October 2, 2005
Uncategorized
7 Comments
Crystal Meth is a highly addictive and destructive drug. The parallels with Wal-Mart are quite remarkable. Consider the following:
Both started out in rural settings under the radar screen. After ravaging rural towns they are making their way into urban centers.
Both are highly addictive. They say just one try of Meth and you are hooked. I’ve seen similar behavior over a price rollback on a 12-pack of toilet tissue.
Meth causes users to lose their teeth, not attractive at all. Wal-Mart causes communities to lose their local retailers and sense of sustainability.
Meth gives you a quick high but later you crash so you go back for more. Wal-Mart customers get a high from the low prices and keep going back for their fix without concern of the consequences.
Meth is a chemical mixtures that is highly dangerous. Wal-Mart is a mixture of imported products and pricing that is dangerous to the communities in which they operate and the US economy.
Overdoses of meth lead to death. Overdoes of Wal-Mart lead to death of other retailers.
We need to put an end to both Crystal Meth and Wal-Mart.
– Steve
Steve — what the hell are you smoking? I shopped at Wal-Mart when in Oklahoma because there was little choice — in DC I happily shop at as many local places that I can because I do have choice here. Meth users have choices — they just don’t exercise them. Your comparisons with retail and consumption sometimes truly scare me. Brad
Steve, I love your comments.You help me put the words together that I couldn’t express otherwise. And brad, maybe if wal-mart didn’t takeover this oklahoma town you speak of, you may not have been in that situation in the first place. Are you doing meth?
“Wal-Mart is the opiate of the masses”
Nope Will — the only opiate like substance I turn to is Vodka (which I may have been enjoying while writing my last response) — I enjoy teasing Steve a great deal and my posts often reflect that — but still, I don’t think the comparison is a good one. Drug use is one thing, the need to get by economically is another. The town I spoke of (and Steve often speaks of) is Norman, Oklahoma. Yes, Wal-Mart did hurt Main Street Norman — but lots of other factors did as well. As long as Wal-mart is selling socks and undies at half the price of any other store — they’ll definitely be kept in business by graduate students of all stripes.
How ironic that the Wal-Mart in Norman, OK, was located on the far end of Main Street when we lived there, the same ‘proverbial’ street it typically kills in small towns. I think they moved out further (as Wal-Mart always does) to build a super mega center. We shopped at Target (use French pronunciation) which I know is just as bad but somehow seems less evil than Wal-Mart.
[REPLY – Brad, Richard and myself went to college in Norman OK together. I can’t even picture the old Wal-Mart but I’ve seen the new one built even further away from the center of town. Meanwhile, Target has remodeled its existing store. Faced with a choice between Target & Wal-Mart I can say that Target is the lesser of two evils. – SLP]
One additional problem that Wal-Mart and other large retailers cause: when they build a bigger store and abandon the smaller one, they typically record a restrictive covenant on the old property. For example, if Safeway sells a building and moves out, they record a restrictive covenant mandating that a grocery store will NEVER be allowed on that property. These covenants do not expire, they are perpetual and run with the land. The strength of their respective legal departments ensures that the covenants will not be violated. By constantly leaving old locations to build bigger, better ones elsewhere, they leave behind a littered trail of properties with limited uses. This creates a hardship on the communities that were once their dedicated customers! It creates a new brand of urban blight, and requires that people must drive further to get the same products.
[REPLY – Good point! I’m sure Wal-Mart doesn’t object to old stores becoming pawn shops, check cashing stores or bingo places. Just nothing that would represent competition. – SLP]
Sheesh, all this Wal Mart hate everywhere. I had the experience of growing up in St.Louis. Then spending my mid to late teens in a rural county. With a Wal Mart. This was the beginning of the 80’s. “Main Street” shopping was a complete SHOCK! Everything was marked up 60 to 80% over prices in St.Louis. E.G. I remember Levi’s being close to double what I paid in the city. (luckily I was only an hour away from home) Those “Main Street” business owners were all filthy rich! They had the people by the wallet and played it for all it was worth. I really disliked them. (and I’m a republican!) So don’t cry too much for “Main Street” They can certainly survive, and thrive if they’re willing to. I’ve seen it. I have issues with Wal Mart, everything made in China, phony we’re providing health insurance for employees, etc. etc. But they’re not just an evil entity. They’re small town people (Main Street) running a big business.
The first Target in St. Louis is now a church in North County. I never knew that competition could not move into the old location of the original retailer. Very interesting. I did hear that Microsoft and Wal-Mart are pretty much the largest two companies in our nation.