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Leaked Walmart memo reveals competitive threats

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Re: Leaked Walmart memo reveals competitive threats

#91

Post by _wp3r »

potta_coffee wrote: post #52
godot wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Working class shoppers. Sure, it’s elitist, but people like shopping alongside people in their own stratum. Not going to comment on the ethics/politics of it, but if people like shopping alongside people in their own stratum, then they have to accept that they have to pay a premium for it (i.e. shop at Whole Foods). You can't really say "I want to shop at the discount store but I also want only other wealthy people…

I pay more to avoid WalMart. I'm not even an elitist, I've just noticed in my area, the greeters are rude. After maybe 3 bad experiences in a row, I've decided to never go to WalMart ever again and it's been over a year since I've shopped there.

So to be clear you are not an elitist, but you don't shop at the lower cost store, because the greeter was having a bad day and was not nice enough to you and should have known what class you are and should have shown more reverence?.

Re: Leaked Walmart memo reveals competitive threats

#92

Post by late2part »

everdrive wrote: post #47
mc32 wrote: post #2

I think Wal*Mart has an image problem. I’ve gone into their stores. Their stock assortment isn’t bad compared to the competition. In fact, aside from Whole Foods on the organic/bio side of things, they measure up very well and better compared to their competition. They are more of a hypermart where you can do one stop shopping ala Carrefour. The issues I see are: very drab color palette. Working class shoppers. Sure,…

>Working class shoppers. Sure, it’s elitist, but people like shopping alongside people in their own stratum. Elitist or not, wouldn't this advice simply move them from one stratum to another?

Maybe. Or not?

http://www.dtc.umn.edu/~odlyzko/doc/paris.metro.minimal.txt

Re: Leaked Walmart memo reveals competitive threats

#93

Post by khuey »

late2part wrote: post #85
edgyquant wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

#3 really irks me, because they don’t check everyone’s receipts. I was stopped and asked for a receipt two days ago for a gallon of milk I had in the cart because it “wasn’t in a bag” while other people walked past. I can understand e.g. when I buy a TV, but a gallon of milk is ridiculous and profiling.

In most states in the US (all?) you are not obligated to stop and show your receipt. It may be polite, and you may do it, but you are not required to do so. For membership stores, it may be a condition of membership, but it still may not be legally required. Any employee that stops you might be guilty of kidnapping. https://www.lawyers.com/legal-info/consumer-protection/prote...

Yep, just keep walking.

Re: Leaked Walmart memo reveals competitive threats

#94

Post by late2part »

jbluepolarbear wrote: post #64
dna_polymerase wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You jumped from wealth to race. Who is the racist here?

Most rich people are white. Most elitist people are white. The people that want to shop at stores that have like people are white. I wasn’t being racist, but elitist and racism go hand in hand.

Most people in the USA are white:

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045219

Re: Leaked Walmart memo reveals competitive threats

#95

Post by adrr »

edgyquant wrote: post #60
handrous wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Observations about the nearest Wal-Mart: 1) All the employees look sad, all he time. 2) They've obviously carefully tuned their check out staffing so that the lines are always long. This is such a constant that it has to be intentional, and they're doing a good job of it. 3) Sometimes they attempt to check receipts at exit. I don't get that at any other non-membership store. 4) All the shoppers look sad. 5) It's the…

#3 really irks me, because they don’t check everyone’s receipts. I was stopped and asked for a receipt two days ago for a gallon of milk I had in the cart because it “wasn’t in a bag” while other people walked past. I can understand e.g. when I buy a TV, but a gallon of milk is ridiculous and profiling.

Just say no. They won’t/can’t stop you. Costco has it in their membership agreement but stores that aren’t memberships; you didn’t agree to it and you have no obligation to show it. Worst case you get banned.

Re: Leaked Walmart memo reveals competitive threats

#96

Post by Terretta »

JTbane wrote: post #77
mc32 wrote: post #2

I think Wal*Mart has an image problem. I’ve gone into their stores. Their stock assortment isn’t bad compared to the competition. In fact, aside from Whole Foods on the organic/bio side of things, they measure up very well and better compared to their competition. They are more of a hypermart where you can do one stop shopping ala Carrefour. The issues I see are: very drab color palette. Working class shoppers. Sure,…

Walmart is also one of the few stores that interrogate you on the way out as to what you purchased. Just not a good look.

Best Buy checks receipts, Costco checks receipts.

