Check out this video at Jib Jab, recommended by a few HP'ers
It all goes together - cheap crap at Wal-Mart, China, cheap money, the housing bubble, losing our manufacturing base, the retirement debacle, dollar depreciation, and yup, the financial collapse of America
July 10, 2006
Big Box Mart
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I hate walmart, and the people who shop there don't realize they've led to the downfall of america (and their own jobs and well being)
It's china's distribution network, pure and simple. Remember "buy america"? Even those seemingly patriotic fox news jerks are down at the wal mart every day stocking up on their cheap chinese crap
hypocrites
the consumers have lost their jobs because of walmart, so thank god they can get low prices there with their unemployment checks
think man, think
Wal-Mart has kept inflation low. It represents capitalism at its best. I did not see any reference to the housing bubble in the cartoon.
"I did not see any reference to the housing bubble in the cartoon."
if you don't understand the relationship between walmart, china, low 10-year t-bill yields, mortgages and the housing bubble, then you're either blind, in denial or a member of the real estate industrial complex
It's not Walmart that is the problem.....It's Americas penciant too live beyond their means that is the problem.
How many flat screen t.v's should a home have ? How many suv's ? How many pc's ? How many $5000 holidays does one need to take throughout their lifetime ?? Do you really need to upgrade your home cinema every 2 years ? Do you really need to change the rims on your car ??
The answer is stop spending beyond your means, and make sure you buy when you NEED to buy and not when you WANT to buy.
When a consumer buys a product when he needs too....he usually goes for a better quality product that lasts longer.....rather than the cheap Chinese crap Walmart offers.
As they say in my neck of the woods : "I'm too poor to buy cheap". Think about it.
Wal-Mart is an American virus which has slowly but steadily undermined the American way of life. Their merchandise is junk, their employees exploited and their impact on small business has been deadly.
Shopping in Wal-Mart is like putting a gun in your mouth and pulling the trigger.
And savvy consumers know they can beat or match their prices and get better value by some comparison shopping.
http://www.mises.org/story/2219
the alternative to walmart would be: paying "MORE" for all the crap we are force to buy.
I hate walmart, and the people who shop there don't realize they've led to the downfall of america (and their own jobs and well being)
Walmart shopper right here. I do watch what I buy and try to buy American made products as much as possible. If I have a choice between a Chinese or Mexican product, Mexican wins hands down. I'll pay extra to buy something Made in the USA when available.
If you have a bone to pick with walmart, it's the service and checkout lines.
How many flat screen t.v's should a home have ? How many suv's ? How many pc's ? How many $5000 holidays does one need to take throughout their lifetime ?? Do you really need to upgrade your home cinema every 2 years ? Do you really need to change the rims on your car ??
Good comments. The area I live is surrounded by Rent a Rim stores, which are ridiculous. I always take note of the cars in the lot which are pimped out rides driven by young kids probably working at Taco Bell.
In the cases of ALL my friends, the less they make, the more they spend. The lady who works at the reception desk (probably $10/hr job), single mom with a son, drives a new Tahoe. Plus it has custom chrome rims and 20" sport tires. Then I have a friend who makes $400k a year who drives a 10-year old car with 100k miles. Talk about ebony and ivory.
"if you don't understand the relationship between walmart, china, low 10-year t-bill yields, mortgages and the housing bubble, then you're either blind, in denial or a member of the real estate industrial complex"
Wow, you are quick to rush to judgment. I sold my home in March and rent because of my belief in a correction. The relationship is clear to me - China views American bonds as a safe haven, and that has kept the yields low allowing the continuation of the conundrum that fueled the housing boom.
I don't think that Wal-mart has anything to do with it. Right, lets get rid of wal-mart, and then what are you going to do with Target? The issue is not wal-mart, it is our system, and unless you are proposing a socialist, regulated system, then I think you are barking up the wrong tree. I did not see any visual about the housing bubble per se in the cartoon - that is what I was saying.
Wal mart is a tribute to Captalism
low prices that buy American attitude went away a long time ago!
In the cases of ALL my friends, the less they make, the more they spend. The lady who works at the reception desk (probably $10/hr job), single mom with a son, drives a new Tahoe. Plus it has custom chrome rims and 20" sport tires. Then I have a friend who makes $400k a year who drives a 10-year old car with 100k miles. Talk about ebony and ivory.
It's called 'insecurity' or 'inferiority complex'. We are made to believe that a person is measured by their possessions and not by who they truly are, and what their achievements are.
In a society where your information and ideals come from your tv....this is what you expect.
And that is the difference between the 'old money' and the noveau rich. You will see the noveau rich riding around in their brand new mercedes and SUV for the mom of the family. You will see monster houses and the granite kitchen bench, and the pool that is never used.
