PBS高端访谈:沃尔玛离开小城镇之后会发生什么?

 　　CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: The only way you can see inside the recently closed Winnsboro, South Carolina, Walmart is through a small hole torn into the cloth of the sliding front doors.

　　The opening offers a surprisingly wide glimpse of a store that once sold almost everything the 35-hundred residents of this town might need.

　　The quiet, former cotton mill community 30 miles from South Carolina's capital, Columbia, saw its Walmart open in 1998.

　　Now, these bare shelves reflect the consequences of a restructuring effort that Walmart described in a press release as "necessary to keep the company strong and positioned for the future.

　　This winter, Walmart is closing 154 stores in the U.S. and 115 outside the country, about two percent of its stores worldwide.

　　Despite lowering its sales forecast for the year in the past week, the closures do not signal a company on the brink¹. Walmart plans on opening at least 135 new stores in the U.S., including 50 to 60 supercenters like the one it just closed in Winnsboro.

　　Winnsboro's Walmart was one of 12 super centers to close across the country this year and as with many of the others closures, Walmart only gave the town two weeks notice before closing the doors, rapidly removing what had become a commercial center of this small, rural community for the past 18 years.

　　In its closing, Walmart could potentially transform the town as much as when it opened. Residents say the big box store's rock bottom pricing made it difficult for the town's smaller businesses to compete, striking a direct hit on downtown Winnsboro.

　　In 1998, the town had three grocery stores; today only this Bi-Lo remains². The town once had two department stores; both are now closed.

　　But this hardware store managed to stay open. Store manager William Broome has worked here for the past 38 years.

　　沃尔玛离开小城镇之后会发生什么?

　　CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: How did you guys stay in business?

　　WILLIAM BROOME: Trimmed, trimmed our inventory³ to cater⁴ to more of what we specialize in, and kind of let them have the non-building material, non-home repair products, and just dealt in things that they didn't have. And of course, you had to cut some of your staff.

　　CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: And now, here we are 18 years later, Walmart's closed down?

　　WILLIAM BROOME: It's a problem that nobody's dealt with that we know of. Everybody's had to deal with when they move in, and nobody's had to really deal with the what do you do when they move out?

　　CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: Walmart's departure presents an opportunity for Broome. He is restocking products the store has not sold in years and probably will hire additional employees. Despite the unexpected opportunity, broome isn't celebrating.

　　WILLIAM BROOME: You feel like they used the town, when they came in, and used you up to, you know, what they could get out of you, and then just pull out and leave on them.

　　CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: For independently-owned Price's Drug," Walmart's departure has resulted in a flood of new customers.

　　CARRIE BAKER⁵: We've got a lot more business.

　　CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: Carrie baker is the pharmacist in charge.

　　CARRIE BAKER: I think people panicked at first. And so, we were transferring their prescriptions⁶ before Walmart even closed. And so we're now trying to fill. Now that we've got the transfers, we're filling them now. And we're trying to do our very best."

　　CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: Baker says the store is receiving nearly 150 more orders prescriptions every day, but matching Walmart's prices is difficult. Since 2006, Walmart has offered customers prescriptions as low as four dollars for a 30 day supply for some generic⁷ drugs.

　　CARRIE BAKER: We never have offered the four dollar generic plan that they have offered. But we did try to be competitive. And we've offered a six dollar plan. We just explained to them that we never could offer it because it costs us much more.

　　ROGER GADDY: How you doing buddy⁸? Doing fine?

　　CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: Roger Gaddy is a doctor at Fairfield Medical Associates in Winnsboro. He's also been the town's mayor for 11 years, and he worries about the tax implications of the Walmart closure.

　　ROGER GADDY: We have a one-cent-added sales tax that the citizens voted on about ten years ago, Walmart was probably our biggest contributor of that one cent sales tax, because it was the biggest retail⁹ entity¹⁰ we had in the town.

　　CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: Gaddy says the loss of the total sales tax, previously¹¹ paid by the Winnsboro Walmart will be substantial.

