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Getbig Main Boards => Politics and Political Issues Board => Topic started by: Dos Equis on March 04, 2009, 04:35:44 PM
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Small break from all the doom and gloom.
Shoppers throng to Target openings
By Will Hoover
Advertiser Staff Writer
Just wait until the GRAND opening.
Target stores in Kapolei and Salt Lake held soft openings this morning — to huge throngs of waiting shoppers.
At Kapolei, more than 1,800 people made their way through the doors in the first half hour.
Within 15 minutes, an entire rack of Alexander McQueen dresses had disappeared.
"I have run a lot of Targets (on the Mainland), but I have never seen this level of energy," Kapolei store manager Jon Radtke said.
"This was supposed to be a soft opening, but it's more like a grand opening."
Within an hour of opening, all 600 parking stalls were filled and all 500 shopping carts were in use.
Rachel James, 25, of Wahiawa was there with her 2-year-old daughter Safiyyah.
She said she was doing her part to help the economy.
"I'm buying things I don't need," she said.
James, whose husband Nykita is an Army staff sergeant deployed to Iraq, said she was ecstatic that Target is here.
She said she was so happy she planned to stop by the Salt Lake store, too.
At the Salt Lake store, it was a softer soft opening, with about 450 people entering the store at 8 a.m., though an hour later traffic was starting to back up onto Salt Lake Boulevard from the main store entry on Lawehana Street.
Sara Knudson, an Ewa Beach resident who had regularly shopped at Target until she moved to Hawaii seven years ago, said the atmosphere was classic Target — helpful and energetic.
"The hospitality of the entire team here, you just feel it when you come in the door," she said.
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090304/BREAKING01/90304040
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target costs a bit more than WMT on most items, food included
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target costs a bit more than WMT on most items, food included
The trade-off is, no WMT shoppers are found in the store. All in all it's a wash. :)
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target costs a bit more than WMT on most items, food included
true
The trade-off is, no WMT shoppers are found in the store. All in all it's a wash. :)
and very true
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I'm going to check it out this weekend. I heard Target has better stuff.
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I'm going to check it out this weekend. I heard Target has better stuff.
Of course they do. You can't get crappier than Walmart brands.
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Of course they do. You can't get crappier than Walmart brands.
I don't shop at Walmart for "quality." I bought a bathroom radio the other day and it cost me about $8. I'll probably use it for years. That's the kind of stuff I buy there.
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I only shop for quality. Which is why I don't venture inside Walmart. Ever.
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If I'm making small purchases, then price is paramount. Even with larger purchases, price is a big factor. Why pay more when you can pay less.
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I only shop for quality. Which is why I don't venture inside Walmart. Ever.
A lot of items in Wal-Mart are the exact same things you could buy elsewhere, for more $$$.
Take computer parts, for example--say I need a new ethernet card or power supply or whatever--I'll call around all the local computer stores and invariably Wal-Mart has the lowest prices on the same stuff, by a significant margin. And why pay more? For the snob appeal? Fine, pay more if you want to. Truth be told, I will go to Wal-Mart for stuff like I mentioned.
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The trade-off is, no WMT shoppers are found in the store. All in all it's a wash. :)
HAHA
Exactly ;D
(http://www.ratemyeverything.net/image/3502/0/Typical_Wal-Mart_Shopper.ashx)
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A lot of items in Wal-Mart are the exact same things you could buy elsewhere, for more $$$.
Take computer parts, for example--say I need a new ethernet card or power supply or whatever--I'll call around all the local computer stores and invariably Wal-Mart has the lowest prices on the same stuff, by a significant margin. And why pay more? For the snob appeal? Fine, pay more if you want to. Truth be told, I will go to Wal-Mart for stuff like I mentioned.
Agree.
I was talking to a small business owner who said he actually buys some products from Walmart and resells them in his store for a profit.
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I shopped at Walmart ONCE. Never again.
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If I'm making small purchases, then price is paramount. Even with larger purchases, price is a big factor. Why pay more when you can pay less.
So that the employees who work there can at least earn a living wage, and not have to be dependent on welfare to supplement their Walmart slave wages.
You end up paying more for it one way or the other. I'd prefer to pay up front, rather than dish it out through taxes.
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So that the employees who work there can at least earn a living wage, and not have to be dependent on welfare to supplement their Walmart slave wages.
You end up paying more for it one way or the other. I'd prefer to pay up front, rather than dish it out through taxes.
Ah . . . no. Me going to another store to pay more for products does not result in employees at places like Walmart earn a "living wage." It just results in me paying more than I should. Zero connection.
Your taxes comments really don't make sense. If you pay more for a product the sales tax is higher, so you're paying more in taxes.
And no one is forced to worked at Walmart. Slave wages? ::)
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Ah . . . no. Me going to another store to pay more for products does not result in employees at places like Walmart earn a "living wage." It just results in me paying more than I should. Zero connection.
Your taxes comments really don't make sense. If you pay more for a product the sales tax is higher, so you're paying more in taxes.
And no one is forced to worked at Walmart. Slave wages? ::)
Perhaps I phrased that awkwardly. What I meant is that one should make their buying decisions with care.
