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Walmart
One day I asked my brother why he didn't buy his clothes at Walmart.
He said he didn't have enough money for that. Meaning he couldn't afford to repeatedly replace poor quality clothes. If you do find something there that meets your needs, just wait. Before long, Walmart will cheapen it to the point of becoming useless. John Normile On Thu, 19 Jan 2006 05:07:42 GMT, Ignoramus12063 wrote: I used to feel, and with some reasons, that Walmart was an honest company providing us the benefits of its efficiency and purchasing power. I no longer think so and do not regard walmart as a trustworthy company, based on my personal experiences with the following. 1. "Smart battery chargers" are worse than stupid battery chargers, turning off at various times based on wrong (in my opinion) charging algorithm. 2. Their soldering iron does not solder anything. 3. Their battery jumper cable was complete trash and basically fell apart and was very bad. (I need a decent jumper cable by the way, something made for real users). I had a few other experiences with their stuff made just to barely survive light use. Perhaps it is OK for people who use things very lightly, but they do not work well for me. I am not in any way a "tough user", just trying to do things as they were intended to be done, like solder wires or jump car batteries. I have resolved to buy better stuff and pay more than walmart prices if necessary. Had to get this off my chest. i -- |
Walmart
One day I asked my brother why he didn't buy his clothes at Walmart.
He said he didn't have enough money for that. Meaning he couldn't afford to repeatedly replace poor quality clothes. If you do find something there that meets your needs, just wait. Before long, Walmart will cheapen it to the point of becoming useless. John Normile This makes absolutely no sense to me. Wal-mart is a retailer, not a manufacturer. They sell what people buy. If no one buys it, it will be gone from the inventory. "I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody." Bill Cosby Ron Thompson On the Beautiful Florida Space Coast, right beside the Kennedy Space Center, USA http://www.plansandprojects.com My hobby pages are he http://www.plansandprojects.com/My%20Machines/ Severe stupidity is self correcting, but mild stupidity is rampant in the land. -Ron Thompson |
Walmart
Ron Thompson wrote:
If you do find something there that meets your needs, just wait. Before long, Walmart will cheapen it to the point of becoming useless. This makes absolutely no sense to me. Wal-mart is a retailer, not a manufacturer. They sell what people buy. If no one buys it, it will be gone from the inventory. When one retailer becomes the critical customer to a manufacturer, they gain the power to dictate details of what should be internal decisions within the manufacturer. To some extent you are safe with name brands for which the large retailer is only one of many places it can be bought... however, there have been rumors of manufacturers making a different version of their product for discount retailers vs. traditional speciality stores. |
Walmart
wrote in message
oups.com... Ron Thompson wrote: If you do find something there that meets your needs, just wait. Before long, Walmart will cheapen it to the point of becoming useless. This makes absolutely no sense to me. Wal-mart is a retailer, not a manufacturer. They sell what people buy. If no one buys it, it will be gone from the inventory. When one retailer becomes the critical customer to a manufacturer, they gain the power to dictate details of what should be internal decisions within the manufacturer. And when one retailer becomes dominant in a geographical marketing area, they worry less about selling what people want to buy: people buy what they sell. For example, the selection that many people in rural areas of the country had, for decades, was whatever Sears sold. There's evidence that this is happening to some degree with Wal-Mart now, in areas where they've knocked off competing retailers. -- Ed Huntress |
Walmart
Ron Thompson wrote: One day I asked my brother why he didn't buy his clothes at Walmart. He said he didn't have enough money for that. Meaning he couldn't afford to repeatedly replace poor quality clothes. If you do find something there that meets your needs, just wait. Before long, Walmart will cheapen it to the point of becoming useless. John Normile This makes absolutely no sense to me. Wal-mart is a retailer, not a manufacturer. They sell what people buy. If no one buys it, it will be gone from the inventory. Well, sort of. What actually happens is an item is introduced with good quality, materials etc. It sell well, the volume is established and predictable. Then they purchasing agent looks for ways to reduce the cost of the item, so he (she) pressures the supplier to lower his cost. The supplier then has to reduce his cost by substituting cheaper materials, fasteners, and taking shortcuts in design. I'm in the auto parts business, and it happens here also. Once the OE builds a part to a certain spec, and thousands are in service, a service life expectancy is established. If the OE part proves to usually last beyond the average life of the car, then the decision is made to lower the spec. No sense overbuilding at additional expense to get an extended service life that will, on average, be wasted. |
Walmart
Ed Huntress wrote:
And when one retailer becomes dominant in a geographical marketing area, they worry less about selling what people want to buy: people buy what they sell. For example, the selectio that many people in rural areas of the country had, for decades, was whatever Sears sold. There's evidence that this is happening to some degree with Wal-Mart now, in areas where they've knocked off competing retailers. True - however while the Walmart 45 minutes away from your rural homestead may approach a bricks and mortar monopoly, they have to compete with online retailers offering delivery to your door in a day or three. Probably, there will be one of those offering the professional version of an item - ie, the one used by people who use it daily and know how it's supposed to work. |
Walmart
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Walmart
wrote in message
oups.com... Ed Huntress wrote: And when one retailer becomes dominant in a geographical marketing area, they worry less about selling what people want to buy: people buy what they sell. For example, the selectio that many people in rural areas of the country had, for decades, was whatever Sears sold. There's evidence that this is happening to some degree with Wal-Mart now, in areas where they've knocked off competing retailers. True - however while the Walmart 45 minutes away from your rural homestead may approach a bricks and mortar monopoly, they have to compete with online retailers offering delivery to your door in a day or three. Probably, there will be one of those offering the professional version of an item - ie, the one used by people who use it daily and know how it's supposed to work. I wouldn't say there is a strict monopoly on much of anything sold in the US, and Internet shopping, a modern replacement for catalog shopping, makes a wide variety of things available to most people. But if you look at the practicalities of it, in which there are things that few people would buy on the Internet, and there are things you want to see and to buy *now*, the reality is that a strongly dominant retailer who has knocked off much of the local competition is in a position to decide what your choices will be. They lose contact with what you may want because they don't have enough *volume* of competition to measure what it is you *do* want. It's a matter of numbers and weighting, not a matter of absolutes. -- Ed Huntress |
