By Jenny Lee
See the hometown garden shop,
owned by local mom and pop.
Experts in the local shrubs,
aphids, molds and compost grubs.
They weren't what you'd consider wealthy
But the living made was healthy.
Then one day a Wal-Mart Store
Decided to move in next door
Selling diapers, screws and dishes
Everything a person wishes.
Including grass and garden seeds,
as well as stuff to poison weeds.
Rakes and shovels trowels and hoes,
tools for everything that grows.
Offering the lowest prices,
High school dropout help suffices.
Interest in the shop starts waning.
Their higher prices spark complaining.
Folks still stop in for advice.
But Wal-Mart's got the lowest price.
Soon old "Mom and Pop" must close it.
They can't compete and Wal-Mart knows it.
They sell off plants for half their cost.
Another local business lost.
When the shop closes its door
expert garden store know more,
Wal-Mart's lower prices rise.
Predatory scheme surprise.
Evolution's grim direction.
Darwin's natural selection.
I thought that this poem was quite appropiate, not only because its about economics, but also because of the new super Wal-Mart going up in Jefferson. Wal-Mart, a very well known monopoly, often puts local businesses out. BUT small towns like say Jefferson, see a Wal-Mart as a source of profit for their city overall. A super Wal-Mart is going to attract a lot of people to Jefferson. Those people are more likely to eat there after their shopping, or shop else where in Jefferson providing extra revenue. Wal-Mart also provides very low prices. Many families are able to shop at Wal-Mart and buy things that may have been too expensive elsewhere. It all basically boils down to the one point: Is a monopoly (Wal-Mart as an example), necessarily always a bad thing for an economy??? Just a little food for thought! :-)
7 comments:
(Officially, Walmart is a monopolistic competitor - there is competition in the form of Kmart, Shopko, etc - but they DO put others out of business as a oligopolist/monopolist would. I think economists need to form a new "walmartopoly" market that is completely them. They are unique.)
Great poem for looking at what happens with competition! Most people look at price as the bottom line. If businesses can't compete by price...they're lost.
Ashley, you're good at finding all these nifty little poems and things. I think this is very fitting, and that Walmarts aren't that bad. If it's going to help the overall economy of a town or city, why not. I feel bad for the small individually owned stores and shops, but we are in a competitive world. Some people can't afford expensive items, and Walmart is the perfect place for them to shop.
Mmmm... a fun little poem about WALMART. that's original...and pretty cool. While Wal-Mart really is not monopoly ( I mean Shopko is technically the same thing but they are WAY different...and people have their preferences) I would say that you bring up an interesting point: is it always bad for the economy? I think that the reason that Wal-Mart helps economies though is because they are a monopolistic competitor. They are competing with their prices, so they have to lower the prices to a reasonably low value to be considered. That's why Wal-Mart helps families that normally wouldn't be able to afford those certain products elsewhere. But I agree...maybe Wal-Mart isn't always such a bad thing. And, based on your comments, I wouldn't even say that the mom and pop that own the local store that gets shut down after wal-mart moves in should open a nice little restaurant next to wal mart so that people can come in and buy son lunch after wal mart, but that way no one is losing out.
you know, i keep on hearing on the news that walmart is facing a lot of pressure because sales are down. they are trying to sell higher end products, but i think that they forget who goes to walmart, and it is not people looking for high end products, but people who are on a budget. just thought that was interesting
Okay, so i hate Walmart. Mainly because when i walk in i am bombarded by this nasty stale popcorn smell. But i also am the one to root for the underdog, and thats definitely not Wal Mart. I think that, yes, they can be appropriate in some places... mainly larger cities where there are plenty of people to keep surrounding local businesses open, but i definitely dont think Jefferson needs one. What pisses me off more is Super Walmart... as if they arent big enough. I am fine with them trying to knock Shopko and Kmart out of the market, but as soon as they creep into small hometown profits I get angry. A super Walmart right across the highway from County Market in Jefferson is ridiculous. And who do they think they are going to pull customers from?? There are already Walmarts in Watertown and Janesville. I guess I am just all for entrepreneurship and small town businesses, and I hate seeing Walmart steal it all away on their road to taking over the world!
P.S. nice poem ashley... i had to get a positive comment in :)
Would people/consumers and other businesses be better off without the competition?
That's a tough call. I could tell you how an economist would answer... :)
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