Wally word rant

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Only thing I'm certain about on this here website is that EVERYBODY is whacked, except for you and ME.... NOW I'M WONDERING BOUT YOU WOOD-OF-1KIND 8o)
 
I think it was him I saw on a horse the other day. riding right next to the freeway. was hard to tell as i passed at 70 M.P.H. though.
In truth sadly they closed the Ponderosa Ranch several years ago. It was a great place to go spend a saturday afternoon. that and the real Virginia City.
 
I spent my career in the transportation industry. A few years back there was an article in one of the transportation magazines about the warehouse and distribution system that Wal-Mart uses.. it's quite innovative and keeps their inventory moving. There isn't much warehousing done at the local level.. the distribution center sends out a truck load to each store on a regular basis, and includes items that the local stores have indicated are better sellers, or their clientele purchases.. you can actually find stuff in one store that another doesn't carry because their local clientele doesn't call for it... they gear their inventory to the customer base... and to some extent their pricing also reflects the same basis.. things may be cheaper in one store that has a lower customer income base, whereas in another area prices are higher because the customer base incomes are higher... an example here in east TN, we have two stores that are only about 25 miles apart.. the store in Madisonville (closest to us) has a lower income customer base and some prices are lower than the Maryville store which has a somewhat higher customer income base. Also we find things in Maryville that aren't carried in Madisonville..

Also if you remember back in the '80's .. When Sam Walton was still alive, their advertisements all shouted......"We buy American"..... in 1985-1987 I worked for a company in Houston that did customs clearance on imported goods... one of our top customers was Wal-Mart.. We cleared container after container of goods from all over the world destined to Wal-Mart.

Along with frozen orange juice concentrate from Brazil destined to two or three of the big "Florida" orange juice concortiums, Palm oil from Malaysia to Proctor and Gamble ..
 
Can't be sure, But I will tell you it was a "Real" Cowboy. We do still have them as the cattle here are still free range on public land. We have a lot of the leather skins that still live out in the sage brush. We also have the Basque Sheep Hearders as well. They have a whole system of communicating that involves carvings in the aspen trees. there is an effort going on to preserve diseased and dying trees because they are basically a library on the history of the Basque. They harvest the trunks and store them. now they are finding that the bark is decentegrating with age so they are looking for a way to preserve it and stop the decay. I actually mentiond stabalization to someone up there. they took the idea seriously. I know they are considering it but there are a few problems involved in stabalizing an entire tree trunk.
 
Interesting, You should stop sometime an show them OUR little wax trick !!! Those CITY BOYS
 
jimbob91577 said:
Not trying to defend Wallyworld here, but think practical for a second:

If I wanted to buy a TV, Computer, etc. that was made in America (All parts, etc.) where would I do that and how much would I expect to pay?

If jeans, shirts, coats, etc. were made in America, how much money would they cost? How many taxes, regulations (Minimum wage, Prevailing wage), fees, etc. are imposed on the factories that would make those products - and who ends up paying for those?

What about produce, say I wanted to buy some lettuce, tomatoes, or other vegetables grown in America, harvested by American workers, shipped using American shipping companies - where would I do that, how much would I pay, and how much money is the farm being subsidised by the taxpayers?

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There is currently 0ver 800,000 square feet of factories in my county that were used to manufacture clothing, sitting empty these were clothes manufacturing companies that relocated to China.

sbell111 said:
Last time I noticed, our pen parts were not made in Cleveland.
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We couldn't afford them, even Cross has nearly all but their prototypes made in Rhode Island.

Daniel said:
Brian, try living in Nevada. the only city the world knows about in this state is Las Vegas.
I constantly get people asking me how the weather is in Vegas. I am closer to the weather in Eugene Oregon than I am Las Vegas. think Sacramento or San Francisco. I am only 2-3 hours from those places. Vegas is 8 hours away.
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Daniel you should have tried being raised in Las Vegas in the mid 50s to the 70s. wasn't exactly a kid friendly town until they built the Circus Circus.

