Several retailers including Wal-Mart have been named in a nationwide class action for their participation in selling polycarbonate plastic baby bottles and toddler training cups containing the controversial hormone BPA.
This whole BPA - or Bisphenol-A - controversy is not a good thing. BPA is a key compound used in polycarbonate plastics, which are clear and nearly shatter-proof (a good thing), and also possibly toxic and poisoning us and our children daily (apparently bad...very, very bad). These plastics are used to make a variety of common products including baby and water bottles, sports equipment, medical devices, lenses, CDs, and household electronics...a fact that, in the interest of full disclosure, actually made me check the bottom of my water bottle this morning to make sure I wasn’t slowly killing myself.
The lawsuit in question was filed in Georgia, and you can read the (very long) complaint here, in which defendants are accused of manufacturing and selling materials made with BPA despite knowledge of likely adverse affects. In addition to Wal-Mart, retailers such as CVS, Target, and Kroger have been named in the suit. Also named were manufacturers of the bottles themselves, including Evenflo, Gerber, and Playtex. The best part of this whole thing - not only have over a hundred studies been produced in the last decade warning of the adverse affects of BPA, but apparently in deeming the compound safe the FDA decided to rely on only two, both of which were produced by the American Plastics Council. So kudos to the FDA for that.
The lawsuit has been filed in the U.S District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. You can read the release on it below.
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Posted by Corey Himrod | Permalink
The Rome Newswire tells us today that Bentonville has ordered all of the area stores near Rome, Georgia to remove all free newspaper racks.
This on the heels Wal-Mart/ASDA demanding (and then relenting) that magazines on its shelves dedicate both advertising and editorial space to the company in every issue. Is Rome incident a fluke or part of a larger, company wide crackdown on media distributed in Wal-Mart stores? If anyone has noticed this elsewhere, write in and let us know.
(The Newswire is asking its readers to call area Wal-Mart stores and request that that the newspaper racks be replaced, and if necessary - go pick up a copy at the East Rome K-Mart, where they’ve “doubled [the] normal weekly drop to handle the additional traffic.")
Wal-Mart Stores Pull All Free Papers [Rome Newswire]:
Since the start of RomeNewswire’s print edition, The Newswire, readers have been able to pick up a free copy at their local Wal-Mart stores.
However, recently the home office of Wal-Mart sent a directive to remove all free news paper racks from the store’s vestibules. In many of the locations, store managers have moved The Newswire inside the store and patrons continued to have the free paper available to them. However recently, the area district manager for the two Rome Wal-Mart’s, along with the Wal-Mart in Rockmart and the store in Cedartown, has directed that the papers be removed all together.
We are asking that our readers contact their local Wal-Mart store and let it be known that they would like to continue to pick up the weekly Newswire paper at the Wal-Mart locations.
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Posted by Eric Bull | Permalink
Wal-Mart has, unsurprisingly, been the target of more lawsuits than one can count over the years. The company’s treatment of its workers and “save money at all costs” mentality has resulted in a flood of legal challenges ranging from single plaintiff suits to multi-million dollar class actions. Dukes v. Wal-Mart is of course one large example (the largest class action in American history, actually), as are the myriad wage/hour/overtime class actions the company faces.
At Wal-Mart Watch will be focusing on one of these stories each week, highlighting those cases that warrant further attention because of the light each sheds in its own way on how Wal-Mart does business.
Another Wal-Mart employee recently filed a racial discrimination and retaliation complaint against Wal-Mart in the Northern District of Georgia…
Raquel Sagastume lives in Riverdale, Georgia. Originally, Ms. Sagastume hails from Honduras. She was hired at Wal-Mart as a Sales Associate in March of 2001. After her successful job performance, Ms. Sagastume was promoted to Assistant Store Manager and made approximately $46,000.00 a year.
In 2006, Ms. Sagastume was transferred to a store located in Lovejoy, Georgia. Upon arriving at the new location and without her approval, Ms. Sagastume’s salary was immediately reduced to $38,000.00 a year. No indication was ever given to Ms. Sagastume that her performance on the job was anything less than stellar.
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Posted by Christina Clark | Permalink
Commission OKs Wal-Mart plat [Augusta Chronicle (Ga.)]
