Walmart plans get initial approval
August 1, 2012 at 3:38 pm in Grand Forks Herald
Plans for a second Walmart Supercenter store in Grand Forks advanced through their first public hearing with the Planning and Zoning Commission on Wednesday. Continue Reading
What’s the purpose of bothering to zone property? Anyone with money can get the zone changed faster than some folks change underwear.
Of course, folks that DON’T have a heap of money have their requests denied by P&Z.
I guess zoning and the various land use restrictions are only for keeping homeowners from doing what they want…not large businesses.
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The best money can buy, in the Corporate States of America!
Seriously, I was recently at WalMart & Sams in South Grand Forks. Its a massive complex. There is even a WalMart in Crookston. Around 2 to 3 years ago, there was plans for a WalMart in Grafton. Never materilized (yet).
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“does not include a liquor store as is the case with the other Walmart Supercenter on 32nd Avenue South” What Liquor store? If they have one then it’s hidden pretty damn good because I don’t recall ever seeing one….Unless there’s something in that little strip mall right off of 32nd.
Say what you will….But just look at how much power Wally World does have around here. There’s not many places that get this much space in the paper for just considering opening someplace in town.
Yes they do bring jobs…Lots of minimum wage part time jobs….Not really the kind of employer most cities are looking for….So why all the attention as if they’re some business that will really promote job growth in Forks?
Hot debate. What do you think?
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tundrabeast it’s on the west side between the garden center door and the general merchandise door. The door isn’t easily seen from the parking lot you have to get up to the general merchandise door to see it.
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Some retail service jobs can be lucrative. Costco pays clerks $20/hr. in MSP plus great benefits. Walmart could do the same if the Walton family wasn’t intent on being one of the riches families in the world. They represent the sickness that is American “free enterprise”. “Free” to exploit the lower classes, that is.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Just a question…is this Walmart really needed? Fargo-Moorhead has three, which works out to roughly to one for every 64,000 people in the metro area. For GF, the ratio would be about one for every 34,000 people in the metro area. Is this going to work?
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Canadians. This is an effort to pick off some of Target’s business on the south end.
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Charlie, I get what you’re saying, but Wal-mart is no Target. Call me crazy for noticing, but Target has a lot of loyal shoppers. Target knows how to market to more than just the penny pincher. Plus, Target gives back to the community. Just because Target gets a lot of business doesn’t mean that people will jump ship and go to Wal-mart because it might be closer or more convenient. If that is what their research dept. has come up with, I think they’ve miscalculated.
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Fargo metro = 230,000 divided by 3 =s about 1 Walmart per 77,000. GF metro = 100,000 divided by 2=s about 1 WMart per 50,000. The difference is the Winnipeg metro is another 1 million within 2 hrs. of GF. Therefore GF has a bigger trade area than Fargo.
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Spearfish the Canadian traffic that you speak of has dried up before in the Red River Valley. We don’t know how long Canadians will shop in the states. This is similar to what is going on in Williston with oil. Counting on Canadian shoppers is a gamble. How do you calculate a gamble?
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The Canadian traffic has existed since the 1940s @ least. It won’t go away until the US gets national health care & pays teachers like they do in Canada. @ that point our taxes will be as high as Canada’s so there won’t be any advantage for them to come here to shop because our services & products will be just as expensive as theirs when taxes are added to our cost of production & sale.
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I see your point Spearman. Thank you.
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Just remember that the Walton family has more wealth than the bottom 40% of Americans COMBINED (see http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2012/jul/31/bernie-s/sanders-says-walmart-heirs-own-more-wealth-bottom-/ )…There is no reason that they can’t be assessed for full the cost of the infrastructure to serve a new store, they should receive NO tax or incentives…if local businessmen (like Fantasys) who use their own funding, get all the appropriate permits and approvals, and then has the City Council change the laws and shut down their business days before opening – but WAL-MART gets special treatment and rules bent to there needs to be a change in the city leadership.
