"Lloyd Sumpter" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 29 Nov 2003 16:28:43 +0000, RJ wrote:

Don White wrote:

Tell Wenger & Victorinox that they don't manufacture anything. Why is
'Made
in Switzerland' stamped on my Swiss Army watch?

Okay, that's two. Might not be enought for a GDP.

We went by a building one day and my friend said "they make plastic bags
there".
At first I thought "geez, that's pretty trivial", but then I started
thinking
about how many people use plastic bags. Even at $.01 per bag, that might
add up
to quite an empire.

Anybody know how many "Swiss army knives" are sold each year?

I'm guessing that although there's few "big ticket items" from
Switzerland,
there's quite a few little things, and they can add up...

Lloyd

http://www.eda.admin.ch/london_emb/e...eco/about.html

On 29 Nov 2003 16:13:39 GMT, (Karl Denninger)
wrote:


In article ,
Doug Kanter wrote:
"Gene Seibel" wrote in message
.com...
You want to pay high prices while everyone else pays low prices? Go
ahead and be a Wal-Martyr if you want.

If you do most of your grocery shopping at Wal Mart, have you ever taken the
register tape to a real supermarket and compared the prices, being sure to
average them over a 4-6 week period? If you try it, be sure to compare
equivalent items, meaning specific brands. And, you can't compare meat
because WM sells inferior quality stuff and treats them with a chemical
that's clearly marked on the label. Stick with packaged stuff and dairy.

You'll never go back to WM if you do this.

Nonsense.

Shopping for groceries at WM, ex-meat (which I do not buy there); all
packaged products from major manufacturers - the same as in any other store
- saves me EASILY $20 weekly on groceries.

And to get within that $20 at the local grocer, I have to use my "reward
card" and let them link my purchase to my name, address and phone number.

If I don't use the card the difference is more like $30 weekly.

--


You miss the point. Sure, you can get groceries at wally-world a bit
cheaper..... and we've noticed this with seafood.... they'll beat
the local market, pricewise, but they can't come close with respect to
freshness.

If your only criteria is money, wally-world is your best choice. If
you really care what the food tastes like..... you *can* do better.

Your choice.

Who's the twit?
http://www.about.ch/economy/index.html#CH_Eco_Sectors

Looks like they have a metal and machine industry plus the watch,
pocketknife and textile industries.

"RJ" wrote in message
m...


That's what's so odd: There IS no concept at Wal Mart. :-) If you
believe
there is, can you describe or name it?

A store with most of the mundane things you need day to day to run your
household. One stop to buy a wide variety of things. Open late, as
much as 24/7. How is that not a concept?

Any decent supermarket chain carries all those things. They'll charge you a
bit more for Rubbermaid storage containers, but in return, they'll have
produce that wasn't driven over by the truck.


Is many small towns, they WERE the demise of smaller stores. In large
markets, supermarkets did them in, unless they offered something
special.
Many still do.

I grew up in a time and place when the only shopping was the little
stores on Main Street. The predominant characteristics of shopping that
way were (1) limited choices, (2) high prices, (3) no returns (You have
a problem, see the manufacturer.) The discounters that came before
WalMart killed off main street.

I'm focusing on groceries for now. Many of the "main street" stores probably
didn't offer anything of value. We (Rochester NY, population about 600,000)
still have some stores which began as delis and now have grown into small
groceries. Each has something which differentiates them from a store which
was bulldozed. One near me has the best beef and homemade Italian meatballs
I've ever tasted. A few other markets carry Italian specialties.


Of course! But Wal Mart makes virtually no contribution, unless you
think
the presence of salsa and chips on their shelves has great meaning to
your
average Hispanic customer.

When a new supermarket chain builds new stores in a city where they
haven't been before, is that a contribution? Do you have to make a
contribution to compete?

I think you have to differentiate your store somehow, unless you put the
store in a place that's much more convenient than your competitors. I don't
know where you live, but if you're in the Northeast, visit www.wegmans.com,
and make a point of seeing one of their stores if possible. You'll say
"Oh...now I get it". Wherever they open a store, they succeed.


If you really think about it, Wal Mart serves NO special function as
a
grocery supplier, unless you're still under their advertising spell
and
you
think your groceries cost less there. They have no more leverage,
and
often
less than the 20 largest grocery chains & wholesalers.

Then they're not a major competitor. What are you worried about?

I don't worry! :-) I'm simply saying that it's amazing how they suck
people
in for absolutely no benefit whatsoever, at least in the grocery sector.

You sound worried.

Well, today's news mentioned that in a WM store in Florida, a woman was
injured when she was trampelled by a crowd rushing to grab DVD players that
were on sale. I worry when consumers are so price-driven that quality (or
presence) or life becomes unimportant.

"-v-" wrote in message
...

"Paul Schilter" paulschilter@comcast,dot,net wrote in message
...
-v-,
Somebody else opening a store at that point is like trying to go
into
the car business today,

Walmart did it to Kmart. Toyota did it to GM
Somebody else will come along one day and do it to Walmart.
If the government stays out of it and lets the market work.



Keep an eye on K-Mart. I think they're now out to grab a segment Wal Mart
doesn't care about.

Doug Kanter wrote:

"RJ" wrote in message
m...


That's what's so odd: There IS no concept at Wal Mart. :-) If you
believe
there is, can you describe or name it?

A store with most of the mundane things you need day to day to run your
household. One stop to buy a wide variety of things. Open late, as
much as 24/7. How is that not a concept?

Any decent supermarket chain carries all those things.

They have plumbing supplies, tools, and clothing like WM?