Wheras with the 'old money', you will the kid in the best schools(education being the #1 priority), a modest but tasteful home.
But as they say (once again) in my neck of the woods : "The first generation builds the wealth, the second generation maintains the wealth....but the third generation will destroy the wealth".
CNN Money predicts the next real estate boom in 2025 !
But what to do with all existing suburbia?
http://tinyurl.com/qu22t
The next real estate boom
Dense settlements, not sprawling ranch houses, are the future of housing - and could make for a smart real-estate investment.
"It's called 'insecurity' or 'inferiority complex'. We are made to believe that a person is measured by their possessions and not by who they truly are, and what their achievements are."
So True, When I was making about 60k a year, and drove a new BMW. It was managable, but not sensible. I think that I wanted to prove to myself that I was starting to make it. Now I make $140k+ and I drive Ford Sedan. I am so much better off now that I grew out of that need to show off.
If Walmart is a tribute to Capitalism then Capitalism must have acquired a new definition.
Walmart would not be where it is and exist as it does without huge local tax breaks for roads and construction. It would not exist unless it was able to shift the medical and retirement obligations of its employees back on the public.
An entity that profits from taxpayers is not a tribute to capitalism.
Even Henry Ford knew his employees were his best customers. . .
Ford (Hardly the working man's best friend) understood that if you paid your employees enough, they could afford a Model-T. . .and things worked pretty well for a long time in the USA. . .blame?? . . .both unions and management got greedy - unions wanted the moon, and management didn't care about the consumer.
oh well. . .off to WalMart to do some shopping. . .
Consumers will always go for the best quality/price ratio they can find. I think blaming Walmart and their like is rather pointless but people do need to blame something, especially when things don't go their way. I recently saw in a DC in Shenzhen container loads of KCP (Kenneth Cole) shoes bound for TJ Maxx (http://people.hofstra.edu/geotrans/eng/ch5en/appl5en/ch5a5en.html). Whatever the angle you would like to take, there is no way that any other country can compete with Chinese production costs in a wide range an labor intensive products (and increasingly in capital / tech intensive goods); this is why Big Box stores are directly connected to Chinese manufacturing. The housing bubble is currently pricing out America of the global labor market, now even in sectors that were previously immune (e.g. high tech and several services). The current prosperity is done at the expense of future economic growth. As long as people can go into debt with their house as collateral, people will not care much (like our likable Joe Sixpack in the Jib Jab video). However, when the housing ATM is tapped, which is now beginning, people will start to complain about "unfair" Chinese competition. Several clueless govt. officials with no understanding of economics will trumpet tariffs and a reevaluation of the yuan to "save American jobs" and "improve the competitiveness" of the economy. The direct outcome will be inflation for the range of products the middle and the lower middle class depends the most upon and that have not been produced in this country for a long time (limited or no substitution possible on the short/medium run.
Concerning KCP shoes in Shenzhen, use the following URL instead:
http://tinyurl.com/ry9nt
It's called 'insecurity' or 'inferiority complex'. We are made to believe that a person is measured by their possessions and not by who they truly are, and what their achievements are
Reminds me of an argument I continue to have with my mom. She is of the fold you are describing (insecure, possesion = wealth) and gets so mad when I tell her that owning an expensive car doesn't show wealth, it shows ability to get a loan.
I spent a couple years trying that bling-bling spend game and realized it's a suckers game and a losing battle. I went from a $600/mo new car to driving a 13 year old car with 165k miles. I made myself pay the other car off so I could feel the pain. Now I just laugh when I heard my friends talk about driving expensive cars and payments.
Sure I may not be as cool anymore, but what the hell....
Anyone have an old Ford Escort they will sell for $500?
ecobuilder, that CNN/Money article was a hoot -- another Utopia just around the corner! "Hiving" and the "new urbanism" are concepts that have been around for quite some time. Both achieve viability and sustainability from a mixed-skills workforce that allows local production and consumption. Unfortunately, globalism has put a stake in the heart of that possibility here in the USA. Americans are too stupid and lazy to make it work.
"It's all a grand conspiracy by the shadow government and their puppet masters, the oil companies and the banks (they control the Fed), isn't it?"
Yes, and no...yes there is a conspiracy, but not to control the fed, rather to protect the endangered Snail Darter
Our problem is not with Walmart per se, it is with the idea that many Americans are willing to trade our future to China for a cheaper TV.
We are not blaming Walmart, we are blaming the walmart culture.
All spawned by 30+ years of conservatism.
Conservatism is a disease of the soul.
How is WalMart any different than Target? Because WalMart has a lower class image while Target is hip? Same goes for Ikea somewhat.
Consumerism and hyper-capitalism is the problem but nobody wants to criticize it and sound like a commie.
