Walmart

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So I went shopping at Walmart and they have all the same stuff you'll find at a Target, Harris Teeter or wherever. All the major brands: P&G, Johnson & Johnson etc. So why do DCUMers say that the store is full of crap? It's exactly the same stuff you buy at Giant on Conn. except you don't see pretentious people flaunting their dual degrees from HYP in poli sci/history.

The left loves to villainize them since they don’t have starting wages at over $15.00/hour. Plus, they are non-union - a big no-no for the left. I think they have good deals as well. I go there for specific items, and their prices are good. Going during “off hours” works to avoid the crowds.

Precisely the reasons I love to shop there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So I went shopping at Walmart and they have all the same stuff you'll find at a Target, Harris Teeter or wherever. All the major brands: P&G, Johnson & Johnson etc. So why do DCUMers say that the store is full of crap? It's exactly the same stuff you buy at Giant on Conn. except you don't see pretentious people flaunting their dual degrees from HYP in poli sci/history.

Actually, many of the name-brand products you see at Wal-Mart are a lower quality than you see at other stores…the manufacturers produce a separate line for Wal-Mart to meet its price demands. They use more cardboard than plastic and more plastic than metal, thinner fabrics, single rows of stitching instead of double, glue instead of fasteners, etc. etc. Electronics have fewer features. Products have shorter warranties. And once manufacturers change what they do for Wal-Mart, they often start doing it for other stores, which is why the quality of so many consumer goods is shoddier today than it was 20 years ago.

Oh please, it is generally the same stuff. You don't go to Walmart or Target for high end electronics or even clothing. I have some Walmart clothing. I love their jean shorts - I also have some expensive ones and honestly, I like the Walmart better. Most clothing has thinner fabrics now. It has nothing to do with Walmart.

[Anonymous]

Walmart is the world's largest corporation. It's size dictates the way the global economy does business -- period. My father ran a household name (everyone in the US knows it) manufacturing company in the US. When they lost their contract with Walmart because they refused to continue to lower the cost of their product, which was already causing a loss at the company or to make a cheaper product, Walmart said good riddance. They then gave the contract to a small manufacturer in Indonesia.

What happened to this extremely large manufacturing company? Well, after the loss of the Walmart contract, my father laid off 400 employees immediately. Over a two year period, he oversaw the shut down of the last US manufacturing plant of this company.

The plant was put up for sale. An Indian manufacturing company purchased the guts of the plant. They literally bought almost everything inside the plant, including bricks that were needed to make certain items. What didn't they buy? Anything that protected the environment. The left behind the machines that took the lead out of the air, they left behind the equipment that tested the water before it left the facility which would monitor for mercury, etc.

This is just one example of a once premier US brand that no longer exists in the US. This is what we are paying for in the lower prices. Study after study shows that most Americans just want their cheap socks and underwear.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Walmart is the world's largest corporation. It's size dictates the way the global economy does business -- period. My father ran a household name (everyone in the US knows it) manufacturing company in the US. When they lost their contract with Walmart because they refused to continue to lower the cost of their product, which was already causing a loss at the company or to make a cheaper product, Walmart said good riddance. They then gave the contract to a small manufacturer in Indonesia.

What happened to this extremely large manufacturing company? Well, after the loss of the Walmart contract, my father laid off 400 employees immediately. Over a two year period, he oversaw the shut down of the last US manufacturing plant of this company.

The plant was put up for sale. An Indian manufacturing company purchased the guts of the plant. They literally bought almost everything inside the plant, including bricks that were needed to make certain items. What didn't they buy? Anything that protected the environment. The left behind the machines that took the lead out of the air, they left behind the equipment that tested the water before it left the facility which would monitor for mercury, etc.

This is just one example of a once premier US brand that no longer exists in the US. This is what we are paying for in the lower prices. Study after study shows that most Americans just want their cheap socks and underwear.

Was this household name manufacturing company perhaps unionized and unwilling to lower wages? Almost all manufacturing companies in the US went belly up due to high labor costs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Walmart is the world's largest corporation. It's size dictates the way the global economy does business -- period. My father ran a household name (everyone in the US knows it) manufacturing company in the US. When they lost their contract with Walmart because they refused to continue to lower the cost of their product, which was already causing a loss at the company or to make a cheaper product, Walmart said good riddance. They then gave the contract to a small manufacturer in Indonesia.

What happened to this extremely large manufacturing company? Well, after the loss of the Walmart contract, my father laid off 400 employees immediately. Over a two year period, he oversaw the shut down of the last US manufacturing plant of this company.