They'll charge you a
bit more for Rubbermaid storage containers, but in return, they'll have
produce that wasn't driven over by the truck.

You have a real hard-on for Walmart.


Is many small towns, they WERE the demise of smaller stores. In large
markets, supermarkets did them in, unless they offered something
special.
Many still do.

I grew up in a time and place when the only shopping was the little
stores on Main Street. The predominant characteristics of shopping that
way were (1) limited choices, (2) high prices, (3) no returns (You have
a problem, see the manufacturer.) The discounters that came before
WalMart killed off main street.

I'm focusing on groceries for now.

Then we are talking at cross purposes.

Of course! But Wal Mart makes virtually no contribution, unless you
think
the presence of salsa and chips on their shelves has great meaning to
your
average Hispanic customer.

When a new supermarket chain builds new stores in a city where they
haven't been before, is that a contribution? Do you have to make a
contribution to compete?

I think you have to differentiate your store somehow, unless you put the
store in a place that's much more convenient than your competitors. I don't
know where you live, but if you're in the Northeast, visit www.wegmans.com,
and make a point of seeing one of their stores if possible. You'll say
"Oh...now I get it". Wherever they open a store, they succeed.

I've been in Wegmans. I've been in lots of other stores equally nice
across the country.

Well, today's news mentioned that in a WM store in Florida, a woman was
injured when she was trampelled by a crowd rushing to grab DVD players that
were on sale. I worry when consumers are so price-driven that quality (or
presence) or life becomes unimportant.

I thought you were discussing only food markets. You need to work on
focus a little.

Don White wrote:

Who's the twit?

You.

http://www.about.ch/economy/index.html#CH_Eco_Sectors

Looks like they have a metal and machine industry plus the watch,
pocketknife and textile industries.

They are not primarily a manufacturing economy.
Services account for nearly double the value of
"industry", and not all of the "industry" category is
manufacturing.

http://www.indexmundi.com/switzerlan...by_sector.html

On Sat, 29 Nov 2003 19:25:20 -0500, thunder
wrote:

On Sat, 29 Nov 2003 20:55:20 +0000, Steven Shelikoff wrote:


Did you know that Hillary Clinton is a former lawyer for Walmart? That
she was on their board of directors for 8 years and that in 1999 15% of
the Clinton’s net worth is estimated to come from WalMart shares? Talk
about a conflict of interest!

And the conflict would be where?

FYI, the sky is blue.

Steve

Former Swiss customer of mine was one of the largest newspaper typesetting
equipment suppliers in Europe.
Bill

"Jonathan Ball" wrote in message
link.net...
Don White wrote:

Who's the twit?

You.

http://www.about.ch/economy/index.html#CH_Eco_Sectors

Looks like they have a metal and machine industry plus the watch,
pocketknife and textile industries.

They are not primarily a manufacturing economy.
Services account for nearly double the value of
"industry", and not all of the "industry" category is
manufacturing.

http://www.indexmundi.com/switzerlan...by_sector.html

I guess Wal-mart is falling on hard times. The business report for sales on
Friday for the Country was an amazing $7.5 Billion. A record. Wal-mart
only took in $1.5 Billion is sales. About 1/7 of all the Xmas shopping done
the day after Thanksgiving.

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
"RJ" wrote in message
m...


That's what's so odd: There IS no concept at Wal Mart. :-) If you
believe
there is, can you describe or name it?

A store with most of the mundane things you need day to day to run your
household. One stop to buy a wide variety of things. Open late, as
much as 24/7. How is that not a concept?

Any decent supermarket chain carries all those things. They'll charge you
a
bit more for Rubbermaid storage containers, but in return, they'll have
produce that wasn't driven over by the truck.


Is many small towns, they WERE the demise of smaller stores. In large
markets, supermarkets did them in, unless they offered something
special.
Many still do.

I grew up in a time and place when the only shopping was the little
stores on Main Street. The predominant characteristics of shopping that
way were (1) limited choices, (2) high prices, (3) no returns (You have
a problem, see the manufacturer.) The discounters that came before
WalMart killed off main street.

I'm focusing on groceries for now. Many of the "main street" stores
probably
didn't offer anything of value. We (Rochester NY, population about
600,000)
still have some stores which began as delis and now have grown into small
groceries. Each has something which differentiates them from a store which
was bulldozed. One near me has the best beef and homemade Italian
meatballs
I've ever tasted. A few other markets carry Italian specialties.


Of course! But Wal Mart makes virtually no contribution, unless you
think
the presence of salsa and chips on their shelves has great meaning to
your
average Hispanic customer.

When a new supermarket chain builds new stores in a city where they
haven't been before, is that a contribution? Do you have to make a
contribution to compete?

I think you have to differentiate your store somehow, unless you put the
store in a place that's much more convenient than your competitors. I
don't
know where you live, but if you're in the Northeast, visit
www.wegmans.com,
and make a point of seeing one of their stores if possible. You'll say
"Oh...now I get it". Wherever they open a store, they succeed.


If you really think about it, Wal Mart serves NO special function
as
a
grocery supplier, unless you're still under their advertising
spell
and
you
think your groceries cost less there. They have no more leverage,
and
often
less than the 20 largest grocery chains & wholesalers.

Then they're not a major competitor. What are you worried about?

I don't worry! :-) I'm simply saying that it's amazing how they suck
people
in for absolutely no benefit whatsoever, at least in the grocery
sector.

You sound worried.

Well, today's news mentioned that in a WM store in Florida, a woman was
injured when she was trampelled by a crowd rushing to grab DVD players
that
were on sale. I worry when consumers are so price-driven that quality (or
presence) or life becomes unimportant.