Thank you, everyone, for your thoughtful and honest feedback at our Town Hall Meeting, as well as on our local online news sites and at the most recent Council meeting. My ears are WIDE OPEN and I was very happy, this past Tuesday, for the opportunity to express the genuine concerns of our community that were shared at the Town Hall on the previous Thursday. If you didn’t attend the Town Hall, you missed an important opportunity.
At the ATC meeting, I was able to address the issue of how transfers from other WM stores would impact the 60+ jobs that were promised in our community; and, I was also able to advocate for the use of local Altadena (sorry, Pasadena doesn’t count) subcontractors to finish the build out, once Walmart takes over construction. I’m pleased to inform the public that Councilman Shackelford’s pressure on the developer produced an almost immediate request for local labor to perform the cleanup—a step in the right direction… If you are interested, please express your interest at www.BrentMusson.com/contact.
I remained after the ATC meeting until well past midnight to speak with several citizens who held a decidedly ant-Walmart position. The conversation was spirited and engaging, and prompted me to request further clarification from anyone who is a part of the “Save Altadena” movement or just independently opposed to the new market. Please consider the following four non-rhetorical questions so that the community may more fully understand your position. Please, also, indulge my commentary along with the questions—my intent is to provide context.
- Statistics and horror stories have been sited with regards to WM’s “scorched earth” business practices. Do any of these statistics apply to Walmart Neighborhood Markets, or are they specific to the big box stores?
- Please be honest and don’t answer too quickly… What do you want from Walmart Corp.? Concerned citizens across the US have put significant pressure on WM to become more responsible and stop decimating small towns with their oversized big box stores that carry everything from tires to Pepsi to Bermuda shorts and fishing poles at extraordinarily low prices. Walmart’s response to this pressure appears to be an undersized grocery store. If this isn’t viewed as a move in the right direction, it would seem that only WM’s bankruptcy would satisfy its opponents. Before you cheer too loudly, a WM bankruptcy would un-employ 2.2 million workers worldwide, over 1.5 million in the US alone.
- A common complaint is that WM maintains terrible working conditions and low pay. Are there any Altadena businesses, local or not, that pay unskilled workers over $12/hr., provide 401k and health insurance (with or without employee contribution,) or pay to train jobseekers to be interview-ready? Please don’t interpret this as rhetoric. I am asking a serious question, the answer to which is germane to the issue at hand.
- This is perhaps the most important question: If Walmart pulls out today, what is our Plan B? The building has been empty for most of the past two decades and of the 15 or so retailers that have been repeatedly encouraged (more like begged) to move in, all of them said “no” without hesitation. If there is a better plan, I wonder why it hasn’t been put into action all these many years…
PLEASE try not to read my questions as “pro-Walmart” rhetoric. They are not intended to rattle anyone or push any pro-Walmart agenda, rather they are my attempt to consolidate the inquiries of many West Altadena residents who are understandably skeptical about why some of their cross-town neighbors (and some local ones too) are now so passionate about our blighted corner after decades of neglect; and, why they are being asked to reject jobs and low cost food and medicine in an area with the lowest income and highest unemployment in Altadena. Following the news about WM’s plans to open on Lincoln, nobody opposed to the store contacted me; in fact, several meetings were held in South-West Altadena, to which I was not invited, though I’m connected by Facebook, phone and email to some of the organizers. One would like to believe that the elected representatives in an area would be some of the first and most important allies to any such cause. Walmart, however, reached out right away, and frankly they made a very compelling case; granted, I’ve been presented a one-sided argument. Your responses to these four questions will help me understand the other side of this important issue.
I have one last request. Please don’t let differences of opinion divide our community. As difficult as it may be, I encourage you to refrain from calling out individuals by name to complain or point blame. On almost any issue, there will be more than just your point of view—please be respectful to those with whom you do not agree.
Walmart haters are primarily union activists. They foment decent as a broader plan to pressure Walmart into unionizing. I would encourage you to fight to bring business and jobs to your community. After all, are you not there to support everyone in Altadena… not just the noisy activists imported to your town hall meetings from all over SoCal to disrupt and sell their story of fear and hatred for Walmart?
