Is Wal-mart Good For America? (Frontline)

[ACE]

So I was watching Frontline on pbs this evening and this was the topic. My wife gets some groceries, toiletries and over the counter medicine at Wal-mart and I get things there as well.
I am very familiar with Wal-marts tactics as I have family in the retail food industry that competes directly with Wal-mart. In fact, my sister-in-law is a buyer for Albertsons that goes head to head with her counterpart at Wal-mart almost daily.
Up to this point I've always believed that competition is good. Maybe not immediately noticable but eventually, good for everyone. This is why I really haven't thought too much about where I shop for the cheapest price.
This show has made me put a little more thought into it.
The point in the show that made me start thinking was when they pointed out that Wal-mart buys so much from China that they are considered a joint venture with China. It's one thing to buy retail goods from China but an entirely different scenario when you've got your hands in the pocket of the worlds largest manufacturing force and their government.
I found out the best paid manufacturing workers in China make about $100 a month. Most make half that. I found out that Wal-mart is the richest company on the planet but has among the lowest wages and pays out the least amount for health benefits when compared to percent of salary.
I don't know. I guess many large companies work in the same way.
I like going to my small town local grocer as well as my local ACE Hardware store but it's going to be hard to adapt to paying 14.00 for that can of 3M Spray Epoxy that I could get at Wal-mart for 7.89.
If anyone gets a chance, check out the show next time it airs. I think it does a good job of showing both sides.
What do you guys think?

 

[bocaj]

south park also had a show on wal mart. i think south park showed their point well. i dont go to walmart anymore i go to kmart. not to many local stores round here

 

[hackedxj]

The answer is NO! ,It's a Chineese fleamarket. Stop going there years ago, Started out with there commercials about helping American companies, now they've put them of put of business, just my thoughts

 

[Captain Ron]

Don't even get me started.

--ron

 

[Beezil]

walmart is a force that must be destroyed. It is an evil beast.

AOL users shop at walmart, to acquire the aerosmith albumns they were hoping would reach $6.99........only to discover the multi-colered, flourescent zebra fish offer a better bang for the buck.

your patriotism may vary

 

[8Mud]

Over here they use a different tactic, they make artificial shortages and sell half as much for twice the price. Common tactic here in Germany, most every retailer and manufacutrer does it, including Daimler/Chrysler. They are also really big on monopolies.
Since Wal- Mart opened up there stores here, competition, volumn sales and other, not so bad competitive tactics have been growing.
What really ticks me off, is the Germans importing American products, basically designed to be mid price, volumn items and selling them for premium prices. Oregon chain saw, chains, usually marketed to be throw aways instead of sharpened are like marked up 300% here.
Jeep is pretty much the same way, new they sell for just about double, what you can buy one for in the states. Priced as an exotic import. Parts are triple.

 

[Yucca-Man]

Let's see...the store where you can buy a gallon of mayonnaise, snow tires, lingerie, and a computer all at the same time? Is that convenience, or is it dumbed-down purchasing? At many of the stores where they're trying to take over the market, you can also buy a mega-huge jug o'pickles...

Happy reading: http://www.yuccaman.com/jim/walmart.html

 

[Gridikal]

(in my best The Water Boy mom's voice)...Dat Wal-nut is da Devil!!

 

[RichP]

I rarely buy at walmart, Mobil-1 oil is the main thing at walmart or sams club. I too would rather patronize local businesses but like I said before in another thread the local businesses like napa, cramers lumber, etc. keep friggin bankers hours, walmart, home depot, stores like that don't. So I end up driving 30-40 min to get what I need on a given day because when I get back in my home area the local places have already rolled up their tents, closed the gates and gone home for the nite. Already had this conversation with one of the local lumber yard owners, told him your hours tell me that you don't want my business, you want all the local contractors between 8am and 4:45pm, thats annoying but OK, just dont whine to me about the big gorilla stores driving you out of business, you have a local audience but if your closed you don't sell squat and just drive that local business to the big stores. When I worked in a sporting goods store we made all our money on fish hooks, bobbers, spinners, ammo, targets, etc, NOT big ticket items, it's no different in hardware.
But I will say one thing, when you NEED that 'something' on a sunday afternoon and the local store owners are home watching the ball game you don't have much choice...and after a while you forget about the local places. I've not been in a local napa store in a few years, they are not even in my thoughts when I need a part, they are 8am-4pm and just want the local repair shops, OK, dont whine about AA or AZ taking your business then because they are open till 9pm mon-fri and till 5 on sundays...and you're NOT.
I can't count the times I've gone out of here on a sunday nite at 9pm on a local service call to fix a system or go pick it up, bring it back and work on it for a few hours to get it back to the customer by 8 or 9am the next day. I'm restoring a brand new HP laptop as I'm typing, virus and worms, HP wanted a fortune + shipping and a credit card, I'm a bargain at 2 hours labor and when I'm done with it it'll run better than when the customer pulled it out of it's box 2 months ago. Lets see one of the big gorilla companies try to match THAT :chef:
I try my hardest to visit every business customer I have once a week, just for 5 minutes and it works wonders.
Had a boss of mine tell me a long time ago, ' When it comes right down to it, the customer writes your paycheck, so you better make them willing to do it'.

