"Gould 0738" wrote in message
...
Then somebody else will open another store.

and sell what?

a retailer needs a supplier not already in bed with Walmart

The only suppliers that would be fatally hurt without WM are the ones which
make their private label goods.

As far as being in bed with WM, they treat their suppliers so badly that if
another retailer came along who could move the necessary volume, they'd head
in that direction very quickly. A friend of mine does sales training, and he
was recently speaking to a group of wholesale sporting goods reps. He got a
tip: Don't bother looking for a good selection of Shakespeare rods & reels
at WM in certain markets. The goods are being shuffled to stores like Gander
Mountain Sports, who've insisted that there be "shortages" for Wal Mart.
Prices are very slightly higher at Gander Mountain, but nothing that would
bother the retail customer.

The reasoning my friend was given was very simple: Upscale stores will also
sell St Croix & Browning fishing rods, and that lends an air of quality even
to the cheaper stuff that's two feet away in the display rack. Shakespeare
sells MORE rods, not less. So does Shimano and everyone else.