It can sometimes be better to pay a little more upfront for an item, at an establishment that pays employees good wages that enable them to support their families, than it is to purchase cheaper products, that result in lower wages to employees that require them to supplement their incomes through government assistance. There is something askew about a system that can employ full time workers at rates that do not empower them to at least support themselves, ...or that as a matter of policy, routinely steals their labour.
As for people being forced to work at Walmart? There are plenty who for all intents & purposes are.
When a Super Wal-mart comes into a town, and muscles out smaller businesses to become the only employer, what choice do people have?
There truly is a high cost to low prices.
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Perhaps I phrased that awkwardly. What I meant is that one should make their buying decisions with care.
It can sometimes be better to pay a little more upfront for an item, at an establishment that pays employees good wages that enable them to support their families, than it is to purchase cheaper products, that result in lower wages to employees that require them to supplement their incomes through government assistance. There is something askew about a system that can employ full time workers at rates that do not empower them to at least support themselves, ...or that as a matter of policy, routinely steals their labour.
As for people being forced to work at Walmart? There are plenty who for all intents & purposes are.
When a Super Wal-mart comes into a town, and muscles out smaller businesses to become the only employer, what choice do people have?
There truly is a high cost to low prices.
When it comes to garden variety products, I think most people are primarily concerned about price. Quality is important too, but price is what gets people in the door.
There is nothing wrong with a system that allows businesses to compete with each other, pay competitive wages, or pay minimum wages (set by the government). If a person doesn't want to earn minimum wage they have a number of options: get promoted, get another job, go to school, start their own business, etc. No one is forced to earn minimum wage. And for some people, their max potential might be a minimum wage job, or they simply don't have the desire to be a high achiever.
When Walmart comes into a town and smaller businesses cannot compete, the result is cheaper prices for more consumers and more jobs for the community. A Walmart store employing hundreds > a mom and pop employing 5 people.
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When it comes to garden variety products, I think most people are primarily concerned about price. Quality is important too, but price is what gets people in the door.
I understand what you're saying. ie: magazines, batteries etc, however, the majority of items in Walmart come from China, and I've seen what takes place in some of the "Walmart" factory suppliers there.
There is nothing wrong with a system that allows businesses to compete with each other, pay competitive wages, or pay minimum wages (set by the government). If a person doesn't want to earn minimum wage they have a number of options: get promoted, get another job, go to school, start their own business, etc. No one is forced to earn minimum wage. And for some people, their max potential might be a minimum wage job, or they simply don't have the desire to be a high achiever.
That's my point, ...walmart workers often work for less than minimum wage.
Many are routinely required to work off the clock without pay. That's theft of their labour.
When Walmart comes into a town and smaller businesses cannot compete, the result is cheaper prices for more consumers and more jobs for the community. A Walmart store employing hundreds > a mom and pop employing 5 people.
That simple analogy does not work. Walmart may employ hundreds, but it is not 1 mom & pop store that employs 5 that is forced out. It is often 30 - 40+ mom & pop stores, plus their local suppliers etc., who are negatively impacted.
It doesn't benefit the community if there is only one employer (whose goods are supplied by China) and those jobs don't translate into people being able to to support their families like they used to be able to do. It also doesn't benefit the community when they locate just outside of the city limits to avoid being subject to municipal taxes, while causing the demise of those businesses who use local suppliers, and who do did generate revenue for the municipality. It also doesn't benefit the community when the surrounding environment is polluted due to Walmart's presence, as has been the case at many of their locations.
Don't get me wrong... I have nothing against China, ...but the end result of all this economic activity at Walmart, is revenues for Chinese manufacturers, while American manufacturers lay off more & more workers.
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I understand what you're saying. ie: magazines, batteries etc, however, the majority of items in Walmart come from China, and I've seen what takes place in some of the "Walmart" factory suppliers there.
That's my point, ...walmart workers often work for less than minimum wage.
Many are routinely required to work off the clock without pay. That's theft of their labour.
That simple analogy does not work. Walmart may employ hundreds, but it is not 1 mom & pop store that employs 5 that is forced out. It is often 30 - 40+ mom & pop stores, plus their local suppliers etc., who are negatively impacted.
It doesn't benefit the community if there is only one employer (whose goods are supplied by China) and those jobs don't translate into people being able to to support their families like they used to be able to do. It also doesn't benefit the community when they locate just outside of the city limits to avoid being subject to municipal taxes, while causing the demise of those businesses who use local suppliers, and who do did generate revenue for the municipality. It also doesn't benefit the community when the surrounding environment is polluted due to Walmart's presence, as has been the case at many of their locations.
Don't get me wrong... I have nothing against China, ...but the end result of all this economic activity at Walmart, is revenues for Chinese manufacturers, while American manufacturers lay off more & more workers.
I would imagine most retail stores (including mom and pop stores) get the majority of their goods from China. I have tried the whole buy exclusively American products thing, and it simply isn't practical. Too many stores carry "made in China" products.
If Walmart or any employer is paying less than minimum wage then there are ways to address those illegal practices.
I have not studied this, but I doubt there is a significant number of communities where Walmart is (a) the only employer and (b) created less jobs than the stores that could not compete.