 

[GSequoia]

That is one thing I love about my area. Wal-Mart tries it's hardest to break into the Los Angeles market and keeps getting beat back, most cities they've tried to plant a store in have refused to allow them, and have been backed up by the votors.

Myself the only time I'll do Wal-Mart is in dire situations, such as being on your way to the trail and realizing that you forgot your sleeping bag at home a hundred miles away!

Sequoia

 

[seanR]

Wal-Mart has done more to destroy the American economy than any thing else!

 

[ZmOz]

There aren't any walmarts around here...

 

[ACE]

That is one thing I love about my area. Wal-Mart tries it's hardest to break into the Los Angeles market and keeps getting beat back, most cities they've tried to plant a store in have refused to allow them, and have been backed up by the votors.

Myself the only time I'll do Wal-Mart is in dire situations, such as being on your way to the trail and realizing that you forgot your sleeping bag at home a hundred miles away!

Sequoia

You know, there was a short 30 min. program called Bigger Boxes right after the show that detailed how California residents have been able to deter the likes of Wal-mart, Lowes, Home Depot from building in certain neighborhoods through voter action. This, I believe, is the American way. We are going through the same thing in a neighboring town that is very family oriented where Wal-mart wants to put up a store. Just about everyone in the community is against the idea but we'll see what the city government says.

 

[Yucca-Man]

I too would rather patronize local businesses but like I said before in another thread the local businesses like napa, cramers lumber, etc. keep friggin bankers hours, walmart, home depot, stores like that don't.

I've seen that with several Wal-Marts near here. They open up with 24 hour "service" in order to drive the local Target/K-Mart out of town. Once they've got their way, they reorganize to shorter hours. They pull the same stunt with cities that make the mistake of giving them tax breaks to lure busuness. Once Wal-Mart has wrung them for all they can, Corporate decides the store or distribution center isn't worth the time, and pull out. That leaves a massive empty building that very few companies are able or willing to take over.

 

[Bloose]

They pay crap, treat their employee's like crap (require them to start early and stay late for no pay) and in many cases sell crap. You could argue that the employee's could work elsewhere but remember that Wallmart is the largest employer in the US! In many cases people must work at Wallmart or not work, especially once the smaller places have closed down. They have illegally blocked union orginization, hire illegals to clean etc etc. They do not offer insurance to many of their employee's but instead help them get government assistance.

Another argument could be that all retail stores are carrying Chinese made goods nowadays. But Wallmart has been part of the big push towards this so that they could increase profits.

If you ask me Wallmart is not any good for the US. But until people wake up there is little that can be done. To me this is all very much like back in the 80's when the auto industry met with so much foreign competition. We're still paying for it and there is no end in sight. Problem is, people only care if it has a direct impact on them. They can't see the big picture. There is no question that competition is good. But when a place starts pulling others around them out where is their competition? People say it is good for them because they are not making enough money to pay more elsewhere, but they never stop to think why they are either un or underemployed. By supporting American made products you are likely to be supporting yourself in the long run.

Just my .02

 

[Fergie]

HEre in town they just passed a "Big Box" ordnance to prevent stores like Super Wal-Marts and such.

My wife and I refuse to shop at Wally World and try to get others to do so. Occasionally, we will go there to buy Henry Weinhardts Black Cherry Cream Soda, but that is it!

Plus, having the highest grossing per square foot Wal-Mart in the country, coupled with the proximity of the Navajo Rez, just driving by makes supider.

If you guys ever get the chance, do some reading on W. Edwards Deming and his ideas and 14 rules.

Fergie

 

[ChiXJeff]

As a general rule, I also stay out of Wally World as much as possible.

However.....this just in. General Francissimo Franco is still dead.

KMart to buy Sears

 

[Yucca-Man]

KMart to buy Sears

Man....that is disturbing down to the core! :gag:

 

[dmillion]

I think it's funny when people say things like "nobody in our town wanted a Wal-Mart so we voted to keep them out."

NEWS FLASH!!!!! Wal-Mart is a BUSINESS! They won't build a store in a town if they know that no one is going to buy from them. What's more, if they ever did, the store would quickly go out of business and be gone!

The reason people vote to keep Wal-Mart out is because they know that lots of their neighbors WILL go and shop at Wal-Mart, and they don't want to allow their neighbors that option. That really sounds like the American way, doesn't it?

 

[Geepfreak]

But I don't want to buy my Craftsman from K-mart. I boycotted K-mart for the last 8 years. Hate to think I have to go there for tools A.K.A. Martha Stewart!http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/CNBCTV/Articles/Dispatches/P100792.asp?GT1=5809

My wife loves Wally world, and I have a couple of freinds that work there, but I try not to go there. For alot of things I will pay a little higher price at the mom and pop, over the big guys!