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I really dislike what WalMart has done to America. Of course you can't find what you're looking for in locally owned shops (if you're lucky enough to have them) at a cheaper price, because WalMart goes to great lengths to get the stuff made more cheaply, mostly in China, and no one in the US can compete.
WalMart tells the manufacturer what it will pay for its goods. ("We'd love to sell your ketchup, but we're only going to pay you 5 cents per bottle. Oh, it costs you $1 to make it and ship it to us? Too bad. It's 5 cents or nothing.")
The manufacturer can't produce ketchup for 5 cents, so they have to either find a place where they can make it for that price or just don't sell to WalMart. So the manufacturer finds a way to make really cheap ketchup, which usually involves using cheap ingredients and/or moving their plant to another country, usually China. Now Americans are out of work.
The ketchup manufacturer decides he no longer wants to make the better quality product he had been making in the US all those years, since now he can make it so much cheaper in China, so he now fires the rest of his American workers and makes only one line of ketchup: the cheap China stuff. So now whether you buy his brand of ketchup at WalMart or you buy it at your regular supermarket, you're getting the same cheap China stuff you'd get at WalMart, but you'll pay more for it at the regular grocery store. That means we all get lower-quality goods, thx to WalMart, whether we shop there or not. (This is a true story, btw.)
WalMart also cuts deals with many of the towns they build in so they don't have to pay taxes for a period of time. During that time, they get free or deeply discounted police, sewer, water, and fire protection, all thanks to local taxpayers who foot the tax bill for WalMart. In several cases, when that tax-reduced period is up, they close the store and move nearby but just out of town, leaving a huge vacant building and parking lot. Because they're now outside the village limits, they still don't pay village taxes.
And if a town votes against a WalMart in their town, they'll build just outside the town limits. That way, they can be a drain on the town (roads, traffic, etc.) but never pay taxes to the town.
There's so much more. Watch "WalMart: The High Cost of Low Price." See if you ever want to shop there again.
I think Walmart in Rural America can be a good thing.
There is small town within 20 minutes of me and it really had nothing it is unincorporated and the service needs of the area are extremly limited. Today was a perfect example why I find this Walmart valuable. I needed my tire rotated which I can get when needed at any Walmart Tire Center, was able to get my oil changed , and a prescription refilled while I was doing the other two. If I wanted I could have grocery shopped but I did that yesterday.
I would have to had to go to a different city or drive around to get these tasks done.
If the town had nothing to provide that Walmart can provide it not taking away any thing local since it was mostly woods nothing commercial where it was develop. I dont know how many associates work today but a very good amount meaning Walmart is providing local jobs to local people to help the local economy. I never in my life have had a friendly experience at a pharmacy but the people that work in Walmarts treat me so nice and so understanding.
I love when I leave the place 2 associates say God Bless
Most people vote with their feet as to wal-mart and it is the biggest retrialer for a reason.They cut deals jus6t as any business does and the town is free to not do so. As to keeping a competitor out of a town that is basically wrong as long as they cpmliy woith the zoning lawns and others in my opinion.Never heasrd that wal-mart leaving a location because of taxes but just as many buinesses do because they can;t make money. Many times wal-mart after a number of years will move to expand but most times they like to saty withion a city limi8ts becasue they need the services provided like modren sewer and drainage and roadway access. Most often from waht I have seen peole fighting to kepp a wal-mart out are really fighting to keep teh peole ity draws away from their neoghborhood. But that would ahve been better thought of when buy themselves at looking at zoning.I can tell you that wal-mart has certtainly been a good neighbor to areas that suffer a disaster,Often the first to help out in fact. It is usually the stores in tows that really fight wal-martsor any chain store thru local polictis really. They are certainly not fighting for the average person tho;its for profits as any other business. Just as ATT wanted to be the only telephone company in town .If the town doesn't really like Wal-Mart then they will close very soon from low volume of business.Normally it is a small segmjent of peole that do it for their own reasons.
I smile and say hello to the clerk. I purchase items. Sometimes I get a "thank you" and sometimes I don't It depends on who's at the register... Sorry Jax, I didn't realize I was the one who should be doing the thanking
When they're not talkative, that's a little awkward, so yes, I have wondered how they're still in business when they don't seem to appreciate your business.
That is pure pity and most would not appreciate it at all. As if our business doesn't mean enough, we have to bring them things to let them know how sorry we feel for them?
Wow MoNative I am sorry you feel that way towards your local business owners. Can I suggest you do a role reversal lets say you are the owner of the local grocery store x 10-15 years. You do your best to meet customer's needs by stocking your shelves, coolers and meat counter with what they purchase most plus basic things. You keep your store clean, go through the gambit of employees for various reasons employees leave or are asked to leave, you donate your products/money to the local schools for their fundraisers all the while paying inventory taxes, property taxes, payroll and their taxes, insurance for your building and contents plus liability in case a customer were to fall in your store. You do this daily then are met with customers that think you owe them the first smile and a thank you. Would that tweak you any?
