People in Sherwood do not want a 'box store'. In March, Kohls opened in town and no one picketed, marched, or rallied against them. We also have a Target, Walgreens and Home Depot which no one seems to boycot.
There is a beautiful piece of land that a local family is choosing to develop. Earlier this spring, the family partitioned off a part of the land to create a storage annex and no one threw a fit. But now, that the land may ALSO be developed into a Walmart, we've apparently got problems. You see, Sherwood would prefer a Whole Foods or something more prestigious. Apparently, our community doesn't understand that it's illegal to pick and choose the businesses that come to town.
I am laughing at the rationale some people are using for why they don't want Walmart....
Walmart brings gangs (news flash Sherwood....we already have gangs in our town)
Walmart brings crime (uh...Sherwood is NOT crime free now)
Walmart doesn't pay their employees (Well...by law they have to pay at least minimum wage)
Walmart will kill the local businesses (Walmart will kill ineffectively ran businesses, big or small)
We don't have the population for a Walmart in Sherwood (We have numerous families on a weekly food bag at my elementary school....our community does need an inexpensive place to shop)
We have a population of about 20,000. We had about 200 at the local city council meeting to argue against Walmart; that's only 10% of our population. Once again, I think I am in the silent Majority in regards to this issue!
Here are three articles that speak to the good that Walmart can provide for a community.
http://www.wupr.org/2009/11/21/why-walmart-is-good-for-america/
http://www.forbes.com/2008/01/09/walmart-retail-economy-biz-commerce-cx_tvr_0110walmart.html
http://mises.org/daily/2219
Can people go to Google and find articles that show the opposite view? Of course, they can. There is always two sides to the coin. I know this is controversial and I am not looking to debate, just sharing my thoughts as everyone else is too.
Regardless of its reputation or its value to society, Walmart is here to
stay. Consumption drives our daily lives and accounts for some 70% of
America’s GDP. As long as Walmart continues to increase the
accessibility and quality of consumption, it will remain America’s top
retailer and continue to grow. Whether or not you choose to shop at
Walmart, everyone should appreciate it as an outstanding American
institution.--snippet from "Why Walmart is good for America"
Does Walmart have issues? Does Walmart make mistakes? I'm sure they do, as does any company. Is that a reason to gang up on the family that is developing their land? No. By law the family did everything it had to do and shared all the required information with the city. Can people still protest and exercise their right to be upset? Absolutely.
I plan to just sit back and watch.
It sure will be an interesting ride over the next weeks.
Walmart is expected to break ground in June!
