How prices changed at a Walmart in a year • Hacker News Board

Re: How prices changed at a Walmart in a year

#81

Post by klingonopera » Tue, Sep 17, 2019, 2:04 AM UTC

chrischen wrote: post #38

klingonopera wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's even more likely that China will switch to a higher level of automation and robotics before the West does. They already have the production, and can incrementally adapt and upgrade, whereas in the West, it would have to be (re-)built from the ground-up with intent to directly compete against low-labor markets (though arguably, in some industries this would probably be an advantage), and that would require far mo…

The west is an information and trchnology economy. If it has specialties in anything it’s in high tech. As fast rising and impressive as Chinese tech is, it’s still generally inferior. We’re not not scrambling for Chinese devices because of tariffs, they’re just usually coming in on the low end. Manufacturing is also the low-value end of the supply chain. Building up expertise at the top (Apple, Microsoft, Google, In…

The first iPhone rattled the headlines, but I'd argue the third or fourth generation is what really settled it into the mainstream.

In other words, the West may the first to have fully automated factories and warehouses, but China is likely to be the first to deploy them on a large-scale.

Re: How prices changed at a Walmart in a year

#82

Post by klingonopera » Tue, Sep 17, 2019, 2:06 AM UTC

C1sc0cat wrote: post #44

klingonopera wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's even more likely that China will switch to a higher level of automation and robotics before the West does. They already have the production, and can incrementally adapt and upgrade, whereas in the West, it would have to be (re-)built from the ground-up with intent to directly compete against low-labor markets (though arguably, in some industries this would probably be an advantage), and that would require far mo…

Unlikely they have to keep the working and middle class happy

And if that's no longer possible, it's easier to contain an unhappy populace in an Orwellian than in a "Huxlodian" state.

Re: How prices changed at a Walmart in a year

#83

Post by ijiiijji1 » Tue, Sep 17, 2019, 6:14 AM UTC

corodra wrote: post #67

zwieback wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Who eats the Floridian strawberries?

Nobody knows... Just kidding. To my knowledge a lot go to processing, not consumer consumption. Typically these are also labeled as "ugly" because they're not always your traditional strawberry shape. Similar, Florida oranges were mostly juicing oranges, not consumption. Though greenery has really fucked up that market sector. I just don't appreciate the whole "look" based market we have in the states. I think it's a…

Most fresh fruit isn't beautiful but is still perfectly edible, so it goes into processed foods.

Re: How prices changed at a Walmart in a year

#84

Post by timje1 » Tue, Sep 17, 2019, 9:37 AM UTC

corodra wrote: post #67

zwieback wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Who eats the Floridian strawberries?

Nobody knows... Just kidding. To my knowledge a lot go to processing, not consumer consumption. Typically these are also labeled as "ugly" because they're not always your traditional strawberry shape. Similar, Florida oranges were mostly juicing oranges, not consumption. Though greenery has really fucked up that market sector. I just don't appreciate the whole "look" based market we have in the states. I think it's a…

Look has a correlation to perceived taste. People perceive things to be tastier when they look good.

Re: How prices changed at a Walmart in a year

#85

Post by C1sc0cat » Tue, Sep 17, 2019, 10:45 AM UTC

klingonopera wrote: post #82

C1sc0cat wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unlikely they have to keep the working and middle class happy

And if that's no longer possible, it's easier to contain an unhappy populace in an Orwellian than in a "Huxlodian" state.

Until it doesn't see Romania, The technocrats that run china don't want to see themselves and their family's put against the wall or strung up from a lamp post.

Re: How prices changed at a Walmart in a year

#86

Post by ryacko » Tue, Sep 17, 2019, 11:17 AM UTC

corodra wrote: post #67

zwieback wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Who eats the Floridian strawberries?

Nobody knows... Just kidding. To my knowledge a lot go to processing, not consumer consumption. Typically these are also labeled as "ugly" because they're not always your traditional strawberry shape. Similar, Florida oranges were mostly juicing oranges, not consumption. Though greenery has really fucked up that market sector. I just don't appreciate the whole "look" based market we have in the states. I think it's a…

People are averse to defective products. Because people can pick and choose, they will select the best product.

