Wal-Mart: Our shoppers are 'running out of money'

Originally posted by princeofpeace
Not sure where you get your hamburger but where i get mine it isnt "processed" and its not expensive. They take the chuckk or sirloin and run it through a grinder right in front of you and nothing is pre-packaged. They grind what they sell.

Agreed... Kroger will charge you more per pound for hamburger they process (i.e. grind) in order to offset their time for that. That's what I was speaking of... though the butchers I go to who grind for free also have a higher markup to begin with.

Originally posted by HunkaHunka

Originally posted by DaddyBare
I'm out of money until the 1st...
that's to be expected with milk over $4 a gallon
Hamburger $2.65 a Lb
Chicken is still cheap if you buy the big family packs.
Forget eatting healthy it's a chore just to eat.

My new running joke is if I ever win the Lottery I can finally stop buying store brands and sales items..(Sure Fine and Best Value).... once I win the big one it'll be the good stuff Del Monty and Green Giant for me buddy

I bought a 3.5 lb pork butt for $9 last weekend, added two onions and a $2.75 bottle of BBQ sauce and fed 16 people pulled pork sandwiches for less than $14 total...

Not too shabby if you ask me

I eat healthy everyday as in foods I make from scratch... if you are willing to actually cook your food, you will find it's much much cheaper than you expect....

Hamburger doesn't count because it's a PROCESSED FOOD... not a whole food like a roast etc... so they charge more for it...

edit on 29-4-2011 by HunkaHunka because: (no reason given)

Originally posted by budski

Originally posted by HunkaHunka
reply to post by budski

 

So your anti-capitalist?

Gotcha!

I'm a HUGE capitalist... and I see all sorts of wealth everywhere in this country... wealth we have yet to even tap!

It's not as bleak as people believe... which is kinda the issue.. it's more about attitude than it is about objectivity

I wouldn't say I'm anti-capitalist, because what we are seeing isn't capitalism, it's keynesian economics.

Capitalism is a level playing field, what we have today isn't.

What about the playingfield today is not level? Other than the fact that you gotta generate a certain amount of revenue to join the game?

Correct me if I am mistaken , those of you across the pond, but it seems to me that with fuel being the price it is, people are much less likely to be even GOING to Walmart, since Walmart is hardly a store which can be found on EVERY street corner.
Assuming that the average Walmart store is a large one, and that large stores are placed where large consumer bases exist, they automaticaly miss out on anyone who might have turned to local stores for thier produce , rather than paying for motorised transportation to and from the store.
Many could have decided to go to closer, smaller stores, selling local produce, rather than spend the money on buses and fuel.
How many miles do you think there are between the enormous stores which Walmart is known for? In my country, ASDA (which is a walmart trading name here in Britain) have one store near me in Shoeburyness. The next closest location they own is South Woodham Ferrers. The shortest road distance between the two is 17.5 miles. If one lives slap bang between the two, then one would shop elsewhere as a matter of ecconomy. The US being the size it is, one would therefore assume that the space between stores is much larger, and therefore it is unsuprising that the consumer base is changing thier habits. Its also completely normal to assume that due to the fact that those who continue to use Walmart are going to be feeling the pinch, because those people are in fact spending the majority of thier money getting to and from a store, before even purchasing goods!

Walmart is not the cheapest place in town, we have an Aldi's, Marcs, Discount Drug Store that are cheaper.

But I do think Walmart's comments about their shoppers running out of money is a good indicator that lower and middle classes have bottomed out.

Originally posted by HunkaHunka

Originally posted by budski

Originally posted by HunkaHunka
reply to post by budski

 

So your anti-capitalist?

Gotcha!

I'm a HUGE capitalist... and I see all sorts of wealth everywhere in this country... wealth we have yet to even tap!

It's not as bleak as people believe... which is kinda the issue.. it's more about attitude than it is about objectivity

I wouldn't say I'm anti-capitalist, because what we are seeing isn't capitalism, it's keynesian economics.

Capitalism is a level playing field, what we have today isn't.

What about the playingfield today is not level? Other than the fact that you gotta generate a certain amount of revenue to join the game?

Regulation in favour of those with the most money, because they have the power to lobby (or bribe) legislators into passing things into law which benefit only them.

It's a problem with the keynesian system.

reply to post by Mdv2


Rising gas prices are grabbing up all the disposable income.
That sounds bad.
Oh, Obama says "There is NO silver bullet to bring gas prices down."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A brief look back to July 15, 2008 and we see that President George W. Bush found a great
Silver Bullet that actually worked!
Gas was $4 a gallon. He opened off shore drilling in the USA.
4 months later.........WOW! Gas $1.61 December 15 ,2008!
Solution: Drill - Baby -Drill = Silver Bullet that Obama pretends not to see.
July 2008 - History Learning Point

reply to post by SLAYER69

I'm sorry I disagree. Maybe On their Electronics and house hold appliances. [Which is the same for any retailer in those fields] Lost Leads Designed to draw in the consumer to purchase Coffee, coffee filters or over priced ink for their printers or DVDs and Blu-rays movies for their new players Ad infinitum...

