Good Wal-Mart Debate at Slate

Barbara Ehrenreich, ex-Wal-Mart employee, author of Nickle and Dimed a story about how she lived a low wage earners life debates economist Jason Furman, author of Wal-Mart: A progressive success story.

Barbara makes some good points:

And it is because we appreciate the low prices that we are not yelling: Stamp out the Beast! Crush it before it can bud off yet another Super Store!We are saying, pretty calmly for the most part: Why can't it be better? Why can't it offer decent-paying jobs as well as low prices, especially if it's such a genius, as you say, at increasing productivity?

The problem isn't Wal-Mart, we critics like to say, it's the Wal-Martization of the entire economy, which involves not only low wages at Wal-Mart itself but depressed wages throughout the company's whole supply chain as well as at competing companies (e.g., supermarkets).

Jason counters:

Maybe you're ready to grant my point that Wal-Mart's low prices are great for the 298 million Americans who don't work there. But what about the 1.3 million Americans who do work for Wal-Mart? Here the evidence is murkier, in part because Wal-Mart refuses to release the data on its wages and benefits that could clear up a number of questions. What we do know is that its wages and benefits are about average for the retail sector—which is to say, not so great.

But I understand why progressives are so upset about low wages and inadequate benefits. I am also upset by the rise of inequality and the relatively slow economic progress that the bottom 80 percent of Americans have made over the last several decades. I just think Wal-Mart is the wrong place to put the blame or to expect the solution.

Now imagine that Best Buys across the country were replaced by Stereo Exchanges. We would have more "good jobs" and fewer "bad jobs." The average wage in the electronics retail sector would go up. But where would all the former Best Buy workers go? Most of them wouldn't work at Stereo Exchange. Maybe some would take a pay cut and work at McDonalds.

Sounds like he is saying big box stores are there to provide jobs to dummies.

Barbara:

I'm a little baffled by your Best Buy/Stereo Exchange example. If Stereo Exchange took over from Best Buy, there'd be a lot more better-paying jobs in the retail electronics business. Why wouldn't the former Best Buy workers take a lot of these new and better jobs? They're not all as clueless as you seem to think.

You ask, in so many words, why pick on Wal-Mart when there are so many equally Scrooge-like employers around? Why not go after, say, the bodega on the corner? Well, the question answers itself. By gobbling up thousands of acres of farmland and suburban sprawl to feed its relentless appetite for growth, recruiting (and spitting out) thousands of workers a day, and achieving near-monopoly status in some parts of the country, Wal-Mart has made itself into an unmissable target for anyone concerned about poverty and mounting inequality. The bodega may be bad—not to mention any number of retail chains other than Wal-Mart—but you might as well start with the biggest piggy of all, which is the largest single private employer in America.

Why can't more people understand this point?

You're arguing, essentially, that whatever misery Wal-Mart workers endure is compensated for by the low prices Wal-Mart consumers enjoy. The same could be said of other workers who provide services to working-class people, like those in the fast-food and child-care industries: Their atrocious wages help keep prices low for impecunious parents and burger-eaters. In other words, the working class can only advance on the backs of (some of) its own members. Sacrifice one group to keep the others afloat, so that the class struggle is replaced by a kind of Darwinism internal to the working class.

I believe this debate goes on all week.

What is a Community Retail Store?

From some of the comments published on the ADE webpoll it seems there is some confusion about 'Community Retail Stores'.

A community department store is not a co-operative. You don't need to be a 'member', anyone can shop there.

A community department store is a corporation, owned by investors (restricted to community members) and overseen by a board of directors that are responsible to a set of bylaws.

If a community department store runs into financial difficulties, it is the investors that take the financial hit. Investors own shares of the corporation. Investors cannot be assessed additional monies.

What if a larger department store opens in the area causing financial problems to a community department store? Presumably the investors lose their money. A risk they were willing to take.

A community department store will just be like a Wisebuys or Dollar Store. Maybe, maybe not. If a community department store is not to your liking, you have the option of not shopping there.

The Powell Merc only pays their employees $6-7 per hour and no benefits. So what, Powell will not own our community department store. We can do what we think is right.

A community department store is not a community organization in the sense that it is a club, fraternal organization or even a volunteer fire department. It is a corporation, recognized by the state, owned by investors, who happen to be interested community members.

But Wal-Mart.... To hell with Wal-Mart. If Wal-Mart's financial future is dependent on locating in Saranac Lake, it is way too late to be concerned about them. They probably have the support to build a smaller store in the downtown area. This apparently does not interest them.

Let's Be Civil

"Adirondack natives are intelligent, wise, hard-working and generous".

Generally speaking, yes. However, every now and then you get a letter like this one.

Unthinking letters are one thing, but this 'major retailer' issue has devolved into unknown persons leaving anonymous hate mail in a village trustee's mailbox. This is not only uncivil, it's against the law.

Waltons - Where are you?

Stories on Community Store Public Forum - Saranac Lake

Report from WNBZ radio here.

Adirondack Daily Enterprise story here.

Plattsburgh Press Republican story here.

Very Successful Public Forum Tonight!

Tonight was the night of the Public Forum about a community department store held at the Harrietstown Town Hall. There was quite a large audience of enthusiastic attendees. When asked how many people would buy shares in such a store (at $500 each) at least 100 people raised their hands.


Left to right: Steve Alves, Board Member, Greenfield, MA Mercantile; Nancy Neff, Stafford Springs, CT Community Store; Sharon Earhart, Chamber Director, Powell, Wyoming


Attentive Saranac Lake residents. Maybe 200-250 attendees, maybe more.


Steve Alves explains the legal process needed to sell shares in a community store venture.
I just realized that Steve Alves is the guy that made the movie 'Talking to the Wall'. Read more here. I also posted about this movie on 5/31 here.

Powell, Wyoming 'Merc' - Some Info

The Merc opened in July 2002. The store sells affordably priced clothing and shoes for the whole family. With a Wal-Mart Supercenter just 20 miles away in Cody, some Powell residents predicted that The Merc, like most small town stores focused on basic needs, would fail.But so far the store has been remarkably successful. It's met vital local needs, boosted sales at other downtown businesses, and even turned a profit. During its first year, The Merc took in $500,000 in revenue, outpacing projections, and generated a profit of $36,000. The earnings were reinvested and used to expand the store from 7,500 to 10,000 square feet. Founders cite several factors in The Merc's success, including top-notch customer service and a board made up of experienced local businesspeople. With no debt to service or stockholders demanding high rates of return, prices can be kept relatively low. "We're probably not quite as low as Wal-Mart," said store manager Paul Ramos, "but we're close and we usually do better than the mall up in Billings." Another significant factor in The Merc's success, according to board member Ken Witzeling, is the community's sense of ownership. "When you walk down the street and talk to people about the store," he said, "they all refer to it as 'our store.' Not 'the store,' or 'that store.' It's 'our store.'

Read more here.

Also, an article in the Casper Star Tribune here.

"Everyone wants to know what we're doing and how we're doing it."

The answer to the first part of the question is "pretty good." It has been three years since 800 community investors plunked down one or more $500 shares to put The Merc in business. Last year, the community-owned business cleared $560,000 in gross sales and shareholders should see "sizeable" dividends in the next few years, said Ken Witzeling, a retired pharmacist who sits in the president's chair on The Merc's Board of Directors.
"We've made money since day one," Witzeling said.

ADE Editorial - At Least Consider a Community Department Store

Here.

The 'guts' of the editorial appear below.

Nevertheless, we’ve heard many people — angry that the village board halted the rezoning process for the would-be Wal-Mart site — say they would boycott such a community store. They say it is being proposed by the same people who opposed Wal-Mart. There’s some truth to that. Although support for the store is more broad-based than such critics realize, the Save Saranac Lake Coalition, which vehemently opposes Wal-Mart, is involved in promoting the idea as a smaller alternative to the 121,000-square-foot Supercenter Wal-Mart wants to build.

We, however, are not categorically opposed to Wal-Mart. The way we see it is this: Anyone who really wants a new department store in Saranac Lake, like we do, should be willing to seriously consider the pros and cons of any party that steps up to the plate with a proposal to establish one — from Wal-Mart to a grassroots group.

The second paragraph is the key. Many opponents of Wal-Mart were/are willing to compromise if the store was located downtown and was smaller. CARD is not only unwilling to discuss compromises on Wal-Mart size and location, they are unwilling to discuss or listen to ANY viable alternative on retail development.

This is the Committee for Advancement of Retail Development? How does not listening to other ideas on retail development advancing retail development? They need to face facts. The are the Committee for Advancement of a 121,000 sq ft Wal-Mart Located on Lake Flower Avenue....let's see...that would be CA121kWMLLFA. Yeah that is a mouthful.

Todays Amusing Letter to the ADE Editor

Here

"Wal-Mart already said in a statement that the village board vote will block a store from being built there, and Wal-Mart will not wait two years for a decision".

