Walmart Essay
Alex Manco
Professor McEachern
English 112
30 September 2011
To the Zoning Board of Trumbull,
The Wal-Mart The modern day market has taken some interesting turns with innovations such as the television, the car, and internet. While the moral values of such turns has always been in question, it is no question that every major corporation has taken efficiency to a new level. Corporations like McDonalds, GE, and Bank of America have completely dominated the market with not only their vast resources and effective marketing systems, but by people simply knowing they exist. While most of these businesses have not gotten much more powerful in past decade due to government regulation of competition, there is one business that continues to grow at a dangerous rate: Wal-Mart. It has now become apparent that its growth has reached Trumbull, Connecticut and in no way should a Wal-Mart be built in our community. It is not even a matter of the problems our town would face as much as it is a moral wrong to the world as a whole. Wal-Mart may be “legal” in our “free-market” economy, but economics are never that simple and must be treated very carefully. It would not only ruin businesses in the area, but exercise the power of corporations whose business tactics seem unstoppable to modern regulation. The Wal-Mart is not only store, but an inevitable business tactic that will decimate the economy in both the short and long term. Wal-Mart’s rise to power is interesting and uncomforting in how quickly it flourished. The first store was opened in 1962 by Sam Walton in Rogers, Arkansas. By 1970, there were 38 stores, and by 1975, there were 125. In 1983, Wal-Mart had made its eighth year in a row as Forbes Magazine’s 1# retailer. In 1985, 882 stores had already been built, and in the next 10 years would reach a stunning 1,995 stores. Currently, there are 8,970 Wal-Marts; an average of 50 a state, and this number continues to grow. The story of Wal-Mart is truly nothing
Professor McEachern
English 112
30 September 2011
To the Zoning Board of Trumbull,
The Wal-Mart The modern day market has taken some interesting turns with innovations such as the television, the car, and internet. While the moral values of such turns has always been in question, it is no question that every major corporation has taken efficiency to a new level. Corporations like McDonalds, GE, and Bank of America have completely dominated the market with not only their vast resources and effective marketing systems, but by people simply knowing they exist. While most of these businesses have not gotten much more powerful in past decade due to government regulation of competition, there is one business that continues to grow at a dangerous rate: Wal-Mart. It has now become apparent that its growth has reached Trumbull, Connecticut and in no way should a Wal-Mart be built in our community. It is not even a matter of the problems our town would face as much as it is a moral wrong to the world as a whole. Wal-Mart may be “legal” in our “free-market” economy, but economics are never that simple and must be treated very carefully. It would not only ruin businesses in the area, but exercise the power of corporations whose business tactics seem unstoppable to modern regulation. The Wal-Mart is not only store, but an inevitable business tactic that will decimate the economy in both the short and long term. Wal-Mart’s rise to power is interesting and uncomforting in how quickly it flourished. The first store was opened in 1962 by Sam Walton in Rogers, Arkansas. By 1970, there were 38 stores, and by 1975, there were 125. In 1983, Wal-Mart had made its eighth year in a row as Forbes Magazine’s 1# retailer. In 1985, 882 stores had already been built, and in the next 10 years would reach a stunning 1,995 stores. Currently, there are 8,970 Wal-Marts; an average of 50 a state, and this number continues to grow. The story of Wal-Mart is truly nothing
Cited: Andrew Beatie. “A History of US Monopolies.” Investopedia. November 21, 2010. http://www.investopedia.com/articles/economics/08/hammer-antitrust.asp Lila Shapiro. “Walmart: Too Big To Sue.” The Huffington Post. June 20, 2011. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/20/walmart-too-big-to-sue_n_880930.html “History Timeline” Walmart Stores. http://walmartstores.com/aboutus/7603.aspx John D. Ramage, John C. Bean, and June Johnson. Writing Arguments: A Rhetoric With Readings. “Monopolistic Competition” Basic Economics. http://www.basiceconomics.info/monopolistic-competition.php