Lima Walmart Selling BMW's [Archive]

James.A

08-01-2005, 11:22 AM

I do not shop at wal-mart, but it is a free market and there are obviously plenty of people who will. Typically, the arrival of a Wal-mart kills the mom-and-pop local shops. A small regional chain of grocery stores (Sullivan's) folded a grocery at the west end of my town when the Super Wal-mart opened. The manager wanted to take over the store, which was profitable, but none of the bankers would even talk to him about financing. The result, old folks and pedestrians gain a 6 mile trek to the great retailing powerhouse.

There is a fantastic hardware store here. I have never been denied when searching for any item there. Is Wal-mart gonna have the metric stainless screws I want occasionally? Will I be able to find any imaginable plumbing or electric part at Wal-mart? Will Wal-mart order specialty items for me? Is Wal-mart staffed by knowledgable, helpful people. No. The locals who LOVE Wal-mart openly speculate how long before Kimpling's Ace Hardware will close. I hope they never do. They are pricey, but I want them to stay right where they are. I'm willing to pay for that. All Wal-mart can do is sell you what ever cheap crap they are stocking this week. Free Market

What happens when a Wal-mart runs out the little guys and eliminates competition? Then you(Mr./Ms.consumer) are almost obligated to buy what ever it is they see fit to sell you. Victory coffee, victory gin, victory bread, etc, etc, etc. It's Orwellian.

Feedback

08-01-2005, 11:39 AM

What happens when a Wal-mart runs out the little guys and eliminates competition? Then you(Mr./Ms.consumer) are almost obligated to buy what ever it is they want to sell you. Victory coffee, victory gin, victory bread, etc, etc, etc. It's Orwellian.

I was all about Wally World comming to my small town. Within a short period of time I began to see what it was doing to local business.....NOT GOOD!!

BMW on sale at Wall Mart....Made in China by Victory :doh

Callmethebreeze

08-01-2005, 12:04 PM

I thought it was the vast MOA BoD conspiracy. :stick

:ha

Yes, that too!! And another thing, is there any truth to the rumor that the BoDs have entered into a sweetheart deal with WalMart to supply all, I repeat, all, of the food , drink and disposable goods at the 2006 Rally??? Huh....huh....Cat got your tongue bratwurst boy? :D

P.S. It's a slow day at the office, what can I tell you......

kbasa

08-01-2005, 12:51 PM

Yes, that too!! And another thing, is there any truth to the rumor that the BoDs have entered into a sweetheart deal with WalMart to supply all, I repeat, all, of the food , drink and disposable goods at the 2006 Rally??? Huh....huh....Cat got your tongue bratwurst boy? :D

P.S. It's a slow day at the office, what can I tell you......

Actually, we're having our first entirely indoor national rally at the MallWart in Bentonville, Arkansas. There'll be plenty of camping room in the aisles, plenty of food and the vendor will be open 24/7.

:ha

gsmetal

08-01-2005, 12:57 PM

Actually we went in to Walmart to get some Gatorade because it was so hot.

I was shocked at the size of this Walmart (don't shop there much myself) and all the things they had.

When I left, I noticed the Beemers parked there and I looked a little beyond that and saw the "We sell for less" on the building.

I just thought it would make a funny photo - didn't really think of it as a political statement.

username

08-01-2005, 03:58 PM

Why so many anti-walmarters here?

i'll bet that there are more pro or ambivalent folks here than anti. you have to excuse the veg, he's got really good taste.

some people see walmart as the final step in the homogenization of the american way of life, the death knell of local business, and the open floodgates of cheap chinese goods flooding our nation. (remember when walmart was all pro-american?)

i'm guessing it's not quite that sinister, but i find shopping there to be distasteful on many levels, and so i go to one once or twice a year. i never enjoy it, and it's usually because i'm on the road and need something for an "emergency" like a shotgun and a box of shells. it's really easy to buy lethal weapons at walmart, so that's pretty much the only reason i go there. (well ok, they also have cheap single-use shovels in the garden department.)

if youre poor, it's a good place to shop as they have low prices on certain things.

bob1150

08-01-2005, 04:02 PM

It's getting so the ordinary guy is affraid to say anything on these forums because 16 people take it as a personal assault and all of a sudden you are a villian.

