As much as I hate Wal~Mart bashing.........

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Great article, too bad he's a one off. I've often thought it might be a good idea for more of the big manufacturers to stand their ground and say no thanks, however that's unlikely to happen as they are so entrenched now. What really needs to happen is that consumers take a stand and boycott WalMart even if just for a few days and shop elsewhere in order to send a message not just to WalMart but to the companies that do business with them. Two or three days of little to no profit at WalMart would send shockwaves thru Wall St. and the business world and perhaps wake some manufacturers up.
Anyone here up to organizing it?
 
I don't go to Wal*Mart

I prefer to get my "general merchandise" at Bullseye Boutique. Who knows?--the Target Bull Terrier might be Al's cousin. :)

When I do have a choice, however, I take my money to locally owned business, whenever possible.

There's a strong, abiding rumour that the nearest Wal*Mart might become a Super Wal*Mart. If that happens, they'll disposses other current businesses, including, but not limited to, a Goodwill branch.
As disgusting as it is, and that is quite disgusting, worse yet is that if this happens, it may well cause the nearest branch of my favourite LOCAL supermarket to close (they're within 1.5 miles.)

I still believe in "voting with your dollars."

Lawrence/Maytagbear
 
As a Wal-Mart basher myself...

What an excellent article...it seems like a pattern lies in the midst that starts as soon as the contract is signed: Agree to sell cheap, poor quality product to Wal-Mart at lower prices-->Lose profit-->Resort to offshore manufacturing and increase in production speed which results in low quality with little or no product testing (this part REALLY p**ses me off)-->Even offshore manufacturing cannot keep up with profit loss-->Company literally cannot keep its head "above the water" and goes under. Seriously folks, do you REALLY think a Mexican "obrero" making $0.75 an hour gives a s**t about putting effort into their work?? I don't think so...

I have a newfound respect for Snapper after reading this, and after seeing their methods of production (which most would consider "radical" and "unnecessary" compared to offshore manufacturers' techniques) and quality control. I'm glad to see that there are still companies out there committed to producing a good product, regardless of "hit or miss opportunities" such as the aforementioned Wal-Mart contract. Needless to say, I will DEFINITELY keep Snapper in mind when I purchase a lawnmower for my house in 2013 or so. Now if only they didn't stop using the Robin engine in their commercial equipment.

--Austin
 
Great article, thanks for sharing....

I am on an inexpensive Home Depot mower because I had to get one at the same time as the move, and money was tight.

I know exactly what mower I will get now!

I still have my dad's Cooper edger from about 1965 in my garage, he left it here for some reason and every once in a while pulls it out and edges my lawn when he's over.

Quality lasts.
 
I also vote with my dollars and buy local. And I don't go to Wal Mart. I've seen a town where a new Wal Mart opened, and every single store for at least a half mile radius was closed and boarded up. I swear it looked like something out of science fiction. As far as I'm concerned, that was proof.

And if I'm in the market for a lawn mower or snow thrower, yep, I'll be looking for Snapper. Quality counts.
 
Very interesting read

There was something on Discovery or some other channel about Walmart practices...very interesting, and it effected me quite about where to shop at in the future for things I usually bought from there all the time.
I had the same effect on me, after watching the extras on the DVD for the film "Super-Size Me". (McDonald's)
Old Wal-Marts here are being replaced with Super Wal-marts, and bLowe's are being build right next door. A Former bLowe's Associate, and good friend informed me that there are several people who sit on the boards for both stores, hence, I suppose, they are in *cahoots* with each other in the corporate world of retailing.
There are NO LESS than 5, YES 5 of the &*^% Super Wal-marts within a 5 mile radius of my home....
Makes me puke!
Buy American!!!! The job you save might be your own!
Just my 2 AMERICAN cents worth.

--Carol
 
Thanks for posting this article...

Why isn't there an appliance manufacturer with the same philosophy?

I have always thought that manufacturers were making special, lower quality things for Walmart because their prices are so low. If Levi Strauss is making lower quality clothing for Walmart, what is P&G doing with Tide?

