Truth about WalMart?

[BrassBlower]

Maybe I should change my location in my profile. Looks like most of you detest the Republic of West Ozarkia's chief export!

[Charlene]

I do occasionally shop at Wal Mart if I'm near there and need something. I don't buy clothes there for the same reason I don't buy clothes from K-Mart - I bought a blouse there and after one washing it shrunk terribly. So I'd rather pay a bit more and have things that last. I'll get printer cartridges at Wal Mart if I don't have anything else to buy to make a trip to Costco worthwhile.

One thing Wal Mart does that really annoys me is the constant noise from the loudspeakers. It's so loud!!! So if I do go in, it's in and out real fast to get a specific item.

[jGilder]

Hmm... the anti-everything rabble went after Starbucks a few years back. I guess Starbucks is big, but nothing on the scale of Walmart, right?

I used to get my coffee beans at this little shop that was actually the first coffee roastery in San Francisco till they moved away from a seedy part of Polk Street. The lady that ran the shop told me once that she had gone to school with the guy that started Starbucks. She said he used to tell her he would someday own every coffee shop in the country. When he first showed up in this area he gave a bad impression by going to the landlords of a popular mom & pop coffee shop and telling them he would pay triple the rent if they end their lease. This was written up in the local press and a lot of people thought Starbucks was using unfair tactics to take over. For that reason I still avoid the shop.

There was a good exposé about Wal-Mart on he PBS program, Frontline, the other night that corroborates much of what is said in the article that starts this thread. I have also read numerous articles that are saying basically the same thing about the superstore. The only thing the store is concerned with it seems is profits -- but that's the ugly underbelly of capitalism. Sadly, the merchants who inhabit this underbelly are the ones running the US government right now.

[BrassBlower]

jGilder,

Note the location change.

<----

[jbarter]

the anti-everything rabble

Yeah, I really hate that anti-everything rabble. I'd start a movement against them but they'd probably join it.

[OutOfBreath]

And sometimes I even shop at the local "mom and pop" stores that Walmart has supposedly put out of business.

I am assuming that you have quite a few Mom and Pop shops in your vicinity? And you know of loads of them as well that are still thriving?

Yep - I just said I shop at 'em, didn't I? :roll: In fact, when Walmart opened a hypercenter here in my fairly small town at least a half-dozen small retailers opened within two blocks of it to take advantage of the increased traffic!

In spite of its size Walmart really only hits a relatively small portion of the market in any one type of goods and only "threatens" small businesses that are targeted to the bottom of the food chain, so to speak. I.e. Walmart is barely a blip on the radar to you unless you are buying "bottom of the market" items - and for those who can only afford the bottom of the market Walmart is wonderful because it saves them a lot of money.

I.e. you can get food cheap at Walmart, but if you want good produce, meat, or bakery; or something other than "mainstream Americana/Mexicana" foods you have to go elsewhere. So, if you are a mom and pop grocer trying to make it selling Hormel canned chili Walmart is going to clean your clock - but chances are you were already put out of business by Kroger, Albertsons, etc. anyway. (Edited to add) On the other hand, if you are a top-drawer butcher or baker you pray Walmart will put a hyper-center right next door to you so you can take advantage of the increased traffic because you know that anybody who wants really good meat or bakery is not going to find it in Walmart!

You can get cheap clothing and shoes at Walmart, but if you want designer brands, business wear, or anything of quality you are going to go elsewhere. You can buy a TV at Walmart, but if you want a good selection of quality stuff and someone who can install an entertainment system you are going to go somewhere else. Etc., etc., etc.

Walmarts also adapt to local conditions and sometimes they have to change their stock when they are pushed out of a market by their competition. For example, the local hypercenter had a good selection of tools and garden supplies until a Home Depot and a Lowes opened nearby. Now they have one small aisle of tools and have expanded the toy section to fill in the space. When an Autozone opened a couple of blocks down the street the local Hypercenter shrank their auto parts section because they couldn't compete there, and expanded their electronics section because they don't presently have much competition there.

I.e. the only difference between Walmart and any other well run business is that Walmart is bigger.

The only mom and pop businesses really threatened by Walmart are those that are selling the same bottom-of-the-market goods that Walmart does but at higher prices - and why should we cry over their demise? Frankly, if not for Walmart and the other major "super stores" low income Americans would not have been able to afford many of the things they have. So - when you gripe about how "unfair" Walmart is because it uses its size to drive down prices what you are really saying is that the folks shopping there don't deserve to be able to own the things they're buying! I find that kind of elitist attitude disgusting!

[bradhurley]

So - when you gripe about how "unfair" Walmart is because it uses its size to drive down prices what you are really saying is that the folks shopping there don't deserve to be able to own the things they're buying! I find that kind of elitist attitude disgusting!

I think the point is more that by driving down prices Wal-Mart is contributing to poverty in places that are "out of sight, out of mind" to most Americans, such as China. And we're talking serious poverty here...the article I cited earlier mentioned that one of these factory workers was earning $58 a month for a 60-hour work week, $50 of which is used to pay for his accommodation, leaving $8/month for food. Granted, $8/month buys more food in China than it does here, but it's still barely above subsistence living. There's a lot of labor unrest in China right now over conditions like these, we'll have to see what happens.

I earned $9,000 a year in my first full-time job, my take-home pay was $125 a week and my rent was $410 a month. I know how hard it can be to make ends meet in America, but hey, I was rich compared with these Chinese factory workers.

[Tyler]

I used to get my coffee beans at this little shop that was actually the first coffee roastery in San Francisco till they moved away from a seedy part of Polk Street. The lady that ran the shop told me once that she had gone to school with the guy that started Starbucks. She said he used to tell her he would someday own every coffee shop in the country. When he first showed up in this area he gave a bad impression by going to the landlords of a popular mom & pop coffee shop and telling them he would pay triple the rent if they end their lease. This was written up in the local press and a lot of people thought Starbucks was using unfair tactics to take over. For that reason I still avoid the shop.

