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Walmart didn’t kill the small town, it is the small town

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Re: Walmart didn’t kill the small town, it is the small town

#141

Post by paleotrope »

lotsofpulp wrote: post #7
no_wizard wrote: post #5

The layout is entirely by design to feel like you’re strolling down “Main Street” Americana. I learned this decades ago when I worked for Walmart setting up stores and training folks. It was explicitly made clear to us this is what the layout was designed to elicit

I would be surprised if most people under 60 or even 50 know what strolling down “Main Street” means. In my 30+ years, I have never once strolled down a Main Street. I have always gone to big stores and malls (and now online shopping).

Not enough Nail Salons/Hair salons in a Walmart though.

Re: Walmart didn’t kill the small town, it is the small town

#142

Post by tstrimple »

kikokikokiko wrote: post #84
shortlongterm wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is this satire? Lawn equipment ain't complicated enough to maintain to justify throwing out every season. This is insane consumerism.

Lawnmowers nowadays are coming with "engines that do not require oil changes, ever!!!"... Either the lawnmower industry has deciphered the code to create frictionless moving parts and unoxidizable oils, or maybe the cynic in me is right in thinking that they just want you to throw away your perfectly serviceable lawnmower every couple years and buy a new one.

Just got an electric mower. Glad to no longer have to deal with oil changes. Thing packs up tight and can be stored in any orientation. Next will be the electric snow blower.

Re: Walmart didn’t kill the small town, it is the small town

#143

Post by slater- »

gottorf wrote: post #91
ep103 wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Aye, I lived in Ithaca, NY for a while, and they had a local law that the only businesses within the town center could not be franchise stores, and had to be independently owned. Chain stores could open, but had to do so down the highway about ~2 miles away. It is _incredible_ the difference it makes on town culture, and _how much better it was_

Downtown Ithaca most likely would have been just as vibrant without that law. It's a town with a higher median household income than the US as a whole, plus two colleges, both of which cost >$50k a year to attend. The students, especially of Cornell, are a great and continuing source of relatively price-insensitive consumers. Chapel Hill, NC has a Target smack dab in the middle of downtown, and everyone would agree t…

i respectfully disagree. the "wonderful culture" chapel hill is known for is a memory from the 80s and 90s. the target store that opened on franklin street is maybe the most blatant sign of the shitty generic direction the town has been going in. it's a nice memory though. here's to the squirrel nut zippers.

Re: Walmart didn’t kill the small town, it is the small town

#144

Post by paulmd »

scottLobster wrote: post #36
no_wizard wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I consider it the fact that Walmart for a long time had a mostly rural and suburban strategy that skews demographics to people 40+. It’s a Sam Walton hold over that I think is being slowly replaced. What WalMart hates the most is that they can’t get people of affluence who want to save money to shop at one though. When I worked there the complaint out of HQ I heard the most is that Michelle Obama and Oprah would shop…

The harsh lighting and reflective white paint literally hurts my eyes in Walmart. Like there's a low-grade sting and I'm slightly squinting for the duration of my shopping trip. Target doesn't have this problem, and I'm willing to pay a slight premium if it's convenient. Maybe they can fix that first.

Narrow isles and harsh lighting are another part of the marketing strategy. It’s supposed to make you feel like they’ve cut every corner to bring the lowest price to you, the shopper!

Re: Walmart didn’t kill the small town, it is the small town

#145

Post by NoGravitas »

dingnuts wrote: post #62
toomuchtodo wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Small towns should be able to change and adapt, but Walmart being the corporate small town core is another version of enshitification (Walmart being your IRL ecomm platform), with your town's core dictated and governed by Bentonville, Arkansas. Build strong, local communities and economies instead: https://ilsr.org/ | https://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/how-small-towns-and-cities-c... (it will not be extremely economical…

You might consider it enshittification because it's not as cute as "Main Street" but in rural and impoverished areas Walmart brought affordable necessities -- like much cheaper groceries -- and real quality of life increases for people who otherwise would have simply had to do with much less. The lower prices that Walmart is able to offer actually do matter and have a material impact on people who are not rich.

