Is sowal ready for it's own Wal-Mart

[LuciferSam]

I never said that the booze sales were "all tourists." The success of a business has more to do with being profitable, and staying in business, offering products at reasonable prices. Some businesses do this while treating employees well. (Walmart supposedly leaves off the last bit, though I haven't worked there so I cannot personally say.)

I know Walmart sends moms and pops out of business. How much money do they save shoppers? Is it enough to justify undercutting others' prices? Is there a way, other than undercutting pricing, that Walmart runs other businesses out of town?

The Mom and pop stores need to carry nicer, cooler, higher end products that you simply can't get at Wal-Mart. What the mom and pops need to stop doing is having such high markups on the plain ordinary products that you could just a soon buy at Wal-Mart for a lot less. That's a trick they play that really insults one's intelligence. You're in a nice store with nice stuff and somehow they think they can double the cost of a package of Ray-o-Vac batteries. So the really glitzy mom and pops need to quit it with the convenience store pricing on plain old ordinary items or else simply don't sell them.

 

[Susan Horn]

I have never had a good experience in a Wal-mart - it just goes against everything I was raised with and everything I value.

I have to drive to get to a Wal-mart, it is in the middle of sprawl or nowhere, not part of a community. They build where it is cheapest and where they can install acres of parking.

They lower their prices by getting rid of minor amenities - like safety, service, benefits for employees, cleanliness, pay, and quality products.

I have never met a happy Wal-mart employee - they are always tired or frustrated or apathetic...............and those are the ones who are being nice to me/responding to me.

Wal-mart sells crap. It's imported, it's stuff they've lowballed other local businesses out of the market for because of their market share, it's produce birds crap on because they get into the store and can't get out, it's full of lead, it's full of pesticides, it will break, it won't last, and you have to find it yourself in the store because there is noone there to actually help you do anything but pay - if you don't use the self-service check-out.

You can shop at Wal-mart, but I will be at the other stores - the ones that are part of my community, that pay all their taxes and hold benefits, where I get a quality product (for a comparable price BTW), years of knowledge, friendly service, and who provide jobs and benefits for my neighbors.

So far I've not heard anyone mention another HUGE problem with WalMart and no doubt other big boxes. When they decide there is abetter location where they want a store in a given community, they simply build a new one and close the old one, leaving behind wasteful hideous and no doubt dangerous blight in the form of an enormous abandoned building and acres of asphalt. One reason they do this is because tax codes actually make it profitable to build junk buildings, use them for ever how many years (10? 7?) till the depreciation benefit is used up, then throw that building away (using the neighborhood it's in as the open and untended landfill) an build anothr junky building in another neighborhood (or far from any neighborhood) that will eventually be abandoned.

I'd love to see some requirement that if they're gonna build a new one and close the old one, they have to retrofit the old one into some kind of facility that serves the public rather than basically giving the area the old finger. Make it a school, a community center, a venue for farmer's markets or maybe a community co-op/flea market/antique mall. An indoor park. Bust up the asphalt and create community gardens, and convert some part of the interior to a commercial kitchen for public use in canning the veggies they grow. I'm sure there are zillions of other ideas. Basically, they need to be better neighbors! And better employers, and better at fair trade practices...

BTW I prefer Target as well when I need some of those things that used to be available at smaller stores and five-and-dimes (anybody remember Woolworth's?).

Not related in any way to this topic: There's something I've not been able to find ANYWHERE in the last few years -- chi chi boutiques, little mom and pop clothing stores, big boxes, department stores -- jeans that come up to my actual wasitline rather than baring the old belly button. I looked pretty stupid in those belly baring britches back in the 70s when I had a young slim figure, even stupider now at almost 49; looks aside, they are not comfy to me. I have only one pair of jeans left that fit right (at waist), and am desperate for a coupla new pairs. I will shop just about anywhere to find this particular item. Begging help fom anyone who knows a source!!!!