　　ROGER GADDY: Walmart leaving is devastating¹² to the community, but we've been here a long time, and we're gonna be fine without it. And there may be some benefits of not having a Walmart here. I would like to think that you would see a revitalization of downtown. You'll see more people shopping downtown.

　　CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: While chamber¹³ of commerce president Terry Vickers shares the mayor's optimism, she says she is still struggling to understand Walmart's decision.

　　TERRY VICKERS: The employee meeting that was called on that Thursday morning they thought was gonna be great news about maybe some increases in wage, and unfortunately it was the announcement that the store would close in two weeks.

　　CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: But at the same time, you were getting reports from the manager that the store was profitable. Everything seemed fine.

　　TERRY VICKERS: Right. Well, and there is local profitability, and there is corporate¹⁴ profitability. So unfortunately, he had a profit over last year's Christmas season, but that still did not get that store to the corporate expectation.

　　MARIANNE BICKLE: It might be profitable, but it's not enough.

　　CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: Marianne Bickle is a University of South Carolina professor in the College of Hospitality, Retail, and Sports Management. She says with increasing pressure in the retail space, Walmart has to pay close attention to stores that may not be meeting profit expectations.

　　MARIANNE BICKLE: By pulling out of Winnsboro, Walmart is saying, "this store, this location is not doing financially what we need it to do." They're being responsible to their stakeholders.

　　CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: Bickle says that stores like Walmart must diversify¹⁵ the ways they reach customers, sometimes closing a brick and mortar¹⁶ store in one area to expand to another or focusing on boosting online sales.

　　Do you think Walmart owes the community anything?

　　MARIANNE BICKLE: They do owe the community. They owe the community honesty. They owe the community forthright¹⁷ communication. And it would be dishonest to the community to say, "everything is fine. And we'll be here a long time." And then to pull out. But the bottom line is, they are a business. And they have to stay in business accordingly.

　　CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: Walmart says there is no single factor, like profit or location, that determines which stores close and which remain open. In a telephone interview, spokesman Brian Nick told me store closures are rare, and the company is in growth mode.

　　BRIAN NICK: We don't typically close stores and we announced these stores at the same time, because, you know, it was part of a very hard portfolio¹⁸ review, and something we needed to do that made sense for the business overall.

　　Just in January, we opened 69 stores. We'll continue to open dozens more throughout the year. And, you know, 90 percent of Americans are within 10 miles of a Walmart.

　　CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: Just five days after announcing the store closures last month, Walmart announced it would raise its U.S. minimum wage to ten dollars an hour and give raises to 1.2 Million of its hourly workers. Those raises took effect today.

　　As for the 10-thousand employees laid off nationwide Walmart says it is trying to place them in its other stores. The company says two-thirds of the 160 plus employees in Winnsboro have been transferred to jobs at Walmart stores that are a 30-to-40 minute drive from Winnsboro.

　　CASANOVA MOORE: It's a big difference. You can feel the emptiness in Winnsboro."

　　CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: Casanova Moore worked at the Winnsboro Walmart for nearly a year before it closed.

　　CASANOVA MOORE: It's a lot of jobs and a lot of us, like, are close to each other. And like, it was a family. You know, we were like really a family. So now that the family is broken up, we all going our separate ways.

　　NANCY MCCLURKIN: I was born and raised here.

　　CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: Winnsboro's Walmart was more than a shopping space; it was a gathering¹⁹ place.

　　NANCY MCCLURKIN: If you wanted to see anybody. Come to Walmart.

　　CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: Where retirees Herbert and Nancy McClurkin picked up their prescriptions, shopped for groceries, and caught-up on the latest town gossip.

　　HERBERT MCCLURKIN: A big surprise. Because we been over there early in the week, and our cousin called and said, Walmart's getting ready to close. It was kinda hard to believe.

　　NANCY MCCLURKIN: We thought it was a prankster at first. I said, "Walmart's closing?" That's the only store we have around here.