Wal-Mart is MUCH more evil than a lingerie shop see “The High COst of Low Prices” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jazb24Q2s94
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Boy one posts a comment criticizing Wal~Mart and the City Council, it gets censored by Fourm Communications….It’s all about protecting the people with money
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In the ame way the Herald refuses to ever criticize any of its advertisers, including council members whose business buys ad space, they do not allow posters here to say a negative word.
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Fantasy’s adult theme store….when the articles were open for discussion Hal and the city council got alot of criticism. Hence we can no longer comment on them, is my observation. On the Willmar Trib almost every article is up for discussion, even criminal cases, but not here. The Duluth News Trib often allows comments on articles we can’t comment on here. IMO we are censored on the GF Herald more than just a little. This is why the Dan Hammer article set me off on my childish rant. The boards get dull on the GF Herald when you can only comment on certain articles and then they leave them up for a week.
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They pulled the comments completely off of The Forum’s site. A regular contributor to the opinion pages posted some anti-gay comment (he’s a born again Christian you know) and got beat up pretty good by other posters, as he should have.
He whined and cried and threatened to sue for libel and slander and the next thing you know, no more comments allowed.
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That must be the turd who pops up once in a while spouting that they should shut down all of these….Because he just can’t seem to figure out how to not have to see comments on these message boards……..If only there was something that could be done so he wouldn’t be forced to endure all of this……Huh…I wonder what could be done for the poor bugger?
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You hit that on the nose….So many of the interesting articles that would get a lot of comments don’t even have a comment tag on them. So we end up with the few that do get comments sticking around forever because there’s just not the numbers on the other stories. Hell…They’re squeeking in with like 13 to 15 comments sometimes….Kind of like “If you build it they’ll come” If you allow comments on all interesting stories…There will be more interesting action on the boards…..
Then again you have the same company own two of the major tv stations in the valley, and several papers in ND and MNI don’t know about you, but to me…That’s WAY TOO MUCH control over our news media by one entity….
Anyway if they shut down the Hearld’s…I’ll see you all on the WDAY “Voices”
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Your comment is awaiting moderation.
Just remember that the Walton family has more wealth than the bottom 40% of Americans COMBINED (see http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2012/jul/31/bernie-s/sanders-says-walmart-heirs-own-more-wealth-bottom-/ )…There is no reason that they can’t be assessed for full the cost of the infrastructure to serve a new store, they should receive NO tax or incentives…if local businessmen (like Fantasys) who use their own funding, get all the appropriate permits and approvals, and then has the City Council change the laws and shut down their business days before opening – but WAL-MART gets special treatment and rules bent to there needs to be a change in the city leadership.
Wal-Mart is MUCH more evil than a lingerie shop see “The High COst of Low Prices” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jazb24Q2s94
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You are right about that! Made a non-complementary comment about the City Council and that post was out of here faster than spit through a trumpet. Nice to see the Ministry of Propaganda (Forum Communications) is well staffed and alert!
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If Walmart wants to build it should be required that the frontage be lined with old cars and scrub brush to fit the historic Gateway Drive, highway 2 motif.
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I would MUCH RATHER look at old cars and scrub than to see another Communist Chinese Outlet Center established.
At least the old cars are colorful and reminiscent of a time when America–and America’s politicians–weren’t owned by foreign interests.
It’s not like there’s going to be any genuine “economic development”; they don’t pay worth a damn, there’s few benefits except what the taxpayers fund as part of “assistance programs”, and all the profits go to Arkansas and China.
Wal-Mart embodies pretty much everything that’s wrong with America. I wonder if they’re bribing the City Council here like they were in Mexico.
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Oh I’m sure they are.. and they probably did in Mandan as well. Bismarck has two of the super stores and they are now building one in Mandan.. Their city government gave them all kinds of tax breaks and have welcomed them with open arms.
