Brandon Otte's Blog

Yeah, but for an old lady, Oprah is kinda hot....

But I do agree - we're (assuming we means Pville citizens) hoping to bolster our economy through any means possible, right? And what does that mean? More business, brought to you by businesses (ie: WalMart). Chris's dad does have a good point - if I want a cup of good coffee, I'd go to Badger Bros - if I want a good bike, off to Momentum. WalMart doesn't have these things. And what about those people who say "Oh, Wally World (Super) will ruin the small businesses..." So why don't they just offer better deals or join with the corporate whore and suck on her proverbial tit? They're in it for the profit too bucko

Still think Oprah's not too bad looking though

That and I refuse to read anything off of her crappy books list... After The Heart is a Lonely Hunter I cannot forgive her.

Just for fun, Lays and Diet Coke are made from corporate giants wo are in feirce competition with one another, and further for your infotainment I am now working for another corporate giant that competes with arguably the biggest corporate giant in the world.

Speaking of Steve Jobs, am I the only one who is loving this free iTunes promotion with Pepsi? I say, about corporations that is, that they should be allowed to opperate within the government restrictions that they are required to opperate within. I have nothing against them inherantly. I'd much rather buy used than new anyway. Also, the people hoping for the economic impact study (which was turned down by the council because it would not really determine anything concretely anyway) rallied around their flag of business example: Mr. Brodbeck of Dicks supermarket, the store that has a controlling monopoly on the Platteville grocery market. He said he didn't do an ec.imp.study for his stores when he opened them but instead looked for how they could gain controll of the market. If you are going to allow any businesses to come in to town unopposed you have to let all come in unopposed.

Dear Americans, When you shop do you look for the highest quality goods for the lowest possible price? Then it should come to no surprise to you that Walmart could take over this country. As long as you have standards, Walmart will continue to do business. Are they evil? Yes. Can you avoid it? Probably not.

There was a comercial on just a minute ago on Fox News (John) and there was a Wal-Mart commercial intended only to improve Wal-Mart's image as a healthy addition to any town.

Now, I really don't have anything against Wal-Mart. They essentially filled a good niche better than any other company out there and then as it got bigger, just used it's leverage like all get out to get better deals from producers and sell the crap out of it. There are still competitors out there, like K-Mart+Sears, Target, Krogers, Shop-Ko and Meyers.

I DO agree with Brandon however. It's one thing to monopolize a market because you're just being way more competitive and well run than all your competitors. It's quite another thing to monopolize the market place of ideas like Oprah. (Although she may be dominating a single but huge demographic)

Good point

I may be a bit biased, but it's the same way with the military. The raging liberals (ie: English professors) rant and rave that the military is too big, too powerful, and much to sexy for their own good. But would they trade the protection and might that the US military (me) offers? No way. Without us, they wouldn't know what to do. Heck - Tajikistan would take us over just so they could produce more textiles.

Hooah

You are missing the point about what Wal-Mart does to communitites and how they accomplish it. Wal-Mart offers the cheapest prices around, granted, but, they do it by using cheap labor overseas (they are not alone in this I agree) and by not treating their employees well. The Wal-Mart corporate mentality is "why should we pay employees well and give them benefits, there is welfare/Medicaid for that". Also, who do you think you are fooling, to say you will continue going to the same stores you currently shop at. If you are in Wal-Mart and need hamburger for dinner, are you going to stop at Dicks on the way home, or just buy it while you are there? Are you going to do "regular shopping" at Wal-Mart then drive across the street to shop at Aldi's? I live in Madison, and do not shop at Wal-Mart.

If I stop shopping at Dicks it will be because they set their prices exorbitantly high on some items because they control the food market in this town and not because of convenience. I shop for price. If I can get something cheaper I will get it cheaper. Also, I think an addition of Wal-Mart to Platteville is a good idea because I know of a whole lot of students who are in need of a job right now or they will have to stop going to school for lack of money. Wal-Mart is a job and with the couple of thousand new students coming to P-ville from the Tri State initiative and they need jobs too. My thought is this: yes they should provide all those bennefits to their upper management, but I don't get any bennefits for working at the movie theater. I have little to no sympathy for people who strive for nothing higher in life than a Wal-Mart career. Use that cash earned as a part-timer and go to school for something better.

"I live in Madison, and do not shop at Wal-Mart."

That's almost like saying, "I live in the Vatican and I go to Mass."

Big business is a part of life. Sam Waldon set out to make a store, as has been stated several times, that supplies a decent product at a reasonable value. And it grew from there because that's what the people want. Sure it changes a community, but the only reason that it does is because people CHOOSE to shop there - and it subsequently grows in popularity. Why blame the corporation for what we as consumers CHOOSE (there's that word again) to do? You don't blame the beer - it's the alcoholic who takes a drink (ie: Brandon Otte), right?

Am I right or am I right.

dude i love the pepsi itunes thing i thought it was great!

I used to be an off campus student at UWP. The prices at Dicks is quite high when I was there. With the Walmart expansion, Dicks in Platteville will go belly-up and take that plaza along with it.

Do they still have that 'Dick's Insider Card'? Awhile back, a young lady asks me to sign a petition against the card. I didn't understand what the fuss was all about and told her that the card offered some savings. She then said to think about it, "Dick's Insider Card.. Think. It's degrading to women." I gave her a confused look and signed it. Later when I got home it clicked, and I laughed real hard.

Anyway, people who visited me when I was there have a laugh about the only supermarket in town and it's called Dick's.

I just lost my job at Dick's and I have Walmart to thank. They put so much pressure on Dick's to stay competitive that the workers were continually cut on hours and pay raises including the management. Some of our best left for greener pastures and that caused a trickle down effect on the rest of the workers there. All I can say is that Walmart is only nice and smiling on you if you shop there, you are going to get hurt if you have a job that is in competition with them. I have been out there and the parking lot is full, where are all the cars from, probably all over, spending their money somewhere else than on a better paying employers somewhere else, enjoy your cocaine/walmart folks, just don't complain when your nose starts bleeding.