How could job loss for 80 small-town residents be a "great story?" When it means the defeat of a "big box" "Goliath" said NBC.
On May 7, NBC "Nightly News" gleefully reported the closing of a Home Depot in Brattleboro, Vt. The closure is part of the company's plan to close 15 of its roughly 2,200 stores due to underperformance. NBC portrayed it as "David versus Goliath," and praised the little guys' victory over the big bad box store.
"Nightly News" anchor Brian Williams called it a "great story" and reporter Mike Taibbi called it, "in a man bites dog sort of way, an unlikely survivor story." (Maybe they're Jimmie Johnson fans?)
"It's not surprising that long-time residents, like John Morse back at the Ace [Hardware] store, collected thousands of petition signatures opposing Home Depot when it arrived four years ago and are cheering now because it's closing," Taibbi said.
Two smaller hardware stores, Ace and True-Value, stayed in business to compete with Home Depot when it opened its store, and the family-owned businesses are celebrating what they hope will spell the end of their "long, flat earnings" now that residents will have to get their hardware from mom-and-pop shops.
But Home Depot closing also means lost choices for consumers, who may face less convenient hours, smaller selections or higher prices at the mom-and-pop shops. But at least the store owner might know their name!
It also means 80 employees of Home Depot will be out of work. Taibbi insisted that "no one's cheering" that fact. Nonetheless, he featured two residents to did cheer it.
"People are going, ‘Yes, yes, yes, we did it!" said Morse. The owner of the local True-Value hardware store, Glen St. John, said, "Here's a hometown True-Value that outlasted the big box store. That's exciting."
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15 of it's 2200 stores is closing
May 8, 2008 - 12:49 ET by WhoIsJohnGaltand this is seen as a failure? Only if viewed from the point of view that sees perfection as the only success. If my in-my-head math is correct, I'd say that Home Depot has a 99.25 success rate...
And by the way, don't blame the big-box stores for driving mom and pop out if business; blame your neighbors for tossing them under the bus and SHOPPING at those eeeeevil big-box stores. Or are consumers merely under complete control of big business?
The local hardware stores
May 8, 2008 - 13:19 ET by ApacheThe local hardware stores close at 5:00pm. Which means the do-it-yourself types need to take off work to use them. Now we have a Lowes and I don't care if all the rest go out of business. The mom and pops could compete if they wanted to but they just don't provide the same service.
This is just another liberal
May 8, 2008 - 13:19 ET by ForeverOnTheRightThis is just another liberal class warfare against the "big companies." If Big Companies are bad then NBC (Nutty Bill Clinton network)is bad and we should be gleeful if the ratings are dropping! This class warfare is just neo-marxism American style. Their is nothing wrong with big companies. Monopolies are what are evil.
Monopolies require force.
May 8, 2008 - 13:25 ET by NL207Monopolies require force. Force requires Government connivance at some level.
NL207
May 8, 2008 - 13:45 ET by mandrakeNot always, case in point..Microsoft. They pulled it off without any interferance from government.
its nice to be king
May 8, 2008 - 16:19 ET by wizardjrthree cheers for what's his name, he makes more money than 37 small countries combined
I'm jealous.
"Gleefully"? How do you get
May 8, 2008 - 13:24 ET by balboa"Gleefully"? How do you get that?
80 people lose their jobs, but that's the free market. Obviously something was lacking at Home Depot, or the area didn't require such a big store for its hardware needs.
Brian Williams called it a
May 8, 2008 - 14:22 ET by Chris NormanBrian Williams called it a "great story" and reporter Mike Taibbi called it, "in a man bites dog sort of way, an unlikely survivor story."
Splitting hairs again, Bal? This sounds like a pretty positive spin to the story to me - like it was good news that a Mom & Pop had defeated a big store rather than the human tragedy of 80 people losing their jobs.
Sure, it sounds positive
May 8, 2008 - 14:34 ET by balboaSure, it sounds positive that the Home Depot had to close, but people love those stories where the "little guy" wins.
"Gleefully" is an unfair assessment, IMO, totally different connotation.
gotta disagree Bal
May 8, 2008 - 14:54 ET by candanceI watched the footage twice and that was definitely some obvious gushing over the store closing. They came just shy of going "Ha ha ha we ran you losers out of town."
Unfair? I'd say that
May 8, 2008 - 15:01 ET by Chris NormanUnfair? I'd say that description fits the tenor of their story angle fairly accurately. You, yourself, say people "love" this kind of story. I don't. I'd bet that the Mom and Pop store doesn't offer any health insurance opportunities and probably pays lower wages than Home Depot - with no chance of advancement within the company.