"Conservatism is a disease of the soul"
Those infected with liberalism have no soul to infect; therefore, it is a brain disease that preys on the confused.
Wall Mart is a very well run company. They do what they do very efficiently. Having experience working as a technician during several store constructions I noticed that 99% of the product boxes laid out in the store were labeled made in China. It’s as if Wall Mart is the red star express for Chinese made products. If you think that all is well with our trade imbalances and that our “service economy”, (which is just a nice way of saying vanishing manufacturing industry) is fine than I guess you’re part of the mainstream. I however, think that this uneven trade is dangerously out of whack. We are not talking free trade here; this is a communist country that has significant cost advantages due to currency manipulation, a workforce devoid of civil liberties, and few if any environmental regulations.
Check out the South Park episode that dealt with WM. The kids learn they have to kill the "soul" of WM to stop its insidious ways. The soul is located at the back of the store near the TVs. When they find it and open up the door that covers it, they confront the soul of WM - a mirror.
99% of all products these days seem to be made in China.
I bought a utility knife the other day, and it was made in USA, and that was kindof a shock to actually find something still made in the USA.
A new report says the inflation-adjusted debt carried by the average American family has increased over 30% in the last three years. I wonder how much of that growth in GDP is from all this funny-money spending?
When the HELOC and refi ATM is closed, what will these people do to make ends meet?
Anyways, the bottom line is Globalization is flawed economically.
The only reason it works is because the financial market values Chinese labor so much less, and there is so much cheap energy to ship goods.
Once energy prices rise enough, it will no longer be economical to make things overseas.
But our leaders are just stupid because the economy is like war. If you buy things and run huge deficits, you eventually lose all your money, and go bankrupt.
So basically it's an extreme lack of long-term thinking of the politicians and corporate leaders that causes this problem.
Extreme lack of long-term thinking otherwise known as GREED. Because they can make a ton of $$$ while essentially bankrupting the country.
[Wal*Mart] Their merchandise is junk
Their mechanidise is not unique to Wal*Mart. You'll see the same items by the same manufacturers in other retail outlets.
their employees exploited
If you're being exploited, find work elsewhere.
__________________________________
Where, China, where the workers job went. Duh.
"Once energy prices rise enough, it will no longer be economical to make things overseas."
This is not accurate. Maritime shipping is the least energy intensive form of transportation and containerized transportation one of the most cost effective. Higher energy costs are likely to impact commuting the most while international transportation will be less affected.
Wall Mart is a very well run company. They do what they do very efficiently.
This is not true. I worked in store management at WalMart for many years and could tell some stories.
WalMart is a company that is run by reacting to the press. Stupid lawsuits about them not hiring enough minorities and women in the management ranks have bloated store management with people that aren't qualified to stock Tide on the shelf.
High management turnover and poor training have led to easily avoidable problems like working off the clock, lack of breaks, etc that has led to a rash of news stories.
We NEVER asked people to work for free but I can remember many times sending people home a few hours early to meet our profit target while the poor girl was crying the whole way out the door because her power was going to get disconnected unless she worked her full 30 hours that week.
In response the corporate office has clamped down so tight on the stores that store personnel is merely dummies with keys to the trash compactor.
Used to be able to ask employees to jump on the clock early. Not now, a mgr has to go to the clock and approve any timing in early or timing out early which generates an exception report. Used to be able to ask someone to take lunch a couple hours late to meet the business but now it's impossible. They are clocked out automatically and no one can work off the clock.
Been to a Wal Mart in the summer where it's hot? Yup. Gotta call the home office and ask them to turn down the A/C a little bit, to which they respond "It's already 80 in there which is cold enough". Store too dark? Once again, gotta call the home office and ask for more lights to be turned on.
Firing an employee becomes impossible if they call the home office and complain. I witnessed an employee tell two managers to "go out back and f**k each other" when they politely asked her to do work instead of talk. She was fired for insubordination only to be rehired with a nice hourly raise two hours later after calling the home office. All an employee has to do is know the 1-700 number to the HO and they can keep the keys to the store.
The company is so scared of sexual harassment due to some expensive judements years ago that a male manager cannot talk to ANY female employee privately without another female present. Many girls in the stores know this and will use it to their advantage if they are so able. But that kind of b.s. comes to the territory of hiring the least qualified help for the least possible wages.
It was not always like this. Wal-Mart used to be a company where people went to build careers. Start out as a cashier, work up to district manager, and retire with loads of stock. A true rags to riches story. That is likely only possible now if you are female, black or hispanic preferably.
After I quit, I only continue to shop there because it reminds me of the fun I had back in the days when the company was true to it's roots and practiced the three core values that were posted everywhere. Now they are just a talking point that no one really believes.