Don’t believe me? Well take a look at several SoCal communities that have Walmarts in their neighborhoods. You’ll notice that all of them have large commercial investment, other large companies, as well as dozens of local businesses:
Redlands: http://goo.gl/maps/LN7d
Duarte: http://goo.gl/maps/1XcE
Covina: http://goo.gl/maps/1XgM
Los Angeles: http://goo.gl/maps/OUMB
Why should Altadena miss out on a fantastic opportunity to bring a multi-national corporation in? Think about what it will say to other large and multi-national companies–it says Altadena is open for business.
Before you call people you don’t know names like union acitivists, you really need ot find out. Wanting poeple to earn a lliving wage, and decent working conditons, and to be treated as valued part of your company, with or without representation, union or otherwise, should be paramount to real concerned citizens. As for the other communities that have these invesntments , hopefully they will still be there in the next couple of years, unlike many others who are not.
I stand by my comments. The alternative here is to turn away tax dollars, loss of opportunity for further economic development in the adjacent area and for the jobs to go to another community.
What exactly is a “living wage?” If living wage is the standard should we then close down and block every business we *believe* is not paying a living wage? Should the liquor store across the street be closed down? Maybe we should go down the street and close Super King and Jim’s Burgers because they don’t pay a living wage to all their employees. Do you see where that logic takes you? “Living wage” is the siren call of the union activist. It tantalizes the mind with visions of 19th century employee abuses. The reality is that Walmart pays a “living wage” to millions of people around the world.
I honestly don’t understand the push-back. We should be welcoming Walmart, not protesting them. If you want to encourage economic development then you must encourage it. Placing bogus litmus tests and barriers to entry will only push business into other communities. Believe me, no business, large or small is threatened by these protests. They will simply take its money to another community. In the end you will have zero impact on Walmart, but a huge negative impact on Altadena.
Eric, there are plenty of studies showing how Walmart REDUCES tax revenue where they arrive. How? By driving out local businesses. It’s not worth filling up one empty building and providing perhaps 40 poverty level jobs for the destruction WalMart creates.
Agreed.
Taxes? Altadena sales taxes go to the county. Most of us shop in Pasadena, so Pasadena will lose sales tax. Food, by the way, is not taxed.
I agree.
Well, this isn’t getting off to a good start, is it? Your first responder sets the stage by labeling most of us who are concerned about the possible impacts of a Walmart in our community as “haters” and “union activists”—totally discounting the small business owners (not likely to be union activists) and concerned citizens who are asking for transparency and honest answers (and not getting them). But you didn’t do that, so let me try to respond in good faith. Although, may I say, you are giving those of us who are concerned a mixed message—you are inviting us to clarify our concerns and you say your ears are “WIDE OPEN,” while you prominently feature a lovely picture of a Walmart Neighborhood Market. That alone belies your open-earedness. A picture, as they say, is worth a thousand words—and gives me pause to wonder whether your mind is as open as your ears.
Your questions, Mr. Musson, are either naïve or loaded, as demonstrated by your commentary, which adds not so much context as bias and misinformation. For example, it is very hard for me to believe that Walmart has moved to the Neighborhood Market model in response to “Concerned citizens across the US [putting] significant pressure on WM to become more responsible and stop decimating small towns with their oversized big box stores that carry everything from tires to Pepsi to Bermuda shorts and fishing poles at extraordinarily low prices.” I would suspect that a more realistic interpretation of Walmart’s decision to move aggressively toward the Neighborhood Market model might be that (a) they have maxed out on super center opportunities and are now losing money every quarter, especially related to apparel sales and (b) they have become so dependent on Chinese goods that they are especially vulnerable to fluctuations in the Chinese economy.
