I walmart evil?

[joobie]

Personally I know many people that actually like a Big Mac occasionally.

i like to eat at mcdonald's occasionally, but i'm a sick and twisted individual.

 

[Nyarlathotep]

I usd to work for Wal-Mart many years ago. I don't find them particularly evil. I needed a job, they provided a job. Was it a great job that I would want to make a career out of and would allow me to buy a nice house and a nice car on, no. But it was sufficient to keep my crappy used Buick in gas and to pay the rent on my apartment, and that sure the heck was better than the alternative, which was no job at all.

I take issue with the poster who said that tax payers end up footing the bill for medical costs of the employees there because Wal-Mart doesn't have health care. When I worked there they had a health care plant that you could enroll in. It was voluntary though, which made sense because a large number of the employees that I worked with were either retiree's who had medicare anyway or school kids who were still covered under whatever insurance their parents had. I think that is a fact that gets lost when people talk about the low wages and lack of medical care for Wal_mart employees; a large number of Wal-Mart employees are people who aren't looking for full time work in the first place. In my experience they hired a lot of students, single people, retiree's and people looking for a second job.

Frankly, I don't find a lot of the complaints people have about Wal-Mart to hold much water. They pay their employees what the market will bear for someone with their skill set (i.e usually pretty unskilled). I don't see anything wrong with that.

 

[jj]

I have a Walmart near me, a Walmart Supercenter less than 10 miles away, 4 Home Depots within 12 miles, and 2 Toys'r'Us within 15 miles. If you don't want the quality of toy camera or snowblower that you get at Walmart, why would you go to any of those places- it's very often the same exact item.

Toys'r'us has better toys, B&H has better cameras at better prices, and I can at least usually find somebody at Home Depot, eventually, with a clue about the snowblowers.

Q: "Is this one self-propelling?"
MallWart Answer: "I don't know, I just work here"

 

[Bob Klase]

Toys'r'us has better toys, B&H has better cameras at better prices

Don't know about B&H. How are the toys at ToysRUs better? They have a bigger selection of toys, but they also have exactly the same toys as WalMart- so how is a Fisher Price Toy Oven at TRU better than the same Fisher Price Toy Oven at Walmart?

and I can at least usually find somebody at Home Depot, eventually, with a clue about the snowblowers.

I know all I need to know about snowblowers to buy one without help.

 

[webfusion]

self-propelling

If you cannot determine, by just looking at one, that a snowblower is self-propelling or not, then you are unqualified to own one! If you need a store employee to point out that feature, that's just an illustration of your own ignorance as a consumer, and no reflection on the WalMart staff. Their primary job is to make sure things are stocked. And they do that job very, very well, indeed.

Those trucks bring in more pallets of merchandise than you can shake a stick at, jj.

WalMart is not about holding your hand and showing you what the features are or how it works. WalMart is about merchandising and huge volume sales.

If you are a manufacturer and you have a new widget to sell, then the first stop you should make in your quest to be successful -- Bentonville, Arkansas.

'Nuff said.

 

[jj]

Don't know about B&H. How are the toys at ToysRUs better? They have a bigger selection of toys, but they also have exactly the same toys as WalMart- so how is a Fisher Price Toy Oven at TRU better than the same Fisher Price Toy Oven at Walmart?

www.bhphotovideo.com is the best place I've seen to buy a camera. They are a responsible, old business in NYC that ships routinely to at least the whole USA.

My kids don't want the "Toy Oven", they've always used the real one with adult supervision.

They DO want things that they can fool with in bizzare ways, i.e. construction toys, etc, usually the offbeat ones. They never wanted a fire truck. Next question?

I know all I need to know about snowblowers to buy one without help.

So, when the box is sealed, in a pile where you can't even read the specs like horsepower, etc, you can tell all you need to know?

You know, it's pretty rule-8ing rude of you to presume the things you presume. Yeah, I could build a snowblower if I had a machine shop and an engine (and a chain and some sprockets, yeah, I don't want to mess with aluminium and the specialty steels if I don't have to), but you know what? I don't want to, and I don't want to have to dig into a box, with a 19 year old shuddering in fear while I try to find the operating manual. I want to know WHICH ONE IS WHICH. That's part of sales, mate, helping the customer find out which one is which.

 

[jj]

If you cannot determine, by just looking at one, that a snowblower is self-propelling or not, then you are unqualified to own one!