The plant was put up for sale. An Indian manufacturing company purchased the guts of the plant. They literally bought almost everything inside the plant, including bricks that were needed to make certain items. What didn't they buy? Anything that protected the environment. The left behind the machines that took the lead out of the air, they left behind the equipment that tested the water before it left the facility which would monitor for mercury, etc.

This is just one example of a once premier US brand that no longer exists in the US. This is what we are paying for in the lower prices. Study after study shows that most Americans just want their cheap socks and underwear.

Bummer. The brand just went belly up, huh, rather than move overseas and continue operation?

Regardless, yes, I like my cheap Tylenol, ziplock and cotton blend socks. I do not wish to overpay .30 more an item for these things so 1. "Your father" can maintain an executive salary of x+1 and (2) so that Kenny in Ohio can hang onto his job manufacturing socks. Kenny needs to retrain in IT or health care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Walmart is the world's largest corporation. It's size dictates the way the global economy does business -- period. My father ran a household name (everyone in the US knows it) manufacturing company in the US. When they lost their contract with Walmart because they refused to continue to lower the cost of their product, which was already causing a loss at the company or to make a cheaper product, Walmart said good riddance. They then gave the contract to a small manufacturer in Indonesia.

What happened to this extremely large manufacturing company? Well, after the loss of the Walmart contract, my father laid off 400 employees immediately. Over a two year period, he oversaw the shut down of the last US manufacturing plant of this company.

The plant was put up for sale. An Indian manufacturing company purchased the guts of the plant. They literally bought almost everything inside the plant, including bricks that were needed to make certain items. What didn't they buy? Anything that protected the environment. The left behind the machines that took the lead out of the air, they left behind the equipment that tested the water before it left the facility which would monitor for mercury, etc.

This is just one example of a once premier US brand that no longer exists in the US. This is what we are paying for in the lower prices. Study after study shows that most Americans just want their cheap socks and underwear.

Was it Huffy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Walmart is the world's largest corporation. It's size dictates the way the global economy does business -- period. My father ran a household name (everyone in the US knows it) manufacturing company in the US. When they lost their contract with Walmart because they refused to continue to lower the cost of their product, which was already causing a loss at the company or to make a cheaper product, Walmart said good riddance. They then gave the contract to a small manufacturer in Indonesia.

What happened to this extremely large manufacturing company? Well, after the loss of the Walmart contract, my father laid off 400 employees immediately. Over a two year period, he oversaw the shut down of the last US manufacturing plant of this company.

The plant was put up for sale. An Indian manufacturing company purchased the guts of the plant. They literally bought almost everything inside the plant, including bricks that were needed to make certain items. What didn't they buy? Anything that protected the environment. The left behind the machines that took the lead out of the air, they left behind the equipment that tested the water before it left the facility which would monitor for mercury, etc.

This is just one example of a once premier US brand that no longer exists in the US. This is what we are paying for in the lower prices. Study after study shows that most Americans just want their cheap socks and underwear.

Was this household name manufacturing company perhaps unionized and unwilling to lower wages? Almost all manufacturing companies in the US went belly up due to high labor costs.

You say this with a sneer. Tell me how shit wages for a majority of Americans has worked out for our economy. Honestly, Republican "thought" is so short-sighted as to be practically blind.

Reading enough similar stories about Walmart's business practices put my parents off Walmart two decades ago, having a family member who suffered as a Walmart manager for ten years cemented it. And their stuff is just cheap. Not inexpensive, cheap. Enjoy the cheap crap you don't need, although you buy way too much of it.

Although I'll give them this: they are bright and dingy, not dark and dingy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Walmart is the world's largest corporation. It's size dictates the way the global economy does business -- period. My father ran a household name (everyone in the US knows it) manufacturing company in the US. When they lost their contract with Walmart because they refused to continue to lower the cost of their product, which was already causing a loss at the company or to make a cheaper product, Walmart said good riddance. They then gave the contract to a small manufacturer in Indonesia.

What happened to this extremely large manufacturing company? Well, after the loss of the Walmart contract, my father laid off 400 employees immediately. Over a two year period, he oversaw the shut down of the last US manufacturing plant of this company.

The plant was put up for sale. An Indian manufacturing company purchased the guts of the plant. They literally bought almost everything inside the plant, including bricks that were needed to make certain items. What didn't they buy? Anything that protected the environment. The left behind the machines that took the lead out of the air, they left behind the equipment that tested the water before it left the facility which would monitor for mercury, etc.

This is just one example of a once premier US brand that no longer exists in the US. This is what we are paying for in the lower prices. Study after study shows that most Americans just want their cheap socks and underwear.

Bummer. The brand just went belly up, huh, rather than move overseas and continue operation?

