Leaked Walmart memo reveals competitive threats • Hacker News Board

Re: Leaked Walmart memo reveals competitive threats

#161

Post by lotsofpulp » Sat, Jun 05, 2021, 3:12 AM UTC

mgkimsal wrote: post #143

ipaddr wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That profit margin sounds very off. Is there a reference you are using to determine that? For an average $200 bill the store makes 1 dollar?

Every time I hear people talking about "grocery store margins" the numbers get smaller and smaller, and I suspect "Hollywood accounting" may be behind some of the numbers people are thinking/repeating. I can say some of the shops around here have always been pricey, but a Lidl came in to town and manages to undercut every other store by around 30% on pretty much every comparable item. Overall, stores making 0.5% prof…

It is pretty easy to search for 10-K for all the big retail companies. They all show sub 5% profit margins, frequently in the 2% to 3% range. It is a pretty cut throat business.

Lidl is probably coming in and destroying competition by running leaner operations with less payroll due to not having to deal with legacy unions. It happens and has happens in many businesses (see declining real wages for past few decades for bottom 3 quintiles), but a lot of the “growth” in retail comes from cutting labor costs.

Re: Leaked Walmart memo reveals competitive threats

#162

Post by rsuelzer » Sat, Jun 05, 2021, 3:14 AM UTC

quickthrowman wrote: post #24

lolsal wrote: post #7

The biggest thing keeping me from shopping at Walmart is their anti-competitive and predatory behavior and the way they treat their employees and vendors. Nothing else really matters to me regarding Walmart. There's no subscription service that would get me to shop at Walmart more than I do today (which is zero). There's no competitor that could decline in such a way that I would shop at Walmart. I know many in my so…

There are no ethical global multinational companies, sorry to burst your bubble. Every other giant retailer is doing the same to employees, vendors, etc.

Walmart really started the race to the bottom, killed countless good paying retail jobs (many union), so I choose to hold them accountable, even if it's irrational at this point given their competition (Amazon) is arguably just as bad or worse.

Re: Leaked Walmart memo reveals competitive threats

#163

Post by user3939382 » Sat, Jun 05, 2021, 3:15 AM UTC

leetrout wrote: post #126

user3939382 wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't shop there because I take pride in the things I own and prefer quality. They sell specially cheapened versions of popular brands (e.g. Tide) and their store is filled with low-quality products. It's sad because Walmart Labs has been one of the few groups from a big company putting money behind Clojure/script, which I would like to see succeed.

I’ve never heard about cheapened brand products like Tide. Do you have more information?

Here’s an article that touches on it: https://reclaimdemocracy.org/walmart-product-quality-durabil...

Basically, Walmart is responsible for so much of some products’ sales, they dictate the price to the manufacturer. Manufacturers respond by producing special versions of products to meet their price demands.

Product quality is sort of a hobby/passion for me. Most popular brands these days prioritize price wayyy over quality. Even without Walmart, finding well-made products is difficult, inside a Walmart, I don’t even bother looking anymore.

Re: Leaked Walmart memo reveals competitive threats

#164

Post by alephnan » Sat, Jun 05, 2021, 3:19 AM UTC

_wp3r wrote: post #149

alephnan wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> you don't shop at the lower cost store, because the greeter was having a bad day and was not nice enough to you People at Wal-mart have a bad day all the time. It's about the customer service. I have less anxiety knowing that if I do run into problems in the store, the staff would be more approachable. > what class you are and should have shown more reverence I didn't read the original comment this way. It sounds l…

I would also hope that customer service is awesome all the time, but saying the greeter was not nice enough is a pretty specific dog whistle. I shop at the wally all the time, and I am just calling an elitist a spade free of any strawman you want to pile on.

> I would also hope that customer service is awesome all the time, but saying the greeter was not nice enough is a pretty specific dog whistle.

You're probably white and haven't experienced casual racism that exists at Wal-mart and less worldly venues

> dog whistle

> calling an elitist a spade free of any strawman you want to pile on.

Is it an elitist dog whistle when less affluent people also avoid Wal-mart on the sentiment that it's not actually a better value proposition such that customer service is a differentiating factor ? There is extreme poverty where people have to squeeze every penny out of their expenses even if it means trading their time for those pennies, but I'd hardly call a family in the middle ( below the middle class ) vying for Costco or a Target as having elitist preferences.

You're the one who sounds like an elitist white knight suggesting less affluent people have zero options and necessarily have to shop at Wal-mart. For example, Dollar Stores have great service, not actually cheaper, but is perceived as a cost saving to less affluent people.

