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Honestly, what is extremely interesting is that none of the arguments against Wal-mart are new at all.
I don't know if that makes Walmart "evil" per se. It's more that they simply don't care how these cheaper products come to them. Perhaps morally or ethically ambivalent would be a better term. Of course, your average Walmart shopper wouldn't understand what that meant.
Same could be said for any other retailer, though. Target, Apple, Samsung...Remember the ongoing Foxconn controversy? This is the way of the world, but people forgive and forget the other companies. Wal-mart is somehow held to a higher standard that I don't understand.
This is all true. However the one component that Walmart brought to the table was the over bludgeoning of vendors and manufacturers with their gross distribution opportunities that the others didn't practice as severely. I don't claim other retailers are morally superior, but by Walmart's vast size they have greater leverage to force suppliers to comply. And, Walmart's muscle was flexed primarily to lower prices. There was little or no pressure applied to produce quality, or variety or improve processes or products. It's all about "cheap".
I don't know if that makes Walmart "evil" per se. It's more that they simply don't care how these cheaper products come to them. Perhaps morally or ethically ambivalent would be a better term. Of course, your average Walmart shopper wouldn't understand what that meant.
Same could be said for any other retailer, though. Target, Apple, Samsung...Remember the ongoing Foxconn controversy? This is the way of the world, but people forgive and forget the other companies. Wal-mart is somehow held to a higher standard that I don't understand.
To me they are neither ok nor not ok. They simply are. They're the same business practices used by every company.
I don't want to play "holier than thou" or anything, but I have my BA in Accounting and an MBA in Business administration/Accounting. I have had this debate several times, and when I do, I look at it objectively. Wal-mart has an extremely successful business model. I'm not being stereotypical at all. Successful business is a successful business.
Gross sales - Cost of goods sold - overhead = Net Profit
Take a basic business formula. Wal-mart sells a LOT of product at low prices. However, they also have ridiculously low product costs due to high volume purchasing power. Add in their patented "Just in Time" inventory method, and goods rarely sit on the shelves. They take full advantage of all methods of maximizing profit. Any entrepreneur would be foolish to not do the same.
As to cheap products, Wal-mart carries several of the top name brands including Microsoft, Asus, Samsung, Vizio (eh), Del Monte, Heinz, Sara Lee, Jennie-O....etc. They have the same products any corner store does, but at much lower prices.
If you care for a slightly higher overhead and more pleasant atmosphere, choose Target. Prices are slightly higher and the patrons certainly are more... affluent. At the end of the day, they are no different from the Mart.
you can add to this list Target,Pizza Hut, Dominos, MacDonald,Subway,Shell and so on.
What i'm trying to say is that i Stand for private sector within community.
You're examples of cheap products that walmart offers don't really suitable for general and necessary demand. Those mostly can be bought online with much better deal.( who wants to challenge me on that one?)
why don't you try to put out Successful business with your BA in Accounting and an MBA in Business administration/Accounting when walmart is around corner
you can add to this list Target,Pizza Hut, Dominos, MacDonald,Subway,Shell and so on.
What i'm trying to say is that i Stand for private sector within community.
You're examples of cheap products that walmart offers don't really suitable for general and necessary demand. Those mostly can be bought online with much better deal.( who wants to challenge me on that one?)
why don't you try to put out Successful business with your BA in Accounting and an MBA in Business administration/Accounting when walmart is around corner
Yeah, but that's high quality items. I totally understand paying more for the good stuff. I will never expect to find a good beer/liquor/wine at Walmart.
Just speaking in general for basic products. Like Coors Lite for example. It's usually like $10-$12 for a 12 pack at Walmart or a larger grocery store. But I've seen the same exact 12 pack sometimes $20+ at a small liquor store when that price is in no way justifiable. Maybe they have to charge that much to stay in business, maybe they simply are rip offs. Either way, I'm not paying that much extra when the product is the same exact one.
Again, if I'm looking for a nice micro beer, I'm heading to my local liquor store. I'll expect to pay more for a superior product. But even then, it seems the large chain liquor warehouses have much better prices than the small family owned places when I'm looking for my specialty beer/liquor.
Wal-Mart started out as a small corner store (Link), but because of their successful practices, have grown to one of the world's largest companies. There is a reason big companies are big. They do the little things well.
Do you use the internet? Likely from Charter or AT&T. Do you have a cell phone? Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, or T-Mobile? Do you drive a car? Ford or Chevy? I know you buy online. From which large retailer? Amazon or overstock?
The point is these companies exist because we as a society allow them to thrive. We like what they have to offer. What do you propose as a solution to help regulate companies from becoming too successful? Cash flow restrictions? Asset limits?
Capitalism - an economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods, by investments that are determined by private decision, and by prices, production, and the distribution of goods that are determined mainly by competition in a free market
What do you propose as a solution to help regulate companies from becoming too successful? banning Investment banking and inequality
ahh what the hell! i don't give a crap anyway i'm not even pro-capitalist!
a simple example would be a Foxconn factories. They make micro chips for Apple, Microsoft, Samsung etc. They treat their employees like crap. That just makes every corporation evil.
If I remember right, wasn't Walmart first conceived asq showcase and an outlet for American Goods?
Is Walmart evil?
buying Walmart products is a derisive act to a nation! But whatever i guess that's how capitalism works and most of you ok with it!
A lot of this reminds me of what Amazon does. They sell some items at a loss in order to undercut their competitors.
By the same token, you can't get something you "need right now" from an online retailer at any price. With brick and mortar retailers you can.
Some American mfg have been driven out of business since they cannot meet the price that Walmart wants.
I'm also sick of Martha Stewart and her ilk.
If I remember right, wasn't Walmart first conceived asq showcase and an outlet for American Goods?
From Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Walton
The first true Wal-Mart opened on July 2, 1962 in Rogers, Arkansas.[12] It was called the Wal-Mart Discount City store and located at 719 West Walnut Street. Soon after, the Walton brothers teamed up with the Stefan Dasbach, leading to the first of many stores to come. He launched a determined effort to market American-made products. Included in the effort was a willingness to find American manufacturers who could supply merchandise for the entire Wal-Mart chain at a price low enough to meet the foreign competition.[1