If Wal-Mart will not wait two years for a decision, that is their business decision. If they think an SL store will be profitable, they will build...in two years, five years or ten years. It's a business decision.

"Stanley Chevrolet is now sitting empty, paying no salaries; it looks pretty bad when driving past it".

Yes, Stanley Chevrolet is sitting empty. It's a pretty big lot wouldn't you say? At least as big as the plaza across the street? Big enough for a 68,000 sq ft Wal-Mart probably. Business decision.

"This idea of a community department store is not the answer, it’s one of the worst solutions to the problem I’ve ever heard of".

It's a solution? Why? Are there any reasons other than that you want a 121,000 sq ft Wal-Mart instead?

No Quality of Life in SL!

This morning on TOT the community was notified, by a regular caller, that there is no quality of life in Saranac Lake, unlike in the past. Why is this? High crime rate? Poor educational system? Lack of clean air and water? No, it's none of those things.

It's because we don't have a Wal-Mart!

Almost everyone in the area agrees that Saranac Lake needs a large department store to replace the old Ames store. But to claim that SL lacks quality of life because we don't have a Wal-Mart is not only wrong, ignorant, illogical, and not well thought out....it's stupid.

This is what it's come down to. The problem is no longer that we lack a large department store, the problem is that we lack a 121,000 sq ft Wal-Mart box in which to buy cheap junk.

Ever wonder why Ames went bankrupt? Could it possibly be because Wal-Mart put them out of business? Hundreds of grocery stores across the USA have gone out of business. Why? Wal-Mart. Tens of thousands of good, well paying manufacturing jobs have been moved overseas. Why, because US manufacturers are pressured to do so by Wal-Mart. But no need to worry. These good paying jobs with benefits are being replaced by jobs at Wal-Mart just so you and I can buy more and more unnecessary cheap crap.

Robert Reich, ex-Secretary of Labor says, consumers' addiction to low prices is accelerating a shift toward a two-tiered U.S. economy, with a shrinking middle class and a growing pool of low-wage workers. "Wal-Mart's prices may be lower," he said, "but that's small consolation to a lot of people who end up with less money to spend."

I am finally reading "The Wal-Mart Effect" by Charles Fishman. I'm very surprised more pro-Wal-Mart people haven't read the book because Fishman actually seems to admire what Wal-Mart has accomplished. The more worrisome aspects are the spreading effects of what and how Wal-Mart does business. Even the US Bureau of Standards cannot get a handle on the effects of Wal-Mart on our economy.

Fishman wanted to interview companies that supply Wal-Mart. He had lots of trouble finding one that would talk about their so called 'partnership' with Wal-Mart. He finally found a supplier that agreed to be interviewed. Next day the supplier said they changed their mind. They had called Wal-Mart to make sure it was okay. It wasn't. They couldn't afford to alienate Wal-Mart.

An economist wanted to do a study on the effects of Wal-Mart on surrounding businesses. They called Wal-Mart to get a list of stores and the dates on which they opened for business. Wal-Mart refused to give out the information.

(Rant to be con't)

REMINDER

What: Public forum about a Community Department Store

When: Thursday, June 22nd, 7 PM

Where: Harrietstown Town Hall, Saranac Lake, NY

Everyone is welcomed.

Organization Clarifies Name

Sour Grapes at its Best

Letter in Saturdays Adirondack Daily Enterprise by Jeffrey K. Branch (loser of the race for mayor of SL 838-579)sounds like sour grapes at its finest. Mr. Branch needs to learn how a representative government works and what 'open government' means.

1. democracy took a back seat to back-room politics. Where is the evidence that any back-room politics took place? That is a serious unsubstantiated charge.

2. democracy took a back seat to a vocal minority. What vocal minority? 838-579?

3. A motion to send the issue of rezoning the sand pit to public hearing was defeated. So by your definition, every single motion of importance needs to have a public hearing before it can be voted on by elected representatives?

4. ...a process which is the basis for the republic to which they pledge their allegiance prior to every meeting.... My, hopefully they won't be sent to Gitmo.

5. The residents of the village have been denied their constitutionally guaranteed rights to be heard. CARD, SAGA, Voters for Change, Coalition to Save Saranac Lake, countless letters to the editor, months of daily calls to talk of the town, radio interviews, town meetings, petitions, campaigns etc and no one was heard? 838-579

6. It is time you (Mayor Michael) start listening to the residents of this village and time you start acting in their interest. 838-579

EXCELLENT New Website!

Here

It's the brand new website of the Save Saranac Lake Coalition, a group of area residents that want to preserve the unique character of the Village of Saranac Lake. Please visit their website and click on 'About Us'. There you will find a good summary of the story thus far concerning Wal-Mart and SL.

The pictures of our beautiful town are some of the best I've ever seen!

Saranac Lake is Not Dying

Saranac Lake may lack a large retail department store but it is not dying as many pro-WalMarter's claim. Two recent examples:


New retail space is being proposed to be built across from the train station on Depot Street. The building site is pictured above and was one of the proposed locations for a smaller, downtown Wal-Mart or other department store. Maybe the new retail space would be good for a community department store. Would it be a Wal-Mart? No. But it might be big enough to supply the necessities that many claim are difficult to find. Story here at WNBZ.


In other news, the American Management Association wants the village to consider annexing the old Trudeau Sanitorium property which is currently owned by the Association. The property is currently not on the tax rolls as it is a non-profit, educational organization. In return, the AMA would offer for sale several buildings which would then be placed back on the tax rolls.

Finally, some pro-WalMart supporters often claim there are many closed store fronts in downtown Saranac Lake. Where exactly are they?

Another Intelligent Letter

Yet another intelligent Letter to the ADE Editor that begs to be preserved longer than 2 weeks. The letter makes several important points:

1) New Village board members were fairly elected and board decisions have been based on reason and facts
2) Some disaffected area residents are acting immaturely
3) Individuals of all income levels, natives and 'transplants' may be for or opposed to a huge Wal-Mart located on Lake Flower Ave.
4) Wal-Mart is not the only solution to Village retail development
5) Wal-Mart does not care about you or me or our Village
6) We should be able to all work together, CARD included

The new village board was elected fair and square. Contrary to what some say, decisions that the board has made thus far are based on fact and reason, not on emotion or conspiracies.

It’s disappointing to read baseless accusations against our democratically elected officials and to hear fourth-grade-level nonsense on local radio. At least one new board member has received rude e-mails as well as a couple of vulgar “salutes” out on the streets of our town. This juvenile behavior will not make anyone’s life better and certainly doesn’t help the cause of these disgruntled individuals.

There is a perception among Wal-Mart supporters that “wealthy transplants” are coming in and “telling natives how to run things” or that “the rich are walking all over the poor.” This is short-sighted and uninformed. In fact, folks on both sides of the issue are natives and non-natives, pro-APA and anti-APA, full-time and part-time residents, professional and blue-collar, old and young, and people of all income levels.

The “native vs. non-native” labeling is arbitrary. What does “native” mean? Born inside the Blue Line? Born within village boundaries? Does a native resident of Paul Smiths, Vermontville or even Old Forge have more right to an opinion than a “transplant” who has lived in Saranac Lake for 10 years? What counts is what you bring and give to your community. What do you do to make Saranac Lake a flourishing and welcoming place to live?

There are many possible solutions to the retail problem, not just one. We have a chance to work together to bring in a store that will serve our needs while preserving our small-town character. How can anyone be against that? Discontented Wal-Mart supporters say they will now boycott Saranac Lake businesses, but if they already don’t shop here, what exactly will they boycott, and how does that help their town?

Here is a fact. Hundreds of towns across America are launching campaigns to keep Wal-Mart out of their communities. Why is that? Talk about a wealthy non-native coming in and running things. Five members of the Walton family are worth more than $18 billion each. Why can’t they afford to pay all of their workers a salary above the poverty line with full benefits (while they grieve their taxes, pollute and kill all the competition)? Do you honestly think they give a rat’s behind about you?

After the vote to stop the rezoning process, certain members of CARD said they would have no part of the cooperative effort to bring in a suitable retailer. That’s unfortunate. I understood CARD to be Citizens’ Advancement for Retail Development. If that’s the case, I hope to see them at the public forum on June 22, where we’ll look at better ways to advance retail development. If not, they should consider changing their name to Citizens’ Advancement for a 121,000-square-foot Wal-Mart, if that’s the only thing they actually support. I hope it’s the former.

Annette Scheuer

Saranac Lake

From the Bentonville WalMartian Today

Cogent ADE Poll Comments

Some comments posted in response to ADE poll question "Is Wal-Mart blocked from coming to Saranac Lake now that the village board has halted the rezoning process for its sand lot, on which Wal-Mart wants to build"?

