Present Wal-Mart store is big enough

Editor,

From his office in Seattle, Wal-Mart regional public affairs manager Eric Burger says those of us concerned about the impact of a proposed "Supercenter" on the community have got it all wrong (Leader, Jan. 26). Instead of draining customers from local businesses, he tells us Super Wal-Mart is going to be a boon to small-town merchants.

"In hundreds of towns across the nation," he says, "we create a regional shopping draw that attracts consumers to other businesses nearby."

I'm perplexed. Does he imagine that people will travel from Missoula and Kalispell (which already have their very own Super Wal-Marts) to shop in Polson, buying items at small-town grocery stores and hardware stores along their way? Or is he just confident the new store will draw even more shoppers from Polson, Ronan, St. Ignatius and Charlo, continuing to sap the economic strength and vitality of those towns?

The real "regional draw" is the astonishing beauty of Flathead Lake and the Mission Mountains — natural wonders that attract people from throughout the state and beyond — people who do tend to spend money at local businesses.

I don't begrudge Wal-Mart shoppers their existing store. But it seems to me that a 156,000-square-foot supercenter is far more Wal-Mart than our valley needs and our local economy can afford.

Kristi Niemeyer

St. Ignatius