What Residents Are Saying About Wal-Mart's Brochure

Here are some comments we’ve received via email from Austinites about the deceptive brochures Wal-Mart is mailing to residents:

“The brochure you've sent around our neighborhoods is proof of Wal-Mart's deceptive practices and money-grubbing refusal to acknowledge our choices or the environment.”
Kim A.

“I promptly tore up and recycled the Wal-Mart pamphlet. I have boycotted WM for years and detest them.”
Susanna S.

“It was a standard, deceptive brochure, designed to persuade people by using false associations -- that is, it was despicable.”
Letitia B.

“I am SO disgusted by their attempt to manipulate and misrepresent the actual story. It's especially funny because they make it sound like they have proactively opened a dialogue with the community, as opposed to being forced to defend themselves because the community clearly doesn't want them there.”
Michelle C.

“My husband and I were looking through the brochure yesterday evening and were absolutely appalled by it's claims. The brochure actually says "Listening to our neighbors." By the fact that they are still putting a Wal-Mart at that location clearly shows that they are ignoring us. There is another Wal-Mart like 2 miles away from our neighborhoods. This is so ridiculous! I recently drove by the IKEA in Round Rock and I can hardly believe something almost as big as that is being built just down the street. I'm so glad RG4N has stayed strong in the effort to fight this development. I hope that we prevail!”
Kelly and Robert B.

“This is obviously designed to manipulate how the neighborhoods respond to Wal-Mart's moving into Northcross. Because both check-box response options are pro Wal-Mart, any return brochures, even those with negative responses about the supercenter in the comments/questions section, will be counted as proof of support for Wal-Mart. Keep up the good work, RG4N.”
Becky S.

“I've lived in the North Shoal Creek neighborhood since before there was a Northcross Mall, and I hate to think what the huge Wal-Mart will do to our area. My fear is that it will go through, then five years from now it will be the example of "what not to let happen" for the rest of Austin. Of course, by then the damage will have been done. The brochure mentions not treating the water that will end up in Shoal Creek. Has TCEQ REALLY cleared the proposed Wal-Mart to be built so close to Shoal Creek?”
Debra M.

“Got my flyer from Walmart and since they wanted my opinion and wanted to share my opinion with the city of Austin. I wrote a letter stating my opinion and attached it to the survey and sent it to Walmart. I wrote please recycle on the brochure and am in the process of clipping a letter containing my opinion to it. I will mail the second letter and the brochure for recycling to the Mayor and City Council c/o city hall. I'm not happy with the untruthfulness of the PR piece.”
Austin Resident

“I redacted the answers offered by the slime at walmart "like little georgie bush does" and then in the comment section I stated very firmly that WE DONT NEED NO STINKIN WALMART.”
Steve J.

“I think the biggest reason why no neighborhood would want a WalMart is CRIME…after watching the documentary WalMart: the High Cost of Low Price, the single most frightening aspect was the crime component…perhaps RG4N could ask for and receive permission from the producers to utilize the crime portion of the video to educate the public, elected officials, etc…put it on the website, link to it in emails, show it to the City Council?”
Paul N.

“When I got my Wal-Mart brochure I used a black sharpie on the postcard to make my position very clear and then mailed it in. I read the Wal-Mart Effect when it came out and appreciate all you're doing to organize folks and educate them about the larger outcomes of allowing Wal-Mart to set up shop in our neighborhood.”
Robin B.

“The brochure is an insult to our intelligence. It does show everyone that Wal-mart is not acting in good faith. I suggest we tell them the obvious: they are going to lose money on this store. If they build it, in three years they are going to abandon it, leaving a hollow shell of a building to show for their efforts.”
Earl G.

“How much $ did they spend on this? They want it badly! The brochure is downright creepy. The attitude is that they're already here! It's extremely misleading and in my opinion actually contains some blatant lies...I have worked at Wal-Mart in another state. We don't need any more of them.”
Kim A.

