[Vision2020] Wal-Mart Supercenter Opposition

[Debbie Gray]

This is an interesting topic and I am glad people are sharing their 
opinions. Here's mine:

I oppose the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Pullman specifically because I 
don't want to lose the WalMart here. I shop at WalMart, I am not 
ashamed, unlike the many, Many, MANY people I know who loudly and 
boldly profess to not shop at Wal-Mart but then seem to be there 
QUITE regularly. If nobody in Moscow shops at WalMart, who in the 
heck is shopping there because it is always busy? And these shoppers 
represent every socioeconomic groups in Moscow, it's not just lower-
income people from Bovill and college students looking for cheap 
thong undies.

I don't specifically know which 'mom and pop' businesses were 'driven 
out' of Moscow. Any clarification on that? The only thing I can think 
of is Ken's stationery but then why do we have an office depot and a 
staples? I do know that I also support convenience and that is not 
always available at smaller stores that seem to close shop at 4:30 pm 
M-F and are not open on weekends. When do most people shop!? I don't 
think I've ever grocery/misc shopped during the day more than a 
handful of times. That's something that local businesses have to do, 
they have to specialize in something that will allow them to thrive. 
The co-op does this, Hyperspud does this, Bookpeople does this, etc. 
That leads to healthy economic diversity.

I do know that no matter what my moral principles might tell me about 
supporting smaller business, my financial brain tells me that I am 
not going to go to X drug store to pay $3-5 more for contact solution 
or X grocery store to pay $5 more per package of diapers or 75cents 
more for a gallon of milk. These aren't locally produced goods that I 
might be willing to pay more for, they're not organic products, they 
are mass produced things with a bigger markup at most places.

I love the co-op on principle but I can't afford to buy all my 
produce and goods there. Some things I go there for specifically and 
always enjoy the quality of stuff I get. But I also absolutely do not 
have time to go to 25 different businesses to buy sweat pants for my 
son (and where can you buy sweatpants besides the mall, where they 
are marked up to an extravagant price anyway), socks for my daughter, 
contact solution, gardening tools, cat food, dvds and Vicks Va-po-Rub 
whereas I could go to WalMart and buy them all in one swoop? 

And if there were no WalMart here, or if they left, who would employ 
the people that work there? There are only so many businesses that 
could absorb employees in this region and when we have custodians 
with Ph.Ds there is such a huge pool of people here that employers 
can be very selective. 

I'm not saying WalMart has the best policies in the world for hiring, 
equality, etc, but I don't think they are the huge evil people 
constantly portray them as. Certainly a super-center in Pullman would 
lead to a closure in Moscow. That's ridiculous and that's where I 
think WalMart goes over the line, wanting a WalMart on every block 
(who do they think they are, Starbucks? ha ha)  But I still think the 
regular WalMart serves this population well. Also, WalMart does a lot 
of community based service activities/funding that may or may not get 
great advertisement. That impresses me, too. 

Debbie Gray