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187 Comments
- banderbe, on 10/12/2007, -14/+93BOO HOO!
It's called capitalism. Get over it. - brlittle, on 10/12/2007, -10/+74And that's exactly the problem. You hate Wal-Mart. But apparently only $299 dollars worth.
- spyrochaete, on 10/12/2007, -7/+60I hated Walmart until I started shopping there. It's damn cheap and they have a huge selection.
Little stores empower little store owners, Walmart empowers shoppers. - codyman, on 10/12/2007, -6/+47walmart started off as a small business.. now its done something all small business strives for.. success
why does everyone act as though they woke up on a Monday morning and walmart went from being 1 store to a world wide retailer? Everyone is demonizing walmart that it doesn't give health benefits and whatnot but if you are striving to make walmart your career, a job that anyone can do (I bet they could run that store with 14 year olds), then honestly why should you get a great salary and awesome health benefits? You don't need a degree to work there, nor a high school diploma, (and in reality, you probably don't even need to speak that much English)... - Revan01, on 10/12/2007, -4/+45i'm always so confused by this
its evil of wal mart to lower their own profit margins to sell more products... but when best buy and circuit city gouge you for high end electronics.... they're nobly resisting wal-mart dominion?
stop demonizing wal-mart, its the same as every other chain, just more effective - Shivetya, on 10/12/2007, -3/+43jjesusfreak01 ,
Wal-Mart is merely doing to the big box retailers what the big box retailers did to mom&pop. Mom&Pop were gone long before wal-mart dominated anything. - mrfreeziexp, on 10/12/2007, -0/+39I feel no sympathy for Circuit City. When you continually screw customers over, be it over prices or whatever, sooner or later the customers will stop supporting you.
- gothicx00, on 10/12/2007, -6/+42I'm real tired of the "Hate Wal-Mart" trend. I'm sorry, but in a day and age where it's hard to get any kind of decent paying job, I'm going to spend my money where things not only cost less, but are all in one place. If this causes the "little guys" to lose money, well sorry. If the "little guys" would give me a job that pays me $10 or more an hour, maybe I'd consider buying from them. But until that happens, I'm going to one place (saving gas in the mean time) and buy things that end up often times costing me considerably less.
So to all of you that bitch and moan about how much Wal-Mart sucks, and are on the march to put them down, don't tell me how to spend the little money I have on the things I need. - Jwoey, on 10/12/2007, -3/+37luckily, lots of people still want to buy low-end and/or older models.
Apparently people buy used cars, too. What a world the epsilons live in! - vann, on 10/12/2007, -5/+38Predatory pricing? WTF? How about Linux? Since that's free, is it "predatorially" priced with respect to a commercial UNIX?
What would you do? Have the state dictate prices or set a "minimum" price? Since the people are sovereign in the US would that mean localities could vote to lower the minimum price? - PharmaPhool, on 10/12/2007, -5/+38At my local Walmart they have this ancient guy as a "greeter".
They have cashiers from every country on earth, multicultural and at-least-kinda-multilingual. They have more stuff at deep discount prices than virtually anywhere else outside maybe the pirate-goods stalls of Shanghai. The store is well lit, pretty clean, fairly safe, nicely stocked, heated/air-conditioned, not too smelly, and even offers a couple places to sit down.
In short, Walmart is the 1930s economists Utopia, the 1940s war-torn product-quota vision of heaven, the 1950s ultimate victory of capitalism, the 1960s version of true race and cultural equality, the 1970s dream of UPC labels and supply chain integration, the 1980s business school thesis on labor relations, the 1990s consumer-is-king economic engine celebration, and the 21st century's reality...
and a place for that otherwise unemployable ancient guy to actually get a job.
Why would ANYONE complain? Are they insane? - pathetik, on 10/12/2007, -5/+37The thing I find SO FUNNY is that everyone that hates WM
are the ones that are buying and go back to buy more ! - growlzor, on 10/12/2007, -12/+43While I hate Wal-Mart I bought a 32" Samsung HDTV for $300 less than the one I would have purchased from Newegg. I saved $300 buying from Wal-Mart and got a 90 day return policy, with Newegg I would have had to deal with their Bulk Item return policy and have payed $300 more not including shipping.
- biggles7268, on 10/12/2007, -0/+30if they can set prices so low and still make a profit it makes me wonder what the standard markup at best buy is.
