Wal-Mart has really become the company to hate while everyone continues to shop there. The New York Times recently ran an article about whether Wal-Mart, overall, is good or bad for the nation.
People loathe the fact that Wal-Mart pushes out mom-and-pop businesses, discourages unions and homogenizes the country. These are all legitimate concerns, but never have I seen any data backing up these claims.
I concede that Wal-Mart workers are not unionized, but are mom-and-pop workers? For two years I worked at Ella's Deli right here in Madison, locally owned and operated, 2902 E. Washington Ave. We (the workers) never even heard the word union just like those at Wal-Mart. I bet that we were not paid anymore than those at Wal-Mart either.
The fact of the matter is that workers at mom-and-pop stores and Wal-Mart are in transient positions. There is no need for a union when you are only going to be a job at for a few months.
Secondly, what do we gain from mom-and-pop stores? People will quickly reply diversity and the money stays in the community. But what is wrong with this argument?
First of all, if people value diversity, why not continue to shop at mom-and-pop stores even with Wal-Mart in town? If I remember correctly mom-and-pop stores have been around a lot longer than Wal-Mart, so Wal-Mart has had to move into mom-and-pop territory. If people really like diversity, why don't they pay for it?
Take Madison's Farmers Market for example. People in Madison like fresh, local produce, so what do we do? We pay for it. Those cheese curds may cost $5, but I am willing to pay for that squeaky freshness.
What is wrong with wanting your money to stay in the community? Take the argument to its logical extreme. Why not just keep the money in your neighborhood? That's even more local. Then why not keep the money in the house? That is the epitome of local. No one is forcing you to participate in the market.
When it comes down to it, people like low prices. No one gets ripped off at Wal-Mart.
People seem to hate sameness. No one wants to go to a different town and have only Wal-Mart or McDonald's. But is that what we really see when we travel?
Of course not. Wherever you go there is the local hang out, and let me tell you, it is not the golden arches. Diversity will never be wiped away because people value it. Sure, there might be a reduction in idiosyncracies, but they will still be there.
Finally, let's remember who really benefits from Wal-Mart, my friends on the left. It is probably Sam Walton's family, but even more it's the poorest folk out there. Do you see Bill Gates shopping at Wal-Mart?
No, you see the people of the lower socioeconomic status. You see those who do not have a lot of money and are trying to stretch it as far as it will go. Wal-Mart has opened up a whole world of goods that they did not have access to before.
So three cheers for Wal-Mart and cheap goods. Let us just proceed orderly through the store. No pushing for those $29.99 DVD players.
Nic Lehmann-Ziebarth is a junior majoring in economics.