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I would imagine most retail stores (including mom and pop stores) get the majority of their goods from China. I have tried the whole buy exclusively American products thing, and it simply isn't practical. Too many stores carry "made in China" products.
That's an assumption that's not necessarily accurate. Mass merchandisers perhaps, ...but Mom & Pop specialty stores quite frequently market homegrown goods.
If Walmart or any employer is paying less than minimum wage then there are ways to address those illegal practices.
{lol} Sometimes your naiveté can actually be funny.
It's not like Walmart employees and others workers subject to having their labour routinely stolen haven't tried.
I have not studied this, but I doubt there is a significant number of communities where Walmart is (a) the only employer and (b) created less jobs than the stores that could not compete.
There are. And it's even more reprehensible because they originally sold themselves as "Made in America",
then they did the 'Bait & Switch' and now it's all 'Made in China'
Great documentary done by a friend of mine is Walmart: The High Cost of Low Price
The Filmaker, Robert Greenwald is a producer, director and political activist. Greenwald is the founder and president of Brave New Films (http://bravenewfilms.org/), a new media company that uses moving images to educate, influence, and empower viewers to take action around issues that matter. Under Greenwald's direction, Brave New Films has produced a series of short political videos, including the Fox Attacks (http://foxattacks.com/) and Real McCain (http://therealmccain.com/) campaigns. One of the more notable Real McCain videos focused on McCain's Mansions (http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/?p=49248); after Brave New Films produced this video, McCain notoriously said he was not sure how many houses he owned and a media firestorm ensued. In total, Brave New Film's short videos have been viewed over 40 million times in the past two years, inspired hundreds of thousands of people to take action and forced pressing issues into the mainstream media.
In 2008, Brave New Foundation and The Nation produced This Brave Nation (http://bravenation.com/), a documentary series featuring progressive activists in conversation with each other. Greenwald also supervised the construction of the Brave New Studio, a high-tech studio where Brave New Foundation and other organizations can produce content to advance the progressive movement.
In addition, Greenwald is the director/producer of several documentaries: "Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers" (http://iraqforsale.org/) (2006), an expose of what happens when corporations go to war; as well as "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price" (http://www.walmartmovie.com/) (2005), detailing the retail giant's assault on families and American values; and "Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism" (http://www.outfoxed.org/) (2004), about the right-wing opinion factory known as Fox "News". Millions of viewers have seen these films via grassroots "house parties" and independent online DVD sales, a groundbreaking method of alternative distribution. Greenwald also executive produced a trilogy of political documentaries: "Unprecedented: The 2000 Election" (http://www.unprecedented.org/UnprecedentedFirstPage.html) (2002); "Uncovered: The War on Iraq" (http://www.truthuncovered.com/) (2003), which he also directed; and "Unconstitutional" (2004).
Prior to his documentary work, Greenwald produced and/or directed more than 55 television movies, miniseries and feature films. Greenwald's films have garnered 25 Emmy nominations, two Golden Globe nominations, the Peabody Award and the Robert Wood Johnson Award. He was awarded the 2002 Producer of the Year Award by the American Film Institute. He has been honored for his activism by the ACLU Foundation of Southern California; the Liberty Hill Foundation; the Los Angeles chapter of the National Lawyers Guild; Physicians for Social Responsibility; Consumer Attorney's Association of Los Angeles; Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy and the Office of the Americas.
In this clip, Robert discusses in a 2005 interview with Salon what made him decide to make the Wal-Mart film
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That's an assumption that's not necessarily accurate. Mass merchandisers perhaps, ...but Mom & Pop specialty stores quite frequently market homegrown goods.
{lol} Sometimes your naiveté can actually be funny.
It's not like Walmart employees and others workers subject to having their labour routinely stolen haven't tried.
There are. And it's even more reprehensible because they originally sold themselves as "Made in America",
then they did the 'Bait & Switch' and now it's all 'Made in China'
Great documentary done by a friend of mine is Walmart: The High Cost of Low Price
The Filmaker, Robert Greenwald is a producer, director and political activist. Greenwald is the founder and president of Brave New Films (http://bravenewfilms.org/), a new media company that uses moving images to educate, influence, and empower viewers to take action around issues that matter. Under Greenwald's direction, Brave New Films has produced a series of short political videos, including the Fox Attacks (http://foxattacks.com/) and Real McCain (http://therealmccain.com/) campaigns. One of the more notable Real McCain videos focused on McCain's Mansions (http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/?p=49248); after Brave New Films produced this video, McCain notoriously said he was not sure how many houses he owned and a media firestorm ensued. In total, Brave New Film's short videos have been viewed over 40 million times in the past two years, inspired hundreds of thousands of people to take action and forced pressing issues into the mainstream media.
In 2008, Brave New Foundation and The Nation produced This Brave Nation (http://bravenation.com/), a documentary series featuring progressive activists in conversation with each other. Greenwald also supervised the construction of the Brave New Studio, a high-tech studio where Brave New Foundation and other organizations can produce content to advance the progressive movement.
