What's the real cost of Wal-Mart? Study: New store may cost taxpayers $10M

[Tweed]

http://www.thesouthern.com/articles/2005/04/04/top/doc425129e16916c481567019.txt

MURPHYSBORO - The current Wal-Mart store in Murphysboro brings in roughly 30 percent of the city's sales tax revenue, city officials said.

But the new Wal-Mart Super-center reported to be moving into the neighborhood of Country Club Road and Illinois 13 also could bring considerable costs officials admit will fall partly on taxpayers' shoulders.

Those costs associated with a Wal-Mart include adding traffic signals and turning lanes and widening roads.

One geologist who lives off Lake Road, one of the areas that could be impacted by the Wal-Mart, has used his resources and knowledge to create an impact study that indicates the new Wal-Mart could end up costing Jackson County residents upward of $10 million over a period of time.

[Tweed]

1. Also being discussed in the Illinois Forum

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=150

[ConcernedCanuk]

2. WalMart consistently gets tax breaks from municipalities around here

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which to me is sort of backward

The billion dollar company gets a break, while the little guy pays top rates

Not to mention the unseen costs of local businesses that have to close, lay off workers etc. to compete with Wally-World's pricing

and don't ever lose your receipt for anything from Wally-World - they won't do squat for you even if they REMEMBER you buying the product . .

Wally-World ain't exactly "user-friendly" IMO

[Terran]

3. WalMart wants to build a supercenter two blocks from my house

(we already have one in town, pop. 36,000, but nooooo we must need another one). Anyway, in order to build, it the county will have to construct an overpass over the highway. Way to go. Fortunately one of the property owners they need to sell out is refusing to sell.

[napi21]

4. You should also be able to go to your town meetings and tell

your officials that as residents...YOU DON'T WANT THIS WM!

They've done that in a town about 30 north of me, and there were so many people complaining, the city councilmen turned down WM app for rezoning. WM did a lot of complaining, but finally wen't away...MAD!

I read about these same circumstances going on all over the country all the time.

Get your neighbors together and go to the meetings!

[callous taoboy]

5. We are getting a goddamned super center

in this town of under 10,000! And there is a super center 20 minutes away.

[joefree1]

6. Kick Wal-Mart out like Inglewood

Voters in Los Angeles Suburb Say No to a Big Wal-Mart
The New York Times - April 8, 2004
By John M. Broder

Its defeat at the polls on Tuesday may portend difficult battles ahead for Wal-Mart as it moves forward with plans to build 40 so-called supercenters in California, combining Wal-Mart's usual assortment of goods with large grocery departments on as much as 200,000 square feet of floor space. The Los Angeles City Council is preparing an ordinance that would in essence outlaw the building of such retail behemoths within the city limits, and several other California cities, including San Diego, are considering measures.

The Inglewood vote against Wal-Mart, 60 percent to 40 percent, was a victory for a coalition of unions, churches and community groups who said the development would have driven local retailers out of business and gutted the city's legal, environmental and planning powers.

Wal-Mart spent more than $1 million to promote the initiative, which the company put on the ballot after local officials rejected the proposed development last year. The vote was closely watched around the nation as a test of Wal-Mart's ability to sway public opinion and influence political bodies as the company continues its move from rural and small-town America into its largest cities.
More ...
http://www.laane.org/pressroom/stories/walmart/040408nyTimes.html

[callous taoboy]

8. Too late. The Mepublican

cock-suckers on our City Council couldn't legislate their way out of a paper bag. They'd go to Mal-Wart to buy the bag.

[candy331]

7. Super Centers here in my small area comprised of 4 stores

one super in my county of 23,000, 1 super next county to east of me pop 45,000 15 miles away, another east of me 30 miles away pop of 32,000, another 20 miles west of me pop 22,000. We are in Walmart mania here...... plus 35 miles away in Tallahassee there are 3 supers and 1 Sam's.

[Javaman]

9. It will be interesting now that gas prices are going up..

and are predicted to go through the roof, how will those bastards over at china-mart keep their prices down?

They are an evil bunch.

[Tweed]

10. True true

They have so much in trucking.

[chlamor]

11. Wal-Mart's days are numbered

they will crash like the rest of this house of cards as cheap fossil fuels dwindle, expendable income lessens, transportation costs rise, price of plastics increases, etc.
The empire of McAmeriWalMartika is washed up.