Why I hate Wal-Mart…

The other day I watched an eye opening news broadcast on the PBS.org website called “Is Wal-mart good for America?” It went on to say how from an economic point of view how Wal-mart holds a supply advantage over everyone else. Do to the labor supply in China, .50 cents a day for workers and they live at the factories. No one can compete with that. Not only is there an 80% mark up on Wal-Mart products, but they are pressuring other domestic companies to follow their lead. It’s hard to say how many companies to date Wal-mart has put out of business. What we do know is that Wal-mart is helping to create the $100billion trade deficit we have with China. The free trade agreement we made with China was suppose to open them up to American goods. It has not; I can’t help but think there have been anti-trust laws broken here. If something is not done to even the playing field soon, there will not be any market for Wal-mart to sell to. China has the labor and the goods, but no market and we have the market, but no money. I am I the only one that see the irreversible damage Wal-mart is doing, not only to companies in their own market but also to the economy as a whole.

The news piece went on to say how a small Kentucky TV making company took on China and Wal-Mart over the issue of Dumping cheap TVs onto the American market. Not surprisingly, Wal-mart sided with China. The small company won the right to stay alive, however long that is. Let’s be clear, the low waged workers of China are not the problem, Wal-mart and the China government is. The china government gives money to the companies to help of set costs in order to let them sell products to Wal-mart at prices no one can. Let’s also be clear that the American worker are not fighting to be rich, only to have a chance to survive in a country where milk is $4.00 and cereal is $5.oo a box. Our economy demands we make a level of income with all the other trappings of being a citizen here. When ATT had the monopoly on the phones, anti-trust violations were filed. Is Wal-mart any different? By exploiting the slave labor of CHINA, the get goods made for nothing, driving American companies out, buy up their land for pennies on the dollar and rehire their workers for have of what they were making. What a great model, too bad we all don’t have access to this slave labor of China, oh we done. No everything from newspaper pieces to x-rays is now exported. With an army of slave labor, what incentive would any company have to produce anything here? You decide, post how you feel about what is going on here for others to read.

Sales rise on inferior goods

To understand the rise in the sales of inferior goods is a lesson in economic 101. Plainly stated, inferior goods are lesser-priced goods that can take the place of something else. Like Hamburg for t-bones. Which gives you more for your money, which is good. The problem hanging out there is what if they raise the price of the inferior good?
In this economy, there has been a major shift in consumer buying to these types of products, and shopping for name brand items at discount stores. Does it pay to buy cheap priced products in bulk? That depends, if let’s say you buy 20 rolls of paper towels because there on sale. At two dollars a roll, that adds up to $40.00. Good deal right? However if you had only bought 2 rolls for four dollars you would an extra 38.00 dollars to buy something else on sale.
There is always a trade off when buying things, you like, but to sustain yourself in this time maybe learning to with less or without is better for you bottom line. Maybe you just like the taste of the cheaper peanut butter, Okay then maybe you can do without the magazine on sports saving you ten bucks. It’s much easier to manage your money when there’s a cash flow. But when the flow slows down or stops it gets harder to retrain your buying habits.
I ‘m sure you can come up with more ideas to save money, in the mean time understand that inferior products doesn’t mean lesser quality just lesser price.