Opinion- Daddy Warbucks

‘Black Friday’ soon to be a holiday memory—Shopping
starts now!

Blame it on Wal-Mart, and why not? Most everything else gets blamed on the planet’s largest retailer. The old start of the holiday shopping season: Black Friday or the Friday after Thanksgiving) is D.O.A. this year. That’s right Dead On Arrival. In the floundering U.S. economy—if you don’t think the economy is bad, just travel around the nation a little bit and you will see how bad it
really is—Wal-Mart won’t be cornered when the economy is bad so is kick starting Christmas and offering up some tantalizing bargains a little bit earlier – heck, a lot earlier than those other big box stores. The Wal-Mart sales team kicked-off those
big ticket item sales last week. And will be offering some more goodies each Friday until … well until Christmas. Just how does Wal-Mart do it? How can they sell so low and sell so much? We all know how. Always, baby, Always. They are always trying to figure out how to make the extra and next buck. Bet you blue vest (and the farm) Christmas is gonna be aggressive at Wal-Mart. The rest of the retailers better hop-on, because the retail express is pulling out all the stops as it leaves Bentonville for the rest of the good ole U.S. of A. Christmas shopping isn’t going to begin on Black Friday anymore. Ring cash registers! Ring!

PEACE RADIO
The OMNI Center for Peace, Justice and Ecology has made application for a C2 (low level) radio station at where? Cave Springs. The new license opening up for a Channel 215 station at 90.9 mfz has been made recently. Those on the petition to establish the station: M. Dietzel, G. Tiffany, K. Mullhollan, D. Stjeina, S. Skattebo, D. Bennett, C. Carnuell, S. Cope, L. Froelich, M. Orton, A. Pritchard, K. Takemoto and R. Tiffany. Dick Bennett, the long time OMNI Center icon, is of course on the list.

CHURCH RADIO
A Benton County group has also made application for a low-power radio station on Channel 215 in Bentonville. Petitioners include: Robert and Felice Augusbug, John Skaggs, Patrick Kelly, Charlie Gilreath, Joe Battagalla, Kurt Leander and Dusty Black. This is for a C-1 or non-commercial radio station.

LANDMARK GONE
The old Sonic Drive-In at 3162 N. College Ave. has had a 20-year run and a new lease won’t be taken out. Ken Smith, who started with this one Sonic, now has 20 stores open, but the old Sonic (across from McDonald’s) is closed. Rumor
after rumor say another fast-food joint in that area is about to close too. The old Long John Silver’s spot just down the street has been empty for years now.

NOW OPEN
Comet Cleaners has opened as the only occupant in the massive strip mall in front of Lowe’s out on Sixth Street in Fayetteville. They are offering some opening specials, hoping to press on with new business out that direction.

$100 A BARREL
Daddy  W. told you folks that oil was gonna set some new records and now the Ben Franklin note per barrel is not out of the question. Oil busted $96 a barrel recently. Look for the century mark soon.

DILLARD’S FOR SALE?
After some big boys on Wall Street complained and complained about the Dillard
family’s chokehold on the retailer, Dillard’s stock has made some big gains for no apparent reason. Is there a “take-over” in the works? How about a sell-off? Daddy W. is watching this stock and the moves.

’MO JAIL?
Tom Coughlin, the once No. 2 and most feared man at Wal-Mart, is going back to the judge for a more equitable sentencing. The Federal Court Appeals Judiciary said the 27 months of home detention for Coughlin was not enough.  Looks like jail time may be in the No. 2 man’s future. Sources tell Daddy
W. that Coughlin delighted in firing and humiliating ex-Wal-Mart associates. What goes around, comes around.

AUGUST A&P
The start of the college year is always good for the city’s advertising and promotion numbers. Here are the top food revenue generators for August: Chartwell’s Dining (the UA Food Service) was No. 1 – a surprise. Those in the two through five slots: Chick-Fil-A; Golden Corral, Olive Garden and Red
Lobster. Six through 10: Noodle’s, McDonald’s, Bordino’s, Logan’s Roadhouse and Penquin Ed’s BBQ.

TOURISM TAX
For the first eight months of the year, the state’s tourism tax showed Garland (Hot Springs), Pulaski and Benton County as one, two, three in revenue. The new mall and hotels in Benton County raised that area up some 18 percent.