Bob

threeflys

08-01-2005, 04:54 PM

I do agree that WalMart tends to kill the mom and pop stores, but is there a good reason for that? Case in point, I got stationed in Kodiak, AK in '99. When I got there, WalMart had been there about 8 months. There was another "mom&pop" drugstore in town that was having a going out of business sale, even with the drugstore's 75% off prices they were still more than WalMart! I'm all for freemarket and supporting your local shops/stores, but when they overcharge THAT much I'll take WallyWorld any day!
Just my .01 cents, take away from it what you will.
Chris

Remember, People are more opposed to fur than leather because it's easier to harrass rich women than motorcycle gangs! :thumb

magoo

08-01-2005, 05:21 PM

WAL-MART = Wiping Away Local Merchants And Ruining Towns

They used to push "made in the USA" before Sam died.

Doug Mc Gee

YB in IN

08-01-2005, 05:23 PM

Remember, People are more opposed to fur than leather because it's easier to harrass rich women than motorcycle gangs! :thumb

And I now have a new sig line. :thumb

James.A

08-01-2005, 05:29 PM

...my neighbor and good friend Tim Carey runs a bussiness started by his father "Butch" Carey called Butch's Pizza. They specialize in small frozen pizzas sold in grocery stores and served in taverns. Their biggest competitor is Tombstone. Tim decided to try to get his product in Wal-mart and was able to get in 8 Supercenters in the goegraphic area to which his little company runs their delivery trucks. Now that he is a Wal-mart supplier he is under pressure from Wal-mart's buyer reps to deliver more product to more stores for a lower per-unit price or loose the account. Their practice is to constantly squeeze suppliers to extricate as much of the profit as possible in any item to their side of the balance sheet. When Wal-mart destroys their competition, suppliers have fewer options but to play their game. This is all fine and good and certainly falls inside the parameters of free market function. Confident that Wal-mart is a predatory and ruthless business entity, I will not support it.

BubbaZanetti

08-01-2005, 06:49 PM

I'm all for freemarket and supporting your local shops/stores, but when they overcharge THAT much I'll take WallyWorld any day!

if you're all for a freemarket than you will be aware that the mom and pops are not "overcharging" but just trying to scrape by with an acceptable profit margin. the same box of toothburshes wall mart buys by the millions every month for 5 dollars costs them 12, so naturally they have to do what they have to do. economics 101 man, its a sad, disgusting fact of life. even with my often limited income i will still gladly pay 3-4 bucks more for 4 qts of synthetic at the local than support wal-mart. granted, i may have frequented wal mart at the rally (a sandwich/chips and some beef jerky) but if other options are available, i use them. its just may way of saying "screw you" to the lack of awareness that has sadly become the "way of life" in this country (and most other places)

bmwrider@beer

08-01-2005, 08:58 PM

Their practice is to constantly squeeze suppliers to extricate as much of the profit as possible in any item to their side of the balance sheet. When Wal-mart destroys their competition, suppliers have fewer options but to play their game.

The installation of Wal-Marts has been fought all over the world, and many times without prevail. For example, residents of Maui, Hawaii fought an unfruitful battle for five years against Wal-Mart. Though battles have been lost against the growing corporation, it is still being boycotted all over the world, including Gig Harbor Washington, Santa Clarita California, De Land Florida, Bath, Maine, Guelph Ontario, and members of “Save Our Small Town Way of Life” in Lancaster Pennsylvania.

Were trying to block em, it been abought 4 years now...and thier winning. :uhoh

kbasa

08-01-2005, 09:02 PM

Off to Campfire for this one, I think...

