Wal-Mart

[Sombeech]

A little Monday morning controversy.

What's your opinion of Wal-Mart? Do you love 'em? Do you see them as the next great evil? Let's talk about it...

Post your vote in the poll.

[derstuka]

I like Target better, primarily because they seem to be not as crowded, and have similar prices. Wal-Mart is ok, but they need to pay their employees more, and stop buying from sweatshops like so many others...

[live2ride]

I have a love hate relationship with them being that I currently have the Walmart account, so I see a side that most people don't see, dealing with buyers, vp's and so on. From the business aspect they are amazing; however, I have to agree with others, they need to take care of thier employees more.

[Sombeech]

they need to take care of thier employees more.

I'm hearing a lot about that, but I don't hear specifics. Do they not have good benefits, pay, hours, etc?

I know that I hate my job, and a lot of people hate their jobs. Can you expand on what Wal-Mart doesn't do for their employees? Because I am hearing that a lot from 3rd hand information.

[derstuka]

Based on people that I know that have worked at Wal-Mart, as well as a TV news documentary, they pay their employees a relatively low wage, have smaller raises, not very good benefits, and have a very high turn-over rate. They claim they are getting better, but that remains to be seen. Basically, the employees who work there deserve better in my opinion. Wal-Mart is WAY to obessed with cost! :twisted:

[Sombeech]

Do you know what position they held?

I wonder if it's the checkers, or a certain "level" of employees who are treated poorly.

I wonder how store managers and upper management do with their salaries and benefits... :ne_nau:

What do you guys think about what they are doing to the competition?

[derstuka]

I think it is lower level employees mostly that are compensated poorly. The people that I was talking about were stockers, clerks, and the like. I think that upper-level would would get compensated fairly well for them to want to stay around. As far as a regular manager, I don't know, but I wouldn't guess it would be that great. I'm just guessing on the manager's and upper-level employees keep in mind.

Wal-Mart is also guilty (as are lots of others) of buying from sweatshops, but they claim they don't, and they only buy from workers paid a reasonable local wage, and works normal hours. A dateline exclusive showed some of the places that they bought from in India and the workers made 15-20 cents an hour and work 14 hour day, with no overtime.

[Sombeech]

True, I heard some statistics of how much money they used from out of country, but I also heard the other side of the story where most of their purchases came from the USA.

Keep in mind, Wal-Mart is not the manufacturer who chooses to outsource to other countries.

Although, Wal-Mart CAN have the choice to buy only AMERICAN MADE products.

But then, would I shop there as much because the price doubled?

There's good and bad. This is a good discussion, let's keep it going.

Where do you think Wal-Mart could improve? Where are they doing great?

[derstuka]

Well, Wal-Mart (as well as others) do buy clothing and material directly from overseas manufacturers who have sweatshop like conditions. Yes, I would rather them all buy American products, but the main point that I would like to make is buy requesting such a low low low price from it's vendors, Wal-Mart is forcing people to do business overseas, and from unethical businesses sometimes. They may look clean and pretty when the auditor comes, but behind the scenes, it is a different story.

In the same story, it talked about how vendors told Wal-Mart personnel that they cannot produce product for the prices that they are asking, so the Wal-mart personnel told them to "go elsewhere overseas" if need be to meet the price.

Think if they paid those ladies working in a sweatshop 1 dollar and hour instead of 15 cents, and didn't force them to work 14 hours? They would be able to live a much better life, and I for one would not mind paying another 5 bucks for a shirts.

[live2ride]

Well A department manager generally makes about 12 bucks an hour and that can be after 10 years of working with the company. Benefits suck and you can start making decent money when you get in the managers program. They typically work the assistant managers into the ground and aren't compenstated very well either. Store Managers do OK, but when you get in the District Manager positions they can start making good money. I deal with 52 walmarts from Souther Idaho to Vegas on a daily basis so I get my fair share of Walmart, typically I am in the Hardware Dept and working with the store managers daily. They don't make good money and they always change things such as bonuses, raises etc on a yearly basis.

[Sombeech]

In the same story, it talked about how vendors told Wal-Mart personnel that they cannot produce product for the prices that they are asking, so the Wal-mart personnel told them to "go elsewhere overseas" if need be to meet the price.

Yeah, I heard that too from the same report. To be honest, I think it's a bunch of bull. If I was a vendor trying to sell to Wal-Mart, I'd blame it on them too if I chose to go overseas.

