Blaise (imported) wrote: Sun Sep 14, 2008 5:11 pm I don't know what that question has to do with my post. In the case of B & S, Wal-Mart asked the company to manufacture a

s cheap mower. B & S could do that

Blaise (imported) wrote: Sun Sep 14, 2008 5:11 pm but they felt it undermined the dealers who usually sell B & S products. They declined having Wal-Mart represent its products.

Ted-

I agree Wal-Mart does such market share that they can and do dictate how a product is made. More often, soley for their profit margin, not in the best interest of the consumer.

I missed the one on B&S/WM thing. I read a long article about WM and Rubbermaid years ago.

WM is great for shampoo, toilet paper, tooth paste etc. However, I avoid shopping WM for products that should last like bicycles, outdoor furniture, laundry baskets BBQ etc., since WM markets to individuals who can not or do not examine a product for its practical level of quality or repairability.

But at the same time, I can't get with the whole "Let's turn a minimum wage job into a career track for Joe breadwinner and his five kids". I understand how the nation can afford to do that for all the mexicans pooring over the border (don't agree with it, one reason I quiting work), but I think it would be to costly to allow our own people to procreate another generation. It is what it is.

chilliwilli (imported) wrote: Sun Sep 07, 2008 3:53 pm the disgruntled domestic

chilli-

I have worked for Albertson's (think high end high price grocery store) and had to join the union. That Union took so much of my pay that I end up earning just pennies over min wage. So Walmart is not the only one treating employees bad. I earned so little as a Union member that I had to shop at Walmart and the 99 cent stores just to be able to work.

I have two Walmarts within three miles of my house, and if we extend it out to fifteen miles you can add in another four. With in the last three years they have all re molded to increase the amount of food carried. I do find it frustrating when I go to shop and find the shelf empty, and recently went to get some rabbit food for my mother and Walmart was out, so i had to go to Petsmart across the road and spent four times as much for a smaller amount of rabbit food.

Hear on the west coast is the Long Beach harbor, and I am told its the biggest on the west coast. About 90% of the incoming shipments are from China and most of that is for Walmart.

I do know one person at my favorite local Walmart and he has been working there since that store opened, and I do see new employees there all the time but I also see many of the same faces year after year. One guy is a check out person and I have gone through his line so many times that one time he asked to see my ID for a check I had just written and I joked, "What dont you know it by now!"

I have seen things in one of the local Walmarts, but not the others. Back when i had wheels I would drive my mother around and we would have a Walmart day and hit all the local stores. I would see alot of the same stuff, but I would also spot stuff that the others did not have or did not carry.

PS...Hear in San Diego we have no Super-center Walmarts, but they are working on changing that.

IbPervert (imported) wrote: Wed Sep 17, 2008 10:49 pm I have worked for Albertson's (think high end high price grocery store) and had to join the union. That Union took so much of my pay that I end up earning just pennies over min wage. So Walmart is not the only one treating employees bad. I earned so little as a Union member that I had to shop at Walmart and the 99 cent stores just to be able to work.

I have two Walmarts within three miles of my house, and if we extend it out to fifteen miles you can add in another four. With in the last three years they have all re molded to increase the amount of food carried. I do find it frustrating when I go to shop and find the shelf empty, and recently went to get some rabbit food for my mother and Walmart was out, so i had to go to Petsmart across the road and spent four times as much for a smaller amount of rabbit food.

Hear on the west coast is the Long Beach harbor, and I am told its the biggest on the west coast. About 90% of the incoming shipments are from China and most of that is for Walmart.

I do know one person at my favorite local Walmart and he has been working there since that store opened, and I do see new employees there all the time but I also see many of the same faces year after year. One guy is a check out person and I have gone through his line so many times that one time he asked to see my ID for a check I had just written and I joked, "What dont you know it by now!"

I have seen things in one of the local Walmarts, but not the others. Back when i had wheels I would drive my mother around and we would have a Walmart day and hit all the local stores. I would see alot of the same stuff, but I would also spot stuff that the others did not have or did not carry.

I am sorry about your experience. Unions do a lot to undermine themselves. We have Albertson’s stores here, but I have no idea whether they are union shops. It seems that grocery stores are usually not union stores here.

TheAlbertson stores here are grimy with long checkout lines. I don’t shop them because of the way the stores look and the long time it takes to purchase anything.

