It looks like Wal-Mart has slipped up, a memo detailing their expansion plans across the US has been leaked. The
San Francisco Chronicle has the story on it and you can
download (pdf) the memo from Wal-Mart Watch.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. plans to open or expand 484 stores across the United States next year, over 100 more than previously disclosed, according to an internal document obtained by a leading Wal-Mart opponent and released to The Associated Press on Monday.
Wal-Mart Watch, a Washington, D.C.-based group backed by unions and environmental and other interests, said it will use the detailed list to alert activists in those communities listed in the document to help them rally against projects in their towns. The group said it received the document from Sprawl Busters, a group opposed to unchecked suburban development.
Wal-Mart confirmed that the document belonged to them.
The reason why I feel that this is important for activists is because it gives you advanced warning if a Wal-Mart is planned for your town so you can get organized and do something about it.
"This internal document reveals where, when, and how Wal-Mart will bully its way across the country to open hundreds of new stores. With this in our hands, our committed supporters are now all the more ready to fight back," Wal-Mart Watch Executive Director Andrew Grossman said in a statement.
The 11-page list provides details that Wal-Mart has not made public about what type and size of store it plans and by what date, as well as for which communities. The world's largest retailer operates four kinds of stores in the U.S. -- Supercenters, which include a full grocery department, Discount Stores without the grocery component, smaller Neighborhood Markets that are mainly grocery, and Sam's Clubs membership stores.
So, download (pdf) the list and see if your town is listed. If it is you should consider writing a letter to your city council or city planning board to raise your concerns. Get involved with other groups in your neighborhood and get out in front of this. If you'd like to get in touch with a Wal-Mart Watch Organizer in your area then click this link
"Whoever is first in the field and awaits the coming of the enemy, will be fresh for the fight; whoever is second in the field and has to hasten to battle will arrive exhausted."
~ Sun Tzu