Walmart is closing 269 stores and laying off thousands of employees.

[Dug]

So instead you would have another business with the exact same practice but under another name.
Lets call it BallMart.

I don't like any mega chain retail stores and wish such things weren't allowed but yes I know free market

[Deleted]

if you're a regular employee not working a second job. You're not too faraway from being on the street.

If that is how these people feel they should work more and find a different job .

[oplawlz]

Good company in that they provide employment to many people and are extremely successful, sure. They're shit as far as running every single small business out of town.

Small businesses being unable to adapt to a market place is not the fault of Walmart any more than candle makers losing business was the fault of Edison. Economies evolve, those who can't or won't adapt ahead of the changes eventually fail.

[Deleted]

I don't like any mega chain retail stores and wish such things weren't allowed but yes I know free market

So you want millions of small mom and pop stores all over the US of A?
That would raise the price of everything by quite a lot as buying in bulk for store and consumer won't be possible anymore.
Not sure this would be good for the economy.

[zenkai]

I don't like any mega chain retail stores and wish such things weren't allowed but yes I know free market

A lot of online stores have put major competition against huge retailers, such as Walmart so you are sort of getting what you wish

[ellieg]

They're replaced with a Home Depot or Lowes then. Mega chain retail stores are a bane on the "American dream"

Arent they the perfect example of the American dream? They all started as small businesses that worked hard and made it big.

[Dug]

So you want millions of small mom and pop stores all over the US of A?
That would raise the price of everything by quite a lot as buying in bulk for store and consumer won't be possible anymore.
Not sure this would be good for the economy.

I already shop at small businesses every chance I get. I'm willing to pay a few extra dollars so that small businesses can prosper or at least stay afloat. I also don't buy in "bulk", whatever that means. What would one need to buy in bulk?

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Arent they the perfect example of the American dream? They all started as small businesses that worked hard and made it big.

Sure but now they squash any chance people have to start similar businesses as they can't match the prices.

[Ornerybear]

sounds like the pilot program didn't work.

[Dug]

A lot of online stores have put major competition against huge retailers, such as Walmart so you are sort of getting what you wish

True enough. I'm not a massive fan of Amazon either but I'm glad they're making Best Buy sweat

[ringpriest]

Or they just used up some towns and feel it's time to leave the rotting husk to the scavengers and move onto fresher meat.

While I suspect that may be what they're trying to do, I also think that they're operating with an extreme lack of self-awareness. Their short-term profit focus started to catch up to them a while ago; they're suffering from mistakes that they've actively encouraged management to make, and they've massively degraded their own brand.

Target is the new Walmart, Walmart is the new Kmart (and Kmart is the corporate equivalent of the walking dead).

[ellieg]

I already shop at small businesses every chance I get. I'm willing to pay a few extra dollars so that small businesses can prosper or at least stay afloat. I also don't buy in "bulk", whatever that means. What would one need to buy in bulk?

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Sure but now they squash any chance people have to start similar businesses as they can't match the prices.

What does "the American dream" mean to you? To me it means working hard to make it huge. You are talking about prohibiting people from doing that. Other people can try all they want, they aren't being prevented from it. They just have to be smarter and work harder, which is exactly what the American dream is.

People buy in bulk to save money. You don't go to the store and buy 1 roll of toilet paper. You buy the 20 pack or whatever. People like to save money.

[Osmeric]

Walmart had huge effects on the supply chain, forcing suppliers to rationalize and automate. This is the sort of efficiency improvement that drives costs down and standards of living higher.

[Dug]

What does "the American dream" mean to you? To me it means working hard to make it huge. You are talking about prohibiting people from doing that. Other people can try all they want, they aren't being prevented from it. They just have to be smarter and work harder, which is exactly what the American dream is.

People buy in bulk to save money. You don't go to the store and buy 1 roll of toilet paper. You buy the 20 pack or whatever. People like to save money.

It's not prohibiting people from success it's just stopping what is essentially a monopoly on a market from forming. Sure you have a chance of trying to overthrow wal-mart but the odds are very much stacked against you.

Also who the hell sells individual rolls of toilet paper? That's not my idea of "bulk" I was thinking along the lines of buying 500 ramen noodles or something insane

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Besides we'd have lots of jobs to go around if we still had factories in the US but unfortunately we allow businesses to outsource

[Deleted]

I already shop at small businesses every chance I get. I'm willing to pay a few extra dollars so that small businesses can prosper or at least stay afloat. I also don't buy in "bulk", whatever that means. What would one need to buy in bulk?