If you ever travel to IN I would be happy to take you to my local businesses where the owners appreciate me just as much as I appreciate them being there so I don't have to drive 20 miles into a bigger town to shop. Where they call me by name when they shout out hello when we walk in or I yell out hi ya fellas! Where they ask me for the recipe of goodies my family has taken in for them to share & enjoy. Yep give me the friendly country life any day I sure appreciate it.
Frankly when I go to wal-mart 'I always get greeted nicely. I also am treated well . If I buy anyhting that I later regret they take it back no questions asked. I also get a cheaper price than at local stores for the same thing. I have no problem with this. But I have also traveled alot and bought things at many local rural stores and alot of them are flat unfriendly IMO. Thus thread was started about wal-mart being bad. Trry to tell that in a area that has had a disaster and you might find that wal-mart was a very good neighbor after the disaster.In my area after Katrina we had lots of evacuees. Wal-mart was the first to strpup to the plate ';providing food for the shelters to cook;clothes for the people and schooll supplies for the kids that were enrolled in school. Then Rita hit. Both Wal-marts were too damged to open but they were the first with ice and water given out free on their parking lot. Murphy gas setup generators and gave the fuel away freee to first responsers. Then they setup a mobile pharmacy on their parking lot and gave away prescription drugs. So I really stated appreciating what a good neighbor Wal-mart is.Got to talk to some of the employeees and they were all from out of town that worked at other wal-mart hundreds of miles away and said they volunteered to come down to work but were being paid and housed at local motels and feed by the company. I frankly get tired of hearing what crummy employees they have when I have seen this is bunk.
Wow MoNative I am sorry you feel that way towards your local business owners. Can I suggest you do a role reversal lets say you are the owner of the local grocery store x 10-15 years. You do your best to meet customer's needs by stocking your shelves, coolers and meat counter with what they purchase most plus basic things. You keep your store clean, go through the gambit of employees for various reasons employees leave or are asked to leave, you donate your products/money to the local schools for their fundraisers all the while paying inventory taxes, property taxes, payroll and their taxes, insurance for your building and contents plus liability in case a customer were to fall in your store. You do this daily then are met with customers that think you owe them the first smile and a thank you. Would that tweak you any?
Jaxon, Read my posts before you get so defensive.... You're acting as if my critisism of some local businesses is out of pure hate and that's simply not the case. Every business owner has challenges weather in a big city or small town.
A customer's business is something you earn, not an entitlement. I'll take my auto mechanic for instance ( who happens to be a small business owner)... Why do I take my car to him for repairs??? Because he does good work, I trust him, he's willing to match competitor rates and he stands behind his work with warranties written on paper..... That's his business plan plain and simple. He doesn't care who I'm related to or how long I've lived in the area. And Jaxon, I have brought him a case of beer of two over the years and its because we've developed a friendship, not to "show him how much I care."
Jaxon, I'm actually pretty envious of your neck of the woods if the business owners do have that kind of integrity. Do they have local competition? My local grocery store and gas station don't and its pretty evident with the poor service. My mechanic does have local competition and that's also evident with his good service. But then again I'm just a big meany
Jaxon, Read my posts before you get so defensive.... You're acting as if my critisism of some local businesses is out of pure hate and that's simply not the case. Every business owner has challenges weather in a big city or small town.
MoNative you interrupted my reply to you wrongly I wasn't getting defensive just explaining this from a different point of view. That is awesome you have a friendship with your mechanic. I also know that any business serves a need more in others than some for various reasons.
In my neck of the woods there are 3 tiny towns (under 1,000) within 10 miles of each other then the bigger town about 20 miles away (over 60-70,000). 2 of the tiny towns have one grocery, all of them have one hardware, one gas station, mechanics, banks, post offices, one town has 2 bars where the others have only one plus restaurants and 2 have libraries. I can go into any of them and be greeted friendly but more so in the ones I use weekly or monthly, I am partial to one little town over the other 2 but I do spend money in each one of them weekly. All 3 town's businesses support our incorporated school system and each town has an elementary building in them. They are very aware what each other offers to neighbors in the area but I think maybe since this is a rural farming area folks are a bit more accommodating maybe?
Perhaps you should tell your local places they could use some improving on customer service. I think in general we are not the kinder society that we were say 30-40-50 years ago. Our lives have become busier, we are more a disposal society, lost the front porch visits with neighbors or family and relationships suffer. Even with business owners and customers whether that be a mom and pop shop, Wal Mart or a mall building full of retailers.