Regardless, yes, I like my cheap Tylenol, ziplock and cotton blend socks. I do not wish to overpay .30 more an item for these things so 1. "Your father" can maintain an executive salary of x+1 and (2) so that Kenny in Ohio can hang onto his job manufacturing socks. Kenny needs to retrain in IT or health care.

No, the brand didn't go belly up. The brand was purchased by another manufacturing firm from another country, which is heavily back by its country.

My father and the few executives who ran the company were not the sob story. Those who suffered mightily, are the highly skilled blue collar workers who lost their jobs, their pensions, etc. Most of them have never been able to replace that income. They have taken up service oriented jobs that do not pay what their manufacturing jobs once paid.

Keep your head in the sand, but if we do not make things in this country and pay the people a living wage, we are no better than the third world nations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Was this household name manufacturing company perhaps unionized and unwilling to lower wages? Almost all manufacturing companies in the US went belly up due to high labor costs.

You say this with a sneer. Tell me how shit wages for a majority of Americans has worked out for our economy. Honestly, Republican "thought" is so short-sighted as to be practically blind.

Reading enough similar stories about Walmart's business practices put my parents off Walmart two decades ago, having a family member who suffered as a Walmart manager for ten years cemented it. And their stuff is just cheap. Not inexpensive, cheap. Enjoy the cheap crap you don't need, although you buy way too much of it.

Although I'll give them this: they are bright and dingy, not dark and dingy.

+1 on the short-sightedness of Republican party members. The Tea Party's union-bashing is just thinly disguised elitism. The sad thing is, most of the Tea Party is lower-middle class, only they've been persuaded that one day they too will definitely become rich in this land of opportunity (cue flag waving) and then they will benefit from Republic policies that favor the rich. As if.

I'm an economist and I could tell you really appalling stories of focus groups I've attended, where the poorest and least educated members of the focus group were the ones who most strongly supported policies that would have hurt them and helped their bosses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Walmart is the world's largest corporation. It's size dictates the way the global economy does business -- period. My father ran a household name (everyone in the US knows it) manufacturing company in the US. When they lost their contract with Walmart because they refused to continue to lower the cost of their product, which was already causing a loss at the company or to make a cheaper product, Walmart said good riddance. They then gave the contract to a small manufacturer in Indonesia.

What happened to this extremely large manufacturing company? Well, after the loss of the Walmart contract, my father laid off 400 employees immediately. Over a two year period, he oversaw the shut down of the last US manufacturing plant of this company.

The plant was put up for sale. An Indian manufacturing company purchased the guts of the plant. They literally bought almost everything inside the plant, including bricks that were needed to make certain items. What didn't they buy? Anything that protected the environment. The left behind the machines that took the lead out of the air, they left behind the equipment that tested the water before it left the facility which would monitor for mercury, etc.

This is just one example of a once premier US brand that no longer exists in the US. This is what we are paying for in the lower prices. Study after study shows that most Americans just want their cheap socks and underwear.

Was it Huffy?

No. This was a hi-tech company.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Walmart is the world's largest corporation. It's size dictates the way the global economy does business -- period. My father ran a household name (everyone in the US knows it) manufacturing company in the US. When they lost their contract with Walmart because they refused to continue to lower the cost of their product, which was already causing a loss at the company or to make a cheaper product, Walmart said good riddance. They then gave the contract to a small manufacturer in Indonesia.

What happened to this extremely large manufacturing company? Well, after the loss of the Walmart contract, my father laid off 400 employees immediately. Over a two year period, he oversaw the shut down of the last US manufacturing plant of this company.

The plant was put up for sale. An Indian manufacturing company purchased the guts of the plant. They literally bought almost everything inside the plant, including bricks that were needed to make certain items. What didn't they buy? Anything that protected the environment. The left behind the machines that took the lead out of the air, they left behind the equipment that tested the water before it left the facility which would monitor for mercury, etc.

This is just one example of a once premier US brand that no longer exists in the US. This is what we are paying for in the lower prices. Study after study shows that most Americans just want their cheap socks and underwear.

Was this household name manufacturing company perhaps unionized and unwilling to lower wages? Almost all manufacturing companies in the US went belly up due to high labor costs.

You say this with a sneer. Tell me how shit wages for a majority of Americans has worked out for our economy. Honestly, Republican "thought" is so short-sighted as to be practically blind.

