BUSINESS: Supercenters BANNED; Wal-Mart Sues

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. sued Monday to overturn an Alameda County law that would forbid its grocery-stuffed Supercenters, marking the giant retailer's latest move to protect its turf as it embarks on a major California expansion.

AP.org

Wal-Mart has been embroiled in in a similar legal battle to enter Tucson, Arizona against the wishes of community leaders, but the Alameda County compaint marks the first of many battles expected as the retail giant prepares to expand into California with 40 Supercenters during the next four to six years. Three other California communities - Contra Costa County and the cities of Oakland and Martinez - have approved similar laws to block Wal-Mart's Supercenters. Wal-Mart is trying to revoke the Contra Costa County ban with a voter referendum in March.

Though many local residents and small business owners alike may be opponents of any new Super-Destination that reshapes and congests the traditional community, the Alameda County law centers only on the legal issues of zoning and taxation by prohibiting stores that exceed 100,000 square feet and devoting more than 10 percent of the space to nontaxable merchandise, such as groceries. Wal-Mart seeks to invalidate the ban on several grounds, including a claim that the Alameda County Board of Supervisors exceeded its authority by passing a law that imposes "unusual and unnecessary restrictions on lawful business enterprises."

All technical legal issues aside, Wal-Mart's business strategy with its 187,000 square-foot, grocery laden Supercenters is no mystery - to undercut traditional community supermarkets and small businesses. More and more communities recently have been shunning the Supercenters, citing studies that the sprawling stores cause major traffic headaches and replace better-paying supermarket jobs with low-wage Wal-Mart positions. Yet with more than 1,500 Supercenters across the country, Wal-Mart maintains the concept has proven to be a boon for consumers who reap substantial savings on their monthly grocery bills while shopping for a wide variety of other discount merchandise in a single trip.

Many communities, business analysts, and ATS members alike have speculated, however, on the real hidden cost of those consumer savings citing disproportionate imports of overseas manufacturing, and an almost plague-like expansion worldwide that seems to define the very concept of sprawl.

For additional insights on Wal-Mart versus Communities: (essay) Bullying people from your town to China
For some ATS members' discussion: Wal-Mart, the REAL NWO

[Edited on 29-1-2004 by SkepticOverlord]

I refuse to shop Wal-Mart because of eminent domain abuses and the chance that my money eventually filters back to the Chinese military via front companys.

I'm in a dead southern mill town about 30 miles from the nearest anything since textile manufacturing went under.

But we have a shiny new Supercenter selling the only groceries you can get for miles and all the Chinese made textiles you could ever want for cheap.

Last I heard that Wal-Mart had over a thousand applications since all the other employers went bankrupt. They even undercut local gas stations.

come on people step back and see the socialist ideal here...
controling of bussines.
where are these freedom people still talk about??
how is it possable to deny the right for some person to open a bussiness becaue some people are afraid of change for the better

it sickens me

Originally posted by samfashow
come on people step back and see the socialist ideal here...
controling of bussines.
where are these freedom people still talk about??
how is it possable to deny the right for some person to open a bussiness becaue some people are afraid of change for the better

it sickens me

Samfashow, before I wrote my response I was sure you meant that Walmart was responsible for the business control due to the power they exert. Now, after writing my response and re-reading yours I realize we are both in almost total agreement. Pardon my quotes, now you know the context:

The only "socialist ideals" I see here are the ones that are trying to GET the government to control business. Let the free markets take care of themselves. If Walmart can do it, a competitor can do it also. Get the government out of the economy and stop calling for them to step in with bans on a legitimate business. Perhaps it is the future of shopping?

All I know is that by controlling what Walmart does, you are placing invisible barriers on business, THIS is socialist control. Did you know that Target is the fastest growing retail chain in the country right now? No? Now you can get over Walmart and see the company as a first generation step in a progressing economic process. Deny ignorance.

Originally posted by insite
All I know is that by controlling what Walmart does, you are placing invisible barriers on business, THIS is socialist control. Did you know that Target is the fastest growing retail chain in the country right now? No? Now you can get over Walmart and see the company as a first generation step in a progressing economic process. Deny ignorance.

This isn't uber sprawling government control on WalMart. It's communitites saying we don't want a big box in our backyard. We don't want to have to widen the road 3 lanes and add stop lights. We don't want all the local shop owner's going out of business and disemploying hundreds. Not to mention, we don't want another abandoned Wal-Mart shell in 7 years.

