Dear Mr. Cutshaw,

Anson County and the Town of Wadesboro would like to request your assistance in answering several questions regarding the recently announced closure of store #1127 located in Wadesboro, NC. For more than 30 years the citizens of this County and Town have enjoyed a partnership in commerce that benefits all involved, so we were shocked to learn that such a long-standing partnership would be dissolved in a matter of minutes through a single phone call and the letter that followed. We are discouraged and disappointed that we were not given an opportunity to engage in this process and seek alternatives to shuttering this anchor of the community after more than three decades.

Our community takes pride in the rich history of rural life centered around agriculture, entrepreneurship, textiles, and the resilient nature of our people to respond to adversity. But this decision to pull out of a community that depends so heavily on the jobs provided, the access to goods and medicine, and the convenience of your store feels like a slap in the face by your corporation. Which leads us to the questions that we would like to have answered by Walmart in the face of this decision:

-Why were the local government and economic development partners not given an opportunity to work with you to overcome the obstacles that you claim plagued the store?

-Why did no one come in person to this community to explain the challenges being faced and ask for assistance in reaching a solution?

-How does your corporation balance the desire to maintain an image of community caring alongside this decision to terminate the livelihood of more than 200 employees and their families?

-Is this decision absolutely final, and if not, what are the next steps that we can come together and discuss?

We feel very strongly, as a community and as local government officials, that this decision was made rashly and with little consideration for the true impacts that will occur to the community. Our main concern is for the people who depend on your presence here for access to job opportunities, their families, and the people with little or no access otherwise to the medications that they depend on for their survival. Our community is resilient and we believe strongly that we will recover from this.

A response, preferably in person, is requested from your organization as soon as is possible. We realize that we may not be able to sway or change your decision, but we feel very strongly that this community deserves an answer after having been close partners with your organization for such a long period of time.

Thank you,

Ross Streater

Chairman, Anson Board of Commissioners

Bill Thacker

Mayor

Town of Wadesboro