Hambone
Platinum Member
Found this article very interesting.
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/77/walmart.html
What do you think?
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/77/walmart.html
What do you think?
Walmart
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Old_Hickory
Platinum Member
Interesting article.
I buy a lot of stuff from Walmart.
I buy a lot of stuff from Walmart.
RobertN
Super Member
It does not surprise me. I do not buy much there, just because everything is made overseas. I believe a good global economy is good for everyone. BUT... There must be a balance. and we, not just Wal-Mart, are way off balance.
The funny thing is, Wal-Mart is a great example of building a business the American way. What a success! But, at what cost in the end... No American production means a lot less jobs for a lot of folks out there.
The funny thing is, Wal-Mart is a great example of building a business the American way. What a success! But, at what cost in the end... No American production means a lot less jobs for a lot of folks out there.
OP
Hambone
Platinum Member
I live in a small town of 10,000. We had a regular Walmart, but since they have built a supersize town basher. K-Mart closed, Two grocery stores closed, one sold out to another chain. A lot of the smaller shops have closed. The downtown area begining to look like ghost town.
Junkman
Super Member
Personally, I don't like to shop at Walmart because in my opinion, they are responsible for more American job losses than any other company on the face of the earth. I don't like the fact that they advertised "Buy American" a few years ago, when a preponderance of their products came from over seas. There are a lot of other things about Walmart that I don't care for, but for fear of having them go after me for some comment that they don't like, I won't mention them.... A lot of TV programs have brought out the facts of how Walmart does business just like this article..... Walmart give the term "Big Brother" new meaning..... They overshadow the entire retail market place. At some time in the future, there will be no jobs to pay for the cheap items that Walmart sells and the US will fall into 3rd world financial status....
thcri
Elite Member
Right now I am sitting somewhere around the age of 47, plus or minus 10. But I still remember the days when you walked into a store and even at age 10 they knew your name. I remember buying things and if if failed you took it back to the place you bought it from. I remember employees that never jumped from place to place and if one did, you heard about it all over town, "gee he was only there 10 years and he changed employment". I can remember when just about everything had "Made in America" on it. Heck I still remember the old Norge Commercial, remember, "Knock on any Norge, hear the sound of quality, knock on any Norge. I still sing it today. We didn't have Best Buys, Wal-marts, Home Depots or anything like that. The person that sold it, fixed it. For the most part, service was free way after the warranty.
Today you buy something from someone you don't know nor will ever see again. When it fails you then have to find who is the service agency for that product. My wide screen TV I bought three years ago went out. The company I bought it from doesn't service them nor are they qualified. It took me three months and almost an attorney to get Samsung to fix. The dealer they had qualified for my area wouldn't work on it because he had never seen a TV like that or gone to school for it.
But we don't have much choice anymore but I sure do miss them days. These large stores are selling product at a low margin and letting the service to someone else. You see it in just about every industry including the HVAC industry that I am in. Makes one wonder how it will be in twenty years from now??
murph
Today you buy something from someone you don't know nor will ever see again. When it fails you then have to find who is the service agency for that product. My wide screen TV I bought three years ago went out. The company I bought it from doesn't service them nor are they qualified. It took me three months and almost an attorney to get Samsung to fix. The dealer they had qualified for my area wouldn't work on it because he had never seen a TV like that or gone to school for it.
But we don't have much choice anymore but I sure do miss them days. These large stores are selling product at a low margin and letting the service to someone else. You see it in just about every industry including the HVAC industry that I am in. Makes one wonder how it will be in twenty years from now??
murph
Egon
Epic Contributor
Junkman:
There was a time when sears was starting that they located their stores in areas where the products sold were manufactured. hey felt this would ensure a consummer base. Seems this type of philosopy is no longer understood.
Egon
There was a time when sears was starting that they located their stores in areas where the products sold were manufactured. hey felt this would ensure a consummer base. Seems this type of philosopy is no longer understood.
Egon
livincountry
Silver Member
Chain wide Wal-Mart's sales average $700 million per day, that equals $8,101.85 per second. The logistics of running a company that large is mind boggling. I do not buy there if I have an alternative but they are good at what they do.
lamarbur
Veteran Member
As a person who had three quarters of his college out of the way, then waited many, many years to finish, I did business economics as a major. When I finished, at age 44 or so, Walmart was one of the key comapnies to study. When one gets deep into their operations venue,, it is not a pretty picture. They purposely will fill a county area with five stores. Then, they start shuting down the first of those five with least performance. They continue on until all mom and pop stores and others are closed or closing.
In the meantime, they argue, Yes, I said argue, with the town where store 5 closed.. Well, we paid 50K a year in tax and now even we can't make it. Take 20K or nothing.. Overall, they are very un-American and I can't think of a worse company to deal with. I don't do Walmart and hope to never do a Walmart.. I know people including family members who were assistant mgrs of large stores. Once you hear some inside operational scoop, it only exacerbates their un-American values.
In the meantime, they argue, Yes, I said argue, with the town where store 5 closed.. Well, we paid 50K a year in tax and now even we can't make it. Take 20K or nothing.. Overall, they are very un-American and I can't think of a worse company to deal with. I don't do Walmart and hope to never do a Walmart.. I know people including family members who were assistant mgrs of large stores. Once you hear some inside operational scoop, it only exacerbates their un-American values.
frank_f15
Super Member, Rest in Peace
BESTBUY STORES ARE NOT TO MUCH BETTER. I WANTED AN ITEM FROM THEM TODAY(oops) had to drive 30 miles one way, store was so packed i couclu nor get to the area i needed to examine. and the line for the checkouts was at least 100 people long. seems like in an areas this large they would have at least two stores,bbut i guess thier idea is u want to buy, u come to us. so i just left.
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