Big bad Wal-Mart

[Wagner]

Originally Posted by x54.4blue

I was really not commenting directly shoppers going to Walmart, more the long term impact on the community and the local downtown business districts. Local Villages and Town try to stop Walmart and other big box retailers and this results in Walmart and others locating just outside of town.

True. I'm sure candle and buggie makers were upset when electric lights and cars came on the scene. Progress is going to leave something behind.

[E61Silver]

Making America the land of the same homogeneous strip retail and killing the local downtown retail district is not progress.

[Wagner]

Originally Posted by x54.4blue

Making America the land of the same homogeneous strip retail and killing the local downtown retail district is not progress.

Yes it is. Simply because you don't like it doesn't mean it isn't more cost effective and efficient, hence progressive.

Not sure what you are advocating, pay more simply because "you should"? How is that intelligent?

"Look kids, don't use a calculator..use an Abacus and pencil & paper"
"Don't buy your food from a supermarket, find a small grocer and buy from them, sure it is more and you had to go farther but 'it helps'"

I understand the concern, question the logic. Unless you are just chattering?

[Quicksilver]

Interesting thread

Trying to paint Walmart as some goody two shoes
are we????

What they are spending for this in my view is nothing more
than cheap (Look at how good we are) advertisement.
No doubt it will be written off as operating expenses.
Is it good for the worker? No doubt but let's not fool
ourselves into thinking there's an honorable motive at work.
That would not be the truth or reality.

[Wagner]

Originally Posted by Quicksilver

Interesting thread

Trying to paint Walmart as some goody two shoes
are we????

What they are spending for this in my view is nothing more
than cheap (Look at how good we are) advertisement.
No doubt it will be written off as operating expenses.
Is it good for the worker? No doubt but let's not fool
ourselves into thinking there's an honorable motive at work.
That would not be the truth or reality.

Think you missed the entire point Quick. That companies already have methods of being responsible and don't need government intervention. Writing it off or not has nothing to do with anything. They could just as easily had given all of that as bonuses to their execs and written it off.

[Quicksilver]

Nope!! I didn't miss the point at all.

I understand where you're coming from but when
you say what you said in the first line of your
post it prompted my mild rebuttal.......

Originally Posted by Wagner

Man, they just don't know how to treat people, evil corporation...

Originally Posted by Wagner

Think you missed the entire point Quick. That companies already have methods of being responsible and don't need government intervention. Writing it off or not has nothing to do with anything. They could just as easily had given all of that as bonuses to their execs and written it off.

[Wagner]

Originally Posted by Quicksilver

Nope!! I didn't miss the point at all.

I understand where you're coming from but when
you say what you said in the first line of your
post it prompted my mild rebuttal.......

Agree to disagree

To me your response still doesn't make sense. Wal-Mart could have simply not provided anything to its part-time staff. So I think my original comment, again, was valid

[clubba]

Originally Posted by x54.4blue

I was really not commenting directly shoppers going to Walmart, more the long term impact on the community and the local downtown business districts. Local Villages and Town try to stop Walmart and other big box retailers and this results in Walmart and others locating just outside of town.

Walmart actually made a conscientious decision to build all of their stores outside of city limits from the start (lower taxes). They initially drove traffic to their stores with less expensive medications (and they still offer this today). That is why to this day Walmarts are usually outside of highly populated epicenters.

Also, I agree that Walmart gets a bad rap. I think they are great - I can get whatever I need cheaper than anywhere else, they keep many suppliers in business and employ a ton of people who would be deemed "unemployable" by almost any other workplace (Goodwill is major exception). The automakers could learn a lot -- well, it's probably too late now -- but they could have learned a lot about how to run a business by watching Walmart (including putting major downward pricing pressure on suppliers, encouraging competition for their business, rewarding employees when times are good as opposed to all of the time, and staying away from a unionized workforce).

[Quicksilver]

Oh That's Ok. I was mainly poking at ya.

But sure it makes sense. Your right of course
they didn't have to do anything but Remember
WalMart dosen't do anything unless it's to
their advantage. So if you believe it
was out of the kindness of their heart then
maybe you're not familiar with Walmart business
sense.

As I said.....
"I think it's very good PR to make sure that the critics
know you are doing that for employees. At a time when
you're under fire as a corporation, it's an excellent idea
to let the public know what you are doing for employees

Originally Posted by Wagner

Agree to disagree

To me your response still doesn't make sense. Wal-Mart could have simply not provided anything to its part-time staff. So I think my original comment, again, was valid

[Wagner]

Originally Posted by Quicksilver

Oh That's Ok. I was mainly poking at ya.

But sure it makes sense. Your right of course
they didn't have to do anything but Remember
WalMart dosen't do anything unless it's to
their advantage. So if you believe it
was out of the kindness of their heart then
maybe you're not familiar with Walmart business
sense.

As I said.....
"I think it's very good PR to make sure that the critics
know you are doing that for employees. At a time when
you're under fire as a corporation, it's an excellent idea
to let the public know what you are doing for employees

Nobody does ANYTHING because it is the right thing to do. Think about it, everything is derived from a level of selfishness. Donations to charity, recycling, helping a person across the street...all done out of selfishness. It makes YOU feel good to do it. That is my point. Nobody does anything because it is the "right thing". My point was that companies do not need the government telling them how to treat employees, as evidence by......Walmart