Wal-mart Deals

Quote:

---

Look what they did to LEVI’s a couple years ago.

---

I would also like to hear the LEVI’S story.

I dont care who my employer is.. the only person who should be beneficiaries(sp?) to a life insurance policy for me should be my direct family. They need to replace me, thats on them… they’re dollar, they are the ones benefitting from my work.

I know wallyworld treats employees bad, I never worked there.. but others in my family have.

Im not getting into an *american* product debate.. I drive an american truck.. most the parts are made in mexico or japan

I will shop all wally-world here and there.. I have to, I dont have an executive salary.. but I would still rather pay a couple extra dollars at my local shop. If you can find a good deal at wally-world.. more power to you! I hope its so good they lose a little money on it.

I get my groceries from wally world…. my burger, steaks, and roasts from a local farmer processed at a local butcher… don’t shop after 9pm though or the only person you’ll understand will be yourself wondering why noone speaks a lick of english

Sometimes it’s worth the 5-10% premium on groceries at
hy-vee

I prefer to buy bait and lures at a local baitshop…the service is always better….if I see a deal at a major retailer though I won’t pass it up

Chris

Hows Govenor Doyle supposed to get 95% of WI. residents insured when Wal-mart only lets their retail people work just under the required hours for benefits. Just because they are a leading employer does not mean they are a good one. Being the nations number 2 employer you would think they would be set to high standards. I wonder how much money Wal-mart would make without those retail employees they don’t want to insure. I believe if you take care of the people the poeple will take care of you. I don’t see that at retail Wal-mart. Distibution is a whole different story, those guys have it made as far as that industry goes.

In my college courses, we discussed Walmart. Not the retail sales, but there distribution network, and how it is the best in the industry. They discussed the state of the art network of distribution center, and can stock all items needed at any of there stores within a very short period of time.

They also pay all invoices within a very short period of time (think minutes) before due, so they can hold onto the money for as long as possible and make interest from it.

Very interesting company if anyone wants to do the research on it.

Guys;
support the Mom & Pop shops. You generally will find better deals there, if you know the people. Generally higher quality too.

But you cannot deny the good prices and good selection at Walmart. Walmart is not so much about cheap prices. It is about convenience.

I get my shopping done in 1 hour at wally-world.

If I was shopping the Mom&Pop stores, it would take me all day.
I would have to hit the hardware store,
the Ben Franklin,
Wife would drag me to the fabric store
Grocery store
Pharmacy
Clothing store
shoe store

Now…….If “I” had a million dollar idea, I would put all of these stores under one-roof so my shopper can get all their shopping done in 1 hour instead of 1 day. BRILLIANT IDEA!!!!!!

K-Mart and Pamida tried it. But they were noted for selling “less than desireable quality”. They are just about gone.

Quote:

---

They also pay all invoices within a very short period of time (think minutes) before due, so they can hold onto the money for as long as possible and make interest from it.

---

That is a very common practice amongst all business’.

Deals on plastics are ok there but careful with their cranks!I dont know where they get them but be ready to tune them up right out of the box

Quote:

---

Quote:

---

They also pay all invoices within a very short period of time (think minutes) before due, so they can hold onto the money for as long as possible and make interest from it.

---

That is a very common practice amongst all business’.

---

When Walmart first started it, it was not common. They were one of the first to implement computerized payment systems to accomplish it.

Walmart implemented many ideas that are now industry standard, but were revolutionary at the time. Love them or hate them, they broke new ground with what they were doing.

Quote:

---

I dont care who my employer is.. the only person who should be beneficiaries(sp?) to a life insurance policy for me should be my direct family.

---

Life insurance on executives is common across all large companies, not just a Walmart thing. The life insurance is part of an overall compensation package. The policy will build cash values over the years. If the executive sticks it out until retirement, he gets the money that has accumulated as part of his retirement package. If he skidaddles before retiring, the company keeps the money. Fairly standard agreement in the world of big business.

-J.

