Understanding the Wal-Mart Effect

TechCentralStation.com ^ | 04-11-05 | Max Borders

[tfecw]

"Let's not debate capitalism here, that is far too complex a subject"

You don't have to point this out, it's obvious you don't understand capitalism.


Sigh welcome to FR by the way. I wasn't going to do it, but then you played the race card and started with the personal attacks. It shouldn't take long before people see you for the Ignorant, race card playing, welfare loving, socialist feminist. Good day ma'am, or do you prefer sir?

[VRWCisme]

Not to mention that Wal-mart isn't setting up a money-scamming business in a house of worship--the Bible applies to everyone, but the direct comparison of Jesus chasing money-lenders from the Temple to Wal-mart doesn't wash.

[ShowMeMom]

personally i don't want to sell out my fellow americans so the walton family - the wealthiest group of people ON EARTH - can make another buck.

That sounds like "Walton Envy" to me. Did you also keep your horse and buggy so that the Ford family wouldn't put the local blacksmiths out of busniess? And think of all the telegraph employees who lost their jobs when you got a telephone.

[KevinDavis]

God fobid that there are rich people in America!! If you want a socialist society.. Go to Europe..

[takbodan]

We live in a small rural town. The downtown prior to Walmart had stores open open from 9-5PM Mon thru Sat and closed at noon on Wednesdays. Terrible hours for customers while service and selection was inconsistant. There were no people of color working in these mom and pop stores and I doubt if they offered health insurance to workers. Once Walmart arrived,most of the mom and pops went out of business and new speacialty stores such as a custom bike shop, coffee shops etc moved in with more flexible hours. Walmart has a diverse workforce, offers good choice on health insurance and does good things for the community. Their check for $15,000 to our regional Children's Miracle Network in addition to grants for school class trips etc are impressive.
As for China business, I abhor their government too, but Walmart is hardly to blame. When I worked for a computer company, some customers would be angry at us for having Chinese parts in the computer. I would explain to them that if they wanted a computer with all American components it would cost ten times as much and probably impossible to build, since some components we no longer made in the US.

My suggestion is to use the money saved by shopping at Walmart, probably hundreds of dollars a year, and mail the check to Food for the Poor or tithe more to your church instead of brandishing your integrity on your sleave.

[MississippiMan]

but i think there are a lot of "conservatives" out there who really do only look at the rosy picture because anything that makes money is okay with them.

We have just as many knee-jerk conservatives as the left has knee-jerk liberals. Their positions are determined automatically without any need to see a particular issue up close or hands on, in the same way you'll find so many here who are automatically opposed to ANY lawsuit, etc. They form a set of principles that they consider the embodiment of conservativism, and they don't need to deal with reality. Their opinions are on AutoCruise, determined before an issue ever arises. There are of course plenty of absolutes in life, issues of truth, good and evil, things like that. That's not what we're talking about here, though. This is a business/societal/community issue that is very complex, not something that can be intelligently evaluated by simply taking a "conservative" position and closing your eyes.

MM

[Valin]

I recall reading back in the cold war days, that one of the hardest thing refugees from the Soviet block had trouble adjusting to was our supermarkets.

[Valin]

i admit that i hate Walmart with a passion and i think it is truly evil with a capital E

You have my express permission to NOT go into one.

[babygene]

This is somewhat true, not just for places like Walmart, but those farm jobs "nobody wants" too.

I haven't figured it out yet, but it's clear to me that if someone is paid less than a live-able wage (assuming they get to keep living), then someone else gets to subsidize them. It must then mean that the difference between a living wage and what they get paid is somehow included in our taxes.

When the administration talks about how much the illegal immigrants add to our economy, it makes me want to spit. When an employee doesn't make enough to provide health care or send one child to school, it leaves quite a deficit for everyone else to make up.

[downtoliberalism]

but i think there are a lot of "conservatives" out there who really do only look at the rosy picture because anything that makes money is okay with them.

---

*Wal-Mart paid more than $39.7 million in state and local taxes in the state of Missouri last year.

*During the past year, Wal-Mart spent $4,909,653,426 for merchandise and services with 2,309 suppliers in the state of Missouri. As a result of Wal-Mart's relationship with these suppliers, Wal-Mart supports 122,497 supplier jobs in the state of Missouri.
Supplier figures provided by Dun & Bradstreet

*In Missouri, the total number of Wal-Mart associates is 41,854 (as of 10/15/04).

*Teacher of the Year Grants: $138,000

*Safe Neighborhood Heroes Grants: $199,200

*Literacy Grants: $133,250

I realize that Wal-Mart is bad for the US, but how much of these items were being supplied by mom and pop stores before Wal-Mart ran them out of business?

[ccmovrwc]

i'm not sure there is much SIGNIFICANT difference between paying someone a marginal wage in an area where they cannot get other employment

Hello? Where are all the folks from the homeschooling vs. public school threads who are adamant that if the man of the house cannot earn enough to support the family so the mother can stay home and homeschool the children, they should pack up and move? Shouldn't they be advising these folks who can't get other employment to move somewhere that they can?

personally i don't want to sell out my fellow americans so the walton family - the wealthiest group of people ON EARTH - can make another buck.

Personally, I don't want to pay several dollars more than WalMart's price for a package of diapers so Mom and Pop can make another buck. I'll buy at WalMart and use those extra dollars to buy my baby a new pair of shoes, thank you very much.

[downtoliberalism]

I'll buy at WalMart and use those extra dollars to buy my baby a new pair of shoes, thank you very much.

--

I would hope so. Isn't that what good protective parents are supposed to do?

[Paulus Invictus]

Nevertheless you still cannot avoid knowing that multiple Chicom missiles are still aimed at us, thanks to the billions per year that W-M et al send along to China with nary a worry about how that mega-money is used. All other pro-W-M arguments are insignificant when compared to this truth.

[antiRepublicrat]

Wal-Mart does. And the moment those niches start to become widely accepted and dependably profitable, Wal-Mart will step in and take them, too.

There's one thing that Wal-Mart absolutely cannot compete on: expertise of sales staff. If you sell something that's fairly complicated and requires a lot of knowledge to buy correctly, your customers will get appreciated added value by having an expert sales staff present.

Flat panel TVs are a good example. My mom's looking for a flat-panel and the staff at the Wal-Mart couldn't address any of her questions, such as the high-altitude problem with most plasma sets she'd heard about, or the differing types of HDTV and what they mean, etc. She thought there was a choice between HDTV and plasma, and the Wal-mart staff couldn't help her at all with this misconception. My mom asked me, so I gave her an overview of the technology and terms, and told her to go to a specialized store with knowledgeable staff to complete the purchase. You do not want the quality of your $4,000 purchase to hinge on the knowledge of a minimum wage Wal-Mart employee.

Of course that brings a side question of mine. Why do they even sell sea-level plasma TVs in a town at 6,500 feet?

[Valin]

Walmart gets significant breaks from local (and probably state & federal) govt in terms of zoning, roads, taxation, etc,


Then do something about it.
no flame intended, I get a little tired of people who bi*ch and moan about (insert your favorite problem here) but who won't take the time and effort to actually do something.

[monday]

"i truly believe Walmart is bad for the United States."

Walmart saves consumers billions of dollars annually. If you want to pay more for things you buy, then you should shop at only overpriced inefficient stores. There will always be some of them around to cater to the needs of people like you.