Posted on 05/26/2005 6:27:37 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued
Because of Wal-Mart's inadequate wages and benefits, Wal-Mart employees are eligible for $2.5 billion in Federal assistance, which comes from your tax dollars.
(Excerpt) Read more at wakeupwalmart.com ...
If you did that many of the small towns would drain like bath tubs or sink into some new kind of ghetto chaos.
The Wal-Mart model can't last indefinitely. Sooner or later the suppliers -- particularly the Chinese suppliers -- are going to move to sell directly to the consumer.
Want an MP3 player for $25.00? Come and get it.
Well that explains a lot!
I grew up in northern Minnesota iron mining country, and watched the unions drive the cost of US iron ore to astronomical amounts. I never could figure out why the janitor at the local highschool made about $8/hour while the union janitors at the iron range were making more than double that (this was back in the early '80s, btw).
My family was dirt poor, my father only making about $18K salary with the local phone company. We lived in a trailer out in the woods with no indoor plumbing, no electricity, and no running water. We had an outhouse and had to bring 10 gallon containers of water from a pump at a municipal park in town.
Fortunately for me, my father never asked for any government handouts and instilled in me a sense of self-responsibility so that I've been able to elevate from poorness. (See my post #400 for more details if interested)
Then I have liberal socialist wackos on this forum (Aliska) who tell me that I've always had everything given to me. That I haven't had to work the way she had to work. That I can't understand how it is for poor people. Apparently she has a capacity for compassion that the rest of us just can't comprehend. Well, I have plenty of compassion for those who earn it.
Anyway, I've gotten off on a rant...
Yep.
Well it happened in Canada as well!
When the Employees at one WALMART there, decided to unionize and WALMART tried to work things out with the Union, they were forced to close that store,because after WALMART gave them the little finger they reached for the whole hand!
Don't the people that are pro unions realize that the prices are going up when the unions move in?
Before I got into my rant, my point was supposed to be that not only have unions driven companies out of business; but entire industries.
I don't know. There are a lot of costs associated with direct-to-consumer sales that could dissuade them from doing things like that. Another major hurdle is that I think most consumers are willing to trade cost for convenience--I think most consumers are willing to pay an extra fee--5 or 10% or what have you--in order to do all of their shopping in one place. Who wants to sit on the Internet all day ordering 50 different items from 50 different websites and wait a week (or longer, from overseas) pay shipping costs associated with 50 different stores (because remember, I'm not buying in one place if I'm buying direct from the manufacturer) when I can drive down the street to Wal-Mart and buy all the stuff I need today and in an hour?
I'm not saying that it isn't possible, but I also think that it is by no means probable. There are a LOT of hurdles.
I agree!
Nothing lasts for ever anyway,but as long as it lasts I intend to make the best of it!
That's assuming that it'll be online. China is a communist gov't with a ton of U.S. greenbacks. They could open a warehouse store tomorrow that would blow wal-mart, target and costco out of the water.
Hey no need to apologize for your rant!
I know exactly where you are coming from!
Stores provide two things internet sales never will be able to:
Tactile testing, a lot of products you want to feel it before you buy it, we've all seen some really nice looking incredibly uncomfortable chairs in our time.
Instant gratification, when making fun purchases getting it home immediately just adds to the fun, and when making necessary purchases you frequently need it now not in a week or two.
Those two factors will make sure brick and mortar never become a sideline in retail. The internet will continue to take away from in store purchases for a while, but eventually it will level out, and I think brick and mortar will keep over 50% of retail.
Well you have a point there!
Only time will tell what the future has in stock for us!
Imagine three large warehouse stores situated up and down the California coast. I mean big suckers, like the structures where they assemble airplanes.
Now, imagine t-shirts for 50-cents, jeans for $10.00. MP3 players for $25.00 and complete dining room sets for a $150.00. Those kinds of prices.
How far would people drive to get to such a store?
Check out post #626. If only all government spending were this profitable!!
Just remember, we're not talking about a company like Johnson & Johnson, we're talking about a country that has people/cheap labor coming out of its ears.
Like I said before,WALMART employees are taxpayers ,too!
What really gets me ,is that everyone is complaining that working,tax paying people qualify for government programs ,when we handout those same funds to illegal immigrants that don't contribute anything to those programs!
You can't have it both ways!
I think most people here would agree that they don't want it both ways, they want it one way.
I'll go out on a limb and say that nobody really objects to emergency hand outs for citizens. Nobody wants to see kids dying for lack of medical care, etc. etc.
On the other hand, the hand outs shouldn't be an on-going lifestyle thing.
Can't answer your questions, but it would seem the next logical stop for China Inc.
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