Just watched the Wal Mart documentary.

#26
#26
What the undercutting does it force reputable names to reduce quality in order to compete in the WalMart marketplace. Everyone but walmart loses in that scenario.
 
#28
#28
Hm... I'll respond to this better tomorrow night when I finish my essay that I have to write about Wal-Mart... heh. Final paper for my English 101... yee haw!
 
#30
#30
Wal-Mart's run all other grocery stores out of our town. We have to go 25 minutes to get to Publix and 30 to get to Kroger.
 
#31
#31
CSpindizzy said:
Wal-Mart's run all other grocery stores out of our town. We have to go 25 minutes to get to Publix and 30 to get to Kroger.
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When I was in college in Macon Publix came to town. The Kroger employees were mostly organized labor but Publix was not. The unions hired people to picket Publix but all they could get was H.S. kids who'd just sit in lawn chairs and smoke cigarettes. Democracy in action I guess.
 
#32
#32
CSpindizzy said:
Wal-Mart's run all other grocery stores out of our town. We have to go 25 minutes to get to Publix and 30 to get to Kroger.
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Yea, when I was working for ConAgra about 7 years ago, I remember the rumors floating around that Wal Mart wanted to become the largest grocer in the US in the next 5 years, at the time we did very little businees with them. That began changing quickly. Not certain if they have reached that goal yet, but they will.
 
#33
#33
cibai said:
What the undercutting does it force reputable names to reduce quality in order to compete in the WalMart marketplace. Everyone but walmart loses in that scenario.
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Theories of competition and their accumulated empirical data would suggest otherwise.
 
#34
#34
allvol123 said:
Yea, when I was working for ConAgra about 7 years ago, I remember the rumors floating around that Wal Mart wanted to become the largest grocer in the US in the next 5 years, at the time we did very little businees with them. That began changing quickly. Not certain if they have reached that goal yet, but they will.
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They may become the biggest but I'm sure there will be others. Wild Oats and Fresh Market are always crowded in my neck of the woods and people have been excited about getting a Whole Foods for months now. The few times I've been to the local Super Wal-Mart they just didn't have a lot of the stuff I wanted which I can easily get at Kroger, Publix or Harris Teeter.
 
#36
#36
VolunteerHillbilly said:
When I was in college in Macon Publix came to town. The Kroger employees were mostly organized labor but Publix was not. The unions hired people to picket Publix but all they could get was H.S. kids who'd just sit in lawn chairs and smoke cigarettes. Democracy in action I guess.
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I live about 5 minutes from that Publix. Those were without a doubt the lamest protestors of all time. :birgits_giggle:
 
#39
#39
wal mart's buying power doesn't always mean it has the best prices. case in point are soft drinks like coke and pepsi. I can find those items cheaper at my local Food City or Bread Box gas station.
 
#40
#40
MG1968 said:
wal mart's buying power doesn't always mean it has the best prices. case in point are soft drinks like coke and pepsi. I can find those items cheaper at my local Food City or Bread Box gas station.
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Yeah, but most shoppers are not going to drive all over town do get the beat deal on each item. Wal Mart generaly has the best prices because of buying power, and for items that are not priced lower, the difference is usually not enough for the consumer to get 9 out of the 10 items at Wal Mart and then drive somewhere else to get the 10th item.
 
#41
#41
sometimes though, both locations are "on the way" to one another. smart shoppers know where to shop, and as long as it's cost effective (ie, not wasting gas or time) they'll do it.
My mom buys groceries at wal mart, but she generally won't buy meat there.
 
#42
#42
allvol123 said:
Yeah, but most shoppers are not going to drive all over town do get the beat deal on each item. Wal Mart generaly has the best prices because of buying power, and for items that are not priced lower, the difference is usually not enough for the consumer to get 9 out of the 10 items at Wal Mart and then drive somewhere else to get the 10th item.
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I'll do you one better... Wal-mart has a policy called "price matching". If you can produce an ad by one of those other local stores that has a better price, Wal-mart will give it to you at THAT price.
 
#43
#43
I just now tripped into this thread. Haven't read through but....

How many of you are old enough to remember when the big shopping malls were being built for the first time right outside of everyone's town. The cries all those years ago were the same. Mom and Pop are ruined. Mom and Pop(some of them) adapted.
The point, this is not terribly unusual and the marketplace adapts. K-Mart is gone for Pete's sake, who would've thought that 30 years ago?
 
#44
#44
I've been in several small towns in TN where Mom and Pop stores are thriving right along with Wal Mart supercenters. Lenoir City, Lafollette, Winchester, Manchester, Tullahoma, McMinnville, Murfreesboro, Smyrna, Kimball just to name a few.
 
#45
#45
We still have K-Mart here in Nashville. I remember when 100 Oaks and Harding Mall were the only malls in Nashville. Lot's less mom-and-pops these days but there are a boatload more franchises, which are often owned by locals many of whom are owner-operators. The stores that have really taken it on the chin seem to be the old-school department stores. Not that it means jack-squat but I used to love going to the Downtown Woolwoth's when I was a kid. They had just about everything, even pets.
 
#46
#46
I think it's like anything else. The businesses that evolve survive.
 
#48
#48
allvol123 said:
True. But for some odd reason, anytime I have been in a Wal Mart, "evolved" would be the last term that would come to my mind.

:)
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Oddly, there is something comforting in knowing that there is a place where can bullets, birth control, beer and a hot dog.
 
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