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I was just thinking how rural America is what made WalMart so great. People that tend to be very pro_American and conservative. They liked that the store bought and sold American products.
Now WalMart is the single largest importer from China and virtually nothing is from this country. They have wiped out 100's of American companies and continue with a less than nice assault on the American economy. You get low prices at the expense of income and jobs.
Then there is the Happy Holidays vs Merry Christmas where they terminate for a Merry Christmas, seems the rural conservatives would want their Christian values expressed.
Given this why hasn't this rural foundation eroded? It seems the template for their failure has been put in place but it just hasnt happened. They still sell more than $1 billion every day of the year.
Any thoughts or predictions? Will they fall? Will the conservatives turn away?
Given this why hasn't this rural foundation eroded? It seems the template for their failure has been put in place but it just hasnt happened. They still sell more than $1 billion every day of the year.
Any thoughts or predictions? Will they fall? Will the conservatives turn away?
Probably because when it comes down to it, most folks favor being able to easily buy stuff they need at a good price over abstract principles that would have (at least immediate) practical effect of making their lives more difficult and expensive--having to drive further to get stuff, having to pay more for it, etc.
You need to look around sometime.They impoort alot but they also buy alot of american made goods. In fact if you look at other stores you will see thew same thihng-target;peey's;sears etc. In fact sears started long before wal-mart was around. The main reason so mANy think of wal-mart is that the unions have had a smear campaign going for along time that many have bought into.
Wal-Mart does one thing and one thing well, it gets what consumers want in the most cost effective way possible and keeps prices as low as they can. They keep track of their inventory in ways that are astounding, and manage efficiency in ways that weren't thought possible before.
If the American consumer really thought Wal-Mart was doing a bad job, they should vote with their pocket book. I don't shop there if I can help it, but I shop at similar stores (Target, Fred Meyer, Costco) though. I shop at those for cheap products when I need them, especially when I need a number of different products in one place. I shop at specialty or small stores when I get better service or a selection of qaulity, but so far that has been few and far between (mostly service).
You are in the MFG business. Your product line is costly due to high labor costs along with higher material costs. The warehouse is overstocked due to your inability to sell your product at a reasonable high profit margin above the MFG costs. Question is "what do you do"? Do you sell at below your initial costs and lose money?...do you close down and move the operation to another country for lower costs?...BINGO!!!!!...here comes Walmart who says " they will buy your complete warehouse stock at a specific price below your asking price which will still give you some margin of profit and at the same time give you some working capital. Do you except or decline? The answer is obvious. Steve
I haven't shopped at Wal-Mart in half a dozen years, and even if it's more costly I prefer to buy products that are Made in America.
Over the past four years I've actually tried to cut back on my purchases, not out of financial need, but because I think that we have way too much STUFF here in America, and I'm trying to downsize my life.
When I do buy (mostly consumables) I try to buy local. Farmer's market's, local small businesses, etc. I even paid a local seamstress to make a coat for my dog out of an old blanket that was torn. There was enough fabric to make two coats and the total cost was equivelent to what one coat would have been at a big box pet store. Helped the local economy and kept the blanket out of the dump. If every person in this country did the same type of thing once a month it would have an impact.
While I agree that WalMart isn't the only place that sells out to China, they are the largest corporation and employer - they are hands down the BIG DOG. While other companies did buy from China before Wallies got big, Wallies furthered the process. Now for anyone to keep up they have little choice but to follow the Wal Mart model. I will give them credit for their very effecient practices such as inventory.
There are a few things about Walmart that I don't notice about other companies. Namely the lines (I can't speak nation wide, but here it is horrible). Walmart has no problem making you stand in line for a long time because it's cheaper for them: why pay someone to check when you can make the consumer wait?
While they have streamlined ways to manage, they have streamlined ways to be all about the money. I guess I don't so much have a problem with them, I do however think they go through some pretty asinine lengths for money - and the force other business to do the same. They are whay typifies some of the nasty, fake, greedy and "shaft your neighbor" facets of Americana .
If the unions in America weren't such overpriced parasites maybe the companies wouldn't have to ship their jobs overseas. GM is a prime example of how the unions are destroying this nation. Now they are attacking Wal Mart WakeUpWalMart.com - Join the fight to change Wal-Mart and change America and the other propaganda they push.
Anyone see the Walmart movie? All about how this mega corporation has bankrupted thousands upon thousands of small business and in the process destroyed entire communities. And do you remember early on when they pushed their 'Made in the USA' slogan? I also recall here in the State of Tennessee how they reportedly encouraged their underpaid, uninsured employees to apply for healthcare through the state's Tenncare program - which was not in good shape. My family does not shop at Walmart for all the above reasons. We try hard to patronize small, customer oriented businesses although they're becoming fewer and harder to find. Worse case scenario - at this rate, before we know it there will be only a few corporations who control all the products and prices of everything we buy. And there will be no customer service - although, maybe we've already reached that point..
If the unions in America weren't such overpriced parasites maybe the companies wouldn't have to ship their jobs overseas. GM is a prime example of how the unions are destroying this nation. Now they are attacking Wal Mart WakeUpWalMart.com - Join the fight to change Wal-Mart and change America and the other propaganda they push.
While that may indeed be part of the problem - the big three can't seem to make anything that meets the same quality as other builders. Toyota, nissan and honda aren't the biggest sellers because they're a cheaper car (they are about the same if not more in price).
The big three used to make some good cars, but after the 80's they seemed to go down the tubes qualitywise. I have a 78 GMC my dad has a 91. He has spent as much fixing it as he spent on the whole truck, I have changed the oil, the fuel pump ($17 for me, $100+ for him), a starter ($40) and other than that, I have had to do nothing but regular stuff (oil, fuel filter etc...) he has put $6000 in his since 2000.
In 2001, we were looking for a smaller car. We test drove a chevy (don't remember what kind, it was a little honda civic sized car) and then a civic. The honda took off better, handled better, was quieter, and all in all we found it to just be a better quality car.
I know this isn't the universal case with everyone, but from what I have experienced, the big three havent made anything that great in the last 25 years.
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