Did anyone read this CNNpiece on "Black Friday"/WalMart?

[niallmac]

I read this and forgot I was reading a news story. I was expecting to find some coupons to clip. They sound like they are pimping for WalMart for petes sake. Toasters now three fitty!
http://money.cnn.com/2005/11/01/news/fortune500/walmart_blackfriday/index.htm?cnn=yes

[I_Make_Mistakes]

1. Don't shop at Walmart and won't. So, it is not worth the read. I

have actively been recruiting people to not shop at Walmart, it is difficult, but the slow slog is producing results!

[niallmac]

3. Oh hey I am with you 100%.

I just never heard the term Black Friday. I was sort of hoping it was a story about their declining sales. I NEVER shop in that store. But no. It's an article that gives the prices of the goods on sale like an advert. WTF?

[INdemo]

7. Just a question about Walmart

Walmart has plans to build a Super Walmart in our city,a small rural town.My thinking is what serious effects it will have on our local business's. How do people keep them from building this super center and would attending city/county council meetings to speak out against this really make a difference? Just thought some of you might have had simular Walmart city blues in your town.

[Nevernose]

8. Local hardware store, grocery store, paint store, etc: GONE

Mainstreet: GONE.

If it's really a very small town, the average wages for residents might go up, though in most places (city, suburban, and more compact rural areas), avergae wages usually go down, especially after WalMart has driven all of the competitors out of business.

[niallmac]

11. I have read pieces about past and current attempts to stop

a WalMart being built but I am not aware of any successes. The economic forces behind the things are HUGH. I wish you success however. Think Quijote!

[I_Make_Mistakes]

13. OMG Search PA they had a major campaign against Walmart.

If I recollect correctly, the Health Care cost in PA rose 30 million in health care costs. Walmart provides health care to most employees like 2 yrs. down the road, guess what, they get fired or laid off before that time. I know PBS did a big Walmart expose, search there.

They negotiate so much, that the local communities are in the hole, and Walmart for the most part, really don't have better prices by much more than cents, literally.

I will not step a foot in a Walmart store. There is so much information on their practices on the net your head will explode.

[Canuckistanian]

2. It looks like Walmart paid for that ad, um, I mean article

This is an example of the "consumer society" gone mad.

[proud2BlibKansan]

10. I have an image of Black Friday at WalMart

It isn't pretty.

[Massacure]

4. $400 for a laptop?

I did a google search for the ze2000 series, and they start at 1.4 gigahertz and 256 RAM. That is better than the computer my dad replaced last christmas, which was perfect for word processing. I may just take them up on that offer with my going to college next year.

I wonder how much money they are loosing on that and hoping they attract other business? :evilgrin:

[proud2BlibKansan]

12. Good deal on a digital camera also

You gotta admit it is tempting.

I am a shopper. I love to hunt for bargains.

But I avoid the stores the day after Thanksgiving. Like the plague. :scared:

[rogue_bandit]

15. $400 not just Wal Mart

One thing that makes that article seem like an advertisement is that at the end they say that $400 laptops will appear in many stores after Thanksgiving Day. They don't say what stores.

You don't have to buy at Wal Mart. Anything they have, others have. If others don't have then Buyer Beware...

My guess is that for $400 you get an exceptionally lousey screen, clunky keyboard, low resolution mouse, lots of advertising on the first boot up, and little shock protection (meaning shock like you dropped it onto the table instead of setting it down. On a good laptop that wouldn't be a problem but cheap components cheaply assembled are very fragile).

What this tells me is that we can expect cheap laptops anytime now...wait for the better ones (I'd rather spend $550 and get one that will be good for two years at least).

[lildreamer316]

18. It is an HP manufactured special for WalMart.

Dunno how good that one is,but hubby's old bar bought 2 desktop HPs from Walmart at a low price--so far they have perfomed ok.

[lildreamer316]

17. IF you decide to do this for real,

check in with me, you will need some tips about getting your hands on it that morining. There are methods to shopping Black Friday; and you will need to know the best way to go about getting this (it is an early bird sale; you will need to either put it on layaway and stand in THAT line,or they may not have it on the floor UNTIL the sale in which case you need to line up at 4 in the morning--really). I want one too, but it IS walmart. Ek.

[MelissaB]

19. Here is a link to their ad and others

http://www.bf2005.com/

:evilgrin:

Shhh!

[MelissaB]

20. Scroll down to close to the bottom of the page.

[jmowreader]

24. I don't think they're "hoping to attract other business"

This is STRICTLY a competition-screwing move, and the timing of this release is NOT coincidental.

There's no way Wal-Mart paid $400 for those laptops--the parts to make one are worth more than that. But Wal-Mart, being the only corporation in America that can lose money for extended periods of time, can afford to pay $600 for these laptops, dump them for $400, and not even make a substantial divot in their quarterly P&L.

Why drop this news a month out? Two reasons: to let people save up for Wal-Mart Black Friday Shopping Sprees, and to see the competition sweat.

[nashbridges]

5. Toasters?

What are you posting this with?

That said, the worst computer I've ever owned was a Packard-Bell, which has now been wrapped into the horrible business experiment that is HP/Compaq.

[niallmac]

9. I'm posting this with my 'Poaster' of course!

[nashbridges]

14. wow,

Easy and brilliant at the same time. I have to give props for the response...

[castiron]

6. Yeah, Blitzer was going on about how

oh we are gonna wanna hear this next segment.... you know, cuz we all need more shit in our house. Gawd.

[Ksec]

16. Wal Mart stuff is cheap and doesnt last , not worth buying

Take the CD players for example. Cheap yes, but made with plastic interior parts that wear out a month after you bring it home. Clothes made with cheap fabrics, shoes that use cheap faux leather and inferior glue and threads which fall apart etc.

Yea theyre low cost, but what good is it when you have to go buy it again in a few weeks?

[I_Make_Mistakes]

21. I have to agree. While quality has suffered, Walmart's low prices

leads to an increase turn around for replacements. I swear if Walmart is the last store in town, I will find another way to get what I need. They are like the telemarketers who want to give you a free vacation, and then ask for a credit card number.

We are so programmed to think that we can actually get something for free (or cheap) and it still is a good deal and not the rip off it is.

I made a very few purchases at Walmart, and it ended up costing me more to replace my perceived savings (replacement cost), so if it is a really good deal, avoid it! You will save money.

[Dervill Crow]

22. Ugh! My son was telling me tonight that I really should shop at Wal*Mart.

And my husband told me that "Saddam is a weapon of mass destruction."

If I had the energy I would just kill myself right now. Who are these people and why are they living in my house?!

[I_Make_Mistakes]

23. It's called lazy. I truly believe part of the Repuke, takeover plan,

but their attention span is next year. You actually have to prove the de-foresting of America to them.

They (The repukes banked on the US being the foster of new ideas and technology (which is why they didn't pay attention to the tech. out-sourcing (which by the way, they speak is good for us)) that is the very down fall of our co.)),

We really don't have the high tech jobs they speak of, and Clinton is not without blame.

The elite, actually think their investments will provide income, after they dismantle the middle class (who financially supported the investment class) and we are going so far down, I don't think Depression even covers it.

Now, after the Repukes have pushed homeownership (which most of us count on the mortgage deduction they want to rescind that) it is going to get ugly, Civil War ugly. They are dumber than dumb, there are alot of high salary owner's who bought high value properties based on their ability to write off their interest and property taxes!

Quite honestly, I believe the Repukes, just puked their way into Hell on Earth, and eternity.