WALMART

[Anonymous]

[}:)] Well this ought to bring out the staunch capitalists on this forum!!

I see this time and again, here. Specifically, Walmart is mentioned more on this forum than any specific hobby shop or hobby dealer/distributor. You guys are suggesting going to Walmart to buy items that can be purchased at most local hardware/variety/other discount or auto parts stores.

I hate Walmart! [:(!] Don't you guys read how Walmart operates? If you think this is how America should operate, God help this country!!!

[AntonioFP45]

Deshane,

Could you please give us a little background on Wal-Mart? I'm vaguely familiar. I do know that many small traditional businesses go under once a Wal-Mart opens near them. [V]

The average person probably doesn't know the details and know Wal-Mart as a very convenient place to shop.[8)]

Thanks!

[Eriediamond]

I may be out of tune here, but how does Walmart operate any differently then other businesses?

[MAbruce]

Yeah, Wal-Mart’s great. I just got an Atlas SD35 for $19.99!! Kato’s regularly go for under $25!! You also can't beat them fro Brass items either... [(-D]

Really now, I doubt the LHS has much to worry about from Wal-Mart - other than losing out on a glue sale or two. The real threat to an LHS would come from eBay, internet hobby dealers, or Michael’s Craft Stores.

So would Michael’s be considered evil too??

As for your rant on Wal-Mart - [#offtopic] I'd suggest you check out: http://www.walmartsucks.com/

[Anonymous]

Walmart Operates by getting exclusive deals with small manufaturers, then sells the product at a low price, both companies profit by it. they also get big named stuff at bulk rate discounts.

Walmart is ahead of the curve in most respects, they have the best Computerized Inventory/distribution system in the world, this allows them to minimize their trucking fleet's road time and warehouse sizes, saving them Millions, thus making prices cheaper again.

They know exactly what a store has at any moment, what it needs and when it needs it, this is why you never seem to see walmart out of anything, unless there was a mass run on an item. The accombli***his by having real time satalite/broadband interconnected computers to the central distribution and control center, believe me it is a daunting task and they deserve credit for it working so smoothly. Another US, and i think european company, does a similar system, but not as good, the comapny is a cheap food distributer called Aldi's. So walmart isn't the only company that operates this way, infact they are building on 40+ years of other companies ideas and expanding and adapting them to the times.

As for Walmart and Model railroads, i doubt they will replace the local hobby shop in that reguard. They do sell low to medium quality sets, which in turn get more children interested in model railroading and hopefully expand the hobby. Local Hobby shops while good, hjust don't have the ability to attract the volume of people to the hobby that walmart can. Hopefully those that buy the set's will become so engrossed and whant more that they'll seek out the dedicated Hobby stores, thus causing a flowover effect to the local hobby stores.

As i see it, Walmart has Increased the hobbies marketing and visiblity effect by thousands. if walmart even brings one new person into the hobby, cudo's for them. But i'm sensing it'll bring thousands, if not millions of new, fresh faces to the hobby in the years to come.

And that's what it's all about, reviving and expanding our hobby, since many of our older modelers are reaching the age where their bodies won't let them enjoy Modeling, we need to bring in more of the younger crowd to renew our numbers.

Jay

[Anonymous]

MAbruce, You are right, Walmart and LHS presently have no connection. Therefore, I changed the heading to simply Walmart. However, do not put words in my mouth, I did not say Walmart was evil! I've really only said I hate them and am attempting to ask people to get to understand how this company operates and make decisions on if saving a few quarters is worth helping this company grow and get a stronger and stronger knowing how Walmart operates.

Also, how can I be off topic, when so many people make referance to Walmart in this forum!?!?

AntonioFP45, and Eriediamond, MAbruce's referance to http://www.walmartsucks.com/
is a place to start, however, it may take you some time to get to the meat. Also, remember this is a forum similar to this one and subject to the same B.S.

