School officials in San Bruno, California learned a painful lesson this week when rumors began circulating that the schools had contacted Wal-Mart over a “surplus”
From the heartland of America, here’s another David v. Goliath story from Papillion, Nebraska to Sprawl-Busters: “Eleven brave neighbors are in the midst of a
Wal-Mart has spent a great deal of time and money trying to woo black customers and black political organizations, but this week in Massachusetts, the
Home Depot has a commitment to history. Their commitment is to destroy it, if necessary. The Tennessean newspaper reports this week that the world’s largest
Sprawl-Busters has received the following SOS from a small town in Ohio: “Wal-Mart is attmepting to purchase land in Etna Township, Ohio (near Pataskala). The
Bloomberg News reports today that Wal-Mart is breaking its addiction to Chinese take-out, and ordering Indian instead. The retailer’s purchases of cheap clothing from India
It’s a common story: Wal-Mart supercenter opens, local businesses close. Net impact: no real gain in tax base for the community. Most recent case in
Here’s a report from another Wal-Mart battle in Canada, where the retailer has suffered several prominent defeats recently: “The Big Box Battle in Campbell River,
A project called “Jefferson Landing” will not be landing. In late June, the Planning Commission in Jefferson Hills, Pennsylvania determined that an application for commercial
Wal-Mart got poked in the eye this week in Buckeye, Arizona. The vote was 4-3 to reject a Wal-Mart supercenter. The town council voted to
Wal-Mart is over a barrel in Niagara Falls, New York. Two years ago, a group called the Citizens Against Sprawlmart blocked a Wal-Mart supercenter, and
Right from the heartland of America, another two employees of Wal-Mart, and a former worker, have filed a lawsuit claiming that the company retaliates against
Wal-Mart international has some bright spots, like the expansion possibilities in China, but the Arkansas retailer’s acquisition of British Asda has left much to be
Wal-Mart has apparently come up with a creative way to get rid of a trouble-maker. Wal-Mart is being sued by one of its former employees
The Utah Supreme Court unanimously ruled on July 1st that residents who fought a Wal-Mart supercenter in their community of Sandy, Utah, have the right
A state lawmaker in Kentucky wants to make it harder for neighbors of a big box store to oppose unwanted developments are curtailing their access
Whenever things go wrong in a community for Wal-Mart, their local spokespersons have a very narrow script to work from. When in doubt, Wal-Mart “community
Retail abhors a vacuum, and Northern Ireland is suffering from a political vacuum, as there is no local government in power that can do anything
What you can’t get by regulation, get by litigation. That seems to be Wal-Mart’s philosophy these days, a far cry from Mr. Sam’s dictum that
A group called American Canyon Community United for Responsible Growth has gone to court to stop a Wal-Mart superstore from being built in their small
Residents in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York think that a huge IKEA furniture store is a bad IDEA. The group issued the
Wal-Mart has lost a second Canadian battle in just over a week. After years of fighting the giant retailer, residents of Vancouver, British Columbia are
The city attorney in Miami, Florida has issued a legal opinion that will send chills through the big box developers preying on small neighborhoods. According
The only thing standing between the city of Alachua. Florida, and a 1.l million s.f. Wal-Mart distribution center, is a lawsuit filed in 2003. The
A California developer has gotten stuck in his own bumper-to-bumper traffic. Those pesky citizens in Temecula, California have been wreaking havoc on the timetable of
Residents in Bellevue, Idaho received some good news this week, when representatives of Atlanta-based Home Depot pulled the plug on their plans to build a
When I did the 60 Minutes TV show in 1995, part of the segment focused on how a small Wal-Mart in Donaldsonville, Louisiana, only 43,148
Another small town has voted to reject the big box formula for success. The City Council in Harrison, Ohio this week voted down a rezoning
The Town Council in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina voted this week not to allow a land use plan change that would have allowed a large
Residents in Monroeville, Pennsylvania are trying to prevent their town from becoming Wal-Martville. Here’s their local report on the battle: ” We are currently fighting
There is no corner of America that big box retail has not affected. The residents of Anchorage, Alaska, who may have wanted to leave big
For the past ten years or more, Wal-Mart has run afoul of federal and state officials in a number of states for violating child labor
In April, 2005, Wal-Mart Canada approached the city of Burlington with a proposal to rezone land from Mixed Use Corridor Retail to allow the construction
Two Wal-Mart “associates” from very different backgrounds have filed lawsuits against their former company, charging that they were dismissed for blowing the whistle on unethical
It took more than three years, but the stalwart residents of Front Royal, Virginia have finally overcome a Wal-Mart threat to build a 184,000 s.f.
Short as the life of a fruit fly, Wal-Mart’s “open availability” workshift policy we wrote about yesterday has been cancelled. Apparently, Wal-Mart’s home office realized
The score in St. Petersburg, Florida is Citizens 1, Wal-Mart 0. This week the city’s Environmental Development Commission, after nearly 10 hours of debate, voted
The Cobb County, Georgia, Planning Commission has unanimously rejected expansion plans submitted by Wal-Mart. The decision now goes to the Cobb County Commissioners. The Planning
A resident’s committee in Kent Island, Maryland (Stevensville) in Queen Anne’s county called Up Against the WAL has finally poked a hole in Wal-Mart’s efforts
Wal-Mart lost something in translation this week, when a German labor court ruled that part of the American retailer’s ethics code of conduct for its
Residents in Portland, Oregon are working to fend off an unwanted Wal-Mart superstore. Here’s their latest report from the frontlines, “There was a neighborhood meeting
The Charleston Gazette in West Virginia carried a story this week that Wal-Mart workers have been informed that they must be available to work for
The National Labor Committee reports that this Friday, June 17th. At 8 pm EST, NBC’s Dateline show will air “an in-depth, undercover investigation of sweatshop
Home Depot has found itself with a huge legal problems this week, as a group of managers at the home improvement giant have won class
Sprawl-Busters traveled to the township of Charlevoix, Michigan last year to help that small community defend itself from a big attack from a proposed 157,000
A correspondent in Wheeling, West Virginia reports that “on May 3,2003, the THF Realty and Glimcher Corporation announced through our local paper that they were
Wal-Mart spends about $1.4 billion a year on advertising, and much of that money is spent cultivating a family-friendly image. But their track record on
Activists across the country are organizing an effort to keep shoppers out of Wal-Mart stores this fall when they stock up on back-to-school supplies. Wal-Mart
The Miami Herald this week described the battle to stop a 152,000 s.f. Home Depot in Pembroke Pines, Florida as “fierce opposition from neighbors.” That
What part of “No” don’t they understand? Sprawl-Busters has been following events in Central Point, Oregon, where the city voted to reject a 207,000 s.f.
The strategies written here were produced by Sprawl-Busters in 2006 at the request of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), mainly for citizen groups that were fighting Walmart. But the tips for fighting unwanted development apply to any project—whether its fighting Dollar General, an Amazon warehouse, or a Home Depot.
Big projects, or small, these BATTLEMART TIPS will help you better understand what you are up against, and how to win your battle.