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Sure but now they squash any chance people have to start similar businesses as they can't match the prices.

Well, a big chain of stores buys their products in large quantities (which is called in Bulk) so that they get a discount on the amount they are buying.
So instead of paying 2 euro for a cookie they now pay 1.50 per cookie but only if they buy 20.000 of them.
This will result in you paying 2 euro for the cookie instead of the 2.50.

The company you buying from buying in bulk will be lower prices for you.

A mom and pop store down the block can't do that and therefor their prices will be higher.

The second option is YOU as a consumer buying in bulk - lets say toilet paper, toothpaste etc.
This can be done in big stores that have a fuck ton of product and put it on sale every now and then.
Which will save you a lot of money.

Again, not possible in mom and pop store.

As I said, i know what Id pick (less money and that shit leaves more money for my hobbies).

[ellieg]

It's not prohibiting people from success it's just stopping what is essentially a monopoly on a market from forming. Sure you have a chance of trying to overthrow wal-mart but the odds are very much stacked against you.

Also who the hell sells individual rolls of toilet paper? That's not my idea of "bulk" I was thinking along the lines of buying 500 ramen noodles or something insane

You can buy single rolls, its just stupid to do so lol. Walmart isn't a monopoly though. Target exists as do other large retailers. You don't like that walmart has made it so big. You want to prevent them from being so big which to me, is anti American dream. How would you propose limiting companies like them? Once you make a certain amount you have to give the rest of the profits away to charity?

Im not advocating buying 500 ramen noodles, but if you eat ramen every day, it might not be a bad deal. If an individual ramen costs 50cents, and you can get 500 ramens for 10cents a piece, I don't see why you shouldn't.

[Deleted]

It's not prohibiting people from success it's just stopping what is essentially a monopoly on a market from forming. Sure you have a chance of trying to overthrow wal-mart but the odds are very much stacked against you.

Also who the hell sells individual rolls of toilet paper? That's not my idea of "bulk" I was thinking along the lines of buying 500 ramen noodles or something insane

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Besides we'd have lots of jobs to go around if we still had factories in the US but unfortunately we allow businesses to outsource

And you outsource because a business in China can do the labor for 30 cents per person instead of 30 dollar's per person.
If I was a business I would do the same.
Can't really blame the business to make a decision that is in the best interest of the business (I know it will hurt their reputation with special snowflakes all around the states, but will save them billions).

[Dug]

And you outsource because a business in China can do the labor for 30 cents per person instead of 30 dollar's per person.
If I was a business I would do the same.
Can't really blame the business to make a decision that is in the best interest of the business (I know it will hurt their reputation with special snowflakes all around the states, but will save them billions).

I understand why they do it but I don't think they should have the option to in the first place. That jobs like that are taken away from our citizens to give to who knows who in some random country is just not right in my opinion.

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You can buy single rolls, its just stupid to do so lol. Walmart isn't a monopoly though. Target exists as do other large retailers. You don't like that walmart has made it so big. You want to prevent them from being so big which to me, is anti American dream. How would you propose limiting companies like them? Once you make a certain amount you have to give the rest of the profits away to charity?

Maybe not give away profits but limit you to within your own state or something idk. As I said it's just my opinion and I know it's not gonna change any time soon I'm just salty that good people I know have been run out of business with the arrival of wal-mart in my hometown. They have no time to adapt or catch up with Wal-marts vast wealth

[Osmeric]

I understand why they do it but I don't think they should have the option to in the first place. That jobs like that are taken away from our citizens to give to who knows who in some random country is just not right in my opinion.

So, you're against international trade? Because that's what international trade means.

[Independent voter]

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

' when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

And Wal-Mart is full of poor people buying clothes, food, over the counter medicine, tires, house paint, plants, etc. You can even pick up luxury goods there like widescreen tvs.

During the recession we just came out of, Wal-mart and McDonalds made huge profits, now those profits have disappeared, why do you think that is?

[Felya]

If Wal-Mart collapsed, so would the U.S. economy and one of their competitors would just take their place.

How would the economy collapse, if their competitors will take their place? Walmart is now too big to fail?