HOW BIG IS WAL-MART?

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I like Walmart. While it's not my favorite store in the world, it is convinient and reasonably priced. Mom and pop can't help me at 0200hrs when I want or need something from the store. Wally world can.
I have no problem dropping my money there, and then going to the self check out line, as to avoid the chances of a rude employee.
 
My town didn't get a WM until about 1989 or so. The thing that irked me the most about it then was the 24/7 commercials espousing the "Buy American" and "We sell things made in the US and proudly put a tag on it saying the same" and all that propaganda jazz.

Then, as now, you'd be hard pressed to find something that wasn't made in China. I understand the point in trying to sell items as cheaply as possible, but shouldn't there be an alternative to the Chinese made products you carry? Seriously, for every 20 Chinese power drills you have on the shelf, offer at least ONE U.S. built model to select from. I see some Wal-Marts carry upper dollar Chinese built Black and Decker drills, why not an equivalent US made drill?

I feel guilty every time I purchase something made in China, like I'm committing treason or something. But sometimes the only choice you have is to go to Wal-Mart. It wouldn't bother me so bad if they offered an alternative to the junk they sell.
 
Originally Posted By: kingrob
But sometimes the only choice you have is to go to Wal-Mart.


I've never been in this scenario & am hard pressed to imagine how one could ever be found in this corner.
 
When I make personal purchases, I use the same qualification that we do at work...

"Lowest qualified bidder..."

W*M fits that description.
 
Originally Posted By: kingrob
My town didn't get a WM until about 1989 or so. The thing that irked me the most about it then was the 24/7 commercials espousing the "Buy American" and "We sell things made in the US and proudly put a tag on it saying the same" and all that propaganda jazz.

Then, as now, you'd be hard pressed to find something that wasn't made in China.


Maybe I misremember, which is all too possible, but my early recollections of the first WalMarts was that everything in the store was made in the USA, or they didn't carry it. I thought it was after the founder (Sam Walton?) died that they just took the bit and ran and exploded into the monstrosities that we have every 20 miles now.
 
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
When I make personal purchases, I use the same qualification that we do at work...

"Lowest qualified bidder..."

W*M fits that description.


As much as I think/know/believe in my heart that the USA is quickly spiraling down the drain as a result of mass trade deficits and such, I'm right there with you. I've never really found the employees or managers to be rude or provide bad customer service. On the contrary, the cashiers are very nice IMO. It's my fellow shoppers I hate dealing with! It's like everyone is peed off to be shopping at Walmart, but we all still do it anyway.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: SinisterK9
I like Walmart. While it's not my favorite store in the world, it is convinient and reasonably priced. Mom and pop can't help me at 0200hrs when I want or need something from the store. Wally world can.
I have no problem dropping my money there, and then going to the self check out line, as to avoid the chances of a rude employee.


Well that's the future isn't it. No employees at all! I can't wait to see the first shelf stocking robot.

Maybe in a few years WM will have only 100 employees running all their stores from a bunker via the internet? That would save us a lot of money on our "stuff we really need at 2am" from china.

Ian
 
One thing that stuck to me after over three years at Wal-Mart was how frugal Sam Walton (original founder of WM) was, long into his days of richness. He still flew economy class, drove an old pick-up, and wore his beloved store-line clothes.
 
Originally Posted By: firemachine69
He still flew economy class ...


Sam's corporate airplane was an Ercoupe.

It is restored and in a museum at the Fayetteville airport.
 
Originally Posted By: firemachine69
One thing that stuck to me after over three years at Wal-Mart was how frugal Sam Walton (original founder of WM) was, long into his days of richness. He still flew economy class, drove an old pick-up, and wore his beloved store-line clothes.


A typical Walton.
"Good night, John Boy."
 
Originally Posted By: IndyIan
Well that's the future isn't it. No employees at all! I can't wait to see the first shelf stocking robot.


I've toured all of the Honda plants in Ohio, and you'd be surprised some of the things that they have robots doing... One that surprised even me was material handling.... picking up pallets of parts that come off of the semi trucks and delivering them to the right work stations, using the same aisles as humans.

Another plus for the manufacturers, robots don't have any need for the UAW... or for the democrat proposed bailout.
 
Originally Posted By: IndyIan
Originally Posted By: SinisterK9
I like Walmart. While it's not my favorite store in the world, it is convinient and reasonably priced. Mom and pop can't help me at 0200hrs when I want or need something from the store. Wally world can.
I have no problem dropping my money there, and then going to the self check out line, as to avoid the chances of a rude employee.


Well that's the future isn't it. No employees at all! I can't wait to see the first shelf stocking robot.

Maybe in a few years WM will have only 100 employees running all their stores from a bunker via the internet? That would save us a lot of money on our "stuff we really need at 2am" from china.

Ian










I give plenty to my country already. I'm not going to lose any sleep over shopping at Walmart.
 
Originally Posted By: benjamming
Originally Posted By: kingrob
But sometimes the only choice you have is to go to Wal-Mart.


I've never been in this scenario & am hard pressed to imagine how one could ever be found in this corner.


When it's an emergency and you need a pack of diapers at 2:00 am and the only thing open in town is Wal-Mart, then I would say you had no choice.

That's pretty much true if you need ANYTHING that you can't get at a 24 hour gas station in the middle of the night, if Wal-Mart is the only thing open that late.
 
Quote:
I give plenty to my country already. I'm not going to lose any sleep over shopping at Walmart.


Yeah, but if you have a choice of giving to the U.S. or China, you'd rather give to China? I'm not the most patriotic dude around but I can't think of too many people that consciously give to Communist China over the U.S...
 
I shop at the lowest seller.

The trick to successful shopping at Wal-Mart is to not confuse 'savings' with 'convenience'.

Trust me on this one.
wink.gif
 
Little rant here about China stuff at WM:

The reason they're supplied from China is because we don't have the manufacturing capacity to keep thousands of huge stores stocked with all that trash. Not that we couldn't, but an american that stands in an assembly line and screws together parts all day wants $23/hr +benefits wheras the Chinese person knows better than to feel so foolishly entitled. People that used to live in prosperous areas now live in ghost towns with no employment. Who's to blame? It's easy to point the finger at the white collar folks or the people that didn't have the luxury of having extra money to spend on expensive American goods. Unions drove out businesses, government expanded to take it's place, taxes rose, now those same entitled workers want a handout. Some states are at the very brink of socialism. All the while, those hillbillies in the south prosper just the way Americans always have. With honest work for an honest wage. Surely this is not due to right to work laws...

I buy American when the price is right for the quality, but I'd rather buy Chinese than support union labor.
 
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