The Rise and Fall of Wal-Mart (European, expensive, grocery, shop)

[texdav]

Wal-mart is the king not only in the US but in many of the enrging markets. Its like china has now becomne the market for new cars.Wal-mart isn't going anyhwere except in peoples some minds.

[omigawd]

Originally Posted by pcity

They don't seem to be having trouble that I've seen- always extremely crowded and they still tend to be lower than the grocery store and Target.

I think the rumors of decline are greatly exaggerated.

I agree.... Everyone has something bad to say about Wal Mart yet go there any day and any time during the day and the parking lot is always packed. I wonder why that is?

I'm a notorious price-checker/comparison shopper and I haven't noticed that Wal Mart's prices are higher than anyone else's. They're still lower and I get much better deals at WM than I can at Target or any other "big box" store.

[marmac]

----the rise and fall of Wal-Mart-----

what fall ?

I agree with a couple other posters that not only is the fall of Walmart only in some people's minds, but also in their wishes.

Many expensive stores I don't shop at, but I am not so vindictive as to be hoping they fail and constantly bashing them.

Don't like a store ?
Don't shop there.

If the store is doing well, they won't notice your absence.

[nmchick]

I own a shop in a small NM town and carry only regional products (no advertising) . This year we had so many more people come in for the first time ever (and this was our 4th holiday season). Maybe people are sick of practically everything being made in China or seconds. All I know is if more people don't start supporting the 'ma & pa' shops, pretty soon there won't be anywhere except big box stores to shop at. That being said, it is nice to buy things there that you would have to drive an hour to get otherwise, because no one else in town carries them. I've had several former local WalMart employees complain about their treatment AND the horrible computer controlled ordering system. Which I'll vouch for, because I have to personally ask for a certain cough drop, but then they never get ordered again when they sell out, until i once again make a special request. Have given up and just pay more at the local pharmacy, which always has them.

Peace to all, and a money 2010! Happy New Year!

Originally Posted by redjan1225

Ninja, my husband and I have been complaining for weeks about the run of ridiculous Wal-Mart commercials. They seem to run over and over again and make up a bulk of the commercials I see. Doesn't matter to me. My family does not shop at Wal-Mart. We go to Target, or grocery stores for groceries, hardware stores for tools, etc. I'd never buy food from Wal-Mart. I don't buy anything knowing that their vendors have no choice but to provide merchandise at no profit in order to keep afloat. And the way Wal-Mart treats their employees is wrong. I also refuse to shop at Walgreens and Sam's Club.

[Ninjahedge]

If WalMart does NOT follow a buisness model, it is not earning its shareholders what they invested in.

When a company spends THAT MUCH money on advertisements that do not tell you a single price on anything but price fixed items like the Wii, and go out of their wat to try and convince you that they are ready to give their (virtual) kidneys to you to save your family on Family Game Night, then their strategy has indeed shifted.

Is that a fall? It is hard to fall from the bottom, but it does show what is happening. They outpriced and drove out the competition, something other companies have done in the past, and now need that extra cash to support their moves in other areas and all the money spent on ads.

Is this something I am funing about? No, as I have said, many have done this before, but the thing that just annoys me about this is the white bread success of these guys. How badly they treat their workers, and how generally bad the impact is to the LOCAL economy.

So have they fallen? Not really. But they are not even the company they set out to be from the start, and the more ads they make to say otherwise, the less I believe a word they say.

[marmac]

----- 'how badly they treat their workers "--

Many of those workers came to Walmart cuz the wages they now make are better than the wages they were getting.

Yes, some of them even were employees of other stores in that town who didn't want to see Walmart come in.

If Walmart was a factory-yes------I would say their wages to employees are low

Since Walmart is a retail store, many workers came to Walmart cuz it was better than the small retail store they worked at.

Seems, years back, nobody complained about the low wages the small town store owner paid his employees. Nobody complained that the small town store owner had a nice house, new car, put all his kids thru college, yet paid his workers a low salary.

So low, that many headed to Walmart when they started accepting applications.


Why is that ?

[Bluesmama]

Portland-Metro is notorious for fighting off Walmart; however, one is in process of being built in a 'burb next to the 'burb I live in. It is a town that's very dominantly low-income and I expect it to do well.

Will I shop there? Only if I can't find what I'm looking for somewhere else. And that DID happen on a recent trip home to Calif. I needed something in particular and neither Walgreen's and Rite-Aid didn't have it. So off to Walmart I went and there it was.

Same issue with Home Depot vs the small hardware stores. We always stopped at the local ACE Hardware first because we wanted to support the smaller business (and it's always nice to dodge in and out quicker). But most of the time we had to get back into the car and go to HD.

[desert sun]

Originally Posted by Bluesbabe

Portland-Metro is notorious for fighting off Walmart; however, one is in process of being built in a 'burb next to the 'burb I live in. It is a town that's very dominantly low-income and I expect it to do well.

Will I shop there? Only if I can't find what I'm looking for somewhere else. And that DID happen on a recent trip home to Calif. I needed something in particular and neither Walgreen's and Rite-Aid didn't have it. So off to Walmart I went and there it was.

Same issue with Home Depot vs the small hardware stores. We always stopped at the local ACE Hardware first because we wanted to support the smaller business (and it's always nice to dodge in and out quicker). But most of the time we had to get back into the car and go to HD.

how did anyone ever survive without Home Depot back in the days? My parents must have had it really rough.

[desert sun]

I went to Wal-Mart to get a bunch of ingrediants for cookies and candy last week, I usually never shop there cause I dont have the nerve to deal with that place, but I went anyways cause it was close to where I was at.

I went in and the store was packed, I couldnt look at products without someone coming up behind me waiting on me to move or someone trying to squeeze in between and my girlfriend or just trying to fit our baskets down the narrow isles, we were constantly dodging people and baskets, I couldnt even focus on what I was trying to get, so I just left my basket and went to a smaller grocery store and all was calm, so much more comfortable shoppin in peace and having room to get by.

Wal-Mart parking lots are always so damn crowded and baskets all over the place, its annoying.
I hate crowds and Im a small town person so I really dont understand why people love to come out in bunches and all shop together, I do my shopping online for Christmas and avoid WalMart and the mall.

[Everest209]

I'm a target guy myself, the wal-marts around here don't seem clean. Target may be a tad more pricey, but i like the quality more.