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Comments
Sad...
Down here in South Florida, the 7/11's were called U-TOTEM STORES, but they were either bought up by the Southland Corporation (7/11 Stores) or they were forced to change the name of the stores because of the obvious politically incorrect naming of the stores. The stores used to have totem poles as a logo which was insensitive to the Seminoles.
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
I won't go into a 7-11 unless there is absolutely no other choice. I find them to be rundown, nasty, and poorly run. Talk about taking a valuable brand and running it into the ground.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Richard, I think we ALL were at first- at least I know I was. That said, the spelling and grammar on some forums(cough-mazdas247.com-cough) drives me up the wall. Cars that have a "raddle" in the dash, a "lose break peddle," or a scratch on the front "bumber."
Idiots.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
I am getting different figures. Seems gross profit margin might be 40%, but there is 20% spoilage. And then there are high overhead costs...very labor intensive selling fresh fruit and vegetables.
I have this information;
strawberries - grocery store markupsAbout 20% of all produce offered in grocery stores is thrown away before it's even sold due to spoilage, resulting in a 50% to 75% markup, Richards says. Niche products, such as berries, which don't have a long shelf life and come from smaller sellers, may have even higher prices.
Then I have pretax profit;
I will try to find more...but net profit in a grocery store is only 2% to maybe 6% total.
profit fruit and vegetables
It is much easier for a store to stock prepackaged and frozen foods, I think.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
I never use the drive thru. Once when I was with Son # 2 he stopped at one. We were on our way to a Lowes or HD (I can't remember now) and he wanted to save time so he pulled into a Mc Donalds drive through. It was early in the morning and all he wanted was an OJ. I wanted to go inside, have a seat and discuss his shopping list and have my coffee in there. Nope, too much in a hurry for him to do that so I ordered a coffee with cream and sugar thinking they would put it on the side. Wrong. When I took the first sip of it I almost spit it out all over his dash. Too damn much sugar. I Had to go in and get it corrected. The girl apologized and said, "I was still thinking about how the guy ahead of you ordered his. He wanted 5 sugars and tripple cream. I think I got the cream part right, though. Sorry". :sick:
I told him that he had the patience of Job.
I'd say you are the one with the patience. I'd have left long before I heard anything about potato wedges, beans or biscuits.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
Richard, I think we ALL were at first- at least I know I was.
Good observation RR. I think when you come on at first you take an adversarial position. That's the way most forums are. Make a point and come in swinging.
I think we have evolved quite a bit around here. There are a few minor flare ups but for the most part we have all mellowed with age.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
I think they will and I have some inside info to support that. When Son #1 finished his MBA he went to work at the corporate center of the big local food chain in the Burgh area, the one Mrs. j thinks has prices that are too high. This chain had recently bought a small chain of about 20 stores in the Cleveland area and they were known as the low price food store in that area. They had monthly business meetings and they all but laughed about the competition of the other local food store chain in this area. All they cared about was how to compete with Walmart when they are both in the same area.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
Mike...take his word on that. There ain't no one in here that he didn't try to correct. I think I was his favorite pupil.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
Wow, sounds like a Wal Mart!
Yes, you can. You got that cute little boy who knows all of the car brands by heart.
Richard
I try not too.
Last week my wife was at a meeting around dinner time and wouldn't be home for a while. I went to Long John Silvers and decided to go through the drive-thru. There was a sign out front saying "Help Wanted" (This is pertinent). I ordered a No. 4 (I think) dinner (2 fish and 3 chicken). The girl said, "There are two sides with that".
I then ordered fries and hushpuppies which is what I thought everything came with. :confuse:
When I got home there was about a half a pound of fries and a dozen hushpuppies. That was it - no fish & no chicken. :mad:
Since the store is only a few minutes from my house I went back and got the fish and chicken - and more fries and hushpuppies...LOL.
Never again. No wonder they were looking for help.
What was wrong with the wifes Legacy?
2025 Forester Limited, 2024 Subaru Legacy Sport
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
And, he wrote it in Canadian.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
I don't know why the clerk didn't tell the lady to write up her order so he could take care of the other customers.
