‘This is going to make me cry’

The Roxboro Courier-Times (North Carolina) ^ | Wednesday, November 27, 2002 | WINKIE WILKINS

[laredo44]

There is nothing about the legal definition of a company that requires it to die.

Who said anything about requiring a company to die?

[laredo44]

They will use you to get it. When they are done using you, they will thow you away. It is true in all economic systems.

And not merely economic systems. Academic institutions, political parties, sports teams, you name it. Justify yourself or you are history. And don't tell them all the things you've done in the past, either, it's what have you done for me lately.

[WVNan]

Unemployment only 8%? It's 12% in the county where I live, but I don't know anyone who is suffering. Unemployment numbers don't always tell the true story.

[laredo44]

If you call building an airport for Wal-Mart, now a TAX FREE ZONE, with our tax dollars "fair" then I think Wal-Mart's "competition" deserves one also.

They can't use the same one? Me thinks you mal-inform.

[Common Tator]

YOur store remove fish to put in toys... High turn for low turn except in poor slum areas hmmmm

That does bring to mind that that you may live in an area with a lower demographic class of people who don't buy pet supplies, don't buy fish, and hamsters. Those skew younger democraphic and toys are younger demographic too. Toys turn over slow .... usually one 1.5 to 2 times a year. You only make money on toys in December. Toys are bummer in upper or middle class neighborhoods except for christmas,. Stores only get a higher turn over of toys in lower class less educated demographis areas. Generally refered to as slums. They bribe their kids with toys.

Pets being replaced with toys would tend to show lower education levels and lower income people. Either that or they were unable to compete with a local pet store.

It is either another pet store that was the cause, or you live in a town where the children are all a little below average, or you are not telling the truth.

The tator places his bet on number 3.

[lonestar]

When Walmart opened a Superstore in my hometown several years ago, they signed a contract with the city for a cut-rate for electricity. When the contract expired they went to another provider with cheaper rates; which makes sense. However, the taxpayers and other small business owners had paid a higher commercial rate in order for Walmart to have a cheaper rate.

On a very busy day they will have half their check-out stations working.

Two of the past managers (both had moved from here) at Walmart committed suicide.

What I love (NOT) most about Walmart is the story on Paul Harvey about the man who left his truck to have the oil changed while he shopped. When he went to get his truck, a Walmart employee leaving work had stolen and wrecked the truck. Walmart tried to get the man to file on his own insurance. They wanted to accept no responsibility for any of it.

As for groceries costing 25% of a salary fifty years ago, has as much or more to do with improved farming. IF it's an improvement. Fifty years ago, what you bought in a grocery store today was picked yesterday. Today what you buy was picked before it ripened a month ago.

Turnip greens. Fifty years ago you got greens with turnips. Today you buy greens without turnips and buy the turnips separately. Cans contained more, were larger. A pound of coffee was 16 ounces. Today a "pound" is 13 ounces. A "pound" of bacon is 12 ounces. And it costs more than 16 ounces cost. So I think you don't know what you're talking about, CT.

You aren't getting more for less but are actually getting less for more and you just haven't figured it out.

[AnAmericanMother]

Actually all Siamese have an eye defect to a greater or lesser extent. As I understand it, their optic nerves do not cross on the way from the eye to the brain. This does cause some depth perception problems, but most of them who don't have too severe a case learn to adapt. (Just ask the chipmunks around here . . . wait, you can't ask them, they're all dead.) But breeders are doing their best to breed the optic defect out of the line. My cats' eyes don't cross at all, unless they are VERY interested in something or having one of their "wild hair" moments, then you can watch those eyes drift inward . . . before they gallop off with back humped and every hair on end.

Usually what happens to get one of the really big Siamese-looking cats is an outcross. A lady in California awhile back was breeding for size and started a new breed called Ragdolls - probably with Persian, Birman, and Balinese (longhair Siamese) cats. They are HUGE - colored like Siamese but the fur is a little shaggy, as you say, they also tend to have white tips on their paws.

Pyewacket was the name of the Siamese in "Bell, Book & Candle" with Kim Novak. It was also a traditional name for a witch's familiar.

[laredo44]

I was under the impression that these Americans simply want to scratch out a stable life in Roxboro, North Carolina.

It appears they, and you, would like them guaranteed a stable life in Roxboro, North Carolina. Of course, that sort of guarantee doesn't exist, but never let it be said Willie Green's desires be rooted in reality.

