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Operation Desert Life
Wednesday, September 09 2009 - 02:02 PM
Walmart's Latest Move to Crush the Competition
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1920698,00.html
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WalMart’s 3 pronged attack includes “They’ve got Kmart ready to take a standing eight-count next year,” says retail consultant Burt Flickinger III, managing director for Strategic Resources Group and a veteran Walmart watcher. "Same with Rite Aid. They’ve knocked out four of the top five toy retailers, and are now going after the last one standing, Toys “R” Us. Project Impact will be the catalyst to wipe out a second round of national and regional retailers."
and goes on to say..
Walmart is also expanding its presence in crafts. Sales at Michael’s Stores, the country’s largest specialty arts-and-crafts retailers, have sagged, and Walmart sees an opportunity. Stores are chock-full of scrapbooking material, baskets and yarns. “Look, they’re selling the stuff that accounts for 80% of Michael’s business, at 20% of the space,” says Flickinger. “It’s very hard for any company to compete with that.”
So ask yourself:
1. Do you own a small business that may be impacted by yet another Walmart located in our community.
2. What will our community look like when K-mart closes leading to Sears, When Michaels closes and when Toys-R-Us closes too.
3. Even without considering the soon to be built Quartz Hill Walmart, which ones of the 5 we already have in the A.V. will be designated ‘discount centers’ and which ones will be ‘Project Impact’ stores?
4. Considering this push is taking place what are the odds that older less profitable stores could be closed all together instead of spending the millions required to upgrade them?
Walmart needs to be stopped in the Antelope Valley. I’m not saying they are not welcome here, but at the same time we don’t need another.
Consider this:
There are Michael’s and RiteAid Distribution Centers in Lancaster that employ 1000 people.
There are 10 Rite Aid locations in the A.V. that employ another 150 people
There are a couple of Michael’s Arts & Crafts stores in the A.V. that employ another 50 people.
Locally, even if Walmart doesn’t add another store the corporate plan is to remove 1200+ jobs from the Antelope Valley. So the net gain in jobs will be 1:2 in favor of unemployment.
And even if they added 400 employees to the QH store it would still be 1:1.8 not the 1.4 we are so often told is the national loss rate.
AND THAT’S JUST counting the loss of Rite Aid and Michael’s. If you add the 50 people employed at stores in QH and Toys-R-us etc the numbers are even worse.
I’m not even going to start to compare the pay difference, which translates to sales taxes, being lost by those put out of work by WalMart.
We can talk about health care or prisoners being released early, but none of it will matter when all we have is Wal-Mart. I’m telling you Wal-Mart is our social support system.
Like it or not.
mattkeltner says...
RealSteve: "Compare wages and benefits at any of the other retail stores, except those that are Unionized and the unionized stores are loosing market share because costs are too high, no grocery store checker is worth $20+ hour + $10 hour in benefits.
Excuse me, but are you “worth” what you are paid? Why is it that everyone wants to diminish everyone else’s wages and benefits, except for their own?
I love how Aerospace workers trash-talk other workers and their unions, but it’s OK for them to have a union and high wages.
Yes, by all means, keep on spending every dime at Wal-Mart and put everyone out of a decent, living wage, Steve!
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RealSteve says...
matt
Did you skip the part in your education about free markets and capitalism? If you want a socialist system where wages are set for each job, then just say so. That system does not work, and the three countries that I know of that have a central wage fixing system are abandoning it, but knock yourself out.
How about you protesting every business that pays the same or less than Wal Mart, then I might agree with your point of view, but otherwise is mush headed thought like yours that people just laugh at.
As to doing a cashiers job, yes I have done that back in the day, with real hand punched cash registers and making change and the whole deal. Of course it was a McJob and I had no pretense that it would be a life long job, but that’s me.
Make the argument that a scanner operator cashier is worth $20+ and hour, they are not and that is just a fact.
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RealSteve says...
matt
And one more thing, nobody is owed a living wage, you earn it with your skills with your hard work, with some luck. If you think the nonsense of living wage is a good thing, you are a much more deluded example of liberal mush than I thought.
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PKShaw says...
Was talking to someone recently, who just so happens to be a prominent Dem, and the subject of the QH Wal-Mart came up. Which led to talk about Wal-Marts in general and he said, “Unfortunately we HAVE to shop at Wal-Mart”.
I didn’t ask for elaboration but I took this to mean, since he’s retired, that the lower prices helped him stretch his pension check as far as possible. I suspect this might also aid young families and other lower earning people, wouldn’t you agree?
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Have Faith says...
