This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Business & Tech

Fork Dork: Walmart Shopping in a Local Economy

Stores of differing types and sizes affect the entire business ecology from local stores. Local consumers still can vote with their feet and wallets.

Following up on the latest store openings in Bellevue I found a stark contrast on how different stores handle publicity. Hedge & Vine, the boutique furniture store set to open late this summer in Old Bellevue, is owned by Bellevue’s Stephanie and Andrew Hogenson. is a multibillion dollar publicly traded company.

Their reactions to my interview requests vary vastly. Stephanie Hogenson asked me to reply via e-mail so she can find out more about me before she agreed to an interview. I am still waiting to hear back. (Stephanie, if you get this message please reply to me at the e-mail address above).

Representatives of Walmart, which just opened  called me eagerly at 6:30 a.m. hoping to tell their side of their story because, according to one of their representatives, “they haven’t done a good job of telling their story in the past.”

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

Patch readers, please know that regardless of how attentive or regardless of size or ability to afford public relations consultants, I strive to report the news fairly. I am not easily impressed with glossy presentations featuring supermodels nor do I hold it against a small business for not prioritizing press relations. I suspect and sympathize that at many small businesses, such as Hedge & Vine, in all likelihood the boss is also responsible for greeting shoppers, making daily deposits at the bank and polishing door knobs when the time allows.

However, it is my job to filter all the information and deliver the distilled results that are relevant to Patch readers.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

For example, weeks ago as I was approaching a press luncheon for my good friend Ian MacNeil’s new vodka, Glass Vodka in Seattle’s Sodo District, another writer and social media maven -- who shall remain nameless -- said to me, “I’m not going to say anything critical after they invite me to such a nice event.”

I was reminded of the difference between traditional journalists like me and the new era of social media. I refer to Twitter users who leverage social media to extort freebies from businesses -- Yelpers, that goes for you, too -- as twits. Know that I am looking out for the best interest of readers and not the interests of the businesses that I cover.

The following week I received a phone call from MacNeil and we agreed that my priority when I write is to my readers and not to my friends. MacNeil, the good friend that he is, is supportive of my career, even if it means I have to be critical of his new vodka (no judgment on the vodka, yet).

All of this leads me back to Walmart. According to Jennifer Spall, Walmart’s director of public affairs for Oregon and Washington, the new Kelsey Creek Center Walmart is adding 220 jobs and $6 million to the local economy. The Walmart regional office is in Renton.*

“Our landlords are greeting us with open arms,” Spall said. “In Factoria it’s the same. Everyone is excited. When you look at Factoria, everyone knows we draw foot traffic. Safeway is not the draw. Target is not the draw.

“We carry the same things that everyone does. We are just priced more competitively.”

Critics contend that Walmart eliminates manufacturing jobs in the United States, preferring to sell goods made abroad with cheaper labor costs. Critics also say that mega retailers such as Walmart put locally owned family stores out of business.

“Because it is the largest retailer it has an impact on manufacturing,” said Stacy Mitchell, senior researcher of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and author of Big Box Swindle.

Mitchell said that for every job Walmart creates it eliminates 1.4 in that local economy. Mitchell explains that with a multinational retailer such as Walmart many of the operations jobs such as human resources, bookkeeping, marketing and real estate planning, are concentrated in its headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas. When a local business closes and, for example, is replaced by Walmart, the floor staff job is eliminated as well as the operations jobs that supported that store which were likely held locally.

“What we are getting is job losses when Walmart opens,” Mitchell said. “You are not really creating jobs. You don’t create jobs because retail opens. The idea is that it’s going to be a job engine is not really accurate.

“Retail wages decline when Walmart opens. There are fewer jobs.”

Mitchell said a dollar spent at Walmart is a dollar taken away from local small business.

“Dollars going into Walmart are dollars that used to go to a small business,” she said.

Spall contends that Walmart does not compete with small businesses and thus is not taking business away from them.

“We are not taking business from small businesses,” Spall said. “We are taking business from QFC and from Safeway.”

Mitchell questions the cost savings to consumers shopping at Walmart. She contends many of the products made abroad and sold at Walmart tend to be made by poorly paid employees and likely to be of lesser quality, so, consumers shopping for such goods at Walmart tend to replace them quicker and ultimately spend more.

When I was growing up the “Made in America” tag meant something. It was an assurance that the product was the sturdiest and crafted for the discriminating consumer. Has it lost its value and luster?

“There has been a loss in product quality,” Mitchell said. “We are replacing things, electronics, appliances, clothing, some of that is driven because it is flimsily made. Which begs the question if we are really saving in the end.”

Stores such as Walmart have made it increasingly convenient to shop at their stores with teams of real estate analysts finding convenient locations and negotiating favorable leases, ample parking, competitive pricing and one-stop shopping.

I’m not asking Patch readers to make their lives more complicated by shopping at multiple local stores. I urge readers and consumers to consider the trickle-down effect of your buying decisions. If, as a consumer, you shop at Walmart, think twice before complaining about job losses and an eroding domestic economy.

Editor's note: *The original version of the story incorrectly stated the location of Walmart's regional headquarters. This has been corrected.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Bellevue