[Vision2020] Walmart

Mon Jan 9 10:51:45 PST 2006

Phil,

I cannot be sure of WalMart's corporate intentions.  However, a little of what you speak of has already occurred at the present WalMart.

When the Moscow WalMart first opened, they were the price leaders on almost everything.  On certain items they still are, especially in pharmacy/ drugstore type products.  However, on many products there is no difference between their prices and many Moscow businesses.  For example, the WalMart price for many cleaning supplies is the same price found at Tri-State.  On certain household items, WinCo prices are lower than WalMart's.

In addition, do not think that the national brand products bought at WalMart are the same as sold by other area retailers.  WalMart (and many other big box stores and chains) really puts the price squeeze on manufacturers.  Hence, the manufacturers value engineer* the products they produce for WalMart and others.  The George Foreman Grill that you would buy at WalMart is likely not the same quality as the one you would buy at Tri-State despite the sameness of model number.

WalMart is not the only one to do this, however they seem to be the most predatory in this regard.

Art Deco (Wayne A. Fox)
deco at moscow.com

*Definitions of Value Engineering on the Web:
  a.. An analysis of materials, processes, and products in which functions are related to cost and from which a selection may be made so as to achieve the desired function at the lowest overall cost consistent with performance.
  www.lancastercountyheritage.com/planning/cwp/view.asp

  b.. A short formal project review, utilizing highly experienced experts in the project field, to try to identify and recommend alternative solutions that will add value to the project, by reducing costs or in other ways. The study follows a formal set procedure for identifying and evaluating areas of value savings, and usually takes place soon after a preferred design is identified and estimated. For large projects, this process is required by most funding sources.
  www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/I5DesMoinesWaySouth188St/glossary.html

  c.. Value engineering is a functional analysis methodology that identifies and selects the best value alternative for designs, materials, processes, systems, and program documentation. VE applies to hardware and software; development, production, and manufacturing; specifications, standards, contract requirements, and other acquisition program documentation; facilities design and construction; and management or organizational systems and processes to improve the resulting product.
  strategicsourcing.navy.mil/reference_documents/defs.cfm

  d.. Value Engineering is a technique used to evaluate life cycle costs of engineering projects. It is a standard activity undertaken by GDOT for major design projects that recommends potential cost saving opportunities to the project design team.
  www.i16i75.com/index_files/main_files/faq.htm

  e.. An organized methodology that identifies and selects the lowest lifecycle cost options in design, materials and processes that achieves the desired level of performance, reliability and customer satisfaction. It seeks to eliminate unnecessary costs in the above areas and is often a joint effort with cross-functional internal teams and relevant suppliers.
  www.bridgefieldgroup.com/glos9.htm

  f.. Design proposal to lower the total project cost of construction.
  www.fta.dot.gov/library/planning/prob/glossary.html

  g.. Currently defined by many government agencies as an organized effort directed at analyzing the function of construction operations, systems, equipment, facilities, procedures, methods, and supplies to determine if anticipated costs are consistent with the requirements for performance, quality, safety, and maintainability.
  www.ecostructure.com/res_glossary.html

  h.. An organized effort concerned with the elimination or modification of anything that contributes to the cost of a contract item or task but is not necessary for needed performance, quality, maintainability, reliability or interchangeability. 003
  appl.nasa.gov/resources/lexicon/terms_v.html

  i.. Value engineering is a branch of industrial engineering in which the value of a system's outputs is optimized by crafting the optimum mix of performance and costs. In most cases this practice identifies and removes unnecessary expenditures, thereby increasing the value for the manufacturer and/or their customers. 
  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Value_engineering
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Shelly 
  To: vision2020 at moscow.com 
  Sent: Monday, January 09, 2006 10:17 AM
  Subject: [Vision2020] Walmart

        FROM THE DESK OF PHIL:

        What short memories everybody has. Remember when Walmart and Kmart came in? It was death and destruction amongst the business community. Your neighbor and friends. I think the census data has a major flaw in it. According to the census data more than a majority of our population is well educated, but still thinks and acts like they are 13. The big box stores cause another reaction that you are not paying attention to. It causes a population shift. People migrate to live closer to those areas. I also understand that we are thinking of filling in the corridor between Moscow and Pullman. What's left of our country feel, will cease. Don't even talk about our precious water that we do not have.  We will become a new Los Angeles on a microscopic scale. The rest of the businesses that are hanging on because none of us are making any real money, will die along with the tax base. 

        Here is the grand scheme of things. Walmart plans on putting in two huge stores in a population our size?????? Do not forget that the signs entering Moscow. They include the entire student population in their count. I was told about 12,000. Reason? Our community is ignorant to the true business intentions of their power. They put the two stores in and you gotta remember they truly don't care if they both make a profit. Their goal is to "dominate" our market. We will be losing businesses that currently supply us with beds, oil changes, tires, gasoline, groceries, etc. We will have numerous businesses join the bankruptcy line so Walmart can fleece our community of it's core assets. So, you don't need to worry about there ever being a downtown. Since, most of those businesses are downtown.

        Then what they do after they have destroyed downtown on the Pullman and Moscow side, they will "mothball" one of the stores. Notice nothing is said about the current Moscow store they promised to keep open. Right! Not born yesterday. You will notice they are not buying the land that is so they can shut down one after they have killed all of us off and force everybody to drive to the one that they leave open. 

        Smart Growth? It is...... for a 13 year old. Let's not even talk about the land owners surrounding the project. What a boondoggle. 

        Does anyone know why all of a sudden a full fledge Walmart is now on the table? Did our representatives or newspaper let us down? Our representatives should spend 1 hour talking to managers at Safeway and Rosaurs along with a few others. Talk to some that died on the first round. Many thought they would survive it. Ha! 

        Remember ........ the students are only here 6 1/2 months out of the year and they are counted as part of our community. You guys are worried about taxes? Half the students live in housing supplied by the University. More than half receive loans to go to schools. That is our money once again.

        Phil Roderick

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