:wave

bmwrider@beer

08-01-2005, 09:23 PM

Off to Campfire for this one, I think...

:wave
uhh ya its going that way,, sorry... :doh

Joecubana

08-01-2005, 09:32 PM

what a relief to find someone else on this forum that doesn't run to wal-mart for everything (anything).

Hey Cliffy and Veg,

I very much agree and also stay away from the evil store. :evil :evil

If I could only covince the rest of the Family!. My secretary has Never set foot in one!

(Cliffy, good LTE in this month's ON)

JC

Joecubana

08-01-2005, 09:38 PM

Now that he is a Wal-mart supplier he is under pressure from Wal-mart's buyer reps to deliver more product to more stores for a lower per-unit price or loose the account. Their practice is to constantly squeeze suppliers to extricate as much of the profit as possible in any item to their side of the balance sheet.

Hey Jim,

Same thing here. A regional dog food company fought to get into WM...finally made it on a limited basis through a middle man. The product took off and now they deal with WM directly and the big boy is putting the squeeze on......

After reading the sign behind the bikes and seeing the WM ads, I think if we took care of this Less guy (the one they sell for) we might prevail :doh

James.A

08-01-2005, 09:42 PM

Agreed, you just never no which way a thread will twist.
With due consideration to the originator of the thread, and a tip of the hat for the cleverness of the image, Wal-mart IS a hot potato, politically speaking.

James.A

08-01-2005, 10:00 PM

Hey Jim,

Same thing here. A regional dog food company fought to get into WM...finally made it on a limited basis through a middle man. The product took off and now they deal with WM directly and the big boy is putting the squeeze on......

After reading the sign behind the bikes and seeing the WM ads, I think if we took care of this Less guy (the one they sell for) we might prevail :doh

LESS is perfectly free to conduct business as he sees fit. We are within our rights to not do business with him.

Consider my friend Tim. He wisely has chosen to resist the growth strategy Wal-mart wants him to chase after. He's not big enough or dumb enough to invest in expanding into a production and distribution scheme that could bankrupt his company with razor-thin margins. He is the kind of businessman who understands that he is responsible for the well-being of his employees and his own family, and his father's company. He has a going concern and told the Wallyworld reps he wouldn't give them a competetive advantage over his other customers. A businessman with a soul. That's the kind of person wal-mart is crushing every day.

Hodag

08-01-2005, 10:35 PM

woodnsteel when are you coming up north for a camping trip? I miss your insight.

plus I really want to know what you mean by abides????

James.A

08-01-2005, 10:44 PM

woodnsteel when are you coming up north for a camping trip? I miss your insight.

plus I really want to know what you mean by abides????
I'd like to attend the Wisconsin Dells Rally, but can't say for sure right now.

MarkF

08-01-2005, 11:28 PM

I thought it was the vast MOA BoD conspiracy. :stick

:ha

Not as vast. But, I'm waiting to see if the new guy joins in....

It's getting so the ordinary guy is affraid to say anything on these forums because 16 people take it as a personal assault and all of a sudden you are a villian.

Bob

Guess I'm extraordinary!

BradfordBenn

08-01-2005, 11:44 PM

woodnsteel when are you coming up north for a camping trip? I miss your insight.

plus I really want to know what you mean by abides????

Mark - You have to go rent the Big Lebowski. Just trust me on this one. If you can't find it, I can lend you my DVD copy.

MarkF

08-02-2005, 12:13 AM

Mark - You have to go rent the Big Lebowski. Just trust me on this one. If you can't find it, I can lend you my DVD copy.

"Nice marmot"

James.A

08-02-2005, 04:43 AM

1) I never meant to imply that it was personal regarding any member when I started espousing the anti-walmart view. An opinion I have held for many years.

2) Some of my friends locally started refering to me as "the dude", years before I ever saw the film "The Big Lebowski". I haven't been to see a movie in a theatre in at least 10 years. However, there were parallells. I did have very long hair and a beard at the time.

