wal-mart jumps to # 1

[Thomas Rogers]

Debating for Dummies



Tactic #1: Restate what the other guy says in some absurd way to make your point; to make him look stupid, and in the process make yourself seem like a sarcastic arse.



Good examples:

- So they are clean but in shambles?



- So, you are telling me that a store that opens its door all pretty and then lets is go to hell is a good thing?

Tactic #2 - Make blanket, all-encompassing claims that cannot be verified.



Examples:

The only clean Wal-Mart is a new Wal-Mart. When they have been in operation for a couple of years, it goes downhill.

Tactic #3 - Say something that sounds profound, but mangle the sentence structure and/or the grammar in such a way that no one really can debate what you are saying because it is not completely clear what is being said.



Examples of that:

There are better ones for less money, but if people think they win, even though they lose, the still "win".

:banana:



Just messing with you, Caymen.



Shop where you want. It's a free country.



Just be certain, however, those that are #1 are rarely such due to the fact that the American consumer is stupid and it is rarely the case that said market leader actually sucks and has few redeeming qualities. However, that seems to be what we've heard for years by many that knock Microsoft, or Toyota, or WalMart, or Apple, or... (insert #1 here).



TJR

 

[Bud Williams]

The only grocer Walmart is afraid of is Aldi. According to Clark Howard,

Walmart bailed in Germany because of them.

 

[Tom Schindler]

TJR,



Do you drink beer? Do you honestly think Budweiser beer is the best tasting beer for the least amount of money? I don't think Budweiser beer is worth a crap, even at free.



Here is me at a restaurant.



Waitress... What can I get you to drink?

Me... What do you have on draft?

Waitress... Bud and Bud Light.

Me... I will take a diet cola please.



I do admit, some of the finest commercials on TV are by Anheuser-Bush. Great marketing will take a crap product and turn it popular.



Sorry, I do not find that going into Wal-Mart will save me any money at all. Sure the ammo is cheap, but for a buck more, I can buy it at the local gun shop in stock whenever I need it.

The only grocer Walmart is afraid of is Aldi.

I believe that. Aldi has a good selection of groceries that are top quality. Anyone that gives you a double back money guarantee stands behind their product. If you are not happy, you get your money back AND a replacement product. Aldi's prices beat Wal-Marts hands down and the quality is way better.





Tom

 

[gary s]

oh geeee, i made a mistake. *disorganized*



if we are going to tear it apart, check *same* in your last post :grin:

 

[Kevin Lang]

Aldi?!! Seriously? A bunch of those opened around here, I thought it was a joke.



You have to pay in cash, you have to pay to RENT the cart, and their prices in ads were no lower than those of the local grocery stores which were right next to them in the mailbox.



The local aldi is also tiny compared to real grocery stores.

 

[Tom Schindler]

you have to pay to RENT the cart,

You get your quarter back when you return the cart. It isn't rent. It gets the customers to return the carts instead of leaving them all over the place. I wish all stores would do it.



Yes, Aldi stores are small. Who needs more than one brand of chili mix or onion powder? This is Aldi's secret. You get 90% of the food you would normally consume at Aldi and a price that is hard to beat.





Tom

 

[Mark K 2]

Tom is right. I get 90% of my groceries at Aldi. The only time I have to go to a regular grocery store is to get a couple specialized ingredients for made-from-scratch recipes or when I want a specific brand-name item (like Oreos or Mountain Dew). I do get my fresh meat somewhere else simply because of butcher loyalty. However, Aldi's ham steaks can't be beat.

 

[Tom Schindler]

Oh, they pay their employees over $10.00/hr plus has a 401(k), medical and dental, vacation time, and paid holidays. They do all this while still beating Wal-Mart's prices.





Tom

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Caymen asks:

Do you drink beer? Do you honestly think Budweiser beer is the best tasting beer for the least amount of money? I don't think Budweiser beer is worth a crap, even at free.

There you go again.



Yes I drink beer. I also buy cars and shop for goods and groceries.



What exactly is your point?



No one is debating what my personal tastes or preferences are. No one is debating what your personal tastes or preferences are.



Budwieser, WalMart and Toyoto are #1 in the US markets they serve. The negative things you or I might say about them, or their brands, or their service really doesn't matter, and frankly, typically comes off sounding more like "sour grapes" than anything closely resembling the meaningful debate of the merits of such companies.



The marketplace has spoken...the marketplace is defined by more than just the purchasing habits of a few people.



TJR

 

[Tom Schindler]

Just because a product is number 1 does not mean it is the best.



This is my point. It isn't sour grapes. The best products are not always number 1.





Tom

 

[Mark K 2]

I remembering vacationing in England and watching all the locals ordering Budwesier and Rolling Rock in 12 oz bottles for 3 pounds a bottle. My cousin and I were the only two Americans in the bar and we ordered pints of lager (20 oz) for 1.50 pounds each... a lot more bang for the buck.