It's funny, the vendors are so desperate to "get in" with WM, that they'd sell at any price they had to, and then they end up hating WM for it.

These guys want to sell to WM SO BAD, that when WM says, "OK, we'll buy them for $50 each instead of $75", the vendor goes OK, it's a deal, instead of saying, "we'll go to Target instead".

I think the vendors are the ones that need to start resisting WM's demands, and they need to quit blaming their biggest customer.

I know exactly how they feel. With the plumbing wholesale business, we have our very large, low profit, high maintenance customers. We hate it! But every day we CHOOSE to sell to them, because we "need" them. We aren't disciplined enough to go after the smaller guys, with more profit potential. We, as a company, are too lazy to expand our customer base, so we'll just keep putting up with the big customers' demands.

But, WM is so big right now, that they can pick and choose where they want to buy from, and what price they want. It's just those guys that are so desperate to get in the "big time" that they'll do anything to meet the demands of this potential huge customer.

[derstuka]

I know what you are saying about the vendors going to Wal-Mart then bitching about it, but, as you stated, they are SO BIG that getting in with them is a foot in the door for many people, and too irresistible. People don't go to others, because, they are the biggest, and baddest of them all. I am not saying that Target, or Kmart is perfect, they all could be better, but it is the way much of the world is these days. Everybody wants everything for next to nothing, and your company just about has to take a loss to get the contract.

I also don't like the way that so many large corporations are putting smaller ones (in small towns for instance) out of business as well.

Ok, lets' talk about happy things now. Anybody seen the new Batman Begins movie? I did, and I thought it :rockon:

[Sombeech]

I'm not putting any opinions down. Sorry if I'm coming across as a Troll. :haha:

I just hear so much "Wal-Mart hatred" that I want to see if it's all media or not.

What else do you guys think about WM? Do you think they take away business when they move in? Or do they bring more business when they come to town?

[Sombeech]

Anybody seen the new Batman Begins movie? I did, and I thought it :rockon:

Likewise. My summer pick.

[derstuka]

Well, I don't really HATE Wal-Mart, I just wish that they would be a more ethical company and treat their vendors & employees better, and gave them a little more maybe, not to mention check up on their vendor's manufacturer's better as well. You could say the same thing for Mcdonald's, BK, and a million other places also.

Hey, if you haven't already, try reading "Fastfood Nation" sometime. Very interesting book...scary too!

[Sombeech]

You could say the same thing for Mcdonald's, BK, and a million other places also.

Hey, if you haven't already, try reading "Fastfood Nation" sometime. Very interesting book...scary too!

Yeah, I saw "Super Size Me". I haven't been back to McD's since. They were my favorite place to eat, too.

Other places are just as bad, but one step at a time. :popcorn:

[derstuka]

If you read Fastfood Nation, you'd be amazed at the ways that Mcdonalds and others have changed this nation, and the power that they exert over their vendors.

[live2ride]

Not to jump around with the post but being a vendor for Walmart I have some insight on how it is. I work with the KILZ brand of primers and paint. Vendors like to b*tch, I have it great and it depends on the parameters that are set when the vendors get in the door, the company I work for (same as BEHR paint) changed the painting industry with Home Depot so we actually don't get bullied around and do most of the bullying when it comes down to it. Vendors in the produce and the food industry have a complete different story and are the ones that generally b*tch. All of the complaining usually stems from the fact that walmart as a whole treats vendors like crap and if the company that they work for isn't big they usually can't hack it. But yet a large part of the vendors actually working on the sales floor get paid squat and are just there to face and stock product so it is just a fill in job. Walmart is huge, but yet they are in the midst of having a paradigm shift.... Soon look for walmart to be carrying Nike and other name products they are moving away from the cheapest, that is why the you see a lot of name brand products being launched in the stores recently and that will continue to grow.

[derstuka]

Thank you for your insight sir! I guess we are gonna start seeing Intense, Foes, and Specialized bikes on the racks shortly after the nikes hit the shelves, eh? :roflol:

[live2ride]

Why would you want that when you can buy a kick ass Next!!! I am so sick of Walmart it isn't even funny, and personally Walmart sucks ass but I think I can get over it. I don't care what brands Walmart brings in, they are still going to be WALMART....Guaranteed everyday LOW PRICES... Pieces :hail2thechief: :assault: of sh*t!!!

[derstuka]

I especially LOVE when I see those "bomber" Next bikes on the trail, or when I see someone cruising around on one on the street and they know that they :rockon: They are sweet!

