Wal-Mart bashing?

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"Mike, someone said something about millions of happy Wal Mart shoppers(I'm too lazy to go back and see who)."

For all you do know, there ARE millions of happy WalMart shoppers, people who enjoy the thought that they can save a fair amount of money over other stores that carry the same items.

Case in point, a few years ago I needed new Lithium batteries for my flashlight. I bought them at one store, and a few days later went to WalMart, where the exact same Duracell batteries were over $1 per battery cheaper.

TFal frying pan. Exact same pan. Over $5 cheaper at WalMart compared to KMart.

Lean Cuisine meals. At the Super WalMart in my parent's town, the exact same meal is (when not on sale at either store), nearly a dollar cheaper than at either the Wise or the Giant.

Sea food? If it wasn't for WalMart, about the only seafood you could get in my parent's town would be canned tuna. And they're not living in Lebanon, Kansas. They're only a few hours drive away from New York, Philly, or Baltimore. You know, ports.

"Actually, though, I know lots of people who like to shop, or at least window shop. Hell, I like to go look around, even at the mall(barf)."

Window shopping is not shopping. Window shopping at a mall is not shopping. Strolling through a mall is not shopping. It's not comparable. One could just as easily claim that walking down the street.


"Is ALL shopping, in your opinion, nothing but a necessary task? If so I'd guess you're very much in the minority much of the time."

Of course not. If I'm shopping for a new gun, or possibly a gift for a friend, or something to support one of my visceral hobbies, then it's not simply a mundane task.

People generally find little pleasure OR little displeasure in repetitive, mundane tasks. Shopping, washing the clothes, driving to and from work/church/soccer practice, etc. Those are support functions in our lives. When we're actually looking to purchase something special -- a new creature comfort, a new car, clothes for a special occasion? That's different.

"Survey company? Nah, but I've been successfully self-employed for 16 years, while my wife is manager of the biggest non-Wally Wart grocery within 40 miles. We better kinda have a bit of a feel for what makes people buy things, dontcha think?"

So you're saying that joy and happiness is the biggest factor in getting people to purchase products?

Not availability, brand consciousness/loyalty, quality (or perception there of), price, additional savings potential?

That has nothing to do with it?

It's all a factor of absolute endorphin stoked joy at setting foot in a store that ISN'T a Walmart?

Bravo Sierra.

What does your wife's chain do to increase a customer's joy level? Elephant rides in the parking lot?

Customer satisfaction keeps people coming back, but it's not a measure of the "joy" factor that people may or may not feel at setting foot inside of a store.

In the customer satisfaction arena, is WalMart at the top of the list? No, they're not. But they're certainly not at the bottom, either.


Sorry, I still don't buy the claim that most people who shop at WalMart aren't happy.

I'd also cry BS if someone were to claim that most people who shopped at WalMart WERE happy.

Customer satisfaction over a range of issues, not a beaming smile caused by being in proximity of a favorite store, is what keeps people coming back to any store.
 
I really don't think people's relative happiness with their Walmart shopping experience is a topic that really pertains to anything. Sales figures demonstrate that many people shop at Walmart in preference to other stores in their area - end of story.


The point of the thread is whether this preference, be it for price, selection, convenience, happiness or whatever, has a societal downside on the local or national level. In some localities Walmart is a boon. In others it is drain. And nationally it is a worry because, as we've seen with other super large companies, they can have too much influence in the overall market.

Low prices are good, unless they've been obtained at severe detriment to something else important. Trade deficit, shrinking economies and slave labor are all important considerations when judging whether you truly got a bargain or not.

It is nice to get T-Fal for a $5 discount, right up to the day when T-Fal goes down the tubes. It is nice to save a few extra dollars from your salary, right up until your employer folds and stops paying it. Those are the issues, not the servicing of your Id.
 
Someone has to be the "worlds largest company" ...

If its Walmart, well then kudo's to them.

I dont think Walmart is a threat to our society, just as I didnt think hundreds of Target or Kmarts that sprung up in the 1970's & 80's all across the country were a threat to society.
 
Do you think that Kmart or Target ever came close to being the world's largest company? Bigger than Microsoft, GM, Sony, Mitsubishi or Norinco?