Walmart
"I'm in the auto parts business, and it happens here also. Once the OE
builds a part to a certain spec, and thousands are in service, a service life expectancy is established. If the OE part proves to usually last beyond the average life of the car, then the decision is made to lower the spec. No sense overbuilding at additional expense to get an extended service life that will, on average, be wasted. " And the average life of the car would be? The warranty period? LOL I suspect that I keep my vehicles longer than the "average life" and the problems that arise are factored into the decision process of what to buy next. An example... Let's say you "value engineer" (I love that phase) a wiring connector on a vehicle to where it causes intermittents after the car's average life (warranty period). Based on those problems, I would not buy that model again and likely not any product from that manufacturer. In my opinion, it makes alot of sense to overbuild any item to insure reliability...it assures repeat customers....including this one. TMT |
Walmart
Too_Many_Tools wrote:
Let's say you "value engineer" (I love that phase) a wiring connector on a vehicle to where it causes intermittents after the car's average life (warranty period). Based on those problems, I would not buy that model again and likely not any product from that manufacturer. If you own the car through it's average service life you aren't the kind of person the maker wants as a customer anyway. They want you to replace it every two years - the folks who own the end of lifers don't have very direct feeback to the manufacturer. Resale value may be an issue, but it's much less direct feedback than if the car starts failing in the first 2-4 years. |
Walmart
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Walmart
"If you own the car through it's average service life you aren't the
kind of person the maker wants as a customer anyway. They want you to replace it every two years - the folks who own the end of lifers don't have very direct feeback to the manufacturer. Resale value may be an issue, but it's much less direct feedback than if the car starts failing in the first 2-4 years. " Again, what is the average life of a car today? In regards to not being "the kind of customer" the maker wants, I can understand that since I know what kind of customer they want....what they want and what they get is two different things. Note Detroit's current problems. Actually I am the type of customer they need since I do strongly influence fleet purchases and I use my personal experiences to determine some of those purchases. My earlier example of an electrical connnector was an example of where a company cost itself millions of dollars to save a few pennies. Remember the saying "for a lack of a nail a kingdom was lost"....well trying to short the customer on reliability always comes back to haunt the company that does it. The domestic manufacturers will pay for their well earned reputation for poor reliability for decades no matter how far they want to cut their prices. TMT |
Walmart
Too_Many_Tools wrote:
"If you own the car through it's average service life you aren't the kind of person the maker wants as a customer anyway. They want you to replace it every two years - the folks who own the end of lifers don't have very direct feeback to the manufacturer. Resale value may be an issue, but it's much less direct feedback than if the car starts failing in the first 2-4 years. " Again, what is the average life of a car today? In regards to not being "the kind of customer" the maker wants, I can understand that since I know what kind of customer they want....what they want and what they get is two different things. Note Detroit's current problems. Actually I am the type of customer they need since I do strongly influence fleet purchases and I use my personal experiences to determine some of those purchases. My earlier example of an electrical connnector was an example of where a company cost itself millions of dollars to save a few pennies. Remember the saying "for a lack of a nail a kingdom was lost"....well trying to short the customer on reliability always comes back to haunt the company that does it. The domestic manufacturers will pay for their well earned reputation for poor reliability for decades no matter how far they want to cut their prices. I just got off the phone with one of our customers, who owns an auto repair shop. The gist of the conversation was "If you drive a Chrysler automobile, you want to get rid of it well before 100K miles" |
Walmart
Ignoramus14946 wrote:
On Fri, 20 Jan 2006 15:37:09 -0600, Rex B wrote: Too_Many_Tools wrote: "If you own the car through it's average service life you aren't the kind of person the maker wants as a customer anyway. They want you to replace it every two years - the folks who own the end of lifers don't have very direct feeback to the manufacturer. Resale value may be an issue, but it's much less direct feedback than if the car starts failing in the first 2-4 years. " Again, what is the average life of a car today? In regards to not being "the kind of customer" the maker wants, I can understand that since I know what kind of customer they want....what they want and what they get is two different things. Note Detroit's current problems. Actually I am the type of customer they need since I do strongly influence fleet purchases and I use my personal experiences to determine some of those purchases. My earlier example of an electrical connnector was an example of where a company cost itself millions of dollars to save a few pennies. Remember the saying "for a lack of a nail a kingdom was lost"....well trying to short the customer on reliability always comes back to haunt the company that does it. The domestic manufacturers will pay for their well earned reputation for poor reliability for decades no matter how far they want to cut their prices. I just got off the phone with one of our customers, who owns an auto repair shop. The gist of the conversation was "If you drive a Chrysler automobile, you want to get rid of it well before 100K miles" Did that statement include Dodge pickups? No. the only problem with the pickups is, unless they have the Cummins the value goes down quicker than Monica. |
Walmart
"I just got off the phone with one of our customers, who owns an auto
repair shop. The gist of the conversation was "If you drive a Chrysler automobile, you want to get rid of it well before 100K miles"" So what does he recommend? I know of at least a dozen of Chrysler/Plymouth minivans that have 200K miles on them with no major repairs. I also had a Plymouth van that went through 5 transmissions by 100K miles....on Chrysler's dime. TMT |