Of course Brattleboro is the same place
May 8, 2008 - 13:24 ET by YahooWatcherthat has issued arrest warrants for Bush and Cheney
http://www.boston.com/news/local/new_hampshire/articles/2008/04/14/lawmaker_lobbies_for_bill_to_impeach_bush/
and had to enact a law to control nudists:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/offbeat/2007-07-18-naked-town_N.htm
side note...
May 8, 2008 - 13:39 ET by VT Con Manthere is at least ONE conservative in this town...and profiting nicely off the liberal ninnies...; )
Wait a sec... Why is it a
May 8, 2008 - 13:26 ET by Clear thinkerWait a sec...
Why is it a good thing that a big store has to close down in favor of a smaller store where items cost a lot more, have lousy selections, and are lower in quality?
Liberals are strange people.
"Abstain from McCain"
people must now pay more
May 8, 2008 - 13:43 ET by TruthMongerpeople must now pay more and have less choice - it's a liberal utopia:)!
but don't these people incessently insist they're pro-choice?
but then they absolutely refuse to acknowledge a baby's choice when it comes to abortion...maybe someone should suggest a slogan change - ya know...it's entirely possible that they are simply not aware of the complete inaccuracy of their "pro-choice" label...
(dramatic pause)
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!
/sarc button stuck on again, dammit/
Tainted "news" from the msm...
May 8, 2008 - 13:37 ET by VT Con ManThere was a bankrupt Northeast retail chain called Ames Dept Stores. They had hundreds of stores and this location was one of them.
Home Depot and I believe WalMart, made a deal with the bankruptcy court that they would divy up the locations between the two of them. They likely scored dozens of great retail locations in this deal. The 14 other closures are probably the other 14 crappy locations from the deal.
This store is in a town which is too small to support it from a household standpoint. And, there is a new store about 15 miles away that is about 4 times the size of this one, and booming (in NH where there is NO SALES TAX this one is in VT, which has a 6% sales tax, and a sign carrying catterwalling liberal "Hate Home Depot" kook crowd.
I would not be the least bit surprised if this closure was in HD's 3 year plan all along...
Another funny thing is the Tru Value store is right across the street, and they lost next to no clients. They would get their boards at HD and their hammers at Tru Value.
So, the good ole msm has pulled another fast one. This "Big Box failure" is nothing more than a store they must have known was not viable to begin with. What a charade...
These stores are closing due
May 8, 2008 - 14:04 ET by goldbarThese stores are closing due to "underperfomance" ie, they aren't making enough money to keep up with expenses. Aren't conservatives all about a market driven economy or would they prefer to have the government come bail Home Depot out?
groan
May 8, 2008 - 14:52 ET by candanceDoes goldie even get the point of NB at all?
Why did Brian Williams say it was a "great story" and then feature a worker saying the news was "exciting" all from the POV of the competition, without so much as one comment from Home Depot or interview with someone getting laid off? Is that fair journalism?
Imagine if you found out that your office was closing tomorrow, and since Brian Williams is a fan of your direct competition he ran a piece saying something like, "Great news everyone! Goldbar is getting laid off...that means the competition ran him out of business at last! Yipee!"
How would that make you feel?
THAT is the point of NB my friend.
Candance, Visitors like
May 8, 2008 - 18:29 ET by Chris NormanCandance, Visitors like Goldbar don't understand that we don't want to merely exchange conservative biased news for the liberal biased news we already have. We want unbiased news. We may post comments about our conservative beliefs here, but the bottom line here is to expose and detail liberal bias, in hopes of forcing the MSM to change their ways. In truth, we can argue about the the details of a story but those details are secondary to the simple bias that is there.
Yes that is the beauty of
May 8, 2008 - 14:18 ET by sanergononlibYes that is the beauty of the free market. Whenever someone states that 'we' meaning the USA should be using solar or wind or other alternatives, ask them how much more they would be willing to pay for energy. I know of a city in Vermont that purchased as much renewable energy as it could knowing it would cost more but the town voted on it and the majority were willing to pay more. If you didn't like it I guess you could move. And that is the way it should be, at a local scale where you have more of a say and at least have the option of going elsewhere. The current lack of oil exploration and processing in this country, resulting in higher gas prices is due to Federal Government action, none of us have an option other than to attempt to vote the dinosaurs out.
These smaller hardware
May 8, 2008 - 14:24 ET by jessep28These smaller hardware stores instead of whining need to reinvent themselves by focuisng on a niche market which would accomodate well to their no-selection/high price business model.