Re: Leaked Walmart memo reveals competitive threats

#165

Post by MiddleEndian » Sat, Jun 05, 2021, 3:19 AM UTC

Scoundreller wrote: post #158

MiddleEndian wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>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. Macy's has a similarly annoying policy. They deliberately keeping their cash registers unmanned, which they apparently tell their employees is to "avoid intimidating customers" so you have to stand around waiting or seek out an employ…

I think that’s their public justification. The reality is there’s a camera pointed at each one and a couple of pool cashiers that run to any as needed.

I'm sure it's a lie too. They probably found they could save money by understaffing their store and/or customers would buy more stuff if they have to wait around more. I'm sure it works on one scale, but on the other hand they seem to be confused about why they are losing customers to online shopping or other stores. I'm sure I'm not the only person to stop using them.

Re: Leaked Walmart memo reveals competitive threats

#166

Post by adrr » Sat, Jun 05, 2021, 3:19 AM UTC

edgyquant wrote: post #144

adrr wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I understand I can say no but this is the only Walmart in my routine that isn’t a super center (it’s a “neighborhood market”) so I don’t yet want to get banned from there. I am planning to start shopping at somewhere besides Walmart in the near future though.

If you think about what they are doing, they are searching your personal belonging. That bag is yours. Do you want to give money to a store that thinks it reasonable to randomly search customers?

Re: Leaked Walmart memo reveals competitive threats

#167

Post by redisman » Sat, Jun 05, 2021, 3:21 AM UTC

Spooky23 wrote: post #138

paxys wrote: post #107

Walmart gets a lot of flak for being old school and allowing Amazon's rise, but they are one of the very few retailers who have actually been able to respond to competitive threats over the last decade or two. Walmart Labs has some great tech and hires top software talent in the industry. They aren't shy about making large acquisitions when needed (like Jet). They have built out their own delivery and logistics netwo…

Walmart has some weird cultural issues that make store operations hard to adapt. It’s a pretty miserable place to work. They hire anyone, turn them out quickly, and have weird work rules for things like gathering in a group. Target’s pickup operation is superior in every dimension. They made the decision to put it front and center, and their employees seem happier. It takes The other issue they have is that their log…

> It’s a pretty miserable place to work.

Huh sounds a bit like another company I happen to know

Re: Leaked Walmart memo reveals competitive threats

#168

Post by grouphugs » Sat, Jun 05, 2021, 3:21 AM UTC

paxys wrote: post #107

Walmart gets a lot of flak for being old school and allowing Amazon's rise, but they are one of the very few retailers who have actually been able to respond to competitive threats over the last decade or two. Walmart Labs has some great tech and hires top software talent in the industry. They aren't shy about making large acquisitions when needed (like Jet). They have built out their own delivery and logistics netwo…

this is quite the joke. walmart maintains a standing para-military with a lot of weapons and equipment. when people find mass grave-sites all over south of the the border (and there's A LOT of them), there's some common characteristics. walmart hats, coca cola hats, chikita banana stickers, and goya labels. imperialism and fascism both suck, so does walmart and amazon

Re: Leaked Walmart memo reveals competitive threats

#169

Post by medntech » Sat, Jun 05, 2021, 3:24 AM UTC

redisman wrote: post #167

Spooky23 wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Walmart has some weird cultural issues that make store operations hard to adapt. It’s a pretty miserable place to work. They hire anyone, turn them out quickly, and have weird work rules for things like gathering in a group. Target’s pickup operation is superior in every dimension. They made the decision to put it front and center, and their employees seem happier. It takes The other issue they have is that their log…

> It’s a pretty miserable place to work. Huh sounds a bit like another company I happen to know

ScAmazon.

Re: Leaked Walmart memo reveals competitive threats

#170

Post by MattGaiser » Sat, Jun 05, 2021, 3:24 AM UTC

Spooky23 wrote: post #138

paxys wrote: post #107

Walmart gets a lot of flak for being old school and allowing Amazon's rise, but they are one of the very few retailers who have actually been able to respond to competitive threats over the last decade or two. Walmart Labs has some great tech and hires top software talent in the industry. They aren't shy about making large acquisitions when needed (like Jet). They have built out their own delivery and logistics netwo…

Walmart has some weird cultural issues that make store operations hard to adapt. It’s a pretty miserable place to work. They hire anyone, turn them out quickly, and have weird work rules for things like gathering in a group. Target’s pickup operation is superior in every dimension. They made the decision to put it front and center, and their employees seem happier. It takes The other issue they have is that their log…

> Walmart has some weird cultural issues that make store operations hard to adapt. It’s a pretty miserable place to work. They hire anyone, turn them out quickly, and have weird work rules for things like gathering in a group.

Is any company in retail any different? Except for the "hire anyone", most people would probably say that describes Amazon.