In Wal-Mart’s Defense
Although I am more of a “Target” person, I find myself in the odd position of using this space to defend Wal-Mart.
I was recently in my boyhood neighborhood on the South side of Chicago checking on my parents who are getting up there in years. I took my Dad grocery shopping and instead of hitting the usual Jewel-Osco, he wanted to go to Wal-Mart instead.
The store in the Chatham neighborhood, near 85th Street and the Dan Ryan expressway and a seven-year long battle took place before it could locate on the site of a former steel company.
When Wal-Mart unveiled its original plans, it was met with opposition from unions and activists, who according to media reports at the time used every political and zoning trick in the book to try and keep it out of the city.
And then the recession hit; people needed jobs and more importantly, Chicago needed tax revenue.
The store has been a welcome shot in the arm for that area. The folks in that neighborhood are employed and they have a grocery store that is reasonably priced. In addition, development has started to go up around Wal-Mart. There is a Lowe’s hardware store next door and more plans are in the work to bring more businesses to the area.
Now there are those of you who will complain about Wal-Mart’s wages and benefits, however if you do some investigation, you’ll find that the retailer’s full-time employees don’t do too badly and part-time employees can move up the ladder if they stay long enough. And seeing what the wages were for a lot of the folks didn’t have a job BEFORE Wal-Mart showed up, I don’t think they’re complaining too much.
So does all this mean I will switch to Wal-Mart instead of Target? Not at all. But for thousands of families on Chicago’s south side, Wal-Mart is perfect for them.