No, they are not blocked. This is just a beautiful example of their corporate bullying tactics. It is a poorly-veiled attempt to evoke emotion. If they are not willing to allow the proper impact studies to be carried out, they are sending a clear message as to the manner in which they intend to become part of this community. They are behaving like foot-stomping four-year-olds, "its my ball and I'm not playing". We should not support Wal-Mart with reckless abandon; lets do this on our terms.

I don't know as anyone takes those extremist comments too seriously - they come from a very small minority of very noisy "commentators". A vast majority of this community wants to move ahead retail shopping options in finding something that fits in - a size we can live with that offers prices that those on the lower end of the economic scale can afford. I think there is about 10% of TOTT listeners that take those comments seriously and the other 90% listens for entertainment. The same with these web polls although there seems to be a larger number of rational contributors to these web polls than on TOTT Take heart - most of the community is interested in taking positive steps forward - let's keep our eye on the prize and don't let the minority extremists get you down... or distract you!

No matter how you feel about WaMart, Saranac Lake is lucky to have a Village Board that is willing to take a hard look at the facts, take public input and opinion into account, and make a very tough decision. Right on, Village Board!

It's too bad this Wal-Mart business has devolved into a dispute between 'poor natives' and 'wealthy transplants'. Where is the evidence that wealthy transplants are responsible for all the problems in Saranac Lake? Where is the evidence that the majority of people who voted for the new mayor and trustees are 'wealth transplants'? There is an honest difference of opinion on Wal-Mart. Why can't we try to solve the retail store problem instead of trying to assign blame for WM being put on hold?

I'm a 3rd generation native, own a home and work in the village and am definitely not wealthy. That being said, I voted for the new town board members and mayor and am very proud of them for standing up to Walmart's bullying tactics. I have to wonder how many of the people doing all the complaining about the board actually bothered to vote. Seems the other guys would have won in a landslide if 80% of the town really is pro-walmart. Most people I know say department store yes, but no supercenter!

Please, once and for all, open your eyes and ears: NO ONE IS AGAINST A RETAIL STORE. WE ARE AGAINST WAL-MART FOR THE SAME REASONS THAT HUNDREDS OF OTHER AMERICAN TOWNS ARE. We are in favor of free enterprise. We want a store that will serve the community. We are AGAINST having this town ruined by an unscrupulous, gluttonous corporation that will eat us alive and then spit us out. GOT IT? Second, people on BOTH sides of this issue are native and non-native. Most people in SL came from elsewhere.

More on the BillBoard Incident

Remember the June 2 post about the billboard in Bentonville, Arkansas that was up for less than one day? Read more Here.

This is interesting:

Not everyone in town is a cheerleader for the company. Some argue that its dominance may cause some people to keep quiet about misgivings about the retailer. Suburban sprawl, crowded schools, rising real estate costs and the loss of small-town culture are among the topics that generate grumbling.

New ADE Wal-Mart Poll Question

A stimulating new discussion concerning the latest ADE Poll Question.

Is Wal-Mart blocked from coming to Saranac Lake now that the village board has halted the rezoning process for its sand lot, on which Wal-Mart wants to build?

Find the discussion (as it were) here. The blame game continues and it's pretty certain all the rich, transplants are going to get their comeupance for 'chasing' Wal-Mart out of town.

Wal-Mart has options to purchase two large, commercially zoned parcels of property and could probably easily purchase the McDonald's. So what is stopping Wal-Mart from proceeding with their plans? Wal-Mart wants a 121,000 sq ft superstore and nothing less. If they can't have what they want, they will walk away.

Wal-Mart sure knows how to show their supporters how much they care about them.

Answer to Wal-Marts Mailing

Opinion column published in todays Adirondack Daily Enterprise below.

Unsolicited mail

By Gloria Volz and Doug Haney, Save Saranac Lake Coalition

How many Adirondack residents enjoy hiking up Saranac Lake’s Mount Baker?

For such a brief walk, the views of the village of Saranac Lake, Lake Flower, the High Peaks and the Saranac Lakes chain are unparalleled. For some, it’s a morning walk with the dog, a lunchtime retreat from work or an evening out with family. Locals take it for granted, and yet each time, the view is new, refreshing and reminds us of why we live in this beautifully unspoiled mountain community.

Many Saranac Lake residents recently received an unsolicited piece of mail from the Wal-Mart corporation. Both the front and back cover display was an early fall photograph of Mount Baker with the Saranac River slowly meandering in the foreground. The photo is quiet, peaceful and above all, naturally perfect.

Upon opening the mailing, one is faced with an artistic rendering of the proposed 121,000-square-foot Wal-Mart Supercenter. The elongated brown sketch unemotionally sprawls across a bifold page without representation of a parking lot or any indication of McKenzie Mountain, Moose Mountain or Mount Baker, which are normally clearly visible behind the proposed site.

The caption reads “Wal-Mart: A store designed to fit Saranac Lake.”

The piece then goes on to state that the structure will be “designed with your community in mind” and delivers four bullet points touting job creation, revenue generation of sales tax and local property taxes, “an additional local shopping choice” and also that the store will be “in keeping with the distinct character of Saranac Lake.”

Point: The average pay for a Wal-Mart sales associate is $1,000 below the poverty line for a family of three. Business as usual? Not necessarily. Retail rival Costco pays its workers 65 percent more on average than Wal-Mart, yet earns more profits per employee. According to a study performed by the University of Missouri, Wal-Mart boosts retail employment by 100 jobs in the first year, far less than the 200 promised due to the downsizing and layoffs of existing retailers that struggle to compete. Over the next four years, there is a loss of 40 to 60 more retail jobs as new area business becomes stagnant.

Point: Wal-Mart fails to mention the loss in taxes that will come from local businesses being forced to shut down. It also fails to mention the additional cost to our communities for extra services and infrastructure maintenance, which the village must provide for such a commercial addition.

Point: The only Wal-Mart in the Adirondacks is in Ticonderoga. When that 111,000-square-foot store was proposed in 1997, the company said it would not seek a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes), but it later applied for and received a 10-year PILOT agreement.

Point: At 121,000 square feet, the store would be larger than the three biggest retail locations in Saranac Lake, Lake Placid and Tupper Lake combined before adding the more than 600 parking spaces that would be required to support a retail location of this size. In comparison, a football field is 57,600 square feet; therefore, the proposed Saranac Lake Wal-Mart would be larger than four football fields, including a parking lot illuminated 24 hours a day.

If Wal-Mart truly wished to build a “Supercenter designed with your community in mind,” it would have asked for your input before dropping a postcard of the store in your mailbox.

Once the view is changed, it is changed forever.

If you’d like to support positive growth for the village of Saranac Lake and the continued health of our All-America City, contact the Save Saranac Lake Coalition by e-mailing slcconcerns@yahoo.com or via post: P.O. Box 643, Saranac Lake, NY 12983.

The SSLC would like to commend our elected officials for making a decision that will ensure a healthy future for Saranac Lake. They haven’t locked the door on retail development; they’ve simply given the village of Saranac Lake the key.

This letter was a collaborative effort by the steering committee of the Save Saranac Lake Coalition. Gloria Volz lives in Lake Clear, and Doug Haney lives in Saranac Lake.

Documentation for the 4 points made in the above column can be found on this blog.

Has Wal-Mart Been Prevented From Locating in Saranac Lake?

Simple answer, absolutely not. First, there are two possible building sites located in the downtown area. Second, eventually the village sandpit area will most likely be rezoned commercial and likely put up for sale.

Wal-Mart obviously thinks than can make big bucks by building a store in Saranac Lake. But only by building a 121,000 (or 100,000 downsized) sq foot store that stocks 60,000 or more items? A more reasonable sized store located in the downtown area cannot be profitable?

Wal-Mart is not interested in compromise nor are its local supporters. They must not want a store very badly.

And the Letters Begin...

In todays Adirondack Daily Enterprise, two 'woe are we' letters not really worth a comment (although the implication that our students wouldn't leave Saranac Lake if there was a Wal-Mart in SL is an original hypothesis). Here and here.

Whose Fault is It? Part IV

This mornings TOT on WNBZ (7:50 AM Mon - Fri):

To sum it up, it's the fault of the small business owners of Saranac Lake. The best thing to do now is to boycott these stores and put them out of business. That will open the way for Wal-Mart to come to town.

Whose Fault is It? Part III

This mornings TOT on WNBZ (7:50 AM Mon - Fri):

First call: Elected trustees and Mayor were for Wal-Mart and then changed their minds. Actually no. They all stated that they would want much more information before they made a decision.

Second call: Wal-Mart would have been a big boost and would have helped the small businesses. We need to vote Democrats out. Actually no. Most academic studies show that Wal-Mart is bad for small town businesses. Democrats were elected with very healthy majorities indicating that most people agreed with thier viewpoints.

Third call: Empty stores downtown, people going to Plattsburgh, boycott SL shopping. Saranac Lake is screwing everyone from what they deserve to have (Wal-Mart). There might be empty stores downtown, but they are difficult to find.

