Do you shop at Walmart?

[Foxfyre]

I can't imagine Target is any different than any other big box store that is able to corner a substantial part of the market. Certainly competing with Wal-mart has kept the prices in both stores lower. But I also am aware of many charitable and benevolent activities of Wal-mart that I have not seen from Target. Would Target be any more noble or benevolent or a better neighbor than Wal-mart if it could corner as much of the market, be profitable in as many locations, and do the volume that Wal-mart does? I somehow can't see that it would be.

I sometimes do presentations for groups, including small business classes, and one component of that is situational ethics. As an illustration, I use the concept from the Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan movie "You've Got Mail." It was of course a love story, but the plot of the movie was Fox Books, a big box book store, putting the small neighborhood children's bookstore "Shop Around the Corner" out of business. And most of us who watched the movie found ourselves strongly on the side of "Shop Around the Corner", and yet the character, Joe Fox, (played by Hanks) turned out to be a really decent guy who wasn't at all a devil or ogre even though he knew he was putting the small shop out of business and fully expected to do so.

The former customers of Shop Around the Corner felt guilty about it, but found the allure of a good selection and lower prices too much to resist and abandoned the small shop in favor of the big box store.

So the question then was: Was it ethical for Fox Books to put Shop Around the Corner out of business? I've never worked with a group who didn't really struggle with that question.

Why would anyone struggle with such a question?

Was it ethical to offer a better product at a lower price?

Um, yeah - it sure was.

The reality of life is that an old tyme blacksmith working iron in a coal driven furnace makes us all tingly inside, but for products, a forge with with thousands of workers puts out better quality at a fraction of the cost.

Same thing with retailing, little local retailers are quaint, but aren't efficient in logistics or supply chain management. Economies of scale.

Oh I know, but just as computers and e-mail have displaced the pleasure of actually receiving a hand written letter from a loved one, and Facebook and other modern phenomena have too often replaced getting together with friends just to be together, there are many pleasures that exist only in nostalgia these days. But it is hard to let them go.

I grew up in small towns where you knew every shop owner, and you would visit almost all of them before your Christmas shopping and preparations were done. And it was a pure joy and social experience. There was an intimacy and human touch that will never be matched by an impersonal big box store however much we appreciate the one stop shopping. So shopping isn't the pleasant social experience it once was. And the older I get, the more distant I feel from most of the hundreds of people who live near me. And all that comes with a sense of loss.

But that still isn't Wal-marts fault.

 

[thereisnospoon]

If the store had the lowest price on something that I wanted yes I would. For those who feel victimized by Walmart's practices I suggest they make themselves better equipped for the job market. Opportunities are plentiful for those who possess the best qualifications, market themselves well and have the wherewithal to commit to what the job market demands.

Huh, in which reality do you reside? Your self righteous indignation of the 47% is disgusting.

The reality iof we are all responsible to our selves.
If one is dissatisfied with their station, they are free to choose other options. Such as going to school, learning a trade or skill. It's very simple. And lots of people do exactly that.
They don't sit on their dead asses and whine like six year olds that they didn't get their cookies.

 

[thereisnospoon]

If the store had the lowest price on something that I wanted yes I would. For those who feel victimized by Walmart's practices I suggest they make themselves better equipped for the job market. Opportunities are plentiful for those who possess the best qualifications, market themselves well and have the wherewithal to commit to what the job market demands.

What dream world do you live in? I'm 51 and have tried to get a job since the economy tanked in '08. Well educated, experienced, but yet never even get in for an interview after submitting enough resumes to wall paper a house.