Walmart
I think the only difference was that Sears was a massive mail order company -
to the ignored fly over region. You could buy a house or chickens. House in a kit form would be delivered. Chickens by the mailman. The big help was - there wasn't a store - not for 50 or 100 miles... If it was then it was for food and general store - maybe a coop. What I see is multi-generation family businesses have been crushed. This was wrong. I didn't see a buyout offer - just lots of cheap or volume stuff. I like the small shops - were people knew their business and products. These big ones are programmed from afar and sell 'us' what they want to sell - and it likely is different in different areas - e.g. only 100 of these turkey things - ship them to Charlie and give him xxx per item to sell over the normal margin. Martin Martin Eastburn @ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net NRA LOH & Endowment Member NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder Ed Huntress wrote: wrote in message oups.com... Ron Thompson wrote: If you do find something there that meets your needs, just wait. Before long, Walmart will cheapen it to the point of becoming useless. This makes absolutely no sense to me. Wal-mart is a retailer, not a manufacturer. They sell what people buy. If no one buys it, it will be gone from the inventory. When one retailer becomes the critical customer to a manufacturer, they gain the power to dictate details of what should be internal decisions within the manufacturer. And when one retailer becomes dominant in a geographical marketing area, they worry less about selling what people want to buy: people buy what they sell. For example, the selection that many people in rural areas of the country had, for decades, was whatever Sears sold. There's evidence that this is happening to some degree with Wal-Mart now, in areas where they've knocked off competing retailers. -- Ed Huntress ----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =---- |
Walmart
On Fri, 20 Jan 2006 20:07:13 GMT, Ignoramus14946
wrote: On 20 Jan 2006 19:38:21 GMT, Dave Hinz wrote: On 20 Jan 2006 11:33:03 -0800, wrote: Too_Many_Tools wrote: Let's say you "value engineer" (I love that phase) a wiring connector on a vehicle to where it causes intermittents after the car's average life (warranty period). Based on those problems, I would not buy that model again and likely not any product from that manufacturer. If you own the car through it's average service life you aren't the kind of person the maker wants as a customer anyway. Actually, that IS the kind of reputation Toyota wants. They build each component to the point where it lasts well past the warranty period - No Chrysler Mommyvan's with the transmission that grenades with 70K on it just like clockwork. There are a lot of their customers out there with that one old car or truck in the family that "just keeps running, but when it finally dies I'm buying another Toyota!" That's a reputation that develops fierce loyalty, and a lot of referral sales to friends and family. I was told exactly that by a Chrysler "customer service" rep, when their asplode-o-matic POS transmission did the usual, 3000 miles out of warranty. Problem is, with all the mergers, I'm running out of people to never buy cars from again, and may have to start the cycle over. I have a 1 ton Dodge RAM 350 for sale, 15 year old, but only 35 k miles (it was owned by City of Naperville and used by the traffic dept to paint signs). The only bad thing about it is that the floor under the driver's feet has rusted through. Ahem. rec.crafts.METALWORKING - You Are Here. You can buy replacement stamped floorpan repair sections. Plasma cut out what's left of the old one, TIG or MIG in the new one, seal around the edges, and hit it with some Cold Galvanize Primer and Rustoleum Enamel. Done. Doesn't have to be pretty, that's what floor mats are for. -- Bruce -- -- Bruce L. Bergman, Woodland Hills (Los Angeles) CA - Desktop Electrician for Westend Electric - CA726700 5737 Kanan Rd. #359, Agoura CA 91301 (818) 889-9545 Spamtrapped address: Remove the python and the invalid, and use a net. |
Walmart
"Martin H. Eastburn" wrote in message
... I think the only difference was that Sears was a massive mail order company - to the ignored fly over region. You could buy a house or chickens. House in a kit form would be delivered. Chickens by the mailman. The big help was - there wasn't a store - not for 50 or 100 miles... If it was then it was for food and general store - maybe a coop. What I see is multi-generation family businesses have been crushed. This was wrong. I didn't see a buyout offer - just lots of cheap or volume stuff. I like the small shops - were people knew their business and products. These big ones are programmed from afar and sell 'us' what they want to sell - and it likely is different in different areas - e.g. only 100 of these turkey things - ship them to Charlie and give him xxx per item to sell over the normal margin. Martin The same thing has been said about a lot of the "chain" stores. The "funny" thing is that, in my small town, Wal-Mart really isn't competing with the existing stores [a lot of the older businesses closed during the '90s (Wally-World didn't arrive until 2004) when the owners retired/died] but appears to be coordinating with them: the items stocked are unique to each store either by brand or size. Even the prices are in the same ball park. Sure, many of the products are "entry level"/"bottom end"/"closeout" - which lets the other places carry the better-quality goods. My biggest gripe about the people working in Retail is that very, very few have even a clue as to their products - no matter what they're peddling - and, generally, are interchangeable with their burger-flipping friends at the fast-food joints. |
Walmart
"Martin H. Eastburn" wrote in message
... I think the only difference was that Sears was a massive mail order company - to the ignored fly over region. You could buy a house or chickens. House in a kit form would be delivered. Chickens by the mailman. The big help was - there wasn't a store - not for 50 or 100 miles... If it was then it was for food and general store - maybe a coop. What I see is multi-generation family businesses have been crushed. This was wrong. I didn't see a buyout offer - just lots of cheap or volume stuff. I like the small shops - were people knew their business and products. These big ones are programmed from afar and sell 'us' what they want to sell - and it likely is different in different areas - e.g. only 100 of these turkey things - ship them to Charlie and give him xxx per item to sell over the normal margin. Yeah, I think many of us do. We all bemoan the loss of the little hardware stores that had some of everything, right down to one nut or bolt. We had one of these in my town until around 1990. It was real old-fashioned, with a whole floor of warehouse and things that had been stored there for 70 years. They had a sale on farrier's rasps one time when they were doing one of their futile, periodic housecleanings, no kidding. I bought 3/8" Cro-Max HSS lathe bits there -- after asking if they had any lathe bits, and after one of the guys scrounged for 15 minutes in the warehouse. g When they went broke (after Home Depot moved in) I talked to the former owner at a social event and told him how much I missed being able to buy a nut, a couple of springs or a pair of motor brushes. "What was the big reason you went broke?," I asked. "Because people like you bought one nut at a time," he replied. -- Ed Huntress |