I like the way the article focused on Weir and not the strong-arm control of Walmart. It is much more pro-Snapper than anti-Walmart. Walmart here is the victim of unintended consequence (altho' they fully deserve it).
 
YAY FOR SNAPPER!!!!!!

If you've ever had the pleasure of using a Snapper mower, you will never go back to the $139 lawnmower. Yes, it's heavy as hell but it will be the last mowing machine you ever buy.

DAMN RIGHT!

Its kinda sad that it will be harder to buy Snapper equipment but the search is worth it.

Screw wal-mart.
 
Wonderful!

I've seen that article before; and hope other companies follow suit. I hope that, even more importantly, consumers realize what companies like Snapper are doing and continue to give them business.

-Fred
 
Thanks for the info on Snapper mowers. I would buy one just because the CEO told Wal-mart to pi-- off. It is good to know of US made quality products. Proud to say I have never spent a dime in a Wal-mart, and never will. Small businesses are the way to go!! There should be a list of US corporations committed to manufacturing in the US, that treat their employees with dignity and respect. I'd buy from them exclusively.
Bobby in Boston
 
1. I loathe what WAL-MART does to local businesses. They are the 300-lb. gorilla which smaller, locally-owned businesses can't compete with. I wish they didn't have so much power over manufacturers, but they do. A number of manufacturers have moved their operations overseas because they wanted WAL-MART's business and had to do that in order to keep their prices artifically low.

2. I have a Snapper self-propelled lawn mower and a Snapper snowblower. It would have been cheaper to purchase them at a big-box store, but as with designgeek (and I applaud your integrity, bud!) I believe in doing as much business locally as I can. At the start of each season, I call my Snapper dealer and he picks up my mower/snowblower, changes the oil/filters/spark plug, checks it over and brings it back to my house for a reasonable fee. This, I believe, is the sort of service so many of us complain doesn't exist anymore.
 
I don't like shopping at Walmart either, and I will only go there for occasional things I can't get locally elsewhere.

In addition to the hoards of idiotic mindless shoppers, there's the fact that Walmart's prices are not the lowest anyway. They may be low on a few items that they advertise and/or place at the end of the aisle, but these are generally the shoddiest, lowest in quality and features, of any particular type of product. Then, when you look for something a little better, it might cost twice as much.

Most of my shopping is at Costco, Pak 'N Save, Orchard Supply, or Home Depot. I will also shop at local small specialty stores. Walmart is a last choice.
 
I agree...yay Snapper and boo WalMart. I bought my first Snapper in 1985 at the age of 13. At $500 it was a big purchase. I had worked two years of mowing grass to buy one. I bought the 4 horse, briggs model with a cast iron bore, and ball bearing wheels. This model was called "extra tough". That poor mower was used during the mowing season on average of 15 yards per week on the same engine too for over 10 years. I paid for my first car, insurance, first year of college, and all of those other things that teens buy. My Snapper even mowed the lawn at my first house and now my current house. I had to retire it two years ago due to its age and the fact that I just could not fix it anymore (although it ran well still) and it was almost 20 years old! I sold it for $50! I miss that old machine.

That initial $500 was steep at the time but oh how I did get my money's worth. My neighbor had one that was well over 20 years old and last year the motor finally gave way. Guess what he bought? Guess what I replaced the old Snapper with? A NEW SNAPPER. Snapper is one of the FEW items being sold today that is as good as the old one. They make them like they used to TODAY! So yes, congrats to Snapper for standing up for something and for making a superior machine. I am proud to say that my lawnmower is a quality product made here in the USA. Thanks for those great years of mowing and for many more to come.
 
Target rocks because some of them have a starbucks inside. Wal-mart would probably counter and try to put Dunkin Donuts in there (waits for Bri's reaction).
 
I've seen that article before also.

I'm glad you posted it though. The arrogance that must be involved in asking someone to lower their standard of manufacturing is disturbing. But I guess if you are a company that holds everything in higher esteem than your employees, you DO things like that!
 
Just Look at the Store Itself

The WM near my home is always just plain sloppy and dirty. The parking lots are full of carts and trash. One look at that and you know how things are done at the top.
 