Daniel said:
Can't be sure, But I will tell you it was a "Real" Cowboy. We do still have them as the cattle here are still free range on public land. We have a lot of the leather skins that still live out in the sage brush. We also have the Basque Sheep Hearders as well. They have a whole system of communicating that involves carvings in the aspen trees. there is an effort going on to preserve diseased and dying trees because they are basically a library on the history of the Basque. They harvest the trunks and store them. now they are finding that the bark is decentegrating with age so they are looking for a way to preserve it and stop the decay. I actually mentiond stabalization to someone up there. they took the idea seriously. I know they are considering it but there are a few problems involved in stabalizing an entire tree trunk.[/QUOTE
The great basin has produced a few cowboys in it's day you ever go up into the Ruby Mtns,. how bout over to Elko or Ely.

Back about 20 years ago I was employed as a Civil Engineering Technician in Dallas we did the testing for most of the Wal-Mart bulk distribution centers, I was on 9 projects from Oklahoma to Statesboro Georgia, their construction times were 2/3rds of other projects that size weather be damned. I've seen guys get fined 50.00 for peeing on the ground, you might have been 1/2 mile from a porta potty, Currently our armed services distribution system is based on Wal-Maret and Fedex technology, so they have contributed something. I hate them but since they have forced the closing of 80% of the manufacturing jobs in my area along with most Mom and Pop stores, I get down on my Knees and pray to the Local Piggly Wiggly, and fortunately Kroger opened a store 5 miles further than Wally World, we get all of our food supplies from those two, But for hard items, like Office supplies, clothes, and electronics it's either Wallys or the flea market or we have alot of Bale stores, for slightly used clothing. Sounds kind of sick, but on a fixed income and my wife working as a fast food store Mgr. our options are limited.
And Gary I'll bet you were looking for 30 minute epoxy, GOOD LUCK, seems like every one has stopped making it.
Perhaps Wal MArt should change it's slogan to

[size=+3] Shop with us the store you love to hate.[/size]
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Need to add, I also had trouble finding the Devcon epoxy at my local Wal-Mart. Later I found a different, no-name off brand, hanging more in the automotive department than hardware. It costs less than Devcon and, near as I can tell, functions the same.
I am with almost everyone else in wishing more products were made in American. But, they aren't. That's a fact. One would almost have to go naked or wear animal skins to dress in only all American made clothes. I wore a shirt this week for the first time that was given to me for Christmas. It was given by one of our wealthier relatives and, I'm sure, was quite costly. Has a very ritzy label name. Guess where it was made? answer: India.
I know I've piped in several times here. But, really, the thread is pointless. Wal-Mart exists, you have a right to like it or not like it, to shop there or not shop there. That part of America is still free choice.
 
Well now, no takers on my challenge to PM me to discuss a certain couple of "not quite so accurate" statements so either you did actual research and dicovered what I was hinting at or you were just shooting off to begin with. Either way, Frank, you nailed it with this statement: "I know I've piped in several times here. But, really, the thread is pointless. Wal-Mart exists, you have a right to like it or not like it, to shop there or not shop there. That part of America is still free choice."
 
I am not trying to be heartless here and say that change is not hard. It is very hard on those directly impacted. But when I here about the factories that have closed etc. I immediately think about how devastated the horse buggie Industry is today. (compare to car manufacturing). And nobody is concerned at all. This is not ment to be funny at all. Just because we are not aware of the impact today does not mean that the invention of the automobile was not huge on the scale of putting people out of work in tis country. her is just a short list of industrys that went into the tank from jsut this one change.
Buggie manufacturing. Keep in mind that making making buggies employed far more people than Auto manufacturing ever has or ever could.
Lumber industry workers since the wood for buggies where no longer needed.
Horse ranchers and hands. entire industry wiped out.
Black smiths. nearly non existent today.
farrier Businesses.
Feed and tack stores. even in a state well known for horses and cowboys, there are only three feed stores for a city of nearly 500,000 people.
stable industry.
Street maintenance crews where cut to nearly nothing in comparison to pre auto levels.
Vetrenarians went out of business in droves. funny but many became Pharmacists.
Horse trainers.