 

[Susan Horn]

The Mom and pop stores need to carry nicer, cooler, higher end products that you simply can't get at Wal-Mart. What the mom and pops need to stop doing is having such high markups on the plain ordinary products that you could just a soon buy at Wal-Mart for a lot less. That's a trick they play that really insults one's intelligence. You're in a nice store with nice stuff and somehow they think they can double the cost of a package of Ray-o-Vac batteries. So the really glitzy mom and pops need to quit it with the convenience store pricing on plain old ordinary items or else simply don't sell them.

Wal Mart and other mega retailers can buy batteries and everything else in such vast quantities that they get incredible price breaks not available to the mom and opps who buy and sell at much lower volumes. They aren't marking it up that much, it is that their cost is much higher than Wally's.

 

[swantree]

Maybe it's not really Wally's fault, maybe it's our constant need to have some place like Wally so CLOSE to us? if you think about it. we have 3 around us already within 1/2 hour drive? freeport people can go to Dfunk, we can go to Destin and Rosemary can go to PCB for the big box,discount, all in one life! just dropping that stone in the water to see how it ripples.?;-)

 

[Smiling JOe]

scooterbug, Walmart carries most every same brand product that Publix carries, so I if you are calling Walmart products crap, I guess we know what you think about the products which Publix carries.

Let me give you a break down of one item which is available at both, Iams 17.5# dog food:

Kelly's Grocery (Freeport): $25
Publix (WaterColor): $20
Walmart (Destin): $17

I'm not trying to convince anyone to shop at WalMart. I do shop there on occasion. I am just trying to get you to understand the reason why people do shop there. If the example above holds true for prices across the board, and Freeport had a Walmart, Kelly's would be out of business in less than a day, as shoppers could save thousands a year on groceries.

 

[Smiling JOe]

Why is Kelly's in the bad category?

You've obviously never shopped there.
First, prices are incorrectly marked on some items. (they charge differently at the register)
- beware of dust products. I've seen plenty of out of date products on the shelves.
- selection is nominal at best
- prices are higher than WaterColor Publix
- the place is filthy
- When the freezers went out, and the food defrosted, they put signs on the reach in doors noting that the freezer was broken and to keep the door closed. However, they left all of the defrosted product on the shelves in the freezers.

The best thing about Kelly's is that the store is conveniently located for Freeport residents. I also hear good things about their meats, but I've never had the nerve to try them.

 

[Beach Runner]

scooterbug, Walmart carries most every same brand product that Publix carries.

WalMart does not carry the variety of brands that Publix does. Plus WalMart tends to carry larger sizes of items that, as a family of two, we don't need.

 

[scooterbug44]

I did once - Dunelaker raves about their meat so I stopped one day. Rare for me to be in Freeport around grocery time and I like Publix, so didn't feel the need to repeat the experience. (Now I just cut out the middle man and go to her house for dinner. )

Not the best grocery I've ever been in, but not evil incarnate like Wal-mart, hence my questioning of its classification.

 

[LuciferSam]

Wal Mart and other mega retailers can buy batteries and everything else in such vast quantities that they get incredible price breaks not available to the mom and opps who buy and sell at much lower volumes. They aren't marking it up that much, it is that their cost is much higher than Wally's.

Well Hell, then what the mom and pop stores need to do is buy their batteries from Wal-Mart. They could sell them for less than they do now and have higher profit margins!

 

[Smiling JOe]

Many Mom and Pop retailers do buy their goods from WalMart via Sam's Club, and they do it because their prices are less than buying directly from the distributors.

Scooterbug, I don't know anyone in mgt, nor the owners of Kelly's, and I have no idea how they treat their employees, nor the wages which they pay. I can tell you that the employees at Kelly's don't seem to look any happier when at work, than the employees working at Walmart.

From what I've read, Walmart doesn't treat employees well, but for some reason, thousands of people still work for Walmart. If you explain that one to me, I think we will have some answers. Walmart provides jobs, and people have choices to work at other locations, but many seem to still go to Walmart to get their paychecks, so something must be decent about working there, or they would just go elsewhere if WalMart was the evil beast.