Coke caves under Wal-Mart pressure

CNN/Money ^ | June 8, 2006

[Gabz]

Thanks for the heads up.......

[kcvl]

Wal-Mart is not going to invest the time and money in such an endeavor.

Oh, yes they would. If you had millions of people walking through your stores daily, who already buy thousands of Wal-Mart branded products, why not?! They have knocked off hundreds, if not thousands of products already.

[Erasmus]

Old Roy is the best selling dog food brand in America. I have two dogs and two teenagers.

Good thing I didn't stop reading there.

[Gabz]

Personally, I will sacrifice price for someone who can tell me what isle the hardware is on.

IN my local WalMart, not only do I get someone who can tell me that, I get someone who will take me there and find what I'm looking for.

And will willingly pay a few cents extra for 3 extra cash registers being opened to reduce lines with 10 people in them.

In my local WM more registers are openned as soon as there are more than 3 people in any line, including sending people to the garden center or automotive when the store is really crowded.

Now, the customer isn't first, the bottom line is first at the expense of servicing the customer.

I believe it all hinges on the local management. I've been in poorly managed stores and in well managed stores. The management in my local WM puts the customer first at all times. I generaly dislike shopping and so avoid places when others are normally there. But I have been in the local WM on Christmas Eve and the day before school started....never had a problem.

[elli1]

Don't give me any ideas! They're boys & the way they plow through food, they might not notice. : )

[SamAdams76]

Hello, I am a big fan of Wal-Marts. I own some of their stock and I am hoping that they get much bigger and even more powerful. I believe that Wal-Marts has done a great thing for our economy. Never before has the unemployment rate been so low and never before has household products been so cheap (relative to cost of living index). And if you do happen to be unemployed, why you can always get a job at the Wal-Marts because the Wal-Marts is always hiring.

As for all this fuss over Coca-Cola, what a bunch of hoo-hah over nothing. Everybody is yip-yip-yapping because local truckers can no longer deliver and stock the shelves at Wal-Marts with soda pop and energy drinks. Well so what? What is wrong with making Coca-Cola deliver their product directly to the Wal-Marts distribution centers? Is this not more efficient? Will this not lower the price of Coca-Cola products to the consumer?

And some here have pooh-poohed the notion that Wal-Marts can make their own brand of sports drink. Well why not? Do some here doubt the power of Wal-Marts? They can stock their shelves with nothing but Wal-Marts brand of sports drink and nobody will want to drink Powerade ever again. Wal-Marts has the capability to put Coca-Cola out of business and Coca-Cola knows it which is why they caved like they did.

What is the deal with Powerade anyhow? I don't like Powerade. I like Gatorade and Gatorade's Propel much better than I like Powerade. But I digress.

So anyway, some here are saying that Wal-Marts has reached the limits of their growth potential. They say they already have too many stores. But I say they do not have nearly enough stores. For example, when I want to go to Wal-Marts, I have to drive nearly 5 miles. This is not good. There should be Wal-Marts closer. I say that Wal-Marts can put 65,000 full-size stores in the USA easy along with 271,000 "convenience-store sized" Wal-Marts. Yes, I think Wal-Marts is getting ready to get into the convenience store business. It is the next logical step.

This is based on U.S. population of 300,000,000.

Obviously Wal-Marts can open far more stores in the rest of the world. For example, in China alone, Wal-Marts can build 310,000 full-size stores and 1.1 million convenience stores.

I just wish Wal-Marts had a better selection of books. Perhap they could open their own chain of bookstores.

[aculeus]

This is like Godzilla meets King Kong.

Right. I'd love to know the story behind Gallo's deal with Wally ... they created a W-M house brand which was then dropped after a few months.

[SamAdams76]

Wal mart used awful underhanded tactics to undermine and bankrupt the Bradlees discount chain in my area. True that company was run ineptly, but they still were helped by Wal Mart to accelerate their demise.

Gee, I'm so broken-hearted over Bradlees. I remember the Bradlees chain and they were godawful. Kudos to Wal-Marts for hastening their demise. Same for Caldors, Ann & Hope and Almys. Three other pathetic chains that got steamrollered and put out of their misery by the Wal-Marts juggernaut.

[Gabz]

Why have you not said you wanted on the WM ping list???????

You only have to drive 5 miles to WM? I've got to go 14. But it's a much shorter (time wise) trip for me than it was when I did live 5 miles from a WalMart.

[SamAdams76]

Yes, please put me on the Wal-Marts ping list.

[King Moonracer]

A Dr Pepper and Bacardi sounds good....

[Gabz]

You are there!!!

I'm a strange type woman - I really don't like shopping, but I dislike the attacks on WM even more than I dislike shopping.

I'm also a major proponent of supporting local small business and I have been amazed at the number that have told me to go to WM for something I am looking for that they don't have, but know WM does.

Local management of the WM makes all the diference. I've been directed to more local small businesses by staff at the local WM than I would have found on my own.

Are all WM's as good as the one I shop, of course not, but I'm very happy with the one I've got!!!

[balrog666]

Great tagline!

[Gabz]

Thanks...........

I got the idea from one of the resident WM bashers.

[Eagles Talon IV]

Much of what you claim Walmart did was allowed to be done because of the failure of management at the firm who hired this mole. It appears that this company and others like it are the victims of bad management. In business it is the rule of the jungle and it should be no other way. The ultimate success of a business is determined by the consumer and as long as they are happy then I say let the corporations have at each other.