So when a Wal-Mart sells stuff that gets taxed, the city doe's not get anything? Please Mark, tell me where the millions of tax dollars go if not to the coffers? Which downtowns are you talking about? They said the same thing about Woodland 15 years ago when Wal-Mart arrived and downtown is fine, all the stores are filled.

Do everyone a favor and don't shop there, the dollartree might be a better fit for you.

Sales taxes to go the state, trapper, not directly to the city. I don't know the specifics for the Elk Grove store, but I do know about the Wal Mart that moved into a town called Lebanon in Oregon. Here is a brief synopsis of that towns sad fate.

Lebanon is a small town on a major trucking route with a Main Street on which everything needed (groceries, trinkets, electronics, clothing, etc) could be found...10 years ago. The shops were quaint, the owners local and weekends walking down Main Street were a lot of fun with people everywhere. The city was doing fine. Wal Mart saw the potential of a store located in this town. They negotiated a deal that included a 5 year tax exemption to the city of Lebanon. The city figured it was worth it in order to reap the benefits of the long-term taxes. For five years the city gained NO revenue from Wal Mart during which time Main Street quickly emptied of every quaint store with the exception of a Rent a Center and some Thrift stores. It's a street of vacant buildings with very little foot traffic now days.

To finish the story. Before the 5 year tax exemption was up Wal Mart built a "superstore" 1 mile down the road and moved in. They relocated across city limits and out of Lebanon's tax jurisdiction. They negotiated a similar deal with the city to which they moved (not sure of its name). They also left an enormous abandoned building with an immense vacated parking lot. The city of Lebanon was responsible for the buliding, which now houses a church at great cost to the city. Main Street will never recover, the city's culture has all but died because it centered around Main Street.

So there, trapper is the answer to your question. Wal Mart is a faceless terror who abuses the cities and towns they move into. And they sell cheap crap.

well put.

If it's a Super Wal Mart, yes, it will provide groceries, most likely at a rate more affordable than most places. Wal-Mart is far from perfect, but the advantage of having one store have relative dominance is that Wal-Mart has been able to push a green (and efficient) agenda on its suppliers. If our economy was comprised of nothing but small-chain and independent stores, the supply chain would be hideously inefficient and fractured.

And let's be realistic. The reason why no small independent places will go to Elk Grove is because Elk Grove isn't designed for it, having screwed itself into a hole with its development strategy. Better for the citizens to have a cheap, centralized place to shop while they shore up their savings in order to get the duck out of Fodge rather than them driving up to Sacramento to do their bulk shopping.

Apparently bwrite can only believe what Stacy Mitchell writes because being objective is not what her book is about.