Is Wal Mart good for America?

[coinmojo]

I say no.

View this

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/walmart/view/

Mojo

 

[seger98]

Re: Is Wall Mart good for America?

I think they are good for America, Now I know I'll catch alot of flack for that but.........

Sure they have hurt the mom & pops, whether they've put major manufacturers out of business is another question. (maybe bad managment had more to do with it)

But I have seen first hand what they have done for small communities like Antigo Wi, Put alot of people to work in what is a farming area & doesn't have alot of job oppurtunities. Brought product to the area that wasn't available at all.

I've seen towns like Grants,New Mexico, Holton, Kansas, Bullhead City. Az. That with Wal marts presence brought in a lot of jobs & again the products that weren't readily available.

I'm sure everyone here has shopped there at one time or another (whether they will admit it or not) and all will have their own opinion, but that's mine!

 

[Montana Jim]

Re: Is Wall Mart good for America?

It's the perfect example of some American dude making a ton of money while providing a ton of jobs.

It's free-market capitalism.

It just worked better than anyone else did it... with the unfortunate truth that it sells the products of other countries...

Of course somethings about it kinda sucks... but for the average purchaser?

I don't shop there unless I have to... LMAO

 

[snake35]

Re: Is Wall Mart good for America?

Wal-Mart comes in with low prices. After driving out the competitors they raise their prices. As far as creating jobs, I believe that they are mostly minimum wage. Not to mention all of the lawsuits over fair labor practices. So I do not think that they are good for America.

 

[Montana Jim]

Re: Is Wall Mart good for America?

It's the perfect example of some American dude making a ton of money while providing a ton of jobs.

It's free-market capitalism.

It just worked better than anyone else did it... with the unfortunate truth that it sells the products of other countries...

Of course somethings about it kinda sucks... but for the average purchaser?

I don't shop there unless I have to... LMAO

Jimmy,

After TODAY you might be buying your Harley Parts there soon ...

Nick

I must have missed something?

 

[SHERMANVILLE ILLINOIS]

Re: Is Wall Mart good for America?

In short,

WAL MART SUCKS.

 

[EDDE]

 

[P.B. and Dylan]

I think you could pick either side of the issue and make a strong and valid case to support it.
Fact is Wal-Mart is not going to go away. I think that this is just the next (current) step in the retail world. Just like automobiles put buggy manufacturers out of business, like supermarkets put Mom and Pop grocery stores out of business and like computers put typewritter manufacturers out of business, Wal-Mart caused a lot of other businesses to become obsolete. What I would like to see is for Wal-Mart to go back to the Sam Walton way of business where they give American manufacturers preference. I think in a lot of cases these products can be made in the U.S. at a competitive price.

 

[BuckleBoy]

Re: Is Wall Mart good for America?

Sure, they sell other countries' products...but who actually buys 100% grown/made/assembled in the U.S.A. anymore?  And who even knows, with the twisted paths our products take these days.  So to be honest, I try to buy American when I can, and I really could give a darn about the rest...but the main problem with Wal-Mart ain't their imported products.  Hey, at least that's a product that is cheap (and that we can better afford!).

That with Wal marts presence brought in a lot of jobs & again the products that weren't readily available.

Yep.  Brought a lot of jobs where folks couldn't ever be anything more than cashiers...where they can't choose their hours or days off, and they are kept at Just Shy of Full Time so that they don't have to receive any benefits.  Is this good for America? Well, if they sell out to China, and they undercut their workers as well, you tell me...


BUT--I guess work is work.  Especially nowadays.  



-Buckles

 

[diggemall]

OK, I'll stick my 2 cents worth in here........

1) Low prices. It's what everybody "wants". Unless its for the products that they make at their job. Unfortunately everybody else wants that product at the lowest possible price, so overseas it goes. Goodbye manufacturing job. Wally World has over 3500 little factories in SE Asia producing the goods that we all demand.

It USED to be OK that things made here in the US cost more than they do today because It USED to be that people were willing to SAVE UP to buy the things that they wanted. Now, everybody wants everything NOW.

2) Competition. WE USED to have REAL competition here in the states, and it was on a LEVEL playing field. Everybody was subject to the same rules of play. The same minimum wage laws. The same child labor laws. The same environmental protection laws. The same workplace safety laws. The same consumer protection laws. All of these regulations are in place for a reason, and most of that reason was that Americans fought for them, to protect themselves from unscrupulous businesses. NOW in order for an American manufacturer to "compete" they have to find a way to best companies that are subjected to NONE of those laws. That's NOT competition.

