1st February 2003, 12:35 AM
Supercenters are coming soon... they might have one in Maine and a couple in New England, and I know that they want to get supercenters into New England in a big way in the next few years.
Hey...remember, we only got standard Wal-Marts up here in the last 10-15 years or so... 15 years ago I'm not sure if there was one in the state, and look now... one in every semi-major town... and they're building more fast...
Wal-Mart started in the South... the Northeast has always been the last and toughest market for them to get into. Vermont was the last state in the US without a Wal-Mart until a few years ago... but they're here now and have already killed multiple once-big department store chains... the once major Northeast chains Ames and Bradlees. They both died from competition, most of that from Wal-Mart... I think Ames, which went out of business last year, was one of the last major regional department store chains left. :(
Oh... in the past few months I remember reading several newspaper articles about Wal-Mart and its supercenters and how they want to build them up here then get them into the way of life of New England and the Northeast like they have successfully done in other parts of the country. The scary thing is, I think they will end up succeeding... Not good. Wal-Mart is evil...
Downtowns? Most towns have one... not all (many are too small to have much... hey, this IS Maine...), but many. But this is New England, and that's the Plains... or the South. Either way, I don't think of those areas as having as much downtowns left... they're fading in places here (and of course many chains are in them, like anywhere), but unlike some places haven't all died off yet. I know they've survived Wal-Mart so far, but as it gets bigger... :(
Hey...remember, we only got standard Wal-Marts up here in the last 10-15 years or so... 15 years ago I'm not sure if there was one in the state, and look now... one in every semi-major town... and they're building more fast...
Wal-Mart started in the South... the Northeast has always been the last and toughest market for them to get into. Vermont was the last state in the US without a Wal-Mart until a few years ago... but they're here now and have already killed multiple once-big department store chains... the once major Northeast chains Ames and Bradlees. They both died from competition, most of that from Wal-Mart... I think Ames, which went out of business last year, was one of the last major regional department store chains left. :(
Oh... in the past few months I remember reading several newspaper articles about Wal-Mart and its supercenters and how they want to build them up here then get them into the way of life of New England and the Northeast like they have successfully done in other parts of the country. The scary thing is, I think they will end up succeeding... Not good. Wal-Mart is evil...
Downtowns? Most towns have one... not all (many are too small to have much... hey, this IS Maine...), but many. But this is New England, and that's the Plains... or the South. Either way, I don't think of those areas as having as much downtowns left... they're fading in places here (and of course many chains are in them, like anywhere), but unlike some places haven't all died off yet. I know they've survived Wal-Mart so far, but as it gets bigger... :(