Not to be defending Wal-Mart, 'cause Lord knows they don't need any defending ... but I go in there understanding that some items are / may be of lower quality. If that fits my needs for the item, then, well, there you are. If not, then I drive an hour+ to Houston or Victoria, or order online. Wal-Mart has been in town for more than 20 years. The original store closed a couple years ago, built a new Super outfit, 24/7. It's the only general merchandise / grocery in town open 24/7, which is a plus for me. There is another major chain grocery been here for years (they recently built a new store, bought a city block, closed a street), which I do shop there as well. Another independent grocery closed when Super WM opened, but it was in bad shape anyway *before* the Super WM. We have a local full-service hardware store, several smaller specialty shops. TSC built a big new store in recent months. There's a Walgreens under construction, and three other pharmacies in town (besides WM and the grocery) (who knows if one or more may close when Walgreens gets going). A lumber / home improvement store opened in the old WM.

What we don't have is a book store or an electronics outfit (other than a small Radio Shack).
 
for example.....

Some guys here are always talking about the choices in detergents at other stores.....i went to a Local grocery store to do my grocery shopping.....There was more of a selection of detergents.....of course....tried and true....i was going to stick to my Gain liquid.....it was $1.50 higher. I got irritated and I started to put everything back and go to Wal Mart. but then thought about the lines....no one was in this store....and decided to go ahead this week. But next time I go shopping for food and incidentals, I'll head back to the supercenter. I just dont see paying more for detergent,toothpaste, shampoo,etc...AND if you go during church from about ten to 12 on sunday.....there isn't anyone there ! LOL <P> our Wal Mart is always clean and bright. They are constantly cleaning. I sometimes stop to get coffee in the am if we need it at work. The floor crews are polishing and polishing. a different area every day...rotating until they are at the beginning again. i dont think i have ever noticed a day when they are not cleaning. Of course this is the home state....i dont know about other areas.
 
Glenn,

I'm glad that Wal-Mart hasn't affected the H.E.B. in EC out of business...and probably never will be either. I'd be caught dead before I ever ventured into the grocery department in a Wal-Mart and do some shopping there, but then again, you probably will never see me enter the store! To say that H.E.B. has a great selection is an understatement (well, for most things anyway), and the store layout is nice as well; it's no surprise that it was very high-rated in the last CR grocery store report! Not to mention that their Central Market flagship stores have everything under the sun and are to die for...

The original Wal-Mart stores that were around 10-15 years ago we could tolerate and my mom actually went there frequently, but that was before 99.9% of the products they sell are low-quality foreign crap. I ABSOLUTELY CANNOT STAND the "Super Wal-Mart" outfits, which is what nearly every single one is today. We all know what the sole purpose of those are. No fairness exists whatsoever...talk about a "Roll-Back"!

--Austin
 
For some reason or t'other there just doesn't seem to be near the anti-Walmart in Canada as there is in the USA, which is surprising if only for the fact that they are an American company competing against long established Canadian ones. Some people bitch about that but then they don't seem to bitch about Sears which has been here nearly 60 years or Woolworths or Kresge when they used to be around. I go in occasionally and look around, sometimes I buy something sometimes not. I've never been in one yet though that's messy or dirty here but I have been in some in the US that were. WalMarts biggest competitor in Canada is Zellers and they've tried everything to compete, gussying up their stores etc but when you go in one they're all messy and disorderly, they just can't seem to get it right. Today I was talking to a coworker whose wife works part-time at their local WM, he says she loves it, everyones friendly, they get their discounts, plus they pay a few dollars over the minimum wage. Granted she doesn't have to work but according to her everyone who works there likes them. As elsewhere the majority of the stuff is from Asia (China now) but then so is the stuff at all the other stores.
 
As I said before. Sam Walton would be spinning in his grave. Mr. Walton did not do business this way. The Wal Mart we knew before 1992 (the year of Walton's death) and the Wal Mart we know now are two different things. Sam believed in the working people.
 
Wal-Mart in Oz.