“They are full of sh&^%$###*&**@@!!!”
Amy O.

“I gave them my personal info, crossed through their "yes wal-mart crap", and in big letters wrote “NO WAL-MART!” In the comments section I wrote, “I AM OPPOSED!” Hopefully they will get the idea. Thought it was a great way for me to express myself at their expense.
Heidi A.

“I’m very opposed to wal-mart and sent the card back with NO WAL-MART written on it in large black letters! Keep up the good work!!!”
Denise W.

“Like many Crestview residents, I was shocked and amused to get a flyer in my mailbox today from "WalMart-Northcross." Apart from pissing me off and insulting my intelligence, this shiny bit of falsehood, got my creative juices flowing. I will encourage all my neighbors to repurpose with abandon.”
Chris P.

“I was furious when I received my propaganda brochure. I tore it open immediately, scoffed at the expensive, glossy brochure and hit the reply card with a big black Sharpie, adding my own check box explicitly stating my disdain for the store and that I do not want it in my neighborhood.”
Ally C.

“I received the Wal-Mart propaganda, I mean, brochure. That's actually what spurred me to join the RG4N list. I don't really live in the affected area, although I don't live far, and I thought it seemed particularly sneaky for Wal-Mart to send their pretty pictures and false promises to a neighborhood, mostly minority, that would not suffer the detrimental conditions caused by the proposed supercenter, but would likely shop there.”
Lara G.

“I decided to respond to the WalMart brochure by sending in a modified post card (after all, the postage is prepaid). I drew lines through the title (“Yes, I agree…) and through both the options, then added my own comments and signature. My rationale is that it’s better to let them know how I feel than to just throw the brochure away.”
Pat R.

“I suggested to my wife that she tape the pieces of her shredded Sam's Club card to the return piece on today's junk mail and send it back to them, but she had trashed the card a long time ago. We fully support your efforts to keep this blight out of our neighborhood.”
Bill and Sally W.

“I just got the pro-Walmart flier in my mail today… Wal-Mart really knows how to spin it, but then again I guess they've got plenty of money for those spin doctors.”
Dawn L.

“The brochure is a slick campaign ad that is totally unrealistic. It lulls you and soothes you into thinking that it will be a convenient, one-stop shopping mecca that will save you valuable time (and gas). It makes you feel like we are privileged to have Wal-Mart honor us by developing this incredibly lovely shopping experience right here in our neighborhood. Come on neighbors, get on board and let’s welcome Wal-Mart to the hood! Shopping baskets on elevators! Sounds like a blast to me! How gullible can we be? This tactic scares me. You know people are going to be mailing these things in. Keep up the fight RG4N!”
Dale and Kathleen F.

“I found this mailer to be as deceitful and disgusting as Wal-Mart is and promptly wrote a letter to the address on the card. Found the website and sent a letter of NON-support online and today mailed off a hard copy. I also returned the card with additional words to express my views to Wal-Mart that they are not welcome in the neighborhood and basically sent the card back with GO AWAY! Written over the card. I watched the 12 noon citizen’s concerns today and was encouraged by the speakers and info that Brewster McCracken and Jennifer Kim made known.”
Christy F.

I couldn't believe this thing when I looked at it--the pictures of this place were so bucolic as if the store was going to exist in the middle of a vast green meadow with nothing else around it. All that was missing were some cows grazing beside a babbling brook. Give me a break! I'm sure it was no accident that each household got one flyer only and that there was no place to check that you were against Wal-Mart. Keep Up The Fight!
Lisa M.

I was immediately offended to see I could only send back a positive response! But what strikes me most is that they block out a portion of the blown up picture of their proposal. What don't they want us to see? I felt suspicious and disregarded, when the brochure was obviously sent to make me feel "heard" and respected. I've boycotted WM for years and will continue!
Heidi T.

I DID NOT appreciate this brochure. I received this brochure for this Mecca of Crap. How antagonistic!
Tera A.