Democrat From Kentucky: WalMart Wars

I picked up on a story over at BluegrassReport. It would seem two unions in Jefferson County are boycotting Wal-MArt according to a story in the Courier Journal. one of the unions is the Teacher's Association and they are ready for war. Wal-Mart has hammered the labor movement for many years just like they've hammered small town America. Small towns in Kentucky are what gives it life and character and Wal-Mart has wrecked much of that. They are so powerful in the retail industry it's difficult to believe but they do.

It's not Sam Walton's Wal-Mart anymore. I don't have any love for Wal-Mart for a number of reasons. First they do run businesses out of small towns. My grandmother ran a small weekly newspaper in Hardinsburg, Ky for many years. Much of her advertising evaporated like so much steam when Wal-Mart came to town. The district once called "uptown" isn't it anymore. There's not much there. And the newspaper has it's work cut out for it.

Then there's the good old freedom of choice. I don't have that anymore. Try looking in a small town? How many retail stores are there? Not many. With most businesses gone, I don't have much of choice on where to shop. I currently live in Harrodsburg. There's little for a grown man other than Wal-Mart. There's a little bit in Danville but the Frankfort is the next closest place or maybe Lexington.

Then finally, the "AMERICAN MADE" Wal-MArt. They get 70% of their products from China. China undercuts American markets, they don't do fair business practices even though they agreed too upon joining the World Trade Organization. Wal-Mart at one time might have been great. Now it's just another bloated big corporation that's sold it's soul and the souls of the American people. If they ever get banks in their stores like they want, watch another industry get run out of small towns.

Do yourself and your community a favor. Find someplace else to shop besides Wal-Mart.

posted by Stithmeister @ 10:58 PM

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At 8:31 AM,

Rachael Clark said...

This is a story that I think is going to explode soon. People are finally starting to see the true colors of Wal-Mart. They use unethical business practices, such as pressuring their suppliers to move overseas to save money. They get a few of their suppliers in a room and ask how much they can make a product for in front of each other. And according to a FrontLine story, 80% of their stock comes from China. Eighty percent! Notice the made in the USA slogan died a long time ago, like many of our small towns and businesses. Big retail business is not good for America.

The president of a local union here in Boone County came by the Democratic Party booth at our county fair on Monday. He was talking about this boycott of Wal-Mart and that they were teaming up with NEA and KEA to get people to not buy their school supplies at Wal-Mart this year. And I would add do NOT buy groceries at the supercenter. They artifically lower prices on some food items to get people in the door to buy their non-food items. We had family in the grocery business and they HATED Wal-Mart.

And one more thing. Last Christmas, I saw a small column in the local paper with prices of some toy at Toys R Us, Meijer, and Wal-Mart. The price was $19.99 at Toys R Us, $19.95 at Meijer, and $19.88 at Wal-Mart. Who do you think sold the most toys? And to save only 11 cents!

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