Cliffy777

08-02-2005, 06:39 AM

sorry to hi-jack the thread with wal-mart. liked the picture as originally posted.
back to wal-mart. i was not wild about wal-mart because i own a small biz on main street in a small town. however, i believe in a free market economy - after all i am living it, not just running my mouth about it. about a year ago i never said much anti-wal-mart to anyone cuz i figured everyone has the ability to say "no thanks" to shopping there.
then i heard a guy on NPR who wrote a book about the tactics wal-mart takes with it's vendors. wal-mart has helped cripple huge companies like levi-strauss and vlasic pickles. they get you to supply the product and then it is mandatory for you to REDUCE your cost to them every year. you don't have to have an MBA to know that you cannot reduce prices constantly and survive. they put huge companies in a real bind...how can you say "no" to supplying your widgets to the biggest retailer in the world? when they put the squeeze on hard enough the widget maker has to make his widgets in mexico or china in order to comply with the cost reductions or Mr. Widget maker simply closes the doors and Wal-Mart has the Widgets made in China. Sheee-it, if Wal-Mart folded tomorrow China would be harder hit than the US. Wal_Mart spends enough in China directly and indirectly to keep that country afloat and then some.
that is why the great levi-strauss no longer produces any blue jeans in america. that is why the pickle company verges on the edge of bankruptcy (I am pretty sure it is Vlasic). Wal-Mart has them by the juevoes and just keeps squeezing in order to cut costs at all costs.
wal-mart is a good idea gone bad. but the american people have to figure out that one plus one equals two. a small town near me (Greenville, Michigan) used to make Electrolux vaccuums at a plant located there. the workers made a good buck, but now economic pressure from wal-mart and others who practice the same "winning" business practices have convinced Electrolux to relocate their plant in Mexico. We cannot have it both ways folks, you can't expect to be paid a living wage AND buy the products you produce at Chinese prices.
The ironic thing is that Electrolux has all but closed and downtown Greenville is quickly shriveling up. Meanwhile, just west of town a huge Wal-Mart Super Center has opened so all the men and women who used to make a decent living can go out there a earn minimum wage selling vacuums from Mexico and jeans from China.
no, I am not a Union Activist. Far from it - I am a small business owner and a freelance writer, but I have to agree with the union when it comes to Wal-Mart. They have American flags all over their trucks, but what they are doing is very bad for my favorite country in the long run.
You might have to pay a little more for your widgets from a small biz owner like myself because there is no way on earth I can buy at the same price as Wal-Mart (as Bubba Z noted), but keeping small businesses alive is much, much better for the economy of the country than having a giant like Wal-Mart flourish.

James.A

08-02-2005, 07:57 AM

Well Cliffy, you and I see pretty much eye to eye on this one. The situation is not hopeless my friend. Wal-mart is the pre-eminent retailer in america, perhaps world-wide. They are at the top of the ladder. When your'e on the top rung, there is only one way to go from there.

GSTom

08-02-2005, 08:59 AM

Many perceive Wal-Mart as a jaugernaught that can't be stopped. A documentary I saw a while back on Wal-Mart pointed out that Wal-Mart's share of the retail market is approximately the same as Sears-Roebuck held in the 1950's. With Sam Walton deceased, the company "culture" that he started and encouraged is slowly changing and is becoming corrupted with the greedy business practices (described in other posts here) as opposed to the "shrewd" practices which he espoused. There are many chinks in Wal-Mart's armor, and many people slinging arrows at them. Will they survive? Continue to expand? Become the dominant business in the world, or will there be a deflation of their prominence in the businees world? Only time will tell.

Love them or hate them, they are a model of business efficiency. I recently was involved in a project to provide fire protection at thier new data center in SW Missouri. One company representative said that with their computer set up, when you buy an item and pay with check or debit card, the money has been extracted from your bank account and the item has been re-ordered from the supplier by the time you get back to your car. At their warehouses, they have no empty spaces between items on the conveyor belts, as that space represents an unused resource. I could go on with other examples of their efficiencies which also add to the cost savings passed on to the purchaser.

