- Interesting op-ed piece in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution by Frances Deen Smith, a self-described “small-town-girl-turned-stay-at-home-mom” who turned into a homeowner activist.
Smith writes about her experience trying to get Wal-Mart not to vacate a Stone Mountain location, a move that would have devastated the local area. (Interesting that in this case it was Wal-Mart’s departure that was the concern, as opposed to its arrival…which seems to be the case in so many other places.) While she met resistance at first from Wal-Mart, she was persistent – at one point calling Wal-Mart headquarters every 30 minutes for three days until she finally was given CEO Lee Scott’s fax number.
Having collected some 3,500 signatures on a petition asking Wal-Mart to renovate the Stone Mountain space instead of leaving, Smith traveled to the company’s Bentonville headquarters and got a meeting with senior executives – which eventually resulted in Wal-Mart’s relenting and deciding to stay in the existing location.
- KC's View:
-
Hey, Wal-Mart gets a lot of grief for ignoring residents in some communities…it is only fair to report when the opposite occurs.
