The Tuskegee Wal-Mart
I think it started when well-intentioned leaders decided to boycott downtown, white-owned businesses that would not employ blacks. Several businesses put up plywood screens so black shoppers wouldn't be seen sneaking in to shop. The boycott was successful. Several white businesses did employ blacks. Several others chose to go out of business instead of yielding to pressure. The boycott had other unforeseen effects. It trained Tuskegeeans to shop outside of Tuskegee.
Payday became something to look forward to, for reasons other than getting paid. You saw Tuskegeeans at the Village Mall, the movie theaters and East Alabama Medical Center. A truce was declared between Tuskegeeans, as we greeted each other in Auburn and Montgomery and told each other where the best seafood could be found, what was playing at the movies and who else from Tuskegee we had seen spending money. We parted with new information about what was happening in Montgomery and Auburn.
What was happening in Tuskegee? The same businesses that employed blacks were going out of business. The same people that would hold a check until payday were dying in Tuskegee. Black Businesses were suffering too. Unless you had a business that dealt with personal services, or were a professional in the right profession , you were in pain.
In an attempt to keep the Tuskegee dollar in Tuskegee, a new shopping plaza was built complete with a Wal-Mart. The only problem was every established, home-town business had deadly competition in Ford's Crossing. NOBODY could compete with Wal-Mart. As the last of the home-town businesses folded up, Wal-Mart closed their doors and left.
Now Auburn has created an entire industry on the west side of town, very convenient to the Tuskegee shopper. While driving thru the parking lot in front of the Super Wal-Mart, I started counting the 46 tags....and stopped because there were too many. This is the Tuskegee Wal-Mart. Tuskegeeans work there too. I'm sure Auburn has imposed an occupation tax. I would, if I were an Auburn city official. Auburn has developed an industry, a tax machine to accomodate the Tuskegee shopper and grab the Tuskegee dollar. It is a thing of beauty. Tuskegeeans drive 25 minutes up Interstate 85, drop off their money and go back to Tuskegee. And they don't even have to come into the city of Auburn at all.
Payday became something to look forward to, for reasons other than getting paid. You saw Tuskegeeans at the Village Mall, the movie theaters and East Alabama Medical Center. A truce was declared between Tuskegeeans, as we greeted each other in Auburn and Montgomery and told each other where the best seafood could be found, what was playing at the movies and who else from Tuskegee we had seen spending money. We parted with new information about what was happening in Montgomery and Auburn.
What was happening in Tuskegee? The same businesses that employed blacks were going out of business. The same people that would hold a check until payday were dying in Tuskegee. Black Businesses were suffering too. Unless you had a business that dealt with personal services
In an attempt to keep the Tuskegee dollar in Tuskegee, a new shopping plaza was built complete with a Wal-Mart. The only problem was every established, home-town business had deadly competition in Ford's Crossing. NOBODY could compete with Wal-Mart. As the last of the home-town businesses folded up, Wal-Mart closed their doors and left.
Now Auburn has created an entire industry on the west side of town, very convenient to the Tuskegee shopper. While driving thru the parking lot in front of the Super Wal-Mart, I started counting the 46 tags....and stopped because there were too many. This is the Tuskegee Wal-Mart. Tuskegeeans work there too. I'm sure Auburn has imposed an occupation tax. I would, if I were an Auburn city official. Auburn has developed an industry, a tax machine to accomodate the Tuskegee shopper and grab the Tuskegee dollar. It is a thing of beauty. Tuskegeeans drive 25 minutes up Interstate 85, drop off their money and go back to Tuskegee. And they don't even have to come into the city of Auburn at all.
posted by TuskegeeBrat at 8:44 PM
4 Comments:
In about 1994, I was passing through Tuskegee one winter morning and had a conversation with an elderly White gentleman on the sidewalk in front of the State-run "package" store. He told me WalMart had closed its doors and, using a huge number of people and trucks, had moved-out overnight to avoid "trouble." Seems theft was such a problem that the home office decided to switch rather than fight.
I'd be interested to know if anyone knows whether this is true or not.
He was right. The source of the trouble is what I question. The Tuskegee Wal-Mart drew people from all surrounding areas, including Auburn-Opelika. Was the "trouble" from customers or ... who?
A city councilman (White) told me the city raised the utilities on Wal-Mart. Every Wal-Mart I've ever been in has double-doors, to control the indoor climate. Raising the cost of air conditioning would be an excellent way to drive a cost-aware business out of town.
The reason walmart left Tuskegee was they couldnt keep inventory from slipping out the back door to friends of managers. Corruption and looting in the Tuskegee Walmart got so bad that corporate decided to pull the plug.
Law enforcement was bought in and all managers turned in their keys and company I'd cards. This is what happens when a certain section of society is given the opportunity to govern itself. The same thing is happening all across the country.
all that has been said about the closing of Walmart is partially true. Yes there were thefts for sure. Other more significant reasons were:
1. Taking away from the Walmart in Auburn. I was told this by one of the managers hired by Walmart when it first opened.
2. Blacks began to migrate back to Tuskegee as they did during early days, as far away as Opelika and Bullock County and Tallassee. Leaving their cities
3. Can you imagine the Tuskegee store making more money than its white counterpart
4. I was personally told the night the store closed was a Manager that Walmart hired ran off with the deposit! Check it out, Walmart NEVER had Tuskegee managers and anyone to overlook the applications.
5. Now some of us believe that Walmart did a business analysis and said we will close these mom and pop stores but it back fired on them.
6. They did not see the magnitude of the Black money! How it negatively affected the 'white' Walmart in Auburn
7. High utilities, so what! Theft so what! Almost every law student has studied how Walmart had shop lifting quotas for their Loss Prevention Team. Whether shop lifting occurred or not.
8. Do a study. See how the Walmarts popped up all around Tuskegee in white areas.
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