Walmart coming to town.

Been there, done that as they say.  We personally have lived in and managed a business in 4 Eastern North Carolina towns where Walmart located a Super Center while we were there.   So when this Onslow County raised boy posts what we is about to post about the coming of Walmart to two Onslow County towns we know of what we speak and frankly we know many of you will not like nor accept what is about to be written here.  So here goes.

Richlands has a new Super Walmart and Swansboro is about to get one, both towns are in Onslow County.  Like it or not the when Walmart comes to town it is a good thing.  Let's just look at some examples where we have actually done business, before and after Walmart's arrival. 

Simply put if you are in a dying market Walmart can indeed hurt the prospects of local merchants. But dying or weak markets is more a sign of bad government than it is which new retailer comes to town.  On the other hand if the market is growing or stable then Walmart actually helps the market. Walmart helps the market by drawing MORE customers into the town because they want to shop at Walmart.  In return these new customers who would likely go elsewhere will usually spend money on other items Walmart does not sell while in town like dining out, higher end clothing, insurance,banks, new cars and trucks, furniture, appliances, and use local services like dentist, doctors, carpet installers, and more you get the picture. Smart and clever merchants quickly find niches and opportunities to feed off these new people coming to the market. 

Clayton NC is a perfect example.  What was already a growing town got even stronger with Walmart locating there.  Few retailers closed and the downtown area actually picked up new traffic with the new Super Center.  Like in most new Walmart locations a dozen or more new retailers popped up right around Walmart.  Wendys, Hardees, Starbucks, Zaxbys, Lone Star, Maurices, and even Dollar Tree right beside Walmart just to name a few.  Think about that a DOLLAR TREE located right beside Walmart.  All feeding off the new traffic, all providing new jobs, all providing new property and sales tax revenue. 

Even in weak markets like Smithfield NC the coming of a Walmart Super Center helped business. Again Belks, Dollar Tree, a local optometrist, Subway, a local mexican restaurant, two local cell phone retailers, McDonalds, Taco Bell, a bank, etc all located in or near Walmart.  Again more jobs and tax revenue.  Not to mention the housing that grew up to be near shopping.  Yes some local merchants died and some have shrunk, but they were mostly those who refused to find ways to use new customers or just had a bad attitude toward the new Walmart. 

That last sentence above is important, "had a bad attitude".  One can think and want your small town to stay the same or even not have new shopping choices, but never have I seen the same people upset when new employers come to town or even new restaurants, so why be so negative regarding Walmart.  Have you actually experienced a new Walmart several times like we have or are you just taking in what you heard on television or from others. Here is a fact neither Swansboro nor Richlands is the same small town we remember as a child growing up in Onslow County and they will not be the same with or without Walmart twenty years from now.  Decades ago this same attitude costs Onslow County the big employer Dupont, which wanted to locate near Richlands and no one would sell them the land, so they eventually located north of Kinston NC where they could buy land.  I suppose many of you would have preferred the local Marine Base to have not located here too with all those jobs and spending in the local economy.  Do you think that since you have employment that someone else who lives in town should not have a job who needs one? Are you that selfish?  Are you of the mindset that you do not want your town to grow?  Have you lived in a town where there is absolutely no growth, we have, and it is not very pretty. Do you think that is fair to others to want a no growth dying town? Do you think that Walmart will bring more crime and trouble?  Seriously get real on that last one as that is foolish thinking. 

Our small towns will prosper and do well with a Walmart coming to town offering hundreds of new jobs and traffic to help existing merchants.  Besides no one puts a gun to someone's head to shop anywhere else than they do now. But as our wife says often the prices at Walmart are good and she is not going to make someone else's pocketbook her personal charity just because they do not reduce their prices.  

As for each town Swansboro will likely do well with their new Walmart since the town is close to the base and will draw military shoppers into town and will now keep more dollars from well off retirees who are located on nearby beaches and in the area who will now shop at Walmart and stay in town for other needs instead of heading off to Morehead or Jacksonville. Richlands will likely see some new traffic from towns and areas west of Richlands like Beulaville, which got some of Richlands customers some years ago when Bojangles came to that town.  I expect it will be a net plus there as well and in time Richlands will see new restaurants.  The land in front of the new Richlands Walmart across from Liberty School looks to us to be a perfect spot for a restaurant. 

In the end look at Walmart as a positive and not a negative.