Reminds me of when you're in a line at the cash register, and a new cashier appears and just says, I am starting a new line over here. Instead they should ask the next person in line to come to their register. Especially when the one already at the register can't find her credit card or can't decide which sweater she really wanted.
At Key West we went to see this marker. There were about 20 people waiting in a lineup to take their picture standing next to it. One family with 5 obnoxious kids and 4 obnoxious adults tried to pose in every possible position and combination and took about 20 pictures. It would be nice to snap 2 or 3 or even 4 pictures if you really have to, not make people wait for 10 minutes while you snap pictures you will never look at again.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
In comparison, Publix stores are simply nicer places to be and shop. I decided that my time, comfort and aggravation are not worth the price difference, I can afford it. However, even as I don't like shopping at Walmart, it is beyond me, how anybody would be so presumptuous and block a business opening in their neigborhood. They must have a lot of contempt for those less fortunate, for whom those extra few bucks on their receipt is really big deal. Kind of "I know better than you what's good for you" attitude that our society is plagued with.
By the way, traditional supermarkets in 20s and 30s last century were also called all sorts of evil names, job destroyers being a mild one. They introduced a vertical supply system allowing for cheaper acquisition of goods directly from the manufacturer. The backlash was orchestrated by local warehouse owners, who tended to be typical VIP in small local communities. So being supporter of local churc choire, or scout troop, they felt like being entitled to their margins. Some states had even prohibitions laws against selling at discount or buying directly at the manufacturer, which today seems hard to believe. Free market means free market - if there is somebody who can do it better, quicker, cheaper, and there are enough people who think they want to pay less rather than more, the "outrage" of that can't be stopped.
To finish with less combative atitude, I only add I can understand that sometimes a particular location may not be suitable for a large store due to traffic or other considerations. That would be a legitimate reason to disallow such business. I simply don't think the "principle of we don't like Walmart, so we won't let you open" is a valid one. If people trully did not like Walmart, it would quickly find that out by having low sales. Otherwise, it's just couple of yahoos thinking they know better and imposing their will on others.
2018 430i Gran Coupe
You mean no cashback, low interest, or holdback? Outrage. I'm not buying any today, not until they come to senses and lower the price by 80%.
2018 430i Gran Coupe
You mean no cashback, low interest, or holdback?
Yeh, you buy one of those and they will probably try to talk you into buying a mop n glo special.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
Don't eat too many of those... 50% calories from fat, and many other categories are huge compared to daily intake for a normal person.
Not to shake salt on your parade:
Serving Size (gms) 400
Calories 790
Calories from Fat 410
Total Fat (gms) 45
Saturated Fat (gms) 37
Trans Fat (g) 0
Cholesterol (mgs) 75
Sodium (mgs) 1970
Carbohydrates (gms) 66
Dietary Fiber (gms) 3
Sugars (gms) 7
Protein (gms) 29
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
You just gotta learn how to work the system.
That unfortunately isn't working the system - that's stealing.
I can't believe you - a small business owner - would condone stealing of product.
I wondered if I was the only one thinking that -- apparently not.
Richard
The lessons must have been poorly taught. I finally gave up on you. :P
Do you remember Greenpea? He actually loved the corrections and maintained that he was learning quite a bit. He was such a nice young man who had a drinking problem for a while. Then he had romance problems. He finally drifted away from here, but I hope that he's doing well.
Richard
Richard
Richard
Richard
RE: Hotel Breakfast Stealing,
When I was on the road alot a few years back, many guys would walk across to a different hotel if theirs didn't have a free breakfast. I always thought it was wrong.
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Icon I6L Golf Cart
Everything in moderation...
Remember - life is not about arriving at the Pearly Gates in a well preserved body. It's about sliding in sideways in a cloud of dust and exclaiming "What a Ride!"
A new store in a neighborhood is either a welcome addition or a store that adds nothing to an area. If the city leaders choose to block a Wal Mart from moving in, I don't think that is presumptuous or being mean spirited.
For many of us who are anti Wal Mart it's a matter of what we think of their stores in general and their model of doing business. It is not some attempt to block availibility of (maybe) lower priced products to less fortunate people.
