Principles of Battle-Mart

As you use this site, keep in mind the following principles:

Wal-Mart is never a done deal. Wal-Mart is not a government mandate, but developers want you to believe that there is no way to stop them. Your local officials--who should know better--- will often reinforce the notion that Wal- Mart is ‘done deal.’ In fact, there are many Wal-Mart ‘dumb deals,’ but very few ‘done deals.’

Wal-Mart is very vulnerable. Several hundred big box stores have been beaten, some in a matter of days or hours, some in months or years. At the rate Wal-Mart stores are currently being stopped, we expect as many as 100 communities a year will turn away a Wal-Mart proposal.

All zoning is local. There is no single, standard strategy to take in fighting a Wal- Mart. Local officials are unique, local zoning codes differ, local parcels of land present unique opportunities and challenges.

It takes a village to beat a Wal-Mart. One or two plaintiffs in a lawsuit can hold up plans for years--but your chances of success are directly proportional to the number of troops on your side. You will seek to get a lot of local residents to join in the fight, and keep building the pressure of public opinion in your local media.

A site fight is a political campaign. You will have good days and bad days, but the fight isn’t over until the fat company sings keels over. There is no such thing as "downtime" in a campaign. You must be planning or doing something every day in a campaign, until it is over.

Time is on your side. The longer you drag out a decision, the greater the toll it takes on the developer and Wal-Mart. For them, lost time is lost money, and everyday you delay, means the chance that a land deal will fall apart.

This battle can get hot. Neighbors will turn against neighbors over this issue; even discord within families is not unusual. This issue literally "hits you where you live," There are many people in your town who will want a Wal-Mart, and for economics reasons, can only focus on getting the cheapest bargain they can find. You should expect strong opposition locally. Often Wal-Mart and their developer will hire consultants to organize supporters in your town

Wal-Mart will outspend you. The corporation will always have more money to spend on a local campaign than you do, but your strength is in having more local people willing to fight.

Wal-Mart imitates grassroots groups. The company will set up a phony "citizens" group; generate letters to the editor; circulate petitions signed in their store, use pre-recorded phone messages; hire a local PR firm and lawyer; send expensive direct mailings, publish their own "opinion surveys," bring in their community affairs staff to create positive news stories, etc.

You are not alone, but you will need expert assistance. Zoning cases often involve detailed matters of law. You will need a land use attorney, and other specialists to help you defeat Wal-Mart.  There are other groups in your state or general area that have fought and are willing to swap strategies and resources. We can also provide you with ideas customized to meet your needs. If you have a specific question not covered in this presentation, go to CONTACT US and let us know what you need to win.