A proposed Wal-Mart shopping center near Grovetown came a step closer to realization Thursday with the Columbia County Planning Commission approving a preliminary plat for the project.
The shopping center will be constructed on about 61 acres in an area many officials call “The Gateway,” which is north of Grovetown near the intersection of Lewiston Road and Interstate 20. The proposed center is referred to as the Wal-Mart Gateway project on county documents.
The project calls for 13 tracts on the property, with one going to Wal-Mart. No details on who might build on the remaining tracts were available Thursday evening.
Though planning commissioners approved the preliminary plat, they did place conditions on developers: buffers and landscaping must be installed adjacent to any properties zoned residential, a final plat must be submitted for approval and tracts on the property zoned light industrial and residential must be rezoned commercial before they are developed. A time frame for the Wal-Mart project has not been released.
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Posted by Joel Nezianya | Permalink
East Albany Walmart one step closer [WALB-TV (Ga.)]
Plans for a new Walmart in East Albany continue to move forward. Walmart plans to close the deal on property at the intersection of Cordele Road and Clark Avenue in East Albany in about six months.
Tuesday, city commissioners tentatively approved a road improvement incentive for the development.
The developer will pay for about $800,000 worth of road improvements, including entrances and exits to the property; then, the city and county will reimburse the developer.
Planning Director Howard Brown said, “The genius of this is that the city and county will not pay one dime, until the actual building is built and receives a certificate of occupancy from the planning and development department.”
City commissioners say $800,000 is a drop in the bucket compared to the $3.3 to $4.5 Million in taxes the new Walmart would provide the county. It’s also expected to add up to 500 jobs.
Posted by Joel Nezianya | Permalink
Wal-Mart has withdrawn plans for a superstore in Forsyth County that had been the subject of a four-year battle with neighboring homeowners.
The giant retailer said the decision was related to plans announced in June 2007 to more strategically prioritize the development of its supercenters.
“While this decision is certainly an appropriate one from a business standpoint, it takes nothing away from the fact that Forsyth is an excellent community and a great place to do business,” said Glen Wilkins, Wal-Mart senior manager of public affairs for Georgia. The retailer, which last year opened a new store on Atlanta Highway in Forsyth County, said as recently as February that it was proceeding with plans to build a supercenter along Ga. 141, between the Bridle Ridge and Laurel Springs subdivisions in Suwanee.
The fight over this Wal-Mart location started in 2004 and energized nearby homeowners to form the watchdog group Smart Growth Forsyth. In February, a 3-2 majority of the Forsyth County Commission ruled with Smart Growth, overturning a decision last May by the county Zoning Board of Appeals that would have allowed Wal-Mart to build a 175,000-square-foot store and obtain a stream buffer variance.
At that time, Wilkins said the plan was to move forward on a 170,000-foot store, with a 15-foot wall that protects the stream and a bridge that allows customers to cross the stream and enter the store.
Last week, Wal-Mart also announced it would not build a 176,000-square-foot supercenter at the corner of Peachtree Industrial Boulevard and Sugarloaf Parkway in Duluth. Posted by Alex Goldschmidt | Permalink
Wal-Mart says it won’t build in Forsyth [The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]
With Wal-Mart fight over, participants reflect on battle [Atlanta Journal-Constitution]
It was a bruising fight.
But now that Wal-Mart has scratched plans to build a 176,000-square-foot supercenter at the corner of Peachtree Industrial Boulevard and Sugarloaf Parkway in Duluth after almost a year of trying, the various participants are reflecting on what happened.
For the citizen group Smart Growth Gwinnett, born out of residents’ opposition to a big-box development so close to their neighborhoods, it feels like a victory for the little guy —- proof that you can take on a Goliath and even occasionally win.
“I think that this shows that citizens getting involved in their government can have a positive impact,” said Ed Wilson, president of Smart Growth, which represents residents from 11 neighborhoods. “I heard from numerous people that it was quite enlightening to get involved and observe how the city works.”
It was also instructive, and gratifying, he said, to be involved in the creation of the city’s comprehensive ordinance that governs all aspects of buildings over 75,000 square feet.