Fourth call: Democrats were wishy washy about whether they supported Wal-Mart or not. Saranac Lake is full of people with disposable income. They come from other places (during the last 20 years) and pay 2-3 times what a property is worth. The majority voters did not seem to agree that the Democrats were wishy washy. Are you saying voters in SL are stupid? Is the answer to prevent any new people from locating to SL? Should they be forced to pay less than what a property is worth? Are you willing to sell your property for less than it is worth?

Fifth call: Wish suitable place for Wal-Mart was found, opposed to Lake Flower Av site. Just as most SL residents apparently were too.

Sixth call: Let's boycott SL. There's an idea. Let's destroy the small businesses of SL. That should help the tax base.

Perfectly Stated

Opinion column in todays ADE:

Finally, let me address the issue of being an integral part of a community. What a subjective beauty this term is. It is a concept that seems to somehow get tied to the length of time a person lives in a community rather than the actions of that person while they are there. If time were the factor, none of the local residents who spend half the year in Florida would be integral. All of the residents who live in a community 12 months a year would be integral. Who is it that determines who is and who isn’t integral? This issue is a two-way street. There’s responsibility on the part of the new person to make the effort to integrate into the community, but there is also responsibility on the part of the existing community to welcome them and encourage them to become part of it. Calling them “elitists” or “outsiders” is not a good start. Fortunately, we have great neighbors and new friends who have done their share to make us feel a part of the neighborhood and community. While we don’t have a checklist on how to be integral, we do help wherever and however we can, and we don’t demand much, if anything, in the way of services from the schools and the government. We frequent and support local businesses, attend and support our local church, help local charities and, in general, seem to be doing all the things that we’ve always done wherever we’ve lived. I’m sure there are “flatlanders” who do more and some who do less. At the same time, I’m sure there are some locals who could do more for their community or could do a better job of welcoming the new people to the neighborhood. Being an integral part of anything has very little to do with time.

It is time to focus on the real issues, unite people to solve the problems and to stop creating classes that divide and provide no solution.

Whose Fault Is It? Part II

On WNBZ's Talk of the Town this morning.

1. Rich people
2. People who live here but don't work here
3. Democrats
4. Rich people who elected the Democrats
5. Rich people political machine
6. People that don't understand that Wal-Mart is a force for good
7. People who want to keep the poor people down because this is a playground for the rich
8. People that only live here in the summer
9. People that did not grow up here
10. People that did not live here during the good ole days (50's)

Whose Fault Is It? Part I

From Plattsburgh Press Republican:

Wal-Mart says:

Wal-Mart said it was disappointed in the board's decision, singling out Michael and saying the sand pit and the surrounding commercial properties it planned to buy make up the only suitable site for a Supercenter in Saranac Lake.

"Thousands of signatures were submitted supporting retail development in Saranac Lake, and we have recently received hundreds of cards in support of our project," the statement said.

"Unfortunately, the board's decision has effectively prohibited Wal-Mart from locating in Saranac Lake."

Typical response from poor beleaguered Wal-Mart. Everyone is picking on us. No one likes us, even though we are a force for good. Wal-Mart is not prohibited from locating in Saranac Lake. There are two perfectly good building sites available. And, even with the rezoning process postponed, eventually the property will be zoned commercial. Future hopes in preventing big box syndrome lie with village zoning restrictions on retail building size as has been done by several towns in Maine that care about their community character. Wal-Mart is now sulking and refuses to return calls to the Plattsburgh Press Republican.

Wal-Mart also places the blame on Saranac Lake Mayor Tom Michael, a man who won the election with a decided majority and who cast the deciding vote on the rezoning issue.

Community Department Store Presentation - June 22

That didn't take long at all. Mark your calenders. A Pro-active group is doing something about retail development already. The Save Saranac Lake Coalition is sponsoring a public forum to learn about Community Department Stores. The presentation will be held at 7 PM, June 22nd in the Harrietstown Hall, Saranac Lake, NY. Representatives from two operating community department stores will be there. More info at slconcerns@yahoo.com.

Stay tuned for the reaction. Will there be wailing and gnashing of teeth or a joining together to do something positive?

What's Next???

The possibility of Wal-Mart building a store in Saranac Lake in the near future now seems to be unlikely, at least at the Lake Flower Ave. sandpit site. However, Wal-Mart probably has better than majority support to build a smaller store at another location in the downtown area of Saranac Lake. But how likely is that? Probably 100% unlikely since Wal-Mart wants what it wants and is known for not listening to anyone. So Wal-Mart the ball is now in your court.

The ball is also in the court of the Saranac Lake community. Most area residents do want a new department store, so what's next? Wouldn't it be great if SAGA, The CSave Saranac Lake Coalition, and CARD got together and determined what everyone could agree on and support concerning retail development? If CARD (Committee for Advancement of Retail Development)is really interested in retail development and not Wal-Mart per se, there is every reason to believe that the groups getting together could happen.

There are sure to be some angry letters to the ADE and calls to TOT concerning last nights vote to stop the sandpit rezoning process. The SL mayor and two village trustees are going to take some serious heat during the next week or so. Hopefully they will remember that they were elected by a substantial majority of voters. Hopefully they will do all they can to encourage reasonable retail development in downtown Saranac Lake.

I'm still ready to put my money where my mouth is concerning a co-operative retail store.

Wal-Mart Derailed in Saranac Lake

Last night the SL Village Board voted 3-2 to stop the rezoning process for the village owned sandpit site that Wal-Mart is interested in purchasing. Hear all about it at ncpr.org

Read about it here in the ADE.

Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility

The Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) is a coalition of 275 faith-based institutional investors with over $110 billion in combined assets. Founded in 1971, ICCR is a major force in bringing advances in corporate social responsibility, corporate governance, and economic justice through organized share-owner advocacy.

See what they have to say about Wal-Mart here.

Also:
To Whom Much Is Given Much Is Expected, a few sermons.

Sandpit Rezoning Revisited - Mon Vil. Brd. Mtg.

The issue of whether to rezone the Lake Flower Avenue village owned sandpit area will be discussed at Monday nights village board meeting. One question that has been raised is whether the issue of Wal-Mart should enter into the decision to rezone the sandpit site to commercial or to wait for the planned re-evaluation of the Village’s Master Plan and zoning regulations.
In an article published in last week's ADE the following was written:

McEneany said that when he considers whether to continue with the rezoning, Wal-Mart will not be part of his thinking; he will consider the parcel only, not future sale of it.

Village Trustee McEneany has one way of thinking about the rezoning issue. The issue is only about rezoning and whether Wal-Mart might want to purchase the sandpit site to build one of their stores should not be considered.

A Letter to the Editor written by Ms. Gloria Volze has another way of looking at the rezoning issue:

If this is truly not about Wal-Mart, then there should be no problems in stopping the rezone at this time. We have nothing to lose but everything to gain by looking at our future with a renewed comprehensive plan.

Clearly, Ms. Volze has a valid point. What's the hurry if the rezoning issue is not about Wal-Mart? And again, with up to two years of sand remaining in the sandpit, what is the hurry to rezone?

The decision to rezone the sandpit site should be postponed until the Village Master Plan is updated.

What in Hell is Wal-Mart Afraid Of???

Here's a picture of a billboard that went up at 1111 Sam Walton Blvd. in Bentonville, AR. By afternoon, it came down. Here is an email I received from walmartwatch.com this afternoon.

Dear friends,

Last week, with the help of tens of thousands of supporters across the country, Wal-Mart Watch extended a hand to Wal-Mart's management and the Walton family. In a seven-point statement of shared principles, we offered to partner with Wal-Mart to help make America's largest company a true model for responsible business in the 21st century.

www.walmartwatch.com/handshake

To reinforce our offer, we contracted with Whistler Outdoor Advertising to post a billboard near Wal-Mart's headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas. The billboard went up yesterday morning, just in time to greet visitors to Wal-Mart's Annual Shareholders Meeting being held today.

The billboard's message? -- a thoughtful, forward-looking quote from company founder Sam Walton:

"Maybe the most important way in which we at Wal-Mart believe in giving something back is through our commitment to using the power of this enormous enterprise as a force for change."


Yesterday afternoon, just hours after completing the billboard's installation at 1111 Sam Walton Boulevard, Whistler tore down our message. Company management has since told reporters that it was "duped" by Wal-Mart Watch. In reality, Whistler received our signed contract, payment, and artwork on May 25, 2006 and proceeded with the installation on schedule.

Whistler's management most certainly spent the day resisting withering pressure from Wal-Mart before finally giving in. While we hope that they will reconsider their action, we will accept our full refund and contribute that amount to the Bentonville Public Library.

So, while the first amendment doesn't seem to apply in the company town of Bentonville, our proposal to Wal-Mart still stands. Billboard or not, our hand is still extended. Is yours?

Please urge your friends to sign-on to our "Handshake with Sam" today.