 

[gary s]

[Broken External Image]:

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Caymen said:

Just because a product is number 1 does not mean it is the best.

Just like the sports team that has the #1 record isn't always the best; or the athlete that wins the trophy; or the runner that wins the race, etc., aren't always the BEST.



But it really doesn't matter. BEST is subjective and often based on opinion.



Being #1 means something. It comes with a qualifier. It comes with a metric. That metric or guage typically can't be argued with.



So, yeah, I agree with you. But to be considered by SOME to be the BEST, or to have #1 market dominance...well, I know which one I would want if it were my company or product...I'll take #1 (if it's my company). Heck, if it were my company I'd try to be the BEST and #1...but if I had to pick one; well, you get the idea.



TJR

 

[Tom Schindler]

General Motors was number 1. They did not build the best vehicles.



Yes, perception is reality, but perception is not fact.





Tom

 

[Richard L]

Caymen,

Do you drink beer? Do you honestly think Budweiser beer is the best tasting beer for the least amount of money? I don't think Budweiser beer is worth a crap, even at free.

The article gary posted only said that Wal-Mart was the number one (largest) corporation on the Fortune 500 list....That has nothing to do with them being the best at anything accept perhaps making money. In a retail market making money has everything to do with customer satisfaction



So Wal-Mart is the most populare retailer in the US just as Budweiser beer is the most popular beer in the US.....Neither can claim the title as "The Best" because it is very subjective, but they can try. I'm sure that Ford, GM, and Chrysler would try to tell you that their cars and trucks are better than anybody elses, be we know that they all can't be right, nor can it be true.



It appears that most people in the US think Wal-Mart is a very good place to shop because they have made Wal-Mart the largest corporation in the world. Because you don't think they are the best place to shop is not the issue of this thread.



...Rich

 

[Kevin Lang]

Oh, they pay their employees over $10.00/hr plus has a 401(k), medical and dental, vacation time, and paid holidays.

Caymen, this is part of the fallacy of the American Worker. If I'm working a 10.00/hr job, I obviously can't live off of that, so it's either a part-time college job or I've dropped out of life. Either way, all those benefits will NOT do me any good when I'm starving as 10/hr won't even allow me to buy food and rent, which will lead to a sort of irony of me starving while I'm working at a grocery store.



When a job pays so little, don't give me benefits. Give me more money, and if I really need the benefits, I will buy them myself. UPS makes a big deal that their award-winning employee healthcare costs 20/hr per employee. I made 10/hr.



Honestly, I'd rather have 30 bucks an hour than healthcare I didn't need nor use, but no one at ups seemed to agree. The American worker and his lust for benefits is blinding him.



Now, if you're gonna pay me say 50k a year or so, and want to toss in benefits, then I'm fine with that. Benefits come AFTER a livable wage, not before, and especially not in lieu of.



(One Aldi in my area actually went out of business, fyi. They opened right next to a BJ's wholesalers--basically Sam's Club--and they lost the fight. Yep, the local Walmart is shaking in its boots)

 

[Tom Schindler]

Making 10 bucks an hour, my wife was able to buy a house, and it was NOT getting a sub-prime loan. A mother getting child support from her husband and also working at Aldi can make it. Sure, it may be hard, but is is better than minimum wage Wal-Mart pays. With 2 people making $10.00/hr you can have it pretty decent.



When I was a union hourly worker, I was making $22.00/hr. I brought home about $600.00/week after taxes. So, at $10.00/hr in the NE Ohio area, you would bring home about $300.00/week. So, you can live off of $10.00/hr.



No all places to live are on the east and west coasts. There are some affordable places to live. What would get you 2 acres of property and a home of 1800 sq/ft for $120,000 in my area would cost double or even triple that in other places. Maybe you compare the cost to live where you live to where I live.





Tom

 

[Kevin Lang]

The Midwest is cheap because it is flat and devoid of anything.



Caymen, 10 bux an hour + child support effectively equals more than 10 bux an hour.



I'm sorry, but 300 bux a week is not liveable, maybe in your area where you can still buy a footlong candy bar for a nickle, but over here it is paltry and laughable. McDonalds workers can pull in that much, shoot, I have friends with only High School Diplomas that make over 3x that per week. I cannot relate to it...and the Midwest was expensive last time I was there (one month ago).



Though I cannot really relate to your statements about buying a house with loans and such, as I have not done so, as I have a deep-seated fear and hatred of debt.



(Man knocks on house door)

"Who are you?" -- Homeowner

"I'm the man who owns the bank which owns your mortgage." -- Bank Owner

"Oh, come on in. Welcome to your house." - Homeowner



Exactly



BTW I hear mortgages are illegal in post-Soviet Russia...maybe they're on to something.

 

[Les]

So, at $10.00/hr in the NE Ohio area, you would bring home about $300.00/week. So, you can live off of $10.00/hr.

That's not living...

 

[Roger Batts]

Shop where you want. It's a free country.

You forgot the rest of that statement!





..........for now!