[RC8]

I for one would oppose this development regardless of whether the anchor tenant is a Target, Sears, Canadian Tire, etc. The fact that it is Walmart - arguably the worst offender of the bunch - is just the cherry atop the cake.

Hipster Duck, what do you think of Canadian child-labour laws?

 

[Hipster Duck]

Hipster Duck, what do you think of Canadian child-labour laws?

If you're insinuating that WalMart buys its merchandise from manufacturers in the developing world that hire children, my response to you is that so does everybody else. They're all guilty, and that includes independent stores.

If you're insinuating that WalMart hires children in Canada to staff its stores, then my response to you is that that's BS. My follow up would be that if there's any retail business that hires children under 18 and forces them to work long hours with little to no pay in Canada, they're probably mom and pop stores.

 

[Hipster Duck]

Almost everything is made in China these days and no large company really has any progressive labour policies. But Walmart garners a certain measure of loathing from a lot of people. Mind you, I saw a Walmart commercial today that said 60% of Americans shot at Walmart at least once a month. This is a ridiculously large company.

Even companies with progressive labour practices are Dickensian somewhere else. Like, you gotta love how American Apparel advertises that they're 100% sweatshop free, made in LA but then the founder/owner routinely has non-consensual (i.e. rapes) sex with the models.

 

[pignchick]

Let the consumer decide

Even companies with progressive labour practices are Dickensian somewhere else. Like, you gotta love how American Apparel advertises that they're 100% sweatshop free, made in LA but then the founder/owner routinely has non-consensual (i.e. rapes) sex with the models.

Hipster duck is right. Mom and Pop shops are generally more unethical because they have less reputation to lose. Their customer service and return policies suck. There are many cases where they take advantage of immigrants of similar background as them that are unfamiliar with their rights. Everyone is sourcing their goods from low cost countries. Also, there is a higher likelihood for tax evasion (cash only) with mom & pop vs. tax avoidance strategies for large retailers. The difference is that at least the large companies are reporting. Heck, I bet the pay and benefits is better at a large retailer than at a corner variety store. Plus everyone feels welcome at Wal-Mart. Many of the mom & pop shops cater to a specific ethnic group and in their native language.

Poor countries are better off with these low skill menial factory jobs then no jobs at all.

Let the consumers decide. If wal-mart / target / canadian superstore / canadian tire, etc. offers no value, then they will close.

 

[RC8]

If you're insinuating that WalMart buys its merchandise from manufacturers in the developing world that hire children, my response to you is that so does everybody else. They're all guilty, and that includes independent stores.

If you're insinuating that WalMart hires children in Canada to staff its stores, then my response to you is that that's BS. My follow up would be that if there's any retail business that hires children under 18 and forces them to work long hours with little to no pay in Canada, they're probably mom and pop stores.

I'm not insinuating either. Care to answer my question? Do you want them abolished?

 

[Hipster Duck]

I'm not insinuating either. Care to answer my question? Do you want them abolished?

What are you trying to get at here? Do you want me to say that I am a hypocrite if I think that children under 18 should be protected from exploitation in the workplace but shop at WalMart? If that's the case, I think you're being absurd.

 

[GenerationW]

I saw a Walmart commercial today that said 60% of Americans shot at Walmart at least once a month.

Wow, that's a lot of bullets!

 

[LNahid2000]

If you look at what's happened to Canadian box retail since Walmart has entered the market it's not pretty. Eatons and Zellers are gone. Hudson's Bay has been struggling for a very long time. These are the most high profile and biggest examples but you can imagine what's happened to smaller retailers.

I don't think you can entirely blame Walmart for Eatons and Zellers going out of business. What about online shopping, increase in cross border shopping, and other retailers being more competitive than Zellers/Eaton's? These companies went out of business because they couldn't bother trying to be competitive. If you stepped into a Zellers before they started their liquidation, you'd know what I mean.

 

[freshcutgrass]

I rarely buy anything "new" retail, but when I do, I really don't care how many kittens had to die for me to have what I want. I've been into a Walmart, and they simply have nothing I would want. To be honest, I can't afford to shop at places like Walmart....you have to keep replacing that crap. It's also depressing to be there...it has bad Karma. I mean, if you're going to be part of this "consumer" lifestyle we live in, you might as well do it right.

Yea...Walmart is hardly the only one, but they are the poster boy for all that is wrong with consumerism, so it just goes with the territory. Independent mom & pop stores can be worse...how about those filthy, disgusting corner "variety" stores that are everywhere...I'd rather be in a Walmart...at least there isn't a cat running around shitting on the shelves.

