Walmart hearing is TONIGHT... and Walmart won't attend

(Reuters) - Wal-Mart's lengthy struggle to open in New York City has hit fresh problems -- a controversial report that said America's biggest discounter does not just sell cheap, it makes neighborhoods poorer.

The report concludes that Wal-Mart, the biggest U.S. private employer, kills jobs rather than creates them, drives down wages and is a tax burden because it does not give health and other benefits to many part-time employees, leaving a burden on Medicaid and other public programs.

The New York City Council will hold a public hearing on Thursday on the impact a Wal-Mart would have but the retailer has declined to attend.

Wal-Mart dismisses the critical report -- released in January by City University of New York's Hunter College Center for Community Planning -- as "randomly selected statements from ... flawed studies."

Read more: Wal-Mart draws ire even in poor parts of Brooklyn (Reuters)

Previously discussed on Brooklynian: http://brooklynian.com/forum/brooklyn-politics/would-walmart-be-good-for-brooklyn

I've got to hand it to the execs at ShopRite, they are presenting themselves as "better for NYC than Walmart" in the hope that the city council puts restrictions on the site that eliminates Walmart from the competition.

http://gothamist.com/2011/02/02/would_you_be_cool_with_shoprite_ins.php

If buy an apartment in the future, I am going to try that technique. I'm sure the landlord giving me preference on some "preference" other than the amount of cash I am willing to pay the landlord won't cause the other party to sue. (sarcasm)

Meanwhile, in the real world, by holding a hearing that has no legal basis or authority, the City Council gets to look like the good guy who fought a valiant battle, but lost.

....Even the city council knows that Walmart is coming. Based on the fact that they aren't going to bother to show up tonight, Walmart clearly knows it is coming to NYC as well.

It's not all bad though!

...Maybe it isn't too late to get some anti-Walmart buttons and t-shirts printed up and make some money at tonight's hearing.

Well, it seems that Walmart is pretty sure that it will invade NYC at some point, whether it represents at hearings or not. Per Crains:

Walmart inks construction union deal

Retailer makes five-year deal with Building and Construction Trades Council to hire union members when building or renovating stores in New York City.

http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20110202/REAL_ESTATE/110209970?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+crainsnewyork/real_estate+(Everything+Real+Estate+-+CrainsNewYork.com)#

http://projects.flowingdata.com/walmart/

Walmart store openings mapped through time.

If I were Walmart, I would purchase anti-Walmart buttons and t-shirts incredibly cheap from China, then hire Whynot_31 to sell them under his own name outside anti-Walmart hearings and protests.

I would profit from my hapless opponents and it would be genius.

Why hire Whynot when lesser educated will do? Geez, do you think they're stupid?

<<<< gets quickly underbid by WhyFi

OUCH! You forgot the rimshot! =DB

Capitalism is brutal.

It seems not a lot of folks showed up to yesterday's hearing.

http://gothamist.com/2011/02/03/anti-walmart_protesters_vastly_outn.php#comments

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/04/nyregion/04walmart.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion

It seems that NY does not believe that Walmart will destroy it, OR save it.

...or maybe our fellow residents just perceive it as inevitable.

...or maybe they didn't come because Walmart wasn't going to be there to yell at?

Capitalism is brutal.

It seems that people make decisions based on price and service, and that Walmart does not always come on top as a result.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110205/ap_on_re_us/us_wal_mart_s_challenge