The EVIL that is Wal*Mart is invading my town.

**Andyman** · November 14th, 2004, 06:17 PM

I live in a small bedroom community that is a burb of Flint, Michigan called Grand Blanc. When my wife & I moved here 18 years ago, it was mostly farm land where we lived. Grand Blanc's population has quadrupled in the last ten years as commuters to Detroit are moving further and further north.

Close to town there this GM plant that has this huge fenced in property next to it. Apparently, about 40 years ago, some deer got fenced in with it or somehow got in and started to populate the area. People started feeding the deer and over time it became known as "Deer Park". They even set up a small parking lot with feeding stations for people to watch the deer.

Over the past ten years there has been fierce debate over what to do with the property. The local officials wanted to develop the land for retail but a lot of towns folks wanted to preserve the park.

I personally have no attachment to the park. The deer were sickly and undersized from inbreeding and I can see deer in my backyard on some days.

Anyhoo, the decision was finally made what to do with the property. Over the last month or so I pass by the property on the way to work and witness the progression of the earthmovers as they level the former wilderness into the residue of an atomic blast.

Eh, I thought...maybe we'll get that new Meijer or a Target store. Our smallish Kmart store was considering a bigger locale. Whatever it will be, at least we'll have one of the big stores a little closer to us.

Be careful what you wish for Grand Blanc! My wife just told me today that they're putting in a Wal*Mart store! I can name at least five stores that will close up shop immediately in our town. There's plenty of small businesses that will be affected too.

And to think I could overlook all this if only they carried Spawn toys. [img]wink.gif[/img]

**Joranthalus** · November 14th, 2004, 06:42 PM

yup. Walmart is shit...

**DARTH POOH** · November 14th, 2004, 07:13 PM

I wish we had a Meijer's stores in the west.
All the others (Target, K Mart , and Wal Mart) suck here as they RARELY have figures that are worth two shits and a cigar. Oh well, at least the Target is clean, I'll give them that.*sigh*
[img]graemlins/whatever.gif[/img]

**Peter Peeker** · November 14th, 2004, 07:43 PM

ya seen that South Park episode dealing with WM?
if not, you should...

**Andyman** · November 14th, 2004, 09:27 PM

Originally posted by Peter Peeker:
ya seen that South Park episode dealing with WM?
if not, you should...

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">As a matter of fact I have. I get all of my current news from South Park. [img]wink.gif[/img]

BTW-that was a hilarious episode!

**Cemetery Can** · November 14th, 2004, 10:38 PM

Some areas I can see where it's fine to slap down a walmart, but man they're out for global domination! Is this deer park very rural, far from any other businesses?

What's also shocking is that there's a Mexican Walmart being built less than a mile from the ruins in Teotihuacan. Crazy...

What's next, a Denny's in Mt.Rushmore?

**Tr3s** · November 15th, 2004, 10:47 AM

Capitalism strikes again!

**Peter Peeker** · November 15th, 2004, 10:58 AM

Originally posted by Cemetery Man:
Some areas I can see where it's fine to slap down a walmart, but man they're out for global domination! Is this deer park very rural, far from any other businesses?

What's also shocking is that there's a Mexican Walmart being built less than a mile from the ruins in Teotihuacan. Crazy...

What's next, a Denny's in Mt.Rushmore?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">actually, MUNG is buying ad space on Mt Rushmore...

**Andyman** · November 15th, 2004, 12:21 PM

Originally posted by Cemetery Man:
Some areas I can see where it's fine to slap down a walmart, but man they're out for global domination! Is this deer park very rural, far from any other businesses?

What's also shocking is that there's a Mexican Walmart being built less than a mile from the ruins in Teotihuacan. Crazy...

What's next, a Denny's in Mt.Rushmore?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">It's a prime location for retail. It's on the main road that heads into Grand Blanc and is close enough to southern Flint to pull business from there. Wal*Mart has now strategically surrounded the Flint metro area with 3 stores.

As I've said before, the Deer Park thing was a non-issue for me. It was located right next to a bigass GM plant and has busy roads on either side of it. The land itself was pretty much just an 100 acre open field with no ecological significance in any way.

Don't get me wrong, I don't protest the development of the land...I just wish it wasn't a Wal*Mart. Of course any big chain store is going to fuck up traffic patterns where I live. [img]graemlins/grrr.gif[/img]

Time to move.