Industries die and for those impacted directly it is painful. but they do die. and trying to hold onto every piece of dead wood in our society will only lead to it being even more painful. I speak from personal experience. I grew up farming. I left it when I was 16 because it is a dead industry. let it die. if it is not worth the money it will make for Americans. then let the Chinese toil for the meager wages. it is worth it to them. I moved away and make a good living. And yes I did loose a business to do it. by the time I was 16 I had 3 separate agricultural ventures going and still could not make a decent profit. I also share cropped over 120 acres of land. still could not make money. it is dead and the truth is people do not want to pay for it. So buy food from China and oh by the way hope it is not poisoned in some way. it is cheaper. much cheaper than I would produce it for you.
It's called growth and it really is just that. I no longer work 16 hours a day doing some of the most back breaking labor I have ever done to earn less than $2000 in one year. I have a very easy job that pays more than 20 times that much and I only work 8 hours a day. feels like progress to me.
 
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Free choice what a concept. When the big box stores come in and sell the cheap S*&T from the far east and most of it is imho the ones who ended up losing are those mom and pop family stores that sold an identical product made in the USA with quality for a little more than what wally wolrd sold an identical item made with cheap labor and even cheaper materials just to save a dime it is the mom and pop stores that suffer and even close. We buy the cheaper stuff and end up buying it over and over because it is useless crap imho just to save a dime when we could have spent a little more got a good quality piece that will last longer and probably perform better than the junk we had been buying. Nuff said I could rant forever on this subject.
My BH and I are going back to basics and making and canning everything we possibly can to insure our food and products are safe. I carve wooden spoons and other kitchen utensils that will far outlast the basswood and dowel stuff you can get cheap and I mean cheap ( as they are). There imho are a lot of people who are or may be thinking this way and getting tired of the big box stores and other mass produced cheap garbage that has inundated our markets. I go to smaller stores when I can to get what we need and I believe in supporting a local economy instead of a corporation.
 
One other thing that is not mentioned is familiarity. I moved a few times (and I assume a lot of Americans do too) and most of the time, rather than experimenting, I usually go to ones I know. Guess which ones I encounter anywhere I go.

Even if I want to support mom and pop stores...I really don't know who or where they are and what they offer. Even if the greatest restaurant is near me, if I don't know them...I might end up in McDonalds. This is the sad truth.

It is called "BRANDING" and it works. This is true whether for groceries, hardware store, restaurant, etc.

These chains are multiplying and flourishing because their business model works. As Daniel pointed out, we can kick and scream all we want but we cannot stop it.

A new change is coming...online shopping and again it will impact other businesses...including these super store chains.

My friends, note that it will not end here either...
 
Wife and I would rather pay a litle more to keep locals in business. I won't go in a WallyWorld. We have 3 big eyesores of empty buildings they have left behind when they build something bigger. I don't like their business practices, how they treat their employees or their store full of Chinese crap. I can live without them. But I do go to Sam's.....am I nuts or what? Sam's cheesecake is to die for.
 
I have said this a million times before, so once more ought not to hurt: NOTHING is the fault of any of the big-box stores, offshore factories, and/or greedy corporate execs.

We, the consumers, dictate what sells and what does not.

We, the consumers, have demanded lower and lower prices and thus set up a demand for cheap goods. In other words, we created the demand, and it is up to the industry to supply.

Of course, something had to give, and that something is quality, whether that be quality jobs, quality of life, quality goods, quality support, quality service, or quality quality control.

We can rant and rave all we like about <insert favourite hated store/brand here> but the fact is that it's 100% our fault.

Conversely, if the majority of us refused to buy (for example) tools made offshore, manufacturing would, eventually, come back home. Prices would go up (along with, presumably, quality) and we'd all be happy again. Well, for a little while, until someone notices that chuck "A" is selling for a little less than chuck "B" ... And then it would all start again.