In addition, Greenwald is the director/producer of several documentaries: "Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers" (http://iraqforsale.org/) (2006), an expose of what happens when corporations go to war; as well as "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price" (http://www.walmartmovie.com/) (2005), detailing the retail giant's assault on families and American values; and "Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism" (http://www.outfoxed.org/) (2004), about the right-wing opinion factory known as Fox "News". Millions of viewers have seen these films via grassroots "house parties" and independent online DVD sales, a groundbreaking method of alternative distribution. Greenwald also executive produced a trilogy of political documentaries: "Unprecedented: The 2000 Election" (http://www.unprecedented.org/UnprecedentedFirstPage.html) (2002); "Uncovered: The War on Iraq" (http://www.truthuncovered.com/) (2003), which he also directed; and "Unconstitutional" (2004).
Prior to his documentary work, Greenwald produced and/or directed more than 55 television movies, miniseries and feature films. Greenwald's films have garnered 25 Emmy nominations, two Golden Globe nominations, the Peabody Award and the Robert Wood Johnson Award. He was awarded the 2002 Producer of the Year Award by the American Film Institute. He has been honored for his activism by the ACLU Foundation of Southern California; the Liberty Hill Foundation; the Los Angeles chapter of the National Lawyers Guild; Physicians for Social Responsibility; Consumer Attorney's Association of Los Angeles; Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy and the Office of the Americas.
In this clip, Robert discusses in a 2005 interview with Salon what made him decide to make the Wal-Mart film
Not all Mom and Pop specialty stores are threatened by Walmart. It's the stores that sell the same products that Walmart carries, but for more money. Anyone who wants to compete on a large scale has to buy foreign made products, until Americans start making better, cheaper goods. Sad but true.
What's really funny is how anyone who believes that Bush bribed the media, the CIA controls the media, and the government shot missiles into the Pentagon would call anyone naive. That said, no one is saying Walmart hasn't made mistakes. The point was when any business violates the law there are plenty of mechanisms in place to address/correct those violations. Doesn't mean bad/illegal things don't happen.
Where are the "significant number of communities where Walmart is (a) the only employer and (b) created less jobs than the stores that could not compete"?
I watched the first clip. It's a yawner. So he found people who were discriminated against, people who aren't happy with their wages, and people complaining about Walmart being so big and successful. Not news. Did the documentary include interviews with the thousands of people who are happy to have a job at Walmart? Or the millions of shoppers who like the store?
I'd love to see more companies produce products here, and stores buy from American manufacturers, but the sad reality is we are miles behind places like China when it comes to mass producing goods.
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Not all Mom and Pop specialty stores aren't threatened by Walmart. It's the stores that sell the same products that Walmart carries, but for more money. Anyone who wants to compete on a large scale has to buy foreign made products, until Americans start making better, cheaper goods. Sad but true.
What's really funny is how anyone who believes that Bush bribed the media, the CIA controls the media, and the government shot missiles into the Pentagon would call anyone naive. That said, no one is saying Walmart hasn't made mistakes. The point was when any business violates the law there are plenty of mechanisms in place to address/correct those violations. Doesn't mean bad/illegal things don't happen.
Where are the "significant number of communities where Walmart is (a) the only employer and (b) created less jobs than the stores that could not compete"?
I watched the first clip. It's a yawner. So he found people who were discriminated against, people who aren't happy with their wages, and people complaining about Walmart being so big and successful. Not news. Did the documentary include interviews with the thousands of people who are happy to have a job at Walmart? Or the millions of shoppers who like the store?
I'd love to see more companies produce products here, and stores buy from American manufactures, but the sad reality is we are miles behind places like China when it comes to mass producing goods.
I disagree... Many small shops have been virtually wiped away by Wal-Marts coming into small areas.
Local grocers, book stores, and specialty shops have been destroyed by Wal-Marts opening up in their regions.
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I disagree... Many small shops have been virtually wiped away by Wal-Marts coming into small areas.
Local grocers, book stores, and specialty shops have been destroyed by Wal-Marts opening up in their regions.
Not really a bad thing. They either adapt and compete or close shop.
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Not really a bad thing. They either adapt and compete or close shop.
WRONG.
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WRONG.
Your opinion. I like paying less for products.
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Your opinion. I like paying less for products.
No... your opinion is simply invalid... A small business does not have the purchasing power of a Wal-Mart therefore they are not able to get the pricing that Wal-Mart does for goods. Therefore they must buy them for the best price that they possibly can, which is always higher than Wal-Mart. As such, they will be forced to charge more for the same item they sell.
Simply put... a small business owner can not compete with Wal-Mart based on that alone.
That is not opinion... That is fact.
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No... your opinion is simply invalid... A small business does not have the purchasing power of a Wal-Mart therefore they are not able to get the pricing that Wal-Mart does for goods. Therefore they must buy them for the best price that they possibly can, which is always higher than Wal-Mart. As such, they will be forced to charge more for the same item they sell.
Simply put... a small business owner can not compete with Wal-Mart based on that alone.
That is not opinion... That is fact.
It is a fact that I recently talked to a small business owner who said they cannot compete with Walmart's prices. Instead, because Walmart sells the product for so much cheaper, the small business buys the product from Walmart and resells it in their store for a profit. That's one way a small business can adapt.