Is Wal-Mart an Evil empire or a business entity that keeps prices low for the average Joe? Discuss.....

From the heart of Wal-Mart country. GS Tom

Hodag

08-02-2005, 09:07 AM

I toured a wal-mart distribution center for a college class, it was impressive, very automated.

Wal-mart will peak, and then try to hang on. I like target, and my local grocery store. I do venture to sam's club though if we are having a party(don't feel good about it, just do). I made a dollar a few months ago when the cashier didn't thank me by name.

James.A

08-02-2005, 09:58 AM

Is Wal-Mart an Evil empire or a business entity that keeps prices low for the average Joe? Discuss.....

From the heart of Wal-Mart country. GS Tom

Tom, I respectfully submit a few ideas for the discussion.
1) The Free Market is a jungle, an environment that, in it's purest form, is a manifestation of economic Darwinism.
2) The tiger or the shark or the alligator are ruthless and predatory, but that does not make them evil because the are not sentient beings. They are dumb beasts whose instincts and abilities, refined over countless generations of procreation and natural selection, allow them to continue to survive. They do not possess the ability to apply concepts of ethics to their behavior. A corporation is not a sentient being either, but the persons in management are.
3)Wal-mart does keep prices low, and as such allows persons on the lower rungs of the economic ladder to enjoy a better standard of living than they might otherwise enjoy. However, in the big picture, it could be argued that this very facet of their business model contributes to wage growth stagnation among those of us at the lower levels of the socio-economic spectrum.

In summary, it could be said that Wal-mart is both evil, and good. The free market of ideas and pure economics will, in the end, work in tandem to determine the future of the company. A recent report in the WSJ, indicated that Wal-mart is interested in attracting more affluent customers to maintain profit growth. This strategy could allow well financed competitors to beat them at their own game, or not. Each of us, voting with our wallets collectively, will determine the success or failure of any business.

username

08-02-2005, 10:14 AM

walmart is going into banking next. that's going to be really interesting.

GSTom

08-02-2005, 10:45 AM

walmart is going into banking next. that's going to be really interesting.
The Walton family is already involved in banking in our region (SW Missouri, NW Arkansas, NE Oklahoma), and has been for several years, with the Arvest banking chain.

Hodag

08-02-2005, 10:59 AM

sears had
Craftsman
Kenmore
Allstate insurance
Discover card

rocketman

08-02-2005, 11:00 AM

Everyone needs something to hate and fear. I remember when it was Microsoft but most of you got over it and are running Windows.

For me it the vast government conspiracy!

Which, by the way, runs on Windows! (thats why I'm a UNIX guy)
:D

RM

rocketman

08-02-2005, 11:21 AM

It's getting so the ordinary guy is affraid to say anything on these forums because 16 people take it as a personal assault and all of a sudden you are a villian.

Bob

I resent that!! :D :D

RM

SCDorman

08-02-2005, 11:52 AM

at the National, I was told the "A" is for 'Adorable'...now I know it's really for 'Analytical.'

:D

I've worked in this area for too long to believe in any one explanation, other than maybe Adam Smith's 'invisible hand'...JAS' collective wallet voting. The economists' adage is 'ceteris paribus'...all other things remaining equal. They never do.

I don't patronize Wal-Mart because I watched what happened to my little hometown after it moved in. After a couple decades of downtown blight, it's now trying to recreate itself as a tourist destination. Anybody wanna see some corn?

Also agree that corporations are not inherently evil...I work for one...but the corporate veil sure makes it easier for individuals to forget the golden rule. As I grow older, I find I place more value in being able to do business face-to-face with people I know. Kinda backwards I guess.

Callmethebreeze

08-02-2005, 12:38 PM

It's getting so the ordinary guy is affraid to say anything on these forums because 16 people take it as a personal assault and all of a sudden you are a villian.