[live2ride]

My brother in law has one and he thinks it is pretty bad.. I don't have the heart to let him know that he did get what he paid for!!! He is just glad he has SHOCKS!!! Thos bikes weight like 50lbs...

[Sombeech]

I especially LOVE when I see those "bomber" Next bikes on the trail

Full "suspension"

[live2ride]

Yeah they are pretty plush!!! :roflol:

[derstuka]

Just make sure that you have your glasses on when you ride behind him, because based on experience, those babies shed weight by flingin' parts down the trail! Make sure you have your :rifle: ready so you can take out any UFO's coming off it!

[live2ride]

They are good at letting people know someone is coming down the hill, nothing like steel on steel clanking through the woods

[Black Mage]

I detest Wal-Mart and all it's ilk! I hate setting foot in any of those stores. Whenever I go into a Wal-Mart I instantly shift into a very bad mood, though I'm not sure why...I think it was to do with all the mullets.

I prefer Target, 10 to 1. Their stores aren't crowded, or visually cluttered. They're also a lot cleaner. They also have a much better clothing selection (gotta love the Bob Ross "Happy Trees" shirt).
http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/m/t/mth162/happy%20trees.jpg

[derstuka]

I detest Wal-Mart and all it's ilk! I hate setting foot in any of those stores. Whenever I go into a Wal-Mart I instantly shift into a very bad mood, though I'm not sure why...I think it was to do with all the mullets.

I prefer Target, 10 to 1. Their stores aren't crowded, or visually cluttered. They're also a lot cleaner. They also have a much better clothing selection (gotta love the Bob Ross "Happy Trees" shirt).
http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/m/t/mth162/happy%20trees.jpg

Those Bob Ross shirts are sweet! I gotta get me one of those! My mom loved that guy. He actually was a very good painter.

[Black Mage]

He actually was a very good painter.

Agreed, though pretty much all of my art professors absolutely hate him. :haha:

[Sombeech]

Isn't Target a little more expensive than Wal-Mart?

I love the shirt though.

[derstuka]

For certain items it may be more expensive, but all in all, I think that Target is the one of the few department stores that can go head to head with a Wal-Mart. Kmart has pretty much gone down the crapper.

[KillEmAll]

I did my wife's friends taxes for her this last year. She works at WM and is making a pretty good living being young, single, and uneducated. Maybe it has something to do with the store or manager, but she claims they treat her really well. I've seen some of the "documentaries" out there as well and you really have to watch them with a grain of salt. They claim they are trying to portray both sides, but it's all bs. The film makers/reporters all have an agenda.
Sombeech, I think your hitting it right on the head. Everybody puts down WM but I never hear specifics. I guarantee WM's practices aren't any different than any other companies. The guy on top is always the target to either be like, or to bring down. Sounds kinda like America compared to the rest of the world.

[KillEmAll]

One thing to throw out though... there are several reports that China is building up its military. If this is the case, all of us who are buying products from China is helping to pay for it.

[Sombeech]

It seems like the two big boys are Wal-Mart and Target. Although, when some people say they shop at Target, they sometimes include the phrase "I hate Wal-Mart". It's like they're shopping at the competition just because they hate Wal-Mart.

I know this isn't the only reason though, not to give any Target shoppers a hard time.

Target has good stuff, don't get me wrong, but I'm always satisfied when I go into WM. I love the prices. I'll go in there for anything. For hell's sake, they've even got the lowest beef jerky prices! I'm in and out of there in 5 minutes with the self check out machines.

When I go into WM, and see all of the incredibly low prices, I think to myself, "this is exactly why I come here."

And it's stuff like Wrigley's gum, too. EVERYBODY sells it. So it's not that WM is searching out special companies that can sell cheaper.

[Sombeech]

Sounds kinda like America compared to the rest of the world.

Exactly.

[KillEmAll]

I actually own a Next bike. It literally does way 50 lbs. But I only paid $50 for it. It was on sale, $0.99 / lb. I bought it in the produce section :). I knew exactly what I was getting when I bought it. I didn't plan to go trail riding. I planned to pull my two kids in their bike trailer. I still use it to do that because I don't really want to use my nice bike (a Mongoose... kidding :)) to pull them around. Yeah, they have cheap stuff, but you pay for what you get. Some things are so cheap I think of them as being disposable. $1 for flip-flop sandles (John Kerry style). They also have most of the same products that Target has, but at a cheaper price.
Sombeech, I'm with you. The main reason I shop at WM is any thing I need they have it, and I can guarantee it's the same price or cheaper than anywhere else. One stop. They always seem to know what I need, no matter how obscure they still seem to have it. The wife shops both Target and WM, but I never seem to find quite everything at Target.

