They’ve had the same concerns in the U.K. with supermarkets. Most of them are ‘out-of-town’ ones these days and the one that’s generally got a superstore close to towns (especially where I live) is ASDA. Or, to give it it’s full name, ASDA-Walmart.
This arc reminds me when Walmart opened near us: huge store with exceptionally low prices. Then once they have the market and the shopper mindset ingrained with “Walmart – everyday low prices”, they jack it all up.
30 years ago, when Wallymart came to the small town where I lived, MOST of the local retail disappeared within a few years. The local feed-mill/hardware store owner decided to compete. He expanded his retail space (doubled it, roughly) and focused on the customers who’d pay a bit more for excellent customer service. He’s still there, and still busy.
Ha. Amazon is going to close down Walmart in 10 years. All people will want is a few local stores where they can get fresh bread and perishables like Milk and Ice Cream without having to drive their golf carts all the way to the edge of town.
Walmart doesn’t kill off the local stores, the towns residents are to blame. I’ve seen it happen several times. The latest was in Oriental NC. Walmart opened an express store and all the locals abandoned the local market for the cheap junk walmart sells. The local market, The Town and Country, sold quality at reasonable prices. Pretty much all walmart sells is low quality at cheap prices. When the walmart closed, the locals begged the local market to reopen . The laugh was on the locals when the local market owners basically said FU*K OFF and did not reopen.
A few years back a Walmart opened a few blocks from a small specialty fishing gear shop. One day the owner of the shop saw the manager of the Walmart sporting goods department in his shop. The Walmart manager said he was going on a fishing expedition in the back country, and the shop owner spent an hour or so explaining all the different types of gear. Within a month, Walmart had opened a specialty fishing gear section, and within a year, the local shop owner closed for good. Walmart then discontinued the specialty fishing gear section, claiming that “there was no money in it”. True story.
Live by profit, die by profit. All you have to do is not shop at Wal Mart. This little dance is one of the many forced adjustments to ‘Normalcy’ that turns a human being into a consumer.
Supermarkets were good for a while but now they try to stock literally everything, tons of Chinese junk, and then cut the good food products to make room for their home brand crap.
In Canada, the Hudson’s Bay Co. bought up and closed down all the competing department stores, then turned themselves into a Canadian Neimen Marcus. Walmart is our only alternative for affordable merchandise…
My ex’s parents used to run a small convenience store. Their customers were generally people who a) wanted to shop something when Safeway (lower prices, bigger selection) was closed, or b) when they needed to run a tab instead of pay cash. Here in Vancouver, decades later, my memory is that Safeway cried foul when a very large rival moving into the area did a sweetheart deal with a different local of the Safeway’s employees’ union, allowing them somewhat lower operating expenses by paying their employees less than Safeway did. Gee, isn’t capitalism great!?!
(Old joke: “With Capitalism, man exploits man; under Communism, it’s exactly the reverse!”)
Perhaps because I’m comfortable enough not to have to skimp pennies, I much prefer to shop locally. The sad fact, though, is that Amazon has some items that I want and cannot find locally. Since I understand that both Amazon and Walmart abuse their employees, and Costco is generally considered to give their employees a better break, I guess that that makes Costco better in my book. If only shopping there weren’t such an ordeal…
BE THIS GUY over 4 years ago
And Walmart will only charge you small consultation fee for the help they are giving you.
WelshRat Premium Member over 4 years ago
They’ve had the same concerns in the U.K. with supermarkets. Most of them are ‘out-of-town’ ones these days and the one that’s generally got a superstore close to towns (especially where I live) is ASDA. Or, to give it it’s full name, ASDA-Walmart.
Liverlips McCracken Premium Member over 4 years ago
I can’t make out the copyright date on this one, but this guy now works in the Trump Administration as Acting Erratically.
Yontrop over 4 years ago
Herb seems to have mistaken this man for someone who cares.
hasani roberts over 4 years ago
well looks like we can go to gamestop for the video games
scote1379 Premium Member over 4 years ago
Sometimes yes sometimes no !
Anters55 over 4 years ago
This arc reminds me when Walmart opened near us: huge store with exceptionally low prices. Then once they have the market and the shopper mindset ingrained with “Walmart – everyday low prices”, they jack it all up.