I happen to volunteer two days a week dispensing food for a ehole lot less than Wal Mart charges...FREE to the homeless and others who live in my community who are struggling to buy food. In addition we support local Tent Cities to the tune of several hunderd dollars every year. I spend many hours every month on community projects often spending my own money in the process.
If I were in charge of running Wal Mart, I wouldn't WANT to build a store in a community that didn't want our presence. I'm sure there are a lot of places where they would welcome a new Wal Mart.
As far as mistreatment of their suppliers, those suppliers KNEW what they were getting into or at least they should have.
We live five minutes from Costco's National Headquarters and I know several Costco execs. Costco is demanding on their vendors but they can make them a lot of money at the same time. Many vendors won't deal with Costco for that reason. They resent Costco's demands and restrictions.
If I was selling pickles or toasters I know I would do a LOT of research before entering into an agreement with Wal Mart or Costco. The right fit could yield a LOT of profits but it has to be the right fit!
I thought I said there was nothing wrong with her Legacy. Nothing. In fact I also said I told her I want it to run just like that for another 100K miles.
I'd say all that was wrong was, she was not feeling very well that day. She had a terrible head cold and maybe she thought she heard something. Otherwise I'd say it was driver misconception and hope she never sees this post.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
As I wrote before, regular supermarket chains were greeted with same amount of resentment and vilification from local businesses and interest groups that relied on status quo. This is always the case when one has a true disruptor in the business - there will be a negative impact on some. The presumptuous part is that everybody has to be denied access through administrative means to this business because some will suffer negative consequences. Only market can verify if one is more beneficial than the other. If people rather go to a rundown store and pay less for the merchandise, it is their choice to make, not a few activists who think they know better. I don't shop there but it would not even cross my mind to presume that I know better than a single mother. If Walmart did something criminally wrong they should be punished, but just because a few companies chose poorly by agreeing to their seemingly unreasonable terms, that is not really my problem. Well, it is, but five degrees removed, not enough for me to tell a single mother she can't get access to their stores.
2018 430i Gran Coupe
I would think though if someone were to poll the other 10,000 people, including me, that the vast majority would oppose the arrival of a Wal Mart.
Stiil as I said before, were Wal Mart to open, a large percentage of that 10,000 would quickly forget their opposition and shop there.
Funny how that works once they realize thay can save 1.50 on a tube of toothpaste!
My point is Walmart should be allowed to conduct their business, as long as their practices are legal. If they satisfy whatever administrative burden there is, they should be let open a store - even if you and I wouldn't go there because we think it's disgusting, or we dislike the company.
The pickle story is a very good one - but I blame Vlasic much more than Walmart. All Vlasic had to do is say no.
2018 430i Gran Coupe
My point exactly! They had stars in their eyes and drank the Kool Aid!
Reminds me of the people who got a "greal deal" on a house because it was 200 yards from the runway at LAX and then complained about the constant noise of jets taking off and landing!
And all Walmart has to do is say, OK I'll buy all my pickles from someone else. In doing that, Vlasic would have probably had to cut production, lay-off a % of the work force, and break contracts with the farmers growing the pickles.
It's a double-edge sword dealing with Walmart. On one end its a steady stream of volume, on the other hand they quickly become the only eggs in your basket.
Many people don't realize many companies that sell to Walmart have divisions exclusively dedicated to handling them. There are many demands they expect from the vendors. POP displays, advertising co-op, markdown money for items that don't sell, etc etc. Even the shipping department has to understand how to pack and ship an order. Walmart has a guide (I've seen it) that explains exactly how to skid, label and deliver products to it's warehouses. You better also not be late with an order, because you will be fined for lost sales, or worse yet stuck with it.
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Icon I6L Golf Cart
2018 430i Gran Coupe
In this case it failed, because they hurt sales of their own products. Monday morning quarterbacking it, perhaps they should have raised the price, or created a private label product just for Walmart. "Sam's Pickles" and then in small print on the back "produced by Vlasic exclusively for Walmart" This would have made it less obvious to the casual shopper and not hurt the brand as much.
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Icon I6L Golf Cart
The rewards can be great but that bull you are playing with has horns and you had better be aware and realize that friendly bull can quickly turn on you!
