POLL: The evil that is WalMart.

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Ok, so almost everyone (at least in the USA) knows what Wal-Mart is. It's a store that offers clothes, toys, sporting goods, electronics, and various other product lines. Recently, Wal-Mart has been building "Super Centers" that literally have *everything* from standard groceries, to everything a normal Wal-Mart has.

These "Super Centers" are putting other, smaller, stores and shops out of business. In the FOX TV show 'King of the Hill', the writers have an entire show dedicated to what these "Super Centers" do to the local shops. (In the show it's called "Mega-Lo-Mart".)

The poll is: what you think about Wal-Mart and what you think should be done about the company.

Poll Information
This poll contains 2 question(s). 31 user(s) have voted.
You may not view the results of this poll without voting.

Poll Results: The evil that is WalMart. (31 votes.)

What do you think about WalMart? (Choose 1)
* It's a fine place to shop and it saves me money. - 19% (6)
* It's a necessary evil. - 19% (6)
* I hate it and refuse to go there. - 42% (13)
* What is WalMart again? - 6% (2)
* Just the results for me. - 13% (4)

What do you think should be done about WalMart? (Choose 1)
* Nothing. They know how to do business, and shouldn't be held responsible for companies that can't compete. - 32% (10)
* They should have certain regulations keeping their growth under control, but that's it. - 29% (9)
* They should have their business broken up and kept seperate, with regulations preventing them from creating local monopolies. - 23% (7)
* WalMart should be totally shut down, and each of their stores should be sold to Target, Kmart, Sears, and other companies at "roll-back" prices! - 10% (3)
* Just the results for me. - 6% (2)

 

Hate it, and I want it regulated.

Off course, Sweden is so far blessed from them, but I've heard that they want to come here to open business. If they do, I'll be in the lines prohibiting their access.

 

Well... becoming an uber-store (AKA Uber-Wal-mart) is kind of handy since you can basically find everything you need in the same place... but that's a double-edged sword, since it gives a hit to smaller buisnesses. THAT isn't good. Monopolies are evil.

Wal-Mart=Okay
Uber-Wal-Mart=Not Okay

 

In time something will be done about wal-mart when it starts effecting the government in a more negitive way then at this point in time... This could take years to decades to come to pass but until people start complaining in masses or they piss some big shot politicion off wal-mart will continue to dominate you're suburban towns and city blocks with their "blue light special prices"... quantity is just overwhelming sometimes...

 

Wal-Mart is not worth the seconds it took me to type this, nor the minimal thought I put into making this a sentence.

EDIT:
Meaning that it's so despicable that it remains beneath my notice.

[ October 21, 2005, 03:57: Message edited by: Felinoid ]

 

Went to Wal-Mart once. Junk in my honest but not humble opinion. Target is much better.

 

@Big Cat: You have no opinion on Wal-Mart? Perhaps I can sway you with catnip...

 

Wal-Mart has raised the standard of living for many, many Americans. For those of us with enough money to shop elsewhere, the homogeny of the poor can be replaced by the homogeny of the not so poor. Either way, we all need bath towels, right?

 

I like Walmart, but they don't get a monopoly on my business. They still don't carry everything I want...

 

i have a clan in travian.com called walmart 55 in server 1 and walmart 54 server 2. The clan description

It's not original, it's taken from Virgil.

What can you say about it? If those little store should survice, they will. If they cannot, well they cannot. Walmart is not the only megastore out there. You have Carrefour from France which invaded Malaysia in late 90's, then Malaysia got our own megastore, Gaint and The Store. It's natural selection, naturally. You cannot stop them. Evil is the one who tries to stop society moving naturally.

 

They are probably one of the most sexist companies on earth - most of the staff are female, yet most of the management are male hmmmmm Its proven that women make better managers, but while they will 'modernize' by killing small businesses (killing culture), they still refuse to update their sexist ways.