The problem with Mandan is that their main street was already killed by Walmart. It is really kind of sad.
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This was no surprise. The city council are a bunch of idiots who allow the moneyed to make decisions for them.
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Your comment is awaiting moderation.
Just remember that the Walton family has more wealth than the bottom 40% of Americans COMBINED (see http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2012/jul/31/bernie-s/sanders-says-walmart-heirs-own-more-wealth-bottom-/ )…There is no reason that they can’t be assessed for full the cost of the infrastructure to serve a new store, they should receive NO tax or incentives…if local businessmen (like Fantasys) who use their own funding, get all the appropriate permits and approvals, and then has the City Council change the laws and shut down their business days before opening – but WAL-MART gets special treatment and rules bent to there needs to be a change in the city leadership.
Wal-Mart is MUCH more evil than a lingerie shop see “The High COst of Low Prices” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jazb24Q2s94
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As my previous comment says “Your comment is awaiting moderation.” I’ll fool the system by removing links to data to prove the facts, you’ll have to google them.
Just remember that the Walton family has more wealth than the bottom 40% of Americans COMBINED http://www.politifact.com / truth-o-meter/ statements/2012/jul/31/bernie-s/sanders-says-walmart-heirs-own-more-wealth-bottom-/ )…There is no reason that they can’t be assessed for full the cost of the infrastructure to serve a new store, they should receive NO tax or incentives…if local businessmen (like Fantasys) who use their own funding, get all the appropriate permits and approvals, and then has the City Council change the laws and shut down their business days before opening – but WAL-MART gets special treatment and rules bent to there needs to be a change in the city leadership.
Wal-Mart is MUCH more evil than a lingerie shop see “The High COst of Low Prices” youtube.com / watch?v=Jazb24Q2s94
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I lived in rural Oklahoma for several years. It is amazing what Walmart has done to small town America. They were invited in as saviors only to have Sam Walton’s company gut their towns. Like this video shows, their city governments actually paid Walmart to do it..
While the effects are a little harder to see in places like Fargo, Grand Forks, Bismarck.. It was really prevalent where I lived. I have not shopped at a Walmart in over 15 years. If I go to a brick and mortar business it is always locally owned and operated. In Fargo there is an ACE Hardware in West Fargo that is awesome in what they carry in the small space and customer service. For lumber or other ‘box store’ type stuff I go to Simonsons Lumber on main in Fargo. It does get tough at times, and I will admit that I spend more than others.
However being a small business owner I choose to give back to other small business owners vs the giant corporate beast in America that seems to avoid their fair share of taxes and sends their employees to social services for their health care.
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A previous comment stated that many regular employees at Costco make $20 a hour. It’s true. Talk to anyone who works at Costco. This is what corporations can afford to pay, but they refuse to. They can also afford to pay for health insurance, but Wal-Mart actually teaches their employees how to apply for medicaid and other public assistance. So the taxpayers are essentially subsidizing this company. The other comment on “Chinese Communist store” is also mostly true. Frontline on PBS did a story several years ago that revealed that Wal-Mart pretty much taught Chinese manufacturers how to export to the United States. Wal-Mart has also been against the United States putting trade sanctions on China when they use dumping and undervalue their currency by 40% to allow cheaper imports to flow into the U.S.
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I thought communism was over in 89.
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The Soviet Union broke up in ’89.
Communism is still the same hateful force it always was; a lie told to struggling people to get them to back a worse regime that the one they currently have.
Communist countries: Cuba, Vietnam, Laos, North Korea, China. North Korea is essentially a puppet of China, despite the somewhat non-”typical” communist nature of the North Korean government
We should have a Cuban-style embargo against each of these nations. Obviously we don’t. American political leaders thought we could make money off of China’s population; but China was smarter than Nixon and Kissinger…and all the rest of the traitors (Communist Collaborators) in our government.