Did you know they just rebuild a new box every 7 years (on average)? Sometime right next door, leaving the first to sit vacant. The "new" one they built by me is leaking buckets already when it rains. No point in fixing it, it's just a box they'll abandon. The city has started washing down the parking lot twice a week from all the pollution. It's a magnet for oil leaks. It's just a mess. Why can't you see that? A rutting, disgusting, anti-American mess?

Wal-Mart IMPORTS more than the NATIONS of Israel and Ireland COMBINED? Yes Target is faster growing. A guy with one store that builds two can be 'fastest growing'. Wal-Mart is beyond the realms of even calling it a chain. It's a force, both breaking communities and shaping the world's economy through the shipping of US manufacturing jobs overseas to COMPETE with Big Box Wal-Mart that does NOT buy American.

What the hell does Socialism have to do with anything? A community has a right to say, no neon, or no signs over 500 ft tall...why not no giant freaking boxes and parking lots that ruin our economy and way of life? Crimony people.

So now that wal-Mart owns ASDA, does that mean ASDA will be affected.

Originally posted by FreeKish
So now that wal-Mart owns ASDA, does that mean ASDA will be affected.

I'm not familiar with ASDA or what you're talking about. Enlighten please?

ASDA is the English (maybe European?) Walmart.
Walmart bought them I do believe. They have the little rollback smiley as well (well they did when I lived there)
www.asda.co.uk
-----
Quote from all about ASDA
ASDA, Britain�s best value retailer, became part of the Wal-Mart family in June 1999. ASDA was formed by a group of farmers from Yorkshire and now has 259 stores and 19 depots across the UK. We offer Britain�s best value weekly shop with prices that are independently shown to be lower than our main competitors with an excellent mix of fresh food, grocery, clothing, home, leisure and entertainment goods
-----

Surprised? I think not.

[Edited on 30-1-2004 by MrDead]

Interesting. I suppose that's a big entry into Europe. About a year after entering Mexico and Canada Wal-Mart was almost immediately the #1 retailer in each.

I'ts pervasive. Last count I have was 1.3 million employees. That's a good sized small country.

Selling food, clothing, & motor oil all within the same confines is disgusting.

WE WANT WALMART..... WE WANT WALMART...... WE WANT WALMART.... LMAO.... NOT

Originally posted by MrDead
Quote from all about ASDA
ASDA, Britain�s best value retailer, became part of the Wal-Mart family in June 1999. ASDA was formed by a group of farmers from Yorkshire and now has 259 stores and 19 depots across the UK.

Related Wal-Mart aquisitions in the News:

Wal-Mart bids on Japanese Chain
TOKYO, Japan -- U.S. retailing giant Wal-Mart Stores is to pay 52.06 billion yen ($421 million) to take control of Japanese supermarket chain Seiyu Ltd.

-and-

Wal-Mart joins battle for UK's Safeway
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Wal-Mart Stores, the world's biggest retailer, said on Tuesday it was considering making a bid for Safeway, the UK's fourth biggest supermarket group.

It's not DIVIDE and CONQUER; but

, UNDERCUT and AQUIRE.

Does anyone really believe that Wal-Mart's low price "competetion" is going to last once they own everything? Monopolies don't compete.

Socialism... that's a laugh and a half. It never ceases to amaze me how Americans have been fine tuned to view anything as a threat to their economic or otherwise perceived stability, as �socialism� or the big bad �communism� when to the rest of the world it's anything but.

They really got you good.

This is C-A-P-I-T-AL-I-S-M.

This is the same stuff that�s got you fighting for globalisation and the new world order, the same stuff that�s making you fight against workers rights as evil (you must be stupid), that's making you see China�s economic competition as a communist threat!!, LOL! That encourages you to run up debts of thousands on you�re� On your VISA, MASTERCARD, on your whatever card. As if it matters.
They�ve got you on-side!

This is the system that takes billions from your schools and put it into the military, the system that allows business to purchases legislation and control government policy, the system the says your voice is your bank balance. Why do they say this..? Well is it really that hard to figure out?

Who benefits?

That�s the only question that needs to be asked.

If you�re a fool. You�ll think you do. Well if you�re happy with that there�s no need to interrupt your ignorance.

Ask yourself one thing. In a world ruled by money,
What is the system to fear? In a world ruled by money, what is the system that will be promoted? In a world ruled by money, what is the only system they want to exist?

And who would have the power and the money to make the rest look stupid?

Of course, there is no reason for them to spend time, energy, money, newspaper inches, television seconds, day after day after year after year against if it isn�t a threat is there?

Is there?

Yes, laugh at Socialism. It's it only thing their scared of. Laugh at as they cower from it. Laugh at Socialism, and watch them laugh at you.