Their net profit margin is roughly 3% on the average. Take a look at the link if you don't buy it.

This is little different than the restaurant I work at. We -may- make money on the entree if we turn all of the stock and have a good flow of customers. Usually, however, the entree doesn't even pay for itself. It's the appetizers, fried foods, and soup we make money off of. Although the real reason restaurants keep their heads above water is the soda. The average glass of soda costs about $0.15 - the average restaurant price for a soda is $1.99. And, really, the only reason the restaurant I work at is still in business is because of the bar - where you'll pay a 300-400% mark-up on the volume price.

But what are their retail mark ups on all the rest of their products?

I'm sure that varies. Wal Mart isn't always the cheapest place to shop - they don't buy things in quite as large of a bulk as more specialized stores (like home improvement stores), but they are far cheaper than the Dollar Store across the street.

At the end of the day, however, when they have paid their overhead and the cost of inventory - they only go away with about a 3% profit. Perhaps the years they make a greater profit are the times when consumers are purchasing an abnormal amount of their higher-profit items. Perhaps perishable consumption was up and less of their stock had to be sold as dog food (or whatever is done with it) - something that is normally figured into the price of perishable items (the more of it they sell, the more profit they make). The exact figures are likely held confidential and not public knowledge (though I could be mistaken).

I've lived on both East and West coasts, in large, medium and small population areas so please don't try to brush off my opinion as being some sort of "Regional thing" Their retail tactics are well known & documented.

Care to share with me this documentation?

Why are they not concerned about the "Consumer" instead of what the Consumer is spending?

Who isn't concerned about the economy and the consumer, by proxy?

What do you expect WalMart to do about it? Put up portable housing in their parking lots or start offering busing to and from the store?

Do you have any clue why the economy is in the state it is? The "greedy elite" you mentioned in a previous post?

It has to do with the greedy poor.

Banks began opening up lines of credit - intended to be used for emergencies or to pay for larger expenses without depleting their savings accounts. People were suddenly able to purchase a lifestyle they were not able to afford. They began seeing $50 left over at the end of each pay-check as another $2,000 they could put on their credit card.

Those who were smart invested and put money into the system that was demanding even greater amounts of assets to back the loans the economy was demanding. The lending industry was driven to the extremes of Fractional Reserve Banking (that's a key-word and search-term for you) because of the demands for loans. While one can question the lending practice and see how bad of an idea it is - the Federal Reserve backs all bank notes and effectively removes the risk involved in going to such extremes (from an accounting standpoint - from an economic standpoint it facilitates market inflation and eventual bursting with the mandatory printing from the federal reserves to back the bank notes leading to inflation).

At the end of the day - the buck stops at the consumer. Were 'we' (you - I was barely able to write when you all were getting carried away with this nonsense) not trying to greedily live in a lifestyle we had no means to afford, this entire issue would have not been nearly as catastrophic, if it would even be an issue.

This is the reason why the wealth is concentrated - people were smart and invested and lived responsibly. In the end - they profited. And it's not as though you were being misled or the dangers were ignored. Economists and investors have long been warning of these issues for some time - since long before I was born.

Sure - everyone (businesses included) has a set of lessons to take away... but none of them is more important than the lesson the consumer must learn an abide by. And that is simple: live within your means.

reply to post by Mdv2


Its not just people running out of money. Wal-Mart used to be my shopping store...groceries and supplies...birthday presents, school supplies...etc etc etc.....I am not running out of money..knock on wood, we, my husband and I are very careful with our money....and we have never had a credit card...nor will we ever have one. The problem I have with Walmart? THEY HAVE NOTHING WORTH BUYING. I can get better groceries at Publix. I can get better and bigger selection of toys at Target...or even on ebay, ToysRus....And clothing? forget it....they used to have some actually very cute children's clothes...this year I couldn't even find shorts! so, its not just money..they're selections suck. On top of all that...my mother has worked there for over 20 years...the way they hire and treat their employees is really really crappy. Walmart used to be the go to place...but due to those who have taken it over since Sam Walton died, the place has gone downhill, and there are better places to shop.

Originally posted by Agent_USA_Supporter
reply to post by Mdv2

 

Why did you stole my thread? there is already a thread on this

www.abovetopsecret.com...

edit on 29-4-2011 by Agent_USA_Supporter because: (no reason given)

Relax dude. Firstly, I didn't see your thread. Secondly, don't be childish. ATS is about sharing information, not about being in kindergarten where kiddies fight about who posted something first.

Originally posted by DaddyBare
I'm out of money until the 1st...
that's to be expected with milk over $4 a gallon
Hamburger $2.65 a Lb
Chicken is still cheap if you buy the big family packs.
Forget eatting healthy it's a chore just to eat.

My new running joke is if I ever win the Lottery I can finally stop buying store brands and sales items..(Sure Fine and Best Value).... once I win the big one it'll be the good stuff Del Monty and Green Giant for me buddy

I don't buy that for a minute...You are posting on a board, on the internet using a computer...Hummm..Seems all about choices if you ask me.