JohnCL over 4 years ago
Trickle-down retailing?
Troglodyte over 4 years ago
The tough part, sure. And “love”? The same as in tennis!
ctb11365 over 4 years ago
30 years ago, when Wallymart came to the small town where I lived, MOST of the local retail disappeared within a few years. The local feed-mill/hardware store owner decided to compete. He expanded his retail space (doubled it, roughly) and focused on the customers who’d pay a bit more for excellent customer service. He’s still there, and still busy.
For a Just and Peaceful World over 4 years ago
I love the smell of BS in the morning.
Wizard of Ahz-no relation over 4 years ago
how much more ‘focused’ can you get than a local store where you know your clients by name?
vaughnrl2003 Premium Member over 4 years ago
Ha. Amazon is going to close down Walmart in 10 years. All people will want is a few local stores where they can get fresh bread and perishables like Milk and Ice Cream without having to drive their golf carts all the way to the edge of town.
lars_doyle over 4 years ago
Walmart doesn’t kill off the local stores, the towns residents are to blame. I’ve seen it happen several times. The latest was in Oriental NC. Walmart opened an express store and all the locals abandoned the local market for the cheap junk walmart sells. The local market, The Town and Country, sold quality at reasonable prices. Pretty much all walmart sells is low quality at cheap prices. When the walmart closed, the locals begged the local market to reopen . The laugh was on the locals when the local market owners basically said FU*K OFF and did not reopen.
William Robbins Premium Member over 4 years ago
This is kinda quaint. We’re counting on WalMart now to keep Amazon from devouring the world. Godzilla vs Ghidra…
skyriderwest over 4 years ago
A few years back a Walmart opened a few blocks from a small specialty fishing gear shop. One day the owner of the shop saw the manager of the Walmart sporting goods department in his shop. The Walmart manager said he was going on a fishing expedition in the back country, and the shop owner spent an hour or so explaining all the different types of gear. Within a month, Walmart had opened a specialty fishing gear section, and within a year, the local shop owner closed for good. Walmart then discontinued the specialty fishing gear section, claiming that “there was no money in it”. True story.
Cozmik Cowboy over 4 years ago
Allow me to highly recommend the wonderful documentary WalMart: The High Cost Of Low Prices.
Herb L 1954 over 4 years ago
Smoke some Herb.Ride the Cani-Bus ;)
Plods with ...™ over 4 years ago
The Walmart G-A-S factor looks like a finger and thumb pressing 10,000 lbs of it.
Renatus Profuturus Frigeridus Premium Member over 4 years ago
Kick him in the ass .
cromwelljones53 over 4 years ago
Live by profit, die by profit. All you have to do is not shop at Wal Mart. This little dance is one of the many forced adjustments to ‘Normalcy’ that turns a human being into a consumer.
aikidoshi over 4 years ago
Supermarkets were good for a while but now they try to stock literally everything, tons of Chinese junk, and then cut the good food products to make room for their home brand crap.
JP Steve Premium Member over 4 years ago
In Canada, the Hudson’s Bay Co. bought up and closed down all the competing department stores, then turned themselves into a Canadian Neimen Marcus. Walmart is our only alternative for affordable merchandise…
bakana over 4 years ago
Local Businesses will Flourish as never before.
In a world where the WallyMart dictionary defines “Flourish” as “File For Bankruptcy”.
cherns Premium Member over 4 years ago
My ex’s parents used to run a small convenience store. Their customers were generally people who a) wanted to shop something when Safeway (lower prices, bigger selection) was closed, or b) when they needed to run a tab instead of pay cash. Here in Vancouver, decades later, my memory is that Safeway cried foul when a very large rival moving into the area did a sweetheart deal with a different local of the Safeway’s employees’ union, allowing them somewhat lower operating expenses by paying their employees less than Safeway did. Gee, isn’t capitalism great!?!
(Old joke: “With Capitalism, man exploits man; under Communism, it’s exactly the reverse!”)
Perhaps because I’m comfortable enough not to have to skimp pennies, I much prefer to shop locally. The sad fact, though, is that Amazon has some items that I want and cannot find locally. Since I understand that both Amazon and Walmart abuse their employees, and Costco is generally considered to give their employees a better break, I guess that that makes Costco better in my book. If only shopping there weren’t such an ordeal…