Dude, I just saw a goat in Wal-Mart

[Whoey]

 http://peopleofwalmart.com/?p=3138

(Image removed from quote.)
I’m not an expert (nor am I from the sloopy state) but I can’t imagine how it could be legal to drive around with a flashlight for a headlight.

 

[ducktapehero]

Some call that "illegal". I call it improvising.

[ducktapehero]

I have a fair bit of PR experience with some of the largest corporations in the world, as well as government. All I will say is that it is genuinely frightening how effective their PR strategies are.

I agree. But I trust big business more than I trust government. At least you know what big business is after, profits. With gov't you can never be sure. Plus, as bad as big business is, it pales in comparison to some of the evil things that governments and religions(both of which are supposedly "for the people") have done in the past.

[Paul]

Bought Kershaw, Leatherman, Spyderco, SAK's,  from Wal-Mart a LOT cheaper than Bass Pro. I like em', same as our ASDA except with MT's   

[Sazabi]

My one true complaint, besides having to make a giant circuit around the store for everything you need (yes, I don't mind the exercise, but I do when it's past midnight), is that for companies to still have a profit margin when they have items being sold in Walmart, for example, they have to cut corners and sometimes make the same product a bit different compared to the same item being sold at another store for more money.

Comparing the Case Logic 6 capacity USB drive case I got from Walmart, and the four I got from Best Buy, I wholeheartedly enjoy the four from Best Buy more.  Their construction is sturdier, the material different, and the Best Buy version is actually slightly smaller.  Sad thing, though, is that I got each of the four from Best Buy on clearance for $2 each; the one I recently purchased from Walmart was closer to $3.  Nonetheless, it does still work well as a protective case for items, or as a small storage container. ^^;

Now I'm just waiting to find a Walmart with a Super Tinker for $13.99, as opposed to $19.99 or $21.99. XD

[max6166]

I have a fair bit of PR experience with some of the largest corporations in the world, as well as government. All I will say is that it is genuinely frightening how effective their PR strategies are.

I agree. But I trust big business more than I trust government. At least you know what big business is after, profits. With gov't you can never be sure. Plus, as bad as big business is, it pales in comparison to some of the evil things that governments and religions(both of which are supposedly "for the people") have done in the past.

My personal experience is that government is just the tool of corporate interests. Religious groups are a bit of a wild card, but the larger ones tend to behave like corporations as well.

In a world of small businesses run by average folk, you could safely assume that most businesses would be after profits. In this world of multinational holding companies though, you can never be certain what the goal of a particular business is.

They use businesses like men on a chess board. Some make money, others are supposed to lose money, other don't seem to have any discernible purpose at all. They are playing for control of the world - they do not care about the trivial details. It is economic warfare without morals, rules or laws. They are battling for control of the world's resources including it's people, and they are not nice people.

Don't be concerned about some small anti-Walmart organization with a television ad. Be concerned about corporations with their own secret organizations that routinely spy, steal, bribe, and distribute propaganda (the original term for PR) for them at arm's length.

They want the people turning against themselves, they love and encourage the polarization society into extreme ideological camps. If people are convinced that they already know who the enemies are, they will not notice the real enemy as he steals their future from right underneath them.

Sorry, I am just babbling. I get like that some days...  

[max6166]

My one true complaint, besides having to make a giant circuit around the store for everything you need (yes, I don't mind the exercise, but I do when it's past midnight), is that for companies to still have a profit margin when they have items being sold in Walmart, for example, they have to cut corners and sometimes make the same product a bit different compared to the same item being sold at another store for more money.

Comparing the Case Logic 6 capacity USB drive case I got from Walmart, and the four I got from Best Buy, I wholeheartedly enjoy the four from Best Buy more.  Their construction is sturdier, the material different, and the Best Buy version is actually slightly smaller.  Sad thing, though, is that I got each of the four from Best Buy on clearance for $2 each; the one I recently purchased from Walmart was closer to $3.  Nonetheless, it does still work well as a protective case for items, or as a small storage container. ^^;

Now I'm just waiting to find a Walmart with a Super Tinker for $13.99, as opposed to $19.99 or $21.99. XD

Walmart has an actual strategy they use with their suppliers that results in lowered quality over time. In short, once a company is in bed with them, they start to continually demand more and more from them until there is no way the supplier can continue to provide the same quality goods as before. It takes a few years before people catch on , by which time the brand is close to bankruptcy anyway and Walmart replaces them with another supplier.

There are not nearly as many outlets for suppliers as there once were, so they are often faced with the choice of a slow Walmart death or bankruptcy.

One of the more interesting and well-documented case studies is Vlasik pickles. Walmart devalued this venerable company's brand into the ground.

[Sazabi]

My one true complaint, besides having to make a giant circuit around the store for everything you need (yes, I don't mind the exercise, but I do when it's past midnight), is that for companies to still have a profit margin when they have items being sold in Walmart, for example, they have to cut corners and sometimes make the same product a bit different compared to the same item being sold at another store for more money.

