The "Wal-Mart is ruining America" thread

[Pit Bull]

Originally posted by rhickman





One question for PitBull... do you tip people? Just wondering how your view on value was passed on in tipping.

I'm a 20%+ tip person if I receive good service with a smile. I'm a 10% tip person if I get poor service. . At the Gym I workout at I usually get a protein shake after the workout. Shake costs $3. 00 I give the person $4. 00. When I've traveled in Europe, especially in Germany I hated the service and guess what, they build the tip into the cost of the meal

 

[Rman]

I like Italy, they take some seriously long lunch breaks there. If i could convince the wife I'd sure like to move there. That's much more of a dream then a reality though.



To keep thread related, Walmart still sucks

 

[fj40charles]

You can call it capitalism. Walmart is just like microshaft. As soon as Target and groceries start going out of business, it will then become a monopoly. I wonder how much price roll backs walmart will be doing at that time when there is no competition?



Competition is good for the consumer and I will do what I can to promote competition. For me, it means shopping at Costco and Super Targets for my needs.

 

[Morphious]

Walmart is also trying to get a loophole passed where they can become a financial institution as well... . scarey thought.



Morph.

 

[BNH4221]

Hey, I could save a few bucks at Wal Mart but:

1. Why drive 45 minutes round trip and stand in line with all the mouth breathers just to save $2. 00?

2. I think most of what they stock is crap. Shoddy quality and cheap looking, just like the shoppers there.



I prefer to shop locally. Example: I am building a patio out back of my house. Could have gone to Lowes or Home Depot for the brick but I chose to shop locally.

1. Whole deal cost me about $20 more than big box store.

2. They had 25 more style of brick than big box

3. They were able to answer my questions. Try getting a coherent answer at Home Depot.

4. They are right up the street. Saved at least an hour drive, time, fuel, aggravation etc.

5. I see the owners in church. I like supporting my neighbors.



Just my worthless opinion.



Steve

98 QC 12v

146000 happy miles

 

[Kickin Y2K]

What really sucks they are trying to put one on each and every street corner. I live up here in the foothills and we don't need to turn this place into the big city. If these people want a store on every corner they can go back to the bay area where they belong

 

[Qualey]

"I go in there, and I see the "average American" and I don't like what I see. "



I agree with this fact 100%!



good post

 

[merryman]

On the other hand------



Thirty or so years ago, people were complaining about monopolistic IBM; they had a lock on that new thing called a computer. Of course, about that time, a big name in hardware was "Western Auto supply"

Then they were dismayed that Montgomery Ward was going to drive all the little guys out.

Then 20 years ago it was Sears and K-Mart--both now cutting way back.

In another 20 years, I would not be surprised to hear people saying ,"wally... what??"

Competition, however maligned, tends to keep shuffling the deck, and sweating which one is "too big" or "too powerfull" seems always to be a short term problem



I had a friend who operated two small "mom and pop" grocery stores and did very well. What puzzled me was that both were across the corner from major grocery chains. When I asked him about it, he claimed that is the ONLY location he would accept--rather than driving him out, he claimed they brought him business.



Vaughn

 

[WadePatton]

ahem, er, Communism?

Yes, I'm agin the monopoly and support no-name stores as much as possible. And I agree that competition is good. BUT, one of my big issues with WhizMart is the billions of dollars of goods from China they sell every day. I don't care what they sell from Bangladesh, Italy, Mexico, Canada, Israel, UK, Chile, etc. These countries aren't the largest, most powerful Red Communist country.



The buck Whizbang takes in does in fact, pay the worker, the management, and the stockholders; but part of it makes it back to support the most serious military/political threat to the US on the planet. We exploit "slave labor" and communism ever time we buy "made in china".



I always avoid the Waldron Dream, but I am forced to buy chinese now and again when there is NO alternative and I decide not to do without. Like fireworks and $5 flipflops fer example.

 

[WadePatton]

Some anti-China links

http://www.boycottmadeinchina.org/en/why_boycott/



http://www.tibetfreedomnow.homestead.com/why.html



http://www.regularguy.com/stickers.htm



http://www.usvetdsp.com/boycott.htm

 

[Ncostello]

You think you got it bad... our local walmart has supposedly been labeled the highest profiting walmart in the country of its size (small with no automotive repair) for the population it serves. Needless to say everyone and their brother goes there. The parking lot is always full. Yet only 2 of the 15 cash registers are open unless its Christmas Eve day. There is a super walmart 15 miles west of here. And two super centers in the same town 15 miles south of here (the second is under construction). Walmart, Walmart everywhere I see.



The local grocery store, Ace Hardware, lawnmower shop, Napa, pharmacy, and yes even the local Hallmark shop gets my business. If walmart is the only place that has something... I probably dont need it anyway.

 

[Texas Diesel]

Originally posted by Hohn

Post your rants here. For now all I will say is that wherever Wally World builds a supercenter, all the mom and pop places go belly up. Not opinion- just fact.