Thanks for all you do,

Andrew Grossman
Executive Director

Wal-Mart is probably thinking "We don't need no stinkin handshake".

Sandpit Rezoning

An article in todays Adirondack Daily Enterprise concerning the number of letters being received at the Village offices concerning the sandpit rezoning process. Thus far 200 letters have been received by the Village Clerk.

“This is the biggest volume of letters I’ve ever gotten,” said Village Clerk Kareen Tyler, who estimated that she spent more than half an hour per day this month dealing with the influx.

The article goes on to point out that about have of the letters received thus far are opposed to the rezoning of sandpit site. Interestingly, these letters are not form letters but rather individual original letters. About 80 of the letters are in favor of rezoning the sandpit area. These letters are form letters. Those supporting the rezoning effort must be too busy to write their own letters.

A little more than half the letters were against continuing the rezoning process at this time. The majority of letters expressing this point were original. About 80 letters in favor of the rezone were the same letter with different signatures. This form letter never mentioned Wal-Mart, only that the parcel be rezoned for commercial use.

One major topic of discussion is whether the fact that Wal-Mart is interested in the property should be of concern when deciding whether to rezone or not.

One of the letters to garner the most attention from village officials was from retired attorney Peter Crary, who said he has 28 years of experience as an attorney including working in the environmental bureau of the state Attorney General’s Office. Crary, who is a neighbor to the sand pit, cautioned that the village shouldn’t overlook its SEQR Act obligations at this stage. He said the SEQR should address Wal-Mart because it made its intentions known about wanting to build on the property.

There are also two Letters (here and here) to the Editor concerning the rezoning issue, both opposed to rezoning.

Do Richard Edelman's Ethics Apply to His Wal-Mart Client?

Richard Edelman, CEO of Edelman, the largest independent public relations firm in the world has his own blog. Wal-Mart is one of Edelman PR's clients. Mr. Edelman's March 30th post is pretty interesting. He appears to have pretty high moral and ethical standards for his company (short of hiring Krempasky who thinks Rep. John Murtha is not a patriot; we have got to stop conservatives from smearing decorated veterans).

Here are a few things Mr. Edelman has to say about PR companies (hopefully not taken too much out of context, but you can check that for yourself by clicking on his blog link).

How serious is it for PR that the man who runs the foremost center for press and public policy in the US is fundamentally skeptical about our profession?

.....it is time for us to recognize that with our enhanced opportunity comes a very real responsibility.

Tell both sides of every story. We can be more credible by listing the side effects along with the demonstrable benefits.

Empower employees to shape the company image.

Total transparency as to the motive and the funding source.

We need to improve the practice of public relations.

ProPr had a few comments about Edelman PR and transparency.

That’s where Wal-Mart came up short. They used their PR firm’s bloggers and the credibility those bloggers had built up to speak directly to other bloggers. But for the rest of us, people outside of their carefully targeted direct blogger pitch, we could not see what the company was up to. The fact that their activity was discovered resulted from the slipshod practices of a few bloggers who quoted verbatim from the material Edelman/Wal-Mart provided to them, without attribution.

So, true transparency was not achieved. And the resultant uproar should prove a cautionary tale for all.

So do PR firms have the obligation to tell both sides of a story when representing a client? Should PR firms encourage the client it represents (Wal-Mart) to talk about side effects? Should there really be total transparency when representing a client? Should Wal-Mart employee's be empowered to shape the company image?

Maybe I'm just confused about what Mr. Edelman is trying to say.

Talking to the Wal

Talking to the Wal is a movie by Steve Alves. It concerns two small towns, Greenfield, MA (18,000), whose residents prevented a Wal-Mart incursion by stopping a rezoning effort (read more here pdf) and little Orange, MA (7,500) whose residents welcomed Wal-Mart to town in hopes of revitalizing the town.

"Today's Orange is praised for the character, intelligence and thrift of its citizens and for its lack of "rowdyism." It has all the elements that make a small town livable, including good schools, churches (10 of them), library, fire department, water supply, fraternal organizations, and banking facilities. It also has a Wal-Mart, which provides cheap goods at the expense of a thriving downtown".

(from here)

Any hope that the downtown could be revitalized due to a Wal-Mart store's presence has since been abondoned.

Read the NYT review of the film here.

Good Suggestion By Gloria

Suggested in the comments in the below post:

"Folks who do not want a WM - especially the 121,000 proposed WM (which is the
photo) - should send that Postcard marked 'NO, I DO NOT SUPPORT A WM COMING TO
SL' to the Village Board at:

Saranac Lake Village Board
3 Main Street
Saranac Lake, NY 12983

We are afraid sending them back to WM
may be wasteful on our efforts. WM really does not care about our community. We
believe it will make no difference to WM but it may make a difference to our
Village Officials."

What's Next----------??????

These 'outsiders' with 'disposable income' are trying to have their way again.
First, they change the school mascot from a fierce REDSKIN to a wimpy storm; Next, they change the spelling of Schoeter's Field!!!!; Now they are sending out direct mail trying to get us to build a 121,000 sq ft Wal-Mart SuperCenter. These 'outsiders' are in the minority so it's not really certain how they make all these changes.

What's next? Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies; rivers and seas boiling; 40 yrs of darkness, earthquakes, volcanos; the dead rising from the grave; human sacrifice?

DOGS AND CATS LIVING TOGETHER????

Something must be done with these 'outsiders'.

Wal-Mart and Schroeter's Field

There was a sad little letter in the Thursday edition of the ADE which can be viewed here, at least for the next 14 days.

What does Schroeter's Field have to do with Wal-Mart? Nothing actually, unless you are a conspiracy theorist. There have been several letters in the ADE, in the last few days, from out of town 'native Saranac Lakers' concerning the spelling of Schroders (Schroeter's) Field. These letters are the result of a 'news update' at the popular Saranac Lake memories website Bunksplace.

First the Saranac Lake Redskins, then Schroeter's Field. What's next--------------????(Drop a letter to the editor at the Adirondack Daily Enterprise link below to voice YOUR opinion. Go to "Virtual News Room" )

The Letter:
We native Saranac Lakers are really getting fed up with the “NEW” so-called Saranac Lakers changing all that made Saranac Lake a desirable place to live. Some with no backbone stole our beloved Redskins from us. A minority, mind you. Another minority of aliens are doing everything possible to keep our town from having a place to shop for groceries and clothing because they have their little specialty shops and we should shop there whether we like it or not. Sound familiar?

No one forced them to move to OUR area, but they came and decided to change it to fit their lifestyle. What about our lifestyle? Now they are changing the name of Schroeter’s field to Shroeder’s field. We all played ball there as children growing up here and have fond memories of George and his family allowing us to use their hose when we were hot and their garage when it rained. Their name was SHROETER. What next? If you weren’t born here, don’t call yourself natives.

Maybe all of us old-timers should contact the Minutemen to guard our borders. By the way, no one had a problem with Ames being in North Elba. Is it just Wal-Mart? Conflict of interest, anyone? Downtown is great if you like pizza, subs or alcohol. Enough is enough. I’m sorry I brought my family back here to enjoy what was a beautiful, caring town of beautiful, caring people. You can have it. Tony Anderson and Bill Wallace must be rolling over in their graves, among others. If they are allowed to do that in our NEW TOWN.

Vermontville

This letter is an example of an attack on the civil rights of "non-native Saranac Lakers" (NNSLers). NNSLers include ANYONE who was 1)not born in Saranac Lake General Hospital and 2) did not graduate from The Saranac Lake High School. The nice thing about this definition is that if you were born in SLGH (damn, who changed the name to AMC?) and did graduate from SLHS (damn, it's not in Petrova anymore), you will keep all the "rights" of a Native Saranac Laker (NSLer) forever. You can be living in Vermontville, NY or Luanda, Angola and you still have a full voice in what happens in SL. A "NNSLer" is an outsider...an immigrant....an alien. It doesn't matter if you've lived here for 50 yrs. Keep your opinions to yourselves and you will be tolerated and allowed to live in OUR (NSLers)TOWN. If you express an opinion WE (NSLers)don't like, please just leave the area. Go back from whence you came. Don't make us form a Minuteman group (a group by the way that is responsible for the formation of some bigoted, racist groups - Here, Here).

NNSLer's are everything that is wrong with SL. They are responsible for all change, even the spelling of Schoeter's Field. Now you NNSLers want to have an opinion about Wal-Mart! What's next ----------??????

Sometimes you can be ashamed to be a NSLer.

PS Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott, Edelman CEO Richard Edelman and you PR/Direct Marketing guys in Rochester.....we don't mean you. You are honorary NSLer's.

Wal-Mart SEC Form 10-K

HERE

A Panopoly Of Wal-Mart Facts

You won't find these facts at Walmartfacts.com. Go to the facts section of walmartmovie.com to read how:

The Walton Family saves $91,500.00 per hour in Federal Taxes (and they don't do it by shopping at Wal-Mart.