Comparing the Case Logic 6 capacity USB drive case I got from Walmart, and the four I got from Best Buy, I wholeheartedly enjoy the four from Best Buy more.  Their construction is sturdier, the material different, and the Best Buy version is actually slightly smaller.  Sad thing, though, is that I got each of the four from Best Buy on clearance for $2 each; the one I recently purchased from Walmart was closer to $3.  Nonetheless, it does still work well as a protective case for items, or as a small storage container. ^^;

Now I'm just waiting to find a Walmart with a Super Tinker for $13.99, as opposed to $19.99 or $21.99. XD

Walmart has an actual strategy they use with their suppliers that results in lowered quality over time. In short, once a company is in bed with them, they start to continually demand more and more from them until there is no way the supplier can continue to provide the same quality goods as before. It takes a few years before people catch on , by which time the brand is close to bankruptcy anyway and Walmart replaces them with another supplier.

There are not nearly as many outlets for suppliers as there once were, so they are often faced with the choice of a slow Walmart death or bankruptcy.

One of the more interesting and well-documented case studies is Vlasik pickles. Walmart devalued this venerable company's brand into the ground.

Indeed, I also remember a story where simple changes - such as the quality of internal parts, and the length of the power cord - between two similar models of blender were likewise different.  Frankly, I wish I had gone back to Best Buy for a better USB case, but for what I'm using it for, the Walmart model is... alright. *shrugs*  With that said, I try to not shop at Walmart that terribly much; yes, I get groceries there, but I'm a college student and my funds are quite limited; however, beyond boxers and socks (and a /nice/ hat o.o), I do not purchase my clothes there, what few DVDs I purchase throughout the year come from either Best Buy or - sometimes - Walmart, maybe once in a while I'll get a novel from there, if I'm in the mood, but the vast majority of items I purchase come from other sources, be they online or from other stores with better quality.

One exception I would make, though, would be the as-stated-above Super Tinker; it's Victorinox, they don't shemp on quality, whether it's Walmart or Gander Mountain. XD

[ufox9al]

...
So instead of just sitting back and blaming Wal-Mart, why don't the owners of these small businesses ask some of their customers what it would take to bring them back. Of course they can't compete with the prices but that's it. In every other segment they can compete and beat Wal-Mart. They can offer superior customer service, far greater convenience, deals from local farmers etc etc.
...

...
Why do I go there if I don't enjoy it?  Always, low prices.  ;>

DTH seems to be missing the fact that for many American (and Canadian) consumers it IS all about the lowest prices, regardless of the means those lower prices are achieved. Beating suppliers on price to the near-break even point? That encourages them to improve productivity! Forcing local small businesses out? Let them find something other than price to compete on! Trucking produce from Mexico and Central/South America? Keeps oil companies in business! Child labour? Those children's families depend on them for food! There are no issues with Wal-Mart - it's all just leftist propaganda!
And on top of that, with the money saved, people can buy more stuff (at Wal-Mart!), how cool is that!

[ducktapehero]

DTH seems to be missing the fact that for many American (and Canadian) consumers it IS all about the lowest prices,

I think that's a bit of a generalization. But right now, with the economy the way it is you're probably more right than wrong. However, businesses grow, then they screw up and then someone else takes their place. Yes it takes time and it's extremely difficult to out-do number 1 but it happens.

100 years ago or so, when Sears started selling EVERYTHING through their catalog I'm sure there were people who were convinced that Sears had every advantage in the world. Fast forward 100 years and Sears is still in business but it certainly isn't "large and in charge". There will be some company that comes along and knocks Wally World off its pedestal. It won't be today or tomorrow but it will happen sometime.

Bad economies are when "bargain" businesses thrive. Since the economy tanked Wal-Mart has done fine, I bet so have fast food restaurants, or at least I bet they haven't suffered like more expensive places. But when this economy turns around I think you'll see Wal-Mart start to lose its competitive edge. People ARE getting tired of the games they play, that bad publicity with the eventual turnaround of the economy will benefit higher end stores(Higher than Wal-Mart) like Target. Wal-Mart will have to change or die, thus the beauty of capitalism.

[ringzero]

100 years ago or so, when Sears started selling EVERYTHING through their catalog I'm sure there were people who were convinced that Sears had every advantage in the world. Fast forward 100 years and Sears is still in business but it certainly isn't "large and in charge". There will be some company that comes along and knocks Wally World off its pedestal. It won't be today or tomorrow but it will happen sometime.

Good analogy, DTH.

Around the turn of the last century, Sears Roebuck was equivalent to WalMart or Amazon today.  Sears really shook things up and a lot of local retailers hated Sears.  That didn't stop lower income folks of taking advantage of what Sears was offering in its big fat catalogs.

Bad economies are when "bargain" businesses thrive. Since the economy tanked Wal-Mart has done fine, I bet so have fast food restaurants, or at least I bet they haven't suffered like more expensive places. But when this economy turns around I think you'll see Wal-Mart start to lose its competitive edge. People ARE getting tired of the games they play, that bad publicity with the eventual turnaround of the economy will benefit higher end stores(Higher than Wal-Mart) like Target. Wal-Mart will have to change or die, thus the beauty of capitalism.

