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I can tell you why I supported my mom and pop store:
They were on their third generation of providing reliable service. All three generations walked to work.
They didn't underpay anyone but themselves as it was a family-run business.
They knew about their products. I never asked, but if I had, I suspect he would have come out to the house and showed me how to use it if I got stuck, would have sent someone or referred me to a responsible person to do it.
I always got a warm greeting from people I knew and a cheerful thanks when I left.
They still sold things the old fashioned way, by piece, so if I needed a couple of bolts or ten nails I could buy them without having to pay for a hundred of them.
And, as I said, the coffee pot was always on and the latest news was always waiting to be told.
Don't know where you must live to assume otherwise, but that's pretty much the definition of mom and pop where I live.
Where you and another poster who made similar points live is clearly a Mayberry environment. I live in an suburban area. The mom and pops are primarily deli's, dry cleaners, bars, liquor stores, bakeries, nail shops etc. These stores provide unique and convenient services and I do use them. There is no third generation Ma and Pa Kettle with the light on and a warm cup of coffee waiting in any of these stores. More likely you will find some immigrant running the store who lives no where near me.
The local small supermarket, which is a convenient store for commuters, is a total rip-off. Prices are high and no tears will come to my eye if they complain Walmart is hurting their business.
This is probably why Walmart will never really hurt these type mom and pops...they provide a unique and convenient place to shop.
Im sorry if the Mom and Pops in Green Acres closed on you but most people are not looking for more than cheaper prices...they can do without the local gossip over coffee while buying a handful of screws.
Where you and another poster who made similar points live is clearly a Mayberry environment. I live in an suburban area. The mom and pops are primarily deli's, dry cleaners, bars, liquor stores, bakeries, nail shops etc. These stores provide unique and convenient services and I do use them. There is no third generation Ma and Pa Kettle with the light on and a warm cup of coffee waiting in any of these stores. More likely you will find some immigrant running the store who lives no where near me.
The local small supermarket, which is a convenient store for commuters, is a total rip-off. Prices are high and no tears will come to my eye if they complain Walmart is hurting their business.
This is probably why Walmart will never really hurt these type mom and pops...they provide a unique and convenient place to shop.
Im sorry if the Mom and Pops in Green Acres closed on you but most people are not looking for more than cheaper prices...they can do without the local gossip over coffee while buying a handful of screws.
Wal-Mart, the largest grocer in the world, opposes legislation that would require food to be labeled with its country of origin.
From their own website: “As the world’s largest retailer…we buy products from more than 60,000 suppliers in 70 countries.” As the country’s largest grocer, Wal-Mart follows the same practices, purchasing the majority of its food products from overseas. Labeling all these items will be costly and labor-intensive for Wal-Mart, but ultimately in the consumer’s best interest.
They say it will not be cost effective while spending over 5 million lobbying against C.O.O.L. legislation between 2000 and 2006.
Wal-Mart is no longer an All-American Store. In the 1980’s, Wal-Mart prided itself on its “Buy American” campaign, but the company abandoned this ideal in 1985.
This map shows the information on which countries are origins of products in Wal-Mart (a famous supermarket in the U.S.)
The information is expressed through a Cartogram wherein the countries with large number in terms of products have sizes that are proportionally as large. Furthermore, the countries are not only represented by the size of the number of products coming from which, but are also colored by the countries' flags.
Considering basic aesthetic principles in Cartography, this map is not very problematic. It in fact sows clearly the data its creator wants to present. When it comes to balance and positions of the map elements, this map has achieved well in both aspects.
Source: benjaminedwards.net
Last edited by Oldhag1; 06-10-2014 at 04:16 PM..
Reason: Removed copyrighted material and replaced with a link to the image. If you would prefer to use a different link DM it to me.