I love the people who say Walmart treats their employees poorly. Do they get paid? I (and many others) have worked for some mom and pop places where I didnt get my last few checks when they went out of business. BTW-it was not Walmart’s fault in my cases, it was bad product.

Also, many of those mom and pop places dont pay there invoices at the last minute, they dont pay them at all. My father tried to run his own business, he worked hard, made an OK living on paper, but invoices and accounts receivable dont pay your employees or salary.

Walmart might not be the ideal for everyone, but they deliver what you expect. Most of the time I choose to go other places, just because I like my experience there as compared to other retailers. But every time I go through those doors, they deliver exactly what I expect. I wish I could get that out of everywhere I spend my money.

walmart has only 5 colors in rapala when your bait store has all the colors walmart wants to suport tourments and you still have go your bait store to get the right color just go to bait store frist and be fishing

I worked for Wal-Mart as a supervisor and can tell you for a fact that their methods at the least are less than ethical. I won’t give chapter and verse on all the ways Walllyworld skirts the law but here’s 1 insidious little example: If you can harrass and intimidate your workers to the point that they cut their breaks short to the tune of 10 minutes per day and multiply that times 500 workers per store and thousands of stores that puts millions in the coffers to keep the Waltons on the most wealthy list every year. They call this intimidation “creating a sense of urgency in your associates” and I was trained to do it. If you want to see more about the real Wal-mart go to wake up wal-mart and get an education. Anyone who shops at wal-mart is helping to perpetuate a system of economic slavery

What about those who manufacture products locally that Walmart buys? There are some MAJOR businesses in our tri-state area that employ THOUSANDS of people thanks to Walmart buying their product…

Please ask me to name one…I’ve been biting my teeth .

By the way Jon the example of how Walmart manipulates its vendors is not an exageration. it is right on the money. Even on a local level I was told to “suggest” something to a vender that no bussiness man in his right mind would agree to. When I expressed my doubts I was “told they will do whatever the #ell we tell them to we’re Wallmart.”

Dave, absent Wal-Mart the same products would be distributed by a wider base of retailers spreading the profits around rather than giving it all to the Walton clan.

Quote:

---

What about those who manufacture products locally that Walmart buys? There are some MAJOR businesses in our tri-state area that employ THOUSANDS of people thanks to Walmart buying their product…

---

Walmart can give those prices because they put the hurt to those manufacturers. We had a local business that took the hurt to get into wallie world. Sold them $50K worth of product. Then on Dec. 30th wallie world sent $45K worth of the product back and the local business went belly up. The business had spent the money expanding and increasing their stocks, anticipating great things from wallie world. The fine lines in their contract allows wallie to return the product. This lowers their supply stock and gives wallie world better end of year numbers while shooting the manufacturer.

Spreading profits around? Didnt Marx say something about that? I aint too smart, but it sounds kind of weird.

The Truth Will Set You Free!

I have benn a bussiness owner and retailer most of my adult life, to accuse me of communism is ludicrous.

Yellowdog;
I managed 2 production companies before getting into mortgages. One was medical manufacturing, the other was in the dry food industry.

Pushing your “labor” employees on is standard practice in any industry.

Also,
as far as vendors in both of these business’. “IF” you didn’t produce what I needed, when I needed it………I dropped you like a hot potato………Plenty other vendors producing the same product that was begging for my business. Again, standard business practice.

No matter what business you are in, it is a “race”. A marathon to be exact. It never stops. Once you stop to tie a shoe, get a drink, catch your breath in this race, it is lost time that you can never recover. With that said, all of your competitors just passed you and instead of leading the pack you are trailing. You have to do better or hope that your competetion has a “hiccup” so you can atleast “catch up”.

What Walmart did was brilliant and there isn’t anyone out there that cannot do the same! You have to commend a self-made business tycoon. My previous employer was one. He started out of his garage 41 years ago. Today he has a multi-million dollar operation, all self-made.