What are you looking for? Are you applying for work for which you are qualified? Are you holding out for higher wages? Management?
Have you thought of marketing your skills and starting your own business?
Newsflash. Most companies send out test ads to see what's out there. Most of them ARE NOT hiring. They just want to see what the market is like should they start hiring.
That I got from a recruiter.
Although there are many employers looking for employees, like any other supply and demand situation, employers are at an advantage. They will only take the best.
Perhaps there are better ways to go about getting yourself past the gatekeepers?
Go to the employer's facility and walk in. Ask to speak to the hiring manager?
Plus, you just very well be a victim of age discrimination. It is rampant.
I am not opposed to your position. Just asking questions.
It is difficult for those over 40 years old with lots of experience to become employed.
Age discrimination is the one type of "Acceptable" discrimination in this nation today.
Employers just do not fear the same legal blow back as they do with race, sexual or cultural discrimination. Why that is, I have no idea. Other than to think that most older folks are just not the type to run to court and file a suit. Plus, age discrimination is tough to prove.

 

[Foxfyre]

If the store had the lowest price on something that I wanted yes I would. For those who feel victimized by Walmart's practices I suggest they make themselves better equipped for the job market. Opportunities are plentiful for those who possess the best qualifications, market themselves well and have the wherewithal to commit to what the job market demands.

Huh, in which reality do you reside? Your self righteous indignation of the 47% is disgusting.

The reality iof we are all responsible to our selves.
If one is dissatisfied with their station, they are free to choose other options. Such as going to school, learning a trade or skill. It's very simple. And lots of people do exactly that.
They don't sit on their dead asses and whine like six year olds that they didn't get their cookies.

And those who don't plan for a changing society, economy, and trends are the ones who get left behind. Such as many small shop owners who thought that their customers would be forever loyal and they didn't have to adjust with the times.

So there remain only one or two buggy factories building the few used as tourist attractions and for special celebrations or exhibits instead of the many hundreds that existed before the automobile made them obsolete. Should we hate the big three for putting all those carriage, buggy whip, and wagon manufacturers, and all the businesses who supplied parts for them, out of business? How about modern refrigeration shutting down thousands of ice plants that made and delivered the big blocks of ice used in old fashioned ice boxes? And each city has only one or two great bakeries supplying custom cakes and confections instead of the dozens or hundreds that existed before modern automation could turn out Twinkies and Oreos by the tens of thousands in a fraction of the time and at a cheaper cost and the big grocery stores filled the needs of most for fresh baked goods

For better or worse the world doesn't stand still for us.

Wal-mart recognized and adjusted to the trend, but it isn't Wal-mart's fault that it is so.

 

[Uncensored2008]

Oh I know, but just as computers and e-mail have displaced the pleasure of actually receiving a hand written letter from a loved one, and Facebook and other modern phenomena have too often replaced getting together with friends just to be together, there are many pleasures that exist only in nostalgia these days. But it is hard to let them go.

I grew up in small towns where you knew every shop owner, and you would visit almost all of them before your Christmas shopping and preparations were done. And it was a pure joy and social experience. There was an intimacy and human touch that will never be matched by an impersonal big box store however much we appreciate the one stop shopping. So shopping isn't the pleasant social experience it once was. And the older I get, the more distant I feel from most of the hundreds of people who live near me. And all that comes with a sense of loss.

But that still isn't Wal-marts fault.

The sad thing is that even the human interaction of big box stores is at end of life. Amazon is the future, web browsing where you never talk to another human.

The lefties will hate on Amazon the way they do Walmart, and they along with us, will still shop with them. The era of brick and mortar is quickly coming to a close.

 

[thereisnospoon]

Just reading this at Huffpo and looking at the comments. Made me wonder if people who disapprove of Walmart still shop there.

Walmart's Internal Compensation Documents Reveal Systematic Limit On Advancement

I read your article at Huffington Post, Amelia. They're redistribution agents, and in their article, they solicit former employees to write them (grievances only will be published). They're digging for dirt to destroy a business that employs two million worldwide and 1.4 million stateside.

All businesses are judged by their performance on the stock market to people who invest money in them to keep their doors open. If you frighten the investors enough, they will take their money out and invest in something even more profitable that is less noticable because of size.

The redistributors have raised prices on groceries and shrunk sizes to conceal most of the inflationary issues. It's in the 40 to 80% higher bracket. It's a cancer, a parasite. Huffington Post wants to just make it worse.