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Posted by Alex Goldschmidt | Permalink
Wal-Mart Won’t Build In Duluth [CBS 46 (Ga.)]
Many residents of Duluth were thrilled on Thursday when they found out that Wal-Mart withdrew its plans to build a store in Duluth.
Since June, residents have been trying to stop the building of a 176,000-square-foot store on 32 acres of land at Peachtree Industrial Boulevard and Chattahoochee Drive. Glen Wilkins, a Wal-Mart spokesman, said the decision not to build the store rested on both a corporate edict to slow the development of Supercenters and actions taken by Duluth, which kept construction from being able to take place until late January.
Wilkins said he had an estimate of how much money Wal-Mart had spent to this point to have the store approved, but that he could not release the amount because it was proprietary.
Not building at the site was a business decision, he said, and not related to the hundreds of Duluth residents who protested the store’s location. He said there are no immediate plans to look for other locations for stores in the area.
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Posted by Alex Goldschmidt | Permalink
Wal-Mart won’t build Duluth Supercenter [Atlanta Journal-Constitution]
Wal-Mart announced late Thursday night that it would not build a 176,000-square-foot Supercenter at the corner of Peachtree Industrial Boulevard and Sugarloaf Parkway in Duluth.
While every step of the stores rollout was greeted by crowds of protesters wearing red T-shirts and carrying “Stop Wal-Mart” signs, there was no indication that pressure from neighborhood group Smart Growth Gwinnett had an effect on the decision.
Instead, company spokesman Glen Wilkins said in a press release, the decision was “related to Wal-Mart’s announcement in June 2007 to more strategically prioritize development of Supercenters.”
There are already two Wal-Mart stores within six miles of the proposed location, in Duluth and neighboring Suwanee.
“While this decision is certainly an appropriate one from a business standpoint,” Wilkins said in the release, “it takes nothing away from the fact that Duluth is an excellent community and a great place to do business.”
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Posted by Alex Goldschmidt | Permalink
Wal-Mart has announced a plan to open hundreds of in-store medical clinics within the next two years, aiming to have 400 clinics up and running by 2010.
The announcement comes on the heels of the overnight closing of the prominent Wal-Mart in-store clinic CheckUps, which literally closed so suddenly not even its employees knew not to come into work. Those 23 CheckUps that shut their doors represented nearly one third of Wal-Mart’s current in-store clinics.
The CheckUps debacle apparently was caused by a startup company that couldn’t bring in enough revenue quickly enough to cover its costs. It’ll be interesting to see how Wal-Mart addresses this in the future - obviously it would be in Wal-Mart’s best interest this time around to do a little homework and partner with companies it knows will succeed.
The story, out of Phoenix, reported several Phoenix are hospitals were reluctant to discuss the issue.
Wal-Mart to open 400 health clinics nationally by year 2010 [Phoenix Business Journal]
Grocery, drug and retail chains are expanding to offer in-store medical clinics as uninsured patients with common illnesses clog Valley emergency rooms.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the nation’s largest retailer, is eyeing the Arizona market and looking to partner with local hospitals and health systems to run mini clinics in its stores.
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Posted by Corey Himrod | Permalink
Wal-Mart moves forward with Forsyth super center [Atlanta Journal-Constitution]
It’s a big-box battle that’s gone on for four years, cost both sides tens of thousands of dollars, and motivated residents of south Forsyth County to become development watchdogs.
Retail giant Wal-Mart said this week it is moving forward with plans to build a super center along Ga. 141, between the Bridle Ridge and Laurel Springs subdivisions.
But the store will be about 170,000 square feet, 33,000 square feet smaller than first proposed and, by all accounts, that’s largely due to Smart Growth Forsyth, a watchdog organization that emerged from the Wal-Mart fight.
“There was no balance between protecting our quality of life and development,” said Bob Slaughter, founder of Smart Growth Forsyth. “Development always won out.”
That was not the case last week, when a 3-2 majority of the Forsyth County Commission ruled with Smart Growth. The County Commission overturned a decision last May by the county Zoning Board of Appeals that would have allowed Wal-Mart to build a 175,000-square-foot store and obtain a stream buffer variance.
Wal-Mart spokesman Glen Wilkins said this week that “Smart Growth got what they wanted.”
