New York, NY – New Yorkers say they don’t want a Wal-Mart, but their money is talking behind their backs, and its saying something different.
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Big Apple residents spent $165 million last year to buy low-cost products at Walmart’s suburban stores because there aren’t any outlets in the five boroughs, according to an analysis obtained by The Post.
The massive money drain costs the city millions of dollars in tax revenues and hundreds of jobs.
But Walmart wants to give back to the Big Apple.
With strong sales from Gotham customers, the megachain is launching an aggressive marketing campaign to open stores in the city, over stiff resistance from labor unions.
Walmart has hired star consultant Bradley Tusk, Mayor Bloomberg’s former campaign director, to assist in the effort.
“We’re evaluating opportunities across the five boroughs. It’s clear that New Yorkers want to shop our brand,” said Walmart spokesman Steven Restivo.
Currently, city residents have to travel east, to Walmart stores in Valley Stream, Farmingdale, Westbury, Uniondale, Massapequa and East Meadow on Long Island; north, to White Plains in Westchester; or west, to New Jersey outlets in Secaucus, North Bergen, Garfield, Kearny and Saddle Brook.
The nonunionized retail giant’s attempt to get a foothold into the country’s biggest consumer market will not come without a fight.
Labor unions and their allies on the City Council fought back Walmart’s attempt to break into the city in 2005.
“Walmart is still not welcome,” said Stuart Appelbaum, of the national Retail and Wholesale Workers union.
“They provide a model for others to follow. Their model is a destructive force. The jobs they create keep people in poverty.”
But Walmart backers — citing the shaky economy and high unemployment rate — said New Yorkers are craving job opportunities and affordable goods that Walmart provides in other labor-friendly cities, including Philadelphia, LA, Atlanta and Chicago.
Now we won’t need to go to the country to return the air conditioners after the summer…
I like this one. open 1 in flatbush
Get rid of the unions!!!! open walmart in Brooklyn!!!!
Wal-Mart has been found to engage in numerous practices that would seem to be outside of the standards of proper business conduct, including predatory pricing to drive competitors out of business (#2, say good-bye to all the Jewish businesses if one opens there), extortion and even imprisonment of employees, and forcing suppliers to undercharge. These may or may not be legal under secular law (the lock-in of employees probably isn’t) and they may or may not violate Noachide laws (there is no Shulchan Aruch for Noachides) and no Jewish business that follows the halachah can compete. We should not be promoting this company.
This article is a little misleading … the statement that NYers do not want wallmart is not true. Unions do not want wall-mart because it means they will loose members and jobs. In response to number 4, wall mart figure out how to beat the system, it is because of our poor labor laws as a country and state that wall-mart can do these things. Wall mart does not want unions period, so the state gives rather broad power to a union to force a company to comply. How did wall mart escape? well make everyone a part time employee that way they can’t unionize. If the state wanted to make sure the wages and conditions at wall mart were better they would get rid of the union laws and just make labor laws that make sense.
I live out of town and am in the process of moving to Brooklyn. Where I live now there are 2 or 3 Wallmart stores very close by. Given that i am in community work with limited funds we do allot of our shopping at Wallmart and save thousands of dollars. The concern and only concern i would have is how it would affect small jewish owned businesses this is a big problem that needs to be figured out somehow but other than that they are a store very much needed by the Brooklyn community.
Walmart is a good place it saves lots of money in this economy go ahead …
If Walmart doesn’t carry it, you don’t need it.
#4 has made an interesting and probably true comment. The Catskill area may be the exception to the Walmart hurting rule in most places. Jewish owned businesses have only grown in the Catskills as seen in Woodridge, Woodbourne, Liberty etc. Jewish and Gentile owned business in the Village of Monticello were the biggest casualty when Walmart opened. Shoprite (which is Jewish owned) has been made more competitive since Walmart came. The specialty needs of the frum community will always keep certain local stores and businesses alive.
The article failed to mention the Walmart stores south of NYC in Wooodbridge, Old Bridge, Freehold, Linden, Howell etc. where plenty of NYC folks shop.
I believe that the most realistic answer is.. that people in these economically challenging times will flock to those stores that offer the best value, for the hard to come by dollar. The so called big box stores have hurt and even put out of business smaller retailers…but like it or not they are the wave of the future.
I stand corrected my reply was to # 5 not number 4.
Charlie,
That is the free market rule. In miami we have a publix, walmart and costco all nearby. Its all about what the consumer wants and finding the market niche.
With more competition, quality is assured. I am sorry for jewish grocers, they are by and by large being hurt by online jewish grocerys too but this is nature.
Businesses must learn, pomegranate seems to be thriving.
A price war store like wall mart, is doing more damage then good,
form a non jewish standpoint, Imagine a wal mart opening in brooklyn all this little stores going down nostrand, graham, grand, were the owners make roughly around 100K-150K a year can say good buy to their store & the manager working for him who also takes out a decent wage can say good buy as well,
These are the guys that keeps the economy growing , they spend at the restaurant, Shopping, etc., the worker at wal mart (not talking about the few managers) can barely afford his rent, no to mention extra’s which basically means that a few cleaners, Small groceries, restaurants, Can all close doors,
The bottom line of all this is, that we are exchanging decent/Good paying jobs by Low income jobs, which is a terrible ides for any local economy,
but unfortunately there is nothing to stop them, (& they will sooner then later be in the city as well) but to Bring in the unions there which will balance it a little bit,!!
The attitude and ambience of a store influences whether I shop there, along with quality and price. Which makes me love to shop at Pomegranate, although due to budget limitations I try only to buy my ‘Shabbos treats’ there (prepared dips and salads anyone!) I buy canned food, paper goods and beverages at Shoprite and Costco, but my fresh veggies, kosher meat and other specialty kosher foods I buy at local Jewish groceries (I look for the stores with best quality for produce – Blue Ribbon; and meat – Satmar Glatt). Walmart wouldn’t put the Jewish groceries out of business necessarily, but Costco, Shoprite and similar places would have to start lowering prices to compete with Walmart – and that might be a good thing!