These big box retailers can simply provide the same things at a lower cost to the consumer. What's so bad about that?
Watch Wal-Mart trying to get
May 8, 2008 - 15:05 ET by goldbarWatch Wal-Mart trying to get a Pennslyvania family's pasture for one of their stores by imminent domain in the documentary "Wal-Mart--The High Cost of a Low Price" and you'll have a different opinion. These companies brutalize small towns and family businesses, some of which are 100 years old. Family businesses disappear soon as a big box store moves in. How can the small business owner compete when they can't get the same wholesale price as Home Depot or Wal-Mart?
Watch the City of New
May 8, 2008 - 16:33 ET by NL207Watch the City of New London Connecticut get a bunch of leftist twits on the Supreme Court to agree they have the right to threaten, bully, cajole, and should all that fail, outright sieze, the property of one private citizen to award it to some other private citizen because that other citizen offers to pay more taxes on it.
A Wal-Mart store will surely generate more tax revenue than a cow pasture.
This power play by Wal-Mart is surely rooted directly in SCOTUS' lame decision in the Kelo v. New London case. Wal-Mart's actions in PA are entirely consistent Liberal concepts of law.
This should make you proud to be a liberal.
The government may come for
May 9, 2008 - 15:00 ET by goldbarThe government may come for your property next, so I suppose you'll think that's just fine.
goldbar, For goodness
May 9, 2008 - 16:37 ET by Karmagoldbar,
For goodness sake. You've managed to do a complete 180 on what he said.
"How can the small business
May 9, 2008 - 04:04 ET by ckc1227"How can the small business owner compete when they can't get the same wholesale price as Home Depot or Wal-Mart?"
How can "smaller business owner A" compete with "not as small business owner B" when THEY can't get the same wholesale price as not as small business owner B?
"These companies brutalize small towns and family businesses, some of
which are 100 years old. Family businesses disappear soon as a big box
store moves in."
Brutalize? I guess my once-small-town(one of the fastest growing in the state) missed the memo. Still, just because you've enjoyed a monopoly-like business advantage for 100 years doesn't mean you are entitled to do so for 100 more. As a lib though, you wouldn't understand that.
Your right.
May 8, 2008 - 16:47 ET by general companyWhen we first got our Lowes, many of the small hardware and lumber Co. preemptively closed down thinking they were going to get crushed. Fact is, these store are good for some items, but are lacking in the customer service that contractors and busy do it yourselfers need. Our Lowes has great prices on appliances and lawn equipment and even some lighting and electrical and plumbing. But our small local stores kick their buts in lumber and general building supplies not to mention deliveries are quick and usually free, and customer service is a given. I use them both, I don't go to Lowes to learn about some thing, and I don't go to the Small guys expecting a selection of 50 refrigerators. Many of our local small Hardware, Plumbing, and Electrical supply stores have survived by learning what the big box does not do well and taking advantage of it.
"Television is a freak show" Bernie Goldberg
It is Lowes, not HD vs. little hardware stores
May 8, 2008 - 16:26 ET by SickofLibsThe reason HD is closing stores is that Lowes is kicking their ass if they're in the same area and for good reason. Many of the 15 stores closing have at least one or multiple Lowes in the area. (Except for this particular Vermont store).
I have both a Lowes and an HD a mile away, almost right next to each other. The HD is dingy, dimly lit, has about 500 birds roosting INSIDE, stock is not easy to locate, aisles are blocked off-then abandoned, the floors are filthy, the restrooms are hidden way in the back and are always dirty, you have to walk a 1/4 mile for a cart, the employees are sometimes evasive and scurry away when you try to get their attention, and most heinous of all, more often than not they have NO actual cashiers open, forcing everyone to use their lame 'self-checkouts' which always seem to have a problem of some kind. Having at least one or two cashiers open should be the minimum in customer service; what's next, customers helping to stock the shelves and unload the trailers?
By contrast, the Lowes is very bright, items are meticulously organized with numbers/shelf positions, the store is always spotless, the restrooms are in the FRONT of the store and are very clean, they don't leave crap clogging the aisles, and, if idle, the cashiers are trained to come out from behind their registers and usher you into their station.
I also patronize my local True Value store. But I have had it with HD. There are two other HDs in my area that I have been to, and all are the same. Just crappy.
Apologies to any HD employees who disagree with this; your store may be different, but the three I have frequented are as described.
One more thing: HD... I don't need some dopey 'greeter' ala Walmart standing inside the door - put him on a cash register!!!
If I were the Ace hardware owner mentioned, I'd be looking over my shoulder for when Lowes comes to town. There are no Lowes in Vermont... yet.
