Learning from Wal-Mart

TownHall ^ | 02.24.06 | Edwin J. Feulner

[clb]

Yeah, I'd much rather pay $50 for a pair of pants, than $15. Those small town retailers really knew how to serve the customer. Of course, they wouldn't stock what you wanted, nor have anything at a reasonable price. But they were local.

Boulder, Colorado made a law that no big box stores could locate there. Well, they all went to Louisville, Lafayette, or Longmont. Now those cities get the sales tax revenue. And they created jobs that weren't there before at all. Those people moving in created other jobs and opportunity for other businesses.

Are you a "change is bad" type person? If a smaller retailer can't make it, well, I bet the owner is not starving and has found something else to do.

[PAR35]

They've taken customer service to an all-time low

Have you even shopped at Wal-Mart? If I ask where something is, the salesperson will walk me to it, rather than just pointing, even if it is in another department. When I return something, I get the money back with no hassles. If I want name brand soft drinks, they'll sell them cheaper than Safeway, Kroger, or Albertsons, or give me the option of store brand at 50 cents for 2 liters.

and have driven many US companies out of business

So the Kellogg's cereal sold by Wal Mart is made in a different company than the Kellogg's cereal sold at a local IGA store?

[CWOJackson]

Did you know that our military exchanges sell the exact same merchandise that Walmart does?

[asburygrad]

That's been my experience with Wal-Mart as well - the customer service is sorely lacking, the stores are dirty and most of their products (especially clothes)are of poor quality. Sometimes it's true that you get what you pay for. Of course this isn't just Wal-Mart but most "big-box" stores. The last time I asked for assistance purchasing supplies at Home Depot I couldn't find anyone who was both willing and able to answer my question. It's worth it to me to pay a bit more for good, dependable service.

[KarinG1]

"feckless" Now there's a word I'm tired of hearing. It was in my last job review 14 times.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Then don't shop there then. Simple as that.

[CajunConservative]

Sure they have problems but what the article was pointing out was that immediately before and after the storms they were organized, efficient and quickly on the spot whereas FEMA, state and local governments couldn't figure out their head from their butt. The government still hasn't figured out which end is up.

[taxesareforever]

Got to wonder how you know all this stuff about Wal Mart. Sounds like closet shoppers to me. Bet you saved a bunch when you shopped there.

[driftdiver]

I once went into a 24 hour walmart looking for something late at night. Couldn't find what I wanted so I proceeded to search for an employee. Couldn't find anyone despite wandering around half the store. I did however pick up 3 security types who were watching to see if I was trying to steal something.

One of the ways walmart beats prices of the smaller companies is through buying in bulk, extremely good business processes and excellent IT systems. They also abuse their employees and force suppliers to cut the quality of the products. Thats why walmart clothes fall apart so much faster than something purchased for a few dollars more. Part of a free market is the consumer has a choice of where to spend their money. Only suckers think a low price is the only consideration when making a purchase.

[Wingy]

There is a culture that forments WalMart hatred. Those that ran or were close to someone that ran a business that WalMart outmarketed out of business is a surprisingly small group. The numbers of businesses the were driven out of business by WalMart is, in large part, an urban myth. Yes, small businesses do fail and sometimes in response to competition. But the wholesale closing of small businesses in the wake of WalMart coming to town simply is NOT the case. Check the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for their figures.

So that brings us to the other reasons to hate Walmart. "They pay nothing to there employees." Gee, 25,000 applicants for less than 350 jobs belies that. Also WalMart tends to retain their employees as long or longer then the average business that hire mostly entry level, unskilled labor. Hmm, wonder why they stay?. Mainly because WalMart promotes from within. Story after story from WalMart employees telling how they came as an unskilled HS graduate and got the training to manage stores, transport, regions as well as many other mid and upper level managment positions.

All of this, notwithstanding, some will continue to hate WalMart. Closed minds on this subject abounds. My advice? Shop somewhere else.

BTW, I do not and have never wqorked for Walmart, but I DO shop there and Sam's Club. I have never had rude or substandard customer service, but I do leave the store with more money in my pocket then I used to before WalMart came to town.

[Jorge]

That's been my experience with Wal-Mart as well - the customer service is sorely lacking, the stores are dirty and most of their products (especially clothes)are of poor quality. Sometimes it's true that you get what you pay for.

Must be the part of town you live in.

Our Wal-Marts are clean, well organized, the staff is extremely helpful, and most of the products are the EXACT SAME BRAND-NAMES sold elsewhere, just as far lower prices.

You can go pay $35 for a pair of Dockers, while I pay $17 at Wal-Mart for them.

[ClaireSolt]

I can't get over this politization of Walmart. It is a store, not a political issue.

However, back to the article. I do think, based on my own, now extensive hurricane experience, that the government should not try to do what Walmart does or learn from them, but it should rely on the merchants to do some things. They can't really plan the relief, because noone knows where a hurricane will hit. So, although they may have trucks with water and ice in staging areas, it takes a while to get distribution centers designated and up and running. Meanwhile, the grocery stores where we normally get things are open for business.

For a solid week they commandeered the radio to tell how we could get free ice and water. I saw a line of cars that stretched for miles, but I drove by it and went to the store and bought ice for $1.29. There was nothing about the hurricane that made this unaffordable. So the government can skip the ice, as far as I am concerned. Likewise, they had this complicated go to the courthouse to get a blue tarp, or, by the way, they have them at Home Depot.

There are some people who have mega problems, and I think they should concentrate on helping them.