So, Walmart is bad? Someone explain that to me, please.
5May2008 Filed under: Blacksburg, Gecko Rants Author: Gage Gecko
Ok, someone give me their take on the whole “Big Box Debate” because from my perspective it just seems like a bunch of selfish property owners and their “not in my backyard” attitude. I find it very hard to believe these people have never shopped at Walmart and they were fine with it being near someone else’s home in Christiansburg but now that someone wants to build it near their homes here in Blacksburg, suddenly it’s “Walmart is the Evil Empire” and “they will destroy our town!” Very convenient, is it not? I love that about these armchair activists. They were completely content to do nothing until it personally effected them. I never heard these people talking about the evils of Walmart before they decided to build one here in Blacksburg.
Another thing. Has anyone in Blacksburg taken a minute while in this part of town and stopped and really took a good look at this project? It’s huge! I took some photos this afternoon and my first thought was what difference did one big box store matter in the grand scope of things when it would be next to this sprawling complex? Take a look at the site plan above and the pictures I put up on Flickr below.
So, I ask you? Is this about Walmart being an evil corporation? Is this about allowing a big store into the town of Blacksburg? Or is it something else entirely that I am missing? Personally, I don’t have a problem with big box stores. They sell me products I want or need at a cheaper price than smaller “Mom & Pop” places can. If I save more of my hard earned money do you really think I am going to miss the Mom & Pop stores? Here’s a prime example. Across the street from the proposed Walmart site is Eats Natural Foods Co-Op, the classic Mom & Pop operation. They will sell me a bag of pre-popped popcorn for $3.30. I can get the very same bag of popcorn across the street for $1.00 from Kroger. Where would you buy the popcorn? Granted, organic food store prices are ridiculously high, but that’s another story. To some degree it still comes down to the size of their respective operations.
To offer us these cheaper prices Walmart outsources to third world countries because they employ a cheaper work force and people say this is bad for the US and the Chinese worker. Has anyone asked the Chinese worker their opinion? They just might like their new factory job making dust pans and it wasn’t a job I was doing here in the US. Yes, I know. Now I am being selfish but then again I aspired to a little more than a factory job making dust pans when I finished my schooling.
Ok, I have been ranting long enough. I want to hear someone else’s opinion. Please enlighten me to the real story behind all this hub bub. “The Great Big Box Debate“. I’m all ears.
- Tags: Big Box, Blacksburg, corporation, Evil, Rants, Virginia, Walmart
9 Responses to “So, Walmart is bad? Someone explain that to me, please.”
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Bob Gray
May 6th, 2008 at 10:13 PM
Cutter said
‘I find it very hard to believe these people have never shopped at Walmart and they were fine with it being near someone else’s home in Christiansburg but now that someone wants to build it near their homes here in Blacksburg, suddenly it’s “Walmart is the Evil Empire” and “they will destroy our town!”’
That isn’t actually what happened. When Walmart was built in Christiansburg there was _NOTHING_ there. People did eventually build houses near it but that came later. Walmart didn’t build “in someones backyard”. In fact I can’t recall having been to a Walmart that was “in someones backyard”.
So the argument isn’t that these people don’t want to shop at Walmart but rather that they would rather shop at Walmart where it is today.
As you point out the shopping center they are building there is going to be huge. I’m not sure that South Main is designed for that much traffic. That is probably my biggest objection to it. You take a residential area where children play and go to school and you increase traffic by a large amount. Doesn’t seem very “family friendly.” Must be those damn liberals at work again.
Of course most of the people who object do shop at Walmart but that is a completely separate issue. Except for the people who work at Walmart I’m not sure that you really create American jobs by shopping there. Sure you line the pockets of the CEOs and the shareholders but do you really “help the economy”? Maybe, maybe not. Not very Pro-USA. Must be those damn liberals again.
And the answer to your other question is, “No, I don’t shop at Walmart.*”
*Unless I can’t find the item any where else.
P
Gage Gecko
May 7th, 2008 at 3:40 PM
First, thank you for your comment. I appreciate you taking the time read and reply to my post.
Second, I believe you are taking me too literally. The reason the original statement was in quotes meant to imply I was speaking figuratively not literally. Basically you could replace the statement with “not near my home”.
Your notion of “family friendly”, I hope you weren’t speaking figuratively
, is a little subjective. Lot of families raise their children near that kind of commerce and traffic. Whether out of need or necessity. The line between residential and commercial zoning is just that. A thin line. I am sure home owners would love to have a 10 mile buffer between their residential area and commercial zoning but this doesn’t happen, anywhere to my knowledge. I believe that is was is often referred to as the price of progress.
Lastly, if this is who I think it is your argument against Walmart would be more convincing if you lived across town. Living approximately 1500 yards from this development takes a little air out of your complaint because it almost is in your back yard. I truly sympathize with you, and I mean that, but I believe the Walmart is a done deal. In the end I think things will be better than you think.
Bob Gray
May 7th, 2008 at 4:13 PM
I wasn’t taking your statement about backyards literally which is why I left it is quotes. I understand what you mean.