If that fails to impress you, nothing will. I'm certain this is the first time a retailer that doesn't produce any goods of its own has ever come close to #1.
 
Puppy said:
I am still not convinced that Walmart is anything more than a chain of discount retail outlets.
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it's not. if you look at its business model and how they operate, Wal-Mart is a logistics company.

some interesting write-ups below. i'm sure WM will be used alot in economics classes for a long long time.

http://www.larouchepub.com/other/2003/3044wal-mart.html
http://www.theemailactivist.org/walmart.htm
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/oct2005/tc2005107_6620.htm
 
Sorry I still aint buying into the whole "Walmart is destroying America" ideology.

Then again I never really cared for wearing a tin-foil hat or drinking kool-aid.

I can understand why those on "the left" dont like Walmart: because Walmart refuses to allow its workers to unionize & Walmart is one of the largest firearm retailers in America.

But the rest of the "Walmart is evil" crap is just lunacy.
 
Mike, I'm sorry but that was the biggest pile of bull**** in this thread.

You think there are millions of happy Wally Wart shoppers? Fine, show 'em to me. Someone made the claim, now you're making the same claim, so support it. Personally I've never seen any, nor have any surveys I've ever seen claimed people look forward to shopping Wal Mart. It's not an adventure, just a routine. Of course I suppose if you view "happy" as "not utterly disgusted" then there probably are millions of 'em.

I'm no where near a port, Mike, and I can get all the seafood I want. Not at the Super Wal Mart, whcih doesn't have any, BTW. Sounds like a local problem you're folks are having there. Maybe they should move(just trying out the kind of over-broad statements you seem to excel at...feels kinda good, I'll admit)?

Window shopping, observing, "going shopping" and ending up not purchasing anything, or buying only impulse purchases, it's ALL shopping. Hate to break it to ya.

So you're saying that joy and happiness is the biggest factor in getting people to purchase products?
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I did no say that, imply it, nor is there any way a determined person could infer that i might have implied it in something I said at any time in the history of the world. Thus someone musta made it up out of thin air to further their own point...?

In the end here's what keeps people coming back: Price. Even if the product and/or service is inferior. THAT is the defining factor for most people on what you classify as this particular "support function". They'll drive further than they have to to save an amount that will not pay for the extra gas. They will sacrifice brand loyalty, often repeatedly, for a few cents. They'll watch businesses die and talk about how they used to enjoy going there...but they saved a buch over here... THOSE things have been confirmed by surveys.

Maybe it doesn't apply to you. Definitely doesn't to me. But I see it in action in several business environs regularly. Call it the lemming effect. Call it stupid. Whatever.

And it seems these two lines:

Sorry, I still don't buy the claim that most people who shop at WalMart aren't happy.

I'd also cry BS if someone were to claim that most people who shopped at WalMart WERE happy.
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Are exactly the point I was making in the first place, so what exactly were the dramatics about again?
 
Okay, maybe it's time that a Wal-Mart associate chimed in here; but first, let me say this:

I find it comical when posters on a pro-firearms board constantly say "Google this" or "Google that" which supports probably the largest anti-firearms organization on the planet. :barf:

That said, I am a Cashier at the new Super Wal-Mart in Longmont, CO so stop in some time and say "Hi!" I am the only male cashier working days so I'm easy to find.

I was laid off from a $72,000/yr job at Quantum Corp. in 2001 and have never recovered. My job was shipped off to Panang by Quantum, not Wal-Mart. They wanted cheaper labor and less regulation and they found it there, not here. It was a good business decision for Quantum and simply bad for me. I hold no grudge as I am a pro-capitalist and believe that businesses should be left to their own devices. Profit is the goal. No business ever excelled through losses.

I ended up managing a motel in Kimball, NE for two years making $5.15/hr plus an on-site apartment. While most of you would say that I was being taken advantage of by the owner of the motel, I credit him with keeping me out of bankruptcy and thus keeping you from having to pay my bills for me.

I have always liked Wal-Mart and I especially like their anti-union stance. In the orientation classes they claim that they are not anti-union and they simply believe that the employees do not need third party representation which drives up costs. For the record, I AM anti-union and have been since I was seventeen-years-old.

