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Yes really, not a big loss but when you had a Kmart or Walmart and now Walmart is your only choice I'm not shocked that they are now raising their prices.....

(I still read the whole damn thing!)

nstehle wrote:

…But seriously, Wal-Mart helps more poor folks than it hurts, I guarantee.

And helps make sure they stay that way…

Wow!  This one's back. I'm,,, shocked and awed.

Don't forget what Walmart does to their suppliers. This is very well examined in that PBS special. That examines walmart's. prices, and points out why they are not as low as you might think. Carefully designed marketing, from signs, to catchy slogans, to tv ads, can hide a lot. It's kind of like a Magician, getting away with tricks because he knows how to mis-direct  your attention.

The expression "Beast from Bentonville" was coined by one of Walmart's suppliers. Well known and liked American companies have suffered enormously. Some, such as Rubbermaid, are names you probably know.

nstehle wrote:

Wal-Mart is great for everyone but you rich snobs and a handfull of small-business owners who didn't have the foresight to get into mass markets.  Poor people like me LOVE Wal-Mart.  Without Wally World we'd be in financial trouble.  You folks don't know what its like to live paycheck to paycheck.  A bunch of John Kerry silver spoon look-a-likes, you are. 

Ok, so that was TIC.  But seriously, Wal-Mart helps more poor folks than it hurts, I guarantee.

Ha Ha, it's so funny how you have everything wrong.

I used to live paycheck to paycheck. But it doesn't seem like you are looking at the long-term picture.

You are like those 3rd world tribes that destroy their own environment that in turn causes more problems. In the end they starve to death. Look at the big picture. Bush has quick fixes cause he is too stupid to understand real national economics. Kerry had sound ideas.

If you perpetuate your demise and don't give a thought to it, don't come crying to anyone else bout it.

Your town should have got together in community groups to stay strong in order to compete with global markets.

If you think your community prices are so high, why don't you do something bout it and make your community strong. Join a group and don't cry about not having any power.

I saved my bucks up for a long time to go to Uni and I also had interests in my communities.

Well, since no one has mentioned it yet:  A Link

Eleven million dollars, and criminal charges get dropped. Someone at NBC news said that they'll make back that eleven million in about 20 minutes.

I wonder how all the other labor issues, such as forced, off-the-clock overtime, and being locked in a store or a distribution center (and not being allowed to leave. Can you say "unlawful detainment"?) on a night shift, will be addressed, if they are ever addressed?

Excellent point from Mr J. A standard practice is to build small stores in towns in a given area, and drive most others out. When that is done, they close those stores, and open a super center, usually miles away from anything.  I have read that the state with the most "Walmart husks" is Georgia. 

I remember seeing something about this on 60 minutes. When Wally closes down a store, it is done fast, fast, fast. Managers get transferred, employees get laid off, and all merchandise is inventoried and removed. The signs and logos are quickly taken down.  When it's all done, all that remains is a empty building and blue and white boards.

Last edited by Enigma (2005-03-18 7:18 pm)

Ahhh and old friend...

Indeed.   Thanks Aqua, I hadn't seen that one.

Don't forget The Report from the office of congressman George Miller.  I'd encourage everyone to read it. It's all just plain text, no fancy graphics.

And this one? This should make you want to scream, or hurl, or both.

In Southern California, there are only a few Wal-Marts, and they won't be able to expand unless they buy a competitor.

Because Proposition 13 dried up residential property taxes, cash strapped cities have been fighting to bring in stores for the last 30 years. Now the retail landscape is so glutted, there isn't really any room for Wal-Mart. Even in low density areas, you're probably within a couple miles of a Target, Savon, Vons, Ralphs, etc.

The only places that don't have so many stores are upscale areas where property is so expensive that the cities don't really need lots of commercial taxes. The people there wouldn't be caught dead shopping at Wal-Mart.

This makes me glad. Even as far as retail jobs go, Wal-Mart is awful. It's miserable to shop at too. It reminds me of FedCo, this chain that went bankrupt a while ago. It's dirty, the merchandise is low-quality, and the employees look like they're about to kill themselves.

pi227 wrote:

Go ahead, shop elsewhere. It's too late. It is too big to stop.

I'm sure that somewhere, many centuries ago, someone spoke those exact words about the Roman Empire. So tell me, with the exception of family pets, have you met anyone named "Ceaser" lately?

How about this guy?
http://www.autographsofamerica.com/imag … esarSP.jpg

pi227 wrote:

Go ahead, shop elsewhere. It's too late. It is too big to stop.

"Stop shopping" is ain't going to stop everything since too many communities are dependent on Walmart's now.

This could be corrected with legislation.... Preferably if we stopped aiding Chinese imports and supporting China's illegally devalued currency. That'd solve a number of Walmart problem. 

But, like anything, Americans will have to wait until the smurf hits the fan before they do anything about it.

Czachorski wrote:

Seriously, not everyone is capable of skilled labor. What of them?

Do you have a problem with low-skill laborers receiving low-paying jobs?

That is the nature of the beast.  The days of low-skill, high paying jobs of the 50s, 60s and 70s are gone.  There are plenty of low-skill jobs in the US.  They just don't come with a high-paying pay check.  These seems extremly fair and sound to me.  Each person is rewarded in proportion to their skills and value that they bring to the economy.  It is harsh in some ways, but it has been proven time and again that it is a necessary system to sustain a robust, stable society and economy.

And what happens when there's a flu pandemic and these people clog the emergency rooms because they make too much to be on Medicaid and too little to afford health insurance? What happens if we have two or three years of extremely cold weather and thousands die because they can't afford to heat their homes? Both of these are distinct possibilities.

Charles Dickens wrote:

It certainly was; for they had been two kindred spirits. At the ominous word

Last edited by The New Guy (2005-03-21 10:18 am)

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