I know I am going to get burned on this one.

There will be some people who will have a knee jerk "not true" reaction to this statement.. but it is truer than one might imagine. WalMart uses its great leverage to predatory price... the person who has excess eggs and just wants to get rid of them is doing the same thing: using the leverage they have from other income to subsidize their egg production and "dump" eggs on the market.

As a breeder of registered Icelandic sheep this makes me utterly nuts. I am constantly having to explain to a new farmer why they should be very careful to manage their flocks in such a way that they don't have to dump "excess stock" onto the market and depress prices for everyone. And if I catch someone doing it, I will not sell to them. It isn't doing anyone (including the "lucky" customer) any good to sell goods below or at what it costs to produce them. Eventually you'll drive suppliers either out of business or out of the country. Either way, over the long term, we all lose. By refusing to sell breeding stock to farms like this eventually their stock becomes so inbred even a newbie realizes "cheap sheep" may not be worth much.

We're having a similar issue with eggs this year, someone with a hobby home flock is dumping eggs for $1/dozen.

I've often been asked, when I share berries or produce from the garden with friends, "why don't you go to the farmers' market and sell this?" and my answer is "because that isn't how I make my living and it isn't fair to the people who do." If I can afford to give the stuff away I can undercut them until I've distroyed the market, and then what? They're out of business... and nobody gets fresh produce. Or once there is only one farm standing that farm starts jacking prices up because they can, and the whole cycle starts over again.

Undercutting is bad for business unless you've got pockets so deep they are virtually bottomless... and WalMart does.

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Icelandic Sheep and German Angora Rabbits

Just a little update: There is always room for the little guy especially if the big guy is taking advantage of his position. When Wal-Mart jacks up their prices, that just opens them up to competion, that is the major market force that keeps things even, the same thing applies in any business, I live and work in the largest 2nd banking center in the nation, however there is still room for the little guy because the big banks can't do everything well, same goes for Wal-Mart, you just have to be creative!

Actually, in places like china in particular, they do what the goverment says... there is no "chioce" in the matter. Especially in more rural areas... Nobody is suggesting that if we were given the choice of starvation now or disability later, we wouldn't take the first. But would we really want to have to make that choice? IMO, that kind of choice is not "willingly" coming. It is doing what must be done for survival, rather like the US in the industrial revolution, only without a public driven demand for change in the laws that benefit the worker. It is not a good deal for anybody to refuse to treat others the way you would want to be treated, even when it benefits your own "bottom line". It always comes back to bite you. That is the only way I know how to make decisions... Were I in their shoes, what would I want them to do? Well, for starters, I would want them (en masse) to hold their money and demand that walmart do better for their workers both here and there before purchasing...

Business does not have to treat people as expendable. There are good models out there of working to increase profit, AND improve the lives of workers globally. Wal-mart is just not one of them.

My two cents for whatever they are worth...

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Mom to 5 cool kids and wife to 1 great guy. Life is good!

I don't shop at Wal-Mart and have saved substantially as a result.

No electronic or mechanical product I ever bought there stood the test of time. Most broke within a year. At this point, I have nothing which came from Wal-Mart because every single thing broke or died a long time ago. By contrast, products I paid more for at small and local businesses have stood up, including lawn mowers, steam kettles, irons, weed eaters and similar.

In addition, if you think their food is cheap, think again. Buy a good quality roast from a local supplier (or raise your own), then buy one from Wal-Mart. Put both in separate crockpots and see what happens. The meat which was a bargain at Wal-Mart turns into a little hunk of something and a whole lot of water and solution. The good quality meat you paid a bit more for, though, stays a big hunk of meat.

As for buying their stock, ha ha!

And benefits? We're the ones supporting their employees. While they're whining about how cruel Massachusetts is for trying to make them give health benefits for all their employees, we're the ones picking up the tab for them because they pay so poorly.

By shopping at Wal-Mart, you're screwing yourself and lining rich men's wallets - rich men who have better sense than to buy that crap.

The ethical considerations are even worse.

