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Froggy
| | Posted on Thursday, July 01, 2010 - 01:39 pm: | 
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I am not out to make Toyota look bad, I was simply trying to show they indeed were sending letters and buying back trucks, and that the Japanese aren't infallible like many believe them to be. As for the 90's GM trucks being rust buckets, everything I have seen in my dads shop is no more rusted than any other brand of 90's vehicle. Many of the early 90's Civics on the other hand look like they are ready to cave in. |
Bads1
| | Posted on Thursday, July 01, 2010 - 01:56 pm: |
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Froggy lets just say GM is getting better. But not up to par with the Japanese just yet. Ford has done much better.I currently have a Dodge durango..... kicking myself for not buying another 4 Runner or even a Sequoia. I also had a GMC van for awhile. Ball joints ball joints ball joints. And then the brake booster failed. Boy was that expensive. I just had better luck with my Imports. If I had a problem it was never a argument or them giving me the run around that I get with this frigg'n dodge. One more year baby and this thing is gone. |
Ft_bstrd
| | Posted on Thursday, July 01, 2010 - 02:21 pm: |
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Wal-Mart has changed very much since Sam Walton was running it, and I don't mean the number of stores they have open. Am I the only one who remembers walking into a Wal-Mart store and seeing a large banner somewhere near the front of the store proclaiming how many American jobs were created by the products they were selling? I don't recall the last time I saw a sign like that. Just try and find anything in a Wal-Mart made in America.
I agree there have been some changes. Many of those changes, though, are with the product sourcers rather than with Wal-Mart.
Were Wal-Mart to insist that their store be filled with ONLY products manufactured in the US, the store would be the size of a 7-11. It's the trend of ALL manufacturing not just Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart doesn't manufacture anything.
Comparing Sears to Wal-Mart is not a valid comparison in my opinion. Sears has tried to portray some level of quality in at least some of their products. Wal-Mart is driven by one thing only, price. It has worked very well for them, but I believe it has been bad for our country.
Really? Have you used a Craftsman product lately? Their quality is pitiful.
Wal-Mart is driven by price because the CONSUMER is driven by price. Wal-Mart isn't the only place in town. Don't like Chinese products for low price, buy American at a higher price. I bet I'll see that shopper's ass in Wal-Mart. Americans wan't more stuff for less money. Wal-Mart delivers.
Period.
Were it not, Wal-Mart would be out of business.
And finally, I saw many small businesses close within a few years of Wal-Mart coming to town. The ones I missed most were the hardware stores where you could talk to someone who knew about what they were selling. You could go in with a pipe or a switch and they would know what it went on, where it was in the store, how to install it, and if there was anything unusual it would be nice to know. Now they are gone. Good luck getting that kind of help at Wal-Mart
If that's the case, those hardware stores didn't have much. Last I checked, I couldn't buy a toilet at Wal-Mart.
There are THREE small hardware stores within the shadow of Wal-Mart, Target, Home Depot AND Lowes. What they offer is quick access, individualized assistance, and unique products that NONE of these high velocity stores stock.
You pay a premium for these benefits in that their aren't as inexpensive as the big box stores. I shop there because the additional expense is worth it.
The assumption is that if Lowes didn't exist that these stores would still exist. If these stores provided NO competitive advantage to ANY other store, big box or otherwise, they would cease to exist.
Price is only ONE facet of the buying process. |
Cataract2
| | Posted on Thursday, July 01, 2010 - 02:36 pm: |
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Agree with the above. Many times I go to big box stores due to them having items I need or want. I like to go to the small mom and pop stores, but a lot of times they just don't carry what I need. The ones that are doing well happen to carry what you need and have the customer service to match. |
Reindog
| | Posted on Thursday, July 01, 2010 - 02:49 pm: |
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Read "The World is Flat" by Thomas Friedman. Although Friedman is a Liberal, his message is true, his message is reality, and you better get used to it or you will disappear. You can't legislate change, you can only postpone it. |
Hootowl
| | Posted on Thursday, July 01, 2010 - 03:41 pm: |
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Before Home Depot and Lowes, if you wanted to buy a new faucet for your bathroom, you had to call a plumber. The big plumbing outlets would only sell to plumbers, they weren't open to the public. Same with electrical stuff. |
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