[Vision2020] ReL Fear of big-box stores mostly a bust

[Robert Dickow]

Dick may be missing some of the most important points about objections to
big box stores. One is that many of the objections are concerning some of
the policies used by some of those companies that adversely affect labor
policies, employee relations and practices, civic affects, real estate
effects, anti-competition tactics, etc. The fact that Wal-Mart sells crap is
beside the point. (I just had to throw that in). Dick does have some good
advice on how local businesses can advertise better, etc., but his
suggestion about how local shops need to 'sharpen their business savvy' may
be a little simplistic. The big boxes can do things with volume sales and
discounts that no smaller business can do, for example. There's more to it
than that too. some of the big boxes use very dubious anti-competition
tactics themselves.

 

I'm not against Big Boxes, but I do think they need careful watch-dogging.
That's the issue for me.

 

Bob Dickow

 

-----Original Message-----
From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com]
On Behalf Of Richard Schmidt
Sent: Tuesday, November 01, 2005 5:09 AM
To: vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: [Vision2020] Fear of big-box stores mostly a bust

 

All,

 

I was in Sandusky a couple weeks ago and barbershop talk is that Wal-Mart's
sales are much less than expected in the new store there. This is only 2
towns involved in this story but they are pointing out that existing stores
need to change the way they do things and sharpen up their business savvy to
compete with the big boxes. <snip>

 

One of the things we noticed when we moved to Moscow is that a store or
business would advertise on radio or in the D-N but NOT tell where they were
located. That is fine if they just want to advertise to the people who
already know where they are. It <snip>

 

Dick Schmidt

<snip> 

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