Wal-Mart Realty

I had no idea that Wal-Mart had their own Realty website. I like the little ads on the bottom of the page requesting you shop at Wal-Mart and Sam's. Of course not the stores that are listed for sale on the website.

Go here to see the full color pdf for the sale of the Brockport, NY Wal-Mart store. 98,578 sq ft, 13.76 acres and 360 ft wide by 269 ft deep. Maps, floor plans, population facts and all are provided. Or maybe you would prefer Geneseo, NY. I guess Geneseo got a new 204,137 square-foot Wal-Mart Supercenter.

Is Wal-Mart Leaving or Not?

From Chicago Tribune:

When the tiny village of East Dundee landed one of the first Wal-Mart stores in the Chicago area 15 years ago, officials gave the retail giant a tax break as a welcome present.

Now it seems Wal-Mart Co. is planning to pack up its wares and leave the Kane County town. Apparently, however, it forgot to give notice to the village, its customers or even employees.
East Dundee officials were stunned to learn via a commercial real estate listing last week that Wal-Mart would vacate the 120,000-square-foot store at Higgins Road and Dundee Avenue by winter of 2007.

Losing the store would blow a huge hole in the village's budget. The Wal-Mart provided $365,000 of the village's $1.9 million in sales tax revenue for 2004-05, interim Village Manager Paul Nicholson said.

Wal-Mart spokesman John Bisio called the listing premature and said he had no knowledge of plans to shut the East Dundee store but would not rule it out.


More here and here.

A Question for Wal-Mart - Answered

Asked below on March 27th. One answer today: Wal-Mart's Dirty Secret.

In the past few years, Wal-Mart has:

Opposed the introduction of anti-terrorist "smart containers" and electronic seals for cargo containers coming into U.S. ports. The retail industry called them "feel good (security) measures."
Opposed independent and regular inspections of supply-chain security practices around the world.
Opposed tougher rules requiring Wal-Mart to let Customs know what it's shipping in and where it comes from.
Opposed new container-handling fees to pay for improved port security.
The corporate lobbyists at RILA boasted in a 2005 lobbying report to Wal-Mart and other retailers about its "continued industry leadership in opposition to ill-advised and onerous port security measures (i.e., cargo fees, increased physical inspections)." In fact, beating back meaningful port security measures topped RILA's agenda.

RILA responds here.

Wal-Mart "is as American as mom and apple pie"

Media Matters has a good summary of why this may not be true.

My Mom doesn't strike me as the kind of person who would perfect an apple pie recipe and then outsource the production of that apple pie to Chinese children making 5 cents an hour. It just isn't in her character.

From pete592 / Wednesday March 22, 2006 02:03:44 PM EST in discussion section located on the above link. Priceless.

Wal-Mart Visits

Domain Name walmart.com ? (Commercial)
IP Address 161.165.196.# (Wal-Mart Stores)
ISP Wal-Mart Stores
Location Continent : North America
Country : United States (Facts)
State : Arkansas
City : Bentonville
Lat/Long : 36.2995, -93.9568 (Map)
Distance : 1,144 miles

We get an occasional visit from Bentonville. You would get more support for a smaller downtown Wal-Mart in Saranac Lake guys.

WalMart Continues Fight to Win Hearts and Minds

WalMart has instituted an economic development program that will locate new stores in economically blighted areas. In an attempt to put on a better face Wal-Mart has plans to establish 10 "jobs and opportunity zones." The first of these will be located in the Chicago area.

"The zones will encompass the Wal-Mart store and a host of local businesses and suppliers with which Wal-Mart will work to increase job creation and economic opportunity in surrounding neighborhoods," Wal-Mart said in a statement.

Read more here.

Wal-Mart Dethroned By Exxon Mobil - Fortune 500

Exxon Mobil tops the Fortune 500 list for 2005 beating out Wal-Mart. While Exxon had revenues of 340 billion dollars, an increase of 25.5% over 2004 (what a surprise), Wal-Mart only had revenues of 315.6 billion dollars. An increase of 9.5% over 2005. Article here.

