Gube,

You make me laugh.  They don't give their employees 40 work weeks, true, but have you asked how many hours K-mart gives their employees? Go ask one. It sure isn't a 40 hour work week unless you are in management. Health insurence, When my wife work for Wal-mark in the Chicago area they sure did offer it just as the local K-Mart does, you just have to pay for it either way.

Will the Wal-Mart drive the local businesses out? Sure some will go due to the Wal-Mart, but if the city keeps the migrate fees that the land developers should be paying going to the local businesses the city will kill more than Wal-Mart. Just go into Canine Creek and ask the owner their why she has to pay 16,000 to move into the new development off of Tucker. 

As for the people from Mojave and Cal City shopping in Tehachapi goes... They already do. I work with many of from both areas and they shop in Tehachapi because Bakersfield is too far and they don't like Palmdale /Lancaster.

I will agree that the Bakersfield Wal-Mart are trash, but so does the K-Mart down there off of Wilson. By your logic, the K-Mart in Tehachapi should be in the same condition.

CountyGirl,

Thanks for the story. I agree that the actions that Wal-Mart are taking are sad and in my opinon wrong. However it also should be a wake up call for everyone to check their company insurence plan for the small print. One line in the story tells you that this is not a story so much about Wal-Mark but a warning to all us us about the way businesses run their health insurence.

"Like most company health plans, Wal-Mart's reserves the right to recoup the medical expenses it paid for someone's treatment if the person also collects damages in an injury suit."

So if this story drives home why not to shop at Wal-Mart, then you need to start researching other companies for their health plans fine print and stop shopping or using their products.

Gube I guess that I am would fall into the category of "White trash" for shopping at Walmart. I shop there because I cannot afford to pay the higher prices at other stores. Me and my Husband work hard for our money and the further our dollar can be stretched the better.

Gube,

I believe it will bring more people to move intot he area, but most from Cal City and Mojave will stay in there areas. The people I believe that will be attacked to Tehachapi when Wal-Mart comes in will be from Palmdale/ Lancaster and Bakersfield. However, that is mostly who are moving into Tehachapi now. I also don't believe it matters if it is a Super or regular Wal-Mart as to how many will move into the area. In my opinon, we need another grocery store in Tehachapi as the two big ones we have now are almost always backed up with people and also more expensive than Bakersfield, even when you include the gas and lunch to travel to Bakersfield. What Wal-mart might do is make the Albertsons and Savemart lower their prices and keep more of us shopping in the town instead of going down the hill.

Is Wal-Mart the perfect fit for Tehachapi? Only time will tell. If you remember a couple years ago many people complained about the Home Depot coming in and said that it would kill the local hardware stores. Well the Home Depot is here and all the local hardware stores are still running. In fact, many of the paople I work with complain that the Home Depot doesn't stock what they need and end up at the local hardware stores. So will Wal-Mart kill the local merchant? I don't believe so.

That is a sad story but I don;t agree that it says much at all about Walmart in general. I hate the Walmarts in Bakersfield, but they do have cheaper prices and cheaper prices brings in customers. 

I'm sure there are alot of people (not only you Gube) that shop at Walmart and do not consider themselves "white trash". You can't judge their whole customer base on what you see in Bakersfield. 

I would be shocked if Walmart didn't set up shop here honestly. Small towns do not stay small towns, take a look around, things change and cities grow, like it or not. As soon as there is a large enough customer base to provide a desirable profit margin you can bet that Walmart will be here.

Well shucks, I reckon I'm one of those lower class types - I shops at Walmart down in Palmdale. Gosh, I even lives in a trailer (not a mobile home) complete with an old broken down red truck and an outhouse down the drive. OOOOweeee!

I don't necessarily want to see Walmart come here, super or not. I don't mind the 45 minute drive down to P&L, and I usually go to one more than one place. If there's going to be a new one built, I think they should put it in Mojave. They need it, we don't.

It's too bad Sam Walton's heirs didn't keep his vision and values. Sadly, bottom line is always about the $$$$

rm6,

I agre that it is a sad factor and hope I am wrong, but as I said many of those I work with said that if Tehachapi had more retail stores they would move. The worst part of that is that many of those that do move into town will also bring the problems that they want to leave. That is what happened in the 80's when the prison increased it's staff and many of the gaurds kids were the bad seeds. I don't mean to disrespect the guards as they do a great job. Of course another problem that came during the 80's was the increase of prisonners which also brought a great many bad seeds at the same time.

Wal-Mart wanted fifty bucks for a dried out Christmas tree. I went two blocks away and bought a Douglas fir still in water for twenty eight bucks and tip ed the kid five bucks to tie it to my car, and I still came out ahead. Anyone tip a wal-mart employee lately?  

 I believe the majority of people here in Tehachapi can not stand wal-mart "I did not capitalize the name for a reason." And the ones who do shop there only think they are getting a better price. It is true they are cheaper on certain things, But with cheaper prices brings cheaper quality. It is a shame more people don't realize that.