Posted on 01/03/2015 8:27:21 AM PST by kingattax
Hard to imagine that from this simple image emerged a supermarket global empire
Be thankful you never went to Zzyzx Mineral Springs....
Target originally started as a discount store division of Dayton Hudson, a major department store company. Target got so big that Dayton Hudson became Target Corporation in 2000.
My father worked in a Kroger store just like that in St. Louis.
That was his store in Bentonville which he opened in the 50’s after losing the
lease on a location in Newport, Ak. That location is now the Walmart Museum.
In 1962 he opened the first Walmart in Rogers Ak and the rest is history.
Yup. Here’s the rest of the story ...
https://corporate.target.com/about/history/Target-through-the-years
My grandfather was chairman back in the 1960's and spent time in front of Congress being grilled on antitrust issues, and died of a heart attack shortly thereafter. The family always said that Congress killed him.
I worked there for 15 years, and when we bought Lucky Markets in California the California attorney general sued and forced us to sell off the Alpha Beta chain to avoid antitrust issues.
We then merged with Skaggs which brought Jewel and Skaggs into the mix. We were the largest supermarket chain at that point, but we were always told to look at how Waltons' was doing things and had to try and emulate them.
I eventually moved on, and then Ahold (Holland) bought the chain, and then eventually it was picked up by Albertson's which is the current owner.
My uncle was CEO when the merger with Skaggs happened, and he was pissed. The agreement with Sam Skaggs was that the headquarters would remain in Wilmington for at least 2 years... this was a handshake type agreement. Sam Skaggs immediately moved the HQ to Salt Lake City.
My grandfather was chairman back in the 1960's and spent time in front of Congress being grilled on antitrust issues, and died of a heart attack shortly thereafter. The family always said that Congress killed him.
I worked there for 15 years, and when we bought Lucky Markets in California the California attorney general sued and forced us to sell off the Alpha Beta chain to avoid antitrust issues.
We then merged with Skaggs which brought Jewel and Skaggs into the mix. We were the largest supermarket chain at that point, but we were always told to look at how Waltons' was doing things and had to try and emulate them.
I eventually moved on, and then Ahold (Holland) bought the chain, and then eventually it was picked up by Albertson's which is the current owner.
My uncle was CEO when the merger with Skaggs happened, and he was pissed. The agreement with Sam Skaggs was that the headquarters would remain in Wilmington for at least 2 years... this was a handshake type agreement. Sam Skaggs immediately moved the HQ to Salt Lake City.
The store may be, but not the car parked in front . . .
Yes. I know that. Have been a Wal-Mart shareholder for decades now. But I was responding to Post #3 who inquired as to what town the store (in pic) was in.
The first step was it’s philosophy of American Christianity and the final step will be it’s philosophy of global Marxism.
And a whole lot of political grease.
Was the registered owner, Emmett Brown?
I’m always calling it “Meijer’s” the way folks call Ford “Ford’s” and always getting corrected. Turns out it started out as “Meijer’s”! :-)
“Walmart tried to buy “all American” goods but found that it couldn’t. Too many things not made in USA. Too many empty shelves and unhappy customers.”
Not quite accurate based on my experience as a vendor. When Sam was alive there was a concerted effort to buy American. As soon as Sam’s body was in the ground, the buyers went running to Asia.
For free traders here is what free trade looked like competing with Chinese factories selling to Wal-Mart in the 1990’s.
1) The Wal-Mart buyer would give the Chinese factory a letter of credit when placing the purchase order, essentially paying 100% for the goods up front. The US vendor would be paid 30 to 45 days after the goods were received by Wal-Mart, minus any deductions Wal-Mart chose to take for late deliveries, damages or markdowns.
2) No cancellations or returns for goods purchased from China. US vendor subject to order cancellation up to the point of shipment.
3) US vendor expected to produce and carry at vendor’s cost extra (backup) inventory to quickly support reorders if required. If no reorders are desired by Wal-Mart, there is no obligation to take the goods and the vendor eats any closeout or disposal cost. In contrast, the Chinese vendor has no obligation for reserve stock and if a reorder is desired, the buyer goes through the complete order process, including up front payment.
4) If sales are slow on the product, the US vendor will be asked for markdown money to fund price reduction. With respect to the China goods, Wal-Mart absorbs the cost of any markdown money.
5) US vendor is expected to match the China price to secure an order. Often the requirement is to match the China price at the factory, not the China cost once shipping from China to the US is incorporated.
This is free trade. US factories were unable to compete under these conditions. As a result too many things are not made in the USA today.
>>The store may be, but not the car parked in front . . .
Not even that. It’s the 1951 Waltons Five and Dime store. The first Wal-Mart from 1962 was a different store.
I see. All I meant to say was that Sam wanted and tried to buy American goods. I did not know that the policy changed as soon as he died, but actually thought it changed while he was still kickin... either way, he did make an effort to buy USA mechandise but wound up with too many empty shelves, missing items.
So, the drop in USA manufacturing had already started, progressed. Indeed we know this because Sam’s “buy American” campaign was in RESPONSE to complaints that so much stuff was of foreign origin.
It was probably already too late to reverse the larger economic patterns. The die was set when USA struck its deal with PRC, to the effect that USA would buy what PRC makes and sells....
I, for one, understand and can live with the idea that we will always import some merchandise, and that certain countries or companies will be world-class leaders (whereever they’re located). It still bothers me, just one opinion of course, that our government saw fit to enable, facilitate such a WHOLESALE exporting of American manufacturing (and jobs). Massive and nearly across the boards.
It is my humble view that a nation cannot survive long-term without a strong industrial and manufacturing base. We do not need to make everything. But ... you can see ... where we’re at...
My wife works for W-M corporate, we too have been buying W-M stock for decades plus stock options have been part of my wife’s benefit package for several years. It’s great.
She has visited H.Q. many times but does not work there, she works all over the U.S., not too much in the eastern U.S. though.
Imports don’t create a trade deficit. The only thing that can create a "trade deficit” is foreign investment in America. No foreign investment (i.e., no lending to America or Americans), no deficit.
Chamber of Commerce porno.
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