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Posted by Alex Goldschmidt | Permalink
Wal-Mart decides not to build at Marietta site [Atlanta Journal-Constitution]
Wal-Mart has dropped plans to build a super center on Powder Springs Street in Marietta.
The store would have replaced a half-empty shopping strip and former movie theater near Bellemeade Drive.
Wal-Mart has reduced the number of U.S. stores it planned to build this year from 280 to 140, said Glen Wilkins, a company spokesperson.
There were also some environmental issues that would make the development more expensive and a problem with getting a traffic light at the entrance to the store, he said.
Marietta had hoped the new super center would start to spruce up the area. Mike Donahoo, Marietta’s industrial development manager, said no other retailers have approached the city about the property.
“The city is very disappointed with the change of plans. This is one of the gateways to Marietta,” he said. “The city hoped this would jump-start needed revitalization in the area.”
Posted by Alex Goldschmidt | Permalink
Wal-Mart getting closer to Duluth [Gwinett Herald (Ga.)]
Wal-Mart saw a major step forward in its quest to put a new Supercenter in Duluth after the city’s zoning board of appeals approved four of the six variances by the retailer at a Jan. 23 meeting. But the retailer still has part of the journey left to build a second store within the city limits.
The ZBA approved variances on parking lot requirements, moving a landscape buffer strip, allowing for a flatter roof than the zoning ordinance allows and limiting fenestration on non-façade sides of the building. The two variances denied by the ZBA dealt with substituting artificial brick for brick on three exterior walls and having limited modulation on those same three exterior walls.
Wal-Mart will now be permitted to put 4.6 parking spaces per 1,000 square-feet instead of the required five, to move back their landscape buffer on the rear of the building, to only require 30 percent fenestration on the sides of the building considered facades and to have a roof that is 70 percent flat instead of the 65 expressed in the city’s large scale development ordinance.
The crux of the issue came down to the definition of what a façade is. Wal-Mart maintained that the side of the building with the main entrance facing Chattahoochee Drive was the only side of the building considered a façade. They believed that because of limited visibility from the Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, Sugarloaf Parkway and Buford Highway sides of the building that these were not considered facades and thus exempt from the design standards put forth by the large scale development ordinance.
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Posted by Alex Goldschmidt | Permalink
Panel clears way for Duluth Wal-Mart [Atlanta Journal-Constitution]
The Wal-Mart saga in Duluth may be close to over.
On Wednesday night, the Zoning Board of Appeals granted most of the retailer’s requests to vary from city codes in constructing a Supercenter on Peachtree Industrial Boulevard at Sugarloaf.
But it denied the retailer’s contention that the store, which sits on a corner lot, only has one facade.
The reason that matters is that Duluth just spent six months crafting a big box ordinance it passed in December that requires the facade of large commercial buildings to be varied in shape and be made of real brick, stone or glass.
Smart Growth Gwinnett’s Len Boyer, who lives across Peachtree Industrial from the site, spoke about the importance of enforcing the new ordinance.
“We — Smart Growth Gwinnett — don’t have an engineer in training or an engineer intern,” he said. “But we know that the side of Wal-Mart will be visible, and if it is, we ask that it have real brick.”
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Posted by Alex Goldschmidt | Permalink
When Wal-Mart came to Dekalb County in Metro Atlanta, not all residents were happy. Many thought that it would bring crime, traffic, and lower property values. Now that it’s here, though, Wal-Mart doesn’t seem to be having any problem finding potential employees. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 7,500 people turned in applications for the 350-400 jobs the new supercenter will offer. Wow.
The phenomenon could reveal a lot about the state of the local economy in Atlanta. Although the area unemployment rate is low, local economics professor Bruce Kaufman explained that many people are likely looking for second or better jobs, or had previously quit looking for work.
Economic ramifications aside, we’re always a little skeptical of the numbers of job applicants Wal-Mart claims they have. In 2006 in Portage, Indiana, Wal-Mart had claimed to have 4000 applicants to a single store, before it was exposed that they were lumping into that number online applications from a number of surrounding stores. As you could imagine, getting any sort of verification of these types of things from Wal-Mart is not easy. If we hear anything about the validity of the number, we’ll make sure to keep you updated.
