Quote:
Originally Posted by sbroome
Well that depends if you admire the way Walmart operates. I hate the way they do business personally, is it okay just because a lot of people who only care about money shop there? It's a pretty complicated issue in a world where people haven't got too much extra money to spend and retirement is more and more difficult for the average person.
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Not that WalMart needs defending, but they made their name and still make a good chunk of their money by offering "big-city" inventory to small town residents whose only choice, before that, was expensive and limited merchandise from the mom-and-pop shops still working off a 50's playbook, or take a drive (and their money) to the nearest big city.
Pretty much as Sears Roebuck did in their catalog days and as Amazon and the other online retailers do today they brought desirable products closer to those than needed/wanted them. At desirable prices.
Good stuff, cheap, has its merits.
There is no law of nature that protects old and inefficient players from competition from the new and agile. And to the extent that that protection comes at the expense of consumers, many of us consumers would rather take our chances in a world without the oldtimers.
Those that differ are perfectly within their rights to spend their money as they see fit but I do wish they'd stop trying to pretend there is any special virtue in overpaying for stuff.