Results tagged “global market” from Corporationist.com
Walmart takes a lot of grief in the American press and modern pop culture, and why? Because it's popular, and because it's big – and Americans have traditionally had a hard time rooting for the big guy. Certainly there's never been a summer blockbuster where at the end, a Walmart was constructed over the "beloved old schoolhouse" much to the cheers and delight of the townspeople. But you know what? There should be. Walmart has plenty of unique and woefully under-reported positive qualities that serve to benefit the communities lucky enough to host them, and in that spirit, we present a list of five things Walmart can start or continue doing in order to keep having such great success in the local marketplace:
- Stay open later than the competition. Too many mom-and-pop stores close up shop at 5 PM. This is like telling your customers with 9 to 5 jobs "Thanks, but we'd rather not have your business." Walmart stays open later, and as such, is better positioned to capture the hard-earned dollar of the American worker. However, there's always room for improvement: did someone say 24/7?
- Offer the low-priced merchandise that people want. The dirty secret of the modern manufacturer is that their products are not designed to last. But who would want that, anyway? The purchase of utterly disposable, low-quality consumer goods frees the consumer from having to lug around old items from house to house in order to will the goods to grandchildren who honestly, wouldn't be wanting such shoddy items in the first place. The myth of so-called "heirloom quality" goods is just that, a myth; and with products becoming cheaper thanks to our miraculous global market, who honestly doesn't delight in simply throwing old items away and buying them brand new again?
- Keep your workers hungry – obviously, not literally hungry, as many Walmarts offer in-house a wide variety of snack food and value-priced meals suitable for lunch (or dinner, or if on a budget, both!). Instead, keep workers metaphorically hungry; avoid costly health plans and retirement benefits that only create a "hand out" scenario that drive up prices for the very person paying the bills: Mr. and Mrs. Consumer. Your customers don't leave their house, drive several miles and come through the front shop doors in order to pay for employees doctor visits, so don't make them carry that burden.
- Lock 'em up. A secure store is a profitable store. Many Walmarts have been known to lock their employees inside the store, unable to leave, during the third shift when the serious shrink occurs. While some self-proclaimed "worker's rights advocates" may claim that this is a violation of these worker's human rights, it doesn't take long to understand that third-shift night workers are the very same alcoholics and secret drug-abusers that are the primary causes of shrink in the first place. Good solid fences make good neighbors, and good solid locks on the outside make even better employees.
- Continue supporting impoverished countries. Walmart purchases a majority amount of their products from overseas vendors, but there's still plenty of room for improvement. Too many needlessly expensive products come from inside our borders when that money could be going to purchase less expensive, foreign-made products at a greatly reduced price. This serves to keep American companies "price competitive" in the global market – a skill many companies have avoided – while still providing the customer with the rock-bottom prices they have come to expect.
These ideas should serve as just a starting point – if you've got a suggestion for the friendly folks at your neighborhood Walmart, feel free to share it in our comments and we'll pass it along.
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