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The Wal-Mart Model
usnews ^ | 1 9 06 issue | Michael Barone

Posted on 01/01/2006 3:06:28 PM PST by flixxx

click here to read article


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another great analysis by Barone...
1 posted on 01/01/2006 3:06:29 PM PST by flixxx
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To: flixxx

Walmart is the devil!

:) HA!


2 posted on 01/01/2006 3:07:38 PM PST by writer33 (Rush Limbaugh walks in the footsteps of giants: George Washington, Thomas Paine and Ronald Reagan.)
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To: flixxx

It's Bush's Fault!


3 posted on 01/01/2006 3:13:54 PM PST by spinestein (All journalists today are paid advocates for someone's agenda.)
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To: spinestein

I thought it was Karl Rove's?


4 posted on 01/01/2006 3:18:40 PM PST by Mrs. Shawnlaw (Rock beats scissors, don't run with rocks. NRA)
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To: flixxx

Barone is the best. Why is Walmart successful? Speed and flexibility. Especially speed to able to adapt quickly. In the modern business world, speed = strength.


5 posted on 01/01/2006 3:22:39 PM PST by motzman (God helps those who help themselves - B. Franklin)
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To: flixxx

"Attention Wal-Mart bashers..."


6 posted on 01/01/2006 3:27:17 PM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist (None genuine without my signature)
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To: flixxx
From the 1930s, GM--as one of only three major automakers--was able to pass along to consumers the high costs imposed by wages, pensions, and health benefits negotiated with the United Auto Workers. When emerging foreign competition started to make life tougher for Detroit executives in the 1970s, they tried to insulate themselves with government tariffs and domestic-content requirements.

As recently as 2003 GM's net income was in excess of $4 billion dollars. It had unions then. It had pension and health care costs then, too. It also had products which people wanted to buy. In the last three years as the cost of fuel has doubled the big honking SUVs that GM made so much money on and which it bet it's future on have lost a lot of their lusture, and GM management never positioned itself for the next round of new products. You have to blame the leadership for that more than the unions or the health care costs.

The Wal-Mart Model

The Wal-Mart model is based in no small part on what has become the corporate model for the entire country. Employees are not assets, they're liabilities. Keep salaries low, discourage long term employees, and never stop looking for ways to cut what benefits you do offer. Companies like Costco sell their products just as cheaply as Sam's Club, their stock price is doing a lot better that Wal-Mart, and they provide a much higher salary and quality of benefits to more of their employees than Wal-Mart does. They find that these costs are more than offset by reduced recruiting and training costs, the ability to attract a higher quality of employee thus needing fewer of them, and possibly through increased customer satisfaction.

7 posted on 01/01/2006 3:29:59 PM PST by Non-Sequitur
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist
"Attention Wal-Mart bashers..."

Cheap whine spill in Aisle Three!

8 posted on 01/01/2006 3:39:47 PM PST by BlazingArizona
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To: Mrs. Shawnlaw; spinestein

You're both wrong. Everyone knows it's the Whitehouse nightshift pastry chef.


9 posted on 01/01/2006 3:53:10 PM PST by Valin (Purple Fingers Rule!)
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To: Non-Sequitur

Costco also fires employees for their moral convictions. In Canada a guy lost his job when his Knights of Columbus hall wouldn't rent out to another Costco employee for her gay "wedding reception."


10 posted on 01/01/2006 3:53:19 PM PST by Nextrush (Paul Martin:Putting life into crime)
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To: flixxx

If I remember right, GM had nothing but negative coverage back in the 1970's when it had 60% share of the market. There were plenty of left wingers saying GM had to be broken up by the government in order for its competitors to survive. Looks like the left is against whoever is on top at a given point in time.


11 posted on 01/01/2006 3:58:01 PM PST by jim_trent
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To: All

I was just checking the threads while my wife is out at Walmart. She had to return to the store since the Electric razor/trimmer we bought to cut our sons hair was already used.
Imagine opening a new product, or so you think and seeing someone elses hair come tumbling out. I told her to just return it as I'll pay the extra $2 for a clean product from Target.
Not that it will affect their overall success but that can turn you off to the whole chain.


12 posted on 01/01/2006 4:00:06 PM PST by JerseyDvl ("Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel"-Samuel Johnson to the Dems of today.)
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To: Non-Sequitur
Employees are not assets, they're liabilities.

Wal-Mart treats its employees fairly. If they have a problem, they can talk to anyone in management. They don't need a union to hold their hand and nobody is holding a gun to their head demanding that they work there.

Keep salaries low, discourage long term employees, and never stop looking for ways to cut what benefits you do offer.

Most Wal-Mart employees are part-time (students or those using Wal-Mart as a second job) or semi-retirees. They either refuse to take the benefits, are ineligible for them because they're new hires or some other reason (not because of Wal-Mart) or already have benefits. As for long term employees, please - Wal-Mart is one of the few companies that strongly promotes from within. A lowly cart pusher can work his way up into assistant manager, for example.

13 posted on 01/01/2006 4:05:31 PM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist (None genuine without my signature)
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To: flixxx

Excellent article.


14 posted on 01/01/2006 4:07:05 PM PST by Gabz
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To: Non-Sequitur
Companies like Costco sell their products just as cheaply as Sam's Club, their stock price is doing a lot better that Wal-Mart, and they provide a much higher salary and quality of benefits to more of their employees than Wal-Mart does.

That's not germane to Wal-Mart being the pre-eminent employer in the nation and earning $10 billion in profit.

15 posted on 01/01/2006 4:13:58 PM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist (None genuine without my signature)
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist; bfree; Mrs.Nooseman; Diana in Wisconsin
"Attention Wal-Mart bashers..."

ROFLMSS!!!!!

16 posted on 01/01/2006 4:16:25 PM PST by Gabz
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist

Dang and this looked so much like a thread with great potential :)


17 posted on 01/01/2006 5:35:35 PM PST by Gabz
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To: Gabz

Bumping for Monday Morning Coffee Break. :)


18 posted on 01/01/2006 5:41:42 PM PST by Diana in Wisconsin (Save The Earth. It's The Only Planet With Chocolate.)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

Works for me!!!

See you in the morning :)


19 posted on 01/01/2006 5:46:39 PM PST by Gabz
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To: Gabz

They will come out the woodwork with the same old tired phrases, you know the ones---ALL they sell is stuff made in China, etc...... Can't wait for the old tough guy, Kelly, to start the insults again.


20 posted on 01/01/2006 5:53:09 PM PST by bfree (PC is BS)
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