The Wall Street Journal agrees: http://blogs.wsj.com/marketbeat/2008/05/01/lowes-expands-on-home-depots-pullback/?mod=WSJBlog?mod=wsjcrmain
Lowes and Home Depot 20
May 8, 2008 - 16:40 ET by KarmaLowes and Home Depot 20 miles south. Lowes and Home Depot 20 miles east. BOTH Home Depot stores are closing. Your assessment of the reasons ring true in both instances here.
Lowe's strategy...
May 8, 2008 - 17:17 ET by celatorHD has gone through some very tough years because they just couldn't implement their business model. They've recently replaced their CEO and are trying to get their market share back.
Lowe's had (probably still does) a strategy whereby they built a bunch of their stores as close as possible to HD stores, and they basically stole a lot of HD business. I found that the clerks at Lowes were far more helpful and knew their stuff. The Lowes' store is a lot cleaner than HD. I turned away from HD because the lumber I bought at Lowes was MUCH better quality, and pretty much the same price.
The plant stock at HD's was poorly maintained (almost as bad as Walmart's plants). Often times the HD plants were not suitable for our zone (5). A lot of their plants were for zones 7 and 8! I pointed this out to them a number of times and I just got one of those "Huh?" reactions. Our Lowes also has a profit sharing program for employees with a year's employment. That's makes a BIG difference in attitude for clerks.
Oh, amen on the nursery
May 8, 2008 - 17:34 ET by SickofLibsOh, amen on the nursery stock; forgot that. They don't even water it half the time and the dopes had it out so early this year (I'm Zone 6) that even a non-gardener type like me could see the frost damage. Our local A&P has better stuff out front, I kid you not.
I remember going into a Home Depot when they first opened and thinking holy cow, this is just fantastic, what a concept! And I also remember going into the first Lowes many years later and saying to myself, this is waaaaay beter than HD, but I'm sure HD will take it up a few notches to stay in the game. But they never did.
HD might be improving
May 8, 2008 - 18:25 ET by celatorThe new HD CEO has his hands full for sure. HD actually performed a tiny bit better than Lowe's in the first quarter this year--that is, they lost less money than Lowes.
HD-- ret on equity 19; quarterly earnings growth -.27.5; quarterly revenue growth 1.50
LOWES-- ret on equity 17.65; quarterly earning growth -33.80; quarterly revenue growth -.20;
I think I've asked this here
May 8, 2008 - 18:34 ET by Chris NormanI think I've asked this here before, but I'll ask it again, as it relates vaguely to this post. Why does Home Depot and yes, Lowes, install ten to twelve checkout lanes when at any one time only one or two are actually staffed? Seems sort of a waste of money in fixturing and electronic equipment...
YES, CN!
May 8, 2008 - 18:37 ET by balboaThe worst part of going to one of those places, or Best Buy, or Wal-Mart is that it takes longer to check out than it does for me to find what I want. Invariably, whoever's in front of me is buying something that causes the disinterested teenage cashier to lock up the register, requiring a page for a "Manager to cash/wrap please."
...I feel like Jim Dial when I write stuff like that...
Chris and Balboa
May 8, 2008 - 18:41 ET by Dee BunkThe two Best Buys by me now have one line for all the registers. I wish every place would do that. It always goes pretty quick and you are not penalized for guessing wrong about what lane will be faster.
DB, If you're ever in doubt
May 8, 2008 - 18:49 ET by Chris NormanDB,
If you're ever in doubt regarding what lane will be the fastest, look for me standing in line, then go to another register. I'll be the guy who's behind the person who chose items that won't scan, who can't find their credit card, who has to write a check, who doesn't have id, who wants to visit with the checker...well, you get the picture.
Me too Chris!
May 8, 2008 - 19:10 ET by Dee BunkI'm horrible at guessing that's why I love the one line places.
It's our instinctive
May 8, 2008 - 19:31 ET by Chris NormanIt's our instinctive behavior to head for the cattle shoots. :)
Have you ever noticed that the buzz phrase of these stores for the past few years has been, "Did you find everything okay?". I always smile and answer, "Yep, everything was okay.". Some get it, some don't.
about cashiering
May 8, 2008 - 21:01 ET by candanceI spent several years as a cashier. They always ask if you found everything because they're given a script of what they have to say to every customer. Most companies even hire mystery shoppers to go through random lines to see if cashiers are doing it correctly.
If a cashier gets bad marks from a mystery shopper they can get written up or even fired.
One store I worked at, I had up to nine things to remember in my script.