Matthew I understand your thinking but in good conscience, I too will avoid wally-world unless no other option. It is bad enough they import crappy goods made by basically slave labor (that makes the goverments of some of those countries less than desirable and a possible threat to the US), threaten US companies to cut prices to the point where the companies barely make any money, and suck down my tax dollars to subsidize their workforce (insurance, dental, vision, childcare and other aid which I don't begrudge to those who need it but seethe when I see the recipients working at wally-world, or my county govt office which has since been rectified). BUT the BIGGEST problem I have is the Waltons, along with a handfull of other families who are worth a collective $186 BILLION, funding PACs and other "committees/groups" to eliminate the inheritance tax. How much f-ing money is enough for these folks? I'm sorry but tax revenue from any level maintains roads, sewer/septic/infrastructure, protects their blooming stores from being robbed, burned down, and/or overrun by desperate people. There is a price to be paid for being an American and those who think they should pay NOTHING should be escorted over the border (and I don't care who is escorting as long he/she is armed).
And for reasons beyond my comprehension, people will pay $10 for a tool that lasts one year and keep buying a new $10 for years to come. But they won't pay $40 for a good tool that lasts. Black and Decker makes tools that only sell at WM (and other places) - you won't find the model anywhere else. Cheapened up to meet the price requirements. Who takes the black eye when it dies? Not WM of course.

Walmart can not define organic, its the USDA.

...............Wal Mart may try to BS the American public but the Truth will emerge eventually about their UNseemly corporate attitude and Treatment of their Employee's . The executives and the truck drivers are the Only employees aT WM that make a decent living wage , AND receive benefits that ALL employees should be accorded . All other employees are considered to be Expendable and actually are viewed as somewhat of a liability as the longer they remain their hourly wage rate will slowly increase with the passage of time . fordy...

You guys can talk down all you want at Walmart, But what 2 companies were the first ones to respond to the Katrina victims and help out?? "Walmart" and "The Home Depot" So no matter what a person thinks about how bad Walmart is.. They DO GOOD things to help in things like happened in New OR.

Somebody else already pointed this out, but Wally World stock isnt great buy though fairly safe BIG CAP stock. It isnt going to double or triple anytime soon. Traditionally one bought big cap stocks for low volitility and dividends. Wally doesnt pay good dividends, you'd do better in bank cds and they dont really keep up with inflation. Somebody pointed out that for Wally to grow like it did in past, it would have to be the total conglomerate, selling everything to everybody. Fat chance of that ever happening. I can already find alternative places to shop that meet or beat Wally prices.

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"What would you do with a brain if you had one?" -Dorothy

"Well, then ignore what I have to say and go with what works for you." -Eliot Coleman

When did Wal-Mart change over from selling a large percentage of American made goods to mainly foreign made? Before Wal-Mart came here 15 years ago or so, I remember they made a big thing about American made. I don't see that now. Was that all the old man who started the company who wanted American made?

And Rambler--->Paul, you wrote the post I could make about this area. The downtown in the county seat of Watertown died years ago. They keep trying to fix it up, but they've got their work cut out for them. When I was a kid we still shopped down on the "square" but when the first shopping center (not mall) went up, we started shopping there. Didn't have to drive in congested streets, big parking lots where little old ladies didn't have to be so careful, , etc And those first shopping centers were not Wal-Marts. They were stores like Weston's, Grants, stores you probably never heard of. Then K-Marts moved in and they took over. Then the Wal-Mart stores moved in and put the K-Marts out of business.

I don't shop at Wal-Mart a lot, but I shop at Lowes and Tractor Supply. Any chain can displace other stores. If I try to count largish local stores now, they're almost non-existent. The ones I can think of are in smaller towns of several thousand, or they are locally owned furniture stores. I don't know anything about the furniture business but it may be more competetive in some ways.

BTW, the mom and pop stores in my areas are the stop and go convenience and gas stores for the most part.

Jennifer

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-Northern NYS

I have returned a few things to Wal-Mart citing poor quality, and they have always returned my money with no questions asked. As far as quality goes you can usually eye ball it, and pick and choose the good stuff. If everybody returned everything that broke, Wal-Mart would improve quality, but most people just throw the stuff away because they paid so little for it in the first place. I never make a special trip to return anything, just do it while I am out. The only thing it really costs me is the time it takes to return something and I think it is worth it, considering the thing's I keep. I checked and Wal-Mart is returning about a 5.6% in earnings to it's shareholders which is typical of a well established company with little potential for growth, it is only paying a small premium above CD's because there is little risk, in order to make more, one must take more risk. Another way of looking at this is that the Waltons are accepting a 5.6% return on their money instead of taking more risk and earning a greater return. I never said buying their stock was a great deal, just a way to return Wal-Marts profit's to the local level. Modern family farmers tend to take an even lower return than that, sometimes even a loss, with their only profit coming from their own labor. (If they hired the labor, they would take a loss). As far as the Waltons skirting inheritance taxes go, I think that is terrible and I think our leadership needs to crack down on this and enforce the inheritance tax. I am generally against taxes, however, I also think that every man should have to earn what they get, and that if all the wealth gets concentrated into a few people's hands we will in deep trouble, I hope America is always the land of opportunity. I have gotten a little off topic here, but just want to flush a few things out into the open, I also want to say that I am in no way affiliated with Wal-Mart, nor own any of their stock (Oil companies earn much more!) Just wanted to play devil's advocate a bit.

