Wal-Mart signifies all that is wrong in America

Here is an article that compares Albertsons prices to other stores:

Albertsons changes strategy to compete with Wal-Mart

So the conclusion is? Mine is there are other variables that contribute to market share. It could be anything; location, service, parking whatever. The cheapest price doesn't necessarily sell the mostest. Not in this case at least.

Is it possible to have a smaller market share but a larger bottom line? It might be but normally I don't believe it is supposed to work that way.

Choice vs. Price
Although times change, one thing remains in small town America, and that is community. The choice of Price over community seems to be draining away what makes small town America great, and that has been assisted by Walmart who pushes its way in to these markets. Once they are in place and the small competitor with other choices is gone, there is only Walmart, and that is no choice at all. It also reduces much of the local support for small town fund raisers and charity as those less able to compete are pushed out. The tax base is deminished with the increased vacancy rate on main street. In the end, all parts of what had been a vibrant community suffer from this lack of revenue. Suppliers to Walmart also suffer by the constant demand for the lowest wholesale price. Rubbermaid went under at Centerville, Iowa as a direct result of Walmart and its practices. In the late 70's this was the poorest county in Iowa and a lot of effort went in to bringing manufacturing to this area. I certainly don't see any positive outcome from having a Walmart store. I will not shop in such a distructive store as this.

Some of what you say is true but like it or not this is part of America growing up. Business today at any level is nothing like it was 50 years ago when we relied on them for most of our consumer products not to mention employment. We need only look at what has happened before as well as after NAFTA. This country no longer does business as it used to.

There was a time, maybe, when little independent retailers contributed greatly to local communities and the same can be said for The Chamber of Commerce. Increasingly however consumers grew smarter and realized that in many cases Mom & Pop was charging far higher prices for consumer goods than large retail chains; everything from drugs to groceries to clothing. As a result big chain stores have filled the void and offer considerable savings (not to mention variety) over anything Mom & Pop has to offer; not to mention they pay their employees wages and benefits much better than Mom & Pop could or ever would have.

The large stores in and around my community are members of The Chamber of Commerce however it is noteworthy that the most vocal members are the small businessmen that cry because they no longer have a monopoly on gouging servicemen from a nearby military base. As a result of a series of excellent pay raises during the past decade even a Private can afford to buy a new car if he wants to and nobody, military or otherwise wastes time shopping "downtown" anymore unless they are foolish enough to support their merchant friends long time exorbitant prices.

Mom & Pop, you've seen your day; Goodbye, Good Riddance.

Some of what you say is true but like it or not this is part of America growing up. Business today at any level is nothing like it was 50 years ago when we relied on them for most of our consumer products not to mention employment. We need only look at what has happened before as well as after NAFTA. This country no longer does business as it used to.

There was a time, maybe, when little independent retailers contributed greatly to local communities and the same can be said for The Chamber of Commerce. Increasingly however consumers grew smarter and realized that in many cases Mom & Pop was charging far higher prices for consumer goods than large retail chains; everything from drugs to groceries to clothing. As a result big chain stores have filled the void and offer considerable savings (not to mention variety) over anything Mom & Pop has to offer; not to mention they pay their employees wages and benefits much better than Mom & Pop could or ever would have.

The large stores in and around my community are members of The Chamber of Commerce however it is noteworthy that the most vocal members are the small businessmen that cry because they no longer have a monopoly on gouging servicemen from a nearby military base. As a result of a series of excellent pay raises during the past decade even a Private can afford to buy a new car if he wants to and nobody, military or otherwise wastes time shopping "downtown" anymore unless they are foolish enough to support their merchant friends long time exorbitant prices.

Mom & Pop, you've seen your day; Goodbye, Good Riddance.

Some of what you say is true but like it or not this is part of America growing up. Business today at any level is nothing like it was 50 years ago when we relied on them for most of our consumer products not to mention employment. We need only look at what has happened before as well as after NAFTA. This country no longer does business as it used to.

There was a time, maybe, when little independent retailers contributed greatly to local communities and the same can be said for The Chamber of Commerce. Increasingly however consumers grew smarter and realized that in many cases Mom & Pop was charging far higher prices for consumer goods than large retail chains; everything from drugs to groceries to clothing. As a result big chain stores have filled the void and offer considerable savings (not to mention variety) over anything Mom & Pop has to offer; not to mention they pay their employees wages and benefits much better than Mom & Pop could or ever would have.