As to where I live, while you are are correct, I’m not sure that it is relevant. If this development were put down on South Main as soon as you get off the highway I would have less objection to it. The buffer between that development and the residential area is much greater down there and the traffic load would be less because of the proximity to the highway. Of course there is a greater chance of having a plane fall in the parking lot but that is a separate issue.
The family friendly comment was not meant figuratively, I was literally talking about and environment which is family friendly. High traffic areas are not family friendly, that is why property values are lower than in comparable ares on dead end streets. That is why we zone separately for commercial and residential. That is why neighborhoods are build with limited entrances.
I believe you are correct that this is a done deal and there is nothing that can be done about that. I just hope the traffic does in fact stay on main street and not bleed onto Hubbard and Airport.
P
Gage Gecko
May 7th, 2008 at 6:02 PM
I’m sorry. You question the relevancy of your location to the project and then in the next paragraph you allude to the fact that the location will undoubtedly lower your property value?
My point was your relative proximity to the First & Main project is very likely going to make you biased, or at the very least, others will perceive you to be regardless of your protests to the contrary.
I have a friend that lives just off County Club and she has been rallying against the Walmart project as soon as she heard about it and given her situation I can understand why she feels that way but I do not support her position.
What I can’t get her to understand is why I, and I am sure many others, do not care. She did not not care about Walmart building next to the homes of others until they decided to build next to hers. Having done a little research on this it is not the first time Walmart has done this, build so close to a residential area. She didn’t care then so why expect others to care about her cause now.
Now, I do not own property near the project so it is easy for me to play devil’s advocate but the area that they are building in was, and always has been to my knowledge, zoned for commercial use so this was bound to happen sooner or later.
So what do I tell her when she asks why people don’t care. Well, not to be glib or to belittle her feelings in any way I will borrow and at the same time change a line from a Star Trek movie…
The cares of the many outweigh the cares of the few. Or the one.
Welcome to a democratic society.
bob_gray
May 8th, 2008 at 11:21 PM
“protests to the contrary”
Ah, loaded language of the internet, how I love thee.
Anyway, what you are saying is that anyone who is near the construction has ulterior motive and therefore can’t speak without their position being suspect. Lovely. The truth of what I say is independent of my geographic location in spite of the fact that people have no ability to distinguish meaningful dialog from shrill rhetoric.
The truth is that high traffic areas in fact are NOT family friendly. The fact that this causes property values to go down is practically self evident. Why would you move to a more dangerous neighborhood when you could afford to live elsewhere? But the price of real estate is not the issue here, at least not for me.
As far as Walmart having done this in other towns and the residents of Blacksburg not saying anything this is the first I’ve heard of that. I don’t know of a Walmart that was build behind a school. I certainly have never seen one. People have been complaining about Walmart for a long time. Haven’t you ever seen the “Walmart kills small towns” bumper stickers?
And I’m not saying this to say that Walmart is evil. I’m simply point out that your argument is wrong. I’m sure that there are excellent economic reasons for dropping a walmart behind Beeks elementary school but is that what Blacksburg residents want in the middle of town? Some of them yes and some of them no but I’m not sure that democracy has anything to do with this issue at this point. I’m pretty sure this is now a legal issue and not a legislative one.
Oh, and we aren’t a democracy we are a republic. We elect representatives and they do what they want, not the will of the people.
Gage Gecko
May 9th, 2008 at 2:07 AM
Well our little debate is certainly a matter of opinion with a little semantics thrown in to boot but I love the conversation. Very entertaining, thank you!
I did a little research and I found several cases where a community kept Walmart from building in their town. Maybe that will happen here as well. That remains to be seen. I couldn’t even hazard a guess as to how it will all play out. I honestly don’t have an opinion one way or the other. I just enjoy the spectacle of it all.
The hearing on the injunction won’t happen until June 7th but as the plans to build were approved before proposition 1450 was passed I think it will be an uphill battle to keep Walmart out of Blacksburg.
bob_gray
May 9th, 2008 at 9:45 AM
It certainly is a matter of opinion. I suppose that is why there is so much controversy over it. We’ll have to wait and see how it plays out but I think that Walmart is going to show up. I’m pretty sure the people who approved the plans have been voted off the town council but it is clearly too late to change the approval.
The conversation was fun. See you Monday.
SailorMoon
July 2nd, 2008 at 3:43 PM
We don’t need a Walmart that is next to an elementary school and close to a University. The streets cannot handle the traffic unless they tear down some of the houses to build wider roads. This can be done if the town claims that the area is blighted. It is also a good thing that the Sonic is not being built (having recently been rejected). These types of stores need access to a freeway which that South Main Street area does not provide. I do not shop at Walmart. I have been there once and did not like it and prefer Target. I do not understand why this town cannot build up its downtown (like some of the other college towns) instead of building a bunch of strip malls. Some of these strip malls are empty buildings with large parking spots and provides such a waste of space. I also did not understand why the town build the rec center so far from the the town center when they could have build it on the same lot as the middle school.
Gage Gecko
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:50 PM
Good questions. Thanks for visiting!