[Vision2020] If You Don't Like WAL MART Read This

Mon Jan 9 06:06:32 PST 2012

Paul,
What you say about their marketing is true. However, I don't think most of Wal-Mart's customers are in a position to boycott the store with the overall cheapest priced items because of their personal financial situations. Buying online isn't always a possible option for many or is a paying a higher price elsewhere. Boycotting hurts the poor person far more than it will hurt the Waltons who would be just fine being a couple billion shorter this year. 

My problem isn't that I want Wal-Mart to make $1 billion less, which I am sure most Wal-Mart managers and store employees are not going to care about anyway. My problem is that Wal-Mart is deceiving the poorest, elderly, mentally disabled, and overly trusting people out of what little money they have by lying and cheating them. This doesn't sit right with me. In most states, it is considered an especially heinous crime to steal from the elderly and disabled because of their vulnerability. This is my problem and it should hold true for advertising as well. 

Perhaps if every manager was consistently called to question and received endless complaints about a particular immoral behavior by Wal-Mart, they would be more apt to change it. The idea of just boycotting Wal-Mart and shutting them down seems too large of task compared to just occupying a managers time to the point they bring it up the chain of command and the behavior is modified.

Donovan Arnold 

________________________________
 From: Paul Rumelhart <godshatter at yahoo.com>
To: Donovan Arnold <donovanjarnold2005 at yahoo.com> 
Cc: "vision2020 at moscow.com" <vision2020 at moscow.com> 
Sent: Monday, January 9, 2012 12:39 AM
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] If You Don't Like WAL MART Read This

Their "exact item" policy is especially bad because they have a
    habit of negotiating with manufacturers to make cheaper versions of
    their items only for WalMart so that they can sell them for less. 
    The item that is being returned may in some cases be a
    specific-for-WalMart item that they have cut corners on (by removing
    features, using less durable materials, etc) in order to trim that
    price down by a few pennies; to deny customers a matching price
    because it's a different SKU number is a masterwork of evil.  

My hat is off to them, really.  

Also, the best way to get back at them for this is not to burden
    them with price matching and run arounds, but to simply not shop
    there.  Vote with your wallet.  Anything you can get at WalMart that
    can't be found locally can be found on the web, and you'll likely be
    getting a more durable, higher quality version of that same exact
    item as an added bonus.

Paul

On 01/08/2012 07:11 PM, Donovan Arnold wrote: 
Many of WalMart's customers are the poorest, and every penny counts to them. Which is why I am upset at their latest advertising efforts which are misleading and taking advantage of America's poorest and most vulnerable.  
>
>Someone could argue that WalMart is the cheapest store overall. However, they are NOT the cheapest on every item like they are trying to claim.  This advertising of them matching any price I think is BS and in my book outright fraud. 
>
>I have had several people tell me that when they try to get the same price at WalMart as another store sells it for WalMart managers refuse and give them a runaround and don't match. To me, this is fraud. So I checked it out myself.  
>
>Some of the things managers say are that it is NOT the EXACT item, even when it is. They demand the product be packaged exactly the same, that no membership be required, and the box come with the exact same numbers. Most people don't think this way. They think an Oreo is an Oreo, the price is the price, who cares if it packaged, shipped, ordered, or number differently. It is the same item.  
>
>The problem with this advertising is that it intentionally misleads people to believe that they are getting the lowest and best price on everything they buy when they are not and this lowers the standard of living of people on the bottom of the economic rungs of society. They can get lower prices on thousands of items at other stores like Target, Winco, Costco, and other discount and local stores. However, because WalMart advertises misleadingly they are the lowest on every item, people are getting ripped off.  
>
>Some items I have found lower at other stores: 
>
>MiO is $3.56 at WinCo, and $3.83 at WalMart. W/ Target Red Card, $3. 65. Exact Same Product. 
>
>Extra Lean 93/7 ground beef, WinCo $3.98/ LB. Wal-Mart $4.50/LB  
>
>Other items cheaper at WinCo; 
>
>Oatmeal, dried fruit, M&Ms, Reese's Pieces, Jelly Beans, almost every kind of nut, coffee syrup, most cereals, popcorn, and coffee. I found many more.  
>
>Most the time the only difference is the type of plastic or container it comes in which you rip off and throw away.  
>
>If you want to hold WalMart accountable, take a trip to Wal-Mart and hold them to their advertising claims, bring your receipts if possible. It doesn't disrupt any customers at Wal-Mart, it just disrupts the management for hours  as they spend hours trying to explain and give excuses as to why they won't match any of the items you found cheaper elsewhere.  
>
>Donovan Arnold  
>
> 
>
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