Speaking of no dissent allowed...

was the clever dream house ad and that they had a buzzer in their hand on the billboard. plus some archaic marxist quote. let me see; walmart watch.com hires andy and barney the local lawyers they can afford. what's his name isn't sober yet. walmart sends a couple of 18 wheelers filled with cash and chinese imports to the law firm of cripple and squash. who will win? ask your local hardware store owner if you can find one.

since the Walmart was built in our area not only did it not hurt the local hardware stores, but a Home Depot also opened which likewise did not kill the local hardware stores, which was predicted.

I think there's more to WHO is behind the anti-WalMart brouhaha.

If anything, the local hardware store has expanded and sells a greater variety of products. You pay a few cents or dollars more, but we all know that depending on the purchases those cents and dollars are well spent! Same for the smaller family owned independent groceries that I was sure would go under when the big Stop and Shops and Super WalMarts moved in. Again, on the contrary, these stores spruced up and are doing the same if not better business. We're friends with one such owner. He said his business picked up when the bigger grocery chain opened up not more than 1/4 mile down the road. Guess the traffic generated to the larger store included just enough folks that would see his sale signs or less crowded parking lot that more stop in now than ever before. I go there all the time for little shopping trips. Yeah, a 2L Diet Coke costs about $0.30 more (regular price), but I'm parked, in and out with the soda before I find a parking space and get into the Stop & Shop or WalMart!! They have great sales on meats too, and nice fresh stuff. So although I don't plan too, usually the higher cost of the soda or whatever is offset by savings on the meat anyway.

Evie

that WalMart brings employees to the area who may very well shop at other stores.

The unions are behind this nonsense. I am always suspicious when groups from outside with big money come in to "support local merchants".

... about how WalMart pays and their "insufficient" bennies, you never see a comparison to the pay rates and benefits compensation for these beloved "Mom & Pop" shops they are supposedly running out of town.

Our local hardware store is/was family owned. They had enough extended family that they hired VERY sparingly from the labor pool -- mostly part time teenage help for loading larger purchases into trucks, etc. Whatever bennies there were aren't even public knowledge because this is a true family business. But every time I ever went in there the same lady was always manning the register. Same goes for the smaller groceries I talked about. The management "team" at the store I spoke of consists of husband and wife. They aren't open 24/7 like Stop & Shop, but they are open 7 days at least 12 hours a day. One or the other is always in the store. Now they're not complaining -- I don't expect they'll do this forever, and they have the ultimate in "profit sharing", but they also have to run their business and all the risks that entails in addition to competing with the large labor suckers down the road for good workers.

In our area you cannot find a job advertised for less than $7.50/hour and my hubby's company is having a hard time finding decent entry level employees at $10-$12/hour. It's been a while since we've talked to our grocery friend about what he pays, but next time I stop in I'll ask. My guess is he's paying more than he used to in order to get decent workers.

Evie

or for the Wal-Mart workers either. What they care about is Wal-Mart is making a pile of money and they want a cut. Just playing the liberal suckers, that's all.

They are also threatened by non-union shops outperforming their industries. We're seeing it in the auto sector now. Gripes about GM and all that when other manufacturers are thriving in their non-union American-based plants and their workers are happy making the good wages they do.

Evie