…and they don’t even have to pay me.

I’m a HUGE fan of big-box stores, like Wal-Mart, Barnes & Noble, Staples, etc. They save consumers money, provide jobs and replace old, outmoded, under-stocked local stores. Some people see all of this as a bad thing — something that wipes out “local character.”

Well, to hell with local character (I always say, to no one in particular — sometimes to my girlfriend, but she gets mad), save me $0.23 on some binder clips. (And don’t even get me started on “independent” book stores.)

Anyway, my views are especially not shared in my adopted home town of New York City, USA. People here would rather hang on to their stagnant economy, higher-than-average unemployment rate and catastrophic cost of living than let any dern’d big-box meanies move into town.

Thus, my most recent column in today’s Post:

While members of the New York City Council stump endlessly for “affordable housing” and “affordable health care,” they’re apparently less keen on affordable clothing, toys, electronics, furniture and groceries.

Last week, the City Council’s Economic Development Committee held a hearing aimed at keeping bulk, discount retailers from expanding in the Big Apple. The hearing was prompted by Wal-Mart’s plan to open its first-ever store in the five boroughs — in Rego Park, Queens.

Consumers across America love Wal-Mart for its low prices and vast selection — 100 million people shop in Wal-Mart stores each week — but politicians in union-run towns like New York tend not to see the attraction.

…

Wal-Mart now calls New York its “next retail frontier.” The Capital of the World has taken a tumble when its retail industry needs to be civilized by a company from Arkansas. But that’s what happens when a city becomes so afraid of change that it builds a wall around itself. The cost is that innovation comes here last, economic growth stays low and prices stay high.

Read the whole thing to find out about the jobs we know we’re losing to the suburbs, to see the facts as to the claim that Wal-Mart “destroys jobs” and to get a tiny bit of historical perspective.