SL Village Sandlot to Become Wal-lyworld?

According to an article in todays Adirondack Daily Enterprise the village sandlot on Lake Flower Ave. is to become a Wal-lyworld. ADE reporter Geoff Hayward interviewed Clark Griswald, one of those 'transplants' to the area. Griswald said "The timing of this announcement is really what people should be paying attention to" "To go behind the people's backs like this is unconscionable."

Many Tri-Lakes area residents were unhappy about the Wal-lyworld on the outskirts of the village. However they realized that Wal-lyworld would have just relocated in the next village over if they were not allowed to build on the sandlot site.

Community Benefit Agreements

Next week our new mayor and village trustees begin their term of office. One of the big issues now on the table is the question of rezoning the Lake Flower Avenue Village sandpit site. This would be an appropriate time to learn about community benefit agreements.

Google 'community benefit agreements' and you will get more information than you need.

From good jobs ny website:

What is a CBA?

A Community Benefit Agreement (CBA) is a legally binding contract negotiated between a developer and a coalition representing broad spectrum of community members impacted by the development. In exchange for community members' support for the project, the developer agrees to provide certain benefits. Existing CBAs include provisions such as funds for affordable housing and open space, card check neutrality for workers who choose to organize unions, and living wage goals for workers employed at the development.

In order to be meaningful, a CBA must incorporate concerns from a wide variety of stakeholders that come together as one coalition, and must lead to contributions from the developer and support for the project from coalition members that would not have emerged in the absence of CBA negotiations.

Who participates in a CBA?

Developers - to get a project through its approval process as quickly and smoothly as possible, with the public support of local stakeholders and elected officials.

Residents - to have a say in shaping the development projects in your neighborhood, to minimize the disruption they may cause, and to ensure that they contribute to the local quality of life.

Job seekers - to improve access to jobs for unemployed and under-employed people in the impacted area, and to support the inclusion of job quality standards, for example living wages, health benefits, and paid vacation.

Business owners - to give input on how best to increase local foot traffic and minimize disruptions while making sure that new-comers are not given an unfair competitive advantage over existing businesses through public subsidies that come without any strings attached.

Unions - to expand opportunities for existing members and ensure that unorganized workers can exercise their right to join a union.

City officials - to facilitate the completion of worthy projects, help craft economic development outcomes that balance the needs of city residents, businesses, and tax-payers, and encourage the types of businesses that invest - and remain - in the neighborhoods in which they locate.

Wal-Mart should have no problem with such an agreement because they are concerned about communities. Everyone participates, everyone compromises, everyone wins.

An example of a community benefit agreement can be found here.

Read about the first NY CBA here.

Gateway Center at Bronx Terminal Market Community Benefits Agreement here (pdf).

Ticonderoga Wal-Mart - Illegal Aliens

The Ticonderoga Wal-Mart is apparently getting renovated. The contractor or subcontractor has been using illegal aliens as employees. And, this isn't the first time this has happened.

According to an article in todays Plattsburgh Press Republican:

In 2003, four members of a Lithuanian cleaning group at the Ticonderoga Wal-Mart were taken into custody by the Border Patrol for deportation. The arrests were part of a nationwide roundup of 300 illegal aliens staffing Wal-Mart cleaning crews.

Of course Wal-Mart knows absolutely nothing about the use of illegal alien labor in their stores and immediately suspended the renovation work. Did they use a local contractor and local labor? Unlikely. Wal-Mart uses subcontractors (who hire illegal aliens) so that they can deny responsibility for the labor violations. Wal-Mart likes to give "Always low prices. Always.", so they have to keep their labor costs down as low as possible.

A good article concerning Wal-Mart and illegal alien workers can be found here.