It is a fact that if a small business cannot adapt and compete with Walmart, the small business must close shop.
Whether you, me, or anyone else believes that is a good thing is a matter of opinion. I happen to think it's good that a store can offer more products for cheaper prices and provide more jobs than a Mom and Pop store. The bigness part doesn't really bother me.
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I flipping love target...went in there saturday to get my daughter shoes and a toy for a bday party for her school mate in a few weeks, and walked out 125 bucks poorer...I do love Target though
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It is a fact that I recently talked to a small business owner who said they cannot compete with Walmart's prices. Instead, because Walmart sells the product for so much cheaper, the small business buys the product from Walmart and resells it in their store for a profit. That's one way a small business can adapt.
It is a fact that if a small business cannot adapt and compete with Walmart, the small business must close shop.
Whether you, me, or anyone else believes that is a good thing is a matter of opinion. I happen to think it's good that a store can offer more products for cheaper prices and provide more jobs than a Mom and Pop store. The bigness part doesn't really bother me.
Ridiculous... You're still talking about a store owner who is selling a product for MORE than wal-mart.
Even if I buy it from Wal-Mart at a cheaper price than a distributor, I still have to sell it for more than Wal-Mart does... Or else I can not make a profit.
That's not adapting... That's ludicrous. Why would I buy it from that guy when it's STILL cheaper at Wal-Mart? WTF are you talking about? Are you even listening to yourself?
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Ridiculous... You're still talking about a store owner who is selling a product for MORE than wal-mart.
Even if I buy it from Wal-Mart at a cheaper price than a distributor, I still have to sell it for more than Wal-Mart does... Or else I can not make a profit.
That's not adapting... That's ludicrous. Why would I buy it from that guy when it's STILL cheaper at Wal-Mart? WTF are you talking about? Are you even listening to yourself?
No I'm not listening to myself. I'm trying to help you. :) If a small business buys a product from Walmart and sells it for more than they paid at Walmart, the small business makes a profit. You don't get that?
It absolutely is adapting. The alternative is to stop carrying the product altogether, which makes no sense.
If you're talking about the consumer, then of course the consumer is going to buy the product at Walmart and pay a cheaper price. I think I've said that about five different times/ways in this thread.
The reason a consumer might pay a higher price from the small business owner is the owner may carry some products that Walmart doesn't carry, which gets the consumer through the door, and then consumer will pay a higher price for other products that Walmart does carry to save the inconvenience of having to shop at two stores.
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No I'm not listening to myself. I'm trying to help you. :) If a small business buys a product from Walmart and sells it for more than they paid at Walmart, the small business makes a profit. You don't get that?
It absolutely is adapting. The alternative is to stop carrying the product altogether, which makes no sense.
If you're talking about the consumer, then of course the consumer is going to buy the product at Walmart and pay a cheaper price. I think I've said that about five different times/ways in this thread.
The reason a consumer might pay a higher price from the small business owner is the owner may carry some products that Walmart doesn't carry, which gets the consumer through the door, and then consumer will pay a higher price for other products that Walmart does carry to save the inconvenience of having to shop at two stores.
Dude... You have said yourself YOU won't pay more than Wal-Mart which is why you shop there... So if a merchant buys from Wal-Mart and then tries to sell it in his store... It's still more than Wal-Mart.
Hence, why you won't buy from that guy... You are being ludicrous. If "I" buy something from Wal-Mart and then try to sell it for MORE than Wal-Mart pays for it (So "I" can make a profit), I will not be in business for long because everyone else will just go to Wal-Mart in the first place.
Of course we're talking about "the consumer"... Who the hell else is buying the shit from Wal-Mart or the small business in the first place? It's OBVIOUSLY the consumer.
You really are not making any sense in this conversation and now that I've presented to you why it doesn't make sense... You're saying all kinds of insane things. Like a small business owner will have something Wal-Mart doesn't have? What planet is this? Sure... if you're like a comic shop or something... Fine... But on most general items it's nmot even remotely plausible and yet you say you're a business owner.
You are simply lucky that whatever business YOU are in isn't something that Wal-Mart sells... If it was any consumer product that is not "niche" then you'd be as fucked as everyone else.
You really aren't making much sense in this conversation to be honest BB...
There is no incentive for someone to buy a product from a small business who bought a product at Wal-Mart to sell it in his shop... It's still higher priced than Wal-Mart.
PS... You are of no help in this thread to me at all.
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Dude... You have said yourself YOU won't pay more than Wal-Mart which is why you shop there... So if a merchant buys from Wal-Mart and then tries to sell it in his store... It's still more than Wal-Mart.
Hence, why you won't buy from that guy... You are being ludicrous. If "I" buy something from Wal-Mart and then try to sell it for MORE than Wal-Mart pays for it (So "I" can make a profit), I will not be in business for long because everyone else will just go to Wal-Mart in the first place.
Of course we're talking about "the consumer"... Who the hell else is buying the shit from Wal-Mart or the small business in the first place? It's OBVIOUSLY the consumer.
You really are not making any sense in this conversation and now that I've presented to you why it doesn't make sense... You're saying all kinds of insane things. Like a small business owner will have something Wal-Mart doesn't have? What planet is this? Sure... if you're like a comic shop or something... Fine... But on most general items it's nmot even remotely plausible and yet you say you're a business owner.