[Sombeech]

I actually own a Next bike. It literally does way 50 lbs. But I only paid $50 for it. It was on sale, $0.99 / lb. I bought it in the produce section :)
:lol8: :lol8: :lol8:

The wife shops both Target and WM, but I never seem to find quite everything at Target.

I know, man. I'm always walking away from Target thinking "OK, I've still got to find this thing". Then I head to Wal-Mart!

I end up kicking myself, because the things that I did find at Target, are now cheaper at Wal-Mart. pissed: Money down the drain.[/quote]

[derstuka]

I gotcha all beat! I shop at my local "Victor's $0.99 cent store!" Nothing like dollar panties and bras for my lady!

[accadacca]

Ok I have got a Walmart story from this weekend to throw in the mix. I was heading for the freeway on Friday afternoon. My son fell asleep followed by my wife. So I was faced with complete silence for 2.5 hours. I decided to pull into Walmart to get a new CD and a cheap CD player. I picked up one of the $10 dollar specials. Then over to get a CD. I had been thinking about getting the Velvet Revolver CD but hadn't yet. So I thought I would give it a shot.

So I get on the road, headed towards Evanston. You know I thought the CD player would be disposable and I could use it for this trip. It ended up sounding like complete crap. I thought a CD player is a CD player, after all they have been around forever. Right? Wrong!!! Then I didn't notice a small label on the CD that said "edited version" SCREWED!!!! I hate crap that is edited!!! Damn it!!! :eatme:

So I went straight to Walmart in Evanston to exchange both. I got a Sony CD player that sounded much better and had AM/FM, bass boost, etc. However they don't sell the unedited version of this CD at Walmart! They would have let me do an exchange if they would have had it. But they don't sell it! Bastards!!! So now I am stuck with it because it was opened. :wallbash: BTW.....I would give this CD a 6. I think they should sell both versions or neither one at all.

[Sombeech]

So it was an editted version of the CD? Is it super vulgar or something?

And even Evanston, city of booze, porn and fireworks, you still can't get an uneditted CD from Wal-Mart?

[derstuka]

Yeah, ya gots to watch out for those "edited versions," they do suck. Some stores are now carrying CD's with encypted software so that you cannot rip/copy them to use on your MP3. Well, I guess you can, but you have to register it, sign your name in blood, and swear on your grandmother's grave that you will not copy it and give it to your friends. I've heard that Wal-Mart, Target, Kmart and some others are pulling Grand Theft Auto as well as some others due to nudity and graphic content. No worries to me, 'cuz I don't have any gaming systems.

[derstuka]

So it was an editted version of the CD? Is it super vulgar or something?

And even Evanston, city of booze, porn and fireworks, you still can't get an uneditted CD from Wal-Mart?

Certain department stores have been selling edited CD's for more than 10 years. They just edit out the swearing.

[accadacca]

Yeah it is just a little swearing. There is not a good way to edit the original and it ends up sounding like crap in places. I say freedom of speech and the choice to choose that should be allowed at Wally World. I have heard of Cd's getting banned by Walmart. I guess I never thought to look on this CD. Sucks!!! :frustrated: I guess it is not the place to get a CD. The selection sucks anyway............ :bore:

[live2ride]

Yeah I bought 50 cent a while back from Walmart and I think there was a total of 10 words per song that you could hear because there was so much editing. I guess that is what I get for buying 50cent!!!

[derstuka]

Sounds like it was worth about fiddy-cent! :roflol: :roflol: :haha: :haha:

[Black Mage]

Sounds like it was worth about fiddy-cent! :roflol: :roflol: :haha: :haha:
:roll:

Personally I can't stande hip hop or rap. Hip hop is all about sex, alcohol, and shallow materialism. And rap is all about drugs and violence.

[Sombeech]

bizatch!

[crazy horse]

Most rap and hip hop are about those things that you mentioned, but if you dig a bit deeper, you can actually find some good stuff. I used to have the same attitude as you about these types of music, but i've found some stuff that i actually enjoy. You just have to keep an open mind i guess

[live2ride]

I do like hip hop amongst many other types of music and I always wonder if in 20 years I can have my kids in the car and be singing along to the oldies station while Luducris is on??? Some times the swearing and F bombs are a little too much, that is when I turn to Rage vs the machine :roflol: