Crains, Retail current projects news http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20100425/REAL_ESTATE01/304259964I had the good fortune to have worked along side Sam Walton on several retail design and planning projects for Walmart. Mr. Sam, as his associates addressed him as , was a people person and had the utmost respect for his employees, customers and business associates. He knew his success would be based on everyone who was involved with the effort should benefit from the relationship.His values were reinforced every week at their company meetings discussing the importance of a greeter at the front door and how to treat and service the neighborhood where the store was located. That description does not resemble today’s Walmart to me especially when Lee Scott makes a statement like that opening a Walmart store in New York City was not worth the effort.Walmart can afford to do anything they want in one location, this is proven by the many one of a kind prototypes they have designed over the years for the sake of just testing an idea. So what is so hard about entering into NYC when their competitors such as Target, Kmart, Costco and others have all found a way to be of service to our community. Could it be they are afraid of the ripple affect should the union become an issue? Mr. Sam would never have thought twice about doing what was right for the general public.It is amusing to me that Vermont, a state known for their values and beliefs on what makes a better life today was the last hold out for Walmart to penetrate. Vermont did not want traffic, pollution, big parking lots, but rather was very happy with the Momma Poppa way of doing business which was one of the many elements that made the state appealing. Walmart spent a lot of money in public relations, lobbyist and donations to get that store open.That store was not a standard sized store but rather undersized to compromise with the Vermont dictate, but never the less they agreed and opened that store. Why? Perhaps to be able to say that Walmart was now in all 50 states.Well I ask Walmart, would you like to be where everyone knows,”If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere”? or are we not that important enough to make the effort.This current Walmart philosophy is so counter Mr. Sam’s values that perhaps all us New Yorkers are better off if Walmart never comes to the Big Apple.Jerry Birnbach F.I.S.P.blog Retailers for a better tomorrowwww.expertretailwitness.com