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Thursday, November 10, 2011

When Walmart Comes to Town



What are your thoughts on the Walmart debate?  Is it good for communities?  Does it suck the life out of them?


Due Monday Tuesday 11/14  @ 7:00am

22 comments:

Kim Labbe said...

Walmart is a well-known company that sells cheap items and is an exceedingly common place. Everyone knows were and what walmart is. As it stands today I believe it is a good thing, for people who like it and for people who don’t have much money to spend. I think they are good for some communities but not all. For a town like Waterbury and Wallingford it is ok because they are more populated and Waterbury is a city. Cities draw lots of attention and many people tend to go there, so for a city it is ok because that also attracts more people which means more business. On the other hand for a place like Cheshire, Walmart would not be a good idea. Cheshire is filled with all “mom and pop” shops and little business, walmart would knock all of our favorite places and Cheshire would be filled with many other people from surrounding towns and cities. Also in Cheshire it would “suck the life out” because we are not used to a business so big and then nobody would go to the little stores around. Overall I believe that a store like Walmart would do best in a large city. But overall I do like walmart mostly because it has changed a lot over the past few years.

Alyssam said...

Alyssa Miller

I think Walmart is one of the best places to shop. Not only do they sell almost everything, but their prices are very low as well. This makes it easier on people, especially when they are buying lots of things at one time. Many large communities should definitely have a Walmart. Since they buy their products in bulk, they can lower all their prices which attracts lots of customers. However, Walmart can suck the life out of smaller communities because it will attract everyone with their lower prices and the other stores around there might not do as well. This may result in the stores competing against Walmart. In conclusion, I feel Walmart is a great place for everyone to shop at. It is also more beneficial for the larger communities to have.

Jessie Zelisko said...

I personally believe that Wal-Mart is a toxic retailer. Local stores that are already struggling to survive are put out of business if any Wal-Mart store opens up in the area. Wal-Mart has proven to put prices first, at the expense of their workers. Wal-Mart’s pay to the average worker is only about a dollar above minimum wage, and with Wal-Mart’s last year profits reaching astronomical highs, they can afford to pay their workers more and provide them with more reasonable healthcare benefits. Many workers have walked on strikes against Wal-Mart, claiming that the “Wal-Mart family” doesn’t exist and the owners and upper-level associates of Wal-Mart only have personal profits in mind. In addition, Wal-Mart has been associated with sweatshop work and forced overtime in supply chains overseas. It also is the only company examined by the Human Rights Watch for domestic working practices, a fact that generally speaks for itself. Wal-Mart claims to be improving health care and its carbon footprint; however as the largest retailer in the world I view its “efforts” only going so far as to alter its image to the consumer. I don’t think these claims or goals are translating into actually making a significant difference in Wal-Mart’s actual mind-set or practice.

Lila Purvis said...

I believe that although Walmart is not completely beneficial, it is certainly not the evil many make it out to be. In some places it is seen as a curse because it overpowers the local businesses, but in smaller, more rural communities Walmart is seen as a blessing. Living in the North East certainly gives people a distinct perspective, and sometimes it is hard to realize that not all people in the United States live the way that we do. When looking at Walmart and how humungous it has become, it’s easy to forget where it started. Walmart gained major ground in the rural U.S. where there weren’t that many places to purchase goods. Walmart not only provided these goods but also provided them at extremely low prices. In this way, Walmart is good for communities because it is able to give them something that they didn’t have before.
Personally, I disagree with the claim that Walmart is what sucks the life out of communities. Walmart isn’t directly causing the smaller businesses to go out of business; instead it is the customers that are now shopping at Walmart instead of the local stores. When people are deciding where to shop, there are many factors that influence the decision, with one of the largest being price. When people shop at Walmart instead of smaller stores, they are essentially casting a vote for lower prices. This means that the smaller businesses might go out of business, but the blame should be placed on the shoppers who took their business and money to the larger corporation, instead of the corporation itself.
America is based on a capitalist economy, something that is a large part of the American identity. And isn’t the basis of capitalism for companies to make money, expand, and beat out competitors? This is exactly what Walmart has been doing, but when capitalism is enacted by large corporations, people suddenly become nervous and unsure. Some people say that America was founded by Mom and Pop businesses, but I believe that it was founded by capitalism, and that is what Walmart exemplifies.

Rachel L said...

