Store Wars

February 2003

When I was a child, in my old country I never heard the word ‘war’ very often. I mostly hear it in reference of a past event or a situation in far and remote place. Since I moved to US, that word has become part of my every day vocabulary. There is a Drug War, War on Cancer, War of the Sexes, War on Terrorism, etc. Nowadays, this society is fighting on another war, it is the War of the Stores and the battlefield is small-town America.

In the 1950’s the urban development in the major cities in America turn in an explosive phenomenon. The suburbia concept was born and with it the new perception of the cities ant their downtowns. The urban planners quickly embraced this new model of development and very few could foresee the future problems that it will create. The American society was living an economical boom, everybody could afford house and automobile, and the cities grew in a rate never seen before.

Before the suburban sprawl, the downtowns used to have the core of the economical activities. Small and medium size stores were the motors of the economy; the Malls were not part of the American culture. The city had neighborhoods with very distinctive personality, were pedestrian friendly and overall, they had human scale and an image and identity that influenced their inhabitants. In the new urban developments, all those characteristics were tossed away, new form of shopping were born; in every new neighborhood, a shopping center or Mall was built; new highways or high speed corridors were built; the automobile became the “most valuable” asset; the old patterns of shopping and transportation were changed forever.

In this environment the supermarket store was born and it has disrupted the balance of the neighborhood in several aspects.

First of all, the social relationship between the customer and service/salesman changed drastically; there is no more the “corner store” owner who knew everybody in the neighborhood, now the only human contact is the cashier and not for long.

Secondly, the environmental impact of these stores is great; the large portion of the property is dedicated as parking lot with the minimal use of landscape. The maximum commercial usage is the goal in every development. The building itself is also not environmental friendly; the large roof area reflects heat and the most of the buildings are not designed to recycle any rain water.

Thirdly, the neighborhood traffic flow is redirected; the previous dynamic balance is shattered because the traffic flow is mainly directed towards the store, creating congesting streets, dangerous intersections and increasing the dependability of the automobile.

And lastly, the most severe of all the impacts is the change on the economical patterns. The small stores played a role in the economical structure in the neighborhoods. The small store owners were part of the economical force that helped to develop the communities, not only because they provided jobs, but also they contribute to the character of them.

At the light of all this experience, many small towns in America have decided to defend their territory and future. They have stood up against the most powerful of all the enterprises in the retail world, Wal-Mart Corporation. Some of them have defeated the giant, some others have failed.

There is an on-going battle between Small-town America and Wal-Mart. This confrontation has done what many sociologist and politicians never thought, unite the communities with a single goal, survival.

Here are web links where you will find more information about some “battles” in this war.

http://www.pbs.org/storewars/sitemap.html

http://www.harbornet.com/pna/WalMart/WeWon.htm

alejandro puerto