Wal-Mart fight not over for band of adversaries

[Algorem]

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/112219754482951.xml&coll=2

Sunday, July 24, 2005

The two men searched until they found T-shirts in just the right shade of blue - Wal-Mart blue.

They sliced the shirts in front to resemble smocks worn by Wal-Mart workers. Then they pinned on frowning-face "Wal-Not" buttons.

The men - part of a diverse coalition launching grass-roots efforts to stop Wal-Mart's expansion into Cleveland - were ready for the June opening of Mayor Jane Campbell's campaign headquarters in the Galleria at Erieview.

The plan was to work the crowd and convince the mayor's supporters that she made a mistake by pushing for a Wal-Mart at Steelyard Commons, the city's first mega shopping center, being built on the former LTV Steel site just south of downtown and off the Jennings Freeway...

[tsuki]

1. I hope they win. I have had to close my shop at 10:30 on Friday's

to walk in traffic pleading paperwork concerns. (My clients know that I am still open for them.)

On one extremely busy Friday, one of my clients was there, and when the walk-in left told me that he knew so-and-so, and that they would be in the big box story on Saturday now that they had the info that they needed.

I ran a report, sure enough, Fridays generated less sales than any other day. The 3-5% that they saved is about $5.00 per hundred.

My clients, the bulk of my biz, are starting to return on Fridays.

On a side note, the young man who takes care of my biz equipment, told me that I could get something cheaper at box store. I told him that I probably could, IF I knew what I was looking for and how to buy it. I explained to him that part of the service he provided was the knowledge of his field. He called Friday with a model # and price. It is $30.00 more. But he will bring it to the shop, unpack it, install it and make sure it is running correctly.

Is it worth it? Yes, I don't have to burn my gas to get to the big box, wander around the store wondering what to buy, pack it in the vehicle, take it to the store, hoping that I have all the correct connectors, and install it with fingers crossed hoping there are no hardware conflicts.

When you look at it logically, big box stores are not a bargain.

[dcfirefighter]

2. wal-mart exists because of our laws

Super cheap gasoline and lots of free roads let customers from far and wide drive to the big Wal-Mart parking lot, where they then use their labor (untaxed) to replace the shopkeeper's labor (taxed) to search through inventory and bring it to the counter.

Were taxes not raised from sales and income, but rather from land & license, Wal-Mart would be an unprofitable anomoly.

A fix:
1) a split rate property tax, with lower rates for improvements
2) a carbon tax
3) elimination of wage / payroll tax