Eh, those prices largely stayed low long enough to kill off local businesses, and then crept back up again. A Walmart also, on average, kills 3 local jobs for every 2 it creates. There's only so much every day low prices will help you when you're unemployed.

Re: Walmart didn’t kill the small town, it is the small town

#146

Post by r00fus »

SoftTalker wrote: post #76
r00fus wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Simply amazing. And I thought I was wasteful. What happens to the old mowers? Does your friend sell or give away his old mower? I almost feel like our way of life (artificially cheap) is going to hit a brick wall once gas stops being cheap (peak oil).

Peak oil was supposed to happen a decade ago (maybe more?). It ain't happening. Adjusted for inflation, gasoline is as cheap as ever.

> Adjusted for inflation, gasoline is as cheap as ever.

There's the rub. Perhaps our rampant inflation is essentially the result of "real" peak oil, except instead of gas prices steadily increasing, the US economy is taking excessive actions to keep our petrodollar supreme and causing massive inflation.

Especially as challengers to petroleum economy arise: Solar/Battery/Wind/EVs - it's possible the only way to stay solvent is to massively devalue $$.

Re: Walmart didn’t kill the small town, it is the small town

#148

Post by cagey »

throwawaysleep wrote: post #25
light_hue_1 wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah. The 8 stores are far better. There's competition. There's variety. Employees can move around. I can get to know the shop owners. I can take a wonderful stroll. Instead. You get to enjoy one corporation, that does anything it wants, pays horribly, employees have no choice, you have no choice in what garbage you buy. And your downtown now consists of 8 banks. Yup. You're living the dream!

Walmart was the competition that lowered prices. Those 8 stores may have had more variety, but not lower prices.

Recently I needed to replace my car's battery (size 24F; I opted to upgrade to an AGM battery). In my town of 45,000 (medium-small?) there is one Walmart superstore (sans auto shop), a bunch of chain auto parts stores, and some non-chain stores. Shopping online, I determine:

   Walmart:  Everstart $180, 4 year "free replacement" warranty.
   Napa:     house brand $250, Odyssey $371  (both 3 yr warranty)
   OReilly:  house brand $250, Optima  $290  (both 3 yr warranty) 
   AutoZone: house brand $250, Optima  $290  (both 3 yr warranty)
Walmart gets my business in this case as it does in most others. The few employees I interact with there don't seem to be unhappy, and their return policy is awesome (and is consistently applied). Walmart hasn't forced the competition out of business, but I see no reason why I should shop elsewhere in order to pay $70 (38%) more for an equivalent battery with 1 year less warranty.

Yes, Walmart is evil./s

Re: Walmart didn’t kill the small town, it is the small town

#149

Post by paleotrope »

jxramos wrote: post #66
rblatz wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe don't strew pallets of junk in the middle of aisles if you want to go upmarket?

yah, it's a much more cluttered and crowded experience. The demographics who shop there too are lower class and bring with them less attuned social dynamics and courtesies and other subtle etiquettes that are desired when out in public. People who are oblivious to blocking things, looking past you while they cross your path and cut you off with a shopping cart, being loud or verbally obnoxious, at times unbathed, etc…

"less attuned social dynamics and courtesies and other subtle etiquettes that are desired when out in public" That's a lovely way of saying it.

Re: Walmart didn’t kill the small town, it is the small town

#150

Post by balls187 »

throwawaysleep wrote: post #6

It’s price and the ease the price enables. Low price demonstratably rules in everything from plane tickets to groceries to basic services to clothing as it enables a life of abundance and mental ease. A friend loves Walmart as it means he no longer has to maintain his lawnmower. He just throws it away and buys a new one annually at the start of the season. He can still mow his lawn while abandoning the need to mainta…

Ever wonder why socks are 40 for $20?

Or what happens to all those socks when they’re disposed of?

Also tossing lawnmowers every year seems beyond stupid.

I can’t imagine the cost of replacing a mower every year being cheaper than buying a $300 ryobi that will last you for years to come.

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