Why you can't afford to shop at Walmart
How can anyone who works in small-market radio shop at Walmart? Yeah, I know. The pay’s so lousy that you can’t afford to shop anywhere else. But think about it. If you, of all people, don’t support the local mom & pop stores WHO PAY YOUR SALARY, then they will go the way of the dodo. And when enough of them are swallowed up by the Black Hole of Bentonville, you’ll go the same way.
(DISCLAIMER: my S/O owns Walmart stock. I still hate the company and all they stand for.)
Do I shop at Walmart? Unfortunately, yes. But only if what I am looking for is simply not available anywhere else within our market area. Do I shop at some other large chain stores, like K-Mart? And isn’t that just as bad? Yes, I do shop at K-Mart, and no, I don’t think it’s just as bad. For one thing, I worked at K-mart in high school and my early college years, so I have kind of a soft spot for the place. Secondly, while K-Mart does no more local advertising than Wally World, they are not quite so predatory in their pricing, pay scales and business practices. And again, if what I need is available at Mom & Pop’s….I try to go there first. Do I pay more? You bet. Does that mean I can’t buy everything I want as soon as I want? Yep. But if I don’t support the very people who support me, then let’s just close the doors, turn out the lights and let the Walmarts and Clear Channels of the world take over.
Of course, the reverse should also be true. Do your local mom & pop stores buy advertising on your station? Or do they complain that you’re more expensive than the corporately-owned station across town that low-balls ad rates in an attempt to starve your station into providing poor service and programming like they do? Our sales reps are always complaining that clients won’t buy because our rates are too high. Well, excuuuuuuuse me, but having live people on the air 24/7 costs money! Having a full-time news department costs money! Having someone here to monitor the weather and warn you if something severe is headed toward you takes money!
Sometimes I wish I could ask those business people a simple question…
"Why should people shop in your store when they can get the same thing for less money at (gasp) Walmart?"
I imagine their reaction, at least after they calmed down, would be something to the effect of better personal service, being part of the community, standing behind what they sell with a reputation earned over years of service. Okay, I buy that. THAT’S WHY WE’RE MORE EXPENSIVE TOO!!!!
Ever notice how average ad rates increase substantially in a consolidated market? Once the big media companies have bought or bankrupted the competition, they can raise rates whenever and however they want. And the clients have little choice. Either pay the higher rates or don’t advertise, which in any business is the first step toward shutting the doors. And retail is somewhat the same way. You think Walmart’s prices stay as low after they become the only retail outlet in a community? Yeah, right.
Or even worse, if the doom-and-gloom crowd is right about the future of terrestrial radio, and satellite radio becomes the primary, if not only, option….then what’s left for the local businessperson who needs to get their message out to consumers? TV? Not in smaller markets like ours. Print? Yeah, but talk about adding expenses to already stretched bottom line. Radio is and should remain the one affordable alternative for local business….the last refuge, if you will, of hometown capitalism.
It takes a cooperative effort between locally-owned stations and locally-owned businesses to face the onslaught of the mega-corps. And it takes long-term thinking…not just "What can I afford to do this week?" but "What must I afford to do if I want to be here next year?" And yes, long-term thinking in the radio business is as scarce, if not more so, than in the retail/business world.
Okay, so I’m a utopian. I believe that what small market broadcasters do is important to their communities, and that communities should appreciate and support those efforts. But it goes both ways, people. If you work in small-market radio….you cannot afford to shop at Walmart!
(DISCLAIMER: my S/O owns Walmart stock. I still hate the company and all they stand for.)
Do I shop at Walmart? Unfortunately, yes. But only if what I am looking for is simply not available anywhere else within our market area. Do I shop at some other large chain stores, like K-Mart? And isn’t that just as bad? Yes, I do shop at K-Mart, and no, I don’t think it’s just as bad. For one thing, I worked at K-mart in high school and my early college years, so I have kind of a soft spot for the place. Secondly, while K-Mart does no more local advertising than Wally World, they are not quite so predatory in their pricing, pay scales and business practices. And again, if what I need is available at Mom & Pop’s….I try to go there first. Do I pay more? You bet. Does that mean I can’t buy everything I want as soon as I want? Yep. But if I don’t support the very people who support me, then let’s just close the doors, turn out the lights and let the Walmarts and Clear Channels of the world take over.
Of course, the reverse should also be true. Do your local mom & pop stores buy advertising on your station? Or do they complain that you’re more expensive than the corporately-owned station across town that low-balls ad rates in an attempt to starve your station into providing poor service and programming like they do? Our sales reps are always complaining that clients won’t buy because our rates are too high. Well, excuuuuuuuse me, but having live people on the air 24/7 costs money! Having a full-time news department costs money! Having someone here to monitor the weather and warn you if something severe is headed toward you takes money!
Sometimes I wish I could ask those business people a simple question…
"Why should people shop in your store when they can get the same thing for less money at (gasp) Walmart?"
I imagine their reaction, at least after they calmed down, would be something to the effect of better personal service, being part of the community, standing behind what they sell with a reputation earned over years of service. Okay, I buy that. THAT’S WHY WE’RE MORE EXPENSIVE TOO!!!!
Ever notice how average ad rates increase substantially in a consolidated market? Once the big media companies have bought or bankrupted the competition, they can raise rates whenever and however they want. And the clients have little choice. Either pay the higher rates or don’t advertise, which in any business is the first step toward shutting the doors. And retail is somewhat the same way. You think Walmart’s prices stay as low after they become the only retail outlet in a community? Yeah, right.
Or even worse, if the doom-and-gloom crowd is right about the future of terrestrial radio, and satellite radio becomes the primary, if not only, option….then what’s left for the local businessperson who needs to get their message out to consumers? TV? Not in smaller markets like ours. Print? Yeah, but talk about adding expenses to already stretched bottom line. Radio is and should remain the one affordable alternative for local business….the last refuge, if you will, of hometown capitalism.
It takes a cooperative effort between locally-owned stations and locally-owned businesses to face the onslaught of the mega-corps. And it takes long-term thinking…not just "What can I afford to do this week?" but "What must I afford to do if I want to be here next year?" And yes, long-term thinking in the radio business is as scarce, if not more so, than in the retail/business world.
Okay, so I’m a utopian. I believe that what small market broadcasters do is important to their communities, and that communities should appreciate and support those efforts. But it goes both ways, people. If you work in small-market radio….you cannot afford to shop at Walmart!
posted by Just Some Guy on the Radio at 10:56 AM
1 Comments:
I hear members of a certain political party ramble about how Walmart is an example of American ingenuity, capitalism and way of life. If that's the case, I'm not nearly as interested in the American Way. I find their business practices rather abhorrent.
When profit is society's only motivator, I favor living on a deserted island or mountain top.
Besides, I'll never catch a cold there.
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