[laredo44]

they did not want to loose it, so the townspeople voted to drive 25 min to the nearest Wal Mart. I would have voted with them

So, why don't you move there?

[Willie Green]

Earth to Willie: the days of featherbedding are over. Now, it's time to wake up and go to school.

Willie to Earthworm: I sleep in a waterbed.
Please don't spread horsefeathers misrepresenting my views.

[Willie Green]

It appears they, and you, would like them guaranteed a stable life in Roxboro, North Carolina.

Guarantee?

No.

But I do believe that government policies should be formulated with the intent of facilitating the potential for their prosperity, not undermining and obstructing their efforts.

[Havoc]

Every time I login I get an education. Thanks a mill!

And I wondered about that name. I had my picture taken in front of a Curio shop named Pywaki that had a Siamese on the sign and sent it to her a long time ago. Seemed more than a coincidence at the time; but, I'd never asked where the name came from. I just thought it was cute.

I'll have to test the ferret thing. I love ferrets. Hate having to bath them; but, they are a riot. So we'll have to see if I can find a pair that gets along.

[Havoc]

It's gettin late, and I got to work tomorrow, so if I don't get back to you before I finish all my other replies, have a great thanksgiving.

[Dec31,1999]

It takes a hell of a lot of work to beat Walmart. But it took a hell of a lot of work for WalMart to get to where it is today.

It's difficult to beat ChinaMart. Who can compete with slave labor?

[Luis Gonzalez]

"Wal-Mart illegally drives small stores out of businesses by selling goods at a loss for as long as it takes to kill off the competition."

There's a law making it illegal for a privately-owned business to sell their merchandise at whatever price they wish to sell it?

Could you please post it?

"This is not about capitalism at work -this is all about destroying our country and culture."

Two things, the word "capitalism" was coined by Karl Marx, it was meant as a derogatory name for our economic system.

Capitalism (to use your and Marx's word) IS the American culture.

[Luis Gonzalez]

"...government policies should be formulated with the intent of facilitating the potential for their prosperity, not undermining and obstructing their efforts."

Straight out of Das Kapital.

[Willie Green]

Straight out of Das Kapital.

Tsk, tsk, Luis. Surely you don't believe that government policies should be formulated for the express purpose of undermining and obstructing the economic prosperity of the citizenry, do you?

[Providence]

Let's see. No one will probably read this anyway, but here
goes. Years ago when I was a teenager, my mother struggled
to buy my clothes at the local style corner - the small
local dress shop run by the parents of Susie Snobdon in my
class. There were no cheap stores offering good quality.
Susie's parents had a 100% markup, so they always had the
money to associate with only the "best" people. That meant
the other business people's kids who were making a killing
off the "unbest" citizenry who loyally traded with them
could take our family's money and use it to beat us over
the head with how we weren't "in their exclusive club" so
to speak.

Well, Sam Walton came along and offered us good quality
products at prices we could afford. We could no longer
afford to go down to Susie's parents' local store and pay
them $40.00 for a skirt we could buy at Wal-Mart for
$10.00. Sorry. Loyalty's nice. But Susie being nice
would have been nice, too. But, don't worry, Susie's folks
are sitting okay with the money they socked away during the
years they had the local monopoly and could keep Wal-Mart
and any other competition out of town.

You can substitute this same story for the local hardware
store, the local small grocery store, the local drug store
charging an arm and a leg (and some few are still paying it
out of a sense of loyalty to people who probably secretly
consider themselves aristocracy simply because of having
all that money from the local yokels).

Does this make sense to anyone? Perhaps I'm being a bit
harsh, but I feel for poor folks who can't pay the
exorbitant prices of the monopoly stores and who have to
do without if there's no other source for goods, and THEN
have their little ragged kids have to go to school with
the Susie Snobdens.

Am I being overly dramatic? Ah, pooh. No one really read
this! It will drift out into the miasma of cyberspace and
gradually dissolve into pixels in the air.

Best, Prov

P.S. Susie still doesn't speak to us urchins after 40 yrs.
Heh. Heh. :o)

[tubebender]

One big problem I see with Walmart or any other Big Box store is the love affair municipalities have for them. They want the sales tax revenue so bad they cut various schemes with them at the expense of all the other retailers in the area. This is usually the fault of the city manager wanting to pad his resume with the increase in Tax revenue.

[AnAmericanMother]

I don't know ANYthing about ferrets - other than that they don't smell so good. :-D

If I don't see you again before the day -- have a VERY happy and blessed Thanksgiving Day!