[MAbruce]

QUOTE: Originally posted by deschane

MAbruce, do not put words in my mouth, I did not say Walmart was evil! I've really only said I hate them and am attempting to ask people to get to understand how this company operates and make decisions on if saving a few quarters is worth helping this company grow and get a stronger and stronger knowing how Walmart operates.

Okay, that may have been putting words in your mouth. But considering your rather leading comments about hating Wal-Mart, and how God needs to help our country if this is the way business should operate, you will have to forgive me for reaching that conclusion… [D)]

Add to this that I recall past topics regarding Wal-Mart that you have expressed similar (if not stronger) sentiments.

QUOTE:
Also, how can I be off topic, when so many people make referance to Walmart in this forum!?!?

As for the numerous Wal-Mart references on this forum, I have seen (in my readings) that most have dealt with them as a place to find resources that would not be normally available in a hobby shop. But I could be wrong as I don’t have time to read through every topic on this forum.

[Eriediamond]

deschane, repectfully, you are intitled to your opinions however I only asked how you feel they operate differently from other businesses. You are the one that stated you hated Walmart and you are the one blasting them and made the post. Give us your reasons for this. "Walmart sucks" is not a place I would think I could get answers to my question to you. This leads to another question, why post a negative post then not give your reason for the feelings you have to post it in the first place? Repectfully, E-diamond

[Anonymous]

I'm old enought (35) to remember going to downtown McKeesport Pa to go shopping. There were so many great stores, and the weather was somethign you just dealt with. Then the Malls came. The malls had everything, plus better weather. [:D] I miss some of the older stores i shopped in as a child. However the choice, price, and service have led to Walmarts huge growth. Now if you are watching, downtowns are reinventing themselves. Dover De. main street is turnign into an artist comunity. Portland Or. has a fantastic downtown area, with light rail to help get people around. Walmart helped change the Paradign, however what will come along and replace walmart? In our area Acme markest are offering online shopping for a cost of 5.00. Now if you hav e ahuge order, and have no time, is 5 bucks any more than a great deal? I think they will be swamped, and that this will spread.
Don't hate walmart for their success. Plenty of hobby shops have done thmeselves to death, with no one to blame but themselves. Not everyone is born with the talent to create a successful business.
Bill

[dharmon]

Walmart is a model of business success...really a nothing to something story...proof that America works. Apparently they meet the requirements of a large enough number of customers to support their continued success and not just in the US...Mexico, Puerto Rico..... As far as becoming exclusive distributers of product lines.......hmm Horizon ring a bell anyone...this is not new, illegal, immoral or otherwise wrong thing.....business is business. Walmart has driven alot of smaller stores out of business...but then again, that was the customers talking...if you don't want to shop at Walmart..don't. It's that simple....go somehwere else......Walmart didn't put the little guys out of business...folks voted with their pocket book. As far as employers go they are pretty good also. Not a whole lot of places where cashiers can get medical benefits and but stock.

Lets put it in a railroad perspective.....Walmart is no worse, and I'm sure a whole lot better than Jay Gould, Vanderbilt, JP Morgan or any of the Robber Baron Tycoons that built the RRs we all love.........it's business...plain and simple.

[Anonymous]

Am I afraid of being sued by Walmart? Absolutely! They have way deeper pockets than I do! If I told you all I know about how Walmart operates and all of it was absolutly true, they would still win the case because they can outlast my finacial position. That is why all I'm going to say is; Use all the information you can, to make your own decision on whether or not you still want to shop at Walmart! I think these are important considerations in this day and age.

Compairing Walmart to the railroad Robber Barons & Tycoons... Now, that's an Interesting metafor! You know what, I would have hated those guys, too!

[jfugate]

This isn't a very railroady topic, is it?

It's interesting to me how people think its okay to be a clever as possbile with your own finances and we applaud it when someone is, but if a business tries to be clever with their money we claim they're bad guys if they're successful at it.

