Official Death of Retail Thread: Life Without Walmart

[RE]

New Official Thread.  Use this one for all Store Closings and Retailer Bankruptcies.

Kicking off with Walmart Store Closures.

RE

http://www.modernreaders.com/life-without-walmart-small-towns-struggle-to-cope/39441/lorenzo-tanos

Life without Walmart – Small towns struggle to cope
February 6, 2016 By Lorenzo Tanos



The loss of a Walmart in a small town could effectively mean the death of a town.

Just ask Kimball, W. Va. woman Mary Francis Matney, who spoke to The Washington Post in a special report. In the 60-year-old eyes, her once-booming small town was already gutted by the disappearance of its mines. But when Kimball’s Walmart Supercenter was among the 154 to close down, that was akin to ringing the death bells for the town. According to Matney, the Supercenter’s closure had made “everyone so downhearted they don’t know what to do.”

“It’s like we’re a forgotten bunch of people,” Matney continued. “It’s about all there was to look forward to. If we had to go any further, there ain’t no way. She then paused to check the half-off merchandise on the Walmart’s half-empty shelves as she continued speaking to the Post. “I hate seeing it die. I really do. You could always find better stuff here.”

That interview took place just two days before the Kimball Walmart had closed. And, as the Post continued, its closure was so similar to the disappearance of other Walmarts in other small American towns. For example, the shutdown of the outlets in Fairfield, Alabama, Winnsboro, South Carolina, and Oriental, North Carolina had “left the community with few options for food.” And in Raymondville, Texas, city layoffs are expected with the “disappearance of tax income from Walmart.”

One interesting aspect of the recent series of closures has been how Walmart tended to close stores that were within 10 miles of another branch, and stores in states with above-average square footage per capita. “It’s been part of the way these big retailers have tried to grab market share, by overbuilding markets and creating more retail space than they can support,” said Institute for Local Self-Reliance co-director Stacy Mitchell. “And, now that we have growing online sales, that overcapacity is going to get quite ugly.”

For its part, Walmart said that there were a few factors it considered when choosing which stores to close, not the least of these being financial performance. However, Kimball’s residents aren’t buying that, citing the belief that its store always had a lot of customers.

“They’ll never convince me it didn’t make money,” said Kimball resident Phyllis Noe. “I’ve always been fond of Wal-Mart, but they can’t look you in the eye and say they didn’t have good feedback. Maybe it’s just what they do: 10 years and then they leave.”

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[Petty Tyrant]

All the wallymart closures are overhyped. They do FREE DELIVERY, leading to less people going into stores, especially if they dont have a car. Less people in stores makes for less stores, and more delivery drivers.

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[RE]

All the wallymart closures are overhyped. They do FREE DELIVERY, leading to less people going into stores, especially if they dont have a car. Less people in stores makes for less stores, and more delivery drivers.

Do they do that for Food deliveries?

RE

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[John of Wallan]

Walmart was on my "Cultural Learning" list of places to see last time I was in the land of the free, along with Hooters and down town Detroit. All were Cincinnati places I have spoken widely about back here in Oz... Hmm. I really should write an outsiders perspective on US culture and post it, to let you know what I see looking in to the fish bowl...

Death of Walmart will be good for local manufacturing in the US, and probably a health boost for the whole country as less factory farmed and highly processed, chemical filled cheap mush will be available to feed the masses. 
Recent local debate is whether or not we should increase our goods and services tax from 10% to something higher, and its effect on retail and economic in general. I am for a large increase in GST as it should curb consumption somewhat. What the world needs right now is less consumption, particularly of cheap crap like what Walmart sells.
We need to buy local, eat fresh home cooked food, buy quality goods which will last and buy what you need, not what you want, or what society says you want. This must be the exact opposite of Walmart's business model.

Be good. JOW

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[John of Wallan]

Bloody spell check... That should be fascinating places not cincinatti places...

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[John of Wallan]

Rookie dishwasher?
I prefer chief Furphy teller.

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[Petty Tyrant]

I cant say for sure on fresh or frozen but tinned goods i know they do. Coles and woolworths are the duopoly here and they do  fresh food but its not free delivery.

People HAVE TO eat, unlike other type of retail that are going down so i still see coles etc full of people. For other nonessentials unless there's a 50% off sale these days its not uncommon for there to be more staff than customers, hence the record low BDI (Baltic not Beck). I can also tell by how relieved and thankful staff in small stores are when u buy something like a chainsaw or watch, they must be struggling to make enough sales.

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[RE]

I cant say for sure on fresh or frozen but tinned goods i know they do. Coles and woolworths are the duopoly here and they do  fresh food but its not free delivery.

People HAVE TO eat, unlike other type of retail that are going down so i still see coles etc full of people. For other nonessentials unless there's a 50% off sale these days its not uncommon for there to be more staff than customers, hence the record low BDI (Baltic not Beck). I can also tell by how relieved and thankful staff in small stores are when u buy something like a chainsaw or watch, they must be struggling to make enough sales.

I can't imagine buying meat online, you have to look at the actual ribeye you are buying to see how well marbled it is, how thick the cut is etc.  For frozen foods they would need refrigerated trucks, so that isn't happening.  Fresh veggies you have to look at them all over for bruises and ripeness.

