Friday, November 25, 2005
Another fascinating insight into Wal-Mart
Cheap Laptops Spark A Brawl At Wal-Mart
ORLANDO, Fla. - Do not cut in line at a Wal-Mart on the day after Thanksgiving.
An Orlando television station reports that security guards wrestled a man to the ground Friday morning after he cut in line to get a laptop computer that was on sale.
The television station reported that the man argued with other customers and then fought with the guards.
One man told reporters that the laptops were being thrown into the air and people rushed toward them.
The discounted computers also caused a frenzy at a Wal-Mart in Renton, Washington.
Extra police were called out to help control the crowd that pushed its way toward the electronics department and then pushed counters out of position as they tried to get those laptop computers.
(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
That's hilarious. Well, maybe not to anybody who got trampled, but to an outside observer. That's the reason WalMart and other discount places will always do well; people always seem to prioritize low prices over any other sort of values.
Walmart saved the average family something like $831 last year. You know what that means? Walmart in effect changed the real value of the dollar. Interesting, huh?
ORLANDO, Fla. - Do not cut in line at a Wal-Mart on the day after Thanksgiving.
An Orlando television station reports that security guards wrestled a man to the ground Friday morning after he cut in line to get a laptop computer that was on sale.
The television station reported that the man argued with other customers and then fought with the guards.
One man told reporters that the laptops were being thrown into the air and people rushed toward them.
The discounted computers also caused a frenzy at a Wal-Mart in Renton, Washington.
Extra police were called out to help control the crowd that pushed its way toward the electronics department and then pushed counters out of position as they tried to get those laptop computers.
(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
That's hilarious. Well, maybe not to anybody who got trampled, but to an outside observer. That's the reason WalMart and other discount places will always do well; people always seem to prioritize low prices over any other sort of values.
Walmart saved the average family something like $831 last year. You know what that means? Walmart in effect changed the real value of the dollar. Interesting, huh?
# posted by Eric : 3:44 PM
Comments:
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you know, on the flipside, Wal-mart's failure to pay out benefits to full time workers may cost those thousands of families much more than the $831 dollars they would save on toilet paper and laptop computers. I hear dentists are getting expensive these days (i wouldn't know, I'm English)
# posted by 
: 3:58 PM
: 3:58 PM
Again, is that really the point we're talking about? They didn't save the workers (which account for a tiny percentage of the US labor force) that much money, they saved the average American family that much.
That's an interesting point, but when you talk about the average american family, you're talking about a sector of our population that works average jobs for large corporations and similar big businesses like wal-mart. So as the number one corporation, ("big dog on the block" so to speak) other companies notice such money-saving practices (low wages, no overtime, no benefits, etc) and they soon follow suit. Therefore even if that average family doesn't work for Wal-Mart specifically, they will still be affected by similar workplace practices. So even if WalMart saves them money, they'll be making less and spending more on healthcare, which negates any savings they may be getting from shopping at wal-mart.
who's hungry?
who's hungry?
# posted by : 4:45 PM
: 4:45 PM
Do you really think that's true? Look at the backlash against Walmart. Nobody can argue that they have business practices that make them hugely successful. But it's many of those same business practices that make them so hated by many communities. Look at Costco, for example. The name doesn't inspire such a heated response like the name Walmart does. Now what if Costco were to start doing things that Walmart is infamous for? Let's say they locked their employees in the store one night with no overtime pay (such as Walmart has been accused of doing). Don't you think that one incident would cause irreparable damage to Costco's reputation, thereby discouraging people to shop there?
What I'm really saying is that I think Walmart is successful in spite of those business practices you mention, not because of it. Therefore not many other businesses would model those characteristics.
But what do I know?
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What I'm really saying is that I think Walmart is successful in spite of those business practices you mention, not because of it. Therefore not many other businesses would model those characteristics.
But what do I know?
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