To answer the sacriligeous journalists tit-for-tat I say this. "Judas went out and hanged himself, go and do thou likewise."
Yes, next question.
" Mrs. Kerry declared that "Wal-Mart destroys communities."
She then continued by saying "...but Lawdy, they do sell some pickles and ketchup ! "
"Jesus shops at mom and pop stores" sounds equally ridiculous to me.
Purchasing low-priced goods from abroad, which puts American workers out of jobs
...and which the "American workers" turn right around and buy from Wal-Mart.
We are our own worst enemy
Here's one I hadn't heard until last night. Did you know that if your non-profit organization arranges for a fund-raiser at Wal-Mart (car wash, for example) that Wal-Mart matches donations dollar for dollar?
My wife and I shop at Wal Mart all the time. They have lower prices than anyone else for clothing.
Walmart went to heck when Sam passed.
Get ready for all the "conservatives" to bash a company for meeting market demands. You will see more proof that the republican party is centrist and Conservatives are rare.
Good article, thanks for posting.
You know maybe I will get flamed for this, we shop at Wal-Mart. We also shop at the mom and pop stores in our small town to keep the town economy afloat. With a family you have to do what's best. At times we cannot pay two dollars for a can of tuna at the local mom and pop store. It adds up quickly. So it seems to be a catch 22. I support the people who have started there own business and want to thrive. I don't see Wal-Mart as the evil beast who is taking over the neighborhood however.
Great article!
I vote with my wallet.
I love Wal-Mart.
The better question would be..."Do Politicians Destroy Countries?
The "new Americans" who buy into this crap, suck.
If liberals aren't griping about the lack of jobs, they're campaigning against a new Wal-Mart store. I personally avoid the big chains and try to patronize the 'mom and pop' businesses, but Wal-Marts employ people who may not otherwise be employed and provide inexpensive, cheap, if you like, consumer goods.
BTW-it's not hard to understand why rich snobs like Kerry, et ux., look down their prominent noses at mass consumer goods retailers. I doubt Kerry's ever bought anything 'off the rack', but someone should tell the good Senator that we're not all millionaires with summer estates at Cape Cod.
I prfer Target to Walmart. I can always find bargains in Target. I head there specifically looking for shoes, slippers and summer clogs. The prices are reasonable and the items are sturdy and well-made. If you compare the prices to stores in the mall, it's way down. I have to watch my income since I'm retired, and I appreciate stores like Target.
The REAL reasons elite's hate Walmart.
1. Elite's don't get special treatment. No Walmart clerk will kiss the butt of local rich elitists. All customers are treated the same. Small Mom and Pop places gush over the TaRaySa Heinz's, but she's not "more equal" at Walmart
2. Walmart doesn't advertise in small liberal newspapers. Walmarts prices speak for themselves, so the media doesn't get ad money. "Mom and Pops" advertise more.
3. Mom and Pop places hire mainly "Mom and Pop". Walmart hires non-elitist.
4. Walmart gives more money to Republicans than to Democrats.
When I was a kid in the 1950's, there were several mom-and-pop grocery stores in the neighborhood. By about 1965, they were all gone, replaced by larger chain-store "supermarkets" like Safeway. I don't know how much money the owners and employees of the mom-and-pops earned, but I doubt it was more than what the employees of the supermarkets earned. What were the trade-offs for the community? On the negative side, a loss of individual proprietorship and sense of ownership; on the plus, a wider variety of merchandise at lower prices. All in all, it is not clear to me that the trade-offs were so evil as to violate scripture, as Sojourners would claim.
blessed are those who care for the poor. does anyone doubt that for the first twenty years walmart was only in small towns and that they cared more about working class people and became blessed by their systems? people that forget history are doomed to relive it.
The communitarians tend to forget that there has been nationally based retailing for over a century: chain stores like Sears, Montgomery Ward, J.C. Penney, A&P, Woolworth, and Kresge could be found in most towns with at least 10,000 in population 50 to 100 years ago. Indeed, Sam Walton started his retailing career at Kresge's 5 & 10 Cent Stores, and Wal-Mart is to a great extent just the old five and dime store writ large. Wal-Mart, unlike its predecessors, has been a more effective competitor to local retailers.
This isn't "theoretical" because I saw this happen with my own eyes. A local family-run store that had been in business for generations went under shortly after Wal-Mart moved in. A few months later I saw the former owner stocking items in the automotive section at Wal-Mart.