Actually that was a pretty stupid wager on my part but I was being generous and didn't include free money for me by requiring you to pay me. I am absolutely confident of my words just as much as the sun will rise tomorrow.
So when we build a new Walmart in my state and give them a explicit nine year tax exemption what taxes might they be paying?
Really, so you are OK with Walmart getting corporate welfare any not paying their own way?
It seems you are really fixated on the Rush Limbagh version of capitalism where whatever is done is just OK as long as someone is making out.
So let me pose a question. Lets say your folks are retired/elderly. You really aren't in frequent touch with them but one day they sheepishly admit they lost a significant part of their nest egg because they were scammed by a broker who was on the fine edge of legality.
Would you immediately ask for at least the phone number of the broker so you could congratulate him and if not why not?
On Sat, 23 Aug 2008 08:33:57 -0400, George wrote Re Re: "We kept Wal-Mart out of our town!":
Good post George. The whole degrading process you described is sadly illustrated by the documentary in the NetFlix link above. In that documentary a small mom/pop company makes a massive effort to lower their costs to become a WM supplier. They went so far as to mortgage their home to raise the funds necessary to increase their production facility to meet WM's requirements. They are eventually successful and at the end of the documentary they are very happy and pleased to be a new WM supplier although at a very low (but high volume) profit margin.
I was left wondering:
What happens when WM starts putting the screws to them to lower prices?
What happens when they can't lower prices anymore and make a profit?
What happens to their moorage then?
How will they compete against slave labor in China?
It's true that the consumer benefits from the low prices ... in the short term. The documentary title is "The High Cost of Low Price". How appropriate that title is.
In article , George wrote: \\
But this is hardly new behavior on the part of WM. Again, they got blinded by the original numbers. Also nothin' new from a corp. standpoint. Sears did basically the same thing to my Dad in the 70s. Got him to build nice new plant and then not only took the contract away, gave it to a subsidiary, but (according to the completely adjudicated suit) infringed his patents. He went bankrupt soon after the loss of the contract, but got a lot of money back on the infringement.
Sometimes the most important features are hidden (particularly on equipment like DVD recorders where connectors and cables matter). Packaging often seems designed to hide the important things.
BTW, the last item I found like that was one of these ATSC tuners (that the $40 coupons are good for). I wasn't going to buy one without knowing if it had a baseband output (so as to not have to degrade the signal by passing it through RF). The outside of the package said NOTHING about that, the inside was hidden, and the display unit was tied down so I couldn't see the side with the connectors. One sale lost.
[snip]
They could adjust the thresholds for the automatic light controls, to lengthen the on-off cycles.
It was not my contention; it was the consensus drawn of quite a large number of NG participants as we were discussing Walmarts.
You are in the midwest, yes? I am in California. Sam was gone for a long time before the first Walmart made its appearance here. I have been to Walmarts back east as well as out here, and honest, the atmosphere is different.
Of that we are in total agreement, and I suspect there would be other things he wouldn't be happy with, either.
How loud the alarm is, for one thing.
Meant to say, Did they say they would NOT shop at an WM.....
Any they actually let you? Many just look stupid when asked things like that.
Anyway, that complicates thing, and it can be easier to find a source on the internet.
Good story, but I sense a flaw. How is it in Walmart's best interests to drive it's suppliers out of business?
Walmart DOES send its own experts to its suppliers to show these suppliers how they can streamline, optimize, and improve their production, back office techniques, shipping schedules, etc. Techniques that have worked at thousands of other suppliers.
Some companies, however, may think they know more than Walmart or ignore the advice.
Possibly.
Michael Milken was known as the "Junk Bond King." He was sent to prison for marketing high-yield, essentially worthless, bonds to finance corporate mergers and acquisitions.
His "creative" efforts helped launch, MCI, Turner Broadcasting (CNN), AOL, the cell-phone industry (via Craig McCaw), several of Steve Wynn's Las Vegas hotels, and other endeavors.
I'm sure some got hurt by his shenanigans (including Milken himself). But millions more got jobs.
Yup, they do, but I always explain why I need to see the inside.
Read this
Yes. They announced this a year or two ago and it's not going to happen for another year.
As I said, I don't think he's funny either. In fact he's annoying.
When I worked in the Electronics department, I was occasionally asked by a customer if they could open the carton. I usually assisted by opening, then re-closing, the item they were interested in.
Some stuff, like cordless phones, are contained in such tight (efficient? green?) packaging that it is often difficult to properly re-contain the product once it is opened. Other merchandise is virtually "locked" inside a vacuum-formed and seam-welded package. Opening this type of container requires virtually destroying the package, usually rendering it unsalable.
In these cases, particularly if I am familiar with the item, before agreeing to open the item, I will do my best to inform the customer of the package contents and/or answer their questions that caused them to ask to see inside.
"No sir, that printer doesn't come with a USB cable."
"I can tell you from experience that that particular model of cordless phone system does NOT lay flat against the wall when wall mounted."
"Yes, Ma'am, that digital camera comes with everything you need to shoot
8-12 photos. But, you'll want to purchase a memory card."More and more packaging contains a [What's In the Box?] label or description, answering most questions, cutting down on the need to inspect the inside of a pre-packaged item.
Please be aware that this is actually a very complex act, which some people have trouble with.
Yes. I know some people don't like returning those things.
BTW, the last thing I returned was a VCR, and that was in a regular box.
I'd probably get the wrong answer, maybe from some salesperson afraid to admit to not knowing. The common alternative to looking stupid.
I already have multiple USB cables around. However, the presence of one in the box would be a clue the printer supports USB (the same way a wall-wart in the USB hub box indicates it's a powered hub).
I do wish there were more knowledgeable salespeople.
My (camera) was like that. It uses SD cards and came with a very small one. Also, it lacked rechargeable batteries.
A lot do. They can still leave out important info. How about a photo of the BACK of the device (often more important than the front, as it shows connections)?
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.