You are simply lucky that whatever business YOU are in isn't something that Wal-Mart sells... If it was any consumer product that is not "niche" then you'd be as fucked as everyone else.
You really aren't making much sense in this conversation to be honest BB...
There is no incentive for someone to buy a product from a small business who bought a product at Wal-Mart to sell it in his shop... It's still higher priced than Wal-Mart.
PS... You are of no help in this thread to me at all.
I can't really explain it much more than I already have. But let me try again:
1. I shop at Walmart because they sell cheap stuff. I'm sure there are many consumers like me. There are times when I will pay more for a product for the sake of convenience. For example, there is a store that sells very good produce and I buy nearly all of my produce from this store. The same store also carries some of the same products that Walmart carries, but charges more than Walmart. I sometimes buy the products at this store and pay more, because I don't feel like driving to Walmart. That ties into the example I already gave you about why a consumer might pay more for a product.
2. There are stores that carry products that Walmart doesn't carry. The small business owner I spoke with is one example. There is nothing "insane" about what they are doing. They're surviving. They're finding creative ways to compete. They sell products that Walmart doesn't carry and some that Walmart does carry. Stores that cannot compete die. That's how the free market works.
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I can't really explain it much more than I already have. But let me try again:
1. I shop at Walmart because they sell cheap stuff. I'm sure there are many consumers like me. There are times when I will pay more for a product for the sake of convenience. For example, there is a store that sells very good produce and I buy nearly all of my produce from this store. The same store also carries some of the same products that Walmart carries, but charges more than Walmart. I sometimes buy the products at this store and pay more, because I don't feel like driving to Walmart. That ties into the example I already gave you about why a consumer might pay more for a product.
2. There are stores that carry products that Walmart doesn't carry. The small business owner I spoke with is one example. There is nothing "insane" about what they are doing. They're surviving. They're finding creative ways to compete. They sell products that Walmart doesn't carry and some that Walmart does carry. Stores that cannot compete die. That's how the free market works.
You have made no point what so ever... In your logic, you will shop at wal-mart because it's cheaper, but everyone else won't or shouldn't. Whatever.
There is still no competition because a small business owner can not compete with Wal-Mart's buying power. Then, by your logic, he can buy from Wal-Mart and the profit margin for a small business owner has been reduced even further... You can stop now because the idea of buying from a retail store and selling it for more than that retail store is not survival, it's simply delaying the inevitable. The business will go under.
Who else agrees with Beach Bum on this?
I just have to know... All of you small business owners out here... please explain how Beach is making any sense at all. As a person who deals with Budgest and finances from a practical business standpoint, I just don't get it.
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Ah . . . no. Me going to another store to pay more for products does not result in employees at places like Walmart earn a "living wage." It just results in me paying more than I should. Zero connection.
Your taxes comments really don't make sense. If you pay more for a product the sales tax is higher, so you're paying more in taxes.
And no one is forced to worked at Walmart. Slave wages? ::)
Got that right...
Slave wages??? Next thing she'll throw out that tired, "When WE were slaves" nonsense when she was never a slave . . . .
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You have made no point what so ever... In your logic, you will shop at wal-mart because it's cheaper, but everyone else won't or shouldn't. Whatever.
There is still no competition because a small business owner can not compete with Wal-Mart's buying power. Then, by your logic, he can buy from Wal-Mart and the profit margin for a small business owner has been reduced even further... You can stop now because the idea of buying from a retail store and selling it for more than that retail store is not survival, it's simply delaying the inevitable. The business will go under.
Who else agrees with Beach Bum on this?
I just have to know... All of you small business owners out here... please explain how Beach is making any sense at all. As a person who deals with Budgest and finances from a practical business standpoint, I just don't get it.
Actually I said a couple things about consumers. (1) I shop at Walmart because they sell cheap stuff and I'm sure many consumers do the same. (2) I also said I will occasionally pay more at other stores for the sake of convenience and I'm sure many consumers do the same.
I'm not talking about profit margin. What I said (and probably won't say again) is businesses have to adapt, compete, or close down. I gave one example of how a particular small business adapts to the fact that Walmart sells some of the small business' products for so much cheaper. I'm sure there are other ways. That's were creativity, etc., or survival of the fittest comes into play.
And just to clarify, I'm just exchanging ideas, stating my opinion, etc. I'm not trying to convince you to agree with me. But if you want a poll to make you feel better let me know I'll set one up.
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I watched the first clip. It's a yawner. So he found people who were discriminated against, people who aren't happy with their wages, and people complaining about Walmart being so big and successful. Not news. Did the documentary include interviews with the thousands of people who are happy to have a job at Walmart? Or the millions of shoppers who like the store?
Perhaps you should watch the film and discover this answer for yourself?
Since you clearly don't trust my judgement or my responses to questions, that would only make the most sense.
Wouldn't you agree?
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Perhaps you should watch the film and discover this answer for yourself?
Since you clearly don't trust my judgement or my responses to questions, that would only make the most sense.
Wouldn't you agree?
