Op-Ed: Walmart Expansion Unwelcome in Prince George's County

Late last month, Walmart sent a letter to many Prince George's County residents describing plans to convert its existing stores in the county into "full-service Supercenters" and to build two new locations in Oxon Hill and South Bowie. (View the full letter at the bottom of this page, and read more about the company's plans from Bowie Patch.) College Park resident Cynthia McCabe sent the following reply.

College Park resident Cynthia McCabe's reply to Walmart

Ms. Nina Albert

Walmart, Director, Community Affairs

Ms. Albert,

We received your letter this week at our home promoting the Walmart corporation and announcing its intentions to further expand into Prince George’s County. The amount of space provided on the comment card will not be adequate for me to express my disagreement and disgust with just about every promotional talking point advanced in your letter.

Walmart has a shameful track record of inadequately paying workers, suppressing their hours to avoid giving them benefits, and of being openly hostile to workers unionizing for a voice in their workplace. We need look no further than to neighboring D.C. to see that Walmart will resort to threatening local governments. The D.C. City Council took a principled stand that retailers who rake in enormous profits on the backs of their workers should have to, in turn, pay those workers a living wage. Your company, Walmart, responded that it would take its ball and go home, rather than treat its workers fairly.

Our family will continue shopping at Costco, which is already established in Prince George’s County and which pays workers an hourly wage of $20.89, compared with Walmart’s stated average of $12.67 per hour. We admire the corporate philosophy of Costco, where 88 percent of employees have company-provided health insurance (a percentage that Walmart doesn’t even pretend to be close to reaching in its public statements) and are increasingly able to unionize. 

Walmart’s relentless, profit-motivated quest to push down workers’ wages, sell products manufactured as cheaply as possible no matter the risks posed to those producing them, and to quash local competition is in part responsible for the erosion of America’s working families. We have no intention of welcoming that “Walmart way” to Prince George’s County.

Sincerely,

Cynthia McCabe

College Park resident

Walmart's original letter to Prince George's County residents

July 26, 2013

Dear [resident],

I am writing to share Walmart's plans for better serving Prince George's County with affordable and quality merchandise, produce and groceries.

Today, Walmart offers everyday affordable shopping options and provides over 1,1000 jobs in our stores in Bowie, Clinton and Landover Hills.

Prince George's County continues to grow and change. Yet, too often, the county's retails choice lag behind this enjoyed in neighboring communities.

As a result, Prince George's County residents are forced to travel to Alexandria, VA or Anne Arundel County, taking time away from their families and spending dollars that could be spent in the county.

In fact, nearly $16 million is spent by Prince George's County residents in Walmart's Alexandria stores every year. That generates lost sales tax revenue that could benefit Prince George's County schools and help pay for needed county services.

Walmart plans to better serve the county by expanding our presence here, and I ask for your support and ideas for how we can best do that.

Our plan is to convert our current stores to full-service Supercenters which offer merchandise, groceries, and services like pharmacies and garden centers. We are also planning to build new stores in Oxon Hill and South Bowie.

These expansion plans will create around 600 new jobs (in addition to the 1,100 jobds we already provide) and Walmart offers starting wages equal to or better than our competitors, while providing the opportunity for career growth. In fact, approximately 75% of our management associates started as hourly employees. Likewise, we will create opportunities for local contractors and works during the construction phase.

Also, as part of our ongoing commitment to the community, we are proud to give back. Last year alone, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation gave more than $4.3 million in cash and in-kind gifts to Maryland charities and non-profits. In Prince George's County specifically, we have supported organizations such as Share Our Strength, The Training Source, Prince George's Child Resource Center, Daughter For The Day, Mary's Center and many others.

We are excited about our future in Prince George's County and I hope you are too! But we can't do this without you. Walmart supporters need to make sure County Councilmembers hear from their constituents that people want Walmart to expand and provide better shopping options here in Prince George's County.

Please fill out the postage-paid comment card today to let me know what you think and whether we can count on your support.

If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at (240) 560-5350. 

Thank you,

Nina Albert

Walmart

Director, Community Affairs