Walmart, what a pain

RanchMan · Apr 26, 2002

So, where am I supposed to shop? 

Sorry - maybe I should have not made my original comment...

Anywho, I shop @ Wal-Mart (ours is clean & well organized). My wife likes Target (I'm like you - they don't sell what I need). I go to Lowes & Home Depot & 84 Lumber for most of my construction stuff (although I do pop in to the local Ace Hardware occasionally too). Harbor Freight & Northern Tools for hardware. Then there's the NAPA, AutoZone, and O'Reillys for the car. TSC every once in a while, but Gebo's (local mom & pop shop) for tractor stuff. And then of COURSE, the Internet for everything else! I guess I let my "fingers to the walking" (and the UPS man too!) a lot./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Bird · Apr 26, 2002

Gebo's (local mom & pop shop)

How many moms & pops? I use the one in Hillsboro, but have also bought a few things from the one in Ennis, and the first one I ever saw was way out in West Texas./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

PitbullMidwest · Apr 26, 2002

TBone,

It's not so much that they stopped selling firearms but their whole "anti-sportsman" change in philosophy. Our K Mart used to be the biggest outdoor supplier in town. Now they carry a few fishing rods and maybe a battery for your trolling motor. This change occurred at the same time that K Mart took on Rosie O'Donnell and Penny Marshell as spokesmen so I assume that there was a change at the top of the corporation.

I continue to shop at K Mart because they carry what I want for a reasonable price and I don't have to deal with apathetic, "I've got all day and I know you won't mind spending another half hour checking out while I look at all the neat stuff you're buying and complaining about how hard I have to work" clerks at WalMart.

Mosey · Apr 26, 2002

I found these articles. A Kmart employee made a big mistake and rosie finished Kmart off, probably for good.

http://www.texansforgunsafety.org/articles/utah.htm

http://www.armed-citizens.com/news/armdcitz_news.php?doit=yes&newsid=808

RobertN · Apr 26, 2002

Thier prices are great because most of the merchandise is inexpensive import stuff. It's hard to find Made in USA tags on anything at WalMart. They make money like crazy selling this stuff, and not adding more knowledgable people. It's pretty simple.

Kmart, Target, and the other stores do the same.

ejb · Apr 26, 2002

I think your answer is in your question....i.e. "there prices are so low and I love to shop there" and "why can't I find any associates".

Seems to me that part of the reason the price is low is that they don't have too many people working there...its a delicate balance I am sure. But I am willing to bet that they have done many many tests to figure out how few employees they can have working there without loosing a too many sales. Some, but not too many..

I for one am glad to see Kmart go under...as dustin hoffam says in "Rain Main"..."KMart s*cks"...good ridance to Kmart and Rosie ODonnell.

tgello · Apr 26, 2002

i've never been in a walmart and don't plan on it anytime soon. i like to leave my money in town if possible...tgello

RanchMan · Apr 26, 2002

Bird -

How many moms & pops?

Eeep! /w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif Well, I thought they were a "mom & pop". The one I go to (McKinney) looked "mom & pop-ish" and hadn't ever heard the name before (who would name a chain "Gebo's"??? /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif) Welp - that's what I get for assuming.....

RanchMan · Apr 26, 2002

I hear you Ed...

While I have bought from big "retail" stores, since it is often only a small portion of the business, they spend 90% of the time figuring out what to do and going through a bunch bogus of "Store Policy" procedures. /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif I've never seen anyone violate any law selling stuff @ a retail store like that - just a really SLOOOOOW process since they are making sure to "dot the I's and cross the T's."

The home-town gun shop (or dealers @ a gun show, most of which own their own "brick & mortar" shops) have it down to a science - They know the paperwork, know the law, & give quick convenient service. WOW! Knowledgeable sales-folk! Who wudda thunk it! /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

cowboydoc · Apr 26, 2002

You're exactly right and Walmart is getting so big they don't really care anymore. You should be on the other side for how they treat their employees. They have a tremendous turnover of employees and only pay minimum wage.

Anonymous Poster · Apr 26, 2002

Comon now, Wallyworld just got sued in Texas for insuring the life of a janitor for $60,000- payable to Wallyworld of course, leaving his widow penniless.
So it was against Texas law, Wallyworld had an explanation, they bought the policy in Arkansas, and they even claimed the payouts from those policys were used to buy benefits for the rest of the employees.
Wallyworld, my kind of store, screw customers and employees equally. They even have a policy of firing sick workers.

gator · Apr 26, 2002

Richard your right about the high turn over rate. I worked at a a home improvement store for 19 months before I decided I couldn't take it any more. Our store manager used to tell us at the Managers meetings that the average career in retail is 18 months. I used to open my department (electrical) at 7 AM on a saturday and be the only one until 1 and sometimes 2PM. The scheduling was done by a computer program based on last years sales at the same time of the year. Corporate would not let the Management add to that schedule. Every employee that works has to be paid, and salary can not exceed 5 percent of sales (with a 4 percent goal) according to corporate. Although the manpower was reduced, the employees responsibilities were not. At my store, the Manager could pay you anything he wanted, but he was graded and rewarded on profit margin by corporate.
To all that criticize(sp?) the employees, stand 8 hours in their shoes helping customers among all the other things you have to do, and see how long you can take it.[/rant]
Sorry, but I felt you all should see it from "the associates" side too.

snowman · Apr 27, 2002

Franz,

The Wall Street Journal ran a series of articles about this last week - it's called "janitors insurance" and apparently is quite a large income item to many companies.

The rules vary state by state, but, in general, a company can buy life insurance on an employee and receive the proceeds without anything going to the employee or their family.

It's called Corporate Owned Life Insurance (COLI).

Apparently is a very widespread practice.

cowboydoc · Apr 27, 2002

Actually we are incorporated and use the very same loophole to purchase life insurance on ourselves. It's all tax deductible and you can even use it as a retirement vehicle and overpay the insurance and use the extra to invest however much you want a year tax free.

RanchMan · Apr 27, 2002

There was some deal about this on the news the other night - just can't remember what "news" it was - (was it the "10:00 news" or some "Dateline" type show...?) /w3tcompact/icons/hmm.gif Talk about timely!!!

Bird · Apr 27, 2002

RanchMan, with my old memory, I wouldn't say for sure, but I thought it was Tom Brokaw on NBC at 5:30 p.m. a couple of days ago.

Chuck52 · Apr 27, 2002

Wingnut,

Thanks. The only thing on TV is storm warnings. Yous are much more entertaining!

Chuck

bgott · Apr 28, 2002

That's called "dead janitor" or "dead peon" insurance. Maybe instead of worrying about companies collecting on insurance they paid for we ought to be worrying about the regressive tax laws that force these kind of practices.