I like a bargain as much as anyone else, which is why I
occasionally shop at Wal-Mart. As of now, I intend to shop at
Wal-Mart only as a last resort.
I like a bargain as much as anyone else, which is why I occasionally shop at Wal-Mart. As of now, I intend to shop at Wal-Mart only as a last resort. I read all the articles and letters in The Dispatch over the last few days, but I hadn’t really made up my mind as to the proposed Super Wal-Mart. Now that I’ve done some research, I am opposed to the Super Wal-Mart.
Wal-Mart is a quintessential American company. Their appeal is based solely on the company’s low price policies. Americans like cheap, and Wal-Mart is cheap. They are able to offer such low prices partly because they don’t pay their employees a living wage. They are also the subject of massive litigation at the moment due to not paying overtime to employees.
Also pending are several well-documented cases of sexual harassment. Some longtime Wal-Mart employees are standing by their company. These would be the full-time employees who have access to benefits, or hold management positions. The majority of Wal-Mart employees are not covered by benefits, either because they are part-time workers or they simply cannot afford to participate in the benefit plan.
Unions have tried mightily to infiltrate Wal-Mart. I say infiltrate, because I have no illusions about the union organizers. The union heads are not altruists, they are capitalists. They want to unionize Wal-Mart because it is a winning political strategy. Most union members are working- to middle-class people. Only the top union dogs get fat off the union coffers. Since the influence of unions is on the decline, unionizing over a million Wal-Mart employees would be a real coup.
Where does Gilroy fit into this picture? Gilroy loves Wal-Mart. The store is packed with people every day; they certainly don’t appear to have a slow season. What they do have is a high turnover of employees, more than most retail stores. On the plus side, our local Wal-Mart is a generous benefactor in this community. They are eager to donate to our local schools and charitable organizations. It’s almost a given that doing business in Gilroy means you will be expected to give back to the community. How will Costco compare to Wal-Mart in this regard?
Gilroy considers itself a small town still. We are approaching a population of 50,000, but we still want and expect to know everybody in town. We like the familiar faces we see when we shop at Safeway, Nob Hill, PW, the Grocery Outlet and Arteagas. The employees at these places are like old friends.
A Super Wal-Mart will not benefit any of the above mentioned stores, all of whom are already going to take a hit when Costco opens this week. I am not pushing for the demise of Wal-Mart. I would much rather retain the tried and true Wal-Mart, flawed as it is. I would encourage employees to look into the possibility of joining a union, but do so without grand expectations. We have many shopping choices available to us, and I don’t see a need for Super Wal-Mart here in Gilroy.
