A good reporter follows the story. A good detective follows the evidence. I guess a good blog publisher should pick up on discussion patterns and host the topic.
The big box store syndrome keeps popping up throughout comments posted on this site. So, I thought we should discuss it. I'll write at greater length about my views on the matter, and in my role as Community Chair of the Stoney Creek Urban Expansion Committee CCAC, but for now I'll just say that I don't support putting a big box store in Winona. I think Councilors Maria Pearson and David Mitchell were very short sighted and are effectively selling out Winona by supporting such a move.
What do you think about a big box store in Winona, or big box stores in Hamilton? Too many? Good investment? Dead ends? Let's talk about it.
I must admit at the same time I don't want to be a fan of the big box stores, they are mighty convenient and a bit cheaper.
ReplyDeleteI have however noticed Wal-mart's pricing getting a little higher. I used to try and keep it Canadian by shopping at the competition Zellers but recently found out that they were bought out by an American company a few years ago, with that knowledge back to Wal-mart I went. If there was a convenient alternative for me especially a Canadian based company I would surely shop there first. I would also pay the extra price for items that were made in Canada or the U.S. I know we are getting a little tired of seeing everything produced everywhere but here! It's pretty sad when I get overly excited to see a bucket, handtowel or candy made in Canada. I think China has enough work to do, so lets give them a break and bring back some Canadian manufacturers.. the hard part might be getting the average consumer to pay the extra price for the product.
If NicMac is a good reporter and RD'Eye is a good PI
ReplyDeletethen Cal has the greatest blog I have ever
had the pleasure to comment on.
My family has not shopped at WallyWorld stores in
nearly a decade and we do not plan on doing bus-
iness in any of the big boxy banks being built
around town either.
Truth be told, after taxes, utilities, mortgage,
car payment, interest, fees and insurance, there
is just barely enough leftover for food. We have
eliminated all credit card usage yet still find
it difficult to save. As a result, shopping has
become a luxury of necessity buying, and when-
ever we need items, we begin by window shopping
our local Ma and Pa shops on Ottawa Street North.
Winona is a beautiful small town bursting
with Ma and Pa shops that define Winona
as a warm and fuzzy peach of a community.
Big boxy stores, which are better known as
corporate retail monopolies in Asian hegemony,
will eventually turn small town Canadian BIA's
into pits resembling a strip mine. Have a look
at Main & King West or Barton, neither of them
appear much different than Barton did with the
filming of "Alien Invasion" a couple weeks ago.
Looking on the bright side, I installed a genuine
Made In Canada backwater valve on Thursday. We are
scheduled to install six more next week. A backwater
valve is the best way to prevent this city's effluent
from re-entering our homes. http://pbfplumbing.ca/
I suggest everyone watch this video, Walmart: The High Cost of Low Prices
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GINui9LdIQ
As a tax paying resident of Hamilton Mountain I'm wondering how many more big retailers are needed to service the residents of Hamilton? At least they pay taxes that can offset the rate that homeowners pay. Why I found most alarming was the last minute flip-flops regarding the issue. What would cause councillors to do that, I wonder?
ReplyDeleteWhat we really need in this town are stronger Lobbyist by-laws so we know who is bending who's ear, and why.
Councillors should be made to keep records of who they meet with and why, just like politicians in Toronto are required to do.
In the video it show that communities have given them big tax breaks or subsidies. One person told of their experience, trying to salvage his business, he was not entitled to any subsidy. It seems in a lot of communities, they lost more then they gained.
ReplyDeleteWho knows what goes on behind closed doors?
They do not follow legislated labour laws.
Listen to the voices of the workers, the small business owners, community groups. These are the voices you should be hearing, not the public relations spin!
Walmart? Yeah, theres a future
ReplyDeleteElvis P.
MAW said:
ReplyDelete"What we really need in this town are stronger Lob-
byist by-laws so we know who is bending who's ear,
and why."
Mr. Whittle harps on this point often
Perhaps there is something more to IT
His stance in the lobby won't soften
Transparency both hard and pursuant
Teach us please dearest Mark-Alan
How we all might become lobbyists
Bearing our fangs and our talons
When hallmark's ear renting fits
Please tell us how to open shut doors
Where the murkiness is clearly doled out
MAW lead the crusade of our Ma and Pa stores
With your lobbyist pull and blog hobbyist clout