- cliffzdude, on 10/12/2007, -4/+29Walmat could "ruin" New York's economy? Do I really need to go into how frightfully silly a hypothesis that is?
- biggles7268, on 10/12/2007, -0/+22I actually work in a wal mart distribution center, and i would much rather work with the 60lb flat panels over the 200lb sdtv's. 32" sdtv's are a massive bitch to work with. those and friggin barbecue grills, damnit i hate those things.
- Jwoey, on 10/12/2007, -2/+22@gothic
***** agreed.
"Walmart treats its employees unfairly!"
How so? They pay them a decent wage, and it is a decent wage, as its a job that requires little skill (all of which can be learned with on-the-job training) and pays more than many entry-level positions out there.
"Well, they don't provide health care!"
Yeah, they do. You just have to have worked there for 6 mos. and work more than 30 hours/wk. And really, it would be stupid for a business like Wal-Mart not to have this policy. There are 2 reasons: 1) Their employee turnaround rate is high. Walmart is often a "first job" or a "bounce-back" job for many people. 2) The qualifications are literally nill. So why do those 2 things matter? Imagine this scenario. You're sick. You can't afford to go to the doctor. What do you do? Hey, walmart will provide health insurance from day 1! I'll go get a job there! You get hired, because its easy to do, you go see the doctor, and you quit.
Its not uncommon for business to require its employees prove their loyalty before they give them benefits. Most major corporations do this by hiring temporary employees with no benefits at all before they hire them for permanent positions.
My first job was at Subway, and I never got any healthcare coverage, I worked 35 hours a week and I worked there for 2 years. And I loved that job, and noone talks about how Subway screws their employees. You hate walmart because they're big and its cool to hate the most successful. - jmkiii, on 10/12/2007, -3/+22This reminds me of the huge Costco in "Idiocracy"! We're doomed.
- howsmusic4u, on 10/12/2007, -0/+18Walmart doesn't have high pressure sales guys shoving extended warranties and service plans down your throat.
- forcedfx, on 10/12/2007, -0/+17And then deny the rebates when you send them in.
- n8r0n, on 10/12/2007, -0/+16I agree. I am a cheap bastard. I enjoy saving money. I will shop where convience allows me to purchase multiple items all in one place that is not too far from home. More often then not this leads me to shop at Walmart. I do not hate the place, I do not find it a "mecca for white trash" and I do not think it smells funny. Everyone needs to get over this elitest attitude that they are too good to shop at Walmart.
- Wargalas, on 10/12/2007, -3/+19@iiftmlis
I don't like poverty, so I got off my lazy ass, got a job, went to college, paid attention, and now I make a great living. There's no reason why other people can't do the same. It's called "being self reliant". No one is going to get up early in the morning and go to work just to subsidize lazy people. - DiggsOnlyNeoCon, on 10/12/2007, -6/+21WalMart smells like corn dogs.
- converge, on 10/12/2007, -2/+17They have lower prices but their TV's are low-end and/or older models.
- Jwoey, on 10/12/2007, -0/+15Ehh, while i agree the walmart staff isnt going to be the most technical staff out there, if you dont wanna get ripped off you should know about the TV you wanna buy no matter where you go
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+16I, as a consumer, would rather have predatory pricing than price gouging (best buy), or even price fixing (oil/utilities industry). At least then it makes other companies get their ***** together. Service and a knowledgeable staff are unimportant in this information age. You can do research online and compare products, when you get to the store, the most important thing is the price.
- BobsYourUncle, on 10/12/2007, -2/+17@ brlittle
You can't feed a family with 'smug'. - jjesusfreak01, on 10/12/2007, -16/+30Darn, first WalMart destroys the small businesses, and now it is going for the big chains...when will the madness end? Will we have to live in a world of nothing but WalMart and Taco Bell?
- conan359, on 10/12/2007, -5/+19I hate going to Wal-Mart, but I love corn dogs.
- qmeister, on 10/12/2007, -0/+13@converge: read the article....they aren't all low end.
I truly have no problem with Wal-Mart taking down Circuit City and the other behemoths...they do the same thing Wal-Mart does, just now they are competing against someone that's better at it than they are.
I don't much care for Wal-Mart either, but where can you get cat food, toys & games, grass seed and boxers in the same place. It's hard to justify going to 4 stores to get the things you need when you can go to just one.
