Collegiate Times

Im pretty sure youre a ban-wagon. All of these people complaining about Wal-Mart shutting down all the current local stores dont ever mention when Quiznos opened up or when the 2 Starbucks came to town. Why wal-mart? Why single them out? Because they are bigger? And why should the students step up to help the permanent residents? Not to sound unsympathetic (though I am) but most students are here for their relatively short stay and while they are here they want life to be easier for them. Maybe some of the students who have a consistent income can afford to pay for everything they have at the local shops, but others may not be able to. Maybe they need wal-mart prices. I know I do. Maybe they cant very easily make it to Christiansburg to go Wal-mart. Bottomline... stop dragging students into and and trying to make it sound like its our RESPONSIBILITY to step up and help the locals out, because I for one enjoy capitalism and as a consumer, I enjoy saving my money.

This column actually reminds me of what is wrong with downtown. To me, "the locally owned and independent stores, which cater to the unique market niches" simply means overpriced and inconvenient. I don't think Wal-Mart will hurt downtown because, to be honest, there's nothing downtown (other than Virginia Tech clothing) that would be for sale in a Wal-Mart. Handmade jewelry? Fine art? And even if some shops are hurt by Wal-Mart, why are we blaming that store? I personally wouldn't touch Wal-Mart with a 10-foot pole because of the horrific experiences I've had there, but my shopping in downtown Blacksburg isn't much better. Walking into stores to be greeted by inferior products, high prices and the person behind the counter eating their lunch is not my the experience I have "grown to love."

While this guy may seem to have a point about much of the pollution, i couldnt be convinced because im just not that knowledgeable about that kind of stuff. Still, the stuff about the cars doesnt hold weight to me because the only cars causing pollution and carbon dioxide are the vehicles that are ALREADY here in blacksburg. Why would Radford and Christiansburg come here to pollute? They already have their own Walmarts. I mean, id understand it if there was no walmart in christiansburg. Then youd have everyone coming here to shop. But thats not the case. At least, not logically. "The individuals pushing for the Wal-Mart are not your friendly neighbors. "Instead, the developers chose to sue the town to push through a project that the overwhelming majority of the community is adamantly against." -- Im confused. Are students not part of this community? Did whoever you got your facts from ask the 27,000 students in addition to the locals about what theyd want? Doubtful.

What makes me most sad is that Mr. Stone seems to imply that Wal-mart is solely responsible for destroying small businesses. This point of view represents such a weak understanding of economics - CONSUMERS put businesses out of business, not Wal-mart. When you shop at walmart instead of at one of the other independent stores, you necessarily make a choice. It isn't walmart's fault that you prefer lower prices (with an accepted cut in quality) over higher prices, or the convenience of having everything you need to shop for in the same place. It isn't walmart's responsibility to police your shopping actions. And if you really don't want walmart here, then don't shop with them. If the store turns a net loss, then it will close; that's how business works. Rallies and marches won't keep walmart out; your choice to spend your money at places other than walmart will.

I say let them build it and then protest outside. If so many people hate Wal-Mart it will surely go out of business! The people who shop downtown will keep shopping downtown and the people who shop at Wal-Mart will keep shopping at Wal-Mart they just won't have to drive so far thus polluting less.

Matt, you have hit the nail on the head. For all of Mr. Stone's drivel about the wonders of Socialism, at the end of the day, the free market always wins. He would advocate that we legislate Walmart away, when the real power to make such a decision needs instead to lie with the consumer. If so many people hate Walmart, it will HAVE to close! And then the point will have been made. The Blacksburg town council, aided by 'progressive-minded students who seem to know shockingly little about economics, advocate a policy of fear and resentment; if they are so certain that they have the support of the community, why not let walmart build and then show them that Blacksburg didn't want one in the first place?