Walmarts are the dumbing down of American culture. When all you can wear, read, listen to, or build is what is sold by walmart, you will understand what youve lost. When the burden of the walmart failures (insurance for example) hits, you will know what you’ve lost. Selling itself as American when it’s the least American enterprise imaginable. Don’t shop there never will.
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Jody_Purrel says...
mattk
dont be a lunatic! i know that is hard for you but please. maybe you should move to the Peoples Republik of Soviet (Santa) Monica. you can have a “living wage” there to suite your socialist fantasy. there are tons of Nature worshipping white people like you and you would fit very well in that “commune by the Sea”. lol!!
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No Spin says...
I am confused.. Who decides what a Living Wage is? What criteria is used? There are some who will tell you that $50,000 a month is not enough and others who can live off a lot less..
How can anyone set a standard that encompasses all circumstances?
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Randy Hall says...
I decide a living wage is $125 an hour except if you live in Manhatten then it’s $500 an hour. I’m sure Big Mac in the Big Apple would be $300 a pop but who cares if you have a living wage.
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yourafreak says...
no spin, who decides? liberals do. if they had it their way, they’d make sure walmart workers get 25.00 per hour (without any training or higher education!). now tell me this, those with training and or higher education and who make 25.00; would they get salaries increase? would that apply to everyone then? the person who made 25.00 should go to 40 and the 40.00 person should end up making 60.00, etc. get it now?
if walmart workers want more money, get an education to better yourselves.
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Randy Hall says...
“As a democracy, we have a responsibility to legislate measures to protect us from harm.” I knew I heard this before…yah though I walk thought the valley of death I shall fear no evil for thou art with me…sound familiar?
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Captain Jason says...
I, for one, am not a big fan of the minimum wage. This is because every time we raise the ‘minimum wage,’ the expense levels rise to make that wage worth less than it was before the raise.
There just has to be a better way.
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Randy Hall says...
Another thing we are not a democracy, we are land of laws a republic where private property means a person can work for thmselves and actually own something. If we had a democracy we could vote a neighbor’s house forfeit because we wanted a pocket park across the street. Much devilment would occur in a democracy it is why our Founders didn’t give us one. Now if we can keep it that is another story.
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Captain Jason says...
Actually, Randy, the way my old training sergeant taught me that prayer, it went, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil, for thou hast made me the meanest baddest mutha in the valley!”
;-)
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Have Faith says...
Youreamoron, Randy hall, nospin, what a bunch of narrow minded dogmatic nonsense you are full of. No substance. No facts. Just anti liberal this and anti liberal that. You are boring. You make the blog boring. Same old crap.
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Have Faith says...
You are the perfect example of the tyranny of the majority. Too bad the majority is no longer silent.
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Randy Hall says...
Actually HF the Pledge of Allegiance says “and too the Republic…” and it doesn’t say democracy anywhere. So if I’m a moron for that I learned it in public school. Pretty sure it was kindergarten or 1st grade. Could you tell me when you learned different?
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lancaster says...
i think i agree with HF on this. boring.
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Randy Hall says...
Property rights and self-determination is boring to those that don’t believe a man should work for his own good.
You see a lib thinks you should sacrifice for another, sort of like jumping on a grenade that some terrorist rolls into the room. You can only do it once then you are no more. But the libs what you to do it over and over. Yah pretty boring stuff this property rights.
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lancaster says...
i don’t know about HF randy, but i’ve worked since i was 14. so what are u talking about?
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yourafreak says...
please, don’t let us stop you from leaving…
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moondevil says...
“Libs this!” “Lib’s that!” What’s with the sweeping generalization? Hate to break it to you Hall, but it ain’t all just black and white. Sure it’s easy to have an umbrella disparaging term to call those that don’t agree with with you and your ilk but why not address these without the “labeling”?
Lancaster and HF are right it IS boring and sounds like other people I know who can’t form a thought without the aid of talk radio.
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138hwy says...
Libs this- Libs that..
What’s wrong? Aren’t you proud to be a lib? (or) most likely it is a dirty word!
Should we instead “label” your kind for what you are? Fascist sounds about right,don’t ya think?
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Randy Hall says...
So moon you come in here telling me it’s boring telling me not to label then saying I don’t offer anything of substance. What did you just offer by saying that?
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Randy Hall says...
138 moon thinks taking over GM and the big banks is protecting our democracy and specifically protecting people from predatory profit makers. In other words a little fascism is ok in moderation. You got to watch out when they start goose stepping!
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moondevil says...
Hall, I’m in agreement with others that the finger point anti-lib crap is tiring. That’s all. Kind of a one trick pony.
