Understanding the Wal-Mart Effect

TechCentralStation.com ^ | 04-11-05 | Max Borders

[The Great Yazoo]

Hard to imagine that A&P used to be the biggest grocery chain in the US at one time.

Every American high schooler ought to be required to study the History of American Business so they'll understand that rock-solid employer they signed on with at age 20 may not be around at age 50. But the education establishment would turn it into anti-business propaganda. Alas.

[The Great Yazoo]

Our local Ace hardware stores do a good job competing with the big box stores by offering stuff the big hardware chains don't (fishing gear, for example) and customer service that the Wal-Marts, K-Marts, and Targets can't.

[LowOiL]

OR MOST LIKELY YOU SUPPORT UNIONS AND WANT TO TAKE AWAY WALMART'S PRICING ADVANTAGE BY BRINGING IN UNION THUGS TO DRIVE COSTS UP????

Not only screaming, but screaming about something you probable have no actual real notion about. China has outpriced about everything posible made in America. For an American company to survive, you would have to lower the minimum wages. I know, I work a non-union job that is being forced overseas. Even Honduras can't compete with China prices.

I doubt there is 1% left of union job people competing in the manufacturing aspect (that Walmart carries). You can not compete with people that make 50 cents a day for 12- 16 hours of work. There has to be some middle class manufacturing jobs if you want to support a country's economy, you can't just import and not export and those countries don't have enough people making over 50 cents a day to buy anything you want to export.

[LowOiL]

You did a good job on this thread newbie. Welcome to FR...

[TChris]

Our local Ace hardware stores do a good job competing with the big box stores by offering stuff the big hardware chains don't (fishing gear, for example) and customer service that the Wal-Marts, K-Marts, and Targets can't.

Another plus which should be better advertised by smaller stores is simply that they're smaller (Come in, get out, be on your way)! After standing in line at Wal-Mart for a half hour and spending 15 min. getting out of the parking lot, that would probably get my attention.

[Terriergal]

yep.

And how many complain it's messy but instead of taking the things they don't want to the cashier so they can have someone put them away, they leave them in the aisles where they don't belong?

I once found a pair of Brahma boots in the Tea section of the grocery part of the store.

And someone once found a quart of ice cream that had been left on the shelf... for quite a while before someone found it.

People don't realize that when you take perishable items out of the cooler, and decide you don't want them at the end, no matter how short a time they've been out, we have to by law throw them away... and Walmart swallows that loss.

They tell me I can't say that at work to any customers (stupid rule) but I do every once in a while - not while they're abandoning their stuff.

So whenever I make a mistake and don't bring enough money, or whatever, I make sure to put back the nonperishables so the store doesn't take the hit for MY error.

[Straight Vermonter]

It had nothing to do with the local Walmart. The entire national Woolworths chain went under.

[I_dmc]

I see that question so often, "When did you stop beating your wife?". The correct question is, "Do you still beat your wife?". The point is, the second is a "Yes or No" question.

[superiorslots]

Quote: So, WalMart is responsible for Clinton's sale or gift of missile technology to China? Give me a freaking break

You can have all the technology in the world but you need money to build them. Hence walmart and the thousands of other us fcatories and companies that are moving over there.

[NYCynic]

Blame Congress. They could shut off trade with China tomorrow, if they wanted to.

Yea but who runs congress: Democ-RATS and RAT-publicans controlled by big money special interests.

This all comes down to one of my personal pet peeves: The lack of morals, civility and the general coarsening of our culture. Unfortunately there are evil people in the world and things like Triangle Shirtwaist, Enron, Worldcom, and Lincoln Bedroom-gate happen. Don't blame Walmart because crooked real estate developers and local politicians get together to make immoral profits.

Now, what's with all this Pat bashing? What's the problem with putting America First? That's the way it should be. Strict isolationism. Why bother to protect an ungrateful world. Or worse yet put our lives on the lines so some politician's corporate cronies can make a couple of more millions.

[Modernman]

Now, what's with all this Pat bashing?

Buchanan has gone so far off the conservative reservation it's amazing.

What's the problem with putting America First?

Nothing.

That's the way it should be. Strict isolationism.

We've tried that before. It ends with chaos and war. In this day and age, it might end with a radioactive crater where a major American city used to be.

Why bother to protect an ungrateful world.

Because doing so protects America.