I guess I'm in the minority here.

I LOVE Walmart....especially those hidden fees Niki's talking about on tires! Wally World is everywhere, and a good portion of them sell tires. They usually add on about ten bucks a tire in all sorts of warranty stuff and tire balancing and whatnot. I was on the road back from Alaska way back in the 90's and had to get some tires, and Wally's was the only store open that day of the week. A couple more flats before I got home. I 'fixed' the flats. My hometown Wally's scolded me for fixing the tires. They replaced em for free. Since then, they've given me three free tires for my one ton... 130$/each... two of the tires I destroyed, my fault, no matter, they replaced em, no questions asked...

No other local tire store would replace any of my damaged tires that I'd bought from them. No tire store in Montana would honor the mom and pop tire store in Carthage Texas's warranty. I have 'eaten' some tires in the past...since getting them from Wally's, I know they'll eat em...

You can either love em or hate em, but they're not going away anytime soon. Can't imagine a SocialMart springing up, promising higher prices, with golden insurance policies, European style work schedules and vacations... similar analogy is AirAmerica trying to compete with conservative talk radio.

When I ask for 'help' at wallys, I get it.

When I'm on my way home, and covered in 'whatever', literally, I don't hesitate to run in there and get a box of widgets... I wouldn't dream of going into a nice store covered in slime...

The stuff I want to last forever, I buy from specialty shops. And willingly pay a kings ransom... When I want a sparkie plug, I can either get one at Wally's or get the identical one for three times the price from a cigar smoking pop at the mom and pop shop...

Thanks for the new wally world thread...

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Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. Seneca
Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival. W. Edwards Deming

Oooops,
forgot to add.......

I wouldn't care, and would actually relish the idea of Wally World disappearing... along with Kmart, Costco, Aldis, Bbuy, Sears, all of them ............disappearing...along with every eatery, every pub, every movie theater, every red light, every 'nite lite', ....

feed stores, with a little corner of hardware, with salt, sugar, and a few spices...that's all I ask for in this world... the rest could disappear and I'd lose no sleep!

Does that place me to the far 'left' of the socialist, hate Wally World, (and any other successful Capitalist Corporations class?) crowd?

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Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. Seneca
Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival. W. Edwards Deming

When Sam Walton died is when WM became the greed driven corp it is today. I can see why Warren Buffett and Bill Gates do not intend to leave their children much of their fortune. Bill and Melinda Gates give more to charitable organizations in one year than the Walton children have in their entire lives. The stores began in areas that weren't on the radar for other large US corporations. Well these areas are about tapped out but WM is finding out that they are not welcome or wanted in larger markets. Whining was their first response but now I see they are going more "upscale", starting in Plano TX. And when the stores are in areas with larger populations, they don't sell firearms or ammunition. Not for a minute do I believe their "spin" that there is no demand for it, it is all calculated marketing hoping to appeal to the area. And sorry, when I think upscale, WM is the LAST store that comes to mind.

Being a wallyworld employee, I find that 90% of you are totally clueless about wallyworld. The accusations about the gaming industry are too ludicrous to even answer. As for the Higher Moral Ground, every corporation in the world has done a multitude of despicable things that would horrify you if you knew about them. If it wasn't wallyworld, it would be someone else. It is a condemnation of K-Mart that the management did not become the wallyworld we shop at today. The price of groceries at the supercenter that I work at are 30% cheaper that the other chain grocery's in the area and wallyworld sells the same brands. As for wallyworld stock being a bad investment, there is a lady at our store that is a 28 years employee. Every pay period she buys $25 of wallyworld stock and puts her year end bonuses in the same account. She will retire this summer and is worth 3.5 MILLION dollars. I don't think working for wallyworld is too bad a deal. Basically when you don't shop there, you aren't punishing the corporation, you are punishing the local people that need a job, your friends and neighbors. Have a nice day!