Inglewood to WalMart: Not In My Front Yard!

[Babbles]

About the only decent thing that has happened in California.

If the prospective shoppers do not want your store in their neighborhod, then why in the hell would they build it???

 

[So]

Originally posted by: Babbles
About the only decent thing that has happened in California.

If the prospective shoppers do not want your store in their neighborhod, then why in the hell would they build it???

Because they DO want it in their neighborhood, but a bunch of old biddies and protectionist shopkeeps don't, and use propoganda to make the people believe that too.

 

[ivol07]

Pickle Article

I think Wal-Mart will find their way in there no matter what. Or a nearby city. And if the results of the recent Grocery Strike in So. Cal are any indication all those "Well Paying" jobs are soon to be not so well paid.

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: So
Exactly, what mom n' pop is going to be open at 10 pm? not many.

Still, unchecked corporate power and greed is never a good thing.

True, but where is there greed here? They aren't abusing any power, they aren't jacking up prices in communities where they have run others out.

Ultimately, it sounds like everyone likes to say 'wal mart is bad", "evil", etc...
but at the end of the day, you all vote yes with your dollars. If wal mart really was a net harm, it would be pretty obvious, pretty quick, and pretty easy to turn on them.

You're saying...'they don't offer this, that, or the other thing' but you aren't willing to pay for those intangibles. Let's face it folks...economics is economics. There is a marginal cost for a folksy family shop and none of you are willing to pay it. Either stop demanding something for nothing or pony up the dough. You can't wish reality to be something else... I leave you with my signature.

Uhhh, maybe you better check again. Wal-mart's prices aren't uniform from store to store. Where there is more competition, their prices are lower. Where there is less competition, their prices are higher. Their prices *ARE* higher where competition is gone. What seems to be getting ignored in this thread is that Wal-mart is the champion of marketting to make you think everything is lower prices. That's because they are lower for the more common things that people are most familiar with the prices of, particularly the things that are advertised all the time. At the same time, many of their prices are much higher than the competitions, particularly because they know that most people are too lazy to shop around and they're already getting people into the store because they have bounty paper towels and some other seasonal item for 2 cents less than the competition. (9.97 vs. 9.99 for a 12 pack of paper towels, then on the same trip, you pick up a new hair dryer for 19.97 instead of K-mart's 14.97)

 

[DrPizza]

btw, if I remember the story on NPR correctly, there's a walmart 6 miles down the road from Englewood, so they're not missing out on anything. (except tax revenues)

 

[So]

Originally posted by: DrPizza

Originally posted by: So
Exactly, what mom n' pop is going to be open at 10 pm? not many.

Still, unchecked corporate power and greed is never a good thing.

True, but where is there greed here? They aren't abusing any power, they aren't jacking up prices in communities where they have run others out.

Ultimately, it sounds like everyone likes to say 'wal mart is bad", "evil", etc...
but at the end of the day, you all vote yes with your dollars. If wal mart really was a net harm, it would be pretty obvious, pretty quick, and pretty easy to turn on them.

You're saying...'they don't offer this, that, or the other thing' but you aren't willing to pay for those intangibles. Let's face it folks...economics is economics. There is a marginal cost for a folksy family shop and none of you are willing to pay it. Either stop demanding something for nothing or pony up the dough. You can't wish reality to be something else... I leave you with my signature.

Uhhh, maybe you better check again. Wal-mart's prices aren't uniform from store to store. Where there is more competition, their prices are lower. Where there is less competition, their prices are higher. Their prices *ARE* higher where competition is gone. What seems to be getting ignored in this thread is that Wal-mart is the champion of marketting to make you think everything is lower prices. That's because they are lower for the more common things that people are most familiar with the prices of, particularly the things that are advertised all the time. At the same time, many of their prices are much higher than the competitions, particularly because they know that most people are too lazy to shop around and they're already getting people into the store because they have bounty paper towels and some other seasonal item for 2 cents less than the competition. (9.97 vs. 9.99 for a 12 pack of paper towels, then on the same trip, you pick up a new hair dryer for 19.97 instead of K-mart's 14.97)

This may well be true...I can't say I am well versed in the specific pricing policies of wal-mart as I rarely shop there (gasp! someone admitting a lack of knowledge on the internet). But you are still telling me that other mass discounters are out discouting them, mom and pop are still non competetive. If wal-mart starts offering higher prices, places like k-mart and target will bounce back and eat wal-mart alive.

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: So

Originally posted by: DrPizza

Originally posted by: So
Exactly, what mom n' pop is going to be open at 10 pm? not many.

Still, unchecked corporate power and greed is never a good thing.

True, but where is there greed here? They aren't abusing any power, they aren't jacking up prices in communities where they have run others out.

Ultimately, it sounds like everyone likes to say 'wal mart is bad", "evil", etc...
but at the end of the day, you all vote yes with your dollars. If wal mart really was a net harm, it would be pretty obvious, pretty quick, and pretty easy to turn on them.