Rachel Lenoir
Wal-Mart has its ups and downs as a retailer. The lower prices and easy access to a variety of items helps the lower income and larger families. They might have less to spend on necessities so there may be a limited amount of options. Wal-Mart also could pay workers a slightly higher wage. They have more than enough money to spare from their exponential profits each year. In the documentary, a worker stated that only a couple dollars more could help them get buy and afford the health care that could be provided. But if you look at Wal-Mart in a positive way they supply extreme amounts of jobs to many people and a job is better than no job at all. If you decide to build a Wal-Mart in a town like Cheshire, the mom and pop stores would be able to compete with Wal-Mart’s prices and ultimately cause them to go out of business. Although , in cities and largely populated areas a Wal-Mart could be beneficial in drawing people to the city and help them thrive. I do believe as for the going green situation, Wal-Mart is just going far enough to improve their image instead of what the real motive should be. Also Wal-Mart is greatly associated with sweatshops overseas and extensive hours of forced overtime.

Catherine Dykty said...

Catherine Dykty
I don’t think that Walmart can be considered an ideal company, but it certainly isn’t as horrible as many people portray it as. As with most companies, it has pros and cons. The best thing about Walmart is the low prices it has to offer, which benefits many people in this struggling economy. It can create hundreds of new jobs for every new store being opened every year. Many employees complain of low wages and poor treatment. I do believe that workers should be treated fairly, as they should at any other job. However, I don’t think they have a good reason to complain about wages. They are already paid around a dollar over minimum wage. Many other retailers and similar companies pay their employees a similar wage. Also, they are working as a cashier or stocking shelves, which isn’t a career that people can raise families on. Workers go in knowing what they are going to make and shouldn’t start protesting for higher pay. If they want more money and plan on raising a family, they should look for a more qualified job with a higher salary, rather than protesting a mindless job. With this being said, Walmart workers across the world have the right to be treated fairly. Also, I don’t think Walmart “sucks the life out of” communities. It can shut down smaller family owned businesses that can’t compete with the low prices, but this concept has occurred since our country industrialized hundreds of years ago.

Rachel Lochowski said...

I think Walmart is beneficial to people. I believe this because Walmart has cheap prices, so many people can afford them. When we don’t have that great of an economy, everyone is trying to find places to shop, that aren’t expensive. Walmart also sells grocery products and household items. Since it is an all purpose store, you only have to travel to one place. Walmart also has public services such as subway, a pharmacy, and an eye doctor. Another great thing that Walmart does is have many go green ideas and products. Walmart has recycling stations, so people are able to recycle plastics and such, instead of polluting. Not only does Walmart recycle, the company also has products such as shirts that are made from environment friendly materials. Since Walmart is a well known company it is located all over the world, which is very helpful. Not only does Walmart meet many people’s needs, including supplying jobs for people. Overall Walmart can provide communities and people with a lot. That being said, I do believe Walmart should be in most cities and towns. I don’t think Walmart necessarily “sucks the life out” of smaller businesses, they may have to shut down, but it’s mostly competition. If the smaller family owned business can’t compete, then that’s the way it goes.

Blake Dawson said...

Blake Dawson
What are my thoughts on Walmart? Well personally I don’t like walmart. There prices may be cheap and may save me personally tons of money but I still don’t like or shop at walmart. Walmart is by no means good for communities. This country used to be run by small mom and pop stores, which is where I still like to shop, and when a walmart comes into town and people start to see the price difference they start shopping at walmart instead of the small home town mom and pop store ran by there neighbors. These neighbors of ours who used to make an ok living now have no customers and have lost there stores and in many cases lost their houses due to no income. Many small communities have had the life sucked out of them. Walmart has crushed its competition and has put many people out of business. These owners of small stores who have lost there jobs have even some times had to get a job at the new walmart in town. And if your working at walmart you usually can only shop at walmart too due to the amazing $9.75 you get paid an hour.

Anonymous said...

I think that Walmart is good place to shop for all people. They do their best to make sure they have the lowest prices making it easier for lower income families to buy everything they need there. This is one of the main reasons why some people love it there. Walmarts are very successful in bigger cities and communities. I believe that with its high success rate, Walmart could afford to raise workers’ rages a little without causing a big fluctuation in their profits. However, I do think that they would “suck the life out of” smaller areas such as Cheshire. Small towns tend to have many privately owned small shops and businesses, and if a large corporation such as Walmart came around there, several of them would probably have to close down. I could see both sides of the debate about Walmart, but I mostly agree that it can be very beneficial to people’s lives, as long as they are built in the right location.

David Brzozowski said...

In my opinion Walmart has both positives and negatives that affect ones community. First off, Walmart dominates other stores due to the fact that they are able to name their own prices. Walmart being able to name their own prices drops the retail price of goods and allows for the consumer to have the absolute rock bottom price when it comes to goods. The effect to this is that other small stores in the community that may have existed many years before a Walmart arrived cannot compete with these low prices and eventually go out of business because they just can't compete. However the one thing a Walmart is guaranteed to provide in each community is jobs each Walmart that open provides nearly 400 jobs the the neighboring communities.

Megan Robles said...