Question 3 is another question that is either loaded or naïve. You are clearly buying into Walmart’s statistic about average hourly wages. If you think any significant number of unskilled workers at _any_ Walmart makes $12 an hour, I fear you will be extremely disappointed when Walmart opens its doors at Lincoln and Figueroa. Walmart is including _all_ hourly positions in their “average” – and many of their hourly positions are highly skilled and even require bachelors degrees (for example, pharmacy staff). Don’t confuse “hourly” with unskilled, Mr. Musson. Many of the “hourly” positions at the company from which I recently retired require bachelors and masters degrees. If you—unlike the rest of us—can get a genuinely honest and complete answer from Walmart, I suggest you ask them for a full list of their hourly positions and the skill/education requirements for each of them before you challenge others.
I’m pleased that you define local as Altadena, and am amused you won’t even stretch as far as Pasadena. (Perhaps you’ll ignore my comments, since I live in that pesky part of Altadena that has a Pasadena mailing address.) But Walmart has a much broader view of local, do they not? Mr. Angulo told us at the Jackson Elementary meeting that Walmart defines local as “California”; in one answer he even implied local is the United States!
What do I want from Walmart? I want them to be honest and transparent. I want them to define local as within 5 miles of Altadena. I want them to match the Costco wage scales so their employees can get off food stamps. I want them to stop creating communities of folks who can only afford to shop at Walmart. I want them to take a little bit more out of the hides of their six obscenely rich billionaire heirs—who are now are worth more than the bottom 42% of Americans!—and give more of their employees enough hours and benefits so that I and my fellow taxpayers aren’t paying for their employees food stamps and health care. Then, Mr. Musson, I might just welcome them with open arms.
1. This applies to WM. This fact came from WM’s original founders’ mouth. “Extremely low wages, mostly women”… and sell lower than the competition…
The size of Altadena community does not fit the requirements and logistics for big box entities. Big Box stores need big streets cause major traffic issues plus there are two elementary schools within a few blocks of Lincoln and Figueroa, and Lake has Eliot Middle School across the street and three students have been hit by cars already last year alone.
2. Simply DO NOT come to Altadena period! This store would better serve a much different community demographics than our community. Any decent store, chain, big box, etc. that truly and the communities best interests and wellbeing, would have not underhandedly maneuvered in disguising themselves in a shroud of secrecy with a less than honest landowner. They would have open communication, with the community, not just town council in a one “wolf in sheep’s clothing” presentation. In my studies for my Masters Degree in Human Resource, at Claremont Graduate University, we studied WM in depth. This is why I am well versed in their tactics and practices. They practice half-truths which turn in to untruths. You must not have read any of the fact based studies about WM, which is evident in your articles as you seem to pass them off as hearsay or rhetoric.
3. Give me a break, WM going bankrupt with all the monopolies it has across the county , this is what they leave behind. Fact; 70% of their employees who open a “new store” are not working after the first year with the store. Fact over70% of those who work for WM qualifies for food stamps and welfare.
Actually neither does WM It does not pay their unskilled workers $12 p/hr, This is an average wage which is far lower than the real average in today’s economy of average pay as $17.89 p/hr. It pays most of their unskilled employees minimum wages , they do not work a full time position, only part time at best; with little or no benefits. And their 401K is for their small percent of higher paid employees who can afford it. Plus their health insurance is too costly for most of its employees to afford. Once any employee complains, or talks about the harsh treatment, conditions, or worst yet, to union officials they are fired on the spot no matter how long you have worked for WM. This information can be seen on the news, in documentaries, fact based studies, etc.
“If there is a better plan, I wonder why it hasn’t been put into action all these many years… “
4 Because of the landlord who has not been forthright or honest with the community and is the one responsible for the blight conditions and illegal situations by not making timely repairs. It could have kept the American Veteran’s thrift store open and collected rent; but chose not to. When other stores have tried to come in they are so high, they turn away businesses. Just like Lake Ave and Ralph’s who was trying for years to expand and obtain the vacant lot. If the “owners” would cooperate with other types of business, and asked for input from the community as to what services and kinds of business we would like to have, we could have a more appropriate business here and on Lake. It Take a Whole Community to Keep the Community Thriving.
