Re: Say NO NO NO to Wal-Mart!!!

Good article on Wal-Mart:

http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/77/walmart.html

Short term, Wal-Mart is great for consumers. Long term, it's putting not
only mom and pop places out of business and turning the workforce into one
un-insured and underpaid mass, it's also putting manufacturers in tight
squeezes where they have to let people go. Our society loves a good deal,
but at some point, we have to start asking why it's such a good deal. It's
because we're buying stuff made in China, because American companies can't
compete with essentially zero labor costs and little/no environmental
restrictions. Wal-Mart may be cheap, but there are hidden costs for our
society. When your negihbors lose their job and have to move away, and small
communities start becoming ghost towns, and everyone can only get a job at
Wal-Mart 'cause the factory closed down, then you'll start to understand the
hidden costs.

Next time you're there, count how many manufactured goods (non-perishable)
are still made in the states. It won't be many, and the list is getting
smaller every day.

"Bob" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Just In Time wrote:
> > Say NO NO NO to Wal-Mart!!!
> >
> > Walmart has gotten too big and it uses its power to exert over us. No
> > one can blame Wal-Mart for being abusive afterall, it's us, the
> > consumers, who gave the power to them! We are irresponsible and greedy
> > because we want the cheapest prices! I have to admit that I am guilty
> > as well as I do shop occasionally at you know where! (but that's to
> > change from now on)
>
>
> The reason Wal-Mart has done so well and gotten so big is their never
> ending pursuit of taking care of their customers.  Sam Walton never
> stopped trying to find ways to improve customer satisfaction, to lower
> cost and prices, and to provide products the customers wanted.  A major
> part of Wal-Mart stock belongs to employees, or "associates" as Sam
> called them.
>
> Sam saw the "discount" stores in some big cities and thought that would
> be good in small towns all across America.  Sam tried first to sell his
> ideas to the management of Ben Franklin stores where he worked.  They
> wouldn't let him try his new plan, so Sam quit and started his own
> store.  The other big chains ignored him for years, not believing that
> an upstart from some small town in Arkansas could be a threat to giants
> like K-Mart, Sears, etc.  But Sam kept trying to provide everything you
> want under one roof, and for a low price.
>
> Wal-Mart succeeds while others fail because of their commitment to the
> customers.  Yes, many other stores have closed because customers to to
> Wal-Mart instead.  Even Giants like K-Mart have not learned to compete
> with customer focused retail.
>
> Wal-Mart is not evil for serving the needs of people better than anyone
> else.  Other stores must learn to serve customers or die.  There is a
> place for other stores, but not for those who put high profit margins
> and poor selection, what the store wants to sell, ahead of the needs of
> customers.
>
> So go ahead and shop somewhere else if you like, pay more for less, and
> drive around to 5 or 6 stores looking for what you want.  Bob went to
> Wal-Mart last night.  We bought bedding, auto parts, food, beverage, RV
> accessories, hardware, and kitchen supplies all at prices as low or
> lower than anywhere else.  One trip and we were done shopping.
>
> It's an old formula that Sam's store does better.  Take care of the
> customers.  Meet their needs.  Provide what people want.  Funny how a
> dumb hick from some small town in Arkansas had to teach that formula to
> industrial giants from big cities.
>
>
> >
> > After reading this article "The Wal-Mart You Don't Know" by Charles
> > Fishman (Fast Company) Dec 2003.
> > (http://go.jitbot.com/no-to-wal-mart), you'll know that:
> >
> > - Jobs are lost everyday because of Wal-Mart
> > - Factories / companies die because of Wal-Mart.
> > - Too much power is given to a single entity, Wal-Mart.
>
> As long as nobody else takes care of customers as well Wal-Mart will
> drive them out of business.
>
>
> > let's stop this madness for a change. Be responsible!
> >
> > - As a consumer, be reasonable, there is no need to shop everything at
> > Wal-Mart. Don't go for cheap...Look for value. Are you getting the
> > service you want from Wal-mart? Last time I went, I waited a long line
> > to pay at the cash. When I had to return an item...the waiting was
> > longer!
>
>
> LOL.  Value often is good products for less money. Same product at 20%
> less price is a good value for the customer.  And when when we wanted to
> shop on THanksgiving Wal-Mart was open.  Nobody else was.
>
>
> > - As a supplier, be rational! Increasing short-term sales and profits
> > by supplying to Wal-Mart, while squeezing your margins and destroying
> > your brands is the quickest way to brankruptcy court. If price is the
> > only way you can think of competing, then, you already lost the war to
> > the Chineses!
>
> LOL.  As a supplier Martha Steward hooked up with K-Mart.  It sure
> helped her didn't it.
>
>
> > - As an Investor, stop buying the stock of WMT if believe that the
> > long-term effects will bear negative consequences to the whole
> > economy. There is no pleasure to make money in the stock market, to
> > find out how many jobs have lost because of you.
>
> Most Wal-Mart stock belongs to their own employees.  As investors, if
> you you don't want to share in the profits, buy K-mart and go broke. Go
> right ahead.
>
>
> > Don't get me wrong, I am a champion of the free-markets.
>
> Like hell you are.
>
>
> > I believe we
> > have our responsibilities to take. We don't need the government to
> > step in one day like they did to Microsoft. Let's be responsible for a
> > change.
>
> You are right.  The government ought not protect incompetent merchants
> who focus on their own profits rather than on the needs of their
> customers.
>
>
> > By the way, a little more about me, I am a Canadian Chinese, a
> > business owner (tech-related company and in no way, a supplier of
> > Wal-mart) and I don't own WMT stocks.
>
> LOL.  So you would love to get Wal-Mart out of the way so you can sell
> products at inflated prices and make more money.  Sorry Charlie, if
> other companies tried to learn the formula instead of crying over
> Wal-Mart's success, they wouldn't have had the whole market practically
> to themselves.
>
>
> > Please spread this word around, it's for our own good.
> > Cheers!
> > Jeff
>
> Hey, I'll go down to Wal-Mart and tell the associates what you said.
>
> One nice thing Bob likes about Wal-Mart is that its the only store that
> puts the Men's clothing section at the front of the store, not in some
> hidden corner behind Women's clothing.  Wal-Mart actually wants men to
> be customers, and shows that attitude by providing products and service
> for men in an equal way.
>
> Bob
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