It’s time to stop picking on Wal-Mart. Let me explain first, that I worked for this company for 5 years in the early 90’s. I left their employ because I didn’t like the pay and benefits. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t support their right to do business in America.
The first point appears to be that once a city or county comes up with a general plan and zoning ordinances, the rules are in place and companies then have to play that game. How can you decide to change the rules, just because you don’t like the company? Make the rules and then treat everyone equally.
So you don’t like the way the company treats their employees? Then don’t go to work there! If Wal-Mart couldn’t hire all the people that they needed, they would have to raise their pay scales and/or change their benefit packages. Companies such as Wal-Mart do wage and benefit surveys every year. They know what the market is and set their programs accordingly. As I said, I didn’t like the program, so I left. Anyone else can do that, too.
You don’t want to see Wal-Mart in your neighborhood? How about not shopping there and talking all of your friends into not supporting Wal-Mart? If people don’t show up and shop, Wal-Mart will close and move on. They work with small margins and they can’t afford to stay where they cannot make money.
You don’t like the fact that they don’t buy American? Then don’t buy foreign made products. While I was with the company, they were feeling the pressure from their customers. They went out and developed partnerships with American merchants and factories and then proudly displayed these partnerships at all the stores.
I’m really getting concerned about the American consumer. We say we don’t want to buy foreign merchandise, but we don’t want to pay the prices that our manufacturers need to make the products in the U.S. Yes, there are a number of reasons for the price differences; material costs, government costs, and wages, for example. So we need to sit down and decide how these things can be changed. If we don’t do this, retailers will continue to go on the world market and use their buying power to make the best deal possible. If they don’t, they’ll be looking at shelves full of product with no consumers. We need to live our beliefs as American consumers.
As I said, it’s time to make a plan and live with it. Municipalities have budgets and they need revenue. One way or another, something will go into that empty space. Supercenters have shown that they bring in a huge tax base. But if they aren’t allowed in, something else (usually bringing in less revenue) will go in. It all works out.
Good luck!
Comments