Shopping at Walmart is like banking at Money Mart....it's for people who wear track pants.

 

[nfitz]

A fridge full of staples that I'm sure no household in Toronto could possibly survive without. Preserved Peruvian Eggplants really- the outrage.

That's it, pick on the one or two odder items.

Surely, I'm not the only one who came away from Walmart scratching my head on why people buy food there. I was in one, once, and having failed to find the item I came for (on the website, but out-of-stock). Any bedsheets (what kind of store only stocks polyester sheets?), I checked out the food, for 2 or 3 things I needed to grab. I couldn't find the brands I use. I couldn't even find a basic staple like organic milk, which even small grocery stores carry.

Now, I confess that I made my first purchase in many years there the other day. A pair of child's soccer shoes. But even then, they only had a single size 13 in stock - but that was one more than the small store nearby, that only had up to 12.5. No choice on colours or styles.

Independent mom & pop stores can be worse...how about those filthy, disgusting corner "variety" stores that are everywhere...I'd rather be in a Walmart...at least there isn't a cat running around shitting on the shelves.

My previous trip to a Walmart was about 4 years previous. A large one, in a major mall (Scarborough Town Centre). I was shocked how shabby it was. The shelves looked like everyone had tossed stuff on the floor, and put it back on again. Hard to find anything. Cat shit wouldn't have surprised me. It would surprise me in the corner stores I frequent though.

The only reason I was in the place, was because it appeared it was the quickest way to get to the Best Buy that was allegedly in the mall. Though when I got to the Walmart doors, and realised the Best Buy was on the other side of a car park, in torrential rain, I gave up, headed for the Scarborough Skytrain, and returned to civilization. Odd place ...

 

[RC8]

What are you trying to get at here? Do you want me to say that I am a hypocrite if I think that children under 18 should be protected from exploitation in the workplace but shop at WalMart? If that's the case, I think you're being absurd.

No, not at all. I'm not insinuating anything.

I'm just curious to see if you realise that as things stand we as a society can easily reject certain 'business models' without owing any explanations to anyone, so long as we perceive it's in the community's best interest.

There are hundreds of cases where we already treat different businesses differently, and where we may or may not let 'people vote with their wallet' depending on social consequences. Saying that we can't exclude Walmart because it's just a business and has certain rights has no basis in our already tightly regulated market.

Rather than saying that people can vote with their wallets to settle the issue, you should be arguing why letting people vote with their wallets to settle the issue is a good idea here for everyone else.

If the people in Kensington Market see Walmart or Loblaws as unethical monopolistic competition that does not advance their vision of a better place, they are well within their right to reject them.

 

[picard102]

If the people in Kensington Market see Walmart or Loblaws as unethical monopolistic competition that does not advance their vision of a better place, they are well within their right to reject them.

It's within everyone else's right to ignore their NIMBY arguments and build it anyway.

 

[Johnny Au]

The likes of Wal-Mart do not sell "Japanese" toys, but the smaller independent stores do. What I meant by "Japanese" toys, I meant toys based on popular anime characters, as well as those based on popular Japanese video game characters (including Nintendo characters, such as Kirby (good luck finding a plush Kirby toy in Wal-Mart, Target, Toys 'R' Us, or similar)). Those "Japanese" toys are also made in China.

Hint: plush Kirby toys are sold in some independent Asian toy stores without needing to go to Japan or New York City.

 

[LowPolygon]

It's within everyone else's right to ignore their NIMBY arguments and build it anyway.

It has absolutely nothing to do with "nimbys"

The reality is: Wal-Mart wants to open here for one simple reason. They know it will be profitable. And they have an expectation that this location will generate X millions of dollars in sales. I have no idea how much money they are expecting to make, but I do know that when Target opened a store in Harlem in 2010, the prediction was that it would generate sales of more than $90 million in its first year.

Where does that $90 million come from? The vast majority comes from local shops, local people, and local lives. It’s not new money flooding into the neighbourhood. It’s sucking up, and redistributing the money that is already there, money that at present is benefiting hundreds if not thousands of people.

This has nothing to do with some lame-ass concept of "nimbyism. its about resisting a monopolistic player that will ruthlessly suck money out of the local economy.

 

[Hipster Duck]

Where does that $90 million come from? The vast majority comes from local shops, local people, and local lives. It’s not new money flooding into the neighbourhood. It’s sucking up, and redistributing the money that is already there, money that at present is benefiting hundreds if not thousands of people.

Yeah, but you could use that argument against any business opening in any neighbourhood. If this space wasn't taken up by a WalMart but by a store that sold fair trade organic food, you could argue that it's taking away business from the stores that already sell that in Kensington Market.