Best Buy is the most confusing of these as the receipt checker is stationed about 3 feet from the last register by the door watching you get rung up and pay.

Re: Leaked Walmart memo reveals competitive threats

#97

Post by rubicon33 »

cptskippy wrote: post #57
mc32 wrote: post #2

I think Wal*Mart has an image problem. I’ve gone into their stores. Their stock assortment isn’t bad compared to the competition. In fact, aside from Whole Foods on the organic/bio side of things, they measure up very well and better compared to their competition. They are more of a hypermart where you can do one stop shopping ala Carrefour. The issues I see are: very drab color palette. Working class shoppers. Sure,…

> I think Wal*Mart has an image problem. If you know their history then you understand how they got where they are. Walmart grew in the 80s and 90s by planting itself just outside the city limits of small towns across America. They attracted the towns people with low prices and jobs. Their presence eventually shutdown every competing small business in those towns and the former purveyors of those businesses often wou…

It sucks that while there are enumerable benefits to free market capitalism, there's also serious drawbacks. You tend to see the formation of mega corporations that can use economy of scale to secure and hold huge economic advantage.

Short of some breakup, or government intervention, what can be done? The system is designed to reward those who find the best market fit. The problem is, there's no brake pedal on their growth. They can absorb entire industries.

Re: Leaked Walmart memo reveals competitive threats

#98

Post by washadjeffmad »

zippergz wrote: post #41
HideousKojima wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>They could likely address this by having a second more upscale brand. That's kinda what Sam's Club is, though Sam's is competing against Costco

Sam's is more upscale than Wal-Mart, but in my experience it is very much the "Wal-Mart of warehouse stores" in that it feels less nice than Costco in the same area. I'm sure it varies, that's just based on the ones I've been to.

It is literally the Walmart of warehouse stores.

Sam Walton is the originator of both Sam's Club and Wal(ton)mart.

Sam's competes more with stores like BJ's and Brandsmart than Costco, which is really in a league of its own.

Re: Leaked Walmart memo reveals competitive threats

#99

Post by reaperducer »

ineedasername wrote: post #71
542354234235 wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Online retail, much like offline retail, is about physical infrastructure. You still need warehouses with all the product, you still need fulfilment, all online changes is the balance of those factors. The core assets don't change. Which is why it is so weird when offline entities adding online lose out over and over to online only. They already have most of the infrastructure and their infrastructure is being paid…

I worked at a Barne's & Noble book store in college right as Amazon took off. I think BN's model for doing online was pretty common, which was that they set it up as a separate business that they made compete with their retail outlets. If you went into a store that didn't have the book you were looking for, the last thing the store wanted you to do was to go home and order it online from the BN website. They pushed y…

they set it up as a separate business that they made compete with their retail outlets.

Sadly, this is very common in retail, and one of the things that is destroying brick-and-mortar.

My wife works in this space and tells me that a lot of retailers, from department stores to fancy boutiques, do this.

The worst part is that since the online store is generally located in the warehouse, it gets first dibs on stock, while the stores have to do without. Some of the retail stores she works with will lose out on $20k/day because they can't get stock, but online always has it. The managers are training the customers to check online first, cannibalizing their own employees and stores. Then they send the daily reports to the stores with notes like, "I see that online did 44% better than your store in your zone today." Well, no shit. Online has stock and the boutiques don't.

Sometimes the boutiques do a little fighting back, and sort of "pool" their stock. Meaning that if a store doesn't have something a customer wants, the employees of that store will call another store they reciprocate with and try to have the item shipped to the customer from that store for free. The just-above-minimum-wage shopgirl ends up eating the shipping just so she can make her unrealistic sales goal and stay employed for another month.

Re: Leaked Walmart memo reveals competitive threats

#100

Post by protomyth »

jcims wrote: post #80
handrous wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Observations about the nearest Wal-Mart: 1) All the employees look sad, all he time. 2) They've obviously carefully tuned their check out staffing so that the lines are always long. This is such a constant that it has to be intentional, and they're doing a good job of it. 3) Sometimes they attempt to check receipts at exit. I don't get that at any other non-membership store. 4) All the shoppers look sad. 5) It's the…

Broke people need to shop too.

GP probably should avoid shopping on the 1st in the US too. Be a shame to run into those EBT people. They hold up the line with coupons also.

I'm still debating the merits of growing up on a Rez versus how I see my fellow humans.

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