12-08-2013, 07:23 AM
Hemp and Costco
I'm not for prohibition, but hemp isn't going to magically save the economy. There are plenty of third world countries growing hemp and it hasn't saved theirs. Not surprisingly, China is the largest hemp exporter in the world.
Comparing Costco and Walmart jobs is a bit like comparing apples and oranges. Walmart doesn't charge $100/yr for an executive membership for the privilege of shopping there. Also, as far as I know Walmart doesn't have skilled labor jobs like forklift drivers. I don't know about you, but my average Costco receipt is several hundred dollars. My average Walmart receipt is usually under $20, mostly because I only go there if I have to. Walmart sells cheap junk, generally to people who can't afford better. Costco sells nice quality items.
High paying Costco jobs are a bit of an invention that Costco has for good press. Not everybody you see working there actually works for Costco. They sub contract out some of their positions to other companies who only pay their workers $9-11/hour and no benefits. (Walmart claims their average experienced worker makes $13).
There are two reasons whey there isn't a Costco on the East side of the island. The first reason is that through their membership process they know the address of every customer, and know that people on the East side are already shopping there. Their sales would go up somewhat if they built a Costco over here, but how long would it take to recoup the construction cost of a multi-million dollar facility... why bring the Costco to the people when the people are already going to Costco?
The second reason is that its nearly impossible to find enough fee simple land for a Costco and their huge parking lot on the east side and the permitting and zoning hurdles here are legendary.
I don't think we'll ever see a Costco on the east side. The best we could hope for is a competitor like Sam's Club. IF a competitor shows a serious interest, Costco might pull the trigger on an east side store to keep them out.
I'm not for prohibition, but hemp isn't going to magically save the economy. There are plenty of third world countries growing hemp and it hasn't saved theirs. Not surprisingly, China is the largest hemp exporter in the world.
Comparing Costco and Walmart jobs is a bit like comparing apples and oranges. Walmart doesn't charge $100/yr for an executive membership for the privilege of shopping there. Also, as far as I know Walmart doesn't have skilled labor jobs like forklift drivers. I don't know about you, but my average Costco receipt is several hundred dollars. My average Walmart receipt is usually under $20, mostly because I only go there if I have to. Walmart sells cheap junk, generally to people who can't afford better. Costco sells nice quality items.
High paying Costco jobs are a bit of an invention that Costco has for good press. Not everybody you see working there actually works for Costco. They sub contract out some of their positions to other companies who only pay their workers $9-11/hour and no benefits. (Walmart claims their average experienced worker makes $13).
There are two reasons whey there isn't a Costco on the East side of the island. The first reason is that through their membership process they know the address of every customer, and know that people on the East side are already shopping there. Their sales would go up somewhat if they built a Costco over here, but how long would it take to recoup the construction cost of a multi-million dollar facility... why bring the Costco to the people when the people are already going to Costco?
The second reason is that its nearly impossible to find enough fee simple land for a Costco and their huge parking lot on the east side and the permitting and zoning hurdles here are legendary.
I don't think we'll ever see a Costco on the east side. The best we could hope for is a competitor like Sam's Club. IF a competitor shows a serious interest, Costco might pull the trigger on an east side store to keep them out.