Can you imagine if that bitch destroys Walmart, she will be putting 1.4 million people on these shores out of work, and the jobs will just be put into countries like Kiki described "where people are just happy to have a job."

We'll be supporting 1.4 million more Americans, not to mention WalMart's trade partners losing a sure-thing sales outlet.

This is not good.

I would not worry too much about this person. She is a flyspeck in a long line of complaining flyspecks.
Huffpo is full of shit.
They are the only ones even giving this a look. It's nonsense.
It would come as no surprise that union thugs frustrated they cannot organize Walmart workers are the ones behind this.

 

[thereisnospoon]

Wow. Wal mart is the number one killer of small business in America no matter what anyone says. There is no way local small businsess can compete with Wal Marts low prices. We got Wal Mart and within a year main street was 50% vacant. Chineese products killing American small business in the womb. Yet they want us to think it's Obama care. They say that small business needs all the breaks they can get, and the way that the US government backs big business over small business I can agree. Large business, with their bought and paid for politicians, kill off their competition through over regulation every day. Talk about saving American small business than go shop at Wal Mart, it just doesn't sound right. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, our choices our being taken away. No monopolies but how many cable tv options do you have? ever tried to change electric companies?

Do I shop at Wal Mart? yes.
Do I like it? no.
Do I have an economical alternative? no.
When the opportunity arises to shop else where do I take it? absolutely.

Hmmmm. There is a hardware store which is sort of like a general store right in town, two miles from the nearest Walmart. There is a Lowes 4 miles away and another Lowes and a Home Depot 6 miles away. That hardware store is always busy. I can get stuff there that none of the other stores sell.

 

[Dreamy]

I do shop at Walmart sometimes but much prefer Mom and Pop local stores whenever possible or online more often. I love the personal attention one gets at locally run businesses but sadly there are not enough.

I also support the right to unionize and do support good unions. I despise greed from unions and corporation equally.

 

[HUGGY]

My oh my... How did we ever get by without Walmarts in the past? And all those great minimum wage jobs where ya can get free health care at you local emergency enterance at the hospital. Ya Walmart would sure be missed....

I just don't underget how I ever got this far in 63 years without a single Walmart purchase... I am sadly lacking in Chinese crap.. I feel ashamed...

 

[Dreamy]

My oh my... How did we ever get by without Walmarts in the past? And all those great minimum wage jobs where ya can get free health care at you local emergency enterance at the hospital. Ya Walmart would sure be missed....

I just don't underget how I ever got this far in 63 years without a single Walmart purchase... I am sadly lacking in Chinese crap.. I feel ashamed...

Why ashamed?

Walmart is not the only chain selling the Chinese crap.

 

[Foxfyre]

Wow. Wal mart is the number one killer of small business in America no matter what anyone says. There is no way local small businsess can compete with Wal Marts low prices. We got Wal Mart and within a year main street was 50% vacant. Chineese products killing American small business in the womb. Yet they want us to think it's Obama care. They say that small business needs all the breaks they can get, and the way that the US government backs big business over small business I can agree. Large business, with their bought and paid for politicians, kill off their competition through over regulation every day. Talk about saving American small business than go shop at Wal Mart, it just doesn't sound right. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, our choices our being taken away. No monopolies but how many cable tv options do you have? ever tried to change electric companies?

Do I shop at Wal Mart? yes.
Do I like it? no.
Do I have an economical alternative? no.
When the opportunity arises to shop else where do I take it? absolutely.

Hmmmm. There is a hardware store which is sort of like a general store right in town, two miles from the nearest Walmart. There is a Lowes 4 miles away and another Lowes and a Home Depot 6 miles away. That hardware store is always busy. I can get stuff there that none of the other stores sell.

Yes, there is a hardware store out on North 14 that was near where we lived when we were out on the mountain. It was 12 to 20 miles to nearest big box store in Albuquerque, so the hardware store thrived. We wouldn't drive all the way into town to buy a few bolts or picture hangers or light bulbs or nails or a can of paint. But we WOULD drive into Albuquerque for a big ticket order like lumber to build a new shed or something like that. So the hardware store specialized in all the stuff people usually needed in a hurry and carried a very limited inventory of the big ticket stuff. And that store is still thriving so far as I know. As I said, you have to adjust to the times and what your customers need. They won't be loyal just because you've always been there.