What's more short-sighted, putting 1000's of people out of work, or taking a pay/benefit cut? And no, I'm not a Republican. I'm actually a liberal leaning independent. And I also don't like Walmart.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So I went shopping at Walmart and they have all the same stuff you'll find at a Target, Harris Teeter or wherever. All the major brands: P&G, Johnson & Johnson etc. So why do DCUMers say that the store is full of crap? It's exactly the same stuff you buy at Giant on Conn. except you don't see pretentious people flaunting their dual degrees from HYP in poli sci/history.

Actually, many of the name-brand products you see at Wal-Mart are a lower quality than you see at other stores…the manufacturers produce a separate line for Wal-Mart to meet its price demands. They use more cardboard than plastic and more plastic than metal, thinner fabrics, single rows of stitching instead of double, glue instead of fasteners, etc. etc. Electronics have fewer features. Products have shorter warranties. And once manufacturers change what they do for Wal-Mart, they often start doing it for other stores, which is why the quality of so many consumer goods is shoddier today than it was 20 years ago.

Citation please.

NP but if you don't know that Walmart is widely known for having entirely separate lines of products created just for them, you've been living under a rock. In some instances, major manufacturers setup entire production facilities just to produce items for Walmart that don't adhere to their normal standards

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Walmart is the world's largest corporation. It's size dictates the way the global economy does business -- period. My father ran a household name (everyone in the US knows it) manufacturing company in the US. When they lost their contract with Walmart because they refused to continue to lower the cost of their product, which was already causing a loss at the company or to make a cheaper product, Walmart said good riddance. They then gave the contract to a small manufacturer in Indonesia.

What happened to this extremely large manufacturing company? Well, after the loss of the Walmart contract, my father laid off 400 employees immediately. Over a two year period, he oversaw the shut down of the last US manufacturing plant of this company.

The plant was put up for sale. An Indian manufacturing company purchased the guts of the plant. They literally bought almost everything inside the plant, including bricks that were needed to make certain items. What didn't they buy? Anything that protected the environment. The left behind the machines that took the lead out of the air, they left behind the equipment that tested the water before it left the facility which would monitor for mercury, etc.

This is just one example of a once premier US brand that no longer exists in the US. This is what we are paying for in the lower prices. Study after study shows that most Americans just want their cheap socks and underwear.

Was this household name manufacturing company perhaps unionized and unwilling to lower wages? Almost all manufacturing companies in the US went belly up due to high labor costs.

Like I said earlier, it didn't go belly up. And do you mean this and other companies that have suffered because they paid their workers a living wage shouldn't have done so?

Please, please tell me how much better our economy has done in the past decade, since this company and the scores of others who have left our shores. Please show me the families who have achieved the American dream of homeownership, show me that people have been able to replace these lost jobs with other jobs with equal pay and benefits. Oh right you can't. Unemployment, personal bankruptcies due to medical expenses, financial collapse, foreclosure and housing collapse.

Gee, it seems that even Walmart can't compete these days. They can't lower their prices anymore either and their poor customers still can't afford what they are selling. Their earnings are down and so is their stock. http://wallstcheatsheet.com/business/are-weak-sales-a-red-flag-for-walmart-stock.html/?a=viewall

[Anonymous]

A lot of the products they sell are crap, but the fresh produce at the super-walmart by my parents' house is really good and affordable. I was surprised.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Walmart is the world's largest corporation. It's size dictates the way the global economy does business -- period. My father ran a household name (everyone in the US knows it) manufacturing company in the US. When they lost their contract with Walmart because they refused to continue to lower the cost of their product, which was already causing a loss at the company or to make a cheaper product, Walmart said good riddance. They then gave the contract to a small manufacturer in Indonesia.

What happened to this extremely large manufacturing company? Well, after the loss of the Walmart contract, my father laid off 400 employees immediately. Over a two year period, he oversaw the shut down of the last US manufacturing plant of this company.

The plant was put up for sale. An Indian manufacturing company purchased the guts of the plant. They literally bought almost everything inside the plant, including bricks that were needed to make certain items. What didn't they buy? Anything that protected the environment. The left behind the machines that took the lead out of the air, they left behind the equipment that tested the water before it left the facility which would monitor for mercury, etc.

This is just one example of a once premier US brand that no longer exists in the US. This is what we are paying for in the lower prices. Study after study shows that most Americans just want their cheap socks and underwear.

Was this household name manufacturing company perhaps unionized and unwilling to lower wages? Almost all manufacturing companies in the US went belly up due to high labor costs.

You say this with a sneer. Tell me how shit wages for a majority of Americans has worked out for our economy. Honestly, Republ

In this particular company's case it was not executive compensation that caused the problem. This was an old school manufacturing company that kept things real and didn't not have crazy wage discrepancies. What caused the problem was a market force to cheapen the product or sell it at a manufactured loss.