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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>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.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>I’m not against Big Boxes, but I do
think they need careful watch-dogging. That’s the issue for me.</span></font></p>
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10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Bob Dickow</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>-----Original Message-----<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>From:</span></b>
vision2020-bounces@moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces@moscow.com] <b><span
style='font-weight:bold'>On Behalf Of </span></b>Richard Schmidt<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> </span></font><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>Tuesday,
November 01, 2005</span></font><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'> </span></font><font
size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>5:09 AM</span></font><font
size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'><br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> vision2020@moscow.com<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> [Vision2020] Fear of
big-box stores mostly a bust</span></font></p>
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style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>All,</span></font></p>
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style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>I was in </span></font>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. <font color=navy><span
style='color:navy'><snip></span></font></p>
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style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>One of the things we noticed when we moved to </span></font>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 <font color=navy><span
style='color:navy'><snip></span></font></p>
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10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'> </span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>Dick Schmidt</span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 color=navy
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:navy'><snip></span></font>
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