I can't say I NEVER go to WalMart, but as of early last fall, I have actively avoided going there.... the clothing is so thin it reminds one of gauze, the produce is all but inedible, the meat is suspicious, the toiletries aren't THAT much better priced than they are at Target, etc. etc. .... I think I have broken down two times and run in to a Walmart when for some odd reason, it was actually more convenient and I was pressed for time....
and I happen to do most of my grocery shopping at a family owned grocery store that opened about a mile from my house a couple of years ago.... prices may be a bit higher than the larger chains, but if I don't have to drive two or three exits up the highway to get there, that price difference is well made up for.... and when i walk into that store, many of the clerks, cashiers, managers recognize me and a few know me by name....
There's a basic problem with that business philosophy and many companies are guilty of it, not just Walmart.
When you have a workforce of 2.2 million people that are not able to support themselves on the wages that they earn at Walmart this puts a significant burden on the state governments to provide services to these people. These people have to eat, cannot live in a tent at the river forever, and everyone eventually gets sick.
If it was just the wages and working conditions for these people I wouldn't be so opposed to Walmart. But when they come in and build multiple stores that they later abandon and refuse to sell the property to other retailers so they can stifle the competition, leave behind concrete and asphalt blights for decades, target the little guys in town (I finally never stepped foot in another Walmart after they started offering livestock feed to compete with our local guy who has been in business for 50+ years), do not offer reasonable benefits to employees, and spew the made in America lie...it's more than just creating a generation of working class poor. I have found other stores to meet my needs at reasonable prices and source their products either from the US or from countries I trust. Read labels, do your homework, keep a spreadsheet of prices. Without ever asking the feed store guy carries 50-pound sacks to my truck, and he makes minimum wage too. But he gets a bonus every quarter when the store is in the black. And when times were tough, they kept all of their employees on the payroll. If Winco, Ace Hardware, and Costco continue to run respectable companies I have no reason to shop at Walmart ever again.
^^ THIS ^^ We need to support our neighbors and decent employers - Wallyworld has proven they care nothing of this county or its people .
Also , if I have to be wary of consuming goods ( products with lead from Asia comes to mind ) , WHY am I paying some cutthroat company for the pleasure of my money ?!
Last edited by Oldhag1; 06-10-2014 at 04:17 PM..
Reason: Removed color font
Where you and another poster who made similar points live is clearly a Mayberry environment. I live in an suburban area. The mom and pops are primarily deli's, dry cleaners, bars, liquor stores, bakeries, nail shops etc. These stores provide unique and convenient services and I do use them. There is no third generation Ma and Pa Kettle with the light on and a warm cup of coffee waiting in any of these stores. More likely you will find some immigrant running the store who lives no where near me.
The local small supermarket, which is a convenient store for commuters, is a total rip-off. Prices are high and no tears will come to my eye if they complain Walmart is hurting their business.
This is probably why Walmart will never really hurt these type mom and pops...they provide a unique and convenient place to shop.
Im sorry if the Mom and Pops in Green Acres closed on you but most people are not looking for more than cheaper prices...they can do without the local gossip over coffee while buying a handful of screws.
I think you missed the point of my post. We live in the era of the big box retailer, the Walmart, Coscos, Home Depots, Office Maxes, etc. and they have succeeded in driving the mom and pop business to the brink of extinction. They have won. Consumers got their cheaper prices, but it came at a cost. Among the costs, were a decline in American manufacturing and way of life for millions of people who used small business to escape the lower classes to middle class respectability.
That manner of business is gone forever and should be lamented and not jeered. But we live in a society grown more coarse. Those days may sound like Mayberry to you, but it was not too long ago where life was like than for many people.
I did grow up in a rural community. I would go the Variety Store everyday after school and talk to friends near the local church. I don't know how old you are, but if you are older than 40 you must remember the days before Walmart came to town.
Times change and one day Walmart will fall. Probably to Amazon with their fleet of delivery drones. I don't expect too many people would lament the "Walmart way of life" if it ever does go out of business however.
Wal-Mart, the largest grocer in the world, opposes legislation that would require food to be labeled with its country of origin.