Now isn't that a typically ignorant exercise in ad-hominem rule-8?

Look, dude, if it's in a box, the box is piled with the other boxes, and the only interest that the sales staff has is telling you "here's the pile of boxes", sorry, I'm not interested.

You PRESUME that there is 4 sides of the box, at minimum, available. You PRESUME that maybe one is out and assembled.

YOUR PRESUMPTIONS ARE WRONG.

And your ad-hominem behavior is ignorant and offensive, and in fact you demonstrate exactly the kind of offensive, insulting behavior for which MallWart ought to simply put itself out of business.

If you need a store employee to point out that feature, that's just an illustration of your own ignorance as a consumer, and no reflection on the WalMart staff. Their primary job is to make sure things are stocked. And they do that job very, very well, indeed.

Right. They pile the boxes (no, this is not a theoretical exercise) in a pile, willy-nilly, against a wall, so you can't even read anything but 2 sides of the box, that say something like "offbrand snowblower. 5 horsepower engine MADE IN AMERICA". No assembled one (yes, you little dweeb, then I could tell easily enough), no PICTURE of one that's meaningful. NO MANUAL. NO USEFUL ILLUSTRATION ON THE BOX.

Get it now?

Those trucks bring in more pallets of merchandise than you can shake a stick at, jj.

Not my problem. I'm the customer. I'm right. Live with it.

WalMart is not about holding your hand and showing you what the features are or how it works. WalMart is about merchandising and huge volume sales.

Lowest quality, lowest price. Just two more reasons why I don't like MallWart. It would seem that you not only are presuming why I dislike them, you're also judging my preferences. You really are a judgemental little twirp, now, aren't you?

If you are a manufacturer and you have a new widget to sell, then the first stop you should make in your quest to be successful -- Bentonville, Arkansas.

'Nuff said.

Except that you'll be squeezed to death in margin, and wind up like (I think it was Vlasic) and Rubbermaid?

 

[webfusion]

jj: "Not my problem. I'm the customer."

No, jj, you are a consumer. You aren't "right" --If you aren't able to enter a store and accept the way that the owners do business, then don't.
You can choose to buy, or not.
Nobody is forcing you to buy anything.
I have the inventory and I can sell it for less than a competitor.
It's up to you to decide what to do --- and the fact is, jj, that WalMart sells more MTD YardMachine name-brand quality snowblowers than any other retailer on the planet. If you are anxious to pay more, that's the only "right" you have.

PS - I know your type. If you came into my department at WalMart, with that nasty attitude, I not only wouldn't serve you, I would probably end up calling security to escort you out of the store.

 

[Manny]

I guess then Manny is against capitalism as he did an excellent job of providing the same arguments I've heard.

The difference is that I (and I sense, you) don't object to Wal*Marts opening, those arguments notwithstanding. The people who are fighting against the stores being allowed to open are indeed trying to use the regulatory apparatus to fight capitalism.

 

[jj]

jj: "Not my problem. I'm the customer."

No, jj, you are a consumer. You aren't "right" --If you aren't able to enter a store and accept the way that the owners do business, then don't.
You can choose to buy, or not.

You're abolutely right, I don't have to shop there, and I generally don't. If I'm driving across the country and I want to buy a case of bottled water for the cooler in the car, yes, I'll stop at a Mallwart, it's certainly good enough for that, but I'm not likely to consider any major purchases. If, say, I also needed paper towels, I'd probably stop there too, if I wasn't near a CostCo or BJ's.

The disgusting attitude you show is why generally I don't shop at MallWart. I'm the customer, you want my money. Did you happen to forget that?

On the other hand, let's see your utterly reprehensible presumptions, for example, that which follows.

PS - I know your type. If you came into my department at WalMart, with that nasty attitude, I would probably end up calling security to escort you out of the store.

I think I'll call you on that. Please show, immediately, your convincing and verifiable evidence that you would have any grounds whatsoever to summon law enforcement, lay or otherwise, on behalf of your employer due to my presence in a store.

Look, bub, the poor clerk is not the problem, and I'm not going to get pissy with him or her, they are just trying to make a living. You, on the other hand, make it sound like you are spoiling, absolutely spoiling, looking, and trying to create a problem.

N.B. I've only once talked to a manager at WalMart, and while the fellow was somewhat antagonistic, he cleared up the problem (broken merchandise, which can happen to any store, please) effectively. Most of the low-level employees at WalMart seem quite civil, although sometimes they seem quite, well, jittery.