The large stores in and around my community are members of The Chamber of Commerce however it is noteworthy that the most vocal members are the small businessmen that cry because they no longer have a monopoly on gouging servicemen from a nearby military base. As a result of a series of excellent pay raises during the past decade even a Private can afford to buy a new car if he wants to and nobody, military or otherwise wastes time shopping "downtown" anymore unless they are foolish enough to support their merchant friends long time exorbitant prices.

Mom & Pop, you've seen your day; Goodbye, Good Riddance.

There's a good reason why WalMart is successful no matter where they plant their stores. They get customers based on price. It's called competition, and that alone wins customers.

Our country used to have many small farmers, but they are disappearing from our landscape. The reason? They can't compete with the big conglomerates on price.

Do you know why most of the products Americans now buy are made in China? Price.

Walmart=daycare for hillbillies.

<ahem>
Here's a slight change in subject....

We're a non-Wal-Mart family... from a town that prides itself on not allowing the Wal to build a big box here. I'm all for a good deal, but I buy from a variety of sources and try to consider who will profit. I guess my daughter has learned from me.

This Christmas ushered in a dilemma......

My daughter opened her package from an aunt living way south of the Dixie line and found a generous gift certificate to Wal-Mart.

You'd have to know our family to understand what a pall this put on the Christmas moment. "Don't they know?" she wondered. The Christmas Cheer level dropped way off. Her brother commiserated. Her father & I considered the alternatives. (The Christmas lights dulled a moment in sympathy.)

She still hasn't decided what to do. If she doesn't use the card, she's giving Wal-Mart the money. If she uses it, she's getting sucked in. If she gives it away, she's encouraging someone else to go there. Is there anything at Wal-Mart that has intrinsic value and honors American workers? Maybe music CDs....

I know it's not what you asked, but have you considered giving the gift certificate back to the relative and asking for a gift certificate from Target (or some other store acceptable to you) instead? For your daughter's aunt, one store is like any other, so I don't see why she would have a problem with it. For your daughter, it's the difference between having or not having a Christmas present she likes. As an added bonus, your aunt will aunt will send you certificates for the "right" shops from now on, eliminating potential future awkwardness. And who knows? Maybe she'll even ask why you don't shop at Wal-Mart, in which case you could make your case against Wal-Mart to her. Even though I generally disagree with your objections against Wal-Mart (as you know), I don't see why it would hurt to talk about fair trade, sweatshops, and the like.

Come to think of it, even if your aunt isn't the kind of person you might want to converse with about these things, you can still ask her for a different certificate. "There is no WalMart where we live, but we have X, Y, and Z ..." seems like a perfectly agreeable reason to ask for one.

Hi Thomas, thanks for your thoughtful reply. I will pass it on to my daughter. I'm not sure she'd be willing to confront the aunt with her concerns about Wal-Mart, but your solution is not one we'd considered when the present was opened.

Hope your holidays have been blissful.

Yes, deodorant, and most gauze wearing deadhead Walmart hating black block types could use a pallet of it.

Why are you so nasty???

Why do you care if I don't want to go to the store of your apparent choice?

SHanken
SHanken, welcome to A2K where you will find your choice of intelligent people and some village idiots.

BBB

This is a nice approach.

Since Walmart already has the money, and there may be no way to return/refund it - there are always American magazines available at Walmart (my main reason for going there). 10 or 15% off the cover price. It's where I go to stock up on Taunton publications. Threads/Fine Cooking/Fine Homebuilding/Fine Gardening ... that sort of thing. Your daughter could go pick up mags once a month til the gift card's used up. Or books - cookbooks! I think they're 20 or 25% off the cover price. Great way to pick up something like the 75th anniversary edition of Joy of Cooking - a great American staple.

Thanks, Beth. That's a great idea; I'll pass it along to her today. She's likely to prefer that to Thomas' idea of approaching her aunt directly, which she saw as a potentially awkward long-distance conversation. ("Oh, Mom, I couldn't do that!")

You Know You're A Redneck If Your Wife Is Quoted In The Local Paper Saying...



http://www.flickr.com/photos/billadams/321845104/

I didn't browse all the pages. In case this was missed.
http://walmartwatch.com/blog/archives/no_bull/

Another example of the truth in the thread's title: