posted on July 26, 2001 12:15:46 AM
What's with the Wal-Mart trucks?
We live on one side of the interstate and everything else is on the other side, so we cross often. My daughter got in the silly habit of saying "Wal-Mart truck" everytime she sees one. She has been doing this for months. It takes us 30 seconds to cross where we have a view of the traffic. In maybe 5 or 6 months of crossing day or night 2 to 4 times a day, I have NEVER FAILED TO HEAR "Wal-Mart truck" at least once if not twice.
How MANY Wal-Mart trucks are there? Is this EVERYWHERE or do I just live in some Wal-Mart artery?
NO ONE wears that many Cheryl Tiegs jeans or uses that much shampoo!
Could they be smuggling the Chinese army into the port of New Orleans?
T
posted on July 26, 2001 01:17:04 AM
The simple truth is that Walmart does have an invasion plan. They are infamous for moving into areas, killing off local small businesses who can't compete price-wise...and then leaving.
posted on July 26, 2001 04:24:47 AM
It is a secret plan by the black helicopter people. You know to crawl out the back door if you have black helicopters land on your front lawn (after setting a claymore surprise inside the door) but you would just be puzzled when a couple Wal-Mart trucks pull up and park. Cheaper maintenace also.
posted on July 26, 2001 12:48:49 PM
Come to think of it Gravid, since I started seeing the trucks, the helicopters HAVE slacked off. Hmmm...
You may be on to something there.
T
posted on July 26, 2001 01:21:16 PM
And that sounds impressive...until you realize that they are minimum wage jobs that average 28 hours per week.
And look where they get their products. All those child labor camps in China. 20/20 did a great story on walmart a few years back. I helped at a walmart in 1993 and it was a revolving door. I dont think anyone was full time. Look what happened when the butchers in the south wanted a union. Walmart pulled out the meat department. Too bad all workers dont vote for unions and do us a favor.
posted on July 26, 2001 03:06:45 PM
I read a book called The Store by Bentley Little. I swear that as I read the story, The Store was modeled on Walmart. Incidentally, this was modern horror fiction.
The Store comes to this town, razes a lovely hill to build a huge parking lot. The Store offers well-paying jobs and an astonishing variety of consumer goods. The Store wipes out small businesses, and has local zoning laws etc. rewritten to forward their agenda. Everyone starts to shop only at The Store and almost all source of income is through [The Store[/i] as all the other small-town bussinesses are eradicated by The Store's program of undercutting all competition til there isn't any more competition.
The Store takes over the control of the town by getting control of the local government.
Then it diverges from the true-life story of WalMart's impact on local communities and goes into the horror part.
posted on July 26, 2001 11:09:13 PM
But you must admit, they have everything that I need that I can't get on ebay and it's cheap. Something to be said for that.
T
posted on July 26, 2001 11:35:22 PM
jt, there are people who think you should pay more, much more, and select from a smaller set of choices at that.
Such people feel hostile toward Walmart.
They used to run the stores with high prices and small selection. Luckily, they're dying out. When you travel, a Walmart is like an oasis in a desert of inferior, high priced stores in surrounding towns where the store owners have no doubt denied Walmart a permit because the store owners control the local government. Now, to all our benefit, the increasing density of Walmarts means these corrupt crooks will be moving on to a more productive occupation.
posted on July 27, 2001 08:33:24 AM
I live in a small town, but it's not small enough, because Walmart is here. I go there begrudingly, only if I can't find what I need anywhere else.
Our local True Value has become what mom-and-pop stores used to be. I go there first for all my house and garden needs, because the staff has worked there for years - they know what they're talking about and give sound advice. At Walmart, no one knows where anything is, let alone what to do with it.
I love my "True Value guys." Here's why. Some years ago when I first bought my house I was a real dummy. My lawn mower wouldn't start and through process of elimination I figured out that the spark plug needed to be replaced. I went to True Value and told them what my problem was. The manager got the tool I needed and said, "You can borrow this. Just don't scratch it." So I took it home, removed the dead spark plug, and took the gizmo back.
That's the kind of thing that inspires customer loyalty.
I'm not sure what Walmart's problem is, but it's pretty bad when - and this happened to me there a few weeks ago - the cash register clerk responded to my question, "How are you?" with, "I hate Walmart." She was exhausted, she said. Her lunch break was supposed to have been three hours prior and she still hadn't had it.
posted on July 27, 2001 09:12:17 AMThat's the kind of thing that inspires customer loyalty.
I too like stores with personal service. I go to them when I might benefit from the service, and I personally find it unethical to obtain some benefit from the service at one store and then price shop somewhere else.
Choices of which store to go to are good.
Unfortunately, you don't always get what you pay for in service. A whole lot of high priced stores use merchandising techniques to sell what they want you to buy, which may well not be what you need. The "service" in such stores consists of questionable sales techniques.
Overheard yesterday at a tire shop which charges $25 to fix a screw puncture: "You want that exact Michelin tire for a replacement? Sorry, we don't carry that line, that must be a Costco tire. We do have a Michelin, a little better, at, um, $115".
The customer left, presumably to go back to Costco and buy a replacement for $75.
