Seriously, Why do People Dislike Wal-Mart? (Clinton, Denmark: coupons, unemployment rate, buy)

[Geechie North]

Originally Posted by calgirlinnc

OK, lets take the cost of the cake for example. If I bought it at Publix, I would pay more and that money would go to Florida, or wherever there HQ is. If I bought the cupcakes at a local bakery...the bakery I checked wanted $3.00 a cupcake. That comes to $72.00 for 24 cupcakes to take to preschool vs. the $18.00 that WM is asking.

That $54.00 I am NOT spending on cupcakes for 4 year olds IS going back into the local economy:
? )

Also, if you did pay $72.00 for the cupcakes, that would also go into the local economy.

[calgirlinnc]

Going back to the food example, let me say that 95% of what I buy at WM is groceries/everyday healthcare products (shampoo, etc.)

Looking at the national brands I buy, I see Kelloggs, General Mills, Coca-Cola, beer/wine (usually domestic), Florida Naturals OJ, Welchs, Heinz, Colgate, Nexxus, etc. These are AMERICAN made products. Any argument about China is null and void in this situation.

As far as produce, I buy some at WM if I'm in a hurry, but I usually prefer to get it at my local fruit stand or farmers' market.

I do not buy linens at WM, but my understanding is that cheaply made linens/towels are usually made in India or Pakistan, sometimes Mexico. But not China. The clothes, maybe, but I don't buy any of our clothes at WM. I do buy my daughters' clothes at Gymboree though, so I guess we're responsible for all the slave labor over there because I like my little girl to look cute.

[mrpeatie]

As far a cupcakes- might I direct everyone to the Costco Bakery Dept. I have to do cake orders for a civic club I am in and Costco is hands down the best combo of cost/quality. That is where Walmart's business model falls apart. Outside of drygoods and prepackaged food- their fahsion lines, homegoods and frsh foods tend to not get the job done. I know a couple of years ago Target was much more profitable on clothing but sold in lower quantity.

Also Costco and Target both treat their employess 100% better than Walmart.

But to give Walmart some credit- they do at least bring products and jobs into rural communities where other retailers cannot. And they did hlp fund the Obama's fancy home in Chicago by putting Michelle on one of their subsudiary's boards. (Hillary was once on the board for the whole shebang.)

Oddly- the one item in that store I like most- the green lotus ceramic planters- gets its ass kicked on price by both GDC and Hyams. WTF Mr Walton.

[stan4]

Seriously, Why do People Dislike Wal-Mart?


Because their great god, the media, told them to.
Now they're cool and hip and caring (even though they never actually did a thing in their lives to help anyone) because they only go to 'mom and pop' stores (or stores they don't know anything about because there wasn't some Dateline expose or something about it).

[calgirlinnc]

Originally Posted by Geechie North

Also, if you did pay $72.00 for the cupcakes, that would also go into the local economy.

Geech, your argument was that if I spent the money at Wal Mart buying cupcakes, then I was depriving the local economy.

I am pointing out what an erroneous conclusion that is, because I have more money left over to put into other local businesses.

And Jimmy, yes, those $3.00 cupcakes are awesome but perhaps lost on a group of pre-schoolers.

[Geechie North]

Originally Posted by JimmyCh

6 in a small dorm room is not the worse I have seen. In the most capitalism city of Hong Kong, there are people live in chicken cages.

Btw, we have huge trade deficit with Japan and German, too...its average wage is about twice of ours. Innovation and hard work is the key, not protectionism. The reason our standard of living is high right after WWII because the rest of the world is heavily damaged and we are the only game in town.
)!

Points:

1. Then you wonder if there is any de-facto difference between capitalism and feudalism, and if capitalism will end in the same manner as feudalism did?

2. If we had kept our tariffs, it would NOT matter if Japan/Germany etc had rebuilt.

We have the largest economy in the world, so we can be self-sufficient.
We aren't like Denmark, etc, who became Free Traders out of necessity born from lack of size.

[calgirlinnc]

Also, for those who don't want to buy something if not American made:

I get the sentiment, I do really.

But what about your son who desperately wants a DS/Wii/PS3 whatever for his birthday or Christmas...are you not gonna get it for him because it wasn't made in the U.S.?

Even though those products then create American jobs for game designers and retailers?

[JimmyCh]

Publix is actually the 15th largest retailer in the US. The funny thing is that Publix is privately hold and the largest shareholders are its employees. Yes, it lieterally is an employee owned company.

[Geechie North]

Originally Posted by calgirlinnc

Geech, your argument was that if I spent the money at Wal Mart buying cupcakes, then I was depriving the local economy.

I am pointing out what an erroneous conclusion that is, because I have more money left over to put into other local businesses.

And Jimmy, yes, those $3.00 cupcakes are awesome but perhaps lost on a group of pre-schoolers.

No. I'm saying your $72.00 would go into the local economy either way.

But in reality, you only put $54.00 into the local economy, and shot $18.00 to-most probably- an untaxed Swiss hedge fund owned by the Walton family.

And if you keep doing that, then the law of diminishing returns will keep whittlin' away at both the local economy- and your funds.

[calgirlinnc]

Originally Posted by JimmyCh

Publix is actually the 15th largest retailer in the US. The funny thing is that Publix is privately hold and the largest shareholders are its employees. Yes, it lieterally is an employee owned company.

That's totally awesome. But it is killing me that their milk costs $1.50 more a gallon than WM.