Posted on 06/24/2008 4:28:02 AM PDT by PurpleMan
"But the pharmacist said not much has changed in the year since the behemoth from Bentonville, Ark., threw open its doors. His loyal clients have not strayed. They like the fact that he delivers for free and remembers most of his customers' names."
"...But local proprietors and community leaders say the fears have not panned out."
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Excellent!
Anthony Ramdass? Apparently not.
“Another liberal, anti-capitalist myth busting in front of our eyes.’
Not liking a virtual monopoly or a particular business is not liberal and its not anti-capitalist. The local Walmarts are taking the distinct atmosphere of a Dollar Store. Only the dollar stores are cleaner and have better customer service.
But hey they both have lead filled candy from China.
Well my pharmacist just stopped deliveries due to high fuel costs. I a business is good to its customers and offers good services or goods the Wally wont hurt. Small towns were already driving out of town to buy many Wally items or doing mail order.
Keystone Light sells in my area for about $13 a 30-pack. Sam Adams is still on the shelf, and doing fairly well, to all appearances.
From a Ben Stein article:
“When a Wal-Mart opens in a town, he said, it’s as if everyone in the town got a raise.”
http://www.benstein.com/010904walmart.html
Everyone expected the K-Mart to close, and the Food Lion to have trouble.
But people still go to these stores at least as much as they used to do. Why?
At the Wal-Mart, the checkout lines are horrendously long, the meat and especially the produce are not very good, and the prices are not that lower. In fact, I find I spend less on groceries at the Food Lion than at the Wal-Mart.
The people are friendlier, and I don't have to park out in the “north 40” when I shop.
As opposed to Food Lion, where they just repackage the expired meat?
When the Wal-Mart supercenter moved to our small town the owner of the local hardware store said it benefited him tremendously. What happened is that Wal-Mart increased the amount of customer traffic in the area for everyone. Many of those potential customers want things the Wal-Mart does not have. Like expert advice about hardware and anything else Wal-Mart refuses to stock because it might sit on the shelf for a month. The local hardware store has trained its staff to give advice concerning everything they sell and they stock or will order practically anything for you. Wal-Mart can’t compete with that.
My son is a pharmacist intern and he says that older people like going to the same pharmacy. They mostly have insurance or medicare, so they pay the same thing regardless of where they go.
The real small business killers are Home Depot and Lowes. We’ve had several small hardware stores and nurseries go out of business. Their prices are 30 to 40 percent less, so it is good for the consumer anyway.
Way to believe what the MSM tells you to.
I also understand that Chevy pickups explode, and that Bush dodged the draft.
By the way, Google “wal-mart is evil” and see which web sites get hits.
I buy weekly specials at grocery stores and staples at Wal-Mart. Olive oil, cereal, frozen foods etc. We save a bundle. The wal-mart brand for salad dressings, Crystal Light type drinks, Raisin Bran (Sam's raisin bran has far more raisins too) are half the price of the regular stores. Buy a bunch, stock the pantry, and save on gas too.
That's what I thought, until I read the article.
In order to get permission to operate their business there, and in Chicago, Wal-Mart had to agree not to stock merchandise that competes with local business.
Even worse, Wal-Mart has to spend thousands of dollars on advertising for competing local businsses, as well as teach them how to compete with them.
It still somewhat debunks the myth that Wal-Mart destroys all, and it's still true their affordable merchandise raises everyon'e standard of living, but in this case local businesses used the government to set up a managed economy.
““When a Wal-Mart opens in a town, he said, it’s as if everyone in the town got a raise.””
And Satan is your friend.
Dislike of Walmart is not liberal or socialist. They have built a tremendously efficient machine. But too much of anything is bad. They have to keep growing even though the market is saturated. Their customer service sucks, product quality is in the toilet and stores are dirty. Where they have most places beat is on price.
Their HQ knows what you bought within an hour of you paying for it. They can track you and your specific buying habits.
Sam built a great foundation but now its all about greed.
Well, when I see video of Food Lion employees repackaging meat and pouring Clorox on pork, yeah, call me crazy, I tend to believe what I see with my own eyes.
Heck, even Food Lion didn't deny that it happened--they just said that ABC blew it out of proportion.
You know Wal-Mart will price match, right? Just bring in the ad from the local grocery store and Wal-Mart will match it. Might save you a trip.
“And Satan is your friend.”
Thank you, Maj. Frank Burns.
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