 

[Jarlaxle]

You mean there is no sears, Meijer, cosco, Publix, ect ect ect ?

No, that's not what I mean.

There are no Albertson's, Food World, Food Lion, Save-A-Lot, Shop n' Save. Very few Winn-Dixie compared to a few years ago.

Now it's mostly Wal*Mart and Publix in Florida, with Costco doing well everywhere it has a warehouse.

Save-A-Lot is still around...I delivered to one last week. So is Shop-N-Save. (The others you mentioned never had stores in this area.)

 

[Jarlaxle]

Before Wal Mart came to town, there were four places a knitter to buy yarn. There were three bicycle shops owned locally. Four different jewlers, I can't count the number of locally owned pharmacies. Today, there are three locally owned pharmacies, but just one place to buy a bicycle and one place to buy yarn.

We can't pretend there aren't trade-offs. Are we better off due to Wal Mart? I vote yes.

So much for the entrepreneurial spirit. And ask the former employees of Rubber Maid in Wooster, Ohio if "we're better off due to Wal Mart"! They'll tell you of a 'trade off' that sent their jobs to Asia so Rubber Maid could meet the pricing point Wal Mart demanded. That's right. The retailer demanded a cheaper product and told Rubber Maid if they wanted their dish strainers and laundry baskets sold in Wal Mart stores, they would have to make them cheaper, like in China! Better off? Only if your name is Chin.

And yet...Wal-Marts in this area do not sell Rubbermaid products. They sell Sterilite. It's not from China...all of it is made in Townsend, Massachusetts!

 

[EdwardBaiamonte]

Wow. Wal mart is the number one killer of small business in America no matter what anyone says.

perfectly liberal and so perfectly stupid. If we wanted to save small businesses we could just pass a law that no auto company could employ more than 100 people, no earth moving company could make anything with more capacity that a hand shovel, no bottling company could make more than 1000 cases a month, and no farmer could have more than an acre!!

 

[JOSweetHeart]

Save-A-Lot is still around.

My area has got that store. It is right by our local K-Mart. I've never been in it though so I don't know what brands of food that they carry.

God bless you always!!!

Holly

 

[Papageorgio]

You may live in a town with a high quality Wal Mart. Let me tell you that there is a big difference in most Wal Marts and Targets.

Targets are:

- Cleaner
- Have better trained and more professional workers
- Are less crowded
- Have higher quality products
- Have less grungy people hanging out at them

Your full of shit. never have I ever had this experience and I have been ion more target and wal-marts then most people will ever.

I've done the country tour of both those stores dude. You clearly are not a very observant person if you disagree.

I never noticed a difference, but that was a few years ago. I try to find mom and pops first.

 

[Foxfyre]

No, that's not what I mean.

There are no Albertson's, Food World, Food Lion, Save-A-Lot, Shop n' Save. Very few Winn-Dixie compared to a few years ago.

Now it's mostly Wal*Mart and Publix in Florida, with Costco doing well everywhere it has a warehouse.

Save-A-Lot is still around...I delivered to one last week. So is Shop-N-Save. (The others you mentioned never had stores in this area.)

Yes the closest Wal-mart to us is a Super Center right next door to a large Smith's Grocery Store and both stores are thriving. The closest large grocery store to us is an Albertson's about a mile from that same Wal-mart and and it is also thriving.

 

[percysunshine]

Does the volume discount exist?

This is sort of a phillosophy question.

 

[Misty]

I don't shop at walmart I think once and target maybe a few times before they mega targeted it. Target is 37 percent better. IMO

 

[JoeB131]

Just reading this at Huffpo and looking at the comments. Made me wonder if people who disapprove of Walmart still shop there.


Walmart's Internal Compensation Documents Reveal Systematic Limit On Advancement

I try to avoid it... but sometimes if I'm in a hurry, I do.