Walmart
Funny you should mention about buying a house form sears......My
grandfather bought a house from them in the 20's or early 30's. It was delivered to a rail siding in the local town, and he had so many days to unload it. From what I remember from his telling me about it, it came complete right down to the door knobs..... On Sat, 21 Jan 2006 09:40:59 -0500, "Ed Huntress" wrote: "Martin H. Eastburn" wrote in message ... I think the only difference was that Sears was a massive mail order company - to the ignored fly over region. You could buy a house or chickens. House in a kit form would be delivered. Chickens by the mailman. The big help was - there wasn't a store - not for 50 or 100 miles... If it was then it was for food and general store - maybe a coop. What I see is multi-generation family businesses have been crushed. This was wrong. I didn't see a buyout offer - just lots of cheap or volume stuff. I like the small shops - were people knew their business and products. These big ones are programmed from afar and sell 'us' what they want to sell - and it likely is different in different areas - e.g. only 100 of these turkey things - ship them to Charlie and give him xxx per item to sell over the normal margin. Yeah, I think many of us do. We all bemoan the loss of the little hardware stores that had some of everything, right down to one nut or bolt. We had one of these in my town until around 1990. It was real old-fashioned, with a whole floor of warehouse and things that had been stored there for 70 years. They had a sale on farrier's rasps one time when they were doing one of their futile, periodic housecleanings, no kidding. I bought 3/8" Cro-Max HSS lathe bits there -- after asking if they had any lathe bits, and after one of the guys scrounged for 15 minutes in the warehouse. g When they went broke (after Home Depot moved in) I talked to the former owner at a social event and told him how much I missed being able to buy a nut, a couple of springs or a pair of motor brushes. "What was the big reason you went broke?," I asked. "Because people like you bought one nut at a time," he replied. -- \\\|/// ( @ @ ) -----------oOOo(_)oOOo--------------- oooO ---------( )----Oooo---------------- \ ( ( ) \_) ) / (_/ The original frugal ponder! Koi-ahoi mates.... |
Walmart
On Fri, 20 Jan 2006 14:25:33 GMT, Ron Thompson
wrote: This makes absolutely no sense to me. Wal-mart is a retailer, not a manufacturer. They sell what people buy. If no one buys it, it will be gone from the inventory. They are more than a retailer. They bully manufacturers into lowering their prices - or like one manufacturer, buy millions of dollars of new equipment in order to be able to meet Walmart's price point. Then, the next year Walmart wanted another 10%, and went to an offshore manufacturer when they COULD NOT supply at that price. "I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody." Bill Cosby Ron Thompson On the Beautiful Florida Space Coast, right beside the Kennedy Space Center, USA http://www.plansandprojects.com My hobby pages are he http://www.plansandprojects.com/My%20Machines/ Severe stupidity is self correcting, but mild stupidity is rampant in the land. -Ron Thompson |
Walmart
clare wrote: They are more than a retailer. They bully manufacturers into lowering their prices - or like one manufacturer, buy millions of dollars of new equipment in order to be able to meet Walmart's price point. Then, the next year Walmart wanted another 10%, and went to an offshore manufacturer when they COULD NOT supply at that price. And who was that manufacturer? Dan |
Walmart
On 21 Jan 2006 13:16:11 -0800, "
wrote: clare wrote: They are more than a retailer. They bully manufacturers into lowering their prices - or like one manufacturer, buy millions of dollars of new equipment in order to be able to meet Walmart's price point. Then, the next year Walmart wanted another 10%, and went to an offshore manufacturer when they COULD NOT supply at that price. And who was that manufacturer? Dan I'm trying to remember, but they were a supplier of a client, who now needs to get their supply elsewhere because the supplier went bankrupt paying for the equipment without the promised large market. |
Walmart
On Sat, 21 Jan 2006 15:19:15 -0500, with neither quill nor qualm,
clare at snyder.on.ca quickly quoth: On Fri, 20 Jan 2006 14:25:33 GMT, Ron Thompson wrote: This makes absolutely no sense to me. Wal-mart is a retailer, not a manufacturer. They sell what people buy. If no one buys it, it will be gone from the inventory. They are more than a retailer. They bully manufacturers into lowering their prices - or like one manufacturer, buy millions of dollars of new equipment in order to be able to meet Walmart's price point. Then, the next year Walmart wanted another 10%, and went to an offshore manufacturer when they COULD NOT supply at that price. They could just as easily have said "NO" to Walmart if that were the case. Retailers have a CHOICE and are not forced into doing business with anyone they don't like, y'know. Instead, the greedy *******s thought they could make a killing with such large sale numbers. Why are you seeing Walmart as the solo bad guy here, folks? War is hell, business is worse. Live with it. - This product cruelly tested on defenseless furry animals - -------------------------------------------------------- http://diversify.com Web App & Database Programming |
Walmart
Yep - Railway express office handled lots of them - in big trucks.
Depended where the house was going. It was neat for kids on farms - learning in school and in life - order a dozen of 8 or so 'types' of chickens - and see how they react to the local life and then cross breed... Postman delivered them. Martin Martin Eastburn @ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net NRA LOH & Endowment Member NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder Roy wrote: Funny you should mention about buying a house form sears......My grandfather bought a house from them in the 20's or early 30's. It was delivered to a rail siding in the local town, and he had so many days to unload it. From what I remember from his telling me about it, it came complete right down to the door knobs..... On Sat, 21 Jan 2006 09:40:59 -0500, "Ed Huntress" wrote: "Martin H. Eastburn" wrote in message .. . I think the only difference was that Sears was a massive mail order company - to the ignored fly over region. You could buy a house or chickens. House in a kit form would be delivered. Chickens by the mailman. The big help was - there wasn't a store - not for 50 or 100 miles... If it was then it was for food and general store - maybe a coop. What I see is multi-generation family businesses have been crushed. This was wrong. I didn't see a buyout offer - just lots of cheap or volume stuff. I like the small shops - were people knew their business and products. These big ones are programmed from afar and sell 'us' what they want to sell - and it likely is different in different areas - e.g. only 100 of these turkey things - ship them to Charlie and give him xxx per item to sell over the normal margin. Yeah, I think many of us do. We all bemoan the loss of the little hardware stores that had some of everything, right down to one nut or bolt. We had one of these in my town until around 1990. It was real old-fashioned, with a whole floor of warehouse and things that had been stored there for 70 years. They had a sale on farrier's rasps one time when they were doing one of their futile, periodic housecleanings, no kidding. I bought 3/8" Cro-Max HSS lathe bits there -- after asking if they had any lathe bits, and after one of the guys scrounged for 15 minutes in the warehouse. g When they went broke (after Home Depot moved in) I talked to the former owner at a social event and told him how much I missed being able to buy a nut, a couple of springs or a pair of motor brushes. "What was the big reason you went broke?," I asked. "Because people like you bought one nut at a time," he replied. ----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =---- |
Walmart
Ignoramus29068 wrote:
On Sat, 21 Jan 2006 18:19:27 -0500, clare at snyder.on.ca clare wrote: On 21 Jan 2006 13:16:11 -0800, " wrote: clare wrote: They are more than a retailer. They bully manufacturers into lowering their prices - or like one manufacturer, buy millions of dollars of new equipment in order to be able to meet Walmart's price point. Then, the next year Walmart wanted another 10%, and went to an offshore manufacturer when they COULD NOT supply at that price. And who was that manufacturer? Dan I'm trying to remember, but they were a supplier of a client, who now needs to get their supply elsewhere because the supplier went bankrupt paying for the equipment without the promised large market. This (getting suppliers commit to large capital investments and then dumping them or demanding unrealistic prices) is part of routine Walmart's business practices. i Worked for Micro-soft. |
Walmart
On Sat, 21 Jan 2006 23:50:08 GMT, with neither quill nor qualm,
Ignoramus29068 quickly quoth: This (getting suppliers commit to large capital investments and then dumping them or demanding unrealistic prices) is part of routine Walmart's business practices. Cites, please? - This product cruelly tested on defenseless furry animals - -------------------------------------------------------- http://diversify.com Web App & Database Programming |
Walmart
On Sun, 22 Jan 2006 05:00:07 GMT, Richard Lamb
wrote: Ignoramus29068 wrote: On Sat, 21 Jan 2006 18:19:27 -0500, clare at snyder.on.ca clare wrote: On 21 Jan 2006 13:16:11 -0800, " wrote: clare wrote: They are more than a retailer. They bully manufacturers into lowering their prices - or like one manufacturer, buy millions of dollars of new equipment in order to be able to meet Walmart's price point. Then, the next year Walmart wanted another 10%, and went to an offshore manufacturer when they COULD NOT supply at that price. And who was that manufacturer? Dan I'm trying to remember, but they were a supplier of a client, who now needs to get their supply elsewhere because the supplier went bankrupt paying for the equipment without the promised large market. This (getting suppliers commit to large capital investments and then dumping them or demanding unrealistic prices) is part of routine Walmart's business practices. i Worked for Micro-soft. Except Microsoft then bought out the failed supplier in the vast majority of cases. |
Walmart
clare at snyder.on.ca wrote: On Fri, 20 Jan 2006 14:25:33 GMT, Ron Thompson wrote: This makes absolutely no sense to me. Wal-mart is a retailer, not a manufacturer. They sell what people buy. If no one buys it, it will be gone from the inventory. They are more than a retailer. They bully manufacturers into lowering their prices - or like one manufacturer, buy millions of dollars of new equipment in order to be able to meet Walmart's price point. Then, the next year Walmart wanted another 10%, and went to an offshore manufacturer when they COULD NOT supply at that price. Which is why many good manufacturers decline Wal-Mart's business. In my market, something similar has been happening with Auto Zone. 2 years ago they announced "Pay On Scan". Anyone selling to Zone should be prepared to ship them merchandise. Zone would pay for it when it sold at retail. So basically, they wanted free inventory in exchange for the privilege of being their supplier. A few big companies could afford to do this, and some startups were willing to gamble to get some business. But I just heard that Zone is now retreating. Between supplier resistance and IT tracking issues, POS is to be abandoned. |
Walmart
"Which is why many good manufacturers decline Wal-Mart's business.
In my market, something similar has been happening with Auto Zone. 2 years ago they announced "Pay On Scan". Anyone selling to Zone should be prepared to ship them merchandise. Zone would pay for it when it sold at retail. So basically, they wanted free inventory in exchange for the privilege of being their supplier. A few big companies could afford to do this, and some startups were willing to gamble to get some business. But I just heard that Zone is now retreating. Between supplier resistance and IT tracking issues, POS is to be abandoned. " Ever heard of "Just In Time" manufacturing? The manufacturer wants the supplier to deliver the goods "just in time" to have it installed...big deal in Japan. It works when you do the same thing day in and day out and know exactly what you need. It doesn't work in retail...where that darn fickle customer won't play along and buy the same thing every time. Nobody ever wants to hold inventory...but again there is no free lunch...someone has to. What we are seeing is a BIG company trying to have it all...and of course it will only work for awhile. You have to let your suppliers make a profit or otherwise it makes no sense for them to do business with you. When they figure out that dealing with you is a losing proposition, you lose the game. That is one reason why Walmart is now losing market share while others are gaining....what works to get you to the top of the heap many times won't work to keep you on top. Remember that a company will only do something if they think it will make them money...and the CEO a bigger bonus. They could care less if you live or die as long as you or your estate keeps spending money. TMT |
Walmart
