Razor Blades and Wal Mart

[chh]

Hey guys don't pick on WalMart too hard. It is the only stock I own that isn't in the dumps.. You do have to give them credit for the fact that they are very good at giving most of the people what they want for the price they are willing to pay.

 

[Bird]

If they locked all the doors, there would be MORE stores and the small stores that got put out of business because of Walmart...might come back....That's why we support the little man...

I'm not the only one that hates Walmart...OR....won't shop there.

You're certainly not the only one who won't shop at Walmart. And I'm just tickled to death that there are those of you who can afford to pay premium prices for the things you buy, but some of us just don't have that much money to spare, so we have to shop at Walmart, Home Depot, and Lowe's. But we're grateful to you for shopping elsewhere because we do want Walmart, Home Depot, and Lowe's to have some competition to keep their prices down.

 

[2manyrocks]

Are we talking about the place that limits their employees to 35 hours a week so they don't get benefits? The place that put about every little local business on the town square out of business years ago? The place that drains money out of local communities and sends it to their home office?

 

[Lurch]

Disclaimer: I'm no fan of Wal Mart either.

BUT, isn't it funny how we all believe in capitalism until someone makes it work for them. Then we get in line to hate them for it.

 

[Matt_Jr]

Disclaimer: I'm no fan of Wal Mart either.

BUT, isn't it funny how we all believe in capitalism until someone makes it work for them. Then we get in line to hate them for it.

I don't hate Wal Mart for their success in capitalism, just the fact that they don't do what they promise(give back to the community) and so much more. They spend more money stomping out the attempts of employees setting up unions than they do on loss prevention. I'm not a union advocate, but Wal Mart is taking a dump on it's employees, and they've gotta smile with crap on their face while wearing those little yellow buttons. They promise to give money to schools.. ha ha. Yeah right. That place just stinks.

 

[DUMBDOG]

If some of the Wal Mart detractors here would look at any of the large chain retail stores in their area, I would think that they would find that Wal Mart is not much different than any of the others.

How many of the others give benefits to all of their employees?

In my mind, if you would compare the products offered at Wal Mart and the others, you will find they are all imported for the most part, the big difference would be the final retail price. Wal Mart would have a lower price even after all of the sales that the other stores offer.

 

[Bird]

Are we talking about the place that limits their employees to 35 hours a week so they don't get benefits? The place that put about every little local business on the town square out of business years ago? The place that drains money out of local communities and sends it to their home office?

Just how much of this do you really know exists? In visiting with one of the greeters, I learned that the main reason he stays with that job is because he said they have real good health insurance (both he and his wife have some pretty serious heatlh problems), and in his words "the pay ain't bad either".

And the "town square" was dying out most places long before we ever heard of Walmart. As population shifted to the "suburbs", shopping centers were built, and yes, the city center started to die out, both in big cities and small ones. Lots of effort and money have been poured into "revitalizing" downtown but no one has come up with a good solution yet. Are you going to go downtown shopping when you either can't find a parking place, or have to pay a huge price, and walk a long ways, or go to Walmart (or a mall) where there's plenty of free parking close to the door?

But aren't we all glad we have the freedom to choose where we shop? There are companies with whom I will not do business, but Walmart ain't one of'em. Do I agree with all of Walmart's practices? Of course not. There are a number of things about Walmart that really annoy me, but those are not my decisions to make.

 

[2manyrocks]

Pay employees a low wage, keep costs low, export dollars out of the local economy to the home office where the real compensation is paid. That's the net economic effect.

When they add produce to their stores, the local grocery stores lose business and in small towns, our local grocers tell me it will put least one local grocery out of business. So the community loses another business owner and the money he would have made that would otherwise stayed in the community also gets exported to the home office.

If they sell tires, then it hits the local tire stores.

Do you want local business owners or a bunch of wage earners?

 

[scott_vt]

Bird,

You just have a lot of honest people in Texas...or a lot of beards and hairy legged women!!

Good Mornin David,
Thats a classic, thanks !

Having to get a store person is a major pain IMHO, to buy something thats only worth a few bucks ! I agree if that helps at all !

 

[Bird]

Pay employees a low wage, keep costs low, export dollars out of the local economy to the home office where the real compensation is paid. That's the net economic effect.

When they add produce to their stores, the local grocery stores lose business and in small towns, our local grocers tell me it will put least one local grocery out of business. So the community loses another business owner and the money he would have made that would otherwise stayed in the community also gets exported to the home office.

If they sell tires, then it hits the local tire stores.

Do you want local business owners or a bunch of wage earners?

OK, so what kind of wages and benefits did that "local grocery" provide for its employees, and how many people did it employ?