The profit margins in grocery sales are extremely low. Anything that gives a retail grocery a slight edge has considerable impact on costs, prices, and profits. I don’t know what the margins are these days, but I recall years ago a one percent margin could generate enormous profits if the total or gross sales were large. That is why a retail grocery chain pretty much has to be one of two in its territory. You have to have enormous sales to stay in the market.

I really don't know economics and I am reaching a bit with these posts.

I don’t recall what my union dues were, though in college I earned more at A & P than I would have earned at the competing store. I think that I came out ahead.

In Oregon, I again don’t recall why my union dues were but the benefits we got through our union were the main draw. All of us earned above scale, considerably above scale. As I said, I earned almost as much as my wife earned as a teacher.

Back then, my medical benefits were affordable. I covered my wife with my policy and she covered me with her policy on her job. She had dental. My company did not, but we were to get it the year I left to return to Louisiana. My not having dental turned out to be expensive in Louisiana.

I have found Wal-Mart stores ugly and Sam’s Club even more uninviting. Sam’s does not have the stock that I need and, when it does have an item, it sells it in quantities that exceed what I want or need.

My former wife liked Sam’s Club a long time ago when they were a new item. I tried to buy film from them because I used a lot film at that time. However, my local camera shop gave me a discount that made their prices competitive and they sold me the film that I wanted. Sam’s Club sold whatever they had but their selection was limited. They also did not at the time process slide film. There was not much else that they sold that I used.

It was in my self interest to use the camera shop and I did use it.

I use Ford products in part because they are supposedly made in union shops and also because I like their products. However, I have bought non-uion built cars.

I don't much care for Sam's Club either, but I don't harbor the same outright hostility toward them as I do for Wal-Mart. I know they're basically the same thing, but whatever. I don't have a Sam's card, but I sometimes go with my mom and have her get whatever I want. I haven't noticed a big enough price difference between them and the grocery store to warrant paying the annual fee. My in-laws live just far enough away that they make a whole day of shopping, and they make Sam's their last stop. The butcher there told them some time back if they came in Saturday evenings he would give them a great deal on meats. They go about once a month, and he marks down anything they're interested in to practically nothing. Since I'm a grocery hoarder, it makes me intensely green with envy, but not enough to actually shop at Sam's.

Here in San Diego for groceries I use COSTCO, (8 miles round trip) and for hardware I use the ACE Hardware located in Hillcrest (gay friendly) (6 miles round trip).

We all have to decide. Do we want an inexpensive experience, or a cheap experience.

Sometimes I drive further and pay more because the products and/or services are favorable.

I do not shop at pricey upscale shops; everything everywhere is made in China anyway so why in the heck would I pay quadruple for the same product that has a fancy label? I don't.

If quality product is not convenient I then try ordering it on the internet. Saves time and gas money.

Thankfully at Home Depot they have a good supply of hammers. After you have spent a half hour trying to find someone and not finding someone who knows something you can always find a hammer in the tool department and start pounding your brains out.

Wal-Mart? I won't enter one...I won't! I won't. I WON'T!, except...

The one in Boerne TX, a few miles up the road from our little paradise. Unlike the nearest one in San Antonio it is spotlessly clean, neat, and very well staffed. Even at that, I've been in there only three or four times in the past year and most of those were occasions when a guest needed a fishing/hunting license or some small tackle item or shotgun shells.

Well, I DID buy some tampons once, when events overtook me, so to speak. Also, I bought some cat litter. The two are NOT related!

Home Depot? Wellllll, Ash(leigh) and I did enter one a few days ago to select an outdoor lighting item and to pick up some item or other for a friend. I confess that when I'm in the neighborhood I drop in for a moment and make my way to the gardening and live plants area. That might() be because of a certain female employee I know only by her first name (tag). She is cute as a button and there's a definite chemistry between us. Time will tell. In fact, the last time I saw her I hinted at perhaps meeting her off-premises sometime, just to chat. She was very receptive...well, so am I but I will, as always, be very cautious.

There's a Fox and/or Hound very close to the Home Depot and I'm thinking about inviting her there for a little drinkie or twelve after she gets off work. That might conflict with the little flirtation I have going with two of the girls as the Fox & Mutt but, well, that's life.

One of those F 'n H girls has come right out and stated she's bisexual and sometimes wonders if I am too. Hmmmmm. Should I tell her EVERYTHING?

Anyway, Home Depot OK. Wally World bad!

