Wal-mart: good, bad or ugly?

[Bob Fugger]

Originally Posted by martini

My real hope is people will consciously shop at a 100% B.C. owned and operated food store.
People have complained about Thrifty's since it was taken over. Well why are you shopping there?! Go to Save-On-Foods.

I know that you're not going to like this, but I'd rather go to Wal-Mart for my generic groceries than anywhere else. My dollar goes way further and allows me to spread my discretionary spending out further.

From the comments I've read on Facebook lately, the employees are treated fairly well, some of whom regard Wal-Mart as a lifeline when no one else would hire them.

[Holden West]

^You have a point there. I doubt many WM employees are picking up evening shifts at Cactus Club. And as much as I hate the idea of taking my business there, the price on many grocery staples is hard to beat.

[Bob Fugger]

Originally Posted by Holden West

^You have a point there. I doubt many WM employees are picking up evening shifts at Cactus Club. And as much as I hate the idea of taking my business there, the price on many grocery staples is hard to beat.

Holden, why does the thought of shopping there make your stomach cringe? I don't think that you need to apologize for it.

Wal-Mart is a global brand that can provide low prices precisely because of its economy of scale. This has both positive and negative effects on suppliers: on the plus side, suppliers are forced to supply products for the lowest cost to meet Wal-Mart's demand. On the negative side, suppliers don't want to give up margin, so they tend to make products more cheaply and the resultant drop in quality means that they don't last as long. Of course that's not always the case.

I don't buy the whole movement to blindly support local products and retailers. Either we can compete or we can't. If we can't, why not reallocate those resources into another sector of the economy, rather than continuing to piss up a rope?

Besides, local businesses aren't exactly the saints and saviour that people hold them out to be. For example, I'm sure that you will find the employment practices at Wal-Mart to be far superior and more respectful than, oh I don't know, a certain local pizza & pasta chain that just opened up a new location on the north edge of downtown? I'll bet my left plum that Wal-Mart won't charge you $2 if you break a dish and will pay you overtime when you hit the eight hour mark.

[Mike K.]

Save-On pays it's members well and treats them well.
Staff turnover is almost non-existent.

Save-Ons is also getting expensive and their selection for many items is lacking.

Red Barn Markets are still the best place in the CRD to shop for vegetables, fruits and locally-sourced meats. Where Red Barn can't keep up is the big name brand items that are always sold cheaper at the big brand stores. For that though the Wholesale Club in Esquimalt blows EVERYONE out of the water. You'll easily save $0.20 to $0.50 on most items which can save you $20 on a weeks worth of groceries.

[martini]

Originally Posted by Bob Fugger

Holden, why does the thought of shopping there make your stomach cringe? I don't think that you need to apologize for it.

Wal-Mart is a global brand that can provide low prices precisely because of its economy of scale. This has both positive and negative effects on suppliers: on the plus side, suppliers are forced to supply products for the lowest cost to meet Wal-Mart's demand. On the negative side, suppliers don't want to give up margin, so they tend to make products more cheaply and the resultant drop in quality means that they don't last as long. Of course that's not always the case.

I don't buy the whole movement to blindly support local products and retailers. Either we can compete or we can't. If we can't, why not reallocate those resources into another sector of the economy, rather than continuing to piss up a rope?

Besides, local businesses aren't exactly the saints and saviour that people hold them out to be. For example, I'm sure that you will find the employment practices at Wal-Mart to be far superior and more respectful than, oh I don't know, a certain local pizza & pasta chain that just opened up a new location on the north edge of downtown? I'll bet my left plum that Wal-Mart won't charge you $2 if you break a dish and will pay you overtime when you hit the eight hour mark.

No one should be blindly supporting anything! But there should be a conscious effort on the part of the consumer to know/decide where their dollar is going.

I asked a local retailer if he could match or at least come close to a competitor's price on a specialized item.
He was shocked at the retail price his competitor could sell for.
Based on buying power, he couldn't even get it wholesale for that.
The point being I tried, and he appreciated that.
Certainly an eyeopener for both of us.

[martini]

Originally Posted by Mike K.

Save-Ons is also getting expensive and their selection for many items is lacking.

Red Barn Markets are still the best place in the CRD to shop for vegetables, fruits and locally-sourced meats. Where Red Barn can't keep up is the big name brand items that are always sold cheaper at the big brand stores. For that though the Wholesale Club in Esquimalt blows EVERYONE out of the water. You'll easily save $0.20 to $0.50 on most items which can save you $20 on a weeks worth of groceries.

I tried shopping at that place in Esquimalt. It actually made feel depressed and I had to get out.
Yes you certainly can get items cheaper. Maybe it's by generation showing, but I want service. That's a big factor in where I spent money.

[Bingo]

For good fruit and vegetables the Root Cellar at McKenzie and Blenkinsop.

[Mr_E_Squirrel]

I find Oxford foods unbeatable for produce