[ninenot]

It's the grand total of all labor costs from the very beginning of product to the very end (when it's on the shelf.)

We ARE talking manufactured goods, not IP.

Services, obviously, have little "cascade," but interestingly the approx. 70% labor component is the same.

[Toddsterpatriot]

It's the grand total of all labor costs from the very beginning of product to the very end (when it's on the shelf.)

I'm not saying that 70% is wrong. I'm just saying that if it's only at 15% in each stage, it doesn't matter how many stages you have, it will only be 15% at the end.

[XBob]

318 - "It's the grand total of all labor costs from the very beginning of product to the very end (when it's on the shelf.)
We ARE talking manufactured goods, not IP.
Services, obviously, have little "cascade," but interestingly the approx. 70% labor component is the same."

All these free-traitor experts don't seem to understand that there are at least 5 stages in the creation and sale of a product. So, at 15% to a stage for labor costs, that works out to about 75%, or very close to the 70% figure. And Walmart's genius is to cut the costs and labor of the various individual stages in their business, using several different methods, including reduction of labor at numbers of the stages, and reduction of aquisition costs.