A few years ago there were rumors about that Wal-Mart was going to make a takeover bid for our Woolworths chain here in Australia however the vast majority of share holders in Woolies kicked up such a storm over it that it was quickly dropped.
Reading some of the posts on here, this Wal-Mart must really be a pretty disgraceful company who only seem to care about their blasted bottom line profit and the community can go to blazes, mind you the above mentioned Woolworths and the other giant retail chain down here, Coles Myer are not really much better, you see what they do particularly in regional areas is one opens up at one end of the town and the other one opens up a bit later at the other end of town and before too long the local and usually familt owned stores are forced out of business as they are just suffocated by the power of these two companies.
Between the two of them they control about 88%pf the food industry here in Australia, so what chance does the poor consumer have? in the end you just have to give in and shop sat either of them as they are often the only supermarkets around,and the Parliament is absolutely useless most probably because guess who donate the most to the two major political parties here in Oz?,yes! you guessed it these two as(as well as most of the private banks,but they are a story for another time).
I sometimes feel real despair for my little country but anyway I still love it and is my home.
Cheers folks.
Steve.
 
This thread has come at the most oportune time here at the major crayon and marker company owned by the big greating card maker.

Knit, I agree with you a 100%. In 91, I had my first dealings with Wal-Mart. I moved into a sales tech support position in my company. I supported the first PC system They supplied to thier vendors. The next year we won vendor of the qtr. I had yet to see a Wal-Mart store, there were none in eastern Pennsylvania yet. In the spring of 92 I took the 12 hour flight from PA to Arknasas. It was culture shock to me very small town. I met the people I get to speak with on the phone In Bentonville. All very nice, welcoming. The corpaorate office looks more institutional than what you would think a headquarteres would look like. No frills what so ever. no carpet, someone said they have to clean thier own offices and dump thier trash, no free coffe (our people would die}. I went to a super center and I thought it was great. But since then my feeling have changed drasticaly. With the way they do business now, I feel is why my own company really sucks now. They are demanding to buy things so cheaply from the vendors, that the vendors are taking it out on thier own employees. We have had so many layoffs, cutbacks and good emplyoees quit do to DOWNSIZING and demoting, so we can cut our costs to please Wal-mart. I have been with my company 20 years and it use to be fun to come in, a family oriented enviroment, now we are just a corporate machine. If someone quits or is lucky to retire thier job is not backfilled it is dumped on who ever is left in the dept. I am full of high emotions right now. We are in our so called re-organization mode this time of year and people are being let go again. My old boss and good friend walked out Friday do to Re-classification for the second time (I guess that is a new word for demoted) we both got hit last year. I had his job for 4 years prior to last years re-classifying. But they can hire two more people to work on the Wal-Mart sales team. I think there are about 8 dedicated people to Walmart plus all the regular corporate Marketing, Finance, and manufacturing people to support them. Upper managements new buzz phrase is we all have to work smarter, not harder.

To ramble further, Easton finaly did get a Walmart store about 4 years ago. It was nice for about the first year. Last year they added the grocery and made it a super center. It looks like a bomb went off in it most of the time, ready for the wricking ball. They stores in Arkansas and Oklahoma I have been in are very nice, ours here in PA looks terrible. Our Kmart is about the same but they are waiting to rebuild into a Sears-mart we have been told. We buy a little in Walmart usually CD's and DVD's but not much more. Grocery we go to Wegmans, Mall stores for household and clothes and my applicances we go to a family owned store in the next town and my small apps I buy online or at the mall. Walmarts standards and quality are just not there for me. I will pay for quality, I do want to keep going back for replacements. My rambling is over, time to dig out the Excederin Migrain and walk to the cafeteria for a drink (regular ice tea, not Long Island)

MikeO
 
Sarcastically-
G-d bless greed and short-sightedness in corporate America.
Turning this nation into a third-world country of refugees day-by-day.

Do businesses not see that their funciton also is to provide decent employment?
Let's worry about getting on the metric system already and catching up to the rest of the world, Not how to lower the middle-class' living standards.
Let's worry about energy and ecological conservation (but not with regard to washers and detergents!)
Let's get out of everyone's politics and wars.
Let's teach our own children to read, write, add and have manners and how to be civilized.
Do they not see that if they cut everyone's wages just who will buy what? No one will be able to.
Enough rantage out of me.
 

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