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There was a special on Fontline last night about good ol' Wal-mart.
Summary: they're big, and they love them some Chinese!
The New Big Blue
Article from Fortune Magazine
Some stats from these reports:
- If Wal-mart were a country, it would be one of China's top ten exporters.
- Wal-mart has more employees than the US Military.
- If Wal-mart’s shoplifting estimates were incorporated, it would be in Fortunes 500.
I saw that documentary, it was really interesting. Especially when it talked about how Wal-Mart was leading to a lot of the outsourcing by demanding its suppliers find cheap labor to keep costs down so they could likewise keep their costs down.
I hate Wal-Mart.
...that's really all I have to say on the subject.
I hate Wal-Mart's business practices, yet love their low DVD prices.
I love their low prices on camping gear!
But yeah i saw that special, its pretty scary. I felt bad for those people who worked in american companies that were laid off due to wal-mart and china's undercutting.
I love not shopping there. I really don't care what their prices are, they can't overcome the stigma of being WalMart.
James
Don't get me wrong, Wal-Mart is not a shopping paradise by any means. At any given time, you've got wooden palettes to wade through, kids whining, parents whining about their kids, and far too many people who appear to have never bathed. With that being said, they DO have good bargains on some stuff, and that's all I use them for. If I can get it elsewhere for the same price, I will.
If price was the absolute only thing I had to worry about when buying stuff I'd be all over WalMart. Unfortunately there's more to shopping than just price, such as wondering whether or not you're getting an edited version of the CD you just bought or the nagging feeling that just being in the place is making you a more bland, generic consumer than you were before you walked in the door.
There's something wrong with the entire chain, from the store atmosphere to the corporate philosophy of fucking over anything between them and a dollar. I'll pass.
Seriously, try going without them for a month or three and seeing how it goes. You'll be surprised to find out how little they're needed or missed. Assuming, or course, you've still got a few small local chains or even national, non-monopolistic ones kicking about.
James
I definitely get a pang of guilt when I shop there, as I despise their business practices. I refuse to buy CDs from them, and I've only bought one in the...roughly five or six years that this area has had Wal-Mart. Quite frankly, I do enjoy shopping at local stores more than this place, because there's more of a friendly atmosphere there. You get to know the clerks, and can strike up great conversations on a whim. With Wal-Mart, you're lucky to find a clerk that will give you any help at all, let alone engage in a conversation.
Have never even seen a Walmart, guess they don't have them near this city. I'm all for cheaper shit, even if it means putting up with bullshit (Like Fry's customer service department which rivals Buy-Rites) or somewhat shade business practices.