Wal-Mart officials said it made sense to contract out the cleaning work because that enabled store managers to concentrate on what they do best, operating stores that provide low-cost merchandise. Wal-Mart uses about 100 contractors to clean nearly 1,000 of its stores.

Several industry executives said the questionable contractors made it hard for legitimate operators to bid low enough to win contracts at Wal-Mart.

"When you don't pay taxes, don't pay Social Security and don't pay workers' comp, you have a 40 percent cost advantage," said Lilia Garcia, executive director of the Maintenance Cooperation Trust Fund, a group financed by California cleaning contractors to police fly-by-night competitors. "It makes it hard for companies that follow the rules."

Read the lawsuit brought against WalMart by the illegal alien janitors here (pdf).

See, if Wal-Mart had to play by the rules, we wouldn't have "Everyday Low Prices".

Downtown Rutland, VT
With a downsized, downtown Wal-Mart. It has been done and can be done.

Downtown Wal-Mart - St. Albans, VT

Wal-Mart wants to build a 150,000 sq ft store in a corn field outside of St. Albans, VT. But wouldn't a downtown store be a better deal for everyone involved? Here is a simulated picture of how a Wal-Mart would fit into a downtown location and actually enhance the town. Visit the Preservation Trust of Vermont website for more information. Smaller, multi-story Wal-Marts with underground parking are evidently being developed for European cities.

Maybe the Adirondack Daily Enterprise should publish an open letter to H. Lee Scott Jr., CEO of Wal-Mart, requesting a downsized, downtown Wal-Mart for Saranac Lake (just as the residents of Vermont did).

Together Again - Howard Riley in ADE

Howard Riley wrote in Sat. ADE a column about the Democrats sweeping the Village elections. The last paragraph is worth posting for those of you who do not get the ADE.

It is now time for the village board, the Harrietstown Town Board, the chamber of commerce, the Red Carpet Team, the Local Merchants Association and others who want to play a part to get a department store in a DOWNTOWN location where seniors can walk to it. If Wal-Mart can pay more than 2 million bucks for only one of the sites in its present plan, then there are sites that they can afford to develop downtown in a store of reasonable size.
The citizens of Saranac Lake have just spoken loud and clear that they will decide what Saranac Lake wants and needs and gave a big Bronx cheer to those who believe otherwise.

Congratulations to the Adirondack Daily Enterprise on your great new website. Welcome to the 21st Century!

UPDATE: The entire text of Mr. Riley's column is posted here at the ADE website.

Find the Wal-Mart Store Entrance

Make Big Boxes Get Small & Go Downtown. From VermontWalMartWatch.org. Isn't this a smart idea? Limit the store size and make them build downtown and 80% of Saranac Lakers would likely welcome Wal-Mart into their community. A neighborhood Wal-Mart store sells 23,000 items and is less than 50,000 sq. ft.

Also, read this (pdf) to see how Rutland, VT dealt with Wal-Mart, downsize and downtown.

Also, a great speech by Bill McKibben at this same website.

How Good a Neighbor is Wal-Mart?

Go here to find out. Make sure and read some of the emails.

A Question for Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart imports billions of dollars of stuff from China and other countries in the far East. Thousands of containers loaded with Wal-Mart imported goods must arrive in US West coast ports every week. What is Wal-Mart's stance on port security? Do they believe that all their containers full of imported goods should be inspected and secured prior to leaving the foreign ports? Do they support Congressional action that would require such inspections?

Wal-Mart and Bangladesh

Much of the clothing sold by Wal-Mart is made in Bangladesh under extremely poor conditions and pay, often using child labor. Wal-Mart now claims to have instituted a Corporate Code of Conduct that will prevent dealing with suppliers that employ children under the age of 14. However, it is questionable whether the code can be enforced.

