Meatball,
Thank you for proving that you are still sane. I see all those problems that you see. The fact remains that the money that is leaving was traded for goods that stay to enrich the community. Who says that corporations or sole-proprieterships need to enrich the community in any way besides providing quality products at a reasonable price? Business has nothing to do with that, although large corporations usually DO contribute to charities to bolster their public image; I would rather they just skip it and pass on even more savings to me, or raise their workers wages
.
All players in the market need to differentiate their product; Walmart does this through consistent quality and low prices. Those mom and pop shops need to differentiate what they are selling to compete in the market or find a different market to move into. Unfortunatly it isn't a smooth process...
For example, there was a local craft shop that had a great selection of FIMO clay that I shopped in frequently; when Walmart moved into Mcminnville the local craft shopped fizzled out because Walmart carried many of the same goods that the craft shop carried. The owner of the craft shop should have marched into Walmart and surveyed what they carried and found some niche items that were absent from Walmart's line up so he could compete through specialization. His real problem was that he was a git who failed to foster good relations with the community and so people like me who want FIMO clay were ok with a smaller selection so they wouldn't have to deal with him.
Competition is good for everyone and many mom and pop stores only hold positions on "main street, anytown USA" by virtue of being the first one to serve the community's need in a particular market. Bottom line is that when a business fails when Walmart moves into town it is because they didn't adapt fast enough to market trends.
Rhizo
Thank you for proving that you are still sane. I see all those problems that you see. The fact remains that the money that is leaving was traded for goods that stay to enrich the community. Who says that corporations or sole-proprieterships need to enrich the community in any way besides providing quality products at a reasonable price? Business has nothing to do with that, although large corporations usually DO contribute to charities to bolster their public image; I would rather they just skip it and pass on even more savings to me, or raise their workers wages
.All players in the market need to differentiate their product; Walmart does this through consistent quality and low prices. Those mom and pop shops need to differentiate what they are selling to compete in the market or find a different market to move into. Unfortunatly it isn't a smooth process...
For example, there was a local craft shop that had a great selection of FIMO clay that I shopped in frequently; when Walmart moved into Mcminnville the local craft shopped fizzled out because Walmart carried many of the same goods that the craft shop carried. The owner of the craft shop should have marched into Walmart and surveyed what they carried and found some niche items that were absent from Walmart's line up so he could compete through specialization. His real problem was that he was a git who failed to foster good relations with the community and so people like me who want FIMO clay were ok with a smaller selection so they wouldn't have to deal with him.
Competition is good for everyone and many mom and pop stores only hold positions on "main street, anytown USA" by virtue of being the first one to serve the community's need in a particular market. Bottom line is that when a business fails when Walmart moves into town it is because they didn't adapt fast enough to market trends.
Rhizo
