For all the Walmart nay sayers. K-mart suprise

KennyV · Nov 17, 2004

Kmart is growing so they can compete…
Retailers do not conspire to upset a market place; they will shop vendors, with a lot more wisdom than the average retail customer. They have to … Be it better that they don’t and go out of business?
If a supplier can not produce goods at a price acceptable to the retailer they will not make the sale. It’s the same when you are shopping, if the retailer can not produce the price you are looking for … you will not buy, the only difference is you will not necessarily go out of business if you choose wrong.
I am not anti any type retailer… It is a definite struggle to survive, competition IS fierce. There are others here that are/have been in business. You know this is true.

Employees will work for what they need, an employer CAN NOT pay more than what a job is worth. Employers hire for their needs. Every thing in marketing is reflected in the bottom line price of goods.

The large mega stores do allow the masses to survive and afford to purchase things they ‘may’ not afford if not for the price advantage.

I do buy some things at a mom & pop hardware store, long time friends of mine. I can not buy all my hardware needs from them, I also must consider price.

A marketing example is oil… We do not buy oil from OPEC countries because we favor their politics or the way they run their countries… we import the stuff based on price. The world market establishes the price, we pay it. KennyV.

Dargo · Nov 17, 2004

Oops! Better look out about the 18 year olds with guns. I have a nephew in Iraq that is about 18 and rather proficient with a gun. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

jmc · Nov 17, 2004

"I always take anything on PBS with a grain of salt."

 Maybe, but do a Google search on Walmart business practices and you'll see its not just PBS talking about them. In fact, I think Walmart is feeling the heat since they are starting to advertise all the charitible contributions they make.

gsxr1100 · Nov 17, 2004

sure, but again they have been trained.

But on the flip side you can go from baby foods to shotgun in 24 hours! What a Store!

gsxr1100 · Nov 17, 2004

Yup, no green card needed! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Bob_Skurka · Nov 17, 2004

No, becuase people who work at HD know what they are taking about or do it for a living. Hence you have a plumber in the plumbing department. 

While I generally like Home Depot, my experience is that they have a lot of associates who are clueless about tools or building. I have a cousin who works there part time . . . he doesn't even own a screwdriver and wouldn't know how to use one, even his daughter makes fun of him. At the HD near me, most of the associates seem to be young pretty females in most departments and I've not found one who was plumber or electrician. The head of the tool section is a pretty girl named Michele, she's adept at checking the computer to tell me something is out of stock but not so good about showing me the features and benefits of the different drill drivers.

As for Wal Mart, I honestly don't shop there, I may go in once or twice a year (largely because the lovely Mrs_Bob cuts something out of a sales flyer and has me pick it up on my way home). But the store is dirty and crowded and service, while friendly, is often not very good. I don't boycott the store, I just don't like it. It is simply a bad shopping experience. If I want to get pushed around or have someone bump into me with a cart I can always go to the supermarket and stand near the "sample" tables and watch the fat ladies rush in for free food.

johnday · Nov 17, 2004

gsxr1100; Agree completely, slave labor should only be used when baling hay. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif On the gun thing you mentioned, years ago before I knew the evils of old Sam Walwhatever, I was looking at a Remington 1187 in 20 gauge. The kid behind the counter told me that Remington firearms were junk. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif Double HUH I said, then went home and ordered one anyway. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

BillyP · Nov 17, 2004

are you kidding? So I could buy a crapsman 18 HP tractor, then get some milk, go back and get a "weedmachine"or air grinder then finish up with some tools! LOL


If that's what you wanted to buy but I'd buy the milk last /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

aardvark · Nov 17, 2004

( Not a fan of Walmart, especially after seeing programs like last night's PBS Frontline and reading elsewhere how they hold a gun to their US supplier's heads, forcing them to move overseas to compete.)

I used to work for a company whose largest customer was Walmart, and what you said is basically true. They would call our marketing and sales dept and say things likes "We need x number of units and we are going to pay y dollars and we want them by mm/dd/yyyy, or else we are going to pull your entire product line and replace everything with your competitor's who promises to meet that demand." It was ridiculous. I would have the marketing and sales dept's come running over to the engineering dept screaming bloody murder like it was my fault. Most of the time we could work things out, but some of the time there was just no way to accomplish what they wanted, just based on logistics. It's one thing to be reasonable, and if they said they needed a price break and were willing to wait a couple weeks to get it, fine, but it never happened like that. Unreasonable demands were the norm. The company I used to work for was Techsonic Industries, and the product line they carried were the Humminbird fishfinders. I'm not sure if they still carry Humminbird anymore, I moved on to a high end marine electronics manufacturer. We don't sell to Walmart, and I doubt we ever will. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

HickoryNut · Nov 17, 2004

Let's hope the FTC is keeping an eye on this one moreso than it seems. Kmart has no credit and are in debt to all their vendors Now they have sold off enough real estate to purchase Sears, obviously with cash, and Sears' largest asset is their real estate?

I won't be buying any more Craftsman tools on the basis of their lifetime guarantee. They're taking that venerable old landmark of American retail industry down.