A WALMART came to town here in Woodburn and many of the local dept store businesses in town shut down. Meanwhile people came from miles around (who had never come to town before) which made the gas stations and restaruants in town boom like never before.

Then they superstored the WALMART, making it twice the size it was before, including groceries. The local grocery store closed, but even more people came from far and wide. The local car dealerships tripled in size!

The moral of the story? The people who used to work at the businesses that shut down now work for the restaruants or the car dealers, or they now work at the WALMART superstore. And they tend to make more and have better benefits.

What about the business owners? Who knows? Maybe they're the ones standing on the freeway exit holding the cardboard? Perhaps, but probably not. Knowing entreprenuers, they have gone on to one of a hundred other business ideas they have dreamed about trying ...

[dharmon]

QUOTE: Originally posted by deschane

Am I afraid of being sued by Walmart? Absolutely! They have way deeper pockets than I do! If I told you all I know about how Walmart operates and all of it was absolutly true, they would still win the case because they can outlast my finacial position. That is why all I'm going to say is; Use all the information you can, to make your own decision on whether or not you still want to shop at Walmart! I think these are important considerations in this day and age.

Compairing Walmart to the railroad Robber Barons & Tycoons... Now, that's an Interesting metafor! You know what, I would have hated those guys, too!

For just about everything, there is someone that likes it and someone that doesn't. If it wasn't Walmart that came along it would have been some company..Target, Kmart.....etc. The same arguement is made about Lowes and Home Depot, and UP and a host of other companies that have come to dominate the market for one reason or another........Reason to dislike Walmart.......they sell abunch of stuff made in China...the same country that thumped one of our planes and held the crew as guest for a week or so.... Reasons to like Walmart....at 9pm I can get a can of airbrush propellant...sorry LHS, you closed 4 hours to early. Reasons to respect them...because they achieve results for thier shareholders......They are not clean all of the time..show me a company that size without something on them.....and I'll show you a company that hasn't been caught yet. No better, no worse.....

[Anonymous]

lol walmart is ok, it's kmart that bugs me. The shelves are always a mess, they're always out of stock of what you want, and what they do have is cheap foreign garbage! Ever since Stewart was convicted they've been a ghost town. At least walmart is organized and well stocked, but target is almost as good and gaining fast.

[Anonymous]

deschane, if you don't like Wal-Mart, don't shop there.

Unless you're on a crusade to change society, you may leave the rest of us alone to shop where we will. And I go to the store with the lowest prices.

That's capitalism.

[Fergmiester]

Which by the way supports communism, because without the Chinese, Walmart wouldn't have a cheap work force to exploit.

And no I dn't support Communism!

I just don't like honest folk getting screwed or the wool pulled over their eyes!!

I don't do Walmart.

[jfugate]

And it works in reverse, too.

The airlines and the trucking companies just about put the railroads out of business.

Now today in the era of the megaRailroad, the spinoff shortlines are booming like never before under the guidance of small local owners.

Ah yes, captialism. You love it and you hate it ... kinda like life.

But it is interesting that the nations that embrace it tend to be more prosperous so for all it's ills, it seems to work better than anything else for spreading wealth.

[brothaslide]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Fergmiester

Which by the way supports communism, because without the Chinese, Walmart wouldn't have a cheap work force to exploit.

And no I dn't support Communism!. . .

So I guess you won't be buying Athearn RTR, Proto 2000, and all of the other model railroad supplies made in China?

[AggroJones]

All I got to say is I need Wal-mart. Regardless of what small businesses they hurt, I still have to buy almost everything from there. My pockets aren't that deep.

[Anonymous]

Whew.

The trucking compaines are not putting the trains out of business, my former employer JB Hunt runs whole trains stacked with containers and has like 20 dedicated railyards. You still need a truck to go where trains dont.

What is happening is the overhead and costs of business such as benefits, expenses etc ad nasuem is spiraling sky high. Even Hospitals are closing because they cannot recoup the costs anymore.

