CNHI
RUSHVILLE —
Dear Editor: I have just returned from another disappointing visit to our local Walmart. As I was checking out, I remarked to the nice Walmart employee that the selection of merchandise at the store continues to seriously decline. I left without two of the items I had expressly gone there to purchase--items which heretofore I had routinely bought there. The check-out person said that they get many complaints like mine, and urged me to call the home office in Bentonville, Arkansas. The checker gave the phone number as 1-800-wal-mart. Our Rushville Walmart is probably the smallest of any of the chain's stores anywhere. As you know, the company had announced plans to construct a much larger store in our town. That plan was canceled. I'm guessing they decided that they would be simply competing with their own giant stores all around us, i.e., Greensburg, Shelbyville, New Castle and Connersville. Walmart easily ran all the local independent businesses out of business, killing off the downtown as they have done all over the country. Given that it is indeed a free country, I conceded their right to do so; however, in forcing those local businesses out of business, I firmly believe they shouldered the burden of offering a local source and supply of merchandise previously offered by those local businesses. They did do this for a good many years, and we managed fairly well with our little Walmart. Not so long ago, Walmart made a corporate decision to also dominate the grocery and beverage businesses. You're aware of the unofficial slogan often attributed to Walmart: "We don't want MOST of the business, we want ALL of the business." So, our tiny Rushville Walmart started gradually easing in groceries as well as beer and wine. Since the building has remained the same size, it follows that whenever new kinds of merchandise are given shelf space, other items must be done away with. So, we find ourselves with less of a general merchandise store, and we have gained a poor excuse for a grocery and package alcohol store. We have plenty of good places in Rushville at which to purchase food, beer and wine. We had no need of a general merchandise store infringing on that area of trade. This letter is not written in support of our established food and beverage outlets. It is a letter of complaint against the one general merchandise store in Rushville that has caused us to lose our other sources of merchandise and is now failing to fulfill those self-incurred responsibilities. You're a big bully, Walmart. Shame on you! Sincerely, Norman D. Voiles Rushville