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The Story Behind Walmart’s Bare Shelves
American Interest ^

Posted on 03/28/2013 6:29:04 AM PDT by Perdogg

Walmart is starting to look like a Soviet-era retailer. The prices are still low, but shelves are going empty for months while products sit unwrapped in storage, lines are interminable, and no one is around to help.

Bloomberg reports that in-store service problems for the world’s third-largest corporation are so bad that people are willing to pony up the extra cash to shop at stores like Target and Walgreens. Walmart’s problem, says MIT retail researcher Zeynep Ton, is a shortage of cheap labor:

(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.the-american-interest.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: minimumwage; obamacare; retail; walmart; workforce
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1 posted on 03/28/2013 6:29:04 AM PDT by Perdogg
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To: Perdogg

Must be up in Blue states. I don’t see any bare shelves here in Georgia.


2 posted on 03/28/2013 6:30:36 AM PDT by Gaffer
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To: Perdogg
obamacare
3 posted on 03/28/2013 6:31:14 AM PDT by mountainlion (Live well for those that did not make it back.)
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To: Perdogg

I don’t see widespread bare shelves here (Western PA), but I’m finding that a lot of the items I go to Walmart for are out of stock when I visit.


4 posted on 03/28/2013 6:32:07 AM PDT by rightwingintelligentsia (Truth/Lies; Liberty/Tyranny--WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE??)
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To: Perdogg

Why work at Wal-Mart when you can enjoy a higher standard of living by sponging off the government dole.


5 posted on 03/28/2013 6:32:32 AM PDT by circlecity
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To: Perdogg

Head-fake to make you think a carbon tax is a good idea.


6 posted on 03/28/2013 6:32:46 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum ("Somebody has to be courageous enough to stand up to the bullies." --Dr. Ben Carson)
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To: rightwingintelligentsia

Not alot of excess stock left for big discount sales. Seems they have the seasonal items down to supply science. if you need/want an item, better buy it now cause it’s not gonna be there next time and won’t be reordered.


7 posted on 03/28/2013 6:36:22 AM PDT by griswold3
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To: Perdogg

I will just have to take your word for it. You couldn’t drag me into a walmart.


8 posted on 03/28/2013 6:36:36 AM PDT by shelterguy
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To: Perdogg

Go to Target now since Wal-Mart started searching my wife every time she leaves with an item that has no bag. They never do it to me for some reason, but the Wal-Mart here stinks due to staffing issues anyway.

Target costs a little more, maybe a buck or two for the total trip. Well worth it to actually not have to wait in line at checkout for 20 minutes.


9 posted on 03/28/2013 6:36:53 AM PDT by rwfromkansas ("Carve your name on hearts, not marble." - C.H. Spurgeon)
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To: Perdogg

Maybe they are haveing a problem hiring people that only want to work 28 hours/week, ie part time no health insurance.

I could see this as a problem in states that have a lower unemployment rate like NH.

I avoid Walmart because they have always understaffed their stores and I do not like to wait in like for 15 minutes just to buy something. The worst are their superstores where it takes 20+ minutes just to check out your groceries.


10 posted on 03/28/2013 6:37:32 AM PDT by woodbutcher1963
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To: Gaffer

“I don’t see any bare shelves here in Georgia.”

Me neither in Fl............except for the ammo in the sporting good section.


11 posted on 03/28/2013 6:38:52 AM PDT by V_TWIN (obama=where there's smoke, there's mirrors)
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To: Perdogg

I can’t comment on Walmart per se, but the Gov’t certainly does pay people not to work.

And on the flip-side, Gov’t also encourages most companies not to hire - particularly in manufacturing. Everything from OSHA, to Obamacare, to liability and worker’s comp tort law. People want jobs to “come back” - they will not, particularly for relatively low-tech jobs.


12 posted on 03/28/2013 6:39:15 AM PDT by PGR88
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To: Gaffer

No bare shelves in WV. My complaint about WM is they have employees that remove shopping carts if you leave them for a few minutes and return items to the shelves. Then you have to shop all over again. Happened to me twice in the past 3 months.


13 posted on 03/28/2013 6:40:56 AM PDT by muskah
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To: woodbutcher1963; rwfromkansas; Perdogg

Funny, I hardly ever have to wait at Walmart, but sometimes our local Target store has long lines because there are not enough checkers. Target has gotten better about that lately, but I don’t have a problem with Walmart. I haven’t noticed shelves being empty, either.

Maybe another commenter was right. It’s true of the blue states, but not here in other places.


14 posted on 03/28/2013 6:41:44 AM PDT by Pining_4_TX (All those who were appointed to eternal life believed. Acts 13:48)
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To: Gaffer

Nor here in Alabama. Plenty of stuff on the shelves. Must be in Kerry or Hillary’s hood.


15 posted on 03/28/2013 6:41:56 AM PDT by RetiredArmy (1 Cor 15: 50-54 & 1 Thess 4: 13-17. That about covers it.)
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To: Gaffer
Must be up in Blue states. I don’t see any bare shelves here in Georgia.

i too have yet to see it... i shop at three different Wal-Marts in the South Bay (San Francisco Bay Area, California) and have yet to see empty shelves... for the last three weeks i've been shopping at the Wal-Mart in Fayetteville, NC and have not seen empty shelves...

16 posted on 03/28/2013 6:43:00 AM PDT by latina4dubya ( self-proclaimed tequila snob)
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To: Perdogg

This came up the other day so I went to walmart at lunchtime to pickup some things for the office. The store was completely stocked on the shelves and had excessive overflow of items on pallets in the aisles. Only the ammo cabinets were empty. There were 7 lanes open. Lots of floor workers helping customers as well. They are now out of breakfast blend coffee though because I bought 8 bags.


17 posted on 03/28/2013 6:43:08 AM PDT by Kirkwood (Zombie Hunter)
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To: griswold3
Seems they have the seasonal items down to supply science. if you need/want an item, better buy it now cause it’s not gonna be there next time and won’t be reordered.

I tried to buy mole poison at W-M and was told they didn't stock it until spring as it was a "seasonal item"

Now if I could just convince the moles ripping up my yard that it's not spring yet.

18 posted on 03/28/2013 6:43:12 AM PDT by Graybeard58 (_.. ._. .. _. _._ __ ___ ._. . ___ ..._ ._ ._.. _ .. _. .)
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To: Pining_4_TX
It’s true of the blue states, but not here in other places.

not true at the three Wal-Marts in San Jose, California--a very blue city...

19 posted on 03/28/2013 6:44:23 AM PDT by latina4dubya ( self-proclaimed tequila snob)
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To: Pining_4_TX

Not a problem out here in blue Iowa either.


20 posted on 03/28/2013 6:44:41 AM PDT by jjotto ("Ya could look it up!")
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