Not interested.
Yes I agree that I don't trust your judgment or your responses to questions. :) One reason is I said the following: I doubt there are a "significant number of communities where Walmart is (a) the only employer and (b) created less jobs than the stores that could not compete." You said there are. On what do you based your conclusion? And don't give me some hour long clip. Did you read this somewhere? See statistics?
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With the global economy going down the toilet, any mom and pop store will be able to survive. With giants like fortunoffs, circuit city, etc going out of business.
And going into a business where the owner knows me by name and my needs is always a plus.
Sandra
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Not interested.
Yes I agree that I don't trust your judgment or your responses to questions. :) One reason is I said the following: I doubt there are a "significant number of communities where Walmart is (a) the only employer and (b) created less jobs than the stores that could not compete." You said there are. On what do you based your conclusion? And don't give me some hour long clip. Did you read this somewhere? See statistics?
What would you consider significant?
20, 40, 100?
What do you consider "significant" when it comes to Wal-Mart forcing smaller places out of business?
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The trade-off is, no WMT shoppers are found in the store. All in all it's a wash. :)
Exactly. Walmart is full of scumbags, crack heads, et cetera. I avoid that place....
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Not interested.
Yes I agree that I don't trust your judgment or your responses to questions. :) One reason is I said the following: I doubt there are a "significant number of communities where Walmart is (a) the only employer and (b) created less jobs than the stores that could not compete." You said there are. On what do you based your conclusion? And don't give me some hour long clip. Did you read this somewhere? See statistics?
Good grief! ::)
If you neither trust my judgement, nor my responses to questions posed, ...why do you keep asking me questions?
If you don't want to view Robert's film, ...how about an episode of "Family Guy" instead? ;D :-*
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Good grief! ::)
If you neither trust my judgement, nor my responses to questions posed, ...why do you keep asking me questions?
If you don't want to view Robert's film, ...how about an episode of "Family Guy" instead? ;D :-*
HAHA ;D
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Exactly. Walmart is full of scumbags, crack heads, et cetera. I avoid that place....
I shop at Target and pay a little more mearly to avoid going to the walmart.
Walmart here is packed all the time with mexicans and tapout meth heads. Dirty and all around crappy. Target is nicer.
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Walmart here is packed all the time with mexicans
Same here
Not the legal ones, the dirty ones that roam in packs of 15 and smell bad. :-X
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Walmart appeals to the lowest common denominator in the factions of society.
I will pay more for a better product and a better overall shopping crowd in the store instead of going to their crappy stores.
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Good grief! ::)
If you neither trust my judgement, nor my responses to questions posed, ...why do you keep asking me questions?
O.K. You got me. I should have prefaced my "questions" with the word "rhetorical."
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What would you consider significant?
20, 40, 100?
What do you consider "significant" when it comes to Wal-Mart forcing smaller places out of business?
I don't really have a number, yet, but let's start with the list of the largest 262 cities in the country. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_cities_by_population
In how many of these is Walmart the only employer and created less jobs than the smaller businesses that couldn't compete?
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I don't really have a number, yet, but let's start with the list of the largest 262 cities in the country. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_cities_by_population
In how many of these is Walmart the only employer and created less jobs than the smaller businesses that couldn't compete?
How many of them have Wal-Mart supercenters close by.
Also, why is this indicative of what we're talking about?
Those 262 "largest cities" in the US are a very very small population of the US as a whole.
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How many of them have Wal-Mart supercenters close by.
Also, why is this indicative of what we're talking about?
Those 262 "largest cities" in the US are a very very small population of the US as a whole.
I don't know how many have Walmart supercenters close by (those are the only stores I was actually talking about).
My comments were responsive to the following:
It doesn't benefit the community if there is only one employer (whose goods are supplied by China) and those jobs don't translate into people being able to to support their families like they used to be able to do.
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Walmart is a great place to shop if you're an illegal Mexican, or trash that just doesn't know any better.
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ammo is hella cheap there
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ammo is hella cheap there
.38 Special full jacket 100 round box for like 30 bucks.
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they have 223 and 40 cal ammo when the gun shops dont. it's winchester crap, but who cares. the same stuff at the local gun store is 30% more expensive, if they can even get it in stock. Every time I go in, the shelves are empty and they want to complain about obama. WMT has the same ammo cheaper without the political conversation.
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Every time I go in, the shelves are empty and they want to complain about obama. WMT has the same ammo cheaper without the political conversation.
HAHAHAHA
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Wal-Mart vs. Target: During the Recession, It's No Contest
By Sean Gregory Saturday, Mar. 14, 2009
Rick Wilking / Reuters
When times are tough and consumers are "trading down" to buy more inexpensive goods, you'd think that a discount retailer like Target would flourish. After all, it's the place you go for quality clothes at affordable prices — cheap-chic designer Isaac Mizrahi offers a line — low-cost home accessories, and perhaps a grocery item or two.
