[Winona Online Democracy] Dwayne,
I do not worry or lose any sleep over the ability of JC Penney, HyVee, Nash Finch(Econo), Mills Fleet Farm, Menards, Shopko, Target or K-Mart competing with Wal-Mart as they do it in almost every retail market. Yes they are tough competition but most retail operations would much rather be close to the competition as the traffic that results increases the customer base and can actually increase their sales a well. Returning from my trip to LaCrosse yesterday I thought about were I shopped and why not in Winona. Money was dropped at Wendy's (I like Baked Potatoes and their salads) Best Buy (Software & Camera CD's), Sears and Sam's Club (Big quantity packaging & boxes). The Sears stop was to check out small shop vacs because I knew they would have all the Craftsman models in stock and on the floor. The final purchase of which will be in Sears Winona assuming they have it and even though they are not locally owned to the best of my knowledge. We also said hello to two other couples from Winona in the same stores. Wal-Mart was not even on my list even though I was across the street at Sam's. That's what consumer choice is all about. Paul Double From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Dwayne Voegeli Sent: Saturday, July 12, 2003 8:35 AM Paul, Your point about naming the ten largest retailers that are locally owned is valid to a certain degree; Shopko, Target, K-Mart and the like are not exactly Mom and Pop shops. But would you agree that Wal Mart represents a whole other kind of business? Their goal is to wipe out competition, not to encourage it. Aren't we talking about a monopoly or trust that dwarfs the robber barons of the late 1800's and early 1900's? This is NOT about eliminating normal and healthy business competition. On the contrary, this about protecting normal and healthy business competition. Wal Mart is not about competition, it's about total market domination. For example, you did not see the local merchants put up this kind of effort when other businesses came to town. Like Jamie Groth said in an earlier post, Wal Mart is a different kind of animal. I hope people can begin to see those big differences. ----- _______________________________________________ This message was posted to Winona Online Democracy All messages must be signed by the senders actual name. No commercial solicitations are allowed on this list. To manage your subscription or view the message archives, please visit http://mapnp.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/winona Any problems or suggestions can be directed to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] If you want help on how to contact elected officials, go to the Contact page at http://www.winonaonlinedemocracy.org