Now, treating employees poorly is never good or acceptable. However a friends wife works for Walmart and she has been there 12 years. Can’t be that bad! Plus they get a 10% discount on all items. I’m sure each store is managed a bit differently.

Interesting post. I hate to agree with Jon. When I can get a case of diapers there for 7 dollars cheaper 40 verses 34 dollars I will go there for that. That said, I think their business practices are despicable and I buy my fishing gear at the local bait shop when I can. I have my own local Dave here who gives me an accurate fishing report. That place is as close to the local barber shop as you can get in Madison. I get my plastics from Bfishn because they have good products and most of all because I like Dave and James.

I think what makes more sense would be, “Absent Wal-Mart the same products would be distributed by another mega-retailer who steps up and profits off of our society wanting convienient shopping”.

Ever heard of RFID (radio frequency identification?)? Walmart is driving that! Walmart is providing many companies money to help pioneer that. It’s the future…it WILL happen.

Here is what both sides think about RFID… From the end user’s point-of-view (regular customer), they will be able to walk into a store, fill their cart, push their cart right out the front door, and load their stuff in the trunk and spend more time doing more important things than shopping……….. The business side of it knows EVERY customer hates standing in line to pay; however, they also know that RFID will reduce headcount (cashiers).

It is not just Walmart, many other major retailers are jumping on RFID (they better) because it will make customers happy and reduce their overhead.

Gary, I too have been in production management. and I completely disagree with you. there are ways to get the most out of your employees without negitive motivation as your main tool. Nor do I think that bullying vendors is the best way to establish a profitable relationship. The tactics you sugjest may be comnon but they are not standard.

Yellowdog;
I guess trying to type my words didn’t come out clear.

I wasn’t implying to bullying employees or vendors. More of demanding the “most” and not accepting anything less. It is a management technique. I haven’t been in the old food plant for almost 5 years now, yet my old employees still talk postively about me and about the “good days”. This can be done with “postive” motivation. If you establish the “right” communication, your employees will do anything for “you”.

Pushing your employee to take “short breaks” is unacceptable. But I still think it is more common than it isn’t. What MN law has for guidelines with giving employees breaks is very “short” in comparison to what the vast majority of employers give.

Gary if you really believe in positive reinforcment then we may be closer together than I thought. But It still seems like your wearing blinders when it comes to corperate practices. Just because something is comnon doesn’t mean we should accept it. It all comes down to morallity for me. If it seems wrong on a personal level then It can’t be right on any level. By the way, when I left Walmart both my manager and my associates’ begged me to stay. I think that says something about the practical application of my ideas.

I would like to point out that a young member of this great site posted this thread to let other members, who do shop there, in on a deal. Wal-Mart is one of the stores that I do shop at, along with the smaller stores, I’ve been following this right along and have found it very interesting, but maybe it should be in it’s own thread so members who want to see the deal can, and those that want to discuss the system can do so also. I’m not trying to make anyone mad, just trying to keep Cades thread what it was intended for. Thanks

Ed

Your right Ed and I just told D-Nort that I would disscontinue posting on this subject. Everyone have a good day and enjoy the coming snow

Quote:

---

I think what makes more sense would be, “Absent Wal-Mart the same products would be distributed by another mega-retailer who steps up and profits off of our society wanting convienient shopping”.

---

I started to type something similar to that, but not so well put, and had to do something else.

Here where I work (office staff of a construction company), I am pushed to not take breaks, and to get the most of my employees. I guess that means we are a communist company

In all reality, I don’t think there is a company that can sustain itself in this corporate world, without pushing it’s employees to work harder, longer, and faster. I do this, and I am sure every other company I compete with does the same. It is the way companies continue to exist.

Walmart fills a niche, and provide a product and lavel of service that is benefitial to people. All companies have ex employees that feel they were treated poorly, and voice there opinions of this, but the ones who work for many years and enjoy the work are not heard from. I guess the loudest people are always the most negative.

Yellowdog is a good cat!

We’re done…