Growers and Grocers

My friend Tim alerted me to this article on The New York Times, which announces that Wal-Mart will offer financial grants to the local businesses that typically wither and die when Wal-Mart bulldozes into town.

Not only that, Wal-Mart will train these small businesses on how to stay afloat with a superstore nearby. I’d love to hear those lessons: “Give better service because we sure don’t,” or maybe “Give to local causes; we ignore them.”

The company is up front about its motives—build support for the chain in urban neighborhoods that have resisted it so far. Not surprisingly, the grants will go to businesses within those potential markets.

The retail giant is feeling pressure: A recent internal report showed that 2-8% of Wal-Mart’s customers had stopped shopping there after hearing negative press.

And that’s the moral: Your dollars are a powerful tool. The government isn’t going to rein in corporations, but if you stop giving them your money, you stab them in their bottom line. If you have a choice on where to shop, wield your power.