　　CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: At the Fairfield Central High School basketball game Jimmy Dorsey and Miriam Woodard were trying to understand why wal-mart left.

　　JIMMY DORSEY: And it was a joyful²⁰ place. It was like home or like a church or something.

　　MIRIAM WOODARD: And I'm praying that something else comes and takes it's place, because we really need it.

　　JIMMY DORSEY: I think that the customers deserve to know something You know? I spent a lot of money at Walmart.

　　CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: Besides, helping²¹ place employees in other stores, Walmart did leave another parting gift. Its foundation contributed 30-thousand dollars to the town's economic development effort.

　　TERRY VICKERS: Were we disappointed that it could not be a lifelong endeavor? Yes. But you know, Winnsboro's been around since 1784 and there is a survival attitude here. And we will survive.

1 brink   

n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿

参考例句：

• The tree grew on the brink of the cliff.那棵树生长在峭壁的边缘。
• The two countries were poised on the brink of war.这两个国家处于交战的边缘。

2 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

3 inventory   

n.详细目录，存货清单

参考例句：

• Some stores inventory their stock once a week.有些商店每周清点存货一次。
• We will need to call on our supplier to get more inventory.我们必须请供应商送来更多存货。

4 cater   

vi.(for/to)满足，迎合；(for)提供饮食及服务

参考例句：

• I expect he will be able to cater for your particular needs.我预计他能满足你的特殊需要。
• Most schools cater for children of different abilities.大多数学校能够满足具有不同天资的儿童的需要。

5 baker   

n.面包师

参考例句：

• The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
• The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。

6 prescriptions   

药( prescription的名词复数 )； 处方； 开处方； 计划

参考例句：

• The hospital of traditional Chinese medicine installed a computer to fill prescriptions. 中医医院装上了电子计算机来抓药。
• Her main job was filling the doctor's prescriptions. 她的主要工作就是给大夫开的药方配药。

7 generic   

adj.一般的，普通的，共有的

参考例句：

• I usually buy generic clothes instead of name brands.我通常买普通的衣服，不买名牌。
• The generic woman appears to have an extraordinary faculty for swallowing the individual.一般妇女在婚后似乎有特别突出的抑制个性的能力。

8 buddy   

n.（美口）密友，伙伴

参考例句：

• Calm down,buddy.What's the trouble?压压气，老兄。有什么麻烦吗？
• Get out of my way,buddy!别挡道了，你这家伙！

9 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

10 entity   

n.实体，独立存在体，实际存在物

参考例句：

• The country is no longer one political entity.这个国家不再是一个统一的政治实体了。
• As a separate legal entity,the corporation must pay taxes.作为一个独立的法律实体，公司必须纳税。

11 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

12 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

13 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

14 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

15 diversify   

v.（使）不同，（使）变得多样化

参考例句：

• Our company is trying to diversify.我们公司正力图往多样化方面发展。
• Hills and woods diversify the landscape.山陵和树木点缀景色。

16 mortar   

n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合

参考例句：

• The mason flushed the joint with mortar.泥工用灰浆把接缝处嵌平。
• The sound of mortar fire seemed to be closing in.迫击炮的吼声似乎正在逼近。

17 forthright   

adj.直率的，直截了当的 [同]frank

参考例句：

• It's sometimes difficult to be forthright and not give offence.又直率又不得罪人，这有时很难办到。
• He told me forthright just why he refused to take my side.他直率地告诉我他不肯站在我这一边的原因。

18 portfolio   

n.公事包；文件夹；大臣及部长职位

参考例句：

• He remembered her because she was carrying a large portfolio.他因为她带着一个大公文包而记住了她。
• He resigned his portfolio.他辞去了大臣职务。

19 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

20 joyful   

adj.欢乐的，令人欢欣的

参考例句：

• She was joyful of her good result of the scientific experiments.她为自己的科学实验取得好成果而高兴。
• They were singing and dancing to celebrate this joyful occasion.他们唱着、跳着庆祝这令人欢乐的时刻。

21 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。