NTDN, I think Aldi was purchased by Walmart for Europe operations. I am not sure.

When you say the word LHS related to Model Railroads I feel warn and fuzzy because you know that these are folks that know what you are talking about and can help you. Sorta like a extended family.

Now when the spectre of "Walmart" looms in these threads I get a "Chill" down my back as if someone just walked over my grave. I have mental images of a pimply student trying to assist a mother with 4 children to buy Daddy a 300 dollar engine at a discount for christmas. Not good.

Walmart does buy small company's business if it suits them. Usually a win-win situation. But if Walmart tries to buy BLI, Bachmann or GASP Walther's they will find themselfs against a wall.

I am near 40 and are old enough to remember Woolworth's and their lunch line. You actually can sit down and eat a full meal while taking a break from shopping. The whole town will show up there for breakfast during a commute to work. Yes walmart has Deli's and such but it is geared to shoppers who are there in such a vast building so long they get hungry.

Also Sears and Wards were giants in thier day. To meet a staffer in the clothes rack was to be an audiance with a King because the Attendant will not leave you until you find what you wanted that fit. Today's Malls and Stores such as Kmart in some cases have totally given up this experience. They would prefer to be in the back office listening to music and trade who is going out with who.

I dont think that deschane is Walmart bashing, I belive that the future holds a dark prospect of your life wired to the world. For example, your kitchen will order food as you consume it and eventaully they will plan ahead for your habits.

Take Kroger and thier so called cash back card. The card gathers information from every item you buy at krogers and over time builds a data base or dossier on you that can be traded to a third party that seeks data on how to deal with customers in the grocery business. And they pay you a few cents for the honor.

This thread is sure to get alot of people fired up and charge in screaming Yah with good and bad comments, the best we can do is listen to eachother and hope for the best! lol

Lee

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by NTDN
Another US, and i think european company, does a similar system, but not as good, the comapny is a cheap food distributer called Aldi's.

I HATE THAT PLACE! My dad makes us shop there for half of are grocerys and I HATE IT! I HATE WALMART also![banghead][banghead][banghead][banghead][censored][censored][censored][sigh][sigh][:(!][:(!][:(!][:(!][}:)][}:)][}:)][soapbox][soapbox][soapbox][tdn][tdn]

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ACL Fan

deschane, if you don't like Wal-Mart, don't shop there.

Unless you're on a crusade to change society, you may leave the rest of us alone to shop where we will. And I go to the store with the lowest prices.

That's capitalism.

Welcome back ACLFan, haven't seen you in awhile!

I don't shop at Walmart, I never have and I never will!

I'm on no crusade, unless it is to get people to think about what they are doing. I have never said "Don't shop at Walmart" I think we all need to be educated about what is best for ourselves, our town, state and country! If you think this means shopping at Walmart, "Have at'er".

[csxns]

Walmart to me sux they are evil after Sam died.

[Roadtrp]

I was a Wal-Mart hater until I discovered the only one I was hurting was myself. Face it -- they have darned good products at darned low prices. If Wal-Mart sucks, capitalism sucks.

When you go buy your factory-farm produced Gold'N Plump chicken at the grocery store, do you sit around and worry about some family farmer with a 100 chickens in his coop being put out of business? No. Me neither.

Things change. You can lead, follow, or get out of the way, but you can't stand still.

[brothaslide]

QUOTE:

I'm on no crusade, unless it is to get people to think about what they are doing.

Why don't we get on a crusade to bring down the price of a Athearn Genesis SD70M from $140 retial to about $60.

I could get behind that!

[Fergmiester]

QUOTE: Originally posted by brothaslide

QUOTE: Originally posted by Fergmiester

Which by the way supports communism, because without the Chinese, Walmart wouldn't have a cheap work force to exploit.

And no I dn't support Communism!. . .

So I guess you won't be buying Athearn RTR, Proto 2000, and all of the other model railroad supplies made in China?