3) We fought long and hard here in the US for all of the protections mentioned in (2) above. In return, we paid more for our products (see 1 above) but a high school graduate could pretty well count on a factory job that would provide a LIVABLE wage. Now what we have is the low wages, sweat shops, child labor, and unbelievable pollution moved to a different location on the planet. (Don't worry - the winds blow a lot of the airborne stuff over here too) Did I mention lead-based paint on childrens toys, products that break before they're completely out of the package, melamine in food, and so on ? So much for consumer protections.

4) Low prices. For your DVD player, maybe. But what about construction materials ? Steel, copper, concrete have all risen dramatically due to the massive surge in demand from where ? SE Asia. Why ? Because our demand for cheap products means a massive surge in the need for factories, housing, and infrastructure over there. Price of fuel ? The massive surge has been blamed on a rise in demand where ? SE Asia. Why ? Because with all of the manufacturing in SE asia, it has created a demand for fuel over there.

IS WAL-MART GOOD FOR AMERICA ? Hell no. Wal-mart is the single biggest driving force behind the exodus of American manufacturing. Would a lack of Wal-marts have prevented the exodus of manufacturing ? Probably not. Would have slowed it down a bit, but probably not stopped it. What we have with this blind eye towards unregulated "cheap" manufacturing is simply the financial dumbing down of America and the demolition of the middle class (the backbone of America). It's OK though. Just as we went through a battle for our own protections, so will the Asians. They will demand the same things we did, and along with it the cost of manufacturing will slowly rise over there. The question is where will it all level off ? Will Africa be the next Asia ? South America ? Eventually, globalization will cause a levelling world - wide, although most of us won't live to see it.

Personally, I liked it better 20 years ago. Forcing foriegn manufacturers to adhere to the same standards we employ here, or taxing their products to equalize the true costs probably would have levelled things off faster, and at a higher standard of living for everybody, but then there wouldn't be as many people in that select group here getting rich of the whole global trade thing. But then again, what do I know ?

Diggem'

 

[Mental Granny]

Wal-Mart use to be better when Sam was alive when he died and David Glass took over it went down, I know I was working there at the time and the store I worked at is considered bottom of the chain! But now it is the only place to shop Kmart here is gone! There are some clothing stores but they are all higher priced and 1 closed last week all the stores and now Goodys is closing and rumor they are taking our Pennys and Stage away I got to those only when they have sales they cost to much. Wally world grocies are the cheapest in town but I go else where for meat and produce! The other places that have Target or Kmart are 2 hours away so.... I would love to have a choice !


The bingo is cute you CAN see all that here now except for the kittens, this town as of Jan. 1 you can not give or sale animals away in any lot anymore!

 

[TheHarleyMan2]

Where I live I saw something funny last year around September. I went to Wal Mart, as I left the store from the south side entrances, I noticed 4 school buses lined by the north side entrance doors. I went to my truck got in and started to take off and then something caught my eye at that entrance. Here was 4 bus loads of elementry school kids waiting to get on a bus. I was baffled and laughed a bit. Then I called my buddy who has a child in elementry school in Dallas. He didn't seem to think it was too funny as I did. What he told me was that the school his child went to takes field trips to Wal Mart, they get to tour the whole Wal Mart store from the main office, to the warehouse in the back. Then I found out from other friends in different states pretty much most elementry schools doing the same thing. I thought WTF?

What ever happened to bringing elementry kids on field trips to historical areas like polictal places dated back in the 1800's, Civil War Battlefields, zoo's, food manufacturing plants, parks, etc? I don't understand about bring kids to Wal Mart for field trips. I can only imagine a child going home with a permission slip for their parents to sign for the field trip and the parents say after they sign the slip, "Oh, here is a list of things to get while you are there on your field trip!" What ever happened to TEACHING OUR CHILDREN? Unless the schools are TEACHING the children, "See if you DON'T get an education you will be stuck working at Wal Mart!"

 

[jeff of pa]

any place that makes my money last longer is good for me.

