are slightly more attractive than WMT stores, and they have managed to position themselves somehow as sort-of fashionable. And for many if not most on the Left today, aesthetics is the highest morality.
I think you both may be right. It disturbs me to think that a business can be on the wrong end of million-dollar smear campaigns for very little reason.
BTW, @David:
Funny to me that the left may find Wal-Mart unattractive, but has no problem growing the footprint of America's ugliest, most uncomfortable buildings: gov't offices.
I had to go to DPS the other day - someone had thrown up on the floor... the alert staff quickly put a 'wet floor' sign on it and left it there all day.
Post a Comment
<< Home