Posted by Eric Bull | Permalink
Thousands show up for shot at Wal-Mart job [Atlanta Journal-Constitution]
They came in droves — high school students, retirees, young moms, the unemployed — all for a shot at a job at a new Wal-Mart on Memorial Drive in central DeKalb County.
In just two days, and with virtually no advertising or even any signs, a staggering 7,500 people filled out applications for one of the 350 to 400 available jobs.
Delois Zeigler was among those who packed a meeting room Tuesday at Saint Philips AME Church near Avondale Estates, hoping to soon be wearing Wal-Mart’s trademark blue uniform.
“I need a job,” said Zeigler, who has held temporary cleaning and cooking jobs since moving to metro Atlanta two months ago. “I’m open to anything.”
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Posted by Andrew Yonki | Permalink
Wal-Mart conflict continues: Meeting may make suit moot [Atlanta Journal-Constitution]
The City of Duluth responded last week to a lawsuit filed by Jack Bandy, who wants to sell his land to Wal-Mart.
City Attorney Lee Thompson argued that a judge should dismiss this lawsuit, which is concerned with building variances, because the city zoning board meets Jan. 23 and may make decisions that render the suit moot.
The retail giant wants to build a 176,000-square-foot supercenter with a roof pitch, building materials and landscape placement that differ from what the city requires.
A former city planner approved the differences, but the planning board later overturned them in October. That led Bandy to file the lawsuit.
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Posted by Andrew Yonki | Permalink
Wal-Mart request for variances postponed [Atlanta Journal-Constitution]
It took less than 10 minutes for Duluth’s Board of Zoning Appeals to postpone the next chapter in the Wal-Mart saga.
The board voted unanimously Wednesday night to table the retailer’s three variance requests until its January meeting.
The board’s chairman noted the city adopted a lengthy set of new rules regarding all large-scale development only two days ago. It only made sense to give everyone time to study those rules before considering Wal-Mart’s requests.
“We need to see what it states,” Art Salus said, “because it might have an effect on the outcome, whether it’s pro or against.”
Wal-Mart spokesman Glen Wilkins, who attended the meeting along with landowner Jack Bandy and his attorney, former Gov. Roy Barnes, said he’s disappointed once again to have no resolution — but not surprised.
“Obviously,” Wilkins said, “you can’t tell what’s going to happen in this city.”
Posted by Andrew Yonki | Permalink
Many communities are eager to see a new Wal-Mart come to town, but few think of the effect the retailer will have if and when it leaves. This article from Minnesota’s St. Cloud Times gives a local perspective to the retailer’s global prospects. Visit Battle-Mart for more information about fighting Wal-Mart in your local community.
Wal-Mart’s exit is boon, bane for communities [St. Cloud Times (Minn.)]
An empty Wal-Mart building sits along a stretch of road in Little Falls and shoppers have been rerouted to a newer, bigger Wal-Mart down the street.
Its owners have taken care of the old building after the Wal-Mart Supercenter was built in August. It’s been repainted a shade of light green, masking signs of what once thrived there.
At any given time, about 300 to 400 former Wal-Mart stores sit empty around the nation, in some cases for as long as five to seven years, said Ken Stone, a retired professor from Iowa State University who has studied Wal-Mart for about 20 years. Those empty buildings can be a blight to a community and area businesses if they sit untouched for too long.
“It’s a real problem, there’s no question about it,” Stone said.
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Posted by Alex Goldschmidt | Permalink
WAL-MART TEST [Atlanta Journal-Constitution] 
Duluth council postpones action on new development rules that would affect megastores such as the one proposed on Peachtree Industrial.
The Duluth City Council’s interest in setting guidelines for large commercial buildings grew out of bitter fights over Wal-Mart’s proposed second store at Peachtree Industrial Boulevard.
The Duluth City Council on Monday night postponed action on new rules for construction of buildings over 75,000 square feet.
Although the proposed ordinance was the result of a months-long study about large scale development, and had been tweaked for weeks by city planner Clifford Cross to reflect comments from staff, council members and the public, the council tabled the measure until next Monday.
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Posted by Andrew Yonki | Permalink
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