[Vision2020] Walmart

Tue Dec 20 11:22:24 PST 2005

Tim,

 I never said it wasn't possible for  me to go to Win-Co. I just said I do not have the time. If I need a  bottle of ketchup and cottage cheese, you want me to drive across town,  hunt down and access an ATM, park, wait 15 minutes in line, and then  drive all the way across town again. Good grief! I do not think so.  Especially when I have two jobs and go to graduate school. If I have 6  hours to sleep between work and class I am not going to spend it doing  that list of activities you wrote hunting down an ATM that works,  accepts my card, and is in a location that is open. Get in, get out, go  to bed is my motto. I should not have to go to another business before  going to Win-Co. Nor can I put the money pack into my checking or  savings if I do use it all. 

 "The lines in WalMart are  usually very long, the aisles in WalMart are usually very crowded, and  the time it takes to find what you need at WalMart is usually quite  extensive." 

 I have never waited more than 8 minutes in line  at Wal-mart. I usually do not have to wait at all. They also bag my  groceries and goods for me, make sure I have everything, and offer to  assist me to my car. I already know where most items are located in  Wal-Mart. 

 At Win-Co, you have to bag your own groceries,  you are limited to the amount of cash you have on hand, or have to  either put an item back, or go back to the ATM, if it is working. In  addition, sometimes you get stuck behind someone that is slow in  bagging their own groceries. You also feel pressure from people behind  you to hurry with your bagging. You also have disappearing items every  week. One week they stock your suggledazzels, next week they do not, so  you stop eating suggledazzels, and suddenly they are back, but then for  only that week. 

  "the time you WASTE in WinCo is more than likely equal to the time you will WASTE in a WalMart SuperCenter."

  Nope, not at all, I can do lots of my shopping in one place, it is closer, and easier to make a purchase. 

  I know what you are going to say, that hurts local business, no, it  does not. You cannot buy everything from Wal-Mart, nor would I want to.  I need specialty shops, sometimes quality goods, beer, wine,  electronics, furniture, fresh fruit, plumbing equipment that works,  used CDs, used games, used books, a clerk that can offer expert advice,  a jacket that lasts more than one winter, tires, gas, medical  equipment, engraving and printing, and many other things that Wal-Mart  does not do or cannot do. 

 It eliminates Safeway only.  But you know, Safeway would be going out anyway because if Wal-mart  does not come another big grocery chain will. Moscow can only support  four grocery stores. Winco, Wal-mart, Rosaurses, and the Co-Op.  Rosauers will actually increase in business if Wal-Mart comes in,  because Safeway will go under, and many Safeway peoples  will go  over to Rosauers rather than go to Wal-mart or Winco, which do not have  good produce. Surprisingly, when Tidyman's went under, Rosauers  increased in business more than Safeway. Safeway is too expensive and  does not staff well for good service. They are only around because of  location and an old loyalty of customers. Take one group away and they  will crumble.

  Rosauers will be for year round Moscow Residents making over 30K a year
  Co-op, supplemental grocery store
  Wal-mart, poor Moscow residents and college kids on the east side of town
  Win-Co, Pullman residents, UI students, people that hate Wal-mart but are to poor for Rosauers. 

  Another thing I like about Wal-Mart is that they are OPEN. Yes, they  are OPEN most the day. I hate driving around at 10 AM, or even noon,  trying to find a shop that is open. Some shops I go to downtown  two-three-four times in the MIDDLE of the day and they are closed.  Sorry, but I go to Wal-mart rather trying to guess when the owner might  come and open up the shop, especially during the busiest shopping  season of the year. I cannot buy stuff downtown if they are never open  when I have time to shop, of if I have to plan my day around the 3 or 4  hours that they are open. I know for fact that one shop today lost $100  from me because they were not open at a normal decent hour. 

  -DJA

TIM RIGSBY <tim.rigsby at hotmail.com> wrote:  Donovan,

I have never purchased anything at a Wal-Mart but have been dragged to 
WalMart by one of my best friends numerous times.  The lines in WalMart are 
usually very long, the aisles in WalMart are usually very crowded, and the 
time it takes to find what you need at WalMart is usually quite extensive.  
What I am getting at is that in essence, the time you WASTE in WinCo is more 
than likely equal to the time you will WASTE in a WalMart SuperCenter.  Yes, 
you might save some time driving across town, but I kind of remember you 
saying sometime on V2020 that people who complain about traffic in Moscow 
need to pull their head out or something.  So it seems that most people 
probably don't waste much time in traffic trying to get to WinCo.

The other part of your scnario, the part where you talked about the ATM, you 
mentioned that a trip is ofetn wasted to WinCo because their ATM is broken.  
Well if memory serves me, there is an ATM across the parking lot at 
Washington Mutual.  Ah and guess what, this is a no fee ATM if I remember 
right.  And even if both ATM's are broken, you could always write a check.  
 SWow, you must have forgotten that WinCo takes checks and that the money from 
  the check often times comes from the same source as the money from your 
  debit card.o lets say both ATM's are broken, you forgot your check book, 
and you have no cash, well hey guess what, I think there is an ATM in the 
mall, Zip Trip, the Stinker Station, US Bank, Wells Fargo, the Garden 
Lounge.  So it seems as though Donovan, that all hope is not lost when you 
make your trip to WinCo.

Tim

Compare Chas;

  Drive to Win-co: 10 Minutes
  Pay $2  fee for ATM, Win-Co does not take debt-it card
  Find Items 5 Minutes
  Wait in line 5 minutes
  Drive back from  Win-Co: 10 Minutes

  That is 30 minutes of my time and an additional $2.

  Safeway, is on my way home and I do not have to pay cash.

  Is the $2 I save worth 30 minutes of my time when I have 6 hours of  sleep 
between my next class and next work shift, not to mention the  cost of gas 
and increased mileage on my car, and the risk that the ATM  is broken in 
Win-Co anyway so it would be a wasted trip, as has  happened many times?

  If Wal-Mart opens, I save on the gas, the ATM fees, and on the lower 
prices of the food. Which comes to about $75 a month.

  If I did not go to school and work two jobs or had someone else to do  my 
shopping it would not be so bad. Of course it would also help if I  did not 
forget items like ketchup so I did not have to stop at Safeway.

  -DJA

Revolution is not a word but an application; it is not war but peace; it 
does not weaken, but strengthens. Revolution does not cause separation; it 
generates togetherness.
-John Africa, Strategic Revolution

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