Today I took a trip to Atlanta, Texas to celebrate Thanksgiving. Atlanta is an East Texas town of about 6500 people. As I drove through “downtown” Atlanta it was clear that that any resemblance to its namesake in Georgia was in name only. It was named after Atlanta, Georgia because many of the early settlers were from that area.
It was a typical one street downtown as I have seen in other small Texas towns such as Olney, Boyd and Archer City where the classic movie The Last Picture Show was filmed. Streets like you would see in any “Route 66” town across America. As is standard in small Texas towns, there is a barber, candy shop, bank, hardware store, bakery, sporting goods store, few antique stores, a Dairy Queen and of course a huge, bustling, Walmart. The staples of life that can be cut and pasted to countless small towns across America.
There were also numerous boarded up storefronts.
The Atlanta Chamber of Commerce Web Site states:
“Atlanta exemplifies small town America. Warm smiles and warmer greetings reflect a friendly and progressive community.”
What Atlanta and other small towns all over the country never envisioned when they were formed (Atlanta was founded in 1872) was that small town America would one day be synonymous with the arrival of Walmart
.
Today in Atlanta as I lay in a turkey coma on the couch watching The Dallas Cowboys dismantle their opponent in their new stadium dubbed “The Death- Star” I casually mentioned that it was sad that there were so many boarded up stores. Out of the depths of my turkey fog I heard a voice in the room yell out”
Walmart Did This To Us!
It then occurred to me. Many in small town America may look at the arrival of Walmart as the invasion of Evil Empire and its own type of economic Death-Star
Darth Vader, who was unmasked many years ago, didn’t initially destroy these towns with his death ray. He arrived with the promise of peace and prosperity. The Death -Star then set down in the middle of town, touting every possible convenience a person could want at cheaper prices, with greater diversity and quantity. Unfortunately no Jedi Knights ever came to the rescue. They were to busy fueling up their Starfighters at discount prices.
Now, instead of seeing the sign “Victory Tonight And Free Haircut Tomorrow” if the high school football team or basketball team wins, we see, “Going Out of Business Liquidation Sale.”
How can the “It’s A Wonderful Life” dream of small town America possibly compete with the neon lit entrance to the Death Star just a block away? Instead we see “The Last Picture Show” at the local theater just before it closes for good to be transformed into a Walgreens. The residents of Atlanta, Texas leave the theater and disappear into the Death Star never to be heard from again by the local merchants.
©2009 Brian Cuban
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November 27th, 2009 at 3:09 am
I’ve been to Atlanta, TX one time and first have to say they have a surprisingly good hospital.
Living in an urban area I am a Wal-Mart snob and usually can avoid them. I grew up in a small town of similar size to Wal-Mart and their arrival is a mixed bag. Local stores mostly can’t compete but they didn’t just bring consumers lower prices. They brought much greater product selection including many items that just weren’t available before. They brought consumer friendly hours.
I remember when people had to take off work get tires, clothes, or furniture or get them before noon on Saturday.
I hate how they treat employees and have abandoned their emphasis on US made goods but in many ways they have improved small town life.
November 27th, 2009 at 5:44 am
Hey Brian, I did a post on almost this exact topic after a trip our family took last year. Check it out: http://www.zerologic.com/Blog/The-Depressed-South… Needless to say, I haven't been in a Walmart in a year (nearly to the day). It's not Walmart's fault, per se, but simply the finances of the modern small town family. Cheaper is better for them, and they either don't care about the consequences, or are willing to look past them "Yeah, but…."
November 27th, 2009 at 8:04 am
Some might say we're in a consumer dictatorship, but that's silly. The US isn't a dictatorship. If it were, the authorities would have told us.
http://areyoutargeted.com/2009/11/26/if-this-were…
November 27th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
That's probably the best (Wal-Mart Snob) take on them I have heard. Not sure about how bad they treat employees. They offer healthcare, stock purchase plans, retirement plans, employee discounts, etc. How many of those small town shops (that they closed down) offered health care or retirement to anyone but the owner?
I shop there, on occasion, as it is very close to my house. I think one thing that is hugely neglected to mention about Wal-Mart is the increase in standard of living that they bring to our poor. Not to mention that China couldn't afford to buy all of our "bailout bonds" if Wal-Mart didn't stimulate their economy so much…
November 27th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
Wal-mart the Better Life Provider.
The reason millions of Americans depend on walmart every day is for lower prices and better selection.
Small retailers are free to compete with wal-mart.
Or, are you suggesting we have government interference to force shoppers to support retailers with high prices ‘for the greater good’ or to ‘create jobs’. Are you saying we should all sacrifice for something greater than ourselves and pay higher prices?
The Principle is free enterprise.
November 29th, 2009 at 1:48 am
Some good stuff Brian. I don't totally disagree with you, but as an Atlanta native, allow me to share my thoughts: http://geoausch.com/2009/11/28/whats-the-matter-i…