In the New York Post, Robert Ward calls the war on WM a vast left-wing conspiracy. He points out that Ben and Jerry caused sprawl long ago:
What of the claim that Wal-Mart will destroy the quaint business districts of Vermont's small cities? In fact, Vermont's downtowns - like others all across America - were losing economic activity to suburban and rural roads long before Wal-Mart came along.Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield opened their first ice-cream store in downtown Burlington in 1978. Then, in the mid '80s, the two icons of socially responsible business made a strategic decision based on customer convenience and other business needs: They moved to a verdant spot outside town.
Yet no one complained that they were creating suburban sprawl. If it was OK for Ben & Jerry's to choose a location outside the city, why can't Wal-Mart make the same decision now?
Posted by Kevin on May, 31 2004 at 01:46 PM