Happened to recently have read a Wall Street Journal article on this.  The current recession has indeed been kind to "low end" outfits like WalMart, McDs, TacoBell, etc.  "High end" outfits like Target, Pizza Hut, etc. have taken some big hits.

.

[ufox9al]

I hope you are right, DTH, but fear you are wrong
I can afford not to shop at Wal-Mart, and I do not shop there. But I know a number of people (including, sadly, my father-in-law), who can also afford to shop elsewhere, but still go to Wal-Mart, and have been shopping there during boom times as well.

Wal-Mart is so successful precisely because they are playing on the convergence of globalization, which allowed them to source cheap imports (as a result of cheap labour), with North American obsession with buying "stuff" and buying it cheap. When the "good times" come, the consumers will just buy even more stuff from Wal-Mart.

I believe that choosing not to shop at Wal-Mart requires a level of "enlightenment" and "communal responsibility" that is often associated with "leftist ideologies", and actively aopposed to by the majority of North American population. How many people you know who when buying, say, fish, check whether it was locally sourced from renewable stock vs. brought over from South Asia, etc., and are causing overfishing? How many parents told their kids "We will not buy Nike shoes until they deal with child labour issues"? And, for the most twisted irony, what's the deal with souvenir shops all across the continent selling stuff "Made in China" with the American or Canadian flag slapped on it? I am waiting for China to start producing maple sirup and replica Inuit carvings...

[ringzero]

My one true complaint, besides having to make a giant circuit around the store for everything you need (yes, I don't mind the exercise, but I do when it's past midnight), is that for companies to still have a profit margin when they have items being sold in Walmart, for example, they have to cut corners and sometimes make the same product a bit different compared to the same item being sold at another store for more money.

I don't doubt this is true with some merchandise.

However, it isn't true for products from Leatherman, Buck, Kershaw, Gerber, Victorinox, etc.

WalMart sells exactly the same versions of their knives and multis as are available at other brick and mortar stores or from internet retailers.

.

[Sazabi]

My one true complaint, besides having to make a giant circuit around the store for everything you need (yes, I don't mind the exercise, but I do when it's past midnight), is that for companies to still have a profit margin when they have items being sold in Walmart, for example, they have to cut corners and sometimes make the same product a bit different compared to the same item being sold at another store for more money.

I don't doubt this is true with some merchandise.

However, it isn't true for products from Leatherman, Buck, Kershaw, Gerber, Victorinox, etc.

WalMart sells exactly the same versions of their knives and multis as are available at other brick and mortar stores or from internet retailers.

.

Yeah, that's true; I mentioned in an earlier post that I'd still go for a Super Tinker because Victoriox quality is Victorinox quality, regardless of where the item is purchased, so long as it is genuine. ^^; 

[ringzero]

They want the people turning against themselves, they love and encourage the polarization society into extreme ideological camps. If people are convinced that they already know who the enemies are, they will not notice the real enemy as he steals their future from right underneath them.

Agree with this sentiment wholeheartedly.

However the real enemy isn't WalMart - the real enemy is the political elite in Washington D.C.

Members of both major parties conspire with each other to steal America's future from right underneath us.

.

[ducktapehero]

Wal-Mart is so successful precisely because they are playing on the convergence of globalization, which allowed them to source cheap imports (as a result of cheap labour), with North American obsession with buying "stuff" and buying it cheap. When the "good times" come, the consumers will just buy even more stuff from Wal-Mart.

Like I said, eventually Wal-Mart will fall from grace. Someone will come up with something better. Target, while certainly unable to compete with Wal-Mart on price, has found its "niche". It plays off the "cool" factor. Will it beat Wal-Mart? Who knows, but they do compete and are growing.

AS far as being global, Wal-Mart didn't always have this advantage. When Wal-Mart started it obviously couldn't compete with the then big boys on price, how did they do it? Well 15-20 years ago, Wal-Mart grew by leaps and bounds because it had good customer service. It paid its employees well and they were knowledgeable.

Granted that's not the case today but I remember it well. Like I said, I'm from Wal-Mart country. I've seen it grow from a small chain to the giant it is today. I remember going there instead of Kmart(which was one of the big boys 20 years ago) because I could never get anyone to help me. When I went to Wal-Mart I could. Small companies grow when they do more things right than wrong. And obviously, at some point Wal-Mart did a BUNCH of the right things.

Now that Wal-Mart is number 1, they're starting to make the same mistakes that Kmart did 20 years ago. Crappy customer service, poorly paid workers and a company image that is going down the tubes. Now granted they're much bigger than comparatively than those other companies in the past but they also have much more competition. Plus, with the internet 1 bad story, that's big enough, can them cost them tens of millions of dollars.

For instance, a couple of years ago Wal-Mart ordered its employees to say Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas. Word got out, a boycott started and it cost them money. How much we don't know but the next year they told their employees they could say Merry Christmas if they wanted too.

Now will Wal-Mart get knocked on its ass tomorrow? Probably not. But there WILL BE some company that has the right approach to knock Wal-Mart down a notch. Or at least threaten it enough that they change their ways. Either way it works out.