There was an article in our local daily newspaper (cant find it or I'd post it, sorry) that researched the effect of Starbucks on the local coffee shop community and found that the presence of Starbucks actually fuled the popularity of the localy owned shops. The stats were staggering, and I for one am glad the locals are doing so well!
I wish I could find this bloody article, because it was really interesting...if I find it I'll edit this post and paste a link.

Mebey, if Sprawl-Mart continues to sell below average quality products, the same effect will happen in the retail/gocery industry; mayhaps we'll see a resurgance in the locals....
one can hope right?

[Azalin]

Frankly, if not for Walmart and the other major "super stores" low income Americans would not have been able to afford many of the things they have. So - when you gripe about how "unfair" Walmart is because it uses its size to drive down prices what you are really saying is that the folks shopping there don't deserve to be able to own the things they're buying! I find that kind of elitist attitude disgusting!

I find what you just said totally disgusting. You realize that millions of people in poor countries are struggling to get enough rice, potatoes, etc to be able to feed themselves and their families? Meanwhile, all you care about are poor american families who couldnt shop at Wal-Mart if prices were to go up? Let's be honnest here, 95% of goods you'll buy at Wal-Mart won't be useful for your survival, and most people in there buy DVD, video games, clothes, etc. Low income in a developed country isnt the same as low income in a developing or third-world country, in case you did not know.

[Lorenzo]

I.e. you can get food cheap at Walmart, but if you want good produce, meat, or bakery; or something other than "mainstream Americana/Mexicana" foods you have to go elsewhere. So, if you are a mom and pop grocer trying to make it selling Hormel canned chili Walmart is going to clean your clock - but chances are you were already put out of business by Kroger, Albertsons, etc. anyway. (Edited to add) On the other hand, if you are a top-drawer butcher or baker you pray Walmart will put a hyper-center right next door to you so you can take advantage of the increased traffic because you know that anybody who wants really good meat or bakery is not going to find it in Walmart!

That reminds me...the new Walmart here is about 5 blocks from a health food store--which is about the size of a small grocery, and has been there forever. The manager of WalMart tried to run competition, but after the first year or so, he finally gave up and gave all the health specialty products to the health food store. WalMart shoppers apparently aren't the kind. The manager did say that milk was his #1 seller.

Shoppers aren't dumb. They'll go to WalMart to buy Silk milk because it's about .58 cents less p/half gallon than at the health food store. Regular cow's milk is about $1.00 less p/gallon. Same with breakfast cereals, chips, and certain canned goods. The day WalMart got EarthShoes in, they all sold out within a week because the same product was about $24 more p/pair at the mom and pop shoe store.

The other day, I priced Step Flashing (a small piece of corner metal 4x4x12" tin used in roofing) at Home Depot. Price was 89 cents apiece. So I drove over to the mom and pop builders supply, across town, and got the same thing for 59 cents. I needed 100 pieces and saved $30.00 !!! BTW, you can carry 100 of these in one hand! I've never yet found a good deal a Home Depot.

[susnfx]

In spite of its size Walmart really only hits a relatively small portion of the market in any one type of goods and only "threatens" small businesses that are targeted to the bottom of the food chain, so to speak.

As someone who on one occasion had to beg for food for my daughter's breakfast, I still don't consider myself the "bottom of the food chain" and find that phrase completely offensive. No human being is at the bottom of the food chain in any sense whatsoever.

Susan

[izzarina]

Yep - I just said I shop at 'em, didn't I? :roll:

Thank you...a simple yes or no would have sufficed here. You said that you've shopped at them. I was asking if you had an abundance. The eye roll emoticon was unnecessary.

[Walden]

The truth about Wal-Mart? There are many and complex truths about Wal-Mart, but, if I were to be quippy, I'd say it was a decent store that brought our cost of living down, but went to hades in a handbasket once they changed their logo from a hyphen to a star and dropped their policy of specializing in American-made name-brand goods.

In spite of its size Walmart really only hits a relatively small portion of the market in any one type of goods and only "threatens" small businesses that are targeted to the bottom of the food chain, so to speak. I.e. Walmart is barely a blip on the radar to you unless you are buying "bottom of the market" items - and for those who can only afford the bottom of the market Walmart is wonderful because it saves them a lot of money.

Even this isn't entirely so. Dollar General Stores (note to those who don't know better, this is NOT a Dollar Tree-type "everything's $1" chain) have been around as long as Wal-Mart, about, and they have thrived in the same markets, and at the "bottom."

[OutOfBreath]

In spite of its size Walmart really only hits a relatively small portion of the market in any one type of goods and only "threatens" small businesses that are targeted to the bottom of the food chain, so to speak.

As someone who on one occasion had to beg for food for my daughter's breakfast, I still don't consider myself the "bottom of the food chain" and find that phrase completely offensive. No human being is at the bottom of the food chain in any sense whatsoever.

Susan

Oh grow up! :roll: I wasn't talking about the customers being the bottom of the food chain I was talking about the products being at the bottom of the food chain - and in context that was pretty darn clear.

If you'd actually read the entire post instead of just looking for something to be offended about you might have noticed that I was very supportive of those who can't afford to shop elsewhere and mentioned that I often shop their myself. Yeesh! :roll:

[OutOfBreath]

Yep - I just said I shop at 'em, didn't I? :roll:

Thank you...a simple yes or no would have sufficed here. You said that you've shopped at them. I was asking if you had an abundance. The eye roll emoticon was unnecessary.

I respond to sarcasm with sarcasm.