It's all in an effort to make them sound/appear more friendly because most cashiers would rather not say anything and just scan stuff like a factory line. I know it sucks for the customer, but that's the way it is. The job is so tedious even the most cheerful kids run out of steam within six months.
See below.
May 8, 2008 - 19:07 ET by Chris Normanbal,
Wait, you can acually go into a WalMart and come out with something? Usually, by the time I walk the five miles to find the item, I can't remember what I was looking for in the first place. :)
Actually, I misspoke there,
May 8, 2008 - 19:18 ET by balboaActually, I misspoke there, as I prefer Target. :-)
But I have the same problem there, too.
Oh, yeah. That's right.
May 8, 2008 - 19:32 ET by Chris NormanOh, yeah. That's right. Target is the the big box store where it's politically correct for liberals to shop. :)
Zing! Actually, I've always
May 8, 2008 - 19:39 ET by balboaZing!
Actually, I've always preferred Target. Wal-Mart always seemed kinda beat-up, at least where I lived.
I don't like WalMart, not
May 8, 2008 - 20:15 ET by Chris NormanI don't like WalMart, not because of any social/political reasons, but because they're too disorganized and spread out for me to find anything, they're too big for me to get in and out, and like you, I find them shabbily maintained. I'll pay a little more to go where I can find stuff easily and get the heck out of there. Now, if it wasn't just me and I had a big family... :)
Yeah...
May 8, 2008 - 18:47 ET by SickofLibsCHRIS N: Yup. At least at my Lowes there might 2, 3 or 4 registers staffed. At HD, virtually no cashiers ever, unless the self-checkouts get really bogged down on a Saturday. I don't think Lowes even has any self-checkout lanes, to their credit. So at $12/hr or $96/day per shift an HD store can't spend a few hundred a day for human cashiers? Are their margins that tight?
"UNAUTHORIZED ITEM IN THE CHECKOUT AREA. PLEASE REMOVE."
You must have a good Lowes.
May 8, 2008 - 19:33 ET by Chris NormanYou must have a good Lowes. Our Lowes may have one line open plus the register located on the side of the customer service desk, if I'm lucky.
Here's my lame joke about these stores: They always advertise "We Offer No Interest for One Year". I say, I've been going there for years and no one there has ever offered me any interest. Ba-dum-dum.
Suddenly I cant wait to go
May 9, 2008 - 01:37 ET by general companySuddenly I cant wait to go back to sLowes, as we call it.
"Television is a freak show" Bernie Goldberg
"So at $12/hr or $96/day
May 9, 2008 - 04:27 ET by ckc1227"So at $12/hr or $96/day per shift an HD store can't spend a few hundred a day for human cashiers? Are their margins that tight?"
$200 a day for 2000 stores is $400,000 a day. Tight margins or not, that adds up quick.
Chris when is the last time
May 9, 2008 - 10:34 ET by Dan The Man 2Chris when is the last time you got gas at a full serve gas station? Cashiers are going the way of the full serve gas. My grocery store has 4 self checkout lines and at night, 10 or 12, that is all there is.
Nuke em til they glow then shoot em in the dark.
Oregon
May 9, 2008 - 10:39 ET by general companyAll gas stations in Oregon are full service, I drive through there every few years or so. But other then that, you right they are gone.
"Television is a freak show" Bernie Goldberg
HAPPY FINACIAL NEWS...
May 9, 2008 - 07:25 ET by danybhoy...& in other buisiness news, General Electric, who owns NBC, has seen it's stock price fall since Jeff Immelt took over in September of 2001. It was about $39 then, it's at about $31 today- ballpark figures. This would funny, but too many people invest in GE, either directly or through their 401K. Maybe Brian Williams should get a clue from O'Reilly & do a little investigative reporting. I don't think Immelt would know about it, he does'nt seem notice that MSNBC is now a insane asylum, or that Donnie Deutch is on the air. There has to be cable access shows with more viewer then Deutch, & he's on a national cable network?
"Some of us are wise, some of us are otherwise" Mark Levin
»→ danybhoy
May 9, 2008 - 07:32 ET by Cool ArrowSad part is that people are losing 401k investments because OReilly blew the whistle on GE for selling contraband to the Iranians through a German company.
Serious mishandling by Immelt.
Kudos to OReilly.
♣ a seal
O'REILLY...
May 9, 2008 - 07:52 ET by danybhoyWe know about this because of O'Reilly's coverage, the story has been developing for years. So I would'nt say this is why GE's shareprice has been falling.
"Some of us are wise, some of us are otherwise" Mark Levin