North Carolina
Related: About this forumBoycott Variety Wholesalers's stores/Art Pope's stores movement?
I don't understand why there isn't a big movement to boycott the variety stores own by Art Pope?
We need to him were it hurts: his wallet. He is using the money from the poor to work against their own interest.
Here are the chain stores own by Art Pope:
Roses, Maxway, Bargain Town, Bill's Dollar Store, Super 10, Super Dollar, Treasure Mart and Value Mart.
In locating its stores, Variety Wholesalers targets areas where the median household income is $40,000 or less and with a minimum 25 percent African-American population within five miles.
If African American and poor whites boycott Variety Wholesalers, Art Pope will sure feels it.
ceonupe
(597 posts)Made him initial money his main money from retail is made outside of the state of nc.
Also his investments are deep. I did research on him as a part of a project in college this guy is very diversified in his wealth.
And while he may target AA communities with the maxway brand in nc I rarely see any one but 65+ go into roses. I will admit I'm a candy/gum nut and I used to go to his stores before they shifted to manufactured for discount price merchandise. Instead of blowout deals on good candy and gum that was in seasonal packaging or true overstock u get made in china horrible tasting candy and gum and even worse fake chocolate. Now I shop at a local candy store and they order me what ever I want a great prices and they get me for about $100 a week (our company also leaves candy bags at client employee desks when we service their computers and make site visits)
illegaloperation
(260 posts)Obviously, he can get his money elsewhere, but I am wondering if he will drop out of NC politics if he see that his variety stores are suffering in North Carolina because of the boycott. (Yes, I know that the chains are also in other states)
ceonupe
(597 posts)In many areas his stores are the only stable leasee in a collection of small mom and pops.
He usually has maxways and such in shopping centers built in the initial 80s to late 80s. And all the roses are in 1960s or 1970s era properties.
One of his side companies is real estate which usually has a strong intrest in many of the areas.
When these properties get upgraded he uses his long term leases as leverage and often leaves the property.
For him roses is like a real estate holding game and maxway is a small portion of his money.
The only thing I see a boycot doing is causing roses/maxway to close and the shopping centers to completely die taking out the mom and pops.
This guy is deeply involved partly because unlike some others he did not ont make himself and close allies rich he made lots of people money and supported
He's smart enough to know in America money talks louder than anything but a complete revolution. Not praising the guy but he's pretty well connected and was even so under the democrats who ran the state for decades. He may not have been as visible but he was always having a say.
Pope goal had nothing to do with the social issues or even abortion. It was all about the budget, tax code and industry regulation. The culture war stuff was just red meat to get folks in power to change the laws and voter id to keep the new laws inplace for the next 8-10 years some things he could not get the dems to bend far enough for him over the last 20 years or so.
Yes it stinks but I don't think a boycott will have much effect.
WorseBeforeBetter
(11,441 posts)and that's certainly not going to change.
illegaloperation
(260 posts)Make it clear that they shopping there is against their own interests.
WorseBeforeBetter
(11,441 posts)Many don't care, as long as they can get Cheap$hitFromChina. But, yes, encourage away I will!
barbtries
(28,702 posts)i got one of my coworkers to stop going there a year or two ago. never stepped in any of these stores and never will.
i'm bummed about not being able to shop at Macy's though. i can always find something there.
gklagan
(123 posts)I'd be very interested to know more about the scope of his investments. For example, does he have a stake in for profit education?