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Wal-Mart In NYC: Whose Side Are You On?
By
Jen Carlson
Published May 6, 2010
Modified May 6, 2010
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By
Jen Carlson
Published May 6, 2010
Modified May 6, 2010
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Whaddup, Wal-Mart haters, the Post's Andrea Peyser thinks you need to drop your leftist ideals and think about what the company can contribute to the city. With chatter of the big box moving in to East New York, politicians, union members and activists have dusted off their soapboxes and are standing tall to defend the city from discount shopping. But while Peyser says some are viewing the franchise getting a foothold in any of the five boroughs as destructive as "inviting Lindsay Lohan to an open bar," some locals are ready to welcome their new neighbor.
One such local declared, "I definitely would like a Wal-Mart store. It certainly would bring jobs to the community." In Peyser's unscientific survey she found that 90 percent of the community is ready for the rollback—of course, the store's customers are so rabid for deals that they once killed an employee! As time goes on, can we look forward to the company organizing fake community groups to support their move, as happened in Chicago this year?
Peyser concludes, "The small store that 'serves' the community is an urban myth, like snakes in a toilet. These stores are monopolies, stocked with the most expensive goods in the city. Many owners don't even live in the areas they serve." Ooh, is the Walton family moving to East New York?
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andrea peyser
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Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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