If we all agree to purchase slightly damaged food and only remove the damaged part, it would be fine.

There is still the issue that people do not know how the food was damaged, which is a different supply chain issue.

Re: How prices changed at a Walmart in a year

#87

Post by corodra » Tue, Sep 17, 2019, 11:41 AM UTC

ryacko wrote: post #86

corodra wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nobody knows... Just kidding. To my knowledge a lot go to processing, not consumer consumption. Typically these are also labeled as "ugly" because they're not always your traditional strawberry shape. Similar, Florida oranges were mostly juicing oranges, not consumption. Though greenery has really fucked up that market sector. I just don't appreciate the whole "look" based market we have in the states. I think it's a…

People are averse to defective products. Because people can pick and choose, they will select the best product. If we all agree to purchase slightly damaged food and only remove the damaged part, it would be fine. There is still the issue that people do not know how the food was damaged, which is a different supply chain issue.

No no, I'm not talking about damaged.

I'm talking about "ugly". The strawberries and tomatoes at the store are perfect shaped. The breeds that pump out these typically lack the same intensity of flavor as heirloom varieties, that if you are not use to them, would barely recognize them.

Watch some homesteading harvest videos on youtube. Especially if they do carrots. They wont look like store bought ones.

Re: How prices changed at a Walmart in a year

#88

Post by corodra » Tue, Sep 17, 2019, 11:43 AM UTC

timje1 wrote: post #84

corodra wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nobody knows... Just kidding. To my knowledge a lot go to processing, not consumer consumption. Typically these are also labeled as "ugly" because they're not always your traditional strawberry shape. Similar, Florida oranges were mostly juicing oranges, not consumption. Though greenery has really fucked up that market sector. I just don't appreciate the whole "look" based market we have in the states. I think it's a…

Look has a correlation to perceived taste. People perceive things to be tastier when they look good.

Until you live on a farm and realize the ugly ones taste better by far measure and the pretty ones should just be fed to the chickens.

Most people these days never get that experience. So they think what they're looking at is a pretty strawberry. In reality, it's only real use is compost.

Re: How prices changed at a Walmart in a year

#89

Post by mfoy_ » Tue, Sep 17, 2019, 1:37 PM UTC

ryacko wrote: post #86

corodra wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nobody knows... Just kidding. To my knowledge a lot go to processing, not consumer consumption. Typically these are also labeled as "ugly" because they're not always your traditional strawberry shape. Similar, Florida oranges were mostly juicing oranges, not consumption. Though greenery has really fucked up that market sector. I just don't appreciate the whole "look" based market we have in the states. I think it's a…

People are averse to defective products. Because people can pick and choose, they will select the best product. If we all agree to purchase slightly damaged food and only remove the damaged part, it would be fine. There is still the issue that people do not know how the food was damaged, which is a different supply chain issue.

The people who "select the best product" basically only have visuals to go on, therefore they actually select for the prettiest product, not the best tasting product.

Re: How prices changed at a Walmart in a year

#90

Post by chadmeister » Tue, Sep 17, 2019, 1:55 PM UTC

mindslight wrote: post #78

dragonwriter wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> achieving lower day-to-day prices is exactly how market competition works. That's true, but irrelevant. You are using microlevel concepts on a macro level where they are by-definition cannot apply. > It's tautological to justify a policy of changing the value of a dollar by rejecting analysis in terms of an unchanged dollar. You can't have lower overall consumer prices against an unchanged dollar, because the defin…

Thank you for explaining how I am using terms incorrectly according to this model you are trying to constrain my analysis into. It's so much clearer now that I realize the concern I am describing simply cannot exist! "It's just fundamentally dishonest to discard a political viewpoint by condescending from a paradigm that rules out said political viewpoint by construction." (And we wonder why political polarization ha…

I had really hoped this discussion would end with your appreciation for dragonwriter's participation in it. It is very clear he understands economics much better than you do.