That's my #1 Priority

 

[Mental Granny]

I think our kids are pretty lucky no field trips to Wally world except one class the kids in this class are disabled at Christmas they get to go to Walmart (yes mom and dad have to give a little $) but the teachers and asst, take them there or if not there Dollar Trees or Dollar General and they can shop for their family with out mom seeing what she is getting, and then the teachers with help wrap the gifts and if a child has no $ teacher has gotton something for the child to give its not alot but to the child its alot. Otherwise the field trips are to learning places.

 

[Michigan Badger]

What was best for America was when we still had mom & pop stores and factories. Back in the early days products were mostly made here and marked up 30-50%.

Store owners were people you knew and were interested in the community. They hired locals and the profits stayed in this country.

Many young men and women dreamed of having their own store one day. The free enterprise system was very optimistic and represented the true American dream.

Made in Japan or China was limited to weird stuff purchased by the few. When the average American thought of China it was in relationship to tea.

That's almost totally gone today. Today the giant corporate owned super stores are interested in one thing only--profits.

Today young people no longer dream of one day owning their own business, being their own boss, and helping to build their own community. Today it's off to work at K-Marts or Wally World for 8-16 hours a week to hopefully help put some gas in the tank and maybe buy a little milk and bread.

Start your own store? hahaha!

We can't turn back the clock and what is must be. And too, it's fun to shop the super stores and I especially like those easy refunds! But at what cost is all this in the long run?

MB just writing stuff nobody else believes.

 

[ParkHunter61]

I think it depends who you are - if your a guy who worked
his whole life at one company and they went under do to
cheap overseas labor and he lost all his retirement and
now at 50 years old hes working as a door greeter at walmart.
Bill

 

[BuckleBoy]

We can't turn back the clock and what it must be. And too, it's fun to shop the super stores and I especially like those easy refunds! But at what cost is all this in the long run?

MB just writing stuff nobody else believes.

Hold on there, Boss!  Some of us DO believe.  Nice post, MB. 


It's true--those rebates are easy on our pocketbooks, but the cost long term is greater to the economy.  I don't want to see my dollars funneled into the hands of the few, or off to foreign countries...they already pretty much own us as it is anyways.  I pay more when I shop local for food.  Hell, even when you shop at Kroger instead of WalMart--you pay a bit more, but their workers are Unionized, at least.  Our Consumer Dollars speak loudly--and the rest of the world has heard.  I figure we could try to "every man for himself" our way out of this economic slump by buying the Absolute Cheapest stuff we can buy (and things will get far worse before they get better)...or we could try to support the things that are made here--and help jobs Here, and help keep folks employed Here, and help pull each other out of this mess.   

 

[Michigan Badger]

We can't turn back the clock and what it must be. And too, it's fun to shop the super stores and I especially like those easy refunds! But at what cost is all this in the long run?

MB just writing stuff nobody else believes.

Hold on there, Boss! Some of us DO believe. Nice post, MB.


It's true--those rebates are easy on our pocketbooks, but the cost long term is greater to the economy. I don't want to see my dollars funneled into the hands of the few, or off to foreign countries...they already pretty much own us as it is anyways. I pay more when I shop local for food. Hell, even when you shop at Kroger instead of WalMart--you pay a bit more, but their workers are Unionized, at least. Our Consumer Dollars speak loudly--and the rest of the world has heard. I figure we could try to "every man for himself" our way out of this economic slump by buying the Absolute Cheapest stuff we can buy (and things will get far worse before they get better)...or we could try to support the things that are made here--and help jobs Here, and help keep folks employed Here, and help pull each other out of this mess.

Yes, good post.

And too it would be rather fun to simply forget to pay back all those countries that have cheated us royally for decades.

 

[mlayers]

I say yes they are. People complains that they sell items from overseas and Mexico. but if it was not for the companies fro the USA going overseas to make their products at a cheaper labor to make more of a profit they wouldn't be selling them. I lost my job when my factory went to Mexico, Canada, and oversea. So Walmart now makes jobs for the unemploy and sell cheaper then other stores so help your paycheck go farther. So what is wrong....Matt

 

[seger98]

Wow, I am amazed at the civil discussion on this thread, I really thought.... Oh boy here we go again.

I've read every post & everyone has good points, it all depends on how you look at things.

In the long run I gotta go with jeff of pa......... It's my money & I'll spend it how I want! (he didn't say that but I am)