Wal-Mart drives down retail wages by $3,000,000,000 a year.

California subsidizes Wal-Mart to the tune of $86,000,000 a year.

HealthCare:

FLORIDA: 12,300 WAL-MART Workers and their Dependents on Medicaid
GEORGIA: 10,261 Children of WAL-MART Employees are Enrolled in PeachCare for Kids
TENNESSEE: 9,617 WAL-MART Workers on TennCare

WAL-MART Costs Taxpayers $1,557,000,000,00 to Support its Employees

Lawsuits:

$50 MILLION to settle an off-the-clock class action suit in Colorado

Wal-Mart is paying eleven million dollars to settle Federal allegations it used illegal immigrants to clean its stores.

Wal-Mart is facing a class-action lawsuit for discrimination against $1.6 million former and current female employees.

Wal-Mart currently faces lawsuits in thirty-one different States for wage and hour abuses potentially involving hundreds of thousand workers.

Currently in the U.S. there are 26,699,678 SQUARE FEET of empty WAL-MARTS

Environment:

2001: EPA orders WAL-MART to pay $1.0 MILLION fine for Clean Water Violations in: TEXAS, OKLAHOMA AND MASSACHUSETTS

2004: WAL-MART fined $3.1 MILLION by EPA, the largest ever for a retailer, for Clean Water Act violations in TEXAS, COLORADO, CALIFORNIA, DELAWARE, MICHIGAN, SOUTH DAKOTA, NEW JERSEY, TENNESSEE and UTAH

2005: Connecticut EPA orders WAL-MART to pay $1.15 MILLION for Clean Water Act violations in 22 stores


WAL-MART Imported $18 BILLION from CHINA in 2004
Lee Scott earnings for 2005: $27,207,799
Average WAL-MART Hourly Sales Employee Earnings: $13,861

HELEN WALTON: $18.0 BILLION
ALICE WALTON: 18.0 BILLION
JOHN WALTON: 18.2 BILLION
ROB WALTON: $18.3 BILLION
JIM WALTON: $18.3 BILLION

The WALTON FAMILY Has Given LESS THAN 1% of Their Wealth to Charity
Bill Gates has given 58%

The links for supporting information and documents are there too. We, the WalMart shoppers, actually deserve the credit for alot of this crap. What we won't do for "Everyday Low Prices".

Wal-Mart Going Green

Read "Can You Still Hate Wal-Mart" by Mark Morford.

Last October Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott announced that Wal-Mart is going 'green'. Huge plans from stores generating 100% renewable energy to eliminating bad plastic packaging and generating zero waste. So Wal-Mart suddenly is very concerned about the Earth's environment.

Morfords column discusses the more obvious reasons for Wal-Mart's sudden change in attitude towards the environment. Read it soon.

Some of my fav quotes:

Sometimes you just have to allow that something grand and good and healthy might actually be born from the bowels of the dank and ravenous megacorporate world, like flowers from a dung heap, like vodka from old potatoes, even if it comes right alongside the nastiest, most abusive federal environmental policy you will see in your lifetime.

There has been, to date, very little good to say about this most voracious and powerful of low-end, trashy retailers.

Wal-Mart has always been, quite appropriately, the devil.

Seems Wal-Mart has realized one vital maxim that so many fundamentalist right-wing capitalist GOPers have so far failed to grasp: The apocalypse is just really bad for business.

They are the George Bushes of the retail world -- drunk with power, cheaply made and full of crap

Morford can really turn a phrase!

Wal-Mart Decides To Help Further Split The Saranac Lake Community

A report on WNBZ radio here.

Multi-billion dollar Wal-Mart is worried. The company obviously will only survive by building an out-of-scale box store at a site that 70% of residents do not support. This must be the case, because Wal-Mart has started a PR campaign to build support for the company.

Now here we have some 'outsiders' with huge amounts of 'disposable income' telling us, the life long residents and common people of SL what we should do (part snark here). This is sure to upset the Wal-Mart supporters in the area because they do not like outsiders with disposable income influencing their decisions. CARD is sure to tell Wal-Mart to cease, desist and mind their own business. Don't call us, we'll call you.

The mailing says the store “blends with the design” and the “distinct character” of the community.

Keep in mind that a PR company's job is convincing you that a shit sandwich tastes great.



Saranac Lake Mayor Tom Michael had yet to see the flyer, but said he was disappointed Wal-Mart was launching a public relations campaign. “[I’m] wondering if they feel they need to get public opinion on their side because they’re project has issues,” he said. “The planning process is not a popularity contest. It’s a set process. I’m just disappointed they feel they need to start a PR campaign to get their store approved.”

This outragious ploy by Wal-Mart should be criticized by supporters and opponents of Wal-Mart because they are attempting to pit area resident against resident.

It includes a tear-off card that residents can return to a Wal-Mart Community Relations Office in Rochester. They can check off if they’d like to support the proposal by writing letters, attending meetings or becoming involved in “local pro-Wal-Mart efforts.”

Thanks Wal-Mart, but area residents are already writing letters, attending meetings and have become involved in local groups that either support or oppose you. Maybe you should think about spending those PR/marketing dollars on your employees.

Book Review

This is for the conservative among you. Excerpts of a review of Charles Fishman's book "The Wal-Mart Effect" in the American Conservative magazine.

This book demonstrates that the Wal-Mart effect is the most powerful market force expelling jobs and technology from our own country. Not only does Wal-Mart create low-wage jobs that lure further illegal immigrants here to do jobs that Americans could not afford to do even if they wanted to, but it provides a place those illegals can afford to shop.

In January 2001, after Wal-Mart was done making its “statement,” Vlasic filed for bankruptcy. Fishman discerns the same “devastating success” among other suppliers, from Huffy bikes to Lovable lingerie: bankruptcy and closed factories here, a diaspora of jobs and entire industries to the Third World.

“Do Americans need clothing to be so inexpensive that the people making it cannot afford a toothbrush?” The answer is no, of course we don’t, but Wal-Mart’s cost-cutting dynamic not only demands it but forces all who resist it out of business. The ultimate goal is not really “low prices for the consumer” but the obliteration of all competitors. Once this goal has been achieved through reverse predatory pricing (AKA dumping), once Wal-Mart has become one-stop shopping for every product and every service in every land, the pressure to keep prices low will abate, to say the least.

Wal-Mart’s pricing monomania has rooted out wasteful practices like the packaging of bottles, jars, and canisters of product in cardboard boxes but has itself created another gigantic category of waste: the bargain TV or DVD player or lawn mower that, purchased without the benefit of a knowledgeable service person and manufactured with cheaper and cheaper materials, soon breaks down, is not worth repairing, and winds up dumped in the trash—the Pickle Caper writ large. Fishman notes, “In the Wal-Mart economy, we as consumers often buy too much just because it’s cheap.”
(my emphasis)

Gracie Or Karla - Who Has Wal-Mart's Loyalty?

Karla is the loyal, shop at Wal-Mart 5 times a week type person. She goes into Wal-Mart to buy trash bags and her shopping cart just seems to fill itself before she can get out of there. Most of her checks in her checkbook are made out to Wal-Mart. Supposedly, Karla shops for what she needs. She wants one thing and one thing only - low prices.

Gracie is the more stylish, upscale shopper that Wal-Mart is now interested in. Gracie only goes to Wal-Mart less than once a week to get cleaning products. She buys fewer groceries from Wal-Mart (meat is not as fresh) and tends to avoid Wal-Mart in general.

Karla doesn't make as much money as Gracie and thus is more susceptible to economic downturns and high gas prices. Gracie has more 'disposable' income. So who would you court? Wal-Mart thinks future growth is dependent on the Gracie's of the world.

So Karla, you loyal Wal-Mart supporter.....see ya around

Read about it here.

More Wal-Mart Facts

Wal-Mart has 3,856 stores in the USA. That is one store for every county in the USA or one store for every 78,000 people.

Wal-Mart's net sales for 2006 was $312.4 billion dollars, about the cost of the Iraq War thus far.

53% of Americans live within 5 miles of a Wal-Mart store, 90% live within 15 mi.

Wal-Mart is as big as Home Depot, Kroger, Target, CostCo, Sears and KMart combined.

If Wal-Mart was a country, it would rank 20th in gross domestic product and would be China's 8th largest trading partner.

What Do Anti-Wal-Marters Want? Just Ask Sam Walton.

Walmartwatch has started "A Handshake With Sam" proposal.

Walmartwatch asks "WHAT DEFINES A GREAT AMERICAN INSTITUTION? And what are its obligations to the common good?"

They then propose The "Handshake Agreement" below is an agreement of shared principles offered in good faith to the executives and board members of Wal-Mart.
The interesting thing about these seven proposals is that they are all based on quotes from WalMart founder Sam Walton.

You can sign a petition supporting this proposal at Walmartwatch.