Didn't say that either! More of an observation. 10 years ago I would of said Don't buy Chinese, but as a friend pointed out to me. without the money and technology most 3rd world nations would not be able to progress. However the sharing of wealth is not always proportional to the sweat exerted. Unfortunately we are told the way to keep prices down to to manufacture offshore. If this was completely truthful then the prices would be even lower than what they are. Where the problem lies is manufacturing offshore allows the select few to line their pockets as they are not having to pay reasonable wages. That's capitalism!

Something akin to the food chain.

That's my rant

[easyaces]

The local Wal-Mart Supercenter that serves my local area does not stock any model railroad items, so I have to make a 30min. trip to Lafayette,Ind. to my fav model RR store which is very well stocked, the owner very friendly & helpful, and if He does not have what I'm looking for, he will order it no exra charge ! That Wal-mart would ever go that route to bring in Model RR supplies in store around my area is yet to be seen, and I think is at the discretion of the store managers, and regional supers, and if one near you does, thats an exception!

[areibel]

The thing I can't figure out about Wally World is they proclaim the lowest prices, then in the same breath that they'll beat any competitior's prices- If they're the lowest, who's there to compete with??
My wife shops there, and she's a smart shopper. She's noticed that they have specials for sure, but the other day to day items are as much or more than the local chain stores.
If you point that out, OK they'll match it, but unless you asy something they won't do you any favors.
The two things I dislike the most? First, the big pandemonium they make about being the all American store- yeah, the give a lot of people (low paying) jobs, and sell some American goods, but they're out to make a buck at almost any cost.
Second, it never fails, I always get stuck behind the 300 pound woman in dirty pink stretch pants that takes half an hour at the check out, she has to separate the items she can use her food stamps on from the cigarettes, Diet Coke and National Enquirer.

[Anonymous]

Hmm. That is awful.

They have these so called self check outs now. You will do it yourself. What gets me is that the bags go on a pad and in the data base is the EXACT weight of every item. One lady tried to sneak a few more tic tacks into her bag and the computer in a loud voice said "Unauthorized item in bag, please remove from bag and rescan" She did not know how it works and her eyes got THIS BIG. he he.

IF they open a walmart with a grocery store in my town they will not be able to compete with my local grocery chain. My local Grocery chain is family owned and they ship thru a non-union food distrubition system and buy thier milk and eggs locally. The meat comes in from the state and is cut in store. Wal mart ships meat in from large ranches out west.

In regards to prices, I have only this to say...When Microsoft's Train Stimulator first came out a few years ago retail was about $58.00. I waited 9 months. The price fell to 29.00 and another 4 months finally down to 19.00 I bought it. Worth it too. On software when prices hit 19.00 (Or actually 18.70 - Trade secret for items to be discontinued) it's time to buy it before it's gone.

Walmart for me impacts my Trucking experience with support for being able to say... go to Laramie Wyoming (One of my favorite brands of bacon can be gotten there) load up on 100 dollars worth of food and head out west. Totally independant of the truckstop. My spouse would cook while I drove. Saved us a great deal of money.

I wonder if Railroad crews get to cook while on the rails. Surely that big deisel can offer 110 volts at 60 hertz for the coffee pot and steak broiler.

Just my two cents

Lee

[Jetrock]

Wal-Mart is proof that nothing good ever came out of Arkansas. I still like the idea of a "joke" layout with a big Wal-Mart on one side and a bunch of local-business type structures with boarded-over windows and "Out Of Business" signs pasted to the front...

Their phony patriotism and the hideous merchandise turns me off. But then, I tend to avoid chain stores whenever possible anyhow...

And yes, the analogy between Industrial Revolution "robber barons" and Wal-Mart is an apt one. The assumption that a corporation is beholden to nobody except their stockholders is a fallacious one--and the currently-espoused legal concept of corporations as an immortal, all-powerful being is one dangerous both to democracy and true capitalism.