"Rex B" wrote in message ... clare at snyder.on.ca wrote: On Fri, 20 Jan 2006 14:25:33 GMT, Ron Thompson wrote: This makes absolutely no sense to me. Wal-mart is a retailer, not a manufacturer. They sell what people buy. If no one buys it, it will be gone from the inventory. They are more than a retailer. They bully manufacturers into lowering their prices - or like one manufacturer, buy millions of dollars of new equipment in order to be able to meet Walmart's price point. Then, the next year Walmart wanted another 10%, and went to an offshore manufacturer when they COULD NOT supply at that price. Which is why many good manufacturers decline Wal-Mart's business. In my market, something similar has been happening with Auto Zone. 2 years ago they announced "Pay On Scan". Anyone selling to Zone should be prepared to ship them merchandise. Zone would pay for it when it sold at retail. So basically, they wanted free inventory in exchange for the privilege of being their supplier. A few big companies could afford to do this, and some startups were willing to gamble to get some business. But I just heard that Zone is now retreating. Between supplier resistance and IT tracking issues, POS is to be abandoned. My biggest problem with that is the stuff that walks out the door without being scanned. Guess who gets to eat the shoplifting and employee theft losses. It's not Auto Zone. -- Clif |
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Roy wrote:
Funny you should mention about buying a house form sears......My grandfather bought a house from them in the 20's or early 30's. It was delivered to a rail siding in the local town, and he had so many days to unload it. From what I remember from his telling me about it, it came complete right down to the door knobs..... FWIW, I grew up in a Sears Roebuck kit house. My Dad didn't build it though, bought it from the estate of the late sheriff, so I don't really know what it was like when it arrived. Structurally it was in some ways far better than modern houses--heavy timbers, all heart yellow pine, etc. Asbestos-cement shingles--last forever and scare away liberals--real win-win on those things g. On the other hand it wasn't very tight--we put down some sheet vinyl one time and the first time a high wind came up it blew right off the floor--there's something to be said for plywood in that regard. Interior doors weren't very sturdy for the most part--one weird one was French doors with one door closing a closet. Had a _huge_ two-level cedar closet in the master bedroom. Oh, and 12 foot ceilings--I had a friend in high school who was a giant--literally--kid was proportioned like a powerlifter and stood over 7 feet tall (most laid-back guy you'd ever care to meet, but _nobody_ tried to mess with him) who loved to come over because the ceilings didn't crowd him. Wish I had kept some of the old Sears catalogs--for a kid they were fascinating--kind of like surfing the web but different. Used to be able to order a kit to build a Bensen Gyrocopter I remember. Always lusted after one of those things when I was little. On Sat, 21 Jan 2006 09:40:59 -0500, "Ed Huntress" wrote: "Martin H. Eastburn" wrote in message .. . I think the only difference was that Sears was a massive mail order company - to the ignored fly over region. You could buy a house or chickens. House in a kit form would be delivered. Chickens by the mailman. The big help was - there wasn't a store - not for 50 or 100 miles... If it was then it was for food and general store - maybe a coop. What I see is multi-generation family businesses have been crushed. This was wrong. I didn't see a buyout offer - just lots of cheap or volume stuff. I like the small shops - were people knew their business and products. These big ones are programmed from afar and sell 'us' what they want to sell - and it likely is different in different areas - e.g. only 100 of these turkey things - ship them to Charlie and give him xxx per item to sell over the normal margin. Yeah, I think many of us do. We all bemoan the loss of the little hardware stores that had some of everything, right down to one nut or bolt. We had one of these in my town until around 1990. It was real old-fashioned, with a whole floor of warehouse and things that had been stored there for 70 years. They had a sale on farrier's rasps one time when they were doing one of their futile, periodic housecleanings, no kidding. I bought 3/8" Cro-Max HSS lathe bits there -- after asking if they had any lathe bits, and after one of the guys scrounged for 15 minutes in the warehouse. g When they went broke (after Home Depot moved in) I talked to the former owner at a social event and told him how much I missed being able to buy a nut, a couple of springs or a pair of motor brushes. "What was the big reason you went broke?," I asked. "Because people like you bought one nut at a time," he replied. -- --John to email, dial "usenet" and validate (was jclarke at eye bee em dot net) |
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~Roy~ wrote:
I put many many miles on a Toy as does the wife and they all are trouble free, much more troubkle free than any american made product I have bought in the last 4 or 5 years. We have a beater with over 300,000 miles on the engine and it still does not use oil.and runs like a champ. I bought a 97 3/4 ton GMC pickup and it sucke dup water from the git go, and was in and out of the shop everytime I turned around for water leaks, and eventually erodded bearings..........same with the Merc Grand Marque we had and the Merc Sable before that.....water leaks and all kinds of electrical problems. Toy's rock..american Iron is just not what it used to be. Right now the wifes car a 98 Camry has over 150,000 trouble free miles on it. My 97 Camry has over 190,000 trouble free miles, and my Tundra is over 90,000 miles all trouble free. Pity that my 97 GMC was traded in with less than 30,000 miles and plaagued with problems. Well lucky you. Personally I don't see water leaks as being all that much of a problem compared to throwing rods through the side of the block but that's just me. Toys are just that, toys. On Sat, 18 Feb 2006 10:33:41 -0500, "J. Clarke" wrote: Bruce L. Bergman wrote: On Fri, 20 Jan 2006 20:07:13 GMT, Ignoramus14946 wrote: On 20 Jan 2006 19:38:21 GMT, Dave Hinz wrote: On 20 Jan 2006 11:33:03 -0800, wrote: Too_Many_Tools wrote: Let's say you "value engineer" (I love that phase) a wiring connector on a vehicle to where it causes intermittents after the car's average life (warranty period). Based on those problems, I would not buy that model again and likely not any product from that manufacturer. If you own the car through it's average service life you aren't the kind of person the maker wants as a customer anyway. Actually, that IS the kind of reputation Toyota wants. They build each component to the point where it lasts well past the warranty period - No Chrysler Mommyvan's with the transmission that grenades with 70K on it just like clockwork. ROF,L. I got a Toyota once. It only needed one scheduled maintenance item--every 10,000 miles you replaced the engine. First time the (Toyota OEM) oil filter blew up and it wiped the bearings before I could get it stopped. Second time it threw a rod driving down the road at 35 mph. Third time I didn't even look, just donated the remains to the local high school shop and got an ironblock Chevy that never gave me any grief at all. Never gonna sucker _me_ with that "Toyotas are reliable" crap again. There are a lot of their customers out there with that one old car or truck in the family that "just keeps running, but when it finally dies I'm buying another Toyota!" That's a reputation that develops fierce loyalty, and a lot of referral sales to friends and family. After that experience my uncle ditched his and got a Lincoln. Nobody I know has any desire to own a Toyota. I was told exactly that by a Chrysler "customer service" rep, when their asplode-o-matic POS transmission did the usual, 3000 miles out of warranty. Problem is, with all the mergers, I'm running out of people to never buy cars from again, and may have to start the cycle over. I have a 1 ton Dodge RAM 350 for sale, 15 year old, but only 35 k miles (it was owned by City of Naperville and used by the traffic dept to paint signs). The only bad thing about it is that the floor under the driver's feet has rusted through. Ahem. rec.crafts.METALWORKING - You Are Here. You can buy replacement stamped floorpan repair sections. Plasma cut out what's left of the old one, TIG or MIG in the new one, seal around the edges, and hit it with some Cold Galvanize Primer and Rustoleum Enamel. Done. Doesn't have to be pretty, that's what floor mats are for. -- Bruce -- -- --John to email, dial "usenet" and validate (was jclarke at eye bee em dot net) |
