STATS ON WALMART. I find this interesting to say the least.

[graybeard]

How Big Is Wal-Mart?
1. At Wal-Mart, Americans spend $36,000,000 every hour of every day. $315 Billion a year.
2. This works out to $20,928 profit every minute!
3. Wal-Mart will sell more From January 1 to St. Patrick's Day (March 17th) Than Target sells all year.
4. Wal-Mart is bigger than Home Depot + Kroger + Target + Sears + Costco + K-Mart combined.
5. Wal-Mart employs 1.6 million people And is the largest private employer.
6. Wal-Mart is the largest company in the history of the World.
7. Wal-Mart now sells more food than Kroger & Safeway combined, And keep in mind they did this In only 15 years.
8. During this same period, 31 Supermarket chains sought bankruptcy (including Winn-Dixie).
9. Wal-Mart now sells more food than any other store in the world.
10. Wal-Mart has approx 3,900 stores In the USA of which 1,906 are SuperCenters; This is 1,000 more than it had 5 years ago.
11. This year, 7.2 billion different purchasing experiences will occur at a Wal-Mart store. (Earth's population is approximately 6.5 billion.)
12. 90% of all Americans live within 15 miles of a Wal-Mart.
13. Let Wal-Mart take charge of the US economy. They are efficient and give us what we need.

beard

 

[ronp]

That is VERY interesting.

Thanks for posting this.

 

[suprfast]

Walmart has great prices but i HATE their business ethics. Ive seen it said here a million times and ive heard it a million and one, "sam walton would roll over in his grave if he saw what walmart has become"

If it wasnt for the fact walmart just started to advertise real eco friendly i wouldnt have given them a 15th chance:)

Damn they are so cheap.
kris

 

[smokebuzz]

I don't go there, don't like the meat they sell in our area, and they quit selling guns in most stores, and ammo is getting scarce in their stores.
They have run many small, family owned bussiness out, they are/have gone away from their American made roots.

 

[morkdach]

interesting thanks

 

[pops6927]

I think their new CEO and President are

PINKY and The BRAIN

who finally found World Domination!

 

[the dude abides]

Don't be so quick to buy into advertising. Everyone is "green" these days. It's the new buzzword. The 15th chance?!? Apparently you're not happy going there.

Cheap is right. You can't just do cheap prices without cheap products, cheap labor, etc. I don't just mean cheap with the definition of low cost, I mean cheap as in cheaply made junk.

I know I said this in another post...but please if you really do more than pretend to care visit this link
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/walmart/
and click on "watch the full program online". It's a great expose on Wal Mart. If after watching this, you still can shop there, AND feel good about doing so, I'll shut the heck up.

Sorry to be a nag. This is one subject I feel passionate about.

 

[suprfast]

Sorry dude, sarcasm is hard to show on the internet. I hate walmart and try my best not to shop there. I dont mind paying a few dollars more at Target as they donate back to communities.

The Eco Friendly part was just a joke. I was tired when i wrote all this yesterday so it was hard to show my PUN intended side.

Im going to check out that link today. I love watching stuff at work and getting paid for it.

Man, its starting to sound nice here on the forum. Sounds like there are more "hippies" than i thought.

 

[flatbroke]

Yup, I think the "Smoking of Fatties" got em.

 

[pineywoods]

I find it funny people always talk about Walmart how about Home Depot they come in and drive out all the mom and pop Hardware stores and they don't carry so many things the small places did such as bulk bolts and nuts. They hire most of their help as part time so they don't have to pay benefits then under staff so you can't even find any help. They keep changing the brands of what they carry you buy something and then can't get parts for it from them. Then theres my favorite at what seems to be all big box stores 10-15 people per line and 2-3 cashiers

 

[travcoman45]

Yer right jerry, any "super store" hurts the mom an pop shops. The little guy just can't compete with em, they buy a trainload at a time not 5 er 6 pieces.

People give up an awfull lot ta save money, now don't get me wrong, I like savin money to, but I also like havin somebody round what knows the product. Service is a dyin thin, somethin I surely miss.

I goto the "little guy" anytime I can, but, gettin harder ta find em. Ya don't do business like ya used ta, an that be a sad thin.

 

[suprfast]

Man, you hit the nail on the head.

Piney, i do agree with you. We tend to target WALMART. Walmart tends to have the WORST business practices and is the largest company in the world(no i dont have something to back this claim up). Ive worked at home depot in the past and it wasnt too bad. They did okay and as of lately they have revamped their work ethics. I cant walk into home depot without having 10 people ask if i need help. I thought it was just this one home depot, but i have been to three others and they are the same.