Yoli

Who wishes Prada and Gucci made light bulbs and cat litter.

I must confess, I do shop at Wally-World sometimes. It's a few miles further than the competition, but they have a better selection and better price. It justifies the gas I use to get there. I have never had customer service issues with them. Then, I have never needed help either. I am usually better informed than the staff anyway. It's the advantage of being older and more experienced. I look for what I want and compare price, get it and get out.

As for the economic impact; I am concerned about the effect on our economy. I am more concerned with my own personal economy.

I find myself shopping online more and more. The selection is better as well as price. The price difference often covers the cost of shipping. It can be even better if you buy in bulk or a number of items. It works for me if I can wait for delivery. If not, then I must suffer the fools like everyone else.

As for ammo I found https://www.cheaperthandirt.com a great source for most of it. If I need something unusual I look through a publication called Shotgun News. http://www.shotgunnews.com If it's still made, someone in there sells it.

The best wrath is to expressed with your dollars. If you don't get the product, price or service, go somewhere else and let them know about it. I will pay a little more, travel or even suck dick for good service. If it's a good one I will even pay a little to suck dick.

Blaise (imported) wrote: Thu Sep 18, 2008 1:24 am TheAlbertson stores here are grimy with long checkout lines. I don’t shop them because of the way the stores look and the long time it takes to purchase anything.

The profit margins in grocery sales are extremely low. Anything that gives a retail grocery a slight edge has considerable impact on costs, prices, and profits. I don’t know what the margins are these days, but I recall years ago a one percent margin could generate enormous profits if the total or gross sales were large. That is why a retail grocery chain pretty much has to be one of two in its territory. You have to have enormous sales to stay in the market.

The Albertson's I worked for was high end and very posh. It is hard for me to picture a Albertsons that is grimmy, but I have been in a few that were of lower quality then the one I worked at. Those stores that were boarding on grimy were either closed or remodeled.

One time we had a big sale of Cake Mixes they were one dollar each, and being on the graveyard shift I got to see the invoice...even at a $1 each the store still earned a 30% profit PLUS the money earned from the manufacturer for having it on a end cap. All retails stores get money for product placement on end caps! However, some stores get paid to place product on store shelves and some do not. Those two places make more money for the company then the actual sale of products. I have worked for many retail stores and all but the small mom and pop stores got paid by manufacturers for placement on end caps and store shelves.

While at Albertsons a product would be discontinued and we would stop ordering it and make room for nearby products. Then in a few months that product would be back in stock, and we knew the maker had payed there "Slotting fees" to put the item back on the shelf or did not pay and the company stopped ordering it. It did not matter how big a sale item the item was if the slotting fees were not paid it was out. So Walmart is not the only one that pushes manufactures around.

When I worked for Albertson's it was right after the strike, and those that had been there were on the old contract, and those new people got screwed and shoved on the new contract. There is a Vons store one mile from my house and is one of the older grocery stores around the area, but it does not look it (been remodeled a few times) before the strike they never had help wanted signs up, and now after it is up all the time. While at Albertsons the floor manager told me that just about all albertsons stores have a high turn over of the newer employees.

I can not think of one thing a union has ever done for me, and I have had to join two of them. Currently I think of unions as extortion...give us money and you get to keep working, stop handing us money and your fired.

nullorchis (imported) wrote: Thu Sep 18, 2008 4:44 am Here in San Diego for groceries I use COSTCO, (8 miles round trip) and for hardware I use the ACE Hardware located in Hillcrest (gay friendly) (6 miles round trip).

We all have to decide. Do we want an inexpensive experience, or a cheap experience.

Sometimes I drive further and pay more because the products and/or services are favorable.

I do not shop at pricey upscale shops; everything everywhere is made in China anyway so why in the heck would I pay quadruple for the same product that has a fancy label? I don't.

If quality product is not convenient I then try ordering it on the internet. Saves time and gas money.

Thankfully at Home Depot they have a good supply of hammers. After you have spent a half hour trying to find someone and not finding someone who knows something you can always find a hammer in the tool department and start pounding your brains out.

I use to live three blocks from ACE hardware in Hillcrest, and is by far the best ACE Hardware I have ever been in. I use to have a Costco card and it was a xmas gift from my father every year, but I would go over every saturday and sunday just to eat the free samples(my lunch)...but as others have said CostCo and Sams club's big draw back is you have to purchase such huge quantities, but the food out front is decent, filling and cheap.