Wal-Mart Controversy

Wal-Mart is the world’s largest retail operation more than 4,150 stores (Hoover’s, 2001). Is Wal-Mart a threat to small town America’s business, or are rural communities (in general) reluctant to accept the fact that retail business is an ever-growing industry? The residents of small communities should have access to the same discount pricing as do larger communities. Small town communities can benefit from the presence of Wal-Mart stores, and the people opposing the construction of Wal-Mart stores are selfishly challenging an undeniable force.

Retail stores in rural communities must accept the inevitable and adapt to changes in their economies, their communities, and their industries without denying their communities the benefits of a large retail store. The majority of large companies present today started out as a single business. Wal-Mart is one of those businesses that, over time, became very successful. “You read stories about how towns don’t want Wal-Mart, but in many cases that’s a very few people getting a lot of publicity” according to David Glass, Wal-Mart President and chief executive officer. The people opposing the construction of Wal-Mart stores in their communities are not willing to adapt to the development of retail business. Small town retailers must find different ways to maintain a deeply valued way of life while appealing to their customers, even when faced by large competition. As harsh as it sounds, nothing is forever; independent businesses must be willing to accept change when more efficient manners of conducting business present themselves. It is unrealistic in this day and age to expect that large companies like Wal-Mart should or can be stopped from prospering.

Employment opportunity is one way that a small community could benefit from the existence of a Wal-Mart. For example, Greenfield, Massachusetts, a town of 18,845, blocked Wal-Mart’s plans to open a store. Meanwhile, this community ranked as the state’s second poorest in per capita income and had an unemployment rate of 6.1 percent due to the recent closings of some local plants, factories, and stores. If Greenfield had not protested the development of a Wal-Mart, they would have acquired 240 tax-paying jobs (Johnston, 1995). In addition, Wal-Mart is full of entry-level positions that offer great employment opportunities to those without extensive education.

Another benefit that small communities