I'd like to say that choice is good. Having a low cost option to buy goods is not a bad thing. Having a place where people can get entry level work for low wages is not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes price does matter and sometimes a job is better than no job.

The notion, however, of a third Wal-Mart in Thurston County is just plain insane. It is not just the Wal-Mart, the second Costco in Hawks Prarie is absurd as well. I know there are those that way that the market place wants what Costco and Wal-Mart are offering and that there is a demand for this type of retailing. We may get what we want today, but what about tomorrow? What happens to us when our choices for spending our money is limited to just a few corporations? Do we really want our retail be like big oil? There is no real competition for gasoline, it seems that retailing will soon have the same advantages over the consumer as the oil companies. As the choices for the consumer dwindle the opportunities for corporate abuse increases. We are digging our own graves with bargain shovels from Wal-Mart and buying our discounted caskets from Costco. People, smell the trap, this is not good for us.

"I would make it impossible for the covetous and avaricious to utterly impoverish the poor. The rich can take care of themselves."
^@^

 Mrs Larry is a Walmart cruiser, in that they offer a ton of stuff to look at (and encourage to purchase).  I've tried to get her to seek other shopping opportunites (I applaud and join her on trips to the Market)

Read last month's National Geographic on a great look at labor in China.  Unfortunately, those folks are cheating and lying their way into those jobs.

I'm mostly opposed to Walmarts treatment of American workers.

 Anonymously Larry No Longer Muted

China Labor Watch report: Dongwang Ju Won Shoe Factory

green house gases signifcantly!!!

"I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit.  It's the only way to be sure."  Ellen Ripley - Aliens 1986

Hiya- I rarely shop in Tumwater, but I did remember this news item

 It would be great it Tumwater asked the same of the Wal-Mart posse--

"make us a green building"

I'd bike to Tumwater from the Eastside to shop at a Green Walmart, regardless of how much they do business with "China"...(as if!)

Anti-globalism is not the answer, that is just another form of intolernace, but I do support thoughtful consumersim, so thanks for the thread bubba z 

Hola OlyBlog Posse,

Here is a link to Wal-Mart's happy pages

I muse about a world where there is just one store, but it has all the stuff you could ever want. 

Any thoughts? 

Bastards.