I still buy fillet Mignon, de-boned chicken breast, pork tender loins but like you I also purchase store brands because they are of cheaper than the known brands.
I don't drink, I don't smoke, I don't go out and party all the time, I'm a normal 40 t/o man with a house and car and bills with a 9 to 5 job. The money is just spent wisely and every dime is counted. If one day I must cut the internet to keep eating...you will not see me complain about the price of hamburger meat on this forum.......Come on now !

Originally posted by budski

Originally posted by HunkaHunka

Originally posted by budski

Originally posted by HunkaHunka
reply to post by budski

 

So your anti-capitalist?

Gotcha!

I'm a HUGE capitalist... and I see all sorts of wealth everywhere in this country... wealth we have yet to even tap!

It's not as bleak as people believe... which is kinda the issue.. it's more about attitude than it is about objectivity

I wouldn't say I'm anti-capitalist, because what we are seeing isn't capitalism, it's keynesian economics.

Capitalism is a level playing field, what we have today isn't.

What about the playingfield today is not level? Other than the fact that you gotta generate a certain amount of revenue to join the game?

Regulation in favour of those with the most money, because they have the power to lobby (or bribe) legislators into passing things into law which benefit only them.

It's a problem with the keynesian system.

I'd agree that it does create systemic issues...

I'm with ya there...

this is serious, how is wal-mart supposed to pay it's chinese suppliers while selling it's products with a 90% mark up on the dollar.

Here's a quick story, please bare with me a little.....


In an paper mill town I know here in Quebec Canada, the industry was slowly dying over the years to finally completely stop about 10 years ago. The Chinese had taken over the paper and pulp industry and taken every competitor down the drain in the process. Well...Low and behold, one day Wall-Mart decided to build a a store there. I'm thinking to myself " Wow...What a waste of money to build here, the population was dying off or leaving the dead town, so what is the point of building a Wall-Mart? "

Well, some people in the town wanted to work there and once the store was built they got a job, wall-Mart over employed the store, trust me, when you have 3 employees per isles...But anyways.....Since people where working, money was being made and in turn was being spend, everywhere else but in town since it was mostly a ghost town. Well....A few Month later Mc Donald's build a new restaurant, then it was Canadian Tire and then a new Home Depot was built.....you know what....And this surprised the hell out of me but all these stores are depending on each other to survive and it's working just fine. Even the population starting to grow again....

So Wall-Mart might be a big bad entity to some but trust me, to some people they are a godsend.

reply to post by Fox Molder


It sounds to me that capitalism works.

Originally posted by Eurisko2012
reply to post by Fox Molder

 

It sounds to me that capitalism works.

Yeop !!!

reply to post by Mdv2


I can't beleive we are reliving the hell of the 70's all over again. People on fixed income will suffer the most and they are the ones who vote in the Marxists in the hope of getting more free stuff. It's mental.

lets backtrack. 2000's Bush keeps telling everyone on national tv, capitalism i the best. 2008 comes around boom, stock market slumps. could be anything that caused it. people started loosing thier jobs, and int he smae time process, corporations started outsourcing..they needed people to run things, but in thier terms, in order to survive, went to india, pakistan, china, even though they had more than enough money to pay a legal tending american college graduate. more and more and more got laid off...and the end result? thiers 62,000 jobs at mcdonalds of which 1 million applied for. all the time and money and debt it took to educate poeple into a system where yuor suposed to have the freedom to be happy and do with yuor life as you want....well thats gone too, for many of us. i blame partially, the corporations for helping with this.
It really seems, the NWO is real, and to do that, the middle class must be eradicated, according to NWO literature and belief. bring the middle class down too a 3rd world country level, to the corporations will be gods and our kings and owners. the big banks weve all ready about are also in on this apparently.

Thier hoping we accept this, so it becomes a way of life with little ro no struggle, so the can overpower us. as crazy as this sounds..i think its true. remember, being human, as history has tough us, is to domiante control and take* the europeans came to mexico, central america, hell even colombus to dominican republic..lok at what they did. settlers here, who were slaves who wanted to be free, became slave owners. manifest destiiny(a dangerous word ive come to belive) killed and put the indians into reservations, turning them into drunks and drug users. all the wars, ever fought mostly were all about taking away what others had to beenfit the invading hosts* even if it meant death and genocide. thats how i see corporations today. thats efin insane, all over money an who has the most* how greedy can a business or corporation get, knowing nad happily posioning its consumers? apparently VERY greedy

reply to post by HunkaHunka


Just out of curiousity, what is your business or industry that is so booming?

reply to post by Maxmars


Did I request it's deletion? No.
Would it be beneficial for all involved and interested to know there is an existing thread, if only to cross-examine and compare? I don't think I am alone in believing it is.

Again, here is the link to the other thread.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

I don't care about 'stolen' or mistakenly copied threads.

The communion and elaboration of information and ideas are my only concern here.