Oakland Bans Wal-Mart Style Superstores

[Spazito]

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The city of Oakland, just across the bay from San Francisco, has banned mega-stores like Wal-Mart super centers from opening there, saying they would threaten smaller stores and depress wages.


The move comes as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE:WMT - news), the world's largest retailer, plans an aggressive roll-out of super centers in California, with 40 such centers set to open throughout the state over the next four years.


Wal-Mart had no specific plan to open a super center in Oakland and a company spokeswoman said the ordinance was a blow to consumer choice.


The Oakland city council on Tuesday banned the opening of any "big box" retailer with more than 10,000 square feet of nontaxable sales, which typically means floor space devoted to selling groceries. Officials said the action was directed specifically at Wal-Mart.

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http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=568&e=1&u=/nm/retail_walmart_oakland_dc

[Tansy_Gold]

1. YES!!! YES!!!! YES!!!!

I don't even live in CA, but as former Wallyworld "ass-ociate," I applaud anyone who stands up to the megamunchingmonster.

Sorry this is not as lucid as i usually try to make my posts. I absolutely loathe Wal-mart.

[A HERETIC I AM]

2. My first post to DU!!!....WAL-MART SUCKS!!!

Wal-Mart represents the absolute WORST of corporate capitalism in this country and globally and with the grocery strike here in CA it is my hope that Wal-Mart's pay and benefit packages (or lack of them) will be brought further out into the light. The grocery workers are calling what the chains want to do (reduce their health care benefit) "Being Wal-marted." I am a Non-Union Car-Hauler (looking for a Union shop that is hiring) and being an "At-Will" employee is not something i like at all. Wal-Mart is notoriously anti-union and in many small towns in the southeast they have depressed wages so much that they are the only place the locals can AFFORD to shop. Applause to Oakland for standing up to this giant and lets hope the tide will begin to turn against them.

If you value the American Dream, DONT SHOP AT WAL-MART!!!!

[Maine-i-acs]

3. Welcome Heretic!

I have been spouting about wal-mart for as long as I have been here (admittedly not long) but it is good to hear like-minded scorn of a corporation that pays crappy wages to people who pimp out cheap Chinese prison-labor plastic and Asian Sweatshop garments...

[newyawker99]

17. Hi A HERETIC I AM!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[jiacinto]

4. Interesting

I have read about Wal-Mart and its practices. Needless to say I don't shop there.

[frank frankly]

5. great for Oakland!!!

I love Oakland, California!

[Deja Q]

6. Wal-mart will sue, claiming their 1st amendment right has been abused

:eyes:

Or something. Fascist corporations will stop at nothing to get their way.

And they always seem to win in the end.

Maybe the folks wanting to move to Canada are right... :-(

[Clete]

7. Good luck!

I have lived in three different places that tried to ban Wal-Mart. In all instances Wal-Mart got through and they are doing quite well because they know how to shmooze the local community. They are kind of like Kudzu, sort of useful and sort of attractive, but very invasive. Once entrenched you can't get rid of either of them ever.

[Tansy_Gold]

8. one of the latest battles is going on . . . .

. . . .down the road from where I live.

Wal-Mart built a store in 1997 in Town A, the one where I worked for 13 miserable months. (I am proud to say that during the entire time I was there I never once did the Walmart "cheer." My one act of rebellion.) It was their normal-size store, open 7-11. Although there was some residential development close by, it was not yet rampant. And the zoning for the store had been established long before the residential development began.

About 2 years ago, they turned the existing facility into a 24-hour supercenter. There was some protest, but not much. Wal-mart owned the property and had had it zoned for 24-hour operation before they broke ground in 97. The property lies along an interstate highway and is in a general commercial area, so it was not out of synch with current land use.

Now, however, they are negotiating with Town B, adjacent to Town A, to install another supercenter just four driving miles away from the first one. This one, however, is in an area already being built up with residential developments and there is a fight going on. The only reason they want the new supercenter is to shove out the union supermarkets, further depress wages, and push out all small business competition. Even our local weekly paper, which is usually pretty pro-development, came out with a full-column editorial last week on the evils of Wallyworld.

[A HERETIC I AM]

10. This is the secret to their success, it seems

If i am not mistaken, Wal-Mart started getting REALLY big during the bad times for Farmers in the 80's (Remember "Farm-Aid? They would buy land at a depressed price from a bankrupt farmer whose land conveniently sat within 5-10 miles of several small towns, all with vibrant downtown main streets. Within a year of opening, most of the small merchants in those towns would be out of business. I remember hearing a story where an owner of a Western Auto store (Remember those?) was saying that he couldnt even BUY bicycles for what the Wal-Mart was selling them for and they had him beat on virtually every other product he sold. Once he closed the store, the folks that worked for him would go and get a job at Wal-Mart, provided they had openings, and were paid less than they were making at the local merchants. Of course, for every job created at a new Wal-Mart, at least 2 others are lost in the area. They are successful in their zoning requests and local lobbying because they have INCREDIBLY deep pockets. Spend a dollar at your locally owned clothing/hardware/food store and it pretty much stays in town. Buy something at Wal-MArt and the money is in Bentonville the next business day.

One final thing...is it just me, or are they on a real hard advertising blitz these days? The "Lower prices, all the time" bit with the little smiley face and 2 other campaigns that try to sell that "Aww shucks, we're just good ol' down home folks" nonsense.

[Terwilliger]

9. YAY OAKTOWN!!

BOOOOOOOOOO WAL-MART!

[Hogarth]

11. Good for Oakland

WalMart can kiss my dog's ass because we've reached the point at which it's the only retailer in the area that can offer food for all of our pets. Parrot food is especially hard to find without having to resort to Wally World.

I can't stand walking into the place, but if I need film developed or want to grab some bad mushrooms, it's the only concern going. They've managed to squeeze the life out of small business here.

I wish the liquor store would get in the business of processing film and selling mushrooms.

[ForrestGump]

12. Oakland is AOK with me

Take that you evil WallyMart hypocrits.

Let's hope that it sticks. Though the disease - coldly and deliberately destroying what America is and was while 'celebrating' those same values, all the time wrapped disingenuously in an American flag - is perhaps too rampant to be contained. It is, after all, basically reflected in what the Bush junta has been doing these past few years.

[elperromagico]

13. Good for Oakland... Too late for Arkansas

I fear the state of Arkansas is slowly being turned into one giant Wal-Mart Supercenter.

In Hot Springs alone, with 35,000 people, we have two Supercenters (with another possibly on the way).

Wal-Mart: You Will Be Assimilated.

[Don_G]

14. They Realize What's Going On

My aunt lives in a very small town where they opened up a large Wal-Mart store. It was there for a while, depressed the wages and forced other businesses in the area to close.

Wal-Mart wound up closing their store, moved it 30 miles away and the town is still financially depressed and the stores are still closed.

[incapsulated]

15. God bless Oakland!

Walmart is the superstore of Satan!

[Andy_Stephenson]

16. Wal Mart et al

Destroy small business. I applaud their decision.