This is my favorite Wal-Mart story by the way: http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0210-13.htm

I sincerely hope they close every store in Maryland after that debacle that passed there. What most of the Wal-Mart bashers do not know, however, is that Wal-Mart already spends more than the amount the new law dictates. The bad part is that Wal-Mart will not do anything and new laws will pass that will increase the amount incrementally until they cannot do business there. Unfortunately, there are 31 other governors considering similar legislation.

Does anyone here believe that if the tobacco companies had simply stopped doing any business with Florida -- where the first tobacco lawsuit was initiated -- that other states would have jumped on that bandwagon? Three-hundred-sixty-five billion dollars later and what has it gotten us? Higher tobacco prices.

I have worked for Wal-Mart for the past four months and I can tell those who think the customers are not happy that they are dead wrong. I see those people face-to-face day after day and they are happier than pigs in swill at the prices they are paying. They also are happy that they are able to do all of their shopping at a single store instead of running all over town.

They also like the personalized service they receive and the fact that they can always find an associate to help them. Try that at Lowe's, Penney's, Home Depot, etc. some time and see where it gets you. They also like the fact that if an associate does not know where something is, they will find someone who does.

As for the firearms department having know-nothing employees, our store has a certified gunsmith. He works part time at a gun shop near here.

The fact is that Wal-Mart is the biggest target out there. Wal-Mart is sued, on average, every five minutes 24/7/365. If they went out of business this minute, the Wal-Mart bashers would simply turn their sights elsewhere and become Target bashers, or GM bashers, or Penney's bashers. Some people simply wake every day looking for something to bitch and moan about.

Wal-Mart DOES hire from within. All of the managers at this store started as in-stock or cashiers, etc. They pay a fair wage based on the type of work performed and they have a pay scale for those positions.

We have medical and dental and the dental is $3 per pay period for those who wish to participate. Anyone out there getting the dental benefit at their company for $3?

Wal-Mart is a good company and they care about the employees and the customers. They want them to be free from injuries and have managers who are assigned specifically to risk management. We are required to carry a paper towel with us at all times so that we can clean up small spills which may cause an injury. We are all schooled in the proper handling of emergencies and chemical spills, etc.

Yes, Wal-Mart is the home base for political correctness as anyone who has taken the training films can attest. You name it, they toe the line be it cigarette and alcohol sales, ADA, sexual/age harassment, etc. but that is also part of risk management. Remember that part about being sued every five minutes?

So just because some here are displeased with Wally World and can't find happiness in going there, they should not assume that everyone is as miserable as they are. After all, I face those people every day and I can attest to their happiness.

Yes, I do get the occasional sourpuss -- likely someone from this board -- but in 95% of all cases, the customers who come through my line are upbeat, happy, and pleased at the shopping experience they have just undergone.
 
Orig posted by jimpeel
I have always liked Wal-Mart and I especially like their anti-union stance. In the orientation classes they claim that they are not anti-union and they simply believe that the employees do not need third party representation which drives up costs. For the record, I AM anti-union and have been since I was seventeen-years-old.
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You're at the right place! Watch for falling wages! I like it when the Fox tells the Chickens they don't need protection!:eek: Yeah, and you don't need to have a gun in this harmonious utopian society either! Take a lap!

Rimrock
 
Good post jimpeel.

My experience with Wal-Mart employees has been generally good. Most seem happy to be there and show no bitterness.

Wal-Mart employs a few at each store who may have difficulty finding other employment because of physical or mental challenges.

Wal-Mart vendors all have a choice if they want to do business with them or not. All the complaining in the world doesn't change this fact.

Wal-Mart's stated commitment is to maintain the lowest prices. I believe they usually do just that.

Wal-Mart has been good for Wall Street.

Wal-Mart has nearly single handedly held inflation in check.

If all of the vendors were as miserable as some would make you believe Wal-Mart would have bare shelves.

Again, and again....Vendors do not have to sell to Wal-Mart.
 
You're at the right place! Watch for falling wages! I like it when the Fox tells the Chickens they don't need protection!
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I guess you missed the part where I stated that they CLAIM they are not anti-union but you have to also read the part wherein I state
"For the record, I AM anti-union and have been since I was seventeen-years-old."
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I like working for a non-union place and would not consider working there if it was a union shop. Unions are the reason the American automobile industry is going out of business but you go cuddle up in the warmth of that foreign job you likely drive and pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.
 