From CBC news:
Radio-Canada journalists posed as buyers in the Canadian garment industry so they could videotape inside factories in Bangladesh with hidden cameras. In one factory, typical of many in the country, children were busy with lower-skill tasks. In badly lit, dirty and overheated workshops, young boys were everywhere. A label reading Simply Basic, one of Wal-Mart's in-house brand names along with the number CA 28885, the corporate ID of Wal-Mart Canada, was seen in the factory. The same factory also produces Wal-Mart's corporate T-shirt for Canada. The factory manager told Radio-Canada that the children are working on domestic production. "They do not work on export garments, like Wal-Mart's," said Liakot Patwary. "I can give you [a] guarantee." But after filling many orders, Patwary said he had never met inspectors from the company and Wal-Mart had not visited the factory.

Read more about 'Wal-Mart's Shirts of Misery' here.

Read about Wal-Mart in China here.

Read about Sweatshop Labor at the sistersofmercy.org.

This may seem like picking on Wal-Mart because all large retailers are now exploiting overseas workers to provide us with low cost clothing. But Wal-Mart is the largest retailer in the world and they have to lead the change in this disgusting practice.

Thank You Edelman PR for Visiting This Site

From SourceWatch. In October 2005, Reuters reported that Edelman is to mount an aggressive campaign against Robert Greenwald's new documentary Wal-Mart: The High Cost of a Low Price. In what is reported to be a movie industry first, Edelman's representatives emailed reporters press kits containing a point-by-point rebuttal of the film's trailer, which Wal-Mart is demanding be altered or removed from the walmartmovie.com website. (The trailer is under fire because the documentary itself will not be released until November 1, 2005.) "The press kit includes snippets from negative reviews of Greenwald's earlier works - one dating as far back as 1980 - and three examples of what the retailer calls factual errors in the latest documentary.

Come back anytime.

What Will Essex County Do?

Last October, Lawmakers in Suffolk County, N.Y voted 17-1 to require large, nonunionized grocery retailers in the county to contribute to their employees' health insurance. The bill affects retail stores that have 25,000 square feet or more devoted to groceries, stores that have 100,000 or more square feet with 3% used for groceries.

Philip Serghini (Wal-Mart Community Affairs Manager for the Northeast), said, "We are concerned that the health care bill passed today, which does nothing to provide health care to those people without insurance, is a kind of hidden tax that runs counter to Wal-Mart's commitment to everyday low prices"

Mr. Serghini, believes that Wal-Mart provides affordable health care insurance to its employees. Does Mr. Serghini have the same health care plan as the 'associates' at his stores? Mr. Serghini notes that all Wal-Mart employees are eligible for company provided health insurance but about half of them 'decline' it. Does Mr. Serghini know why half of the employees 'decline' the Wal-Mart health insurance plan?

Some other things Mr. Serghini 'believes':

Wal-Mart provides value for customers

see here and here.

Wal-Mart provides opportunities for our workforce

see here and here and here.

Wal-Mart provides economic support for communities

see here and here.

Wal-Mart provides a helping hand for charities across America

see here.

Will Wal-Mart Impact SL Police Dept?

SL has long had financial concerns over police 'overtime' or whether to even have a police department. Having a Wal-Mart is likely to result in a need for more police officers, especially if the store is allowed to stay opened 24 hrs a day. Epping, NH had that specific problem.

Pineville, NC seems to have the same problem.
Pineville is one of a growing number of towns that have added large retail
stores in recent years only to find that the stores do not generate enough
tax revenue to cover their impact on public services, particularly police
costs.

And in West Sadsbury, Pennsylvania:
We saw a significant increase in crime and incident calls for service from the day Wal-Mart opened,'' as the anchor store in a new development in 2002, he said. Crime jumped 55 percent from the year before Wal-Mart opened to 2003, while calls for service increased 57 percent from 2002 to 2003, he said.

These are towns the size of Saranac Lake or smaller. Will police costs rise in SL if a Wal-Mart locates here? Maybe it would be best to try and determine if that will be the case or not.

Read a summary here.