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Spearfish this is the definition of communism:
1.) A theory or system of social organization based on the holding of all property in common, actual ownership being ascribed to the community as a whole or to the state.
2.) A system of social organization in which all economic and social activity is controlled by a totalitarian state dominated by a single and self-perpetuating political party.
Paul is right. Walmart is a “Chinese Communist store”.
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So I guess Steve Jobs & his Apple corp. is a Chinese communist store too.
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Spearfish the only downside I could see in working for Apple is I don’t speak Chinese and I’m well over the age of thirteen. I believe fifteen is the retirement age in Apple’s sweatshops.
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I see it is the same 15 or 20 self-anointed experts who are commenting on this story and griping about how they are so mistreated by Forum Communications. Of course, to a group of this nature, a successful business such as Walmart is an easy target and your lack of success in stopping their growth must be frustrating. As a group you surely must spend a good portion of your day doing nothing but commenting on every story in the newspaper. As a group you tend to be ultra-liberal, pro-gay and completely out of touch with the thoughts of the general population of the area. You feed off the comments of each other and, from time to time, enjoy word sparring with each other. I retired from the area several years ago but still read the paper online daily and have family who live there and pass on the latest happenings of interest to me. It has become apparent that it is the same core group of naysayers that are making the comments on most of the days stories. No matter the subject, you deem yourself worthy of adding your sometimes useless opinion. Thankfully, the company does have the ability to restrict your comments to those which are least insulting to the intelligence of others. For this you really get heated up and try to kill the messenger. Many papers have done away with the anonymous posting forums such as this and require a ridiculous Facebook membership to be able to comment. That has done nothing but foster a lot more critics who willingly give us their personal info to the Zuckerberg circus. Good luck experts.
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billn….this is why the comments shouldn’t be anonymous. I know I’ll get lots of “dislikes”, but I still stand by my opinion.
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Poor poor bil….You just can’t figure out how to look at the Herald and other online news sites without getting bothered by these big nasty message boards….If only there was a way you wouldn’t have to be forced to read these…..It’s so unfair to you that these just pop up on your computer when you get on the site without you doing anything to bring them up….You really are in a hell of a jam there…..Maybe you can find a fith grader to explain it to you…..Hang in there….Before long you might not be forced to see these message boards….
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I was starting to miss billn. Compared to the six or seven lengthy butt chewings I got from the same person in Duluth this past week billn’s comment would be considered short. I kid you not. I could have taken several of the comments left for me in Duluth to the outhouse with me. They were that long and about as useful. By the way…how would you interpret this quote if someone added it to the end of a comment meant for you?
“You can take a horticulture but you can’t make her think.” —Dorothy Parker.
(lol) I can laugh now. I was shocked at the time. Best insult ever for me so far. He topped them all.
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I guess it’s a clever word play, but it really doesn’t mean much to me……I guess we’re a bit too low brow for ol’ Bil……Reading what he writes pretty much says it right there…
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Everyone keeps complaining about Walmart wages, so I will bring up the same issue I do every time we discuss this: exactly (and please be specific) what specialized skill does a Walmart stocker or greeter bring to the table that demands more than minimum wage?
Wages are determined by the rarity of your skillet, not your worth as a person. I really wish people would remember that.
My son is a husband, father, & an Afghanistan veteran. He is a good man. He also has squat as far as marketable skills go.
Because of this he bounces between replacement worker at ACS to laborer at Simplot to hoping to get on in Pembina. In other words he is constantly broke, falls farther behind with each check, & has no hope that the future will be any different.
Is that the employer’s fault, or his for having babies before a career & not taking advantage of his GI Bill because school is hard for him? Every time we discuss it – which is often – I remind him it is his.
If you don’t want to be caught in the never ending cycle of wage slavery, do something about it. That said, realize beforehand you will probably have to move. ND vales education, just not the jobs that require one.
