tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17475707.post116122155852194239..comments2023-07-20T02:54:39.833-06:00Comments on lybberty.com: Wal-Mart-OUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17475707.post-1161381235084215502006-10-20T15:53:00.000-06:002006-10-20T15:53:00.000-06:00http://money.cnn.com/2006/10/20/news/companies/wal...http://money.cnn.com/2006/10/20/news/companies/walmart_blogs/index.htm?cnn=yes<BR/><BR/>Sorry, I couldn't html my way out of a brown paper sack.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17475707.post-1161296975200042292006-10-19T16:29:00.000-06:002006-10-19T16:29:00.000-06:00For the record, I have worked at Wal-Mart's corpor...For the record, I have worked at Wal-Mart's corporate offices in Bentonville, AR (summer 2005). I was on the sales reporting team and worked with executives both in the US and internationally.<BR/><BR/><I>In response to Ben...</I><BR/>How much do you really know about the Waltons? Have you read Sam's autobiography (<A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/Sam-Walton-Made-America/dp/0553562835/sr=8-1/qid=1161293796/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-4474619-1304815?ie=UTF8" REL="nofollow"><I>Made in America</I></A>)?<BR/><BR/>While I personally have not met the Waltons, I know several people who do know them and their kids. Also, I have heard Rob Walton speak at their annual shareholders' meeting. The family is really down to earth and did their best to be modest with their spending.<BR/><BR/>I have also heard Lee Scott (CEO of WM) speak on various occasions. He did address this question.<BR/><BR/>First off, their health care is not as bad as people claim. Yes, it may not be the greatest, but have you looked at the competition? In some cases, its benefits is not any better.<BR/><BR/>Secondly, most of the 1.7M employees at Wal-Mart are not full-time employees. As one would expect, most of the retail workers are high school (or college) kids; they also do have a sizable senior citizen group of employees. High school employees are generally not looking for health care benefits b/c they're covered by their parents. Many of the senior citizens working for Wal-Mart do it b/c they want something to do; that is, they don't need to do it to support themselves, but they're just bored not working and want to spend some of their time doing something productive. For every Wal-Mart store, hundreds of jobs are created. In most cases, it normally offsets any job loses from other companies. They also bring a lot of tax revenue to each city they're in.<BR/><BR/>Also, there are plenty of corporations who don't have very good health care. Across the board, companies are cutting back due to excessive costs.<BR/><BR/>Thirdly, having a union is not necessarily a good thing. They may be fighting for the little guy, but they also can be very inefficient. As you may or may not know, Wal-Mart is quite remarkable with efficiency in many aspects of its organization. Granted, it still has room to improve (like any corporation).<BR/><BR/><I>In response to Sir Rants...</I><BR/>I'm not sure I agree with your "important piece of Americana". First, lots of "small town America" is drastically poor and behind the times. People left these towns in search of a "better" life. And it's up to debate if this is important.<BR/><BR/>In addition, you made a flawed claim. Wal-Mart did not price competition out of anything. It's consumers who shop. A lot of people shop at WM. Are they forced to shop there? No. They choose to go there b/c they have great prices and the quality isn't that bad. So, in the end, it's people in these small towns that have doomed "small town Americana". Also, many of other big box competitors demand low prices from their suppliers and it some cases, they do get prices lower than WM. Oh yeah, was WM pricing people out of competition when it was founded back in the 1960s? I don't think so. Several people thought Sam Walton's strategies were crazy. It wasn't until the mid-80s when things started to really pay off. Competition realized that WM had something good and have been playing catch up (or have been changing their target market).<BR/><BR/>Also, when has WM raised the prices? Do you have specific examples? As far as "un-American", other companies have raised prices, too. Are they evil? It seems like people take an overwhelmingly huge bias against WM b/c it's the biggest retailer in the world.<BR/><BR/>WM is still an American company. Just b/c they buy lots of products from China doesn't make them un-American. Businesses look for ways to make profit; labor is significantly cheaper in some parts of China that the US. So, why not purchase products made in China? Also, in one of the meetings w/ Lee Scott, he was quick to note that WM still buys more ($$-wise) from companies inside the US than from China. So, is Microsoft un-American b/c they have call centers in India?<BR/><BR/>Well, enough for now, but I'm with Jake. People got to get off the bandwagon of bashing Wal-Mart.Fernandohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13581211839998531456noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17475707.post-1161282049408524722006-10-19T12:20:00.000-06:002006-10-19T12:20:00.000-06:00Sir-Rants-Alot:Quick question for you. I can under...Sir-Rants-Alot:<BR/><BR/>Quick question for you. I can understand how one might believe that pricing competion out of the market and subsequently raising prices is "evil." I don't necessarily agree with that assertion, but I can understand how one might think that way. What I don't understand is how said strategy is "un-American." What did you mean by that comment? How is creating a competetive advantage and exploiting the advantage un-American? I was under the impression that innovation and capitalism was what made America successful. Creating a revolutionary POS operating system that interfaces with suppliers and then leveraging that advantage is un-American? What I am looking for is your definition of "American" and how Wal-Mart is un-American.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17475707.post-1161275236282934202006-10-19T10:27:00.000-06:002006-10-19T10:27:00.000-06:00A few quick notes after reading the article:It is ...A few quick notes after reading the article:<BR/><BR/>It is Gregg Easterbrook not Greg Easterbrook. Also, it is quash not squash. And finally, Gregg Easterbrook writes his "sports" article for Page 2 which specializes in the melding of sports and popular culture. As such, the TMQ is not supposed to stick to just sports. <BR/><BR/>The TMQ also writes for Popular Science and other academic journals if I recall correctly. Based on his articles I have read and the research he has cited, both his own and that of others, I would say that the TMQ is in fact qualified to opine on "Sports - Politics - Pop Culture - History - Literature". The same goes for Chuck Klosterman. It is for this melding that I read Page 2. It makes the often boring topic of politics a little more interesting for me.<BR/><BR/>In defending the TMQ, I am not defending his out-of-character, off-the-cuff remark about Wal-Mart. He made a mistake if you will, but that does not invalidate the rest of ideas nor the forumn in which he expresses them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17475707.post-1161274722602814332006-10-19T10:18:00.000-06:002006-10-19T10:18:00.000-06:00Welcome back, Kotter!Welcome back, Kotter!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17475707.post-1161274652682460362006-10-19T10:17:00.000-06:002006-10-19T10:17:00.000-06:00What if I'm anti-union AND anti-Wal-Mart? An impo...What if I'm anti-union AND anti-Wal-Mart? <BR/><BR/>An important piece of Americana has disappeared due to the likes of Wal-Mart and their copycat big box retail friends. <BR/><BR/>I have nothing wrong with low prices, but pricing the competition out of the market and then raising prices is un-American, and evil. (Sidenote: I've always felt Wal-Mart is evil - call me biased)<BR/><BR/>For far too long, Wal-Mart claimed to be a wholly American company, stating in numerous advertisements that the products sold in Wal-Mart were made in America. They were outed on this topic in the late 1990's when it was discovered that a wide range of products were sourced from China. Correct me if I'm wrong, but we haven't claimed China as a U.S. territory.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17475707.post-1161228044358527592006-10-18T21:20:00.000-06:002006-10-18T21:20:00.000-06:00He's baaaack! Hallelujah!He's baaaack! Hallelujah!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com