Walmart
On Sat, 18 Feb 2006 10:33:41 -0500, "J. Clarke"
wrote: ROF,L. I got a Toyota once. It only needed one scheduled maintenance item--every 10,000 miles you replaced the engine. First time the (Toyota OEM) oil filter blew up and it wiped the bearings before I could get it stopped. Second time it threw a rod driving down the road at 35 mph. Third time I didn't even look, just donated the remains to the local high school shop and got an ironblock Chevy that never gave me any grief at all. Never gonna sucker _me_ with that "Toyotas are reliable" crap again. Year and model please? Which engine? Never saw a Toyota OEM filter blow up - but I have seen mechanics and DIYers leave the gasket from the old filter on and put on a new filter. Guaranteed to let go -(even on a Ford or GM). The second and third failures were in all likelihood due to improper repairs from the first one. Can't blame Toyota for that!! There are a lot of their customers out there with that one old car or truck in the family that "just keeps running, but when it finally dies I'm buying another Toyota!" That's a reputation that develops fierce loyalty, and a lot of referral sales to friends and family. After that experience my uncle ditched his and got a Lincoln. Nobody I know has any desire to own a Toyota. I was told exactly that by a Chrysler "customer service" rep, when their asplode-o-matic POS transmission did the usual, 3000 miles out of warranty. Problem is, with all the mergers, I'm running out of people to never buy cars from again, and may have to start the cycle over. I have a 1 ton Dodge RAM 350 for sale, 15 year old, but only 35 k miles (it was owned by City of Naperville and used by the traffic dept to paint signs). The only bad thing about it is that the floor under the driver's feet has rusted through. Ahem. rec.crafts.METALWORKING - You Are Here. You can buy replacement stamped floorpan repair sections. Plasma cut out what's left of the old one, TIG or MIG in the new one, seal around the edges, and hit it with some Cold Galvanize Primer and Rustoleum Enamel. Done. Doesn't have to be pretty, that's what floor mats are for. -- Bruce -- *** Free account sponsored by SecureIX.com *** *** Encrypt your Internet usage with a free VPN account from http://www.SecureIX.com *** |
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clare at snyder.on.ca wrote:
On Sat, 18 Feb 2006 10:33:41 -0500, "J. Clarke" wrote: ROF,L. I got a Toyota once. It only needed one scheduled maintenance item--every 10,000 miles you replaced the engine. First time the (Toyota OEM) oil filter blew up and it wiped the bearings before I could get it stopped. Second time it threw a rod driving down the road at 35 mph. Third time I didn't even look, just donated the remains to the local high school shop and got an ironblock Chevy that never gave me any grief at all. Never gonna sucker _me_ with that "Toyotas are reliable" crap again. Year and model please? Which engine? '83 Supra, only engine it came with. Never saw a Toyota OEM filter blow up - but I have seen mechanics and DIYers leave the gasket from the old filter on and put on a new filter. Filter was split wide open. Gasket was fine. Did the double-gasket thing on a Volvo once when I was 19--when I realized what had happened I pulled the filter, pulled the excess gasket, put the filter back it back, drove to the nearest gas station, topped up the oil, 80,000 miles later when I sold it it was still running fine. Guaranteed to let go -(even on a Ford or GM). The second and third failures were in all likelihood due to improper repairs from the first one. Can't blame Toyota for that!! When a Toyota-provided short block throws a rod it's kind of hard to blame anybody but Toyota for it. There are a lot of their customers out there with that one old car or truck in the family that "just keeps running, but when it finally dies I'm buying another Toyota!" That's a reputation that develops fierce loyalty, and a lot of referral sales to friends and family. After that experience my uncle ditched his and got a Lincoln. Nobody I know has any desire to own a Toyota. I was told exactly that by a Chrysler "customer service" rep, when their asplode-o-matic POS transmission did the usual, 3000 miles out of warranty. Problem is, with all the mergers, I'm running out of people to never buy cars from again, and may have to start the cycle over. I have a 1 ton Dodge RAM 350 for sale, 15 year old, but only 35 k miles (it was owned by City of Naperville and used by the traffic dept to paint signs). The only bad thing about it is that the floor under the driver's feet has rusted through. Ahem. rec.crafts.METALWORKING - You Are Here. You can buy replacement stamped floorpan repair sections. Plasma cut out what's left of the old one, TIG or MIG in the new one, seal around the edges, and hit it with some Cold Galvanize Primer and Rustoleum Enamel. Done. Doesn't have to be pretty, that's what floor mats are for. -- Bruce -- *** Free account sponsored by SecureIX.com *** *** Encrypt your Internet usage with a free VPN account from http://www.SecureIX.com *** -- --John to email, dial "usenet" and validate (was jclarke at eye bee em dot net) |
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No luck about it. Toyota is a quality made vehicle. When you say water leaks are inmaterial, well in your opinion perhaps, but when its numerous times and its eroding internals like the bearins etc due to coolant and oils getting mixed and the bearings eroded, it matter not if an engine throws a rod or screws up a crank and lots of other stuff in the process...due to plastic manifolds and water leaks.......... On Sat, 18 Feb 2006 16:17:14 -0500, "J. Clarke" wrote: ~Roy~ wrote: I put many many miles on a Toy as does the wife and they all are trouble free, much more troubkle free than any american made product I have bought in the last 4 or 5 years. We have a beater with over 300,000 miles on the engine and it still does not use oil.and runs like a champ. I bought a 97 3/4 ton GMC pickup and it sucke dup water from the git go, and was in and out of the shop everytime I turned around for water leaks, and eventually erodded bearings..........same with the Merc Grand Marque we had and the Merc Sable before that.....water leaks and all kinds of electrical problems. Toy's