The "Handshake With Sam" proposal consists of seven different 'items' of moral responsibility that Walmartwatch proposes that Wal-Mart excutives and board members support. They can be seen in this pdf of a NYT ad.

A 23 page detailed overview of the proposal can be viewed here. A 2 page informational brochure of the proposals is here.

For those that have a slow modem, the seven proposals (without the supporting Sam Walton quotes) are:

1) Protect human dignity
2) Ensure quality and affordable healthcare coverage
3) Use market power to improve supplier conditions and wages
4) Enable and embrace self sufficiency
5) Buy local first
6) Keep it clean
7) Prove worthy of the public trust

Final Results - ADE Retail Store Location Poll

Lake Flower Avenue at Will Rogers Drive 30.5%

Between Broadway and Depot Street 21.6%

Other (identify site with a comment) 9.8%

None — no large-scale retail in Saranac Lake 38.1%

What to think?

1) A large group (38.1%) of residents want NO large-scale retail development in Saranac Lake. However, we don't know what large-scale retail development means to the respondents in this group. An unknown proportion of this group is probably opposed to Wal-Mart no matter what the size or location of a store.

2) Less than 1/3 of residents want the store to be built at the Lake Flower Avenue site. This shouldn't be surprising given the overwhelming win of Democrats to the Village board last month. If this group truly wants a Wal-Mart they need to start thinking compromise.

3) One fifth of respondents want the store to be built in the Depot Street area and one tenth want it built in an 'other' location, but probably downtown. This is a total of 31.4% of respondents. Add in a portion of those in the last group that are likely concerned about the size of the store and you have a large group that wants a store built in the downtown area.

4) The smallest group are those supporting Wal-Mart at the Lake Flower Ave site (if you consider groups 2 and 3 to be in favor of retail development downtown.)

Warning!

OH NO!!!

Ok, well not really. Have a good weekend.

But there is a pretty amusing letter in todays ADE here.

Interesting Letter in Today's ADE

Interesting enough to post the whole letter which can be found here:

I wanted the people of Saranac Lake and the surrounding communities to know what is happening in regard to a department store in downtown Saranac Lake. The Save Saranac Lake Coalition has formed an “Alternative Options” committee. We are a team of residents researching options for the downtown area. We have investigated existing small department stores all over the country and the possibility of starting a community-run department store. On this front we have good news. In late June we will be hosting Sharon Earheart from the Chamber of Commerce in Powell, Wyoming. Powell, Wyoming is the home of the Powell Mercantile, a small department store that is run by the community. In addition we are in contact with people in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Maine that are also in the process of opening locally run department stores. Sharon, along with others, will be part of a panel discussion the week of Jun 19th about the feasibility of such a thing here in Saranac Lake. Keep an eye out as details develop. The future of downtown Saranac Lake is bright!

Jamie Konkoski

Saranac Lake

This is a group of people that believe in action. I have stated my desire to invest in a community department store. I blogged about this option on Feb 24th and Feb 25th. It is definitely an idea worth discussing. One big advantage of such a store is the money REALLY is kept in the community.

Wal-Mart Threatens FL Landowners

Wal-Mart has apologized for being 'overly agressive' in telling rural landowners in Putnam County FL that if they don't sell their land to Wal-Mart it will be taken by eminent domain. Read about it here.

A letter to the landowners gave them until 5 p.m. Thursday to agree to a deal with the company.

John Williams, 61, a retired corrections officer who owns a mobile home on the road, said he doesn't want to sell the land he worked for years to buy. But he fears he might not have a choice.

"They are the big bear, and there's nothing we can do about it," Williams said. "The big bear comes in and takes whatever they want."

Wal-Mart spokesman, Keith Morris claims it's all just a little misunderstanding.

ALSO: Hitting the news today is a story about how Wal-Mart contributes to poverty. This story actually concerns the study "Wal-Mart and County-Wide Poverty" that has been linked on the side of this blog for a couple of months. It's an academic study and maybe it's in the news because it just got published in Social Science Quarterly.

ADE Poll Update

As of 10:00 PM:

30.3% In favor of Wal-Mart on Lake Flower Ave.
This is likely the group of residents that want a 121,000 sq ft Wal-Mart and are unwilling to compromise their position.

23.1% In favor of Wal-Mart (or possibly retail development other than Wal-Mart) in Depot St. area.
This is likely the group that wants a smaller sized Wal-Mart or other retail store. They are willing to compromise. They obviously do not want it built on Lake Flower Ave.

8.8% In favor of Wal-Mart (or possibly retail development other than Wal-Mart).
It's a bit harder to tell what these voters are about. Maybe someone can help out here.

37.8% Are opposed to Wal-Mart or any other large scale retail development in Saranac Lake.
This group must be the 'transplants' to the area (who have no right to an opinion) and all those people with 'disposable' income.

The problem here is determining the definition of 'large scale retail development'. Anything larger than the old Ame's department store?

Another ADE Wal-Mart 'Poll'

The Adirondack Daily Enterprise is doing another of their infamous Wal-Mart web polls. Go to the ADE homepage here and scroll down to the lower right hand part of the page. Then vote your opinion.

Results of the poll can be seen here.

At 1:15 PM this afternoon:

38.4% were in favor of a Wal-Mart locating at the Lake Flower Ave. site
24.4% were in favor of a Wal-Mart locating between Depot St. and Broadway
10.5% were in favor of some other site
26.7% did not want a large retailer at all

Web Poll comments can be viewed here.

Only 38.4% in favor of Wal-Mart at Lake Flower site (although this could certainly change)

Wal-Mart would have few problems building in Saranac Lake if they would only consider the downtown area. Although, I suspect there are still problems with the size of the store Wal-Mart wants to build. Wal-Mart considers 121,000 sq ft one of their smaller sized stores.

Last Night's Village Board Meeting

Read about it in the ADE here.

About 100 people attended and it was a very 'civil' meeting. The meeting was evidently a disappointment for some because there was no real discussion about Wal-Mart. It was a meeting to determine how the SEQR process on the Lake Flower Ave. village sandpit site is going.

The majority of discussion Monday was directly related to the SEQRA process, but separating the two issues still became a difficult task. Earlier in the night, many in the audience held up signs that read “CARD supports Wal-Mart,” a reference to the grassroots group Citizens for the Advancement of Retail Development. Others wore pins for and against Wal-Mart.

Many Wal-Mart supporters left the meeting when they heard there was not going to any direct discussion of the store.

Later in the meeting, the two Republican members of the board criticized Mayor Michael for not informing them about a meeting held last week with Wal-Mart respresentatives.

“But what really upset me was the fact Harrietstown was invited to this meeting and the town of North Elba was not,” McEneany said. “In my opinion, this board, the mayor or any one of its trustees has to represent the village as a whole, and that includes the three towns that make up our village.”

Michael said he wasn’t sure why the board didn’t know about it because it was well publicized in the media, including prior to the meeting, and that Harrietstown wasn’t invited. Miller had asked to attend.


UPDATE: You can read about the meeting last night at WNBZ radio here. The articles are much more informative than those in todays ADE.

Throughout the meeting, Mayor Tom Michael had stressed that rezoning the sand pit was not “project specific” and could be done without selling the property.

But several audience members said Wal-Mart’s plans have to be taken into account as part of any decision to continue. Mark Kurtz said the board needs to consider reality. “The reality is something is going to happen with the property,” he said. “The problem with only changing the zoning and allowing that to happen without acknowledging the ramifications of it, I think is not moving ahead in a way that’s appropriate for the community.”

A small sample:

Kurtz asked the board not to rezone the sand pit until the village goes through an upcoming comprehensive zoning and land use code update.

But Wal-Mart supporters, like Rick Gonyea of CARD, urged the board to plod ahead. “We need a place to shop, that’s why we’re here,” he said. “We’re behind you in rezoning this property for the business that wants to come in.”

Can Wal-Mart Help Us Get Universal Healthcare?

Wal-Mart Watch Board Chairman and SEIU President Andy Stern gives some insight into his 'war on Wal-Mart' here. It seems to be about Universal Healthcare.

Also, go here and click on the map of the USA in the upper right corner. Then see how Wal-Mart has spread across the USA like the red tide.

While at the latimes website you can read a three part series on Wal-Mart: An Empire Built on Bargains, An Obsession With Costs and Unions Battle to Stop Invasion.

SL Village Board Meeting Tonight

Tonight is the night. Mr. Andrew C. Abdallah, PE from Architectural & Engineering Design Associates PC is scheduled to answer questions about the rezoning status of the Lake Flower Avenue (and potential Wal-Mart building site) village sandpit. Mr. Abdallah was hired by the previous Village Board to advise in rezoning the sandpit site from residential to commercial.

Representatives of three local groups, Save Saranac Lake Coalition, Voters for Change and Sound Adirondack Growth Alliance will presumably there as well. All three groups have found problems with the SEQR document that is necessary for the rezoning. A pro-Wal-Mart group , CARD (Citizens for Advancement of Retail Development) will surely also be in attendance.

