I want to add my voice to the chorus objecting to bringing Lowe”s to town. Clearlake has already been decimated by one mega-corporation.
One writer in support of Lowe”s who stated the “big three” will have to work harder with their suppliers to get wholesale pricing that makes them competitive with Lowe”s obviously knows nothing about retailing. The suppliers are also large corporations that would really rather not be bothered with the little guy, and discriminate by requiring minimum orders and offering lower prices for larger volumes. There is no “working with” these guys. This same writer asserts people in adjacent counties will be coming here to buy. What people? Napa, Mendocino, and Sonoma have their own share of big boxes, and there are no people close enough in Glenn or Colusa to come to Lake County rather than going to the 1-5 corridor.
Supervisor Smith”s survey alleges a majority of his people favor big boxes coming and also think competition is good. These two are, of course, oxymorons. With big boxes, there is no competition. They can quash any local competition, and in a retail market this small no competing big box will come in. So, ultimately we are left with the one mega-corporation, which wipes out the local tax base, provides low wage jobs which have to be subsidized with public benefits, and sends the bulk of it”s profits to Arkansas or wherever.
Personally, I would prefer real choice and competition. I would like to have more than one store in which to shop. I would like to have a choice between quality and second-rate merchandise. I would like to have clerks who know something about the products they are selling. As far as I am concerned, there is more to shopping than just price.
Walmart is fine for those who love it. For the rest of us, many items are not available locally. If the city council is hell-bent on giving us big boxes, how about bringing in some that will not compete with local businesses? There is no clothing store in town, so how about a Gottschalks? There is no shoe store, so how about a Payless? There are few housewares and no linens, so how about a Bed Bath & Beyond?
Let”s not bring in a business with a niche already filled and which has an unfair advantage over the local folks who have devoted their lives and energies to serving the community. Instead, realizing that their pricing depends substantially upon their volume, let”s support the locals and boost their volume so they can offer lower prices.
Phyllis Murphey
Lower Lake