rock..american Iron is just not what it used to be. Right now the wifes car a 98 Camry has over 150,000 trouble free miles on it. My 97 Camry has over 190,000 trouble free miles, and my Tundra is over 90,000 miles all trouble free. Pity that my 97 GMC was traded in with less than 30,000 miles and plaagued with problems. Well lucky you. Personally I don't see water leaks as being all that much of a problem compared to throwing rods through the side of the block but that's just me. Toys are just that, toys. On Sat, 18 Feb 2006 10:33:41 -0500, "J. Clarke" wrote: Bruce L. Bergman wrote: On Fri, 20 Jan 2006 20:07:13 GMT, Ignoramus14946 wrote: On 20 Jan 2006 19:38:21 GMT, Dave Hinz wrote: On 20 Jan 2006 11:33:03 -0800, wrote: Too_Many_Tools wrote: Let's say you "value engineer" (I love that phase) a wiring connector on a vehicle to where it causes intermittents after the car's average life (warranty period). Based on those problems, I would not buy that model again and likely not any product from that manufacturer. If you own the car through it's average service life you aren't the kind of person the maker wants as a customer anyway. Actually, that IS the kind of reputation Toyota wants. They build each component to the point where it lasts well past the warranty period - No Chrysler Mommyvan's with the transmission that grenades with 70K on it just like clockwork. ROF,L. I got a Toyota once. It only needed one scheduled maintenance item--every 10,000 miles you replaced the engine. First time the (Toyota OEM) oil filter blew up and it wiped the bearings before I could get it stopped. Second time it threw a rod driving down the road at 35 mph. Third time I didn't even look, just donated the remains to the local high school shop and got an ironblock Chevy that never gave me any grief at all. Never gonna sucker _me_ with that "Toyotas are reliable" crap again. There are a lot of their customers out there with that one old car or truck in the family that "just keeps running, but when it finally dies I'm buying another Toyota!" That's a reputation that develops fierce loyalty, and a lot of referral sales to friends and family. After that experience my uncle ditched his and got a Lincoln. Nobody I know has any desire to own a Toyota. I was told exactly that by a Chrysler "customer service" rep, when their asplode-o-matic POS transmission did the usual, 3000 miles out of warranty. Problem is, with all the mergers, I'm running out of people to never buy cars from again, and may have to start the cycle over. I have a 1 ton Dodge RAM 350 for sale, 15 year old, but only 35 k miles (it was owned by City of Naperville and used by the traffic dept to paint signs). The only bad thing about it is that the floor under the driver's feet has rusted through. Ahem. rec.crafts.METALWORKING - You Are Here. You can buy replacement stamped floorpan repair sections. Plasma cut out what's left of the old one, TIG or MIG in the new one, seal around the edges, and hit it with some Cold Galvanize Primer and Rustoleum Enamel. Done. Doesn't have to be pretty, that's what floor mats are for. -- Bruce -- -- \\\|/// ( @ @ ) -----------oOOo(_)oOOo--------------- oooO ---------( )----Oooo---------------- \ ( ( ) \_) ) / (_/ The original frugal ponder ! Koi-ahoi mates.... |
Walmart
~Roy~ wrote:
No luck about it. Toyota is a quality made vehicle. Yup, that it is. LOW quality. When you say water leaks are inmaterial, well in your opinion perhaps, but when its numerous times and its eroding internals like the bearins etc due to coolant and oils getting mixed and the bearings eroded, it matter not if an engine throws a rod or screws up a crank and lots of other stuff in the process...due to plastic manifolds and water leaks.......... A water leak doesn't leave you stranded by the side of the road at 2 AM in a blizzard. At least not unless you're a real idiot. -- --John to email, dial "usenet" and validate (was jclarke at eye bee em dot net) |
Walmart
On Sun, 19 Feb 2006 03:00:34 -0500, "J. Clarke"
wrote: ~Roy~ wrote: No luck about it. Toyota is a quality made vehicle. Yup, that it is. LOW quality. When you say water leaks are inmaterial, well in your opinion perhaps, but when its numerous times and its eroding internals like the bearins etc due to coolant and oils getting mixed and the bearings eroded, it matter not if an engine throws a rod or screws up a crank and lots of other stuff in the process...due to plastic manifolds and water leaks.......... A water leak doesn't leave you stranded by the side of the road at 2 AM in a blizzard. At least not unless you're a real idiot. Let's see, now we're getting an actual fact - 2 AM in a blizzard... You didn't happen to be stuck in the snow at the time and zinged the engine trying to get unstuck, did you? And then you put in a new engine, did it again, and didn't make the connection? Next time try a snow shovel first, so you can get a running start. Taking /ANY/ 6K RPM Redline engine up to 10K or 12K will tend to throw rods through the block - be it Toyota or Chevy. Having your foot to the floor with the engine in gear and shifting into neutral to rock the car, the overspeed fuel cut in the EFI can't react that fast. Either that, or you're a UAW Troll. (Buy American!) Yeah, and watch it depreciate twice as fast... -- Bruce -- -- Bruce L. Bergman, Woodland Hills (Los Angeles) CA - Desktop Electrician for Westend Electric - CA726700 5737 Kanan Rd. #359, Agoura CA 91301 (818) 889-9545 Spamtrapped address: Remove the python and the invalid, and use a net. |
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Could not say it better myself Bruce.......
On Sun, 19 Feb 2006 16:03:10 GMT, Bruce L. Bergman wrote: On Sun, 19 Feb 2006 03:00:34 -0500, "J. Clarke" wrote: ~Roy~ wrote: No luck about it. Toyota is a quality made vehicle. Yup, that it is. LOW quality. When you say water leaks are inmaterial, well in your opinion perhaps, but when its numerous times and its eroding internals like the bearins etc due to coolant and oils getting mixed and the bearings eroded, it matter not if an engine throws a rod or screws up a crank and lots of other stuff in the process...due to plastic manifolds and water leaks.......... A water leak doesn't leave you stranded by the side of the road at 2 AM in a blizzard. At least not unless you're a real idiot. Let's see, now we're getting an actual fact - 2 AM in a blizzard... You didn't happen to be stuck in the snow at the time and zinged the engine trying to get unstuck, did you? And then you put in a new engine, did it again, and didn't make the connection? Next time try a snow shovel first, so you can get a running start. Taking /ANY/ 6K RPM Redline engine up to 10K or 12K will tend to throw rods through the block - be it Toyota or Chevy. Having your foot to the floor with the engine in gear and shifting into neutral to rock the car, the overspeed fuel cut in the EFI can't react that fast. Either that, or you're a UAW Troll. (Buy American!) Yeah, and watch it depreciate twice as fast... -- Bruce -- -- \\\|/// ( @ @ ) -----------oOOo(_)oOOo--------------- oooO ---------( )----Oooo---------------- \ ( ( ) \_) ) / (_/ The original frugal ponder ! Koi-ahoi mates.... |
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