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Economic Analysis of Two Proposed Supercenters in Chico, California
CARE is committed to delivering relevant and factual information to Chico
regarding the proposed Supercenter and the now withdrawn application for North Chico.Click here to download the study.
WEBSITES
Moms
vs Wal-Mart National campaign asking Wal-Mart CEO,
Lee Scott Jr., to adopt a more family-friendly corporate policy
and not build any future stores next to schools. Viewers can read
the letter to Mr. Scott and "sign on." Visitors to the
site can also link to the sites of the 23 grass-roots groups from
13 states that make up the coalition.
The
Hometown Advantage / The New Rules Project The Institute
for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) proposes a set of new rules that
builds community by supporting humanly scaled politics and economics.
The retail sector of their website has an extensive archive of news,
analysis and tools for legislative action related to Wal-Mart, and
resources to counter big-box expansion across the country. The project
has helped dozens of cities and towns revise their planning and
development policies to impose higher standards on national retailers
and to stimulate local business development.
REPORTS
& STUDIES
“Hidden
Cost of Wal-Mart Jobs: Use of Safety Net Programs by Wal-Mart Workers
in California” UC Berkeley (8/04)
This study is the first to quantify the fiscal costs of Wal-Mart’s
substandard wages and benefits on public safety net programs in
California. It also explores the potential impact on public programs
of Wal-Mart’s competitive effect on industry standards.
“Everyday
Low Wages: The Hidden Price We All Pay for Wal-Mart,”
Rep. George Miller (2/04) This report reviews Wal-Mart’s
labor practices across the country and around the world and provides
an overview of how working Americans and their allies in Congress
are seeking to address the gamut of issues raised by this new standard-bearer
of American retail.
“Shopping
for Subsidies: How Wal-Mart Uses Taxpayer Money to Finance Its Never-Ending
Growth,” Good Jobs First (5/04) This report,
the first national study of the subject, documents more than $1
billion in such subsidies from state and local governments to Wal-Mart;
the actual total is certainly far higher, but the records are scattered
in thousands of places and many subsidies are undisclosed.
Crime
and Wal-Mart - Is Wal-Mart Safe?", Wake-Up Wal-Mart
(05/06)
The first national study to analyze official police reports of incidents
at 551 Wal-Mart stores, as well as compare rates of criminal/police
incidents at Wal-Mart and Target stores.
BACKGROUND ARTICLES
An
Empire Built on Bargains Remakes the Working World
Proud
to Be at the Top
Scouring
the Globe to Give Shoppers an $8.63 Polo Shirt
The Los Angeles Times’ Pulitzer Prize winning series on Wal-Mart,
Abigail Goldman and Nancy Cleeland (11/03)
“Wal-Mart’s
Giant Sucking Sound”,
Leo Hindery, BusinessWeek (10/7/05)
“Wal-Mart
Nation: The Race to the Bottom” Seattle Times
(2/18/04)
BOOKS
Support your local bookstore! Books available at Chico’s full-service family bookstore – Lyon Books
Lyon Books
www.lyonbooks.com
121 W. 5th Street,
Chico, CA 95928
(530) 891-3338
“Big Box Swindle: The True Cost of Mega-Retailers and the fight for America’s Independent Businesses,”by Stacy Mitchell
Mitchell traces the dramatic growth of mega-retailers —from big boxes like Wal-Mart and Home Depot to chains like Starbucks and Old Navy—and the precipitous decline of independent businesses. Drawing on examples from virtually every state in the country, she unearths the extraordinary impact of these stores and the big-box mentality on everything from soaring gasoline consumption to rising poverty rates, failing family farms, and declining voting levels.
“The
Wal-Mart Effect” Charles Fishman Penquin Press, 2006
A thoroughly researched, fair minded and well-balanced look at both
the local and global effects of the largest business in the history
of the world.
“The
United States of Wal-Mart,” by John Dicker
An irreverent, hard-hitting examination of the world’s largest,
and most reviled, corporation reveals how the company’s business
practices have shaped American culture, including the nation’s
social, political, and industrial policy.
“Selling Women Short: The Landmark Battle for Worker’s
Rights at Wal-Mart,” by Liza Featherstone
Liza Featherstone of the Nation magazine combines the personal stories
of female employees with superb investigative journalism to show
why women who work low-wage jobs are getting a raw deal, and what
they are doing about it.
“Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America,”
by Barbara Ehrenreich
Instantly acclaimed for its insight, humor, and passion, this book
is changing the way America perceives its working poor. In Minnesota,
she works at Wal-Mart under the repressive surveillance of men and
women whose job it is to monitor her behavior for signs of sloth,
theft, drug abuse, or worse.
TELEVISION & FILM
“Is
Wal-Mart Good for America?,” PBS: Frontline
Frontline explores the relationship between U.S. job losses and
the American consumer’s insatiable desire for bargains in
“Is Wal-Mart Good for America?” Through interviews with
retail executives, product manufacturers, economists, and trade
experts, correspondent Hedrick Smith examines the growing controversy
over the Wal-Mart way of doing business and asks whether a single
retail giant has changed the American economy.
“Is
Wal-Mart Good for America?,” NPR: American Radio
Works
A generation ago, they were the kings of corporate America, but
over the past 25 years, American manufacturers have lost that position
of power. Today, America’s largest private sector employer
is Wal-Mart, a retailer so large, it virtually dictates many decisions
manufacturers make, and is pushing American production overseas.
“Wal-Mart
& the World,” PBS: NOW with Bill Moyers
The debate over Wal-Mart’s effect on American towns and the
American workforce is not new. “Wal-Martization” has
become a code word for suburban sprawl. Yet this fall, the volume
of that debate appears to have been turned up.
“When
Wal-Mart Comes to Town,” PBS: Store Wars
A look at the populist spirit that engulfs a small Virginia town
when retail giant Wal-Mart comes knocking, blueprints in hand. The
ensuing debate, which pits neighbor against neighbor, illustrates
the struggle between conflicting versions of the American dream.
A truly American story, STORE WARS is about the right of a community
to determine its own future. You can also purchase DVD’s or
contact the filmmakers directly at www.teddybearfilms.com
Documentary:
Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price
Produced by Brave New Films
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