So if the community doesn't have another food retailer they either have to move away or set up their own co-op and maybe send one person out to drive to the nearest food superstore once a week to shop for everybody.  Then you depend on your designated shopper to make good choices.

You also have the issue that many people who food shop like me cruise the aisles and buy what is ON SALE.  I don't go in with a shopping list, what I buy depends on the prices that week.  If Bear Creek Soups are at their usual price of $5, I don't buy any.  If they are ON SALE for $3, I buy 10 of them.

Finally, in the smaller towns the trip to Walmart is the only meeting activity people have.  It's a social event as well as a shopping expedition.

If JC Penney or Macy's goes outta biz in your town, it's not that big a deal, you don't buy clothes that often and you can buy online.  Food is another matter entirely.  If the only grocery within 30 miles goes outta biz, you're in trouble, especially if you are elderly or crippled and can't drive anymore.

RE

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[John of Wallan]

We get all our shopping home delivered from one of the 2 big duopoly in Aus. Yes even meat. Works quite well. Ask for 1kg. If portion is slightly less they end up giving you 2 serves. Always get 1.5x  the roast meat we ask for because the portions are not exact.
Frozen stuff is delivered frozen in plastic crates in back of small fridge van. Found quality to be good on meat and veg. Free delivery if you spend over a certain amount, otherwise usually around $10.
Found we spend less getting home delivered as it makes you plan shop and cook to a weekly menu. No impulse buying. Saves fuel driving to shops too.

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[RE]

We get all our shopping home delivered from one of the 2 big duopoly in Aus. Yes even meat. Works quite well. Ask for 1kg. If portion is slightly less they end up giving you 2 serves. Always get 1.5x  the roast meat we ask for because the portions are not exact.
Frozen stuff is delivered frozen in plastic crates in back of small fridge van. Found quality to be good on meat and veg. Free delivery if you spend over a certain amount, otherwise usually around $10.
Found we spend less getting home delivered as it makes you plan shop and cook to a weekly menu. No impulse buying. Saves fuel driving to shops too.

Not sure if that sort of arrangement is available in some of our small towns or not.  Probably in some places yes, others no.

I'm fortunate to live close to a food warehouse I can ride my electric scooter over to, so it uses no gas and the electricity it uses is miniscule.  I usually ride over about 3 times a week to see what's on sale.

We also have local farmers who you can buy direct from, if you subscribe.  However, I don't eat enough in a week to make even their smallest subscription worthwhile.

RE

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[Eddie]

Rookie dishwasher?
I prefer chief Furphy teller.

New word for me, furphy. I love it. I think RE should assign your new status immediately, although so far your posts have been far too real to merit the name.


A furphy is Australian slang for a rumour, or an erroneous or improbable story, but usually claimed to be absolute fact. Furphies are usually heard first or secondhand from reputable sources and, until discounted, widely believed. The word is derived from water carts designed and made by a company established by John Furphy: J. Furphy & Sons of Shepparton, Victoria. The steel and cast iron tanks were first made in the 1880s and were used on farms and by stock agents.[1] Many Furphy water carts were used to take water to Australian Army personnel during World War I in Australia, Europe and the Middle East.[1] The carts, with "J. Furphy & Sons" written on their tanks, became popular as gathering places where soldiers could exchange gossip, rumours and fanciful tales—much like today's water cooler discussion.

Another suggested explanation is that the rumbling of an approaching water cart sounded like the firing of artillery, thus causing a false alarm. It is also used to refer to a foolish mistake, although the etymology of that is uncertain.

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[K-Dog]

Walmart was on my "Cultural Learning" list of places to see last time I was in the land of the free, along with Hooters and down town Detroit.

A place on the cultural learning list is strange but this last year I knew someone from the Netherlands who also had Wall-Mart ambience on his to-do list.

My honest opinion of Wall-Mart is that it sucks.  Junk everywhere without a decent magazine or book section in which one can abscond.  The variety of a small American strip mall has more culture than a Wall-Mart twice it's size.  Wall-Mart is a theatre of the bizarre.



A hookah smoking caterpillar just told me that this all could be a good thing.  People willingly gave up diversity and a modicum of local control to prostrate themselves before the monolithic god of low-low prices.  Another instance of convenience triumphing over common sense and freedom in the ongoing story of American tomfoolery. 

My caterpillar friend thinks that this 'tragedy' of Wall-Mart closings could lead America into a renaissance of spiritual awakenings in which values of self sufficient sustainability will permeate the American Zeitgeist and lead to the blossoming of a new golden age of socialist solidarity where we will all live in peace and love.

He's got some good shit in that hookah.

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[RE]

Rookie dishwasher?
I prefer chief Furphy teller.

New word for me, furphy. I love it. I think RE should assign your new status immediately, although so far your posts have been far too real to merit the name.

JoW now reassigned as Full Member, no longer Rookie.

Still a Dishwasher though, that is post based and I think I set that at 20 posts to make Waitstaff.

RE

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[K-Dog]

What is after Waitstaff n' when? 

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[RE]

What is after Waitstaff n' when? 

Sous Chef of Doom @ 1000 posts. 

RE

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