I am lucky that is why I constantly thank my local owners and I really do appreciate what they have to do to stay in business. I appreciate after having surgery that I could go to the gas station and have one of my kids run inside to have the only clerk bring me smokes so I could pay them since it was hard for me to walk. I appreciate my groceries getting carried to my car. In the middle of mowing break a belt and call the garden center they send a guy out within an hour or two to fix it. A farmer that lives about 6 miles away seeing my son shoveling our driveway comes back with his blade and plows my driveway open and wouldn't take a dime for doing it now has done it for 5 years. My mechanic coming to pick up my vehicles before my son was old enough to drive the truck to follow me there. To me that is the importance of shopping at my local places and always getting and giving waves as we all drive down our roads.
MoNative you interrupted my reply to you wrongly I wasn't getting defensive just explaining this from a different point of view. That is awesome you have a friendship with your mechanic. I also know that any business serves a need more in others than some for various reasons.
Sorry about that.. That was a little hasty on my part.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jaxson
In my neck of the woods there are 3 tiny towns (under 1,000) within 10 miles of each other then the bigger town about 20 miles away (over 60-70,000). 2 of the tiny towns have one grocery, all of them have one hardware, one gas station, mechanics, banks, post offices, one town has 2 bars where the others have only one plus restaurants and 2 have libraries. I can go into any of them and be greeted friendly but more so in the ones I use weekly or monthly, I am partial to one little town over the other 2 but I do spend money in each one of them weekly. All 3 town's businesses support our incorporated school system and each town has an elementary building in them. They are very aware what each other offers to neighbors in the area but I think maybe since this is a rural farming area folks are a bit more accommodating maybe?
Your neighborhood set-up sounds similar to mine. I'm glad you have good businesses around and I'm all for it. My argument was just businesses without competition that took their customers for granted. That's who I'm trying to single out, not all businesses.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jaxson
Perhaps you should tell your local places they could use some improving on customer service. I think in general we are not the kinder society that we were say 30-40-50 years ago. Our lives have become busier, we are more a disposal society, lost the front porch visits with neighbors or family and relationships suffer. Even with business owners and customers whether that be a mom and pop shop, Wal Mart or a mall building full of retailers.
I'd consider it, I guess. Competition would help.
The lack of front porch visits anymore and less communication with neighbors..... I'm totally with you on that one!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jaxson
I am lucky that is why I constantly thank my local owners and I really do appreciate what they have to do to stay in business. I appreciate after having surgery that I could go to the gas station and have one of my kids run inside to have the only clerk bring me smokes so I could pay them since it was hard for me to walk. I appreciate my groceries getting carried to my car. In the middle of mowing break a belt and call the garden center they send a guy out within an hour or two to fix it.
That's great. I'm not fortunate enough to have many businesses willing to do those things.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jaxson
My mechanic coming to pick up my vehicles before my son was old enough to drive the truck to follow me there. To me that is the importance of shopping at my local places and always getting and giving waves as we all drive down our roads.
Your mechanic goes the extra mile just like mine. I'm single and like the fact that he gives me a lift home after dropping my car off and I live 10 miles out of town! I DO thank him for that!
That's great. I'm not fortunate enough to have many businesses willing to do those things.
Your mechanic goes the extra mile just like mine. I'm single and like the fact that he gives me a lift home after dropping my car off and I live 10 miles out of town! I DO thank him for that!
I know a lot of people aren't fortunate to have good local businesses like I do but I will share with ya all when you come for visits!
Now to bring this back on topic my mechanic even brought me home from Wal Mart one day! My car wouldn't start while there so I called his shop he had calls forwarded to his cell. He was heading back to the shop from a wrecker call and I told him what was going on he said he would be there in 10 minutes. Some wire broke so he took us home in his wrecker, went to his shop to drop off the wrecked car, picked up a wire, went home got his wife to go with him back to Wal Mart, he fixed my wire while she did some shopping. Then she drove my car home where I drove her home to unload her groceries. LOL All that he charged me 30 bucks. Cool eh? We love that dude and his family loves the goodies we bake and take into him when he isn't a piggy and decides to share with them.
I know a lot of people aren't fortunate to have good local businesses like I do but I will share with ya all when you come for visits!
Now to bring this back on topic my mechanic even brought me home from Wal Mart one day! My car wouldn't start while there so I called his shop he had calls forwarded to his cell. He was heading back to the shop from a wrecker call and I told him what was going on he said he would be there in 10 minutes. Some wire broke so he took us home in his wrecker, went to his shop to drop off the wrecked car, picked up a wire, went home got his wife to go with him back to Wal Mart, he fixed my wire while she did some shopping. Then she drove my car home where I drove her home to unload her groceries. LOL All that he charged me 30 bucks. Cool eh? We love that dude and his family loves the goodies we bake and take into him when he isn't a piggy and decides to share with them.
That's an awesome little story, something you'll only find in a small town.... another thing that reminds me why I like towns like that...
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I purchase items.
