'Wal-Mart Bank' Draws Opposition From Liberal Activists

[TonyB]

Yeah,I'm w/ dolanp on this one......who shops at Wal-Mart?those who can't go to Rodeo Drive and buy stuff at Sak's...in other words...the middle and lower class..that's most of us folks..no body is forced to shop there.
I'm glad the guy who actually works at Walmart spoke up too....
besides anywhere you can buy underwear,a canned ham and ammo at 2 am...is ok in my book

 

[Lone_Gunman]

no body is forced to shop there.

Thats not quite true. As Wal Mart dominates the market place, and runs other stores out of business, people become forced to shop there.

Two grocery stores in a nearby town closed after Super Walmart opened. That only leaves one more. If it closes, Wal Mart has a monopoly on the grocery business.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Thats not quite true. As Wal Mart dominates the market place, and runs other stores out of business, people become forced to shop there.

Wal Mart cannot run other stores out of business. Consumers do that. Those stores go out of business when consumers stop shopping there.

Two grocery stores in a nearby town closed after Super Walmart opened. That only leaves one more. If it closes, Wal Mart has a monopoly on the grocery business.

My wife and I made our bi-weekly trip to the Wal Mart supercenter in Clinton, Ark. While my wife visited the lady's room, I wanted in the atrium with our filled shopping cart. A lady sitting there told me how bad Wal Mart was -- it was cutting into her business -- she and her husband ran a small backwoods grocery.

"Well, Ma'am, why do YOU shop here?"

"I can't afford to shop anywhere else."

 

[Henry Bowman]

I find it interesting how liberals in particular hate Wal-Mart so much.

 

[Lone_Gunman]

I hate Walmart, and am hardly a liberal.

I bet if you took a random sampling of Wal Mart shoppers you would find the majority vote Democrat. At any given time in Georgia, about 75% of Wal Mart shoppers are black, hispanic, or poor white trash. These groups tend to vote Democrat.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I find it interesting how liberals in particular hate Wal-Mart so much.

A couple of weeks ago, I sat in on the opening meeting of what is planned to become a "Progressive Political Club." They were circulating a paper telling everything that's wrong with Wal Mart.

One of the sins Wal Mart has committed is one of the Wal Mart heirs contributing a $24 million painting to a local museum. "That money should have been spent on health care for the poor!!!"

But not one word about the hundreds of millions spent on the Clinton Library.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

"That money should have been spent on health care for the poor!!!"

I hate walmart as much as the next walmart hater,
but that makes me go duh.

A WalMart heir donates an expensive painting to a
museum and the critic says "That money should have
been spent on health care for the poor!!!"

If it was a donation, how was money taken out of health
care? I though good liberals were all arts majors.

This makes me glad that the Brady Bunch labelled me a
rightwing gunnut years ago in the papers. I had at one
time been labeled a bleeding heart liberal in a Mensa
newsletter, but the sanity of liberals has gone so far
south I am glad I've been labeled anything else.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I bet if you took a random sampling of Wal Mart shoppers you would find the majority vote Democrat.

And yet it's the Democrats who are most opposed to Wal Mart.

Could it be because the Democrats come in two groups, the liberal elite and everyone else?

 

[Waitone]

I dislike going into WalMart because I wait far too long in line to check out, because there is no customer service, because the floor help is trained to say, "If it isn't on the shelf we don't sell it", because the stores are getting increasingly dirty, because stores increasingly have that "Kennedy airport" feel, because the parking lots are dangerous, and so on.

All corporations, like countries, have their time in the sun then they too will fade. At one time the Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company was the largest retailer in the US. You can't even find its final incarnation, A&P Food Stores.

WalMart will fade and in today's legal mining environment it will fade much faster than historic patterns.

 

[dolanp]

You also have to draw a distinction between people who don't like Walmart or shopping there, and people who actively attempt to sabotage their business through political process or otherwise. I don't get the nuts who want to shut them down all the time.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

Democrats: WalMart haters, Walmart shoppers

Most real life Democrats I've met have been the kind
of people the elite doctrinaire liberals look down on.
It'll be fun when these two factions bump into each other.

 

[Henry Bowman]

Come to think of it, it must be because the Unions don't own its workforce.

Wal-Mart's demise will be that the current management has never known anything other than good times, never tough times.

 

[Sergeant Bob]

Y'all do know that WalMart is going to be the sole distributor of Garth Brooks' CD's now don't you?

Now eveyone is going to hate Garth Brooks!

 

[Beren]

Now eveyone is going to hate Garth Brooks!

We didn't already?

I hear, day in and day out, how horrible Wal Mart is for the economy. I think South Park put it best - if you don't like it, don't shop there. But if enough people shop elsewhere, that store chain will become the new Wal Mart.