Before you cheer too loudly, a WM bankruptcy would un-employ 2.2 million workers worldwide, over 1.5 million in the US alone.
But it’s not a big-box store. It is a supermarket, and a relatively small one at that. Half the size of a typical Whole Foods.
Brent, I hope that you and others who feel that the short-term benefits of having one or two Walmart Neighborhood Markets in town outweigh any negatives will read “Big-Box Swindle: The True Cost of Mega-Retailers and the Fight for America’s Independent Businesses” by Stacy Mitchell.
I also commend the documentary, “The High Cost of Low Price.” http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3836296181471292925
I don’t have time today to respond thoughtfully to all of your questions, but with regard to #1, please keep in mind that the Walmart on Lincoln/Figueroa is not just a “neighborhood” market. It is designated as a site-to-store market, which means that anyone anywhere can order ANY product that Wal-Mart sells on its website and have it delivered to the Altadena store(s). So it is a bit disingenuous to call it a grocery store. It will be selling a wide range of products completely unrelated to the items stocked on the shelves at Lincoln/Figueroa.
The need for jobs that pay living wages is real for the Altadena community… Historically, Altadena has operated as a community of small businesses and a 2 supermarkets… Will WM come in with all their glowing promises only to eat all the smaller fish? Will Altadena become “for sale” to other corporate entities as a result of WM success?
Once upon a time there was a Barneys Hardware store on the corner of Lincoln and Stonehurst. This business met it’s demise when Monrovia Home Depot came to town… Master’s Building Supply Home Center still operates.
Bottom line is WM will definitely bring new opportunities for many within the Altadena community, but it will also bring to an end some businesses victimized by the ease and convenience of the WM model… This will, NO DOUBT, open the door to other business models that will make it more convenient for customers to spend their dollars…
But let’s not demonize WM too much… Jim’s Burgers is still holding it’s own across the street from McDonalds on Woodbury Rd… People will ultimately spend their money where they want even if they have to drive to the Wal Mart in San Gabriel…
WalMart may add something of an upgrade to the Altadena [Lincoln corridor]. I’m not much of a shopper but I think diversity and options in shopping cannot be all to bad. I’m a business owner and am not sure that how it will impact my business. But if it can help with my product sourcing, I’d love it.
Bent,
That was a fascinating and long conversation the other night after the meeting.
I have given it a lot of though and I want to thank you for taking the time to engage in a real and in-depth, courteous discussion.
I have given it all a LOT of thought. You made some really good points and I respect how much you care about the community and it’s residents.
At the end of the day, I just cannot support walmart because I just do not think they are good citizens. I cannot find anything about them that is ethical or does anything for any community anywhere that does not serve their bottom line and actually is harmful to the well being of people around the world. I understand that they are under no obligation to do anything else, but I am also under no obligation to welcome such companies into my town.
What do I want from walmart? New policies across the board. I want them to make some enormous changes to their corporate culture. I want them to become good citizens.
And the one question you ask that I have not already answered, is your question about a living wage. I do have a double standard. I do not hold small businesses that are just barely holding on to the same standard that I hold the richest company in America.
If a small business owner is not paying for health care it is usually because they can’t, but when a company like Walmart doesn’t pay fore health care or a living wage it is because they do not want to. The wealth of the heirs of walmart equal half of the combined income of this entire country???
Something is broke in our system.
HOWEVER, you really made me think about how we as a community approach this. This discussion (Plan B) has to move forward about how do we get this community active and caring.
How do we get rid of the abandoned buildings and empty lots? How do we create a thriving and successful business community, with good business neighbors who give back and maybe hire some local kids now and then?
There are some of us who starting to think about how we can help make that happen!
BTW, I am not a union activist. I live here, I am raising a family here, and I care about my community and it’s citizens. Pretty simple.
See you out there!
Let me be more direct… Altadena used to be a well heeled town even on the West side. Those days are gone, and the Lincoln corridor has looked like Skid Row for years… Where have all the West Side lovers been for the last 30 years when the thrift store was looking like a homeless refugee camp?
