Wal-Mart has bought property adjacent to the upcoming Riverwalk Development. Many suspect a Wal-Mart Supercenter will soon be underway. Kyle argues that a Wal-Mart Supercenter would hurt other businesses in Porterville.

Porterville is home to one of the many Wal-Mart department stores and recently it has purchased a lot adjacent to the upcoming Riverwalk development on Jay Street and Highway 190, where Wal-Mart is planning to build a Supercenter. These Supercenters sell a larger variety of proucts, including groceries. Wal-Mart, while bringing great deals and lower prices to our community, will end up causing more trouble than it's worth.

Wal-Mart has wanted to bring their superstore to Porterville for about 3 years, but it has been in debate since it was first proposed. The argument made by many residents is if the superstore was built, what would happen to other stores throughout town? Wal-Mart is best known for their unusually low prices, sometimes up to almost 25 percent less than competing stores. Considering that we, as a consumer, are always on the lookout for a better deal, Wal-Mart has intrigued many of us at one point or another. The fact that their prices are generally lower than other stores' prices causes many smaller stores to go out of business. The smaller stores lower their prices and make cutbacks and layoffs, inevitably causing the untimely end to smaller, local run businesses. All these changes are necessary if they wish to be able to compete with the powerhouse that is Wal-Mart.

What about the fate of the grocery stores in town, such as Save Mart and Town & County? Save Mart is not known best for their prices, but rather their quality products and good service. Town & Country has great prices and a large variety of groceries and household items. Both are good anchors for business districts, having many other smaller stores surrounding them, and through that convenience those stores stay in business. With a Wal-Mart Supercenter, these great stores could also end up closing down and going out of business. If the Supercenter is built at Jay Street and Highway 190 as planned, what is the fate of these small stores? People are more likely to go to a certain dry cleaner store or a small clothing store such as Susie’s Deals, if it is right next to the place where they do their normal shopping. Building a superstore that would pull business away from any of the anchor stores would easily put these small stores out of business.

Despite the obvious facts that Wal-Mart's latest escapade will very easily shut down many small stores in Porterville, what about the jobs being lost? Wal-Mart's average pay for a full time worker is about $20,000-$21,000 a year, which according to a survey done in 2001 isn't even enough to fully support a family of two (guardian and child), which takes almost $28,000 yearly. The thought of leaving your current job for one at Wal-Mart is not quite as comforting after you find this out. Many would be better off to keep their current jobs.

We have to admit one thing though, it is not Wal-Mart itself that puts other stores out of business, it is indeed the consumer that does this.

"What is the true price of a bargain? The consumer, who demands ever-better bargains is not consciously aware that he or she contributes to the shrinking job market," says Teddy Wong, owner of Town & County in Porterville. The consumer is unintentionally responsible for the foreclosure of small businesses. As Teddy Wong pointed out, many are not consciously aware that they are doing is harmful to many others.

The simple solution to this is just don't forget. Don't forget about all those small stores and home grown businesses that you've went to with a cheerful smile and a helping hand. Don't forget the store that helps the elderly carry their purchases to their car. Don't forget those who will forget about the last 8 cents on a bill of $10.08. These are the stores that make Porterville what it is, instead of one of the many that meld into the mold of, "Oh, we just have a Wal-Mart Supercenter and do all of our shopping there," sort of cities.

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Porterville es casa a uno de los tantos departamentos de Wal-Mart y recientemente han comprado un lote colindante al desarrollo de Riverwalk en la calle Jay y la autopista 190, donde Wal-Mart planea construir una Superbodega. Estas superbodegas venden mas variedad de productos incluyendo la despensa. Wal-Mart al querer traernos mejores precios y mas cosas, va a terminar causando mas problema, de los que realmente valen la pena.

Wal-Mart ha querido traer una Superbodega a Porterville desde hace 3 años, pero ha estado en debate la propuesta desde el principio. El argumento hecho por muchos residentes es que si la Superbodega es construida, que pasaría con las otras tiendas en el pueblo? Wal-Mart es conocido por sus bajos precios, a veces hasta 25% menos que la competencia. Considerando que nosotros como consumidores siempre estamos en la búsqueda de mejores ofertas, Wal-Mart nos ha atraído en algún punto u otro. El hecho de que generalmente sus precios son más bajos que los de otras tiendas, hace que tiendas mas pequeñas fracasen. Tiendas mas chicas bajan más sus precios y hacen reducciones y despidos, inevitablemente causando el final de las mismas. Todos esos cambios son necesarios si desean ser capaces de competir con Wal-Mart.

 Cual seria el destino de tiendas de abastos como la Save Mart y Town & Country? Save Mart no es conocida por sus precios sino por la calidad de sus productos y su buen servicio. Town & Country tiene precios magníficos y una gran variedad de despensa y productos para la casa. Ambos son buenas anclas para distritos de negocios, teniendo otras tiendas más pequeñas a sus alrededores, y aun así todavía están en negocio. Con la Superbodega de Wal-Mart, estas grandes tiendas terminarían cerrando. Si la Superbodega se instala en la calle Jay y la autopista 190 como lo es planeado, cual seria el destino de estos negocios? La gente regularmente va a ciertas lavanderías o  tiendas de ropa como Susie’s Deal, si esta al lado de donde regularmente van de compras. Haciendo una superbodega todo esto se acabaría, dejando a los otros negocios fuera.

 Aparte de los hechos obvios de que la Wal-Mart va a acabar con los pequeños negocios, que va a pasar con los trabajos que se perderán? El promeio de paga para un trabajador de tiempo completo en Wal-Mart al año es $20,000-$21,000. Según una encuesta del 2001 no es suficiente ni siquiera  para mantener una familia de dos  (padre e hijo). Eso toma alrededor de $28,000 anuales. Pensando en que vas a dejar tu trabajo por uno en Wal-Mart no es consolador después de ver esto. A la mayoría le iría mejor si se quedaran en el trabajo actual.

 También tenemos que admitir una cosa, no es solamente Wal-Mart la culpable del fracaso de otras tiendas, es el mismo cliente el que escoge.

 “Cual es el verdadero precio de la propuesta? El consumidor, que exige mejores ofertas no esta conciente con lo que el o ella contribuye para el mercado de trabajadores,” dice Teddy Wong, propietario de Town & Country en Porterville. El consumidor es sin querer responsable por la clausura de cualquier negocio. Como Teddy Wong dijo, la mayoría no esta consiente que están haciendo le daño a otros.

  La solución simple a esto, es el no olvidar. No olvidarnos de todas esas pequeñas tiendas y negocios a los cuales has ido con una sonrisa de oreja a oreja. No olvidarnos de aquella tienda que ayuda a la gente mayor a sacar sus compras al carro. No olvidarnos de esos que se olvidaran de esos últimos 8 centavos en su  recibo de $10.08. Estas son las tiendas que hacen a Porterville lo que es, en lugar de una de las tantas ciudades que simplemente dicen, “Pues tenemos una Superbodega de Wal-Mart y hacemos todas las compras ahí.”