Bob

You're right it was a funny photo.
WalMart stirs the blood for lots of folks. I don't have a universal answer. I'm trying to live more simply. I buy less "stuff" made in china (yeah, I look and ask). No I'm not a union button man but I support American labor and products except for my motorcycles (I just don't like Harleys with one exception the VRod). Walmart was convenient to the Rally so yeah I walked over and bought a disposable cooler, some water and a ten dollar chair that I gave away at the end. Generally I shop in my town that doesn't have a WalMart. I like the fact that the people at the hardware store know my name and are willing to go out of their way to help me if I have a strange request like ten strands of christmas lights in July for my daughter's graduation party. Yeah, they dug around in deep storage, found them and gave me a 50% discount because they were out of season. Perhaps they would have done the same at Walmart, but I don't "know" those guys.
As for taking things personally, I never do and if you say that again, I'll send MIKETHEBIKE from Greenville over to kick your butt!!!! :D
Seriously though, we can all get a bit passionate at times and type things that we regret. Hopefully we can all take a breath, laugh it off or ignore it and move on. This is a great Forum. We should all hang in and make it better.
Cheers,
t :thumb

Callmethebreeze

08-02-2005, 12:58 PM

Tom, I respectfully submit a few ideas for the discussion.
1) The Free Market is a jungle, an environment that, in it's purest form, is a manifestation of economic Darwinism.
2) The tiger or the shark or the alligator are ruthless and predatory, but that does not make them evil because the are not sentient beings. They are dumb beasts whose instincts and abilities, refined over countless generations of procreation and natural selection, allow them to continue to survive. They do not possess the ability to apply concepts of ethics to their behavior. A corporation is not a sentient being either, but the persons in management are.
3)Wal-mart does keep prices low, and as such allows persons on the lower rungs of the economic ladder to enjoy a better standard of living than they might otherwise enjoy. However, in the big picture, it could be argued that this very facet of their business model contributes to wage growth stagnation among those of us at the lower levels of the socio-economic spectrum.

In summary, it could be said that Wal-mart is both evil, and good. The free market of ideas and pure economics will, in the end, work in tandem to determine the future of the company. A recent report in the WSJ, indicated that Wal-mart is interested in attracting more affluent customers to maintain profit growth. This strategy could allow well financed competitors to beat them at their own game, or not. Each of us, voting with our wallets collectively, will determine the success or failure of any business.

Very thoughtful post James, thanks.
Now for some wild ass speculation. :jester
What if WalMart threw in with BMW NA/Mottorad and began to open store based dealerships across the country? They could purchase huge numbers of bikes, reduce their profit margin below their competitors (the mom/pop dealer) and pass the savings along to the customer? What if they charged $13,000 for a new R1200RT, provided 4.9% financing through their bank and provided service at $39.00 an hour would people go for it?
What if they just purchased large numbers of BMWs, sold them in their stores at reduced cost and with favorable linterest rates. Would people buy into this arrangement. is there that much dealer loyalty out there? Hmmmm

SCDorman

08-02-2005, 01:40 PM

Very thoughtful post James, thanks.
Now for some wild ass speculation. :jester
What if WalMart threw in with BMW NA/Mottorad and began to open store based dealerships across the country? They could purchase huge numbers of bikes, reduce their profit margin below their competitors (the mom/pop dealer) and pass the savings along to the customer? What if they charged $13,000 for a new R1200RT, provided 4.9% financing through their bank and provided service at $39.00 an hour would people go for it?
What if they just purchased large numbers of BMWs, sold them in their stores at reduced cost and with favorable linterest rates. Would people buy into this arrangement. is there that much dealer loyalty out there? Hmmmm

Thom - very provocative! I think some people would take advantage of the economies of scale and buy into this arrangement. Some people would also say, I ride a BMW at least partially because of exclusivity...if it's at Wal-Mart, I ain't buying. Or the perceived service quality isn't as good, etc. Neither right or wrong, just personal choice.