The whining must stop...If Circuit City would have thought of it first, they would have done the same thing. They are all corporate bastards who care little about anything but the might $. - BobsYourUncle, on 10/12/2007, -1/+13Cars go in Wal-Mart? Is it drive-through?
- BigW, on 10/12/2007, -1/+13Nah, Best Buy wouldn't undercut other retailers prices on TVs, they would offer Mail In Rebates that would undercut other retailers prices.....
- FearlessFreep, on 10/12/2007, -2/+13"Cars go in Wal-Mart? Is it drive-through?"
Don't give them any ideas - bil4l, on 10/12/2007, -6/+17Do I love Wal Mart? No way!, but this whole Wal Mart hating ***** is just more liberal propaganda. The only reason the left wing hates the place so much is because they don't allow their employees to join stupid ass unions (which in my job I was FORCED to join, much to my dismay. I had to pay $15 a month in "dues" which are essentially campaign contributions for the democrats). Does Target pay their employees better, not a chance. Wal Mart is the biggest employer in the USA, and while it's not the greatest job in the world I guarantee a large amount of those people would be out on the streets or working at a fast food chain.
Give me a break liberals, "it puts small businesses out"....again, capitalism. How many people will a small mom and pop store employ? 15 tops?
Not to mention the average Wal Mart wage is well above the national minimum, not bad for "A horrible job". All the nutjobs complain about "Employees not getting enough benefits". Now, how many people do you think have college degrees and work at Wal Mart? I'm willing to bet there aren't many. Wal Mart is a damn good job for people with no education.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1509715597174925771&q=penn+and+teller
That video explains it much better than I ever could, and I'm most certainly going to be dug down by all the rabid leftists on this website, oh well. It's all true. - charlie55, on 10/12/2007, -2/+11i wish there was a wal-mart in new york. a 24 hour one in midtown would rake in cash. i would go there all the time, for groceries and tvs. people would be so mad about it, for no reason other than they hate freedom and capitalism. i love those things. walmart is so cheap, you cant beat it. of course other places have better staff and service, but i hate service, i do not like talking to salespeople. i like to purchase and leave. plus i appreciate that the sweat shops walmart uses are helping people in poor countrieslike china where the jobs are needed most.
- InfidelAl, on 10/12/2007, -2/+11"You hate walmart because they're big and its cool to hate the most successful."
You hit the nail on the head. - gharding, on 10/12/2007, -2/+11I pricematched my TV at CircuitCity and they gave me $600 off. If you don't want to support a retailer, you can generally get a competitor to pricematch.
- elroid, on 10/12/2007, -2/+11Prices on flat panel TVs and HDTVs have been dropping for the last year or so. Even e-tailers like Amazon.com have some very competitive prices in this category.
Consumers are consistently drawn to low prices and deep discounts on quality merchandise from businesses they trust.
Source: http://www.jangle.net/Electronics/TV-HDTV/Lowest-Price/Page-1/HDTV=Search/Save.aspx - gothicx00, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9And it's apparent that the "author" of the article fails to realize or mention that there has been an outrageous mark-up on HDTVs (both flat panel and rear projection) for quite some time now. This time last year, the flat panels that cost the customer $2200-2600 at Best Buy's employee discount (5% above cost) were well below $2000. Most cases there was at least a 60% markup on these items. Big deal if Wal-Mart has decided to sell them a bit closer to cost. They'll sell far more of them, while the competitors will just have to deal with it and not mark the prices up to all hell.
- autorock, on 10/12/2007, -2/+10It's not just Wal Mart customers that want "flat panel" tv's. If you ask someone why they want a flat screen instead of any other style, you always get the same answer: "I just want something that I can hang on the wall". Very few people are interested in the image quality, or technology, other than it's flat, check, "hidef", check, and less than a grand, check. You'll never convince someone with this simple motivation that it's worth it to pay a lot more for a Panasonic or Pioneer (or whatever the latest truly high end screen is). It's not a fault, some people just care about their TV a heck of a lot more than others.