From their own website: “As the world’s largest retailer…we buy products from more than 60,000 suppliers in 70 countries.†As the country’s largest grocer, Wal-Mart follows the same practices, purchasing the majority of its food products from overseas. Labeling all these items will be costly and labor-intensive for Wal-Mart, but ultimately in the consumer’s best interest.
They say it will not be cost effective while spending over 5 million lobbying against C.O.O.L. legislation between 2000 and 2006.
Wal-Mart is no longer an All-American Store. In the 1980’s, Wal-Mart prided itself on its “Buy American†campaign, but the company abandoned this ideal in 1985.
This map shows the information on which countries are origins of products in Wal-Mart (a famous supermarket in the U.S.)
The information is expressed through a Cartogram wherein the countries with large number in terms of products have sizes that are proportionally as large. Furthermore, the countries are not only represented by the size of the number of products coming from which, but are also colored by the countries' flags.
Considering basic aesthetic principles in Cartography, this map is not very problematic. It in fact sows clearly the data its creator wants to present. When it comes to balance and positions of the map elements, this map has achieved well in both aspects.
Source: benjaminedwards.net
Eliminate groceries from the map and the US and other free countries like Japan and Korea will be nonexistant.
Some people say walmart eliminates retail "small business" jobs in the area that they move into. Does anyone have any first hand experience with these small business jobs being eliminated in an area that it built its store? I think it has an effect of lowering prices to some degree. I have seen some large retail stores go out of business where a wal mart has been built but not sure about the small business aspect.
This absolutely happens, but it should happen. Let's say Walmart buys a t-shirt from China and is very efficient at using its trucks and leased ships to get that shirt to my store, and as a result, can charge me only $5. Let's also say that the small business next door literally buys the same shirt from a wholesaler that bought it from China and they had to ship it via UPS because they are not constantly shipping things all over the country like Walmart is. The small store is going to have to charge me $10 for accomplishing the exact same task (getting the shirt to me). Think of all the wasted time, resources, and money that is lost because we still have small businesses doing things that big businesses do a heck of a lot better.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Know Nonsense
Some people say walmart underpays their employees and doesn't give them enough benefits. Is walmart really supposed to be a career type job?
Two things here. First, Walmart generally pays more than the small stores do. We have layered law upon law on "big" businesses that small businesses don't have to follow. For example, the minimum wage law that just passed in Seattle is going to be applied only to the biggest businesses at first, even if they perform the same services as a small business next door. Without getting into the details, Obamacare also unfairly applies to big businesses like Walmart. Walmart jobs are generally BETTER than the jobs they displace, but that is just a minor detail some people.
Look at it this way, If instead of being one business, there were 4,000 huge "general stores" that were independently run and operated, but did everything exactly like WalMart, no one would be saying anything. It is only because of their size that people think they are a problem.
This absolutely happens, but it should happen. Let's say Walmart buys a t-shirt from China and is very efficient at using its trucks and leased ships to get that shirt to my store, and as a result, can charge me only $5. Let's also say that the small business next door literally buys the same shirt from a wholesaler that bought it from China and they had to ship it via UPS because they are not constantly shipping things all over the country like Walmart is. The small store is going to have to charge me $10 for accomplishing the exact same task (getting the shirt to me). Think of all the wasted time, resources, and money that is lost because we still have small businesses doing things that big businesses do a heck of a lot better.
That's a nice little tid-bit from economics 101, but how do you account for the unfair advantage that WalMart has when it comes to competing with small business. For example:
How do you account for the Billions of Dollars in tax subsidies that WalMart gets?
How do account for the free land that WalMart has been getting in many parts of the country?
It is what it is and the market as always will decide. What you see in Wal Mart is consumer decision on it's success. We have seen many such stories in growth and seen a lot fail in time. Seen to day Wal Mart is shifting CEO and he intends to concentrate more on online marketing.
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) , WHY am I paying some cutthroat company for the pleasure of my money ?!
