I'm taking a time out from talking about the breakdowns and bad weather that have been conspiring against me this month to give you my perspective on big business, namely Wal Mart.
These guys always seem to get bad press about crushing the little guy, or having strong-armed business tactics. You know, how some mom and pop operation goes out of business, and mom and pop end up working at Wal Mart for minimum wage etc...
I deliver a lot of stuff to Wal Mart and Sams club distribution centers (DC's), and one thing I have noticed is the infrastructure that grows around these centers. To begin with, their DC's are HUGE places, the property taxes and utilities on these places must be staggering. Surrounding each of these centers is a collection of truck stops and restaraunts catering to the people bringing in deliveries (me) and the people who are employed by Wal Mart. Heck, the one I was just at in Arkansas had a bunch of shopping malls surrounding the DC.
Having grown up in a mill town, I can understand the impact a large facility can have on a small town, but just like how I believe a local coffee shop can actually charge MORE for it's products when a Starbucks comes to town, due to the implied perception that "gourmet coffee" demands a premium, and anybody that can convince the public that they are "gourmet" can demand that premium, I also believe that business is about competition, and ultimately the consumer wins when product prices can be held down. It alows more people to afford a better life, and that is a good thing. Trust me, the trucking industry is absolutely cut-throat, and that helps out you, the consumer.
My job is a far cry from minimum wage, and there are a lot of truck drivers putting food on the table delivering Wal Mart products.
Just a quick observation from my side of the windshield...
4 comments:
I don't see any snow in the background. Is that good or bad? How close to being home are you? Hope that you have a run planned for delivery in ME.
Have a Happy Valentine's Day, and bring that rig to the snow and ice covered lots of New England.
Love ya,
Mom
Well written. And good points made.
I also noticed no snow...and sunshine. Are you in California cause that's what it looks like out here. 70 degrees and sunny.
I'm not gonna lie I don't know what I would do with out our Sam's club card, they have everything there! In BULK!
Many people think my small bike shop is negatively affected by the Box Stores. Actually, they probably make and at the same time save me money. By stocking and selling inferior but cheap bikes, I find it a win/win for me. I do not have to stock the cheap bikes and then worry about the warranty issues. And since the repair of a box store bike is unheard of by the box store boys, I make good repair dollars servicing those cheap and poorly assembled bicycles. As a businessman, Walmart is good for me.
That said, I have not been inside a Walmart in over 5 years. My wife shops there, but I refuse to enter. I don't like their tactics and I don't like that they represent our insatiable addiction to consuming just for the sake of consuming.
By the time the dollar spent at the local Box store has been broken down, a very small percentage of it actually stays in the community.
You make your paycheck delivering their stuff. That's fine. I delivered nuclear power equipment to Seabrook in the 70s and know what it is to be part of what folks feel is a blight on our culture. You gotta do what you gotta do. I will do the same.
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