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woodyedmiston
Well-Known Member
What a great thread.
Walmart is a good place to shop. Walmart has destroyed some local economies nearby where I live - Hearne, Texas is an example. From a corporate standpoint, they have tried to be better neighbors since. That has not always been the case. They employ hundreds of people, many part-time older employees. They have a career track much like McDonalds that will allow someone with only high school education to advance to management. They have changed a great deal since Sam Walton died. That is a testimonial to having an inspired leader running a company.
MAKG makes a great point about choice. He chooses to exercise his freedom and shop at a small store. He enjoys the relationship with the people and getting exactly what he wants by waiting for it to arrive.
Walmart is not the only company buying from or having products manufactured in China. They are the biggest by far. If Walmart went away tomorrow the government of China would still go on - as would the USA. BTW - I believe K-Mart is suffering right now because they used Rosie O'Donnell and the chick from Laverne and Shirley as a spokes "persons" for their store too long.
Walmart offers me a wider choice. My local stores do not have good people handling their fruit - so I go to a Brookshires for all my fruit. I buy California grapes and Washington apples. Walmart does not have the best deal on tires, so I do to Discount Tire. Walmart does have the lowest prices on American made items like Coca-Cola, Jelly, Crackers, etc. Occasionally, I do buy stuff that is obviously made in China - dog chew toys for instance. My decision to buy at Walmart is often based on the fact the stores have gotten so huge I'd rather pay more for a gallon of milk than walk to the back of the store for just one item.
America and Capitalism are slowly making their marks on China and companies like it. The Chinese are fast becoming Capitalists in everything but how they rule. The people are eventually going to see enough of the US - I suspect - that they will demand democracy. They tried it once, they'll do it again. Therefore I don't have a bit of problem with the idea of buying their products. Even though they are getting pennies an hour for their work - they wouldn't have had those pennies if it were not for the American marketplace. The same is true of NAFTA - Mexican citizens have more money in their pockets than ever before since NAFTA. When you go to vacation spots along the Texas coast now, middle class Mexicans are (legally) visiting the water parks and beaches - and spending money in Brownsville, Padre Island, Corpus Christi and even Galveston. As the Chinese population has more and more money to spend they will develop local economies and do just what we do - choose to buy Chinese or western goods. As long as the Communist government in China continues to allow western goods to be sold - we have a shot at converting the country. It may not be in our lifetime.
America has a big problem. It's not Walmart. There is a war raging around the world that our media people have been downplaying since 1993. There are a significant number of people in the Middle East who want us and our Rangers dead and buried. No computers, no cars, just prayer five times a day. We are number one on their target list. The people currently running for president hardly acknowledge the war right now. I shudder to think what will happen if the wrong person is elected to run this country. Shopping at Walmart will be low on our list - mainly because shopping places will become free-fire zones like they became in Israel a few years back.
Walmart is a good place to shop. Walmart has destroyed some local economies nearby where I live - Hearne, Texas is an example. From a corporate standpoint, they have tried to be better neighbors since. That has not always been the case. They employ hundreds of people, many part-time older employees. They have a career track much like McDonalds that will allow someone with only high school education to advance to management. They have changed a great deal since Sam Walton died. That is a testimonial to having an inspired leader running a company.
MAKG makes a great point about choice. He chooses to exercise his freedom and shop at a small store. He enjoys the relationship with the people and getting exactly what he wants by waiting for it to arrive.
Walmart is not the only company buying from or having products manufactured in China. They are the biggest by far. If Walmart went away tomorrow the government of China would still go on - as would the USA. BTW - I believe K-Mart is suffering right now because they used Rosie O'Donnell and the chick from Laverne and Shirley as a spokes "persons" for their store too long.
Walmart offers me a wider choice. My local stores do not have good people handling their fruit - so I go to a Brookshires for all my fruit. I buy California grapes and Washington apples. Walmart does not have the best deal on tires, so I do to Discount Tire. Walmart does have the lowest prices on American made items like Coca-Cola, Jelly, Crackers, etc. Occasionally, I do buy stuff that is obviously made in China - dog chew toys for instance. My decision to buy at Walmart is often based on the fact the stores have gotten so huge I'd rather pay more for a gallon of milk than walk to the back of the store for just one item.
America and Capitalism are slowly making their marks on China and companies like it. The Chinese are fast becoming Capitalists in everything but how they rule. The people are eventually going to see enough of the US - I suspect - that they will demand democracy. They tried it once, they'll do it again. Therefore I don't have a bit of problem with the idea of buying their products. Even though they are getting pennies an hour for their work - they wouldn't have had those pennies if it were not for the American marketplace. The same is true of NAFTA - Mexican citizens have more money in their pockets than ever before since NAFTA. When you go to vacation spots along the Texas coast now, middle class Mexicans are (legally) visiting the water parks and beaches - and spending money in Brownsville, Padre Island, Corpus Christi and even Galveston. As the Chinese population has more and more money to spend they will develop local economies and do just what we do - choose to buy Chinese or western goods. As long as the Communist government in China continues to allow western goods to be sold - we have a shot at converting the country. It may not be in our lifetime.
America has a big problem. It's not Walmart. There is a war raging around the world that our media people have been downplaying since 1993. There are a significant number of people in the Middle East who want us and our Rangers dead and buried. No computers, no cars, just prayer five times a day. We are number one on their target list. The people currently running for president hardly acknowledge the war right now. I shudder to think what will happen if the wrong person is elected to run this country. Shopping at Walmart will be low on our list - mainly because shopping places will become free-fire zones like they became in Israel a few years back.
Make any sense? Not to me.