You're saying...'they don't offer this, that, or the other thing' but you aren't willing to pay for those intangibles. Let's face it folks...economics is economics. There is a marginal cost for a folksy family shop and none of you are willing to pay it. Either stop demanding something for nothing or pony up the dough. You can't wish reality to be something else... I leave you with my signature.

Uhhh, maybe you better check again. Wal-mart's prices aren't uniform from store to store. Where there is more competition, their prices are lower. Where there is less competition, their prices are higher. Their prices *ARE* higher where competition is gone. What seems to be getting ignored in this thread is that Wal-mart is the champion of marketting to make you think everything is lower prices. That's because they are lower for the more common things that people are most familiar with the prices of, particularly the things that are advertised all the time. At the same time, many of their prices are much higher than the competitions, particularly because they know that most people are too lazy to shop around and they're already getting people into the store because they have bounty paper towels and some other seasonal item for 2 cents less than the competition. (9.97 vs. 9.99 for a 12 pack of paper towels, then on the same trip, you pick up a new hair dryer for 19.97 instead of K-mart's 14.97)

This may well be true...I can't say I am well versed in the specific pricing policies of wal-mart as I rarely shop there (gasp! someone admitting a lack of knowledge on the internet). But you are still telling me that other mass discounters are out discouting them, mom and pop are still non competetive. If wal-mart starts offering higher prices, places like k-mart and target will bounce back and eat wal-mart alive.

See? Wal-mart has made a believer out of you too! Let me repeat: Walmart already DOES offer higher prices on many of their items. They attract you into the store for 2 or 3 common items, then when you leave with a shopping cart full of goods, they nail you on many of the other items.

 

[So]

Originally posted by: DrPizza

Originally posted by: So

Originally posted by: DrPizza

Originally posted by: So
Exactly, what mom n' pop is going to be open at 10 pm? not many.

Still, unchecked corporate power and greed is never a good thing.

True, but where is there greed here? They aren't abusing any power, they aren't jacking up prices in communities where they have run others out.

Ultimately, it sounds like everyone likes to say 'wal mart is bad", "evil", etc...
but at the end of the day, you all vote yes with your dollars. If wal mart really was a net harm, it would be pretty obvious, pretty quick, and pretty easy to turn on them.

You're saying...'they don't offer this, that, or the other thing' but you aren't willing to pay for those intangibles. Let's face it folks...economics is economics. There is a marginal cost for a folksy family shop and none of you are willing to pay it. Either stop demanding something for nothing or pony up the dough. You can't wish reality to be something else... I leave you with my signature.

Uhhh, maybe you better check again. Wal-mart's prices aren't uniform from store to store. Where there is more competition, their prices are lower. Where there is less competition, their prices are higher. Their prices *ARE* higher where competition is gone. What seems to be getting ignored in this thread is that Wal-mart is the champion of marketting to make you think everything is lower prices. That's because they are lower for the more common things that people are most familiar with the prices of, particularly the things that are advertised all the time. At the same time, many of their prices are much higher than the competitions, particularly because they know that most people are too lazy to shop around and they're already getting people into the store because they have bounty paper towels and some other seasonal item for 2 cents less than the competition. (9.97 vs. 9.99 for a 12 pack of paper towels, then on the same trip, you pick up a new hair dryer for 19.97 instead of K-mart's 14.97)

This may well be true...I can't say I am well versed in the specific pricing policies of wal-mart as I rarely shop there (gasp! someone admitting a lack of knowledge on the internet). But you are still telling me that other mass discounters are out discouting them, mom and pop are still non competetive. If wal-mart starts offering higher prices, places like k-mart and target will bounce back and eat wal-mart alive.

See? Wal-mart has made a believer out of you too! Let me repeat: Walmart already DOES offer higher prices on many of their items. They attract you into the store for 2 or 3 common items, then when you leave with a shopping cart full of goods, they nail you on many of the other items.

I don't dispute that, it is a common marketing tactic and many stores use loss leaders to bring in customers, what I am saying is that there is going to always be competition, it will just be in the form of other chains.

 

[catnap1972]

Let me repeat: Walmart already DOES offer higher prices on many of their items. They attract you into the store for 2 or 3 common items, then when you leave with a shopping cart full of goods, they nail you on many of the other items.

Generally, the low margin items (things like groceries and such) are usually either equal or a penny or two lower than the competition (the "nyah nyah, we're cheaper" factor). When you see prices ending in a 4 or an 8, you can be pretty sure that somebody is selling it for a penny more that they have to make an example out of. They also have a habit of using the competitor's price as THEIR "was" price, as well as placing a "was" price that was much higher than they've ever sold the item for. Once in awhile, you'll find real savings on something but most of the time, it's just perception, and many times (as you said), they're definitely higher than the competition (again, the perception of "always low prices" tends to cloud shoppers judgement).

 

[KevinH]

What I find ironic about this whole thing is that most inner cities have complained about paying higher prices and not having access to the bigger supermarkets and stores due to the "white flight" of the 70's and 80's. Here WalMart comes, ready to open up a store in Inglewood and when given this option Inglewood votes to turn it down?