Actually the issue wasn't greed. Reread the article. Walmart approached them to do the gallon jug as a door buster. Vlasic agreed. It was stupid successful but the sales of those gallon jugs reduced the sales of the more profitable smaller jars of sliced pickles. When Vlasic approached Walmart to raise the price or drop the gallon size, Walmart said no and if you drop it we'll drop you.
Walmart is such a retailing force that many companies can't afford not to do business with them. If they do, Walmart squeezes them on margin. If they don't, they lose business when other retailers are crushed by Walmart.
BTW - store level employees may not be the finest the world has to offer but their corporate folks are plenty smart and savvy.
2018 430i Gran Coupe
2018 430i Gran Coupe
The accepted salt intake level is probably higher than it should be. I see 1500 (Mayo Link) for folks older instead of the 2300 mg. My wife and I use very little salt. Bob Evans restaurants have a good chicken pot pie and the amount of salt in it made it almost (almost but it was till tastin' good) made it too much for me. The salt is a preservative.
I just rarely get that pot pie.
All,
The resistance to Walmart almost always comes from local businesses and a group of people against the incursion into _their_ nice neighborhood. The general population in the area usually is in favor. I know of one Walmart where friends of ours had built a nice home at the end of a cul-de-sac. I had stood outside and asked what could happen with that farm field adjacent to their 3/4 acre lot.
"The farmer said he has no intention of selling."
Two years later they along with other homeowners are trying to block the Walmart because of a drainage flow which the Army Corps of Engineers was suppose to consider endangered waterways or something. Silly. That was their only hope to block the Walmart which had the option on the land.
The moral is never build where nothing is next to you unless it's a National Park, et cetera.
While the Walmarts sometimes are run down (employee problem/manager problem) the clientel is not always the middle class image examples...
Best Walmart I see is in Canton, MI, next to a Sam's Club, on Ford Road. Brightly lit, clean floors, odd mix of clientel (who probably thought I was odd wearing my OSU knit cap a week ago).
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Richard, regarding your trip to KFC and the person in line in front of you - I work part-time delivering pizzas. Often, I'll grab the phone and take an order or two when I'm in the store. It frustrates me beyond belief when someone calls in and doesn't know what they want. What should take only 1 or 2 minutes takes far longer. Checking with other folks in the background, arguing about the size of the pizza and the type of crust, etc.
At the end of my shift, I'll call my wife and ask if there is anything she wants before I come home. She and the step-daughter may have me stop and get them ice cream. I always ask that they text their order to me - this avoids any confusion about what they want, and I have a record of the order in front of me when when I get there.
Calories 790
Calories from Fat 410
Hey you're worse than me watching weight and health. Seems most people aren't too worried about that.
I would be....almost half of my daily calorie allotment gone on one pie. Pies are not great, too much high calorie crust. If you want to eat a pie at least remove the top, unless you don't care.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
What am I supposed to do, turn him in?
I don't think the motel cares that much, next time he will probably stay there instead now that he knows. It was a loss leader.
I couldn't do it myself, but, he is a likeable guy and has a way of getting away with small stuff. In the big scheme of things, it isn't a case worth bringing in the FBI.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Not that easy. They thought the promotion would be temporary. Walmart liked it so much they made it almost permanent.
Vlasic wanted to stop the promo, but, Walmart said if they did stop the promo, they would remove their other products from the shelf.
In the case of Huffy bikes, they asked Huffy to make a cheaper model just for Walmart. It was such a big seller Walmart demanded way more than Huffy could make. They couldn't make profitable bikes for other markets, so they went under.
It is easy to say don't get into a deal with Wallymart...the fact is you do it but have no idea how they will take advantage of you.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Exactly, the vendors book with rules and regulations is about 6 inches thick. If things aren't delivered in a small window of time you will be fined. If something isn't labelled...like if it falls off, you will be fined.
There are rules that they can have you ramp up production. One jewellery maker thought it was great that he got the contract for Walmart. Then they wanted him to produce more as he was obligated to do. He couldn't make jewellery for his other clients. Then Walmart kept demanding discounts....he ended up folding because he was losing money and had no other customers.
This isn't ethical, it's just being nasty. Some people think if they can ruin someone else that is brilliant...better if you can prosper and your suppliers can prosper.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250