As a local town resident, I'm in favor of the development because I want the quality of life here to increase...and healthy retail is a big part of it. Yes, Christiansburg has a massive corner on the market and they will likely always be the major retail hub of the NRV since Blacksburg started pusing it out of town many years ago. Downtown is dead/dying for a number of reasons, none of them directly related to Wal-Mart. The landlords are essentially slum lords, failing to maintain the properties while also charging huge rents on the businesses. Plus, like one person mentioned...the nichey nature causes prices to be far higher. Plus, the nichey nature is limited to eco-huggers for the most part, because there is not a single downtown shop that actually caters to an average, typical male...who for the time being, is a major economic force. Its for that primary reason that my dollars bypass downtown for Christiansburg, there is no place for me to shop unless its for my wife or some Hokie gear, or a meal. ALl the Wal-Mart scare tactics are worn out, and people really need to examine what they're saying. As for the upscale shops...they are still coming and are really the biggest portion of the development and the traffic it will generate. It seems as though everyone is all in favor of yet more high-rpiced nichey shops and stores, but not one that would bring back a huge segment of the retail market that left when K-Mart and Roses shipped out. As a permanent resident of Blacksburg, I am highly in favor of a Wal-Mart and will be at their grand opening with an open wallet, which will be the first time I've spent more than $50 in this town on something other than rent, utilities, groceries, or gasoline. As for the rally, I'll honk as I'm on my way to Wal-Mart...maybe I'll pick up some hotdogs for everyone who's there slaving away for the anti Wal-Mart robots.

Well said, John. Strikes me that a large part of the opposition to walmart comes from the student body which has only a temporary interest in the economic success of Blacksburg. I'm a student too, but this all strikes me as a bunch of people patting themselves on the back for trying to bring down a major corporation. What they don't seem to realize is that even Walmart started out as a small business. . . what people like Mr. Stone seem to believe is that success in business is a crime. I suppose, with that pretext, that we should close the business school, since it is filling young minds with nothing short of immoral drivel. . . .

You made a good point about how Wal-Mart started out small and as an idea that one person had and made successful. If all the folks opposing Wal-Mart would come together and think of developing a better way to do business in a way that they could all agree upon in a moral/ethical/business sense, they might develop some idea that could eventually unseat Wal-Mart by spearheading a change in the retail environment. However, rather than approach the whole Wal-Mart/globalization/cheap goods debate with ideas on how to improve the situation, all they bring to the table is a bunch of negativity and attacks on corporations they oppose. I don't hear many creative ideas for doing things better, and I certainly don't see them actually doing something about it. They will march all day long to try and force Wal-Mart to change, but they refuse to actually do it themselves. It's the same thing with the vegetarians who walk in to McDOnalds and Burger King demanding that they sell veggie burgers and vegetarian fare. If they wanted vegetarian fare, what the heck are they doing at a Burger King anyway?? If you want vegetarian fast food...draft up a business plan and start your own place! Be creative, be an entepreneur! Tackle the problem facing you and come up with a solution rather than endlessly complaining about it and fixing nothing.

Ah, the problems of being in a fairly liberal college town. It seems that government is always the answer. Don't like a business? Tell the government to keep it out! It's bogus social science, and it comes back to bite all of us eventually. In Blacksburg, it haunts residence in the forms of an abnormally high cost of living, an abnormally dingy and empty downtown, and abnormally high taxes to make up for the revenues that are lost by people traveling to Christiansburg for their good. Blacksburg, as a town, is dying, and it is dying because the free market is being hamstrung. To all those who might disagree, I'd challenge you to think about the town WITHOUT Virginia Tech, and the revenue that the students inherently generate.

Look to Ireland as a shining example of what happens when business red-tape from the government is removed. They have one of the hottest economies in the world, are ranked one of the top 3 most economically free countries on the planet (hint, the U.S. is barely in the top 10), and they are, for the first time, having more people moving in through immigration than moving out. And all of that is happening in spite of the European Union and its ultra-liberal policies...which really ticks the EU and France off to no end. The same is true here in the NRV. Blacksburg is our local version of France, while Christiansburg is our local Ireland. And one does not need to parlevous Francais to understand the economic dichotomy that existing between the 2 burgs of the NRV.