The Arizona Republic
06-09-06
Wal-Mart animosity is deep-rooted
Corinne Purtill
On a recent evening in Ahwatukee Foothills, about 100 people gathered at
Desert Foothills Park for a block party of sorts.
A volunteer passed out photocopied fliers about the "guest" of honor. Veterans
of other battles, against the South Mountain Freeway and unpopular politicians,
chatted about their latest challenge.
Emcee Lani Kuban took the microphone, and the crowd greeted her with cheers.
"The bottom line and common goal is that we do not want to see Wal-Mart in the
Ahwatukee Foothills," said Kuban, just across the street from where the world's
largest retailer wants to build its first store in Ahwatukee.
It would be well beyond Wal-Mart's 3,800th store nationwide.
The battle brewing in Ahwatukee mirrors fights throughout the Valley and the
country against the blue-vested behemoth that sold more than $312 billion in
goods last year.
The Bentonville, Ark.-based chain enrages its opponents, who say it encourages
crime, grime and bad working conditions.
At the same time, the proposed store in Ahwatukee would be smaller than a
typical supermarket. Other Neighborhood Markets don't look all that different
from the places where Ahwatukee residents buy their groceries now.
So what is it about Wal-Mart that makes people so angry?
Bitter battles
Ahwatukee's arguments against Wal-Mart - that it pays sub-living wages, prices
employees out of health insurance and attracts crime and shady characters echo those of nearly identical battles waged from Chandler and Gilbert to Idaho,
California and Maryland.
Anti-Wal-Mart fervor "has taken on a life of its own," said Nelson Lichtenstein, a
history professor at the University of California at Santa Barbara, who edited one
book on Wal-Mart and is working on another. "People just don't want Wal-Mart to
be there."
Last month, Wal-Mart announced plans to build a Neighborhood Market on the
northeastern corner of Desert Foothills Parkway and Marketplace Way.
"There are not a lot of grocery options in that area," Wal-Mart spokeswoman
Delia Garcia said. "It's a perfect location for a Neighborhood Market."
Neighborhood Markets are grocery stores around 40,000 square feet, or about
one-fifth the size of a Wal-Mart Supercenter. There are 10 such stores in
Arizona.
The space is already zoned for that kind of retail. Wal-Mart needs only a site
plan and elevation approval to proceed.
Still, the announcement drew swift condemnation from Ahwatukee residents,
some who admitted to never having actually entered a Wal-Mart themselves.
"I don't like everything they stand for. Therefore, I will never set foot in a WalMart," said Sandi Salvo, 57, at the May 30 meeting.
Residents say they would be happy to see the land occupied by another grocer,
such as AJ's Fine Foods, Wild Oats or Whole Foods.
Wal-Mart's promise of carrying upscale foods if its Ahwatukee customers want
didn't even make a dent in the opposition.
John Chiazza, a veteran of four separate fights to keep Wal-Mart out of Gilbert,
was at the meeting to offer support.
As to why Wal-Mart draws ire in a way other chain stores don't, he said, "I think
it's their image. Instead of going into neighborhoods and putting out businesses .
. . why not funnel your money into creating a better image? Why not pay your
people?"
A big target
Nobody complains about Ahwatukee's Target at 4734 E. Ray Road. A typical
Safeway store is larger than the proposed Neighborhood Market. So why is WalMart the target of such rage?
"This company is like a giant swath that's kind of eating its way across the
country . . . and it stands for a bunch of values that people don't like," said Edna
Bonacich, a professor of sociology and ethnic studies at the University of
California at Riverside.
Whether it's the erosion of employee benefits, the proliferation of cheap
overseas goods or the death of the mom-and-pop shop, Wal-Mart has become a
symbol for social and economic problems that many different players have had a
hand in, Bonacich said.
Its sheer size also attracts criticism. It's the second largest U.S. corporation after
Exxon Mobil. Among its general merchandise competitors, it sells more than the
next 13 chains combined.
"I think it must be the American way to pick on the big guys," e-mailed Kenneth
Stone, an Iowa State University economics professor who has studied WalMart for 20years.
The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union has launched
Wake Up Wal-Mart, a public relations campaign against the fiercely anti-union
company. The watchdog group Wal-Mart Watch publishes volumes of material
and helps organize Wal-Mart opponents on its Web site.
"There aren't many other companies that have organizations that have
committed millions of dollars to fighting" them, Wal-Mart's Garcia said.
Doesn't stop the shopping
If people have mixed feelings about Wal-Mart, it could be because the chain has
a complicated place in America. Wal-Mart employs 1.8 million people worldwide,
but at average wages so low that many of its U.S. workers rely on publicly funded
health care programs.
By its own estimate, Wal-Mart and its effect on competitors save every American
family $2,300 each year. Their business practices have also helped to shutter
countless independent retailers across the country.
Even among Wal-Mart shoppers, ambivalence is not uncommon. But it's not
enough to keep people out of the stores.
"That's typically what we find," Wal-Mart's Garcia said. "Folks may oppose a
Wal-Mart coming into the community, but when that store opens, the parking lot
is full."
Wal-Mart is banking on that scenario.
Opponents are balking, vowing a fight to keep the Wal-Mart plan from ever
progressing that far.