Big Box Stores Are Destroying

Big Box stores are destroying our communities. Though these stores often masquerade as a form of economic development designed to bolster communities, it is proven that these stores do precisely the opposite. Of course, the impact that these stores have on the communities they invade is most detrimental to those least likely to understand the harm being done: the rural consumer. The truth of these Big Box retailers needs to be clearly and explicitly presented to the members of small communities before negotiations for their development begins so these communities have policies firmly in place to prevent the inevitable damage these huge department stores bring. I propose to examine the evidence that Big Box retailers bring far more harm than good to communities by causing urban sprawl and economic and political instability, and to present some preliminary ideas for how to fight these problems before they arise.

Studies conducted in locations across the country have indicated that "small towns lose up to 47% of their retail trade after 10 years of Wal-Mart towns nearby" (Norman 4). Smaller retailers are put at a serious disadvantage when these large retailers move into town mostly because of their ability to forge relationships with the manufacturers of the merchandise. Small businesses do not have the buying power that stores like Wal-Mart have, and so they must go through a distributor as a "middle man." This middle man forces prices upward to where the small business cannot compete with the prices of the direct buying power without losing profits (Bennett 32). It is essentially a lose-lose situation.

There are also other negative impacts on a community beyond the retail competition and subsequent economic collapse of the "mom and pop" stores. Environmental factors are an often overlooked as major problems that are brought in along with the Bog Box stores. The construction is hard on the land, and the upkeep is not only damaging, but it's expensive as well (Norman, 87). Residential property values and commercial property values in locations away from the new Big Box sink as commercial property values around the center skyrocket. (Greenwood 22). This creates an economic situation that is hard to re-balance and ultimately reduces private revenue. They also create situations in the local governments that create redundant competition where there was previously no competition at all. It forces development of infrastructures on the outskirts of towns that is costly and often creates a heavy strain on the economy that makes the other effects worse, and the fall of the economy even faster. Another problem small town face with the installation of Big Box retailers is the deterioration of a sense of community within these areas. The irony of this is that Wal-Mart in particular attempts to present a home-town feeling, touting the "Made in the U.S.A." labels (which are, in truth, few and far between) all the while destroying the individual character of the town (Norman 2).