 

[jj]

The difference is that I (and I sense, you) don't object to Wal*Marts opening, those arguments notwithstanding. The people who are fighting against the stores being allowed to open are indeed trying to use the regulatory apparatus to fight capitalism.

It's simple, I just won't go buy much of anything there. I do object to some of the effects they have on marginal businesses, but suppressing fair competition is not very wise, in my experience.

Now "fair" is an important qualifier. I'll let others discuss that since I've not worked there and have little evidence in hand.

 

[webfusion]

vlasic

So, a pickle manufacturer got squeezed by WalMart? Boo-effing-hoo.
Could it be that those pickle people had terrible accountants, didn't have a clue how to make a fair profit with lower margins, and maybe drove themselves into bankruptcy with their own inept management?
"Not long after that, in January 2001, Vlasic filed for bankruptcy--although the gallon jar of pickles, everyone agrees, wasn't a critical factor."
--from The WalMart You Don't KnowBy: Charles Fishman.

Just for the record, WalMart continues to sell pickles.
And popcorn.
And pretzels.
And Sam's Club Cola & sodas, for 25 cents in the vending machines.
Good deal, I say.

 

[Manny]

www.bhphotovideo.com is the best place I've seen to buy a camera. They are a responsible, old business in NYC that ships routinely to at least the whole USA.

Semi-off topic, but I have to second the recommend for J&R. If you're not in the area, you'll find their prices to be competitive to fantastic depending on the product and their shipping service to be first rate. If you are in the area, it's Disneyland for everything optical. Cameras are their big thing, but televisions, telescopes, microscopes, night-vision googles, whatever. They've also got decent pro audio and computers/printers, but they're not as competitive in those areas. The guys there know everything, including what you forgot to ask. More than once they've steered me to a lower-priced product which met my needs. That quality of customer service has generated thousands of dollars in revenue from me alone. So visit when you come to NYC if you like those sorts of products.

 

[luchog]

"Unappealing". ???? Really? How so?

What kind of things do you buy? You must not like name brand big flat screen tv's for cheap, eh? Or cheap cd's, or cheap Hanes underwear, or a cheap Ron Popeil rotissierre ovens, or cheap toothpaste, or name brand toys, or cheap snow shovels, or cheap flashlights...all name brand items that other stores have...only cheaper.

That is demonstrably not true. While they do have better prices on a number of common items, most of their "better prices" are temporary loss-leaders. Their prices on other things are equivalent to, or even higher than, other major chains, and even smaller shops.

It's cheaper for me to buy most things at Amazon.com than it is to buy them locally at WalMart. Even WalMart's loss-leader prices are often higher than Amazon's normal prices.

I don't shop at WalMart, for several reasons. First, the quality of their products are, for the most part, crap. Even when buying name-brand stuff, they often get the lower-end reduced-quality-control products; rather than the higher-quality "enthusiast" versions. For anyone who doesn't work in the industry, or is not familiary with the practice, many manufacturers, most notably in the home-electronics industry, use multiple manufacturing plants, and offer a wide range of product models with varying features. Their lower-end models are usually manufactured to lower quality standards, under sweatshop conditions. Their mid-range and higher-end models, which do not necessarily have more features than the lower-end counterparts, are manufactured to higher quality standards; often in different facilities.

Some of them disguise this fact by using different imprints for their products. Instead of sticking the Sony or Mitsubishi or Samsung name on it, they'll sell under a different brand name like LJ or Lite-on, usually fully owned by or partnered with the major brand (Lite-On uses predominatly re-packaged Pioneer IIRC). In some cases, the hardware is identical, with a few cosmetic differences; and merely lacks the higher quality control standard of the name brand.

Second, they frequently violate their contract with distributors to engage in unethical (and technically illegal) business practices. This is most common with books, music, and movies. Release dates are coordinated with advertising campaigns, and standardized so that no retailer has an unfair advantage over another. WalMart will often release high-demand items up to a week ahead of the scheduled release date, as part of their own advertising campaigns, thus drawing significant numbers of customers away from the retailers who stick with their contracts. Because WalMart is the largest US distributor for many products, they frequently get away with these violations scot-free, or with only a token fine; while other retailers engaging in similar practices have gotten nailed with huge fines, or had their distribution rights revoked for breach of contract. Suppliers cannot afford to revoke distro rights for WalMart, or upset WalMart into not carrying the product.