I also have to say that I go out of my way to avoid wal-mart at all costs. I go in there, and I see the "average American" and I don't like what I see. We have become an embarassment to ourselves. I just feel really white-trashy when I'm there.



The only time Wally seems to have American products is when they are even cheaper and more poorly made than an imported product. At least it helps people afford things they otherwise might not be able to. And i know, for some, it's the difference between getting by or not getting by.



My dream is that EVERY American would be so well off that wouldn't have to shop at wal-mart. That will never happen, though, because we Americans are in love with making stupid decisions (quitting school, buying a $25K car on a $12K income, getting pregnant at age 15, etc etc... )

I'd like to add my anti-Walmart sentiments but I couldnt possibly say it better than you did except to add this: SAVE the RECEIPT and make THEM eat the crap they sell, buy an alram clock, it works maybe 3 weeks, keep taking it back and getting it exchanged till the cows come home. The only way to hurt them is to return inferior products.

 

[Mike Ellis]

Wal-Mart employs some of the smartest people in the world, their volume of sales is staggering and EVERYTHING they do is for a calculated reason. See all those checkout lanes closed, and people lined up waiting to buy? There is some optimum "stand in line" time for customer sales, wherein the customer is bored enough (or whatever) to be stimulated to look at and buy some of the impulse items near the checkout. You can bet your bottom $$$ the Wal-Mart guys have figured out that time, and when the number of people in line reaches a certain point there will magically be another register opened. I bet the average customer in their store spends at least $50 each trip, and more like $75 - $100. Wal-Mart is the smartest retailer in the world... for now.



One of the mistakes people make is thinking that the products that they buy at Costco or Wal-Mart are the same as the "normal retail" shops sell. Tain't necessarily so. They may have Michelin Super-D-Duper tire model X, but sometimes there is fine print on that label that it is model X-WM, the Wal-Mart special with fewer belts or such. The warehouse stores sell a lot of stuff that is special run for them, or overstock / closeout merchandise they can get at a good buy. There is no guarantee that the Costco Minute Maid orange juice in a 55-gallon drum is mixed the same as the "regular retail" variant, so caveat emptor. (Wasn't there a thread some time back about Costco tires or batteries not being warrantable at other retailers carrying that brand?)



Same thing happens in the computer industry with the cheaper "OEM" version of an accessory, and the full retail version.

 

[Mike Ellis]

Something to Cheer You Up...

Those of you who are having your jobs off-shored or out-sourced, take heart. The last laugh will be on the company you work for, virtually a certainty.



You see, the current cost-savings craze of off-shoring is underlaid with an all-too-common corporate bias: Rich, powerful Westerners like to assume that 3rd world folks are pitifully stupid and will be grateful to work for peanuts to help Westerners stay rich and powerful.



Amazingly enough, the 3rd worlders AREN'T stupid, they are just poor and ignorant. When we train them and give them jobs, they learn PDQ. And true, Mr. Patel may be willing to work for $5. 00 an hour in India as a Computer Science Master's Degree guy being paid to code porn website server software... today. Tomorrow he just might decide to take all of his fellow PornSoft workers into a startup to compete with PornSoft themselves. And golly, what a tragedy for PornSoft when their customers realize they can get the same product cheaper overseas - with the same SUPPORT TEAM even. And since some of the companies have actually exported their key INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL overseas - opening Chinese or Indian semiconductor design houses for instance - what exactly is left in America to let the original company maintain its edge if the startups rebel and form competing firms?



If Mr. Patel isn't able to start up in his country, well perhaps Mr. Xpadolxy from Pandemoniastan will get government backing to nationalize the assets of the company and just switch ownership while the rich, powerful Westerners whine and moan and wait for their government to do something.



When the government proves impotent to make Pandemoniastan return the keys to the semiconductor fab plant (or plastic dog crap plant, or software support boiler room), the American company owners will clamor for a government bailout or tax relief. And I hope every one of us ordinary Americans is there to slam our Congressmen, say "**** NO!!!", and have a party while they shutter the corporate offices.



Poetic justice, IMHO.

 

[fj40charles]

Originally posted by Mike Ellis

Wal-Mart employs some of the smartest people in the world, their volume of sales is staggering and EVERYTHING they do is for a calculated reason. See all those checkout lanes closed, and people lined up waiting to buy? There is some optimum "stand in line" time for customer sales, wherein the customer is bored enough (or whatever) to be stimulated to look at and buy some of the impulse items near the checkout. You can bet your bottom $$$ the Wal-Mart guys have figured out that time, and when the number of people in line reaches a certain point there will magically be another register opened. I bet the average customer in their store spends at least $50 each trip, and more like $75 - $100. Wal-Mart is the smartest retailer in the world... for now.



