ChangeForge - Latest Comments in Walmart: Our Soul – Less Money

Re: Walmart: Our Soul – Less Money

alleg171 — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 14:01:35 -0000

thanks!

Re: Walmart: Our Soul – Less Money

ChangeForge | Ken Stewart — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:40:06 -0000

Charles, thanks for stopping by... it seems this topic is hotly debated. I first encountered this effect when working with a medium sized business that manufactured commercial food service equipment.

When Walmart first got into the grocery business, I watched them as they became larger than all of the Fortune 500 grocers, our then-current customers, combined. It was amazing to watch, and I quickly realized Walmart had stepped outside of the normal economy and had become and economic market unto itself...

Re: Walmart: Our Soul – Less Money

Charles Fishman — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:18:35 -0000

Ken Stewart, all good questions about Wal-Mart — and more urgent all the time, given the economy. I've actually written a book about Wal-Mart now, which tackles exactly the questions you're talking about.

"The Wal-Mart Effect," http://www.walmarteffectboo...
Or...
http://www.amazon.com/Wal-M...

/Charles Fishman, Fast Company, cnfish@mindspring.com

Re: Walmart: Our Soul – Less Money

ChangeForge | Ken Stewart — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:59:04 -0000

Ah, now you are striking a chord, my friend... I think "selfish-ism" is eroding the state of America to be frank... the "what's in it for me" attitude with blatant disregard for others well-being.

Walmart is not a detriment to the American way - in fact it actually underscores raw capitalism at work (at least as close as you can get in a regulated economy). I would also agree that Labor unions have ended up causing more problems than they are worth - but it is not the unions themselves - nor government itself - that is the problem.

Remember, these are organizations, groups, of people who run things into the ground. I think that in general those doing their job and working hard are content to keep doing so and do not stand up to a growing minority of people looking out for numero uno.

I have worked with a global company and seen first hand what an economy that is almost solely knowledge-based ends up becoming. Look to the UK... a once great force that has dwindled to a mere shadow of its former glory - not to say that it was all that good, just powerful.

What is funny is that we really aren't pursuing knowledge based jobs... we are outsourcing computer programming to Russia, India, and a few other places and not pushing nearly as many math and science based jobs through college as we once did (speaking of engineering, etc.).

Instead, we look for the easy money - payoff without true work, and thus we are trading our souls sir... It is not Walmart that is the problem... you miss my point, or perhaps I did not make such a point clear... it is us as consumers that are trading our soul for a cheaper price... in my humble opinion.

Re: Walmart: Our Soul – Less Money

GregWalters — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:19:53 -0000

wow...once again, this is not Rocket Science, it's Economics and more specifically it's all about CAPATILISM.

If WalMart sold pet food that killed our dogs or toys laced with child-killing poison - then WalMart would be out of business...er...wait...didn't that...never mind...

....to the post editor I go to write a rant...

Re: Walmart: Our Soul – Less Money

Strong One — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 10:28:24 -0000

This is an ever-growing long standing debate about Wal-Mart's super-power status will never end, it's been exponentiating over the past decade. Especially with the state of the economy these days.. .and the penny pinching we're all doing.
I think it's a matter of perspective. As the struggling consumer.. we have to take advantage and appreciate the 'low-prices'- no matter how it is formulated. The buyer/seller has a tough market and a tough responsibility. I Don't thing there is any easy solution (at least thes days), we as the consumer will have to bow to the low price guru's until something changes in our economy.
Let me know when that happens.
:)