Personally, I'm happy to see Walmart driving down the price, since competition puts pressure on other retailers to drop the price on the screens I'm really interested in! - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8i don't really care if I ever buy a 48" tv, but it is nice to know that when my perfectly acceptable 5 year old 36" tv breaks, I'll be able to go to good ole wal mart and get a better tv for a great price...I ain't gonna waste my weekend shopping around at a mom and pop store, a best buy a sears and every other g****mn store in the county looking for the BBD(Bigger Better Deal) and I don't need a lifetime career tv salesman with a 401k and health care benefits to "service me" with insurance and rebates and clear coat protectiona nd all the other horsesh**....Thank god sam walton started a store that jsut tries to sell ***** cheap and fast and without a bunch of wasted costs...Ben Franklin would have admired the thriftiness of Wal Mart, the efficiency is admirable it frees up resources to be put to more productive uses....when did thriftiness in this country become a sin? when did it become a citizens duty to patronize the most expensive establishments to buy big screen TVs? the people who demonize wal mart are whacked out of their gords. Oh ya my uncle works at wal mart...he had scarelet fever as a young child and it affected his mental capabilities, he doesn't have the aptitude or desire for a better job and he loves the folks at his store...Wal Mart has yet to force ANYONE to work for them, they are flooded with job applications from people who have their own personal reasons for wanting to work for wal mart, the flexibility of the scheduling is one highly valued benefit.
- gjscds, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9Why is it a bad thing to give customers the opportunity to buy decent quality products at a much lower price than otherwise available.
The WalMart effect doesn't impact the high-end market, and it makes lower-end products accessible to the masses.
Stated differently: If liberals want freebies for the masses, then why isn't this a positive? This IS a positive, by culling the evil businesses that sell their goods and services at a significantly higher profit margin. - revenge7, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8They have better prices, but you better find out the TV before you go there, because most of the staff don't know anything (grammar?)
- majortom1981, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Not all walmarts stuff is cheap quality. I found a surround sound system made by durabrand for $60 dollars. It had a 100 wat sub and 5 decent speakers.
It had 1 optical connection and 1 coaxial and was a standalone receiver. No dvd player.
This thing had some ofd the best sound i have heard from a rceiver and was only $60 dollars.
I had it for 3 years and it finally died a month ago because my cablebox had a melt down and screwed up the digital surround sound portion of the receiver.
So not all walmart stuff is cheap and low quality. - MackDiesel2010, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Because you're the authority on what other people need
- gtluke, on 10/12/2007, -5/+12walmart is the greatest company in the history of the world.
you haters should look into how they basically saved the day during katrina with bottled water and places for people to stay, no other company would have that kind of stock of bottled water, or the ability to move it so quickly.
walmart is also the major drive behind those florescent light bulbs. they have vowed to sell like a million or so this year IIRC
they also raised the bar for health care standards for retail employers. while compared corporate jobs, their healthcare may not be so great, but when compared to retailers, its f'ing awesome.
they have a choice of 7 healthcare plans. at my job, i have no choice. i just get one ***** one.
-luke- - SweetsGreen, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8"This reminds me of the huge Costco in "Idiocracy"! We're doomed."
Watch it, thats where I went to law school! - diggernaught, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7This author has a vendetta against Walmart. Flat Panels have been much cheaper then the Worst Buy prices people have expected to pay. All one has to do was look for a Syntax Oleva or simliar off brand and they could save 40%-70% vs panels in the store. Walmart prices are still hundreds more then they should be when it comes to the internet. recently a frined of mine bought a $1200 plasma from them, I told him I could get you one for $700 and you could pocket the difference - the moron said no.
- jgreene777, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5what this guy did is the same thing everyone else has the option to do. if doing business with wal-mart is going to kill your company, don't do business with them. we have to turn down business at my company all the time because it would hurt us more than help us. that's part of doing business.
- InfidelAl, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7"cause it's not a raise.............once you figure into the added burden to the community........through tax breaks, helping with healthcare and living assistance and partial unemployement for its workers it costs you. Wal -Mart doesn't save you money it just shifts costs onto the community."
Tax Breaks: Why do cities give tax breaks to Walmart? To encourage them to put a store there maybe? And why would a city want such a store? Because the higher volume in sales will bring in more tax revenue than was lost by the tax break? Why the hell would a city give a store a tax break so they could lose money...
Health care: This implies that these workers would have health care at other similar jobs. What jobs are these? Keep in mind, Walmart DOES offer health care.
Living Assistance: Again, show me all these other companies that pay so much more than Walmart.
Partial Unemployment: What the hell does that even mean? Maybe part-time employees only want a part-time job? What stops one from getting another part-time job somewhere else, or *gasp* working somewhere else all together.
Walmart employees people with little education, gives them decent wages, available health care plans AND saves me time and money. I'm supposed to hate them why? -
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