Watching WalMart

[30ashopper]

?The paycheck cycle we?ve talked about before remains extreme. It is our responsibility to figure out how to sell in that environment, adjusting pack sizes, large pack at sizes the beginning of the month, small pack sizes at the end of the month. And to figure out how to deal with what is an ever-increasing amount of transactions being paid for with government assistance.


?And you need not go further than one of our stores on midnight at the end of the month. And it?s real interesting to watch, about 11 p.m., customers start to come in and shop, fill their grocery basket with basic items, baby formula, milk, bread, eggs,and continue to shop and mill about the store until midnight, when electronic ? government electronic benefits cards get activated and then the checkout starts and occurs. And our sales for those first few hours on the first of the month are substantially and significantly higher.


?And if you really think about it, the only reason somebody gets out in the middle of the night and buys baby formula is that they need it, and they?ve been waiting for it. Otherwise, we are open 24 hours ? come at 5 a.m., come at 7 a.m., come at 10 a.m. But if you are there at midnight, you are there for a reason.?

Watching Wal-Mart at Midnight - Real Time Economics - WSJ

Kinda makes me sad, so many people living on the edge, dependent on government for basic needs.

 

[Will B]

Sad? What makes me mad is watching these same people who just used electronic food stamps carry on an unending conversation on their iPhone and, then, go out and pile their stuff that I helped pay for into a Cadillac Escalade, Benz, BMW, or some other high end vehicle.

I'm not saying they're all like that, but I see it way way too often...

 

[Elephant Child]

If Will sees this then our government is at fault. To get those cards you have to go through a lot of paper and red tape ...so think that those iPhones and Escalades would come up via all of the checking unless the gov. agents are looking the other way.

 

[Geo]

For the record- the article was about how you can see how much people are struggling these days by watching beginning and end of the month purchase patterns at walmart. Quite telling.

The expressed anger, stereotypes and blanket generalizations of folks less fortunate were provided by our posters. Quite telling.

 

[scooterbug44]

Nothing new here - not the timing of Wal-mart purchases when the cards activate, not the obliviousness of folks that buying items there is what is causing their own unemployment and lack of jobs, not the frustration of folks who see people using government assistance while displaying signs of seeming extravagance ................

Just the scope changes.

P.S. If you really want to help people, donate to the local food pantries - their shelves are bare.

 

[30ashopper]

For the record- the article was about how you can see how much people are struggling these days by watching beginning and end of the month purchase patterns at walmart. Quite telling.

The expressed anger, stereotypes and blanket generalizations of folks less fortunate were provided by our posters. Quite telling.

I can understand underemployed, and that's a problem, but I just don't get unemployed for extended periods. I really don't understand how people get into that situation. I think there's some sort of victim syndrome or something going around, people expect to get the same job they had back, at the same or better pay.

 

[Geo]

My understanding is there is one job for every seven applicants. So long term unemployment seems understandable to me.

I'm just not sure why the continued generalizing- you know- the talk of victim syndrome.

 

[30ashopper]

My understanding is there is one job for every seven applicants. So long term unemployment seems understandable to me.

I'm just not sure why the continued generalizing- you know- the talk of victim syndrome.

If you had to go out a get a job today to put food on the table, do you think you could do it?

 

[Geo]

I'm presently unemployed. I'm 37. Until recently, I've had a job since I was 12. I've paid into the system since I was 16. So 20 years later I feel no guilt that I am collecting unemployment while I work out my next move. And I have an Iphone.

 

[LuciferSam]

Lot of self-righteousness going around. Must be contagious. These folks are in an unenviable position. I have more important things to worry about than a few poor people who might be gaming the system, and I have much more important things to do than try to figure out who is and who isn't based on a quick visual.