Wal-Mart signifies all that is wrong in America

Electric applicances meet UL or CE safety standards but the ISO Quality stuff is kind of a misnomer. The ISO standards don't mean that the product is of good quality - just that the quality is consistant and easily predictable for the specific item.

Door locks -- I would imagine you save the most on their low quality door locks. Good luck on their lasting much past the warantee. Ditto the dryer vent.

Incidentally, the Mr. Coffee 8 cup coffee maker I mentioned which retailed for $60.00 is a Consumer Report Best Buy and I concur -- I bought two more for gifts. WalMart doesn't even carry that model and their so-called price drop for the 12 cup without the thermos is $48.00 and $7.00 shipping. It is a discontinued model that Amazon was selling for $40.00. Manufacturers for whatever reason won't sell their highest rated models to WalMart.

Your suggesting Schlage makes an inferior doorlock to sell to Walmart? That a dryer vent hose (Same exact one as sears carries) is somehow inferior because Walmart sells it?

Wow.

The brand names and the model numbers are identical? Give me the brand names model numbers and I'll check it out.

While you're picking up the hot dogs (a brand name that is likely the same as sold in supermarkets, well, WalMart superstores are supermakets) pick up one of their tough, gristly steaks.

LW, you have made your feelings about Walmart clear enough. I am sorry for whatever the company did to you, but you are a bit over zealous about this whole situation.

McG
McG, Lightwizard is not being over zealous at all. I appreciate the research provided as a consumer. The more facts we know the better choices we can make.

I guess your attitute means you wouldn't like the "Price Per Pound" shelf labeling for supermarkets I designed and got passed into law in California in the 1970s, which spread across the nation. A wonderful help to consumers.

Thanks Lightwizard.

BBB

The consumer is left in the dark about many practices of how merchandise is sold to them. I've been personally exposed to it with furniture, electronic equipment, art and lighting. That's what has prompted me to do some quick online research on retail marketing. McGentrix has opted out -- does not want me to find the Schludge locks online cheaper. Kwikset is plainly a better lock and is available online -- I first realized their superior quality at Home Depot but knowing they practice the same deceptive marketing, I went on line and bought new locks (with and without new doorknobs" to replace the corroding Schludge locks that came with the house. If you want bottom-of-the barrel quality for a price where WalMart is still making a considerable profit (and not passing it on to their employees) by all means continue worshipping at the Shrine of WalMart. In the meantime, dine in at home on their cold storage vegetables, eggs and meat they wouldn't serve shredded at a greasy spoon Mexican restaurant.

(Not to sat they're aren't greasy spoon American restaurants -- just try eating at WalMart's snack bar...baarrrfff).

This isn't over-zealous BBB? Please.

I wouldn't be talking about being over-zealous if I were you. Settle down -- you can go take a confessional at the photo counter in WalMart on your way home.

While your at it, you can drop off some film and let them loose it for you.

See, you are thinking that I only shop at walmart. That's not the case. Not everything they have is up to McGentrix standards of quality. You mentioned meat. I would never buy meat at walmart. With the exception of underwear, I do not buy clothes at walmart.

I do however buy computer games, packaged foods, toiletries, some sports and camping items, some automotive supplies, lots of home improvement items, and incidentals as needed. Walmart is not the end-all, be-all of super market experiences. It is a convienence.

You mean you have qualifications in supporting WalMart? I would have never guessed -- thanks for the clarification. And you're buying your underware in the meat department? Well, that's appropriate.

In my area, the convenience is nil -- it's a major chore to drive and get into the two WalMarts that are both five minutes from my house (!). I have insider information that they are now experiencing stores which are not delivering profit and although most of those are the newest, there are those who have been WalMart in the location for many years. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. I know because in the eighties I worked for the largest gallery chain in the world who just plain overstepped and opened too many locations too soon. They filed bankruptcy two years after I left the company. I can't be too self-gratified that they were missing the millions of dollars in sales I was providing because all the other good salespeople left the company.

I have said before that I do go to "Sam's Club" because it is closer to my house than Costco and more convenient. There is an obvious savings on such staples as water softener salt (price way out of line at grocery stores), pharmacy items like toothpaste and painkillers, and other staples. Of course, it is because one can use giant sizes and has the room to store them that one can save any money.

I did run into a fairly good buy on rack of lamp at Sam's and it was good quality and less than a supermarket (who seldom stock it -- you have to go to a specialized butcher which is what I'm used to doing).

If you're willing to take lower quality at a lower price in general, WalMart may be for you if it is convenient. I also have two Target Stores and a Mervyns (the best price on Levis) near me, two Kohl's near me, but now not a K Mart in any proximity (I didn't like them any better than WalMart).

Never seen a WalMart close but I've seen several Targets close. Proof enough for me.

Two new Targets opened within a half and hour, one with a new Mervyn's which is the same company from my house in the last year. I believe WalMart is overexpanding but it won't entirely be evident for a few years. Retail sales are still fairly flat. Your "rebuttal" is incomplete.

Ive seen Walmarts close , but with a purpose. They will build a series of stores about 15 mi apart and then build a supercenter somewhere between and then close the original 2. This is happening in Elkton MD now.

That seems to be a strategy and when they succeed in pushing out competition, that is not good. Watch the prices go back up even differing from location to location. They still can't be successful with that strategy around here because of too much competition. We have no superstore at all in our area possibly because it is rife with supermakets including Food For Less. Most of them have improved their quality in meats and produce as they lose business to Bristol Farms and Whole Foods. Wal-Mart opened a new store here extremely close to another store with a Sam's Club inbetween and I think they effectively divided up the demographics only to steal business from one store for another. How this will pan out is anyone's guess. I'm sure they have "marketing demographic experts" in charge of this operation. However, marketing is not an exact science and demographics can bite one in the butt. It's a delicate balance trying to cater to the working people and in a cross section of the demographic pie, the affluent neighborhoods. My clientele who have money to install expensive lighting systems do not go to Wal-Mart. If they want to shop something, it's unlikely Wal-Mart even carries the quality they're looking for and their stores are far from being convenient. They diligently use the Internet. Since motor oil seems to be the criteria, I recently picked up a case at Costco that will last me several years and it was more than 20% cheaper than Wal-Mart.

One thing about shopping the Internet is I find things quickly that often are cheap or free shipping with no California sales tax of nearly 8% and even 8.5% in some areas (soon to be raised by you-know-who).

I'm wondering: Other things equal, how much do prices at Wal-Mart vary between places where they're facing competition places where they don't? And how much do they raise prices once the competition has gone bankrupt? The claim of predatory pricing followed by monopoly profits gets repeated so often that I'm sure someone has published a rigorous quantitative study on it. Can you point me to one?

Too soon and their pricing policies are really difficult to track. I would have to do what you would have to do -- go onto the Internet and try to find something on it. I doubt there is any government study -- they spend millions on trying to find out how many times per second a hummingbird's wings move but disregard something which might reveal something useful to the consumer. I have looked up prices recently on CD's and DVD's from Wal-Mart, Target and other Internet sources. With the sources who have no brick-and-mortar stores it's the same story -- they are cheaper, charge no sales tax and have cheap or often free shipping. Not to mention, WalMart has virtually no selection of DVD's. That doesn't preclude someone just wanting to get out of the house on a more pleasant errand and, say, go to Tower Records to pick up a latest CD or DVD. But then, they have filed for bankruptcy. Around my house, I'd rather go to DVD Planet to browse -- better selection of some more esoteric DVD's and the same prices as on their site.