Now, WM is investing in the West Side ( Black Side) and people are complaining! I say ‘Make It Happen!’ The poor people of West Altadena who are too poor or too old to get to the Lake Ave and Allen Ave supermarkets can now walk to the store like we did in the ’50′s and’ 60s…
John Muir students might get summer jobs, or at least their parents might even get permanent ones.
The likely hood of WM going bankrupt in anyone’s lifetime is nil… And the fact that the are willing to set up shop on Lincoln and Figueroa makes it almost certain that a gas station will reopen on the adjacent corner allowing the community to fill up a lot easier. Either way you look at it, children will be able to go shopping with their parents in WM instead of the liquor store across the street… That’s more than a good thing!
Actually, there have been many improvements to the lincoln corridor in recent years and Lincoln Avenue certainly does not look like skid row. People don’t have to trek over to Lake or Allen to shop because Super King is right there at Lincoln and Woodbury, Baja Ranch is on North Fair Oaks.
It is very difficult to run a small business in these tight economic times. It is impossible for US labor to compete with Chinese or other low wage Asian countries that supply goods to Walmart. Until we are prepared to pay, or able to pay, for locally made products there won’t be many new businesses opening. Altadenans shop in Pasadena because the shops are dense and varied. Walmart isn’t going to save Altadena. Likely as not it will harm businesses by facilitating the ordering of merchandise to be picked up at Walmart locations.
We need a variety of businesses and we need to support them.
1. Do any of these statistics apply to Walmart Neighborhood Markets, or are they specific to the big box stores? – I’ve only seen one person online reference how a neighborhood mkt ruined things. They came in, put a larger mkt outta biz then took over the larger site to build a full size Walmart. Other than that I haven’t seen any other neighborhood mkt studies.
2. What do you want from Walmart Corp.? — If you mean what do I want locally, from/at our soon to be neighborhood mkt, I want them to be a pillar in that part of the community. Give back to groups/causes that do good & are associated w/ the westside. I want them to be good neighbors and adopt reasonable (same as Super King) delivery & store hrs. Site to Store products must be delivered at the same delivery hrs the store will have (for example NOTHING delivered btwn 7p-7a). I’m not sure on their future liquor license (which they will ask for). They may try to acquire All Star liquor’s license too. Will the area be for All Star going outta biz if this happens (acquires All Star’s license)? Small biz goes down but it’s a liquor store. Websters/EZ Stop & Lindsey’s liquor are here & Ralphs is just down the street. All Star may survive too.
If you mean what do I want from Walmart Corp as company policies in Arkansas? Then, nothing other than transparency as to what your intentions are in Altadena w/ a possible 2nd site. ALL the other stuff that’s been discussed all over town is not something that particularly interests me.
3. Are there any Altadena businesses, local or not, that pay unskilled workers over $12/hr., provide 401k and health insurance (with or without employee contribution,) or pay to train jobseekers to be interview-ready? — Maybe Ralphs? Rite Aid? County Parks? I know those aren’t really considered local but that’s all I have. Don’t know of any local, mom & pop biz that are doing that but I don’t know all the businesses in town.
4. If Walmart pulls out today, what is our Plan B? — Stay in touch w/ the leasing agent. He’s the key to what business can be recruited to that (& the lake/calavaras) site. Word is that a dollar (type) store or Walgreens/CVS was on the short list for that site before Walmart signed up. CVS/Walgreens would want a liquor license right away, Walmart didn’t. Since so much work has been done on it, plan B could be CVS/Walgreens, a Marshalls/Ross type store (clothing stores are not prevalent in Altadena) along w/ a small food court (if room exists).
First of all Councilman Musson I want to thank the Town Council for last Tuesday’s meeting, something I neglected to do (stage fright) when I spoke at that meeting. I would also like to thank you and former Councilman Shackelford for drafting the request for a traffic study in the area. That represented a direct response to community concerns raised at the previous week’s meeting at Jackson Elementary and that gives me hope. Furthermore I thank you for providing this forum for expression.
Moving on to your questions. The WalMart Neighborhood Market model is too new for any long term studies. At the very least we can expect the market to have the same affect on grocery type markets that the full-size WalMarts have on all businesses: decimation. As a community we have to ask ourselves if slightly lower prices (which will go up as soon as our local businesses are destroyed) are worth a complete change in the character of our town. Is one empty building (empty because of a landlord hostile to Altadena as much as others not wanting to invest here) being occupied and PERHAPS 40 poverty level jobs going to the community worth this? For me it’s not.
We have to look at how WalMart, historically, has dealt with communities. They are not responsive to community requests or needs, as evidenced locally by the half-truths and deceptions delivered by their representatives so far. In the Jackson Elementary meeting Javier Angulo was asked if they would be applying for a liquor license. His response “not at this time” was technically true but disguised the fact that they fully intend to sell liquor in a year. Add to that the question of store hours, which he claimed ignorance of, and we could have a 24 hour liquor store in Altadena.
One other deception: Walmart was free from getting a Conditional Use Permit because we were deceived into thinking that this was going to be only a grocery store, which existed at that location before. Now, Walmart reps are bragging about their “Store to Site” feature with which you can get ANYTHING (except guns, apparently) that the giant Walmart’s sell, shipped to this smaller store. Besides the additional truck traffic in the neighborhood, a Conditional Use Permit is required (based on existing Zone-Specific Development Standards) for any “Parcel Delivery Terminal” in a C3 zone. Walmart dodged the permit by deliberately withholding that information and I’d personally like to see them held to it.
For me and for many Altadenans the primary reason to oppose Walmart is because they have demonstrated endlessly that they are brutal employers and completely unresponsive to community needs.
Thanks again for this forum and for your time.
Here’s a link to an economic study done on a “neighborhood market” WalMart in Seattle: http://www.pugetsoundsage.org/downloads/Walmart-Fowler-Report-2012-04-06_1.pdf
And here’s a perfect example of the WalMart philosophy and why no one wants them in their back yard. Imagine a world (the one WalMart wants to create) with NO ZONING LAWS, where anyone with the cash can build anything they want wherever they want it. This from WalMart’s PR firm: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=371016712932730&id=112488592118878
I agree with James Knight. Small savings are not worth the loss of local and community-grown businesses we have in Altadena.
Filling one empty lot or building with a tenant that will smother out of existence the others around him – is nearsighted, and serves primarily the Walmart corporation and the out-of-town landlord to fill his pockets.
More importantly, the Walmart’s strong arm Big Brother business tactics have never proven community-needs friendly despite their slick advertising. I doubt our small community will be able to stand up to preserve the valuable character and unique needs of our community after Walmart corporation gets in.
As an Altadena homeowner, community member, business woman and citizen I do not want Walmart in our North Lake neighborhood.
I vote a resounding NO to them moving in to the Altadena proposed North Lake Ave. location.
It bears repeating–the question about pay for “unskilled” workers is a red herring. “Hourly” does not mean “unskilled” (continued). If you’d like to see the kinds of jobs that are included in hourly, search the Walmart jobs site at http://careers.walmart.com/SearchJob.aspx. Select the following: Categories “All”; Employment Type “Any”; Date Range “Any”; Type “Hourly” in the keywords box. Select or state or leave it “any”. You’ll be surprised–most hourly jobs require experience, some require degrees (including some pharmacy staff). Even the assistant manager trainees are hourly. Walmart wants you to think that they are going to bring in “unskilled” (whatever that means to you, Mr. Musson) workers at an hourly average of $12+ … I’d be surprised if they even hire any unskilled workers–so many educated and skilled workers are desperate for jobs.
I don’t think the unskilled workers is a red herring. Everything I’ve seen from Walmart with the $12 average has been very specific in noting that number is for hourly sales associates and does not include managers. The pharmacy staff may be hourly, but they aren’t sales associates, nor are the jobs on the Walmart job site you’ve linked to. It’s still not all unskilled workers, but it also isn’t a number for a broad mix of jobs.
