Our Town Damariscotta

Big-Box Store vs. Local Business:
Where your dollars go in Midcoast Maine
■ Locally owned businesses spend 52% of their total sales revenues in the state of Maine.
■ Nationally-owned big box stores keep 14% of total revenues in the state of Maine, almost all of which is spent o payroll. The rest of their revenue is sent out of state and overseas.
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Wal-Mart's Role in the Global Economy
■ Wal-Mart is the world's largest retailer.
■ Of the 100 most powerful economies in the world, Wal-Mart ranks #19.

Wal-Mart's Success Comes at a Cost to Employees
In the form of ; poverty wages
■ In 2003, sales associates, the most common job in Wal*Mart, earned on average $8.23 and hour for annual wages of $13,861. The 2003 poverty line for a family of three was $15,260.
■ 50% of Wal-Mart employees qualify for food stamps.
■ The majority of Wal-Mart employees work part time and do not qualify for benefits.

Inadequate Health Coverage
■ Fewer than half of Wal-Mart employees are insured by the company's health plan, compared to 66% at other large companies.
■ Premiums: employees pay 42% of the cost of their individual health coverage.
■ High deductibles and co-payments: a single worker could pay $6400 ( about 45% of annual full-time salary ) before ever seeing a a single benefit from the health plan.
■ Wal-Mart produces employee handouts about how to apply for Medicaid, food stamps, and other forms of public assistance.

Wal-Mart's Success Comes at a Cost to American Taxpayers
■ Providing public benefits to a single Wal-Mart employing 200 people can cost taxpayers $420,000 per year. This includes free and reduced lunches, housing assistance, tax-credits and deductions for low-income families, state and federal health care costs. Title I expenses, and energy assistance for qualified employees.

Wal-Mart's success Comes at a Cost to Local Businesses, Towns, Communities
■ 84% of Wal-Mart sales cut directly into the sales of local business, minimizing employment gains and reducing the local tax base over the long term.
■ National retailers do far less business with local banks, suppliers, accountants, and other services than local businesses.
■ Studies comparing Big Box tax revenue with cost for public services (traffic, sewer, police and fire protection, etc) show big box costs outweigh tax benefits. One study found a net annual deficit of $468 per 1,000 square feet.
■ Towns around the country report up to 30% increase in police calls after Wal-Mart moves in, costing tens of thousands of dollars in overtime and additional costs.

The Environment
■ Wal-Mart has been cited for numerous Clean Water Act violations from which they have paid millions in penalties.
■ A 250,000 square foot super center with a 16 acre parking lot will produce 413,000 gallons of storm runoff for every inch of rain. Each year, such a lot dumps 240lbs of nitrogen, 32 lbs of phosphorus, and 5 lbs of zinc into local watersheds while creating heat islands.