So what happens AFTER Walmart?

[Horse with no Name]

Walmart blows into a small struggling town with huge tax breaks and incentives. Runs ALL of the existing businesses and jobs out of town, and builds not one but TWO collosal blue buildings.
The nearest town is 30 miles.
So what happens when Walmart decides to pull out?
The unemployment rate will soar, which means Medicaid, unemployment benefits, etc. to all the displaced workers.
Two ugly buildings will sit empty.
But, now every person in this town will have to drive at least 30 miles to get what they need since the Mom and Pop shops are gone.
I sincerely hope that they DO NOT drive to the next Walmart, because whether they know it or not, Walmart just hammered the nail in the coffin on this town not once, but twice.
First by coming and second by going.

[Deja Q]

1. The decade before Walmart reported the internet was killing it, I'd asked the same thing.

The more the big box stores vamoose, the worse off things will be.

They claim to be pro-community. I dare say their actions speak otherwise. Or at least their actions will speak otherwise if they do pack up and leave. How the hell does that help the community they claim to be in support of?

Meanwhile, they're opening up shops in China and India... funny how "globalization" seems more like "migration" as each day goes by...? Maybe those countries have the communities they care about?

[NMDemDist2]

2. i have a WalMart here but drive the 35 miles north to go to KMart

but I can afford it.

what's taking over here in SE rural New Mexico are Dollar Stores

there are several types, and they are everywhere......

[raccoon]

15. Everywhere in SC, too. nt

[SoCalDem]

17. 99cent stores are where you get off-brand tainted toothpaste

I have bought paper products there and laundry stuff, but nothing else

[RockaFowler]

3. We have 4 stores in the city limits

They wanted to build a 5th one, but the city of Port St Lucie finally said no. Now we have all of these Wal Marts (and the distribution center is 10 miles from here as well) and they just opened a Sam's Club across the street from 1 Wal Mart and another Sam's will open next to a 2nd Wal Mart before Christmas. The people who live here are so angry about all the Wal Marts that they shop in Stuart or Vero Beach. We will never get real shopping centers as long as there are all these silly Wal Marts.

[Samurai_Writer]

23. I used to work in Port St. Lucie

And I lived in Ft. Pierce. Yeah, it's Walmart city down there. I was never so glad to leave a place in my life. I moved to Boulder, Colorado, which has NO Walmarts. They voted to keep them out. We have ONE Target and ONE Home Depot. That's IT. And we're about the same size as Port St. Lucie.

I do miss the beach sometimes, though.

[China_cat]

4. It's even worse than that.

The WalMart corporation retains ownership of those empty buildings and the land they sit on and refuse to allow them to be used for other retail enterprises. So a farmer's or crafts co-operative cannot even hope to rent the space and bring back some local trade.

[Horse with no Name]

5. You would think that the communities should retain some ownership rights

after all of the incentives/tax breaks they give.
I guess what is really frightening about this entire debacle is, that Walmart's are closing.
This doesn't happen that often. They have a pulse on the climate and if they are shaky, it doesn't bode well for our economy at all.

[billyoc]

6. They do. Emminent Domain. nt

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

8. Good idea...

but will anybody try this to this giant?

[Pavulon]

7. eminent domain , cuts both ways (nt)

[Hondadriver]

9. actually

in my small town it has brought businesses IN, none of the smaller shops have closed and its been here 3 years now. In our case it has actually been a good thing that wal mart came to town because it brings people in from the smaller towns in the county to town to shop and eat.

[Horse with no Name]

10. That must be one for the record books

because THAT never happens.
You are aware of Walmart's business strategy aren't you?

[Richard Steele]

12. You got a LINK for that claim? I'd like to see some numbers for your small town. nm

[blockhead]

13. ...and those smaller towns

will all dry up.

[ret5hd]

16. oooohhh...tombstoned already? what a wuss!

[MLFerrell]

21. "...its been here 3 years now..."

Wait ten more, and get back to me.

[KoKo]

11. MAIL ORDER...LOts of us had to do that growing up "rural."

With the internet it's more choice than the old Sears & Penny's Catalogs. There's a feast of goods out there. Or...one can do weekend trips that are fun with the kids. Stopping along the way for picnics and shoring up the provisions for the season. That's what Americans used to do...up into the 1960's who didn't have Wallmart or Shopping Centers in their area. ;shrug:

As far as jobs go. Let local people find their own things to make and sell. It used to be that folks could earn some money doing that before cheap Chinese Imports. But, even the "Materiels" have to come from China now...since we don't make our own fabric or any craft goods that are much usable. But, there's WOOL and there are folks longing for great hand knit goods that don't smell like dyes from foreign lands that might contain chemicals that aren't good for use...and there's good kids toys and pet toys that a profit might be made from along with wood ware and other goods.

[SoCalDem]

18. I just ordered these two beauties.. even paying freight it;s cheaper than Sears

and they did not have the color I wanted.. They will arrive right at my doorstep and I get just what I wanted, after I shopped for the best price..

http://www.ajmadison.com/ajmadison/images/large/BM6500GQ.jpe

[Breeze54]

14. I'd open a store asap!!!!

But I hear what you're saying and that can't be good for towns in remote
locations who are at thier mercy, for distance and convenience. Luckily
I still have a choice and I chose TruValue Hardware and other local stores.

[Bentcorner]

19. When the Wal-Mart Supercenter went up, the only business

That eventually closed down was Ames. They went out of business everywhere, not just here in Hagerstown. I honestly cannot think of one single mom & pop business that went out of business because of Wal-Mart. It's a fairly large Supercenter too. It was Wal-Mart's most successful Supercenter in 2002 and 2006. They have a trophy.

[MLFerrell]

20. That's their MO...

Build a first wave of stores that drive everything else under, then build a second wave of "supercenters" elsewhere that kill another town, along with any competing grocers, then close the first wave to ensure dominance over an enlarged territory in which everyone who needs just about anything is forced to buy from Wal-Mart.

Always Low Prices... for a price.

[Javaman]

22. well, if walmart (the largest corp in the US) pulls out...

I think there will be a lot of other things going on in society to worry about.

[StrongBad]

24. Is WalMart in any financial trouble right now?

Because of its dominance and size, WalMart has pretty much become a barometer of consumer spending and retail health in the US. If they were to face a collapse there would be much more prescient issues to worry about. In all likelihood there would have to be an economic collapse.