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April 12, 2005Nooooooooo!A brief message today, as this will be my last full day in Tapachula. I leave on the Galgos bus tomorrow morning at 10am (pause to wipe a tear from my eye.) Come to think of it, I have no idea if they’re actually going to let me OUT of Mexico due to the visa snafu at the border. Well, if my next journal entry is entitled “Trapped in Tapachula” you’ll know what happened! (And, no... no need to send help. If I’m stuck here, I’m stuck here. You can’t fight the system, right?) I guess the biggest suprise of yesterday came at the VIPs restaurant, where I “killed time” (oh, but what a way to go) drinking a cappuccino frappe before heading out to see Million Dollar Baby at the movies. (Which, by the way, was quite good. Not exactly a giggle-fest, but an truly moving story about a female boxer, with top-notch acting by Clint Eastwood, Hillary Swank, and Morgan Freeman.) Anyway, as I was paying my bill, I glanced at the cashier’s nametag. It said “VIPs” at the top, her name in the middle, and at the bottom..... Walmart. What?!? “Why does your nametag say ‘WalMart’?” I asked her, the dread already beginning to seep into my happily-caffeinated mind. “Oh, because Walmart owns VIPs!” she happily replied. It turns out that Walmart also owns 687 super stores in 71 Mexican cities under the marquis logos of Wal-Mart, Aurera-Bodega, Superama, and Sam's Club --plus 52 Suburbias, a more upscale department store chain, and 235 VIP's restaurants. That information is from the stunning article Wal-Mart Invades Mexico, by John Ross in CounterPunch magazine. Ross adds that “Total Wal-Mart sales of $10.8 billion USD in 2003 dwarfed the $8 billion taken in by the next three retailers together.” Actually, the numbers on the WalMart Mexico website are even scarier. Walmart is “the most important retailer in Mexico with 696 units distribuited over 73 cities nationwide.” To have Tapachula lose its wonderful character, and unique personality, and become more like the suburbs of anywhere, USA would be nothing short of tragic! So, yeah, dammit... VIPs is now RIP in my book. Posted by elcanche at April 12, 2005 03:45 PMComments
I was listening to James Taylor yesterday on the way to the ball field and cranked up "Mexico" in your honor. Perfect theme song for you this week. So, so, so disturbing about the Walmart world take over. Won't CAFTA open the door for that to happen throughout Central America? Posted by: susan at April 13, 2005 07:47 AMThey are holding hearings in Congress today on CAFTA. Oxfam, a group of non-governmental organizations working together to fight poverty & injustice, is opposed....as is the sugar and textile industries in the U.S. Also, of course, Well I am really glad you found out.... at the END of your wonderful, totally relaxing, much needed weekend. It sounded like a wonderful place to be. I am glad that they didn't accept your cc b/c of the exp. date. You needed a break! Posted by: Vicki at April 14, 2005 05:40 AM |
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