This practice hurts mom-and-pop stores worst, and has a major impact on smaller chains as well.

 

[webfusion]

jj, if you were to dare utter the words "little twerp" while I was engaged in trying to to help you get a product, I would arrange your exit from the premisis so swiftly that it would make your head spin.

"I'm the customer, you want my money." But you, on the other hand, aren't concerned about the price savings factor, and want to freelygive away more of your money than we were asking from you in trade for the items you normally buy.
WalMart offers a wide variety of merchandise from virtually every major manufacturer on Earth. You, jj, said that you avoid shopping at WalMart, except for 'bottled water' or paper napkins. Hey, it's your money to piss away.

A fool and his money are soon parted. -- Italian proverb

 

[luchog]

Semi-off topic, but I have to second the recommend for J&R. If you're not in the area, you'll find their prices to be competitive to fantastic depending on the product and their shipping service to be first rate. If you are in the area, it's Disneyland for everything optical.

J&R also sells through Amazon.com, which gives them a huge advantage on market exposure and distribution costs.

 

[Tmy]

Walmart is the poster biz for greed. They make a zillion-billion dollars in profits, but can never seem to give a little back to their employees. Sure health care would be expensive for Walmart, but would making ONLY a trillion-billion dollars be so awful???

 

[CapelDodger]

Yes, it did create new jobs and new shopping opportunities. The area they wanted to put it in, near 87th and the Dan Ryan (which already has a new Home Depot and other stores in 2 large strip malls on either side of 87th street), is very retail-poor [sic]. It's a depressed area and apparently not many other stores were willing to locate there, and the people who live there have to travel to the suburbs or other parts of the city to go shopping.

Presumably they now don't so travel, and presumably that cost jobs at those distant outlets. If the WalMart has diverted enough custom to support 350 jobs, it may have cost as many elsewhere. The headline figure is misleading.

And it's no business of the city's to protect their potential competitors (if there were any in that area) from competition, I don't know where this idea comes from.

If - for instance - the city is protecting outlets that source locally against an outlet that doesn't, that makes good sense for the city as a whole. Money circulating locally increases aggregate demand, and the longer it's nearby the better my chance of getting hold of some of it. Companies such as WalMart tend to suck money straight out of a community.

 

[jj]

jj, if you were to dare utter the words "little twerp" while I was engaged in trying to to help you get a product, I would arrange your exit from the premisis so swiftly that it would make your head spin.

Well, that depends, would you be as rude in person as you are here?

If so, you'd find I'd walked out the door or calmly gone to talk to your manager, instead of saying a word to you.

But I think you're just the kind of person who is looking for a fight, and you'll use any excuse you can manage to get into one. Given your response elsewhere, I think it's pretty easy to support that.

"I'm the customer, you want my money." But you, on the other hand, aren't concerned about the price savings factor, and want to freelygive away more of your money than we were asking from you in trade for the items you normally buy.

Why, thank you for being dishonest, once again. I'm not "freely give away more of your money" at all. I'm paying for service up front and after purchase. And if I don't get it, I don't go back.

You really are tilting at a windmill of your own invention here. It seems rather typical of the behavior of quite some defensive folks here, you know.

WalMart offers a wide variety of merchandise from virtually every major manufacturer on Earth. You, jj, said that you avoid shopping at WalMart, except for 'bottled water' or paper napkins.

No, that's not what I said, not at all. You really are over the top and down the other side.

Hey, it's your money to piss away.

Well, it's up to you to show me that I'll get the service, both before and after sale, the polite reception, the civil handling of any problems with the merchandise that may occur, and so on. If you can show me that, then I am pissing away my money and I'll reconsider WalMart. On the other hand, you've twice bragged about how you'd have me thrown out of the store. Is this WalMart policy, to throw people out for no reason at all? (Bearing in mind that I'm not likely to call you a "twirp" to your face unless you really do behave in real life like you do here, in which case I'd be a lot more likely to walk off and look for your own management. I think I owe it to a store if I find an employee who's completely off their rocker.

A fool and his money are soon parted. -- Italian proverb

And an expensive, unservicable item is what?

(edited for typokinesis)

 

[jj]

Semi-off topic, but I have to second the recommend for J&R.

I think you meant B&H, from the rest of the article, but I've confused them (although they are way different business, both legit) myself.