 

Wal-Mart own ASDA over here I think -or is it Matalan? Anyway I answered as if for them. It's not the supermarkets that are taking over, it's the giant shopping centres that are springing up everywhere

 

monopoly is never good, thankfully in britain we have several massive chains all battling eachother for customers:

tesco, asda, sainsburys, marks and sparks, safeway, morrisons

to mention a few, in my town we have all of the above

 

My wife hates Wal-Mart, but is only because she considers it too big and crowded.

As far as I'm concerned, if you can't run with the big dogs, then get out of their way. Small businesses that are smart learn to adapt and compete differently.

With all the whining about monopoly, people seem to forget that in many places it was the small business that had the monopoly in their locale before Wal Mart moved in.

 

I've been to a Wal-Mart four, maybe five times (in four different states!), and never when there is any other alternative for shopping. Funny, I've never been to that same one twice, and never to the one closest to my home. I've never had a shopping experience in one that wasn't somehow disappointing.

Competition is fine, as long as the playing field is level. From what I hear - and I don't care enough about the issue to delve into it, so don't start on me about accepting hearsay as fact - Wal-Mart goes out of their way to preclude the possibility of competition.

I don't care. They sell crap in an unpleasant environment. I'm very glad to have alternatives.

 

Well said TGS.

Rally, while I do agree with you to a certain point, I have to ask, is the Tide detergent, or the Gillette razors, or any of the other name brand staples that Wal Mart sells inferior to the ones sold under the same brands elsewhere? I shop occasionally at Wal Mart for staples, though most of my shopping of thist type is done at a locally owned grocery or the wholesale club (Sam's or Costco).

If we want to rile against Wal Mart, we have to also take on the following (Americans anyway)

Alberstons
Amazon
Best Buy
Costco
CVS
Federated
GAP
Home Depot
Kroger
Kohl's
Limited
Lowe's
May Department Stores
Radio Shack
Safeway
Sears
Target
TJX
Walgreen

All of these companies come in and run local stores out of business, and they are also the 20 biggest retailer's in the US (including Wal Mart, per Amex.com). I have to say that if I stopped shopping at all of these companies I would have a hard time finding the things I "need".

 

@DW: I'll grant you that brand-name merchandise is the same no matter where you get it. However, the when a manufacturer has a range of products available, it seems to me that Wal-Mart stocks only the lowest-quality line, and that never meets my needs. Also, the things they sell that aren't brand name are, IMO, crap.

So even if I ever would go to a Wal-Mart for staples, I'd still have to go to another store for all the stuff I won't buy there. They don't provide enough savings on those few staples to make it worth the effort of the extra stop.

 

Wal-Mart made it's first 100 billion by killing off the small town businesses. The stores offered reasonable prices in out of the way place -- prices the residents would normally need to drive long distances to get (and who doesn't want to pay less for something). Wal-Mart was fairly underhanded in many aspects during the early building of the empire -- it brought a lot of jobs to small communities and would pressure small town politicians. Wal-Mart was also known for targeting specific product groups (taking little to no profit) in order to destroy competition in a community (then raise the prices to a profitable level). It was really only a few years ago the guiding policy of Wal-Mart was to stay out of large metropolitan areas.

Having already destroyed the small businesses across America, Wal-Mart now has it's sights on the middle and large businesses -- Target, K-Mart/Sears, and numerous grocery stores. The super Wal-Marts have more room and better presentation to after this new area of business.

The issues addressed by 'King of the Hill' were present 20-30 years ago. Wal-Mart is a powerful dynasty in the retail market and other companies had better learn to compete or fall in the wake.

 

I don't shop there, but I don't think anything needs to be done about it. Wal-Mart does not have a monopoly over anything. AFAIK, there is nothing sold in their stores that is unique. Every single item can be purchased somewhere else. As such, I don't shop there and take my business elsewhere. There's nothing I need that I can only buy at Wal-Mart, and while it may be less convenient to go elsewhere, they are not a company that is deserving of my business.

There's a spoof on Wal-Mart stores on jibjab

 

Thank you, Aldeth, for a good laugh. That was great!