One of the mistakes people make is thinking that the products that they buy at Costco or Wal-Mart are the same as the "normal retail" shops sell. Tain't necessarily so. They may have Michelin Super-D-Duper tire model X, but sometimes there is fine print on that label that it is model X-WM, the Wal-Mart special with fewer belts or such. The warehouse stores sell a lot of stuff that is special run for them, or overstock / closeout merchandise they can get at a good buy. There is no guarantee that the Costco Minute Maid orange juice in a 55-gallon drum is mixed the same as the "regular retail" variant, so caveat emptor. (Wasn't there a thread some time back about Costco tires or batteries not being warrantable at other retailers carrying that brand?)



Same thing happens in the computer industry with the cheaper "OEM" version of an accessory, and the full retail version.

Can you tell me the difference between OEM and full retail version of computer parts? AFAIK, OEM version doesn't have a colorful box or a full manual, but the hardware is the same and comes with the same support. You can also buy OEM software. This is what is sold with new computers. Are you going to tell me they are inferior to full retail products?



I don't agree about Costco selling inferior products. I think their products are actully better than full retail because they have a better warranty to me. Costco give a lifetime warranty on every product except computers and wearables like tires and battery.

I recently purchased a stainless toolbox for 699. 00, 17" lcd monitor for 329. 00, car batteries (3 year replacement warranty), and some stainless steel shelving for the garage. Not only are the prices much better, you have a company that is willing to provide lifetime warranty (you don't have to buy an extendeded warranty plan) to provide value to their customer. I don't think Costco would stay in business very long if they sold crap and had to eat the cost of the warranty when they refund your money.

I have memberships to both Costco and Sams and I can tell you Costco is FAR SUPERIOR in product selection, customer service, attitude, and warranty. Makes it a no brainer for me when it comes time to re-new my Sams membership.



IMHO, Walmart still stinks when it comes to customer service.

 

[Pit Bull]

Wish they would open a Costco in SW Missouri. I'd like to check one out.

 

[Mike Ellis]

fj40charles,



Yep I certainly can tell you that in many cases OEM parts are in fact inferior to their full retail counterparts, and software as well.



Examples: If you buy a high-end OEM graphics card bundled with your machine, you might find that it does not have the same amount of video RAM, a slower clock speed, or a slower RAMDAC than the retail card. This can cause performance to drop down noticeably. Sound cards bundled with computers may be cost-reduced in the same way.



Last year when the Nvidia GeForce graphics cards were still hot, several computer companies bundled them with their machines - but reading the fine print would show that the GeForce 2 card was in reality a GeForce 2 MX variant, with less RAM and slower RAMDAC.



Just like with any product, you can't get something for nothing. Costco and Sams often get those great prices by buying overstock, end of production goods at a good price and pass them on to the consumer at a savings. This sometimes means getting a product that is no longer supported by the manufacturer, or making do without some features that the current retail version has. If you shop at Costco or Sams very much, you have doubtless encountered the famous "here today, gone tomorrow" items - things that are nifty and a great buy but which don't show up anymore. One trivial example in our local Costco was Cyalume lightsticks - they had a large bundle of them very reasonably priced, unfortunately they have never been on sale during following up visits.



Like everything else, caveat emptor. Before buying something at a discount, it might be a good idea to check the exact model number against the mfg info on the web and be sure you are getting what you think you are getting.

 

[Mike Ellis]

fj40charles,



I forgot to elaborate on the software. Sometimes software packs bundled by OEMs onto their computers are in fact "cripple ware" that do not offer the full features of their retail counterpart. Examples: Adobe Photoshop "Lite", the version of Studio that was installed on my HP (didn't have all features), things like Norton that work for a limited time only, etc.



This has been a topic of great discussion on the web for some time, do a Google search of newsgroups for specifics.

 

[WyoJim]

Walmart and Costco

I don't know what the hell you guys are talking about.

I shop at the economics of my wallet, and to hell with the local guy that wants 25% more.

I drive 70 miles one way to buy my groceries at Walmart to save a paltry $30 a week over driving 17 miles to the local rip offs. The only thing is Walmarts meat is Sub Par so I drive 140 miles one way once a month to buy USDA CHOICE BEEF at Costco.



Maybe when you $20 and $30 an hour guys get on a fixed income you'll adjust your attitudes. Ya and I RV overnight in their parking lot too.

 

[fj40charles]

Mike Ellis,



I guess you do have to read the fine print when you purchase OEM hardware. I think your examples may be exceptions because I've puchased video cards and I made sure I knew exactly what the model number was. Can you see any difference if I purchase an hard disk drive that is in an OEM package? Also, software should state that it is a "lite" package is it is not the full deal.



I still don't agree with Costco selling inferior products and they back up their merchandise with 100% money back guarantee for lifetime. How can Costco have such a liberal warranty policy and make money if their customers are returning crappy items?



You'll notice that at Sams or Costco, the inventories are not the same in all stores. They know what sells at what location. It is the same at Home Depot. Go to any Home Depot in a good part of town and see just see how extensive their electrial selection is.