Walmart is a well-known brand that is expanding number of stores every year. This is good because Walmart sells low priced products so it is easily affordable for everyone. Also, Walmart has everything from household products to grocery products and a pharmacy and an eye center. Since Walmart has all of these products then shoppers can get everything they need at one store instead of going to multiple stores. Even though Walmart has all of these great things there are still things that affect the Walmart brand negatively. Some people don’t like how Walmart treat their employees saying that there wages are too little for the amount of time they work. Also, Walmart refuses to have their employees to start unions and this makes some of the employees riot for a union. Another working against Walmart is that only a couple years ago Walmart changed their brand by redoing their stores because of bad press. In their reinventions they got rid of a lot things to make Walmart look like a nicer place to shop. Walmart might be good store for a city that attracts a lot of people but in a town Walmart can send a lot of small “mom and pop” shops out of business because they can’t compete with Walmart’s low prices. This is why so many people in small towns like, Cheshire, are against having a Walmart in town because then other stores can’t compete with their low prices theoretically sucking the life out that town. So when people hear that a Walmart might be put in their town then they complain and start strikes against having a Walmart. Overall though I think that Walmart isn’t so bad because it easy to get products needed at an affordable price.

Rachel DeVylder said...

Personally, after watching the “New Age of Walmart” video, I have mixed opinions on the large chain of retail stores. The stores can be extremely beneficial to the consumer. The stores offer a large variety of retail products of various brands at prices which are much cheaper than those of average, smaller-chain retail stores. This allows the consumer to buy more for the money or save more on what they need to buy. Walmart also supplies a large variety of products—from food to electronics to clothing, which provides additional convenience for the consumer. However, Walmart can prove to be disastrous to small store owners when placed in their towns. Because Walmart is part of such a large corporation, it is able to offer its products at a much more discounted price as opposed to the small retail companies. The prices Walmart has are often so much smaller than those of the small-town businesses, that the smaller businesses are unable to compete. Thus, the customers go to Walmart to buy the same products at cheaper prices than those of the smaller stores. Because the stores don’t get as much business due to the intense competition, most usually end up closing down and going out of business. Wlamart can also be good because, when a new Walmart opens up, so do many more job opportunities. However, from the “New Age of Walmart” video, opinions can be formed that Walmart may not treat these workers as well as they should be treated. So, overall, Walmart can be both good and bad for communities. They offer more for the consumer, but take away from small-town businesses. They also bring in many more opportunities for jobs, though they may not be the best jobs.

Matt Neveu said...

My view on Walmart is that it is good in some ways, but terrible in other ways. The point of Walmart is to beat all other competitors in terms of prices and quality. From a strictly customer's point of view, Walmart is a great thing. The prices are good, they have a lot of products, and they have a lot of those products. So if I were judging Walmart from a consumers point of view then I would say I think Walmart is a good thing. But I'm not. Although Walmart has cheap prices, there are many problems with the store. One of the problems is that they don't treat their employees as well as they should. You would think that because Walmart makes so much money that they would be able to pay their workers a decent salary. Another thing I don't like about Walmart is how it puts other stores and shops out of business. If a Walmart was placed in a small town, almost every small business would close down because there is no way they can compete with a Walmart. But in another way this is an accomplishment for Walmart, and how much they have come in the past few years. Not everyone thinks like this, and the people living in a small community would hate the Walmart because that would be one of the only open stores there. In my opinion Walmart is good for the average customer, but it doesn't do anything good for small communities and their employees.

Kelly Gunneson said...

Kelly Gunneson
I have mixed feelings regarding the Walmart debate. Walmart is beneficial for the people in communities but has a negative impact on the local businesses. The company Walmart offers various goods such as clothes, electronics, home goods, and groceries for low prices. The low prices that Walmart offers allows for people to get quality goods without burning a hole in their pocket. This helps the people of the community to live their lives more comfortably and have less stress about money. Also, when a Walmart is opened in a community, it provides many new jobs for people and reduces their economic stress. However, Walmart has a negative impact on small, local businesses. Walmart has the ability to sell their products for such a low price because they have a large number of stores and buy their products in bulk with a smaller cost per item. This allows Walmart to sell their products for lower costs and still make a profit. Small businesses do not have as large of a demand to fill so they buy less of the products for a higher cost. In order for the small businesses to make money, they have to sell their goods for a higher price than Walmart. When a Walmart is opened in a community, they offer the people in that community a new store to buy the same products as the local store for a lower price. This attracts many people to Walmart and destroys the local businesses. In conclusion, Walmart is good for the people in communities by allowing them to purchase goods for a lower cost and providing jobs but causes small, local businesses to close.

Katie Schmitt said...