Or worse yet put our lives on the lines so some politician's corporate cronies can make a couple of more millions.

No blood for oil, right?

[NYCynic]

Wal-Mart might only exist in history books.

Think Woolworth's. When they came out over 100 years ago people complained that they were shutting down Mom and Pop's in small town America. History truly is cyclical.

[NYCynic]

Re: Strict Isolationism
We've tried that before. It ends with chaos and war. In this day and age, it might end with a radioactive crater where a major American city used to be.

Missile Defense Shield? Tighter Borders or even Zero Immigration?

Re: Why bother to protect an ungrateful world.
Because doing so protects America.

I disagree with this. You can protect America without giving assistance to any other nation. What happened to competition? The stronger nations survive and the weaker ones fade away. I would like to see an American without alliances. I would like to see the eviction of the UN HQ. Send them to The Hague or Grenoble.

[IamConservative]

"I'm not saying that there aren't downsides to WalMart"

My home town now has two empty Wal-Marts and a brand new SuperCenter. We had one of the very early "brown" WM's. WM vacated it for the newer bigger "blue" store before they started buiding the SuperCenters. Like about everyone else, one cannot afford not to shop at the SuperCenter for the bare necessities, but the empty boxes are becoming an eye sore. Where there is a SuperCenter, no other general merchandise retailer needs a building that large and they tend to sit empty until someone buys it, tears it down and builds something new. What is interesting in our case, is the three buildings are side by side by side. We also have a SuperTarget and a Kroger's doing quite well within walking distance of the SuperCenter.

[NYCynic]

Re: Or worse yet put our lives on the lines so some politician's corporate cronies can make a couple of more millions.
No blood for oil, right?

Wrong. Oil is something we all need. On the other hand, how does a McDonald's in Beijing or a Coke machine in Kandahar benefit anyone other than the shareholders of the above corporations.

[Modernman]

On the other hand, how does a McDonald's in Beijing or a Coke machine in Kandahar benefit anyone other than the shareholders of the above corporations.

We're not engaged in wars in either of those two places, to my knowledge.

[Modernman]

Missile Defense Shield? Tighter Borders or even Zero Immigration?

You're proposing that we play a purely defensive game. If we did that, our enemies could plot overseas and make repeated attempts to attack us. What you're basically describing is the Clinton administration's approach to national security. That approach allowed terrorists to make repeated attacks on us since they knew we would never go after their bases in any serious manner. We saw how well that worked on 9/11.

No matter how hard we try, we can't make our borders totally secure nor keep everyone who wishes us harm out of this country. We need to go on the offensive, which is what the Bush administration has been doing.

I disagree with this. You can protect America without giving assistance to any other nation.

Not really. If we hadn't protected Kuwait and Saudi Arabia back during the first Gulf War, Saddam Hussein would be sitting on something like a third of the world's oil supply. If we don't protect Taiwan, China will expand in the Western Pacific and be able to cut off strategic shipping lanes.

What happened to competition? The stronger nations survive and the weaker ones fade away.

We don't want some of the stronger nations to get stronger and we don't want some of the weaker nations to fade away. Do you want China to get more powerful? How about Iran? Do you want Australia to fade away under Chinese domination?

I would like to see an American without alliances.

At what point would you take a pro-active stance on defense? Before or after Chinese tanks are lined up on the Canadian border? Before or after Islamic militants overthrow the government in Pakistan and get their hands on nukes?

I would like to see the eviction of the UN HQ

Why? That just means we would need to move a whole bunch of spying operations from New York to wherever else the UN ended up.

[The Great Yazoo]

but the empty boxes are becoming an eye sore

Sounds more like a dumb landlord than like a vile Wal-Mart (Wal-Mart's old landlord in my town kept the old Wal-Mart vacant to vilify Wal-Mart for terminating its lease and building a new store on its own property across the street).

[The Great Yazoo]

how does a McDonald's in Beijing or a Coke machine in Kandahar benefit anyone other than the shareholders of the above corporations.

Those corporations' rights to seek customers (as well as suppliers) where they can find them is at the heart of American freedom. That's how it benefits others than the (exceedingly numerous I might add) shareholders of those corporations.

If folks want to start a trade war, make the case for war in the first place. I'll proudly support my country honoring a war-time embargo on enemy products. But don't try to treat trade restriction as a way to war on the cheap.