AZ Grocer Basha decries Wal-Mart 'blitzkrieg'

AZ Republic ^ | Christine L. Romero

[hsmomx3]

When it comes to Wal-Mart, Arizona grocery icon Eddie Basha doesn't mince words.

"I call it the economic holocaust," Basha, chief executive of Bashas', the state's largest homegrown supermarket chain, said in an interview with The Arizona Republic. "It's no different than what the Nazis did in World War II. It's a blitzkrieg. They are doing economically what the Nazis did militaristically."

[IYAS9YAS]

The only people costing people jobs are the consumers who are looking for the bargains. The consumers are the only ones to blame.

[The_Victor]

Basha's shots at Wal-Mart came as union officials in Arizona and across the nation blame Wal-Mart's low prices and wages for pushing competitors to seek to cut workers' wages.

Compete or die, dude.

[riri]

Went into Basha's exactly twice. Don't care for the store and I think their prices are too high.

[Hodar]

"It's no different than what the Nazis did in World War II. It's a blitzkrieg. They are doing economically what the Nazis did militaristically."

So, Free Enterprize is the same as Nazi expansion. I guess I must have missed the Walmart death camps; or the Walmart's rounding up of minorities.

Welcome to America, here we have an open form of business we like to call 'Free Enterprise'. If you can sell your goods for less, and still make a profit; you will do well. So, you cut unnecessary things .... oh, like ... unions; overpaid executives, multi-tiers of management. You rein in your costs, you negotiate with your suppliers, and you can sell for less.

This is nothing new, Sam Walton did this when he had a single store in Bentonville, Arkansas. He even wrote a book about how he did it. Naturally, anything written by a hillbilly can't be intellecutally enlightned; so go ahead and do what you normally do. Soon, someone like Sam Walton will hand you your behind.

[MineralMan]

Methinks the gentleman pushes the Nazi thing too far in this diatribe. He can't compete? Oh, well.

[hsmomx3]

And while we're at it, blame it on Costco. I love that store and yes, they are way cheaper than the grocery store chains. The meats and bakery items are FAR SUPERIOR in Costco than at any other gorcery store I have ever shopped at.

[BlueLancer]

"Don't care for the store and I think their prices are too high."

Probably why he objects to Wal-Mart so vociferously.

[camas]

the walmarts in idaho hire a lot of OLD people that no one else will hire. i shop there.
p.s. idaho has a lot of old people too.

[riri]

He is just pissed he used to have a corner on the market price goging the consumer. He could get away with charging 89 cents for a container of Yoplait yogurt that I can now buy at Super Wal Mart for 50 cents.

[mountaineer]

Exactly. The Wal-Mart bashers seem to think "competition" is a dirty word. The idea is to offer something Wal-Mart doesn't, instead of whining about its presence in the marketplace.

[connectthedots]

WinCo food prices are lower than Wal-Mart's.

[riri]

The bakery at Costco is wonderful. I buy the big pack of giant muffins (20 for about $5.00) and pop them in the freezer and throw them in a bag for my husband in the morning.

As far as bakeries go out here, Costco is very good. No where near my NY standards but still pretty good.

[CobaltBlue]

Consumer Reports recently rated Home Depot's house brand of latex paint #1, and Lowe's #2.

I am an old-time Benjamin Moore fan so brought one sample of the paint I need to match to Home Depot. They matched it in seconds and sold me a gallon of in minutes.

I took the same sample to the closest Benjamin Moore store and they told me they'd call me back. That was more than weeks ago. In fairness, they said the "paint matcher" - a man who calls himself "an artist" was sick. After calling a few times, I tried the second closest Benjamin Moore store last weekend.

I'm still waiting for them to match the paint.

Heck with them, I'll stick with Home Depot. And let them cry in their beer because they're being driven out of business. Losers.

[RedWhiteBlue]

The Wal-Mart bashers seem to think "competition" is a dirty word.

Has anyone ever done a calculation to show the impact the Walmart has had on holding down the country's inflation? I bet it isn't insignificant.

[discostu]

For Basha to say something like that is simply hilarious. Just what does he think his stores do?! Cutting prices is a path to market share that has nothing to do with Nazi-ism.

[SamAdams76]

"I don't oppose Fry's or Safeway. They are legitimate competitors."

I don't really understand this statement. What makes Fry's and Safeway "legitimate competitors"? BTW, both Fry's and Safeway have larger market shares in grocery than Wal-Mart. Is that what makes them more legitimate competitors? If so, how much more market share must Wal-Mart gain before they are recognized by Basha as a "legitimate competitor"?

Also, since Basha is bashing Wal-Mart by saying that they don't treat their employees right, I suppose one can assume that the Basha supermarket chain pays their employees considerably more than Wal-Mart and offers them a more generous benefits package. That is true, isn't it? Isn't it?

Hello? Anybody out there? (sound of crickets)

[HiJinx]

So, Free Enterprize is the same as Nazi expansion. I guess I must have missed the Walmart death camps; or the Walmart's rounding up of minorities.

Well said. Interesting, isn't it, that when we call someone a Nazi we get blasted in the press. When one of theirs (Basha ran for AZ Governor in the primaries on the Dem ticket) does it, they're given a chance to explain themselves.

But no, there's no bias in big media.

[riri]

Fry's and Safeway are willing to rape the consumer along with him.

[CDHart]

We are in a rural area with only one ISP. No DSL or broadband available at reasonable prices. Wal-Mart was giving away disks for internet connection -- first month free, $9.94 per month thereafter, and local dialup rather than long distance. I signed on to it last week, and so far it's great. Much faster than my old ISP and more reliable, too. I'd rather support the local businesses, but when they can't do the job, I guess they'll go the way of the stagecoach.

Carolyn