138, feel free to assume I’m a fascist. I’ll go on assuming you are a crystal meth user. Anyway I apologize to the OP for feeding the dittoheads, I didn’t realize it would highjack the thread and take it off topic.
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Randy Hall says...
So “dittoheads” and “crystal meth user” isn’t labeling people? I’m just trying to understand the anti-lableing thing you want.
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138hwy says...
RH
Now the lib-fascist says that I am a “crystal meth user.” How absurb!@
Meth completely destroys a person and a FIRST usage leads one into hell. Since I have never even tried marijuana, I don’t what the lib is talking about.
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Randy Hall says...
138, it is always the same with the libs they say they want standards but not to apply to them. They want decorum but they say decorum is only for people of class.
Did I just say liberals have no class? Ooops a truth sneaks out.
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138hwy says...
RH
Somewhat confusing as leftists have always hated the word, LIBERAL. I wonder why?
I am a conservative and very proud of it. Lefists do not like labels, unless they are the ones applying the label.
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Randy Hall says...
They hate the word liberal because that is what conservatives were once known as. Strong family values and charity somehow got perverted to being government programs to take care of your charity needs.
It’s a confusing history but most likely one reason today’s liberal hates the label. Like pro-abort is pro-choice, the real descriptive term is very negative, just like saying you can’t do it for yourself so we do it for you government program is negative too. It is why they wake in an outrage each day and get personal so quick. Their life is built on emotion and facts create conflict in their minds. Of course good liberal soldiers know the conflicts and how to deflect them with personal insults and innuendo.
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Have Faith says...
Randy hall writes “Property rights and self-determination is boring to those that don’t believe a man should work for his own good.”. Read, selfish.
Hall is now a history expert. WTF. I thought he was an auto mechanic but he’s really a college prof.
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Have Faith says...
I like the word liberal. I’m a liberal. I’m a progressive. And I’m conservative. I’m also a constitutionalist. I believe in the good of the country and the rights of the one. I believe in progress and conservative values. Oh shut. Hear comes reaganrepub or mr vines with their believe crap.
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Palmdale_Steve says...
socnative
But lets start with some better ones.
1) Institute looser pays for frivolous law suits.
2) Give judges the ability to cap settlements in personal injury cases.
3) Limit how much of an award a lawyer can collect as part of a judgment, let’s say 6 percent, just like Realtors.
4) Limit the number of people who can get a law license, determined by a random lottery.
Seems your all for controlling other businesses, let’s start with yours.
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Have Faith says...
Monopolies need to be controlled, it’s not about business regular business. I like your suggestions Palmdale Steve. Specially loser pay. Don’t like taking jury power and giving to judges. Judges only one person, too easily nonobjective let’s say. Damn I like rum. Been working way too hard. Rum is mm mm good.
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Palmdale_Steve says...
Have Faith
Was OJ guilty? A jury said NO, of course this was the best case of Jury nullification and some would say a reverse racist jury.
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Palmdale_Steve says...
I wonder how socanative would like her Ox gored with the sort of socialist crap she has spewed about who government should intervene in other businesses.
Probably not so much.
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Have Faith says...
Agree about OJ of course. Not sure judge Ito would have done any better. Are you?
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Randy Hall says...
HF, if a person doesn’t work for themselves then why do they go to work? How is it selfish to work to better yourself? Give me a reason a person should work for another’s self-interest. I think you just said you think slavery is a desired outcome of self-sacrifice. Problem is you can only do it once. Like a shooting star in the night, you’d be done in a blaze of glory. Too bad so sad.
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Have Faith says...
I work for many others. Wife the kids my elderly parents even the fucking dog. I work to pay taxes to support the greater good of the society, to support my company and the guys I work eoth even the fucking stockholders. I agree there’s too much abuse and sense if entitlement in the giant giveaway no argument here. If you work for yourself without regard for your neighbors and community it’s a problem.
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RealSteve says...
scdyne
A few factual questions:
1) Does Michaels provide heath insurance and how does it compare to Wal Mart’s coverage?
2) What is the average wage at Michaels?
The same questions for Rite Aid?
I think if you actually look at it, Wal Mart is fully competitive on wages and health insurance, they probably beat both the companies you site.
Your argument falls apart when you compare what Wal Mart does to other compared to other employers, pretty simple, you just want them to do more than other business.
Compare wages and benefits at any of the other retail stores, except those that are Unionized and the unionized stores are loosing market share because costs are too high, no grocery store checker is worth $20+ hour + $10 hour in benefits.
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