The proposal is on the town of Boone’s table to allow Wal-Mart to expand their facility to the proportions they commonly call a “Super Wal-Mart. Allowing this expansion would be a negative for the Town of Boone and the economy of the entire area. Part of the charm of the High Country is the population of interesting little “Mom and Pop” shops scattered throughout every commercial area. The expansion of Wal-Mart into a Super Wal-Mart is a direct threat to each of the small businesses in the area and many of the larger retailers in the area. Many towns across the country have realized this threat and have successfully stopped the retail juggernaut from crushing the foundation of the local retail economy. Wal-Mart has had an adverse effect on the economies of communities served by our newspapers. We have seen the downtown of several small towns nearly abandoned after a Super Wal-Mart starts its machine rolling. Wal-Mart has a direct connection to jobs going abroad as many North Carolina communities have suffered through in recent years. The giant retailer demands lower and lower prices from manufacturers who have become dependent on their Wal-Mart contracts. So, when Wal-Mart pulls the business and goes to China to take advantage of cheap labor, the American manufacturer is forced to shut down and put hundreds of people out of work. Then, those cheap goods come to this country and are used to force the small independent retailers out of business. The ripples of that small contract keep moving from the shores of Asia to the United States. Boone can avoid that. |