The groups also argue that the 'spot' rezoning process of the sandpit area should stop and become part of the future Comprehensive Master Planning process which the Village and Town has requested grant funding.

It should be a lively meeting. The meeting is being held at the Saranac Lake Volunteer Firehouse, to accommodate a larger group, at 7 PM.

Edelman and his Bloggers

Here are some of the bloggers that Edelman has hired. Three of them have PR experience and one of them is just a famous (infamous?) conservative blogger.

Mike Krempasky

Sorry, I didn't mean to leave out Erin Caldwell (Now she doesn't need to shop at Wal-Mart anymore)

Steve Rubel

Phil Gomes

Guillaume du Gardier

Ol Guillaume and Steve were two of the first commenters on Richard Edelman's first blog post. Steve even threw in a link to his PR blog (something that many bloggers find to be not so cool). Jeremy Pepper got into the sucking up too. Is that how you get jobs in the PR industry? Just kidding guys, going against a huge retailer is one thing, but you want to keep on the good side of the largest independent PR firm in the world.

Mr. Edelman says What do we hope to achieve together? In short, we want to persuade our corporate clients to commit to the blogosphere.

I guess that's probably how 'Working Families for Wal-Mart' got started. Mr. Edelman seems to be a firm believer that blogs are the future of the PR business. Edelman even has his own blog with a comment section here (BTW, I also believe the farmer and the cowman should be friends). From reading Mr. Edelman's blog, he seems to be an ethical person, so maybe the PR business is just misunderstood. And, reading the blog of the CEO of a major company is interesting.

Mr. Edelman believes in the power of the 'average person' as a trusted source of information about a company. Thus the need for a 'grass roots' organization like Working Families for Wal-Mart.

For a real grassroots pro-Wal-Mart website go here. Oh wait, you can't - Wal-Mart shut that website down (you can decide for yourself whether Wal-Mart played a role in shutting down 'AlwaysLowPrices' or not).

Mr. Edelman writes The average person like me is demanding a seat at the table, the true democratization of the purchasing process. Smart companies will recognize that ceding control is a central aspect in earning trust.

Mr. Edelman also believes that The need is for companies to do more than sell products. They must be responsible employers, assure that their supply chains reflect best practice in environment and put ethical behavior at top of list for executives. Hopefully that also includes treating their employees ethically.

I don't know which of these guys is the one that visits this little blog a few times a week (4 times today so far). I'd suggest that maybe a couple of you guys visit our little village to see how a 121,000 sq ft Wal-Mart Supercenter might fit into our community.

Thanks for the corrections MK.

Wal-Mart Suppliers Encouraged to Join WFFW

Wal-Mart started it's own 'grassroots' advocacy group called "Working Families for Wal-Mart" a few months ago. Now it appears it is 'encouraging' it's suppliers to join the organization.

As a result of the close relationship between the company and the Working Families for Wal-Mart, some current and former suppliers say, the advocacy group's membership drive amounts to Wal-Mart's leaning on its suppliers to help burnish the company's image — a request many said would be hard to turn down, given the company's importance to their business.

...Wal-Mart has helped with the recruitment of its suppliers by Working Families for Wal-Mart, even distributing a letter to thousands of suppliers, ostensibly from the group, that began "Wal-Mart is under attack and Wal-Mart and Sam's Club suppliers have the power to do something about it and help protect their businesses."

Another executive, who sits on the board of several Wal-Mart suppliers, said that given Wal-Mart's size, a company faces "implicit pressure to join" the group if asked. The executive spoke only after receiving anonymity, saying he was not authorized to speak publicly about Wal-Mart.

Of course Wal-Mart denies any ties between a supplier joining Working Families for Wal-Mart and it's ability to do business with Wal-Mart. One member of the national steering committee for WFFW claims not to know if Wal-Mart provided any start-up funds for the organization.

Also involved with WFFW is Terry Nelson, a middleman in the money-laundering indictment involving former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, the supervisor of convicted felon James Tobin of the 2002 New Hampshire phone jamming scandal and senior advisor to John McCain.

Wal-Mart's answer to a poor public image is to hire, Edelman, the largest public relations firm in the world.

Edelman has reportedly set up a 'war room' to deal with Wal-Mart's poor public relations. Edelman is very upfront about enlisting pro-Wal-Mart bloggers as means of improving Wal-Mart's image.

Let me get the disclosure out of the way. Edelman is the PR firm working with bloggers as part of a Wal-Mart corporate image campaign. Edelman is transparent about its relationship with Wal-Mart in our communications to bloggers. It's clear who we represent.

I wonder if Terry Nelson or Richard Edelman shop at Wal-Mart?

Why We Should Get a Wal-Mart by Randolf Stanley

In todays ADE an open letter to the mayor and village board of Saranac Lake and the residents of the Tri-Lakes by Randolf Stanley (Or please help me to become a millionaire).

How odd that Mr. Stanley supports having a Wal-Mart locate to Saranac Lake. Mr. Stanley, owner of bankrupt Stanley Chevrolet, believes he offers a level of credibility to my observations and opinions on this subject. Afterall, it's not like he will get a few million dollars from Wal-Mart for his property....oh wait...yes he will.

(1) Forty years ago the village made a mistake by not by not keeping municipal electricity, thus the village board always makes terrible decisions. Does that mean if the village board helps Wal-Mart build on your property it will be another terrible decision?

(2) Transportation. No other retailer will come to SL because only Wal-Mart has a 'delivery loop' with stores in Ti, Plattsburgh, Malone, Canton-Potsdam and Saranac Lake. Oh wait, they don't have stores in Malone, Canton-Potsdam and Saranac Lake.

(3) Downtown location. A downtown location won't work. Besides if they build in downtown SL I won't get my millions.

(4) Wal-Mart is willing to invest 'millions' in SL. Having a Wal-Mart will provide the money to build a parking structure in the downtown area, although who will there be to park in it?

(5) Location, location. Look at how poorly the 'Industrial Park' in Lake Clear has done. Let the businessmen decide where to build. Besides, I still want my millions of dollars.

PS I lost my business because people shopped out of town.

When is Losing a Win?

Easy. When you are the 2nd worse company in America. Of course it's no where near an 'official' poll, but the readers of the 'Consumerist' think that Halliburton is the worse company in America. Wal-Mart comes in 2nd (or 3rd). Wal-Mart vs Target was 1529 v 85.

Wal-Mart Commentary by SAGA

In todays ADE, a guest commentary on Wal-Mart written by SAGA representative Mark Kurtz. Mr. Kurtz reinterates and discusses the criteria that SAGA believes should be followed for Wal-Mart to build in Saranac Lake.

These include:

Location: Downtown SL would be best. In this regard, Mayor Michael met with Wal-Mart reps and developers yesterday to discuss other building locations in SL.

Size: Follow store size limitations of 40,0000 sq ft for a single store or 68,000 sq ft for a shopping center.

This commentary should result in a spate of Letters to the Editor and calls to TOT.

Singing the Praises of Jim Sinegal - Costco

This weeks Time Magazine lists their 100 people who shape our world. Jim Sinegal is listed under 'builders and titans'.

Mr. Sinegal is the CEO of Costco. He makes $350,000 a year not including a modest bonus and stock options.

Costco is one of the U.S.'s largest companies, with 118,800 workers, 473 warehouse-club stores and sales of $51.9 billion in its most recent fiscal year. Costco's stock has trounced archrival Wal-Mart's in recent years. Perhaps most unusual, Sinegal has resisted Wall Street pressure to become a less generous employer; store workers earn an average of $17 an hour and pay just 9% of the cost of health insurance, a rich package in the penny-pinching retail industry. "Our attitude is that if you hire good people and pay them a fair wage, then good things will happen for the company," says Sinegal, who remains hale at 70.

If you Google 'Jim Sinegal' you will find that many others also sing his praises.

Mr. Sinegal has said "We pay much better than Wal-Mart. That's not altruism. It's good business." A full time clerk or warehouse worker at Costco makes $41,000 a year with great health benefits. Yep. Wal-Mart makes twice as much profit as Costco but Mr. Sinegal believes in making a 'profit' not a killing and to invest in his workers.

Who would have thought you can make money in retail AND provide for your employees?

Sandpit Rezoning Discussion - May 15th

The Saranac Lake Village Board will discuss the possible rezoning of the village sandpit area on Lake Flower Avenue. This is the 10 acre site that Wal-Mart is hoping to purchase from the village. Mayor Michael states that this meeting is not a Wal-Mart referendum but rather an opportunity to ask questions of the consulting engineer, Andy Abdullah. The village has thus far spent $18,000 on the rezoning process and it will cost an estimated $32,000 more. The SEQR process has been completed so Trustee John McEneany suggests that the board should decide whether or not to proceed with the rezoning process. McEneany is also concerned that the meeting could turn into a 'free-for-all'. Read more here at WNBZ.