NedreckSavant

oh jimpeel, you need some aloe? cuz you got burned...
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Burned? Not so much as an eybrow from a flashback. He'll have to do far better than what he has so far. I've been in this game for years. I think the numbers of our posts, here, tell that story. Just because ya haven't seen me around here for a while doesn't mean I'm a newbie.

I was raised that any job at any wage is better than begging or stealing. I earn an honest day's wage at Wal-Mart. I give them 100% of my effort and they give me 100% of my wages. I intend to be a manager within 1 - 1 1/2 years. I'm out of the high tech game for good.

By the way, are you aware that Wal-Mart has a regulation that all work performed must be on the clock? That you can be reprimanded or discharged for working off the clock? Even if they call you on the phone to ask you a question they must adjust your time for the period they had you on the phone.

Did you know that they have a strict open door policy for discrepancies wherein you can take issues over the head of your supervisor without fear of reprisal? Did you know that a supervisor or manager will, be fired for any reprisal?

I had a discrepancy and came in on my day off and they would not talk to me until I was clocked in. The manager had a talk with my supervisor and we have been fine ever since.

I'll bet those anti-Wal-Mart webpages don't mention those facts, do they?

Anyone else here work at a place that is so strict about protecting their employee's earnings; or do you work off the clock and not get paid for it?

By the way, NedreckSavant, welcome to the board. :D
 
pipoman

The anti-Wal-Mart crowd wants to paint all Wal-Mart associates as disgruntled and unhappy. The goal is to get the crooked, corrupt unions into the largest corporation on earth and then milk them into bankruptcy ala General Motors.

GM spends a little over $2 billion on steel every year and over $5 billion on health care and benefits for workers who are no longer on the GM payroll. Yeah, you read that right. GM pays full wages and benefits to laid off workers and that was a union demand that they aquiesced to and now it is bankrupting them. It must be nice to sit on your a-- at home and "earn" fifty to sixty thousand per year plus bennies.
 
The anti-Wal-Mart crowd wants to paint all Wal-Mart associates as disgruntled and unhappy. The goal is to get the crooked, corrupt unions into the largest corporation on earth and then milk them into bankruptcy ala General Motors
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You should have a job for life with that philosophy, or course you'll be part of the largest growing part in America...the working poor!
Let's get rid of all these benefits and saving wages so that the investor class can have more and live better.:eek:
I just put my youngest through a top ten university and he'll be soon attending a top 5 law school. Good luck doing that on WALLYWAGES!
You couldn't fund that with a lifetime of WALLY W-2's.
Maybe if you're real good they'll employ your offspring. Make it a family tradition! I've anylized the their benefits pard....Watch for falling coverage!
If things get slow remember this..If you like Wally you'll love a good Chinese prison. Heck you just one step removed now! :(

Rimrock
 
Jeez Rim he is working hard paying his bills and hopefully enjoying life outside of work. He doesn't seem to hate going to work.

Wal-Mart store managers do OK, I knew one in the 1980's who was earning 80K, I wouldn't classify that as "working poor". (Who coined that term, "working poor", anyway?)

There have been those not as fortunate as you who have found a way to assist their kids in getting a good education.

Your tone doesn't sound too "progressive".
 
Rimrock

My goodness! How do you keep all of that pent up hatred and enmity under control. Your hatred for all things Wal-Mart -- including their employees -- is absolutely visceral.

Tell me -- if you are successful in putting Wal-Mart out of business; which company will be your next target for evisceration? Are you anti-capitalist in general or just in particular where it concerns Wal-Mart?

Wal-Mart brought jobs to this city. The new Super Target being built will too. Lowe's just opened up and American Furniture Warehouse and Furniture Row are both building as I speak. They will also offer jobs to our citizens and they will be on a level with Wal-Mart's wages. There are three Safeways, three King Soopers, and an Albertson's in this town as well. Bed Bath and Beyond and Ross Dress for Less are building next to Lowe's as well as PetSmart.

So what do you have to say about those companies? Are they also bad? Do they drive out mom n pops as well? Do they have low wages and soft benefits? Certainly they do. So why do you reserve all of this hatred for Wal-Mart?
 
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