Alas, therein lies Target's problem. Things are so bad, even cheap clothes are a luxury now. Why pull a new shirt off the store rack, when you can just snatch one out of the closet for free? Food, however, is not discretionary. Everyone has to eat, and more consumers want to dine at home to shave expenses. And there's a certain merchandising mammoth fulfilling that crucial grocer's role for consumers much better than Target. (See photos of stores that are no more )
While Wal-Mart, the largest company in the world, has always dwarfed rival Target in size ($406 billion in annual revenues vs. Target's $65 billion), until recently Target had been decisively winning the growth game. From 2003 though 2007, Target's annual same-stores sales growth averaged 4.6%, while Wal-Mart's clocked in at 2.9%. Over the same period, Target's annual profit growth averaged 16%, while Wal-Mart lagged behind at 10.3%. "Target was frying Wal-Mart's brains out," says Howard Davidowitz, chairman of Davidowitz & Associates, a national retail investment banking and consulting firm.
At the onset of the recession, however, Target and Wal-Mart saw their fortunes flip. Target's same-store sales have fallen for eight straight months; Wal-Mart's have risen for 22 straight months. Target's 2008 same-store sales fell 2.6%, while Wal-Mart's rose 3.3%. Most recently, Target's February sales dropped 4.1%, while Wal-Mart enjoyed a 5.1% jump. (See the best business deals of 2008.)
More importantly, in 2008 Target's profits dropped a stunning 22.3%, to $2.2 billion. That figure includes a 40.7% earnings collapse in the fourth quarter. Wal-Mart's 2008 bottom line rose 5.9%, to $13.5 billion. Now, Target is getting trounced.
Davidowitz notes that a "double whammy" is driving Target down. First, the retailer's product mix is not ideal in this economy. According to Davidowitz, Target devotes some 40% of its shelf space to home and apparel items, which are struggling, while setting aside less than 20% for consumables like food, health items and beauty care. Wal-Mart sets aside 45% of its space for consumables. "Wal-Mart sells what you need to have," says Davidowitz, "as opposed to what you want to have." Not only does Wal-Mart sell more of the grocery items that you need—the company is the world's largest food retailer—it sells them at better prices. Britt Beemer, founder of America's Research Group, says that customers have fled Target because they think of the company as an apparel retailer, and they believe that the groceries they do sell are overpriced. (See Real Simple's saving and budgeting tips.)
The second whammy on Target's performance is its credit business. Target is one of the last major retailers to own a part of its credit card portfolio. When consumers are drowning in mortgage and other credit card debt, they often ignore retail card obligations. Rising defaults and delinquencies have dragged earnings. Credit card profits dropped 80.5%, to $155 million, in 2008, and the company incurred a $135 million pre-tax loss on its credit segment in the fourth quarter. "The company did great with its credit business when the economy was up, but now that the it's down, carrying your own credit is devastating," says Davidowitz. At least Target can be grateful it made one smart move: in May, the company sold 47% of its receivables to JPMorgan Chase for $3.6 billion. Without that move, the devastation would be much worse.
So how is Target responding to the malaise? The credit distress is hard to control, though the company has promised to tighten lending standards and increase collections. On the product side, the company knows it must offer more essentials. "We continue to invest in our food offering in recognition of its importance in driving greater frequency, increasing guest loyalty, and making Target a preferred shopping destination," company CEO Gregg Steinhafel said on Target's fourth quarter earnings call. For example, last year the company opened its first distribution center for perishable goods like fruits, vegetables, and meats, in Lake City, Fla. Target is slated to open another distribution center this year, in Cedar Falls, Iowa. "That's a major step," says Davidowitz. "Controlling your own distribution can improve food freshness on the shelves, and it allows you to hold onto more of the margins."
Steinhafel also said that Target would sell perishables in most new and remodeled general merchandise stores; the retailer plans to open 75 new locations this year. The company already sells meat and produce in its 245 "SuperTarget" locations (Target has some 1,700 total stores nationwide). Target has already enhanced its food investment in two general merchandise stores in the Minneapolis area. Davidowitz, for one, is impressed. "When I checked the perishables, they are very fresh, very well presented, very appetizing, and people were buying them," he says. (See the top 10 food trends of 2008.)
Despite these efforts, Target's transformation won't guarantee success. It's hard for a retailer to shake its reputation as a clothing outlet, while at the same time quickly master the management of perishable grocery items. "You can't just flip the switch and change the store over night," says David Heupel, a senior equity portfolio manager at Thirvent Financial in Minneapolis. Plus, if Target drops grocery prices below Wal-Mart's levels, the big boy will quickly respond. "There's no reason to put a stick in the bear's eye," says Ed Weller, a retail analyst at ThinkEquity Partners.
What's Wal-Mart isn't just some massive outlet that peddles cheap wares; it has focused on food for a long time, and is really hitting a stride during the recession. "Wal-Mart works hard to build a strategy around groceries," says Beemer, the founder of America's Research Group. "They look at groceries as a way to get people in the store for the first time. Target sees it as an add-on sale." In a research note, entitled "It's Wal-Mart's Time & Investors' Opportunity," Deutsche Bank analyst Bill Dreher Jr. wrote: "Bottom line, Wal-Mart is executing flawlessly."
Can Target reach Wal-Mart's level of excellence? It may have to rethink its mission. Issac Mizrahi is nice. But now shoppers want to see meat and potatoes.
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1885133,00.html