Wal-mart Runs Our Lives

[Garrdor]

Wal Mart? more like WAL FART hajhahahahaahhaajahhahah

[Relbeek Einre]

Don't start bumping old threads Garrdor.

[McBash]

Actually, expect Walmart to be a huge political issue in the next 3 to 7 years. As a retailer, they are starting to get market share that will get start to prompt anti-trust/monopoly discussion. They are well past putting the mom's and pop's of the retail world out of business and targeting the 'Big Boxes' now, and dont expect the Best Buys of the corparate world to sit back and take it.

The simple matter is, the larger Walmart gets, the less choice as consumers we have, and Walmart seems unafraid to push that boundry. There will be a point where the argument is unavoidable, regardless of your position.

McBash

[Rsak]

I don't think that Best Buy has much fear from Walmart in their market share.

Anyone with any techonological experience knows what you choices you will find in each store and make the proper decision to give them the best options.

[Leewei]

Since it looks like this thread has come back to life, I'll say that I know for a fact that at least one computer game company gives very serious consideration to the Walmart standard when conceptualizing new console and PC games. Walmart certainly is influencing the design of the products which we can buy.

[McBash]

I don't think that Best Buy has much fear from Walmart in their market share.

Anyone with any techonological experience knows what you choices you will find in each store and make the proper decision to give them the best options.

Wrong, I just read an article last week detailing the significant market share Best Buy has already lost to Walmart in the 'home electronics' catagory. As far as people with 'techonological experience' goes, that means nothing to either Best Buy nor Walmart, as both are not focused on that segment of the market.

McB

[Klast Brell]

Walmrat is evil. No question about it. One tactic they use with their vendors is to demand lower prices every year. If the vendor does not lower their price Walmart stops doin business with them. This represents a loss of a good enough percentage of sales that many large companies can not survive without apeasing walmart. In order to meet walmart's price preasures, the vendors are forced to cut costs untill they havefinaly been forced to outsource their manufacturing to a 3rd world country.

Remember that next time shop at walmart.

Bonus trivia. Walmart is the largest emplyer of women in the US.

[emg500]

Proportionally?

[Akhbarali]

I don't think that Best Buy has much fear from Walmart in their market share.

Wrong, I just read an article last week detailing the significant market share Best Buy has already lost to Walmart in the 'home electronics' catagory. As far as people with 'techonological experience' goes, that means nothing to either Best Buy nor Walmart, as both are not focused on that segment of the market.

McB

Best Buy is definitely feeling the heat from WalMart and I am sure they are concerned about the K-Mart/Sears merger as well (Kenmore in K-Mart = potentially bad news for Best Buy). The increased competition from WalMart (and the concern of Best Buy management) has been pretty well documented in the business press. Best Buy has insitituted some fairly "radical" (at least for a big box retailer) policies related to customer relations recently that are partially in response to the Wal Mart threat.

As for the original post, it is obviously not censorship and there is nothing wrong with a retailer or distributor telling a manufacturer or producer that if a product doesn't meet certain specifications it will not be added to their selection. We do it all the time in my business and we are dealing with "creative" products as well. I am sure they have criteria for the clothes, toys, and furniture they carry, I see no reason that music should be any different. Just because entertainers are selling "art" doesn't mean they are (or should be) immune to marketplace realities. If they want to "do their own thing" they have numerous options for the sale and distribution of their products.


Akhbar

[Akhbarali]

Walmrat is evil. No question about it. One tactic they use with their vendors is to demand lower prices every year. If the vendor does not lower their price Walmart stops doin business with them. This represents a loss of a good enough percentage of sales that many large companies can not survive without apeasing walmart.

If anyone should be castigated it is the numerous vendors that fucked long time retailer and distributor partners to get in bed with WalMart. Hard to feel sorry for them now that WalMart is turning the screws. Too bad they fucked all their other customers when they were sucking at the WalMart teet for all those years as it leaves them no pleasent options but to bend over and spread em when the Wally buyers come around for their annual vendor ball busting sessions.

Akhbar

[Leewei]

While I think 'censorship' isn't applicable in this case, issues of monopoly and unfair marketing practices may well come into play very soon for Walmart.