The construction of new Walmart superstores in small towns across the country as well as the principles of the institution itself have become a controversial issue of debate for many communities and consumers appearing in the media as of late. Many argue that the debilitating effects that Walmart stores tend to inflict on the surrounding communities as well as the poor treatment of the company’s employees is not worth the deals they offer and thousands have pledged to stop shopping at the superstores and even lobby to block them from intruding into their towns. Despite these defects, however, I disagree with the opinions that Walmart stores are really evil and that they handicap societies all that much. In fact, I believe that Walmart stores are often good for communities and rehabilitate distressed areas by offering jobs and low prices. Although it is true that Walmart sometimes forces many local mom and pop shops out of business each year which is definitely an unfortunate side effect, it is hard to argue that communities are devastatingly effected by Walmart’s arrival when it brings with it hundreds of jobs and the opportunity to buy products at cheaper prices. I think that although these factors cannot make up for the personal loss of the local businesses, they can help amend and even improve the town’s economic condition. Overall, I think that Walmart unfairly gets a bad wrap for the negative effects that sometimes come from it’s arrival while going unnoticed for the positive outcomes communities enjoy with it’s opening as well.

Amro Manaa said...

With a 9.1% unemployment rate rising in America its hard for an average citizen to sustain a steady job. Walmart employs approximately 1 in every 300 Americans. These numbers show that if walmart stopped existing the unemployment rate would drop just from one company. So the economic stronghold that a corporation like walmart would bring to a town like Cheshire would be tremendous. A store like Walmart would bring large amounts of people to Cheshire and stimulate other surrounding businesses as well. Along with all of these Walmart has low retail prices which benefit all in the current struggling economy.

Erin Williams said...

Walmart is a huge corporation that is hurting the small businesses of America. They sell everything cheaply which makes all these small businesses go under. They may be good in some places, but most certainly not all. Smaller communities get the life sucked out of them when a Walmart comes into their neighborhood. So while it may be a plus that they are saving people money,it is best to keep them in larger towns and cities to keep many small shops up and open. So in conclusion, I don't feel as though Walmart is a good thing in general, but it works well in larger areas.

Blake Wetmore said...

Walmart is good for certain communities but not for others. In a small community, there are so many local small businesses that the loss of the repeat customer to a Walmart store could be detrimental to the business. Also, the ties created between the business and the people could be lost as well. A lot of people like having a small community because they enjoy the idea that they live on their own, apart from the chain stores. A Walmart store would question this matter and bring a hard decision as to whether they would continue at the local store or switch to Walmart. In a larger community, however, the addition of a Walmart could help. There are so many people in the area that the loss of a few customers wouldn’t be as devastating to the local businesses. While their profits may suffer, they won’t lose their business all together. Everyone would then also have a new place to shop that will most likely offer a lower price and may be more convenient to his or her location. Therefore, in a larger community, the Walmart would be beneficial.

Jordan Ruocco said...

Jordan Ruocco
I believe that Walmart is more beneficial in a larger community rather than a small one. Walmart is a place that takes away from smaller businesses because of their cheaper prices and has almost everything you are looking for. In towns that are more populated, having a Walmart is perfect. Besides just how efficient it is, it also provides any jobs for people who are unemployed, which is important especially when the economy is doing as poorly as it is. However, while there are many pros to Walmart, there are also many cons. With such a large business, it “sucks the life out of” smaller community places. Although Walmart is a widely spread and has impacted the world, there are places to which they belong and others where they don’t, and that to me is the biggest downfall.

Alison Dempsey said...

I believe that Wal-Mart is better for larger communities than smaller ones. In towns that are not very populated and have many small businesses, Wal-Mart will take away from those businesses. Wal-Mart has basically everything at very cheap prices, so if one is built in a small community, many of the businesses in that town will go out of business. On the other hand though, if a town that is very populated, having a Wal-Mart would be a very good idea. Wal-Mart also creates jobs, which will help improve the economy, especially when it is doing as bad as it is at the moment.

Magali said...

While Wal-mart isn’t the best store in the world, it still is a good place to buy a variety of products for a cheap price. Wal-mart tries very hard to bring all of their costumers low prices with a decent quality product. They make it easier for families to do all their shopping in one big place. Wal-mart is great in a big city community for they let families afford all the things they want and need. Wal-mart also supplys jobs to many people in the United States and all around the world. A lot of people depend on Wal-mart for their job and to shop there. While it may not be very good for a smaller community as it can run smaller businesses out of business and take away their costumers, it can thrive in a larger community.

lukegayeski said...

To me, Walmart is a scary thing. When companies become that large, they acquire special privileges that make them incomparable to local businesses. I also think the CEO's statement that "you can't create a false image" is unbelievably ridiculous. One can create a false image out of thin air, one can only imagine what could be done with the billions of dollars that walmart has.
People in financial difficulty sometimes have no choice but to shop at Walmart, no matter how morally opposed they are to it.