Customers used to come in and ask for special order quantities (10 computer desks for a business, etc). Used to be easy to place a special order. Not anymore. The computer systems don't see the need to order 10 desks and are designed in such a way to wrest all control from the indivdual. The only course of action today is to either trick the computer into believing that there are none in stock (generates exception report) or to call local stores and do a transfer to get the desks in my store. Manipulating inventory counts is a fireable offense as well as likely leading to the home office calling to find out why the inventory went to 0 for that one item when no sales were reported.
Too many items on the shelf? Better beg for some markdown dollars from the HO. We had hundreds of promotional ink pens. We lowered the price from $2.53 to $1.00. Guess what, the next day they were back to $2.53 as an unapproved price reduction. Never mind that we ended up taking a markdown and throwing them all in the trash.
By the way, if you do have a beef with a local store, do NOT call the store directly. The best way to get a satisfactory response is to call the 1-800-WALMART number. Those calls are logged into the computer system and tracked all the way to the VP level. Filling out the comment cards at the courtesy desk are also a waste of time, read and then pitched.
Maritime shipping is the least energy intensive form of transportation and containerized transportation one of the most cost effective. Higher energy costs are likely to impact commuting the most while international transportation will be less affected.
Yup.
Personal transportation is the least efficient followed closely by OTR trucking.
A good effect of high gas is less trucks on the road with a lot more trains (more efficient).
Personal transportation is the least efficient followed closely by OTR trucking.
A good effect of high gas is less trucks on the road with a lot more trains (more efficient).
Uhhh, not really. The BTS tracks this stuff. I'll make a few gross generalizations based on their reporting.
Moving people around is an inefficient transport activity. The damn cargo demands all these silly things like comfort, price and speed. This doesn't depend upon mode.
Trains are third only to the special cases of over water and pipelines.
Choo-Choos win when the criteria are bulk, time insensitive heterogenous cargo.
Anti Wal Mart groups are funded by Big Labor.
The same currupt, mob controlled Big Labor that bankrupted the Airlines, Steel, Rail, Auto Industries.
I love the fact that Libs are just the pawns of Big Labor.
Pawns of Big Labor ...
It's kindof ironic that the people who will be screaming the most come recession time are poor con Wal-mart shoppers.
(As opposed to Zero brains of most poor cons).
Blaming it on 'Big Labor' ... LOL
dieliberaltroll ..what a class act
..and there you have it
a repressed homosexual WalMart Employee has his say...LOL
The only idiots who hate Wal-Mart are pretentious liberals and entitlement minded (also known as liberals) people who think they have the right to start up a business and overcharge people because they want to pay $10/hr. to the very entry-level minimum wage workers who are too stupid and uneducated to realize they shouldn't buy real estate in this market.
So basically, the problem isn't Wal-Mart but idiotic liberals.
Isn't it so ironic that liberals "pretend" to want to help the poor and then bash the hell out of the one company that saves the poor more money than anyone else.
Conservatives don't even pretend to want to help the poor. Their policies are nothing but punitive towards the poor.
Conservatives are the scum of the earth.
Yeah libs love the poor. They want to ban WalMart because the labor unions wanted told them too. So single mothers now have to shop at boutique retailers and can't pay the light bill but at least she didn't save money by shopping at walmart, thank goodness.
I blame the Fed and our corrupt fed'l gummint for debasing our once respectable currency.
The buying power of our pathetic currency is now so low that many are forced to shop at WalMart and at the dollar store.
A philosophic reflection:
Mankind is half-man and half-beast. Like the sfinx. There comes a time soon then the accumulated mess on all possible fronts in our world, becomes so great that mankind simply cannot survive anymore, unless she steps out from the animal kindom, once and for all. Hence: we must either learn to love and care for each other much better then we do today - or we must die.
Check out this article: Wall-to-Wall Wal-Mart? at www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/rogoff15
Excerpt: "Consider the following stunning fact: together with a few sister “big box” stores (Target, Best Buy, and Home Depot), Wal-Mart accounts for roughly 50% of America’s much vaunted productivity growth edge over Europe during the last decade. Fifty percent! Similar advances in wholesaling supply chains account for another 25%! The notion that Americans have gotten better at everything while other rich countries have stood still is thus wildly misleading. The US productivity miracle and the emergence of Wal-Mart-style retailing are virtually synonymous."
Yup. Looks like we die. Too bad it turned out this way.
Hardly. Unemployment is 4.6%.
in actual term numbers you are incorrect.
3 million manufacturing jobs lost since bush took office, that 4.6 represents people working at walmart or just left the job hunting market altogeather dont be so nieve IE No jobs avalible
"Hardly. Unemployment is 4.6%"
yeah those are the fudge gov numbers. It's closer to 10%.
" we must either learn to love and care for each other much better then we do today - or we must die."
I think it will be more like "or THEY must die". What do you mean "we"??? Wake up.
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