It is...inevitable, my son. You're either growing or dying.

I buy ammo and groceries there. Most of that is all made in America, at least.

 

[Art Eatman]

Cheapskate that I am, I'm gonna buy a given product from the least costly seller. Food, oil and filters, medications. Buying that stuff from Wally is buying American, SFAIK...

I've not seen sullen workers, dirty floors (beyond what I'd call normal daily stuff) or other signs of a Bad Place. I've asked in three stores, all spread out geographically, about pay scales, and they're roughly comparable within that particular community. In Thomasville, GA, they seem to be above average.

Some of the people who worked for my wife would move over to WalMart from time to time because they only wanted half-time work for a while; some would later come back when they wanted full-time and more money.

The best way for a small business to stay profitable when WalMart moves in is to go a bit upscale and offer/provide more service. For instance, don't just sell art supplies; teach the buyer how to use them--which added to the bottom line for many art-supply stores.

Art

 

[feedthehogs]

According to its website, ACORN "is the nation's largest community organization of low- and moderate-income families, working together for social justice and stronger communities.

Translated: We want money without having to work for it.

Nothing wrong with Wally World wanting to keep the processing fee's from credit card purchases.

Funny how some support free enterprise and capitalism until they think a business gets TOO big.

Places like WM, Lowes, Home depot have driven down prices on consumer goods. More money in your wallet.

Martha says "ITS A GOOD THING".

After all the alternative economy, all government owned and operated retail is much better right?

 

[Desertdog]

It is not just Wal Mart. Whenthe first supermarket came onto this town there were 3 local stores. They screamed they could sell as low as the supermarket, but they stayed about 20% higher. That is until they closed their doors. Now there a a number of mini-marts and 3 supermarkets.

A local sporting goods store was the only one in town until Big 5 came to town. The local store changed what he sold and is still in town.

Home Depot came to town and 2 hardware stores closed, but the 3rd gave improve customer service and is still in town.

We had a cramped 99c store and when Dollar Tree came to town, the cramped 99c store relocated to a much larger building, and improve his stock. They are both still open.

Remember, it is called "Be Competative or go out of Business".

 

[Lone_Gunman]

Remember, it is called "Be Competative or go out of Business

Thats right, but what Wal Mart wants to do in banking is not fair to banks that are required to provide high risk loans.

Wal Mart is trying to take the cream, and not the risk.

This is not fair competition. What Wal Mart wants to do places banks at a competitive disadvantage.

 

[Preacherman]

Lone Gunman, respectfully, I don't agree. Wal-Mart is trying to gain a competitive advantage by reducing the 5% commission charged against credit card purchases by the banks doing the processing on those purchases. This is a legitimate business exercise, and many others would doubtless do the same thing if they could.

Now, banks are free to oppose Wal-Mart's attempt if they wish to do so. They can also argue that their fees are that high because they are used to fund their other obligations (such as high-risk loans). Wal-Mart, in its turn, can argue that this is "robbing Peter to pay Paul", and that it doesn't want to have to pay someone for an unrelated business area. Both arguments have their points, and both deserve to be heard.

 

[Lone_Gunman]

Why should Wal Mart be allowed to do something no one else can do?

 

[GT]

LG - They are trying to do something legal. If they can pull it off and it is legal why should we not support them in their endeavor?

The law that says that banks have to give money to poor people just because they are rich is morally repugnant and ultimately counterproductive to rich AND poor. If Walmart's exposure of this can help, I repeat, why should we not support them in their endeavor?

G

 

[Lone_Gunman]

If Walmart's exposure of this can help, I repeat, why should we not support them in their endeavor?

I am not sure I see why you think Walmart's exposure of this is helpful.

Helpful to who? Walmart? Banks? People?]

Not following...

I would be in total favor of not requiring banks to make high risk loans. But if current law requires that, then I think the playing field needs to be level, and everyone abide by the law.

 

[Car Knocker]

Even though the proposed WM bank will not be able to make loans under their charter?

 

[c_yeager]

Thats right, but what Wal Mart wants to do in banking is not fair to banks that are required to provide high risk loans.

You really shouldnt take this leftist article at face value without learning a bit more about the issue.

This is *NOT* unsusual. WalMart probably wants to start issuing their own credit cards, like Sears and Target (walmarts current cards are issued by G.E.).

FYI, both Sears and Target opperate their own banks for this very purpose. Why didnt anyone protest that?

 

[Sir Aardvark]

Wal Mart tried to do this same thing in California a couple of years ago, by purchasing a community bank that was up for sale, but they got shot down by the Feds.





Maybe with all the money they save by doing thier own banking, they will pay thier employees more than minimum wage AND give them health benefits too.