Personally, I would not. The only reason I ride a BMW is because of my local dealer and the way they engaged with and treated me when I was looking a few years back as a re-entry rider. I have found them to be reasonable on pricing and buy everything that I can through them, even if I pay X% more than, say, an online source. I take 'em a case of beer a couple times a year. They give me a loaner when my bike is in the shop and let me test ride whatever I want, whenever. When my airhead ignition went kaput the week after I bought it from them, they replaced it (twice), even though they were under no warranty obligation. I reward loyalty in kind and hope it all works out even in the end.

lkchris

08-02-2005, 02:16 PM

Some of their VERY few Chinese products, then.

James.A

08-02-2005, 06:11 PM

Thom - very provocative! I think some people would take advantage of the economies of scale and buy into this arrangement. Some people would also say, I ride a BMW at least partially because of exclusivity...if it's at Wal-Mart, I ain't buying. Or the perceived service quality isn't as good, etc. Neither right or wrong, just personal choice.

Personally, I would not. The only reason I ride a BMW is because of my local dealer and the way they engaged with and treated me when I was looking a few years back as a re-entry rider. I have found them to be reasonable on pricing and buy everything that I can through them, even if I pay X% more than, say, an online source. I take 'em a case of beer a couple times a year. They give me a loaner when my bike is in the shop and let me test ride whatever I want, whenever. When my airhead ignition went kaput the week after I bought it from them, they replaced it (twice), even though they were under no warranty obligation. I reward loyalty in kind and hope it all works out even in the end.

If my name were James P. Strickland, the "P" might be for provocateur. Thanks for the kind rub, my friend.
We all know that wal-mart could never service the market created by us.
Their customer service is crap, and would anyone really want a guy happy with half of $39/hour to work on their bike?
Would wal-mart's razor thin margins allow them to exchange a bike that surges for a new one at the "service desk'? Not likely.
As an airhead, that's why I like the need to be self-reliant. In this world, I have to trust and count on myself alone. It IS an ethos, and one that I, personally embrace.
This line of thinking serves to prove why Wal-mart can never become the "BIG BROTHER" of retailing. That is, until we all work for peanuts and "owe our souls to the company store". If that happens, BMW will be un-able to sell motorcycles to anyone, anywhere, period. My confidence in free markets is sufficiently strong to be confident that that could never happen. I hope I'm right on this one.

barryg

08-03-2005, 12:47 AM

We moved to Batesville, Ar. in 1968 and one mom and pop family owned half the town; the grocery store, the hardware store, the farm implement store,the clothing store;on and on;it was their way or nothing. I was glad to see Wal-mart break up their monopoply.

Ironhorsecowboy

08-05-2005, 02:10 AM

Walmart in my neck of the woods has been nothing but big business gobbling up any competitor around. I have refused to shop at their stores for 4 or 5 years now. My town of 40,000 people has seen 3 major grocery stores closed. We now only have BI/LO, Food Lion and Cookes a Family owned store. Many lawn and garden shops, hardware type stores and even gas stations struggle because of their cut throat pricing. They sell gas at most Walmarts under the Murphy Oil name at 3-5 cents less than anywhere else in town and my buddy who has a Chevron station says they are selling for less than cost (at least his cost) just get people in their stores. Walmart will destroy a town if people don't wise up and "JUST SAY NO" to their good Chinese deals. There are numerous other reasons not to shop at Walmart that has already been posted. Walmarts policy to those suppliers who unfortunately let their business get to where they need Walmart to survive is to force them to sell at the price they demand or else. Just like Vlasic pickles and many other companies that have been ruined by Walmart. Not to mention the poor labor tactics Walmart has with it's employees. If I recall correctly they were sued by class action lawsuit for forcing workers to work overtime for no pay. Also poor benefits and illegal workers for cheap labor. The sad thing is some of my UNION brothers still shop there knowing all this ****. :banghead