It'll never happen, though, because there's no way in hell that the majority of people would ever consider paying more in exchange for quality, just like there's no way in hell the majority of people would ever give up driving in order to force the price of gas down (corallary: we'd sure prop up the buggy industry, eh Daniel?).

So, most people will pay little and get crap and be happy. Others will pay little for crap and complain about it. Still others, like us, will bemoan the fact that decent tools are disproportionately expensive. And (and this shouldn't be news to anyone) that ain't gonna change any time soon.

Er, IMHO, of course....

Cheers!

Gary
 
GaryMadore said:
NOTHING is the fault of any of the big-box stores, offshore factories, and/or greedy corporate execs.

but the fact is that it's 100% our fault.
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I don't usually participate in this kind of thread in on here, and I'll probably regret it... But here goes.

Gary, I don't know if I'd agree with that. At least not 100%. :biggrin:

While it is largely our fault most are not educated consumers, it is impossible to know every detail about every retailer. And when a large retailer uses business practices that the average consumer is unaware of that dramatically reduce their costs of goods over their competitors, that is something the consumer can not be held 100% responsible for.

Larger corporations willfully attempt to squash negative press and actively promote their point of view (even if it will have a negative impact on the community... As long as they make more profit). That is not the fault of the consumer who is only seeking stretch their shrinking dollar as far as possible in these ever increasing difficult times.

Seeking the cheapest price is basic human nature (do you know anyone who brags about paying more for the exact same item beyond supporting a specific retailer? And if you do, what do you go away thinking about them?) we are taught it from day one, cheaper is better, and corporations know this and exploit it. That is why there are laws to protect against the most basic concepts of this (bait and switch, for example). To help protect the people who for whatever reason can not educate themselves about underhanded business practices in this ever distracting world we live in.

As to the validity of this thread. I don't think it's pointless at all. I think it serves a very useful purpose of educating others who read it.
 
And this all started because I said Wally World quit selling epoxy and reduced thier inventory by a 1/3.
Guess we need to pass out some of the little blue pills????????
 
Local bussiness and manufaturing job loss is because of UNIONS and TAXES, where else is wall mart to buy their goods. That is why China wins and we lost.

Jack
 
hunter-27 said:
Well now, no takers on my challenge to PM me to discuss a certain couple of "not quite so accurate" statements so either you did actual research and dicovered what I was hinting at or you were just shooting off to begin with. Either way, Frank, you nailed it with this statement: "I know I've piped in several times here. But, really, the thread is pointless. Wal-Mart exists, you have a right to like it or not like it, to shop there or not shop there. That part of America is still free choice."
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I didn't respond to your "challenge" because I haven't been on here in a few days. I probably used the wrong terminology as a reference, but my description of what Wal-Mart does was correct. I'd be interested to know where you get your information about how WAL-MART in particular does its business to contradict what I said because I have actually been inside their corporate world headquarters in Bentonville, AR and talked to someone in their corporate tax department face to face. Unless you have it on better authority than that, I don't want to hear about it.

Whew!!! Geez, if those blue pills Gary Max was offering are Vicodin, maybe some of us SHOULD take a few. I'll take a dozen, lol.
 
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My brother is a chemist and was the QC manager of the biggest drug manufacturer in the Philippines for decades...manufacturing for; Pfizer, Abbott, Smith Kline Beecham, Pharma, Novartis, Scherring Plough, Glaxo, Astra Seneca, Merck, Bristol-Myers, etc.

When people talk about "generic" medicines, I actually have some inside information "advantage".
 
Pen Maker said:
don't tell us they spit in the generics
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Nope but bottom line...different specs...different results. Different manufacturer...different quality.

Usually, cheaper production means short cuts, less QC, lower quality raw material, etc, etc.

Example that most might relate with is a (generic) CIGAR PEN. We can all produce one but of different; workmanship, kit origin, plating, blank, finish, etc. But will all qualify as a generic cigar pen.
 
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