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FN, so why does Costco pay $20/hr. & great benefits so that a family could actually live off the income. Your libertarian elitist attitude is a waste of our time & attention.
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Spearman…I’m proud of you. I really am. You kept your remark classy. I’m going to keep my mouth shut on this one. Mr. Cline isn’t worthy of my time.
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Guys, neither of you answered my question. What does a Walmart stocker, or McD counter person bring to the table that warrents $20 an hour?
Neither job requires any significant training. To put your claims in perspective, a nurse at Altru starts at $18-$20 an hour. A paramedic considerably less.
Burger flippers & stock people deserve more?
Again, we are not talking your worth as a person, we are talking what skills you have that make you worth that much money.
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$20/hr. came from a story done on the owner of Costco.
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FN, are you suggesting Costco doesn’t provide health insurance & other bennies?
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Spearman you are my hero today. Nice job. tj you to. The less said the better.
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All of this talk of $20 seemed a little far fetched, & it is. The average stocker/deli worker at Costco earns $12. Which is $3 an hour more than Sam’s but much less than the numbers reported here. A manager earns $21 an hour.
Here is the link
http://www.glassdoor.com/Hourly-Pay/Costco-Wholesale-Hourly-Pay-E2590.htm
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You apparently have been around the country some yourself, but I’ve been all over the country, and really your question comes down to region. The going rate for any labor really does depend on available workers and the local cost of living. If you go out east you find the cost of living extremely high in a lot of the areas for even the most unskilled minimum wage earners who often have to bunk together in substancial groups just to make rent. So it’s often more about that then what they can bring…..But since you want that specifically…..As a kid I used to work some very tough hard jobs in construction. I mean the kind of jobs where you might be hauling wheelbarrows full of cement to fill in areas that couldn’t be driven to, cutting forms 150 feet in the air being held by a crane and that pop free when cut through (Real rush back then), Carry brick thongs with several bricks in them and/or mud up ladders and scaffle to the layers…….Carry materials across foot wide beams 20 or 40 feet in the air………You know what….I’ve hear that pompus crap about such unskilled labor not deserving good pay back then too (Which is why I never worked for such foolish people)…..UNSKILLED does not equal peasant labor regardless how some want to see it.
Not everyone has the abilities or fincial means to get the training or education to get into better positions. But to get back to Wally World…Have you ever heard about the way the founder of Sears dealt with employees? He figured that his employees represented his company and by making sure they made good wages and made to feel like they were an important part of the whole he would have employees putting on the best face to customers and try harder to sell…..That was pretty sucessful too until places like Wally World came in and pretty much undersold them. There’s something to be said about treating your employees with dignity and having them think you’re at least trying to be fair. A lot of business seem to miss that and we see just how much care or concern there is at a lot of these places today. A hell of a lot of clock watchers is what you get when you continue to short change your staff…Just because you can….
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You are a good man Tundra. This comment and so many others like it is why you are my BFF on Area Voices. Be careful and stay between the lines.
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FN, in your opinion are the low wage employees @ Walmart deserving of company health insurance they can afford + other benefits or is your position simply that they need to get more training to avoid their dead end fate?
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FN,
When grocery store workers picketed in California earlier this year, Costco Wholesale Corp. avoided the fray, quietly renegotiating a separate contract with its union employees there.
The three-year deal, which was ratified by more than 90 percent of the workers, included higher wages for employees and increased the company’s contribution to their pension plans.
Only about 13 percent of Costco’s 103,000 workers are unionized, but the relative labor peace is symbolic of the company’s relations with employees.
The Issaquah-based company pays among the highest salaries in the retail industry. A new employee working at one of Costco’s warehouses starts with an hourly wage of at least $10. After four years with the company, a cashier can earn around $44,000, including bonuses.
Read more: http://www.seattlepi.com/business/article/Costco-s-love-of-labor-Employees-well-being-key-1140722.php#ixzz22hCZ4Hg2
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