Town Forces Wal-Mart To Sell Its ‘Old’ Store
July 7, 2009
The small town of Scarborough, Maine should have known better. They allowed Wal-Mart to build a new supercenter right across the street from their ‘old’
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Wal-Mart Stiffs Idaho, Moves Over Border to Washington
July 6, 2009
Nine times out of ten, the mainstream media writes stories about Wal-Mart that could pass as the company’s own press release. Typical of these stories,
Wal-Mart Forced To Shrink Its Parking Lot
July 3, 2009
On June 2, 2009, Sprawl-Busters reported that Wal-Mart had made a a small donation out of its petty cash in return for a multi-million land
Chicago Alderman Still Hungers For Wal-Jobs
July 1, 2009
What do Michael Bloomberg, Donald Trump, and Howard Brookins have in common? They all don’t understand how Wal-Math works. The New York City Mayor, the
Kmart Sued For Discriminating Against Worker With Cane
June 30, 2009
Kmart, America’s forgotten retailer, had an unflattering blue light shining on it this week, when it was announced that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
After Six Years, Wal-Mart’s Plan Goes Back to City Council
June 29, 2009
On September 17, 2008, Sprawl-Busters reported that the citizens in Clovis, California had shamed their Mayor and City Council into reversing their vote approving a
Wal-Mart Charged With Unfair Labor Practices, Threatening Workers
June 29, 2009
Every Wal-Mart manager is warned by the company not to “Threaten, Interrogate Promise, Spy” on their workers. Wal-Mart calls this their TIPS on unionization. But
Texas Governor A ‘Fan’ Of Wal-Mart Supercenters
June 28, 2009
The Governor of Texas recently had Wal-Mart stage a special ribbon-cutting for a new superstore in his state so he could brag about Texas’ economic
Wal-Mart Pulls Misleading Ads—Again
June 27, 2009
The driving mission of the Wal-Mart corporation is to make money by saving its customers money. “At Wal-Mart,” the company says, “everything we do flows
Planning Commission Approves Controversial ‘Battlefield’ Wal-Mart By One Vote
June 26, 2009
The first shot has been fired by public officials in what has become a bloody public relations war for the Wal-Mart corporation. Last night, by
Wal-Mart Buys Supercenter Site At Auction From State
June 25, 2009
This is a frontier story from a state where land is apparently so plentiful that the taxpayers have to sell it at auction. Arizona has
Town Board Approves Wal-Mart, One Appeal Already Filed
June 24, 2009
On April 7, 2009, Sprawl-Busters reported that plans for a 162,000 s.f. Wal-Mart supercenter in Brooklyn, Connecticut before the Planning and Zoning Commission had set
Judge Ignores Voter’s Decision And Sets Stage For Wal-Mart Project
June 23, 2009
A single Judge in Michigan has trumped the wishes of citizens voting in a referendum to stop a Wal-Mart superstore project. On January 28, 2011,
Wal-Mart Project Finishes Three Days In Court
June 23, 2009
For the past 15 years, Wal-Mart has been trying to convert a cornfield in a small, northern Vermont town into an asphalt field of dreams.
Wal-Mart Store Expansion Squeaks By With One Vote
June 22, 2009
On May 11, 2009, Sprawl-Busters narrated the case of West Kendall, Florida, a suburb of Miami-Dade County. The West Kendall Community Council took up a
After Four Years, Wal-Mart Refuses To Give Up The Fight
June 20, 2009
Since 2005, Sprawl-Busters has written a dozen stories about the never-ending battle against Wal-Mart in Tarpon Springs, Florida. On November 22, 2008, Sprawl-Busters reported that
Former City Official Sues Wal-Mart In Shoving Incident
June 20, 2009
A piece of American political folklore says that ‘you can’t fight City Hall.’ But as Wal-Mart is finding out in the small city of Berwyn,
Opponents Gather Signatures To Put Wal-Mart On The Ballot
June 20, 2009
On April 7, 2009 Sprawl-Busters reported that Cave Creek, Arizona has 10 Wal-Marts within 20 miles, half of which are superstores. There are two giant
City Appeals Land Board Decision That Halted Wal-Mart
June 18, 2009
City officials in Medford, Oregon desperately want a second Wal-Mart supercenter. But they took a vote this week that guarantees they will see no progress
Wal-Mart Opens Second Superstore Two Miles From First
June 17, 2009
For years, Wall Street analysts have criticized Wal-Mart for cannibalizing its own sales by cramming superstores on top of one another. Wal-Mart said it was
Wal-Mart Tells Town It Wants Smaller Store
June 17, 2009
Wal-Mart wants to cut down the size of its proposed superstore in Hinsdale, New Hampshire, but the wasteful aspects of this land deal still loom
Is Wal-Mart Afraid Of Canadian Unions?
June 15, 2009
“I have always believed strongly that we don’t need unions at Wal-Mart,” Sam Walton wrote. According to one Canadian investment bank, the grocery industry in
With GM Failing, Line Forms For Wal-Mart Jobs
June 14, 2009
In the employment field, it’s called ‘trading down.’ In the mid 1990s, General Motors had roughly 60,000 employees based in Ohio. Today, the GM workforce
The next Wal-Martville?
June 13, 2009
The city of Hamilton in southern Ontario, Canada, is located half way between Niagra Falls and Toronto, in an area they call “the Golden Horseshoe,”
Wal-Mart Cuts Store Size To Make It ‘Sustainable’
June 13, 2009
Wal-Mart is finally realizing that you don’t have to promote huge stores to make big profits. On December 3, 2006, Sprawl-Busters updated the story of
International Grocery Chain Fights Wal-Mart Superstore Conversion
June 12, 2009
It’s not often that you get to see two large retailers slugging it out in public, but the fight continues in the small town of
Wal-Mart’s Big Plan Runs Into Small Town Resistance
June 10, 2009
A Texas developer with big Wal-Mart dreams ran into some small town opposition this past week. Developer Jeff Moore, who does business as Realm Realty
Wal-Mart’s Phony Claim Of 22,000 Jobs
June 10, 2009
In fiscal year 2009, Wal-Mart spent $2.3 billion on advertising. That’s about $6.3 million every day spent on image-building. One of the key myths that
Court Decision Unlocks Wal-Mart After 5 Year Delay
June 8, 2009
Citizens in one small community in upstate New York have held up the world’s largest retailer for five years, and probably cost Wal-Mart as much
Zero Waste At Wal-Mart, As More Buildings Get Wasted
June 7, 2009
Wal-Mart has torn down more useable buildings than any other retailer in the history of the planet. On September 9, 2008, Sprawl-Busters reported that Wal-Mart
Land Use Board Rules Against Wal-Mart Superstore
June 6, 2009
On April 28, 2009, Sprawl-Busters reported that Wal-Mart had shelved plans to expand its existing discount store in Medford, Oregon, while at the same time
Wal-Mart Lobbying To Kill Big Box Store Ban
June 6, 2009
Visitors say that Maui, Hawaii is about as close to Paradise as you can get on the planet. That fact has not been lost on
Borough Wants Landowners To Pay for Wal-Mart Impact Study
June 4, 2009
Local officials in Exeter, Pennsylvania are doing a little Wal-Mart reality check. The Borough Council has decided it needs the facts before making findings. Usually
Wal-Mart Gives City A Deadline, City Gives Wal-Mart A Rezoning
June 3, 2009
Wal-Mart gave the Aldermen in Manchester, New Hampshire a deadline, and local officials fell in line. The corporation told Manchester officials they wanted 15 acres
Wal-Mart Kicks In $50,000 To Get Site Plan Approved
June 2, 2009
Who says money doesn’t open doors? Wal-Mart got off cheap in Swansea, Massachusetts, by making a small donation out of its petty cash in return
Wal-Mart Called ‘Kiss of Death’ To Homeowners
June 1, 2009
Penfield, New York is a community of roughly 35,600 people. The town is celebrating its bicentennial in 2010, and part of the celebration is the
What To Do With That Dead Wal-Mart?
May 31, 2009
Wal-Mart came to Galesburg, Illinois in 1985 to open a discount store on National Boulevard. In 2007, Wal-Mart shut their store down, and opened up
Wal-Mart Has A Civil War On Its Hands
May 30, 2009
On November 2, 2008, Sprawl-Busters reported that Wal-Mart had a civil war on its hands. One hundred and fifty four years after one of the
Wal-Mart Serves Free Ice Cream To An Obese Nation
May 30, 2009
Wal-Mart wants Americans to stop going to ice cream parlors or restaurants for ice cream. For the second year in a row, Wal-Mart is getting
Wal-Mart Hearing Turns ‘Raucous.’
May 29, 2009
It’s an axiom in zoning cases that if people are clashing at public hearings, something is wrong with the proposal. Good land use planning can
Wal-Mart Pressures City Council To Reverse Big Box Ban
May 27, 2009
On March 17, 2009, Sprawl-Busters reported that Citizen Wal-Mart had hired people to go out gathering signatures in Salinas, California to repeal a ban on
Judge Rules City Must Allow Public To Review Wal-Mart Report
May 26, 2009
Sometimes the public is excluded from the public process. That’s what happened recently in Delano, California, where local officials are in such a big rush
FEMA Money Used To Buy Old Wal-Mart
May 26, 2009
Federal tax money is being used in Louisiana to buy a dead Wal-Mart with a damaged roof. There are more than 200 dead Wal-Marts on
OSHA Scolds Wal-Mart Over Black Friday Death
May 26, 2009
Six months after the trampling death of a temporary worker at a Wal-Mart in Long Island, it appears that the giant retailer will be able
Native Americans Vote To Build Store For Wal-Mart
May 23, 2009
Native American groups are often interested in Wal-Mart projects, because these groups have more control over land use on their Reservation, and can approve projects
Wal-Mart Wants To Demolish Store To Build A Bigger One In Same Spot
May 22, 2009
The Athens, Pennsylvania Planning Commission has put a hold on Wal-Mart’s plans to expand its discount store there into a supercenter. There is a 104,000
Wal-Mart’s Passage To India
May 20, 2009
The saturation of small town America has led the Wal-Mart corporation to chase profits in frontier markets like China, Central and South America, and now,
Court Rules Against $33 Million Tax Rebate For Wal-Mart
May 19, 2009
Two years ago, the Wall Street Journal ran a story revealing that Wal-Mart pays billions of dollars a year in rent for its stores, but
‘Smart, Controlled Growth’ Colorado Style
May 19, 2009
Wal-Mart has got to love Colorado. Many small towns in Colorado embrace the concept of ‘smart growth,’ but realize it in the most contradictory ways.
Planning Board Clears Path For Wal-Mart Supercenter Minutes From Its ‘Old’ Store
May 16, 2009
On January 15, 2009, Sprawl-Busters reported that residents in Old Bridge, New Jersey were fighting a 150,000 s.f. Wal-Mart supercenter. Old Bridge is located 36