Sarah, you are misinformed. When they say their hourly wage average is $12.79, they are _not_ specifying “sales” associates. (If you search their jobs site, the “sales” positions are all salary, by the way.)
_Every_ Walmart employee is an associate. Walmart says the $12.79 California average wage is for “regular full-time hourly associates.” At the Jackson Elementary meeting, Javier Angulo emphatically said that the average includes ALL hourly positions.
Specifically, here is the statistic directly from the Walmart site http://www.walmartstores.com/pressroom/StateByState/State.aspx?id=5:
As of April 30, 2012 (End of Q1), the average wage for regular, full-time hourly associates in California is $12.79 per hour (Walmart Discount Stores, Supercenters, and Neighborhood Markets).
The CS Fowler report sited by Mr. Knight is in flawed. The report claims a -$660K net decrease payroll impact over six years when the Walmart entered a study area. The study uses a $15.08 union wage versus a $12.03 average Walmart wage. Both wage factors are incorrect! This $15.08 wage is a union wage, representing less than 10% of the actual retail workers in the study area. The more accurate wage factor for estimated job loss is $12.22 from State of Washington Employment Security Department. The $12.03/ hr average Walmart wage is understated and should be $12.87/hr average (per Dun and Bradstreet) for Walmart associates in Washington state.
The use of inaccurate data to manipulate results is not surprising since Fowler’s report is back by the local unions.
Using more accurate and unbias data, a Hebert Research, Inc study of the same area actually show a +$22K per year net payroll increase to the local economy with the arrival of Walmart.
How can you possibly be serious saying that an independent study was “manipulated” but cite a study paid for by WalMart as fact. WalMart buys the statistics they want as they did the Hebert Research, Inc study. Do you believe what salespersons tell you about a product or do you seek independent information? You are either terribly naive or you work for WalMart, and I say naive to be polite.
Brent, none of what I am going to say is pro- or anti-Walmart. It’s just pointing out facts.
For someone who represents that census tract, you are woefully ignorant of what was in that building. I have lived in Altadena for 22 years, and it was a DAV thrift shop most of that time. It has only been vacant a few years, not decades. I used to shop there on occasion.
In addition, your facts on what the Walmart rep said are wrong. No jobs are promised in the community; that would be illegal. They will set up a job-training center for Walmart jobs that would certainly help some folks, but not necessarily to get jobs in Altadena.
They do not pay more than $12 an hour for unskilled labor. $12.79 is the average wage, and as you might recall from the meeting, a woman who had worked for Walmart for four years said she doesn’t even make $10/hour. He did not answer questions about what it takes to get to that $12.79 nor the kinds of positions above the average that even out the wages of those below, nor the skill level required for those positions.
He also said that 32 hours is full time. The upside of that is that 32-hour employees will qualify for benefits, so people who may not want a 40-hour week will still have access to medical insurance. The downside is that at $10/hour, most people have to work 40 hours a week.
If you doubt this, I took copious notes at the meeting and I wrote an article for Altadenablog, so I can back it up.
I think the DAV store has been closed since 2002.
I see no legal basis to stop the store. That some of us disapprove of Walmart is not a legal ground to keep it out so long as the store complies with zoning and other laws. Convince people not to shop there and Walmart will close, but to deny residents the choice of shopping there seems rather totalitarian to me.
By the way, how did NIX check cashing and all those liquor stores get here?
Mr Musson, if you think WalMart will hire a single local resident for a full-time position that offers $12.79 per hour and a 401K, you have been hornswoggled by all of that company’s slick rhetoric and paid-for statistics. Your commentary and gorgeous stock photo (no doubt supplied by your friends at WalMart) make it clear that you really do believe in what they’re selling you. Maybe when your council term expires you could apply at WalMart and get one of those higher paid positions that brings up the company’s salary average. Better yet, you could try talking to the real employees at the other end of the pay scale who don’t even get the 32 hours needed in order to qualify for benefits. Apparently this WalMart store can’t be stopped, so I’ll just drive past it and encourage my friends and neighbors to shop at stores whose business model doesn’t require that they underpay workers and drive all competitors out of business.