What i dont understand. economic times are getting worse. No longer can SALES get people to come into stores alone. Customer service is what is going to keep customers right now.

On a side note, home depot and lowes sure does hire some fine ass women. Walmart...yea right.

 

[forluvofsmoke]

Wow, very interesting. I read this to my wife, she started on a rant, justifiably, about our area Walmart stores. There was a huge employee turnover at our closest one when it was expanded to a supercenter. They don't pay as high of wages as their competitors or other business do around here. Apparently the local management is not up to par either, as issues with the customers aren't handled well, if at all. The shelves aren't well stocked and it has been that way for a few years now, due to under-staffing. It's a sad circumstance. Only about half of the stores we have visited in eastern Wyoming and N/E Colorado seem to put me in an atmosphere that I would WANT to be in, either as a customer or employee. I still shop there, as it is convenience that I seek, though I also like to fill my list as well...can't always do that at Walmart. Oh, well. It is a giant, and they can get growing pains too.

Eric

 

[meat hunter]

Well I can say this about Wal-mart. Yes, Wal-mart did push the small mom and pop stores out of business, but so did the likes of K-mart, Target, Shopko, Cosco?, and others like them. In fact, if you look back thru time, recent time that is, small merchants back in the late 1800's and early 1900's, those kind of small local stores were pushed out by what is considered ma and pa stores. Ma and pa stores were beginging to be pushed out, and if not, cetainly felt the squeeze of stores like wal-greens, ben franklin, true value and so on. It has been and always we be a continuing change. Someday, Wal-mart will be gone just like the ma and pa stores, and something bigger or better or something we just can not invision yet will replace them. I like wal-mart. Yeah, customer service is not what it once was. How many of you can remember full service at the gas station. I mean FULL service, under the hood and all? Customer service is nice, but when you boil it down, people do choose convience and prices over over it. It is pretty much just something that most of here have grew up with, and younger generations who don't know, won't miss it. Wal-mart is a huge target for the opposition. Unions want it because if they can get a foot hold there, then all other stores like walmart will follow.

I used to shop at kmart, many many years ago. The store around here anyway always gave you a cold, non peroanal feel. Like a cattle yard. Target, well I will not and have not shopped at Target for nearly 15 years. Ever since they began donating money to to anti gun grounps like HCI and such. Not to mention the fact that they prohibited the Salvation army from ringing the bell at their locations during the holidays.

But back to Walmart :) You have to remember this. In this country, and the way our society is, Capitalism prevails. Wal mart did not just pop up over night as a huge company. It took many many years to get there. It provided things that others did not. And every ma and pa store out there, had the same opportunity as sam walton did, to grow and expand. Don't ever let anyone tell you, that you can't do something, that someone else did. If you do, then you admit they are better than you. If one man can do it, ALL other men can do the same. It may just take you longer, and you may have to work harder the he did, but it can be done. It all boils down to how much you want it. Sam Walton seen what was coming, and capitaized on it. Just as every business that intends to make it must. If you can not compete, you find a niche that the bigger guy can't provide. If you can't do that, then you may go under. Kinda like all the different smokers we own on this site. If you think about it like that, how many will still be making them 2-3 or 5 years from now? The ones that give you the best features for the best price, that make a quality product and back it up. The others will go by the wayside. As they should, because competition is what is at the heart of a strong economy.

p.s. remeber this is just a forum, open discussions. I dont want any letters filled with Anthrax sent to me

.

LOL

 

[suprfast]

I like that. People forget that debating isnt a bad thing. Sometimes you dont want to change the ways others think, you just need your story to be told.

 

[erain]

and we wonder why american products cannot compete...... sorry man if you have time to watch videos at work, see your supervisor and seek more job duties or grab a broom.

 

[suprfast]

maybe you should ask what i do before you open your yap. Im self employed and a full time student. I think this gives me the opportunity to be a little lazy.

 

[suprfast]

American products dont compete because people keep buying non domestic made products. If domestic products were built to last than we wouldnt have a need to buy such items as toyota or honda.

I could go on and educate you about GNP and GDP and what the numbers really mean but since im working i need to go get busy.

 

[chisoxjim]

damn....

I am just good at mutitasking thats why I can get my work done, and look at the internets at the same time...

 

[graybeard]

I'll start a new link so take a look!!

beard