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I'm shopping around for some tires for my Excursion and call the Walmart Supercenter. She tells me they have Goodyear Tracker IIs. I'm thinking, Goodyear - good brand, so I google it. Turns out, they are made exclusively for Walmart!!! Gee, do you think Goodyear tuned down the quality to satisfy Walmart's price demands? I do.
I bought a Gerber folding knife a couple of years ago for $15 which was very similar to the one my wife bought me for Christmas and paid close to $50. This, too, was made exclusively for Walmart and it showed in the quality. The tolerances were much wider and it rusted faster even though it was stainless steel.
And, I bought two desktop computers by Compaq for Walmart a few years ago. One motherboard died a few weeks after the 1-year warranty expired and the other died a few months later. The model number for both started with "WM".
Although there is much about Walnmart I don't like (subs hiring illegals, not paying OT as required, ignoring OSHA rules, having items made in the protectorate of Saipan where there are no US laws and is not the same as a state or colony and saying that it was "made in the US"), I buy stuff from Walmart that is the same stuff sold elsewhere. In this case, prices are a little less, but not substantially. I will not buy stuff from Walmart when they force their suppliers to lower the quality to lower the cost and sell exclusively through Walmart.
Why on earth would you go to a five and dime store expecting to buy a Bently for a quarter? I how I don't walk around with money falling out of my pockets, therefore I can't afford to buy things at a value house like Walmart or the like!!!!!!!!!
If you have bought Goodyear tires lately you would know why they are selling at Wal-Mart. If you buy a set make sure you get a lifetime balance in the deal or you'll be bouncing that scursion down the road..........
I'm proud to say, I haven't set foot in a Wal-Mart in over 2 years. I refuse to support a company that supports the use of eminent domain for non public use.
Walmart isn't alone in that area. Home Depot does the same thing with some power tools. Especiall battery powered drills ect. If you ever go to get the brushes changed you'll notice the inside gears , mag, brushes are inferior.
Same goes with the tires that come on a new vehicle (most). I bought a new truck in 03' and the tires said Bridgestone Dueler A/T. They were definitely not the same tires that you would get at the firestone dealer.
Remember when Walmart was competing with K-mart? Walmart pushed the Made in America aspect of their inventory. Not so now. Walmart was kinda novel at first, but now I gotta be desperate to go there. Lousy service, lousy products for the most part. Besides, what is YOUR time worth? If you save $5 and it takes you 1/2 an hour, you're worth $10/hr. Want fries with that order?
Now it's been Years since I've been in a Walmart, but what I remember was the fashion sense of the customers........lonely looking women pushing shopping carts around with several screaming kids yanking at her tail while she's wearing rollers in their hair, dirty looking wrinkled up T-shirts that are untucked, PJ looking bottoms and slippers on.
I used hit up on chicks in stores (it's actually a very good spot) but it was never at Walmart!
I'm proud to say that I shop Walmart every single week of the year, average of I'd say 65 to 70 times a year. I know what to and what not to buy at walmart. Walmart does absolutely no such thing as ignore OSHA (come on man, thats BS). Additionally, walmart absolutely does no such thing as demand that companies lower the quality of their product, Walmart demands the lowest prices, so the producing company lowers the quality so that they can get Walmart to sell their product. So your precious company which in the form of capitolism, wants to make money, lots of money, so they know that the number one retailer on the planet can make them rich, so they lower the quality and sell to Wally world.
I think its about know what to buy at walmart and what not to buy there!
Some of my don't buys: NO high dollar electronics (tv/stereo), beef, tires, auto services.
Some of my do buys: Bait,tackle,phones(not the best, but cheap),beer, batteries, soda, alot of my groceries, light bulbs, filters and my favorite! Cheap clothes.
Fear Walmart all you want, it's capitolism. If you think that you need a better job than Wal-mart can provide you with, get another job or a better education so that you can get a better job. In alot of cases, Wal-mart comes in and offers more employment than was previously available.
One thing I Hate is Change, but it is going to happen and you can only influence it so much.
__________________ Sailfish Kid
United States Naval Service,
"Surface Warrior"
Chief Petty Officer, Retired
Boatless
"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important tha his own personal safetly, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of BETTER men than himself"
John Stewart Mill
Apparently Wal-Mart employs snipers and kidnappers........how else can you explain the ten's of millions of shoppers that appear to be voluntarily passing through their doors everyday?
Home Depot does the same , John Deere for example not the same as buying it from a tractor dealer
their cheap , dont understand why Deere would do this and hurt their name and dealers
most people dont know the difference so they buy on price
as far as the tires , you will find it hard to compare , most tire shops usually carry different from the other for the price compare reason unless its a special order
Walmart is giving the consumer exactly what they want - the lowest possible price.
The average consumer is concerned with only one criteria - lowest price. When they have a problem, they rant about quality & lack of service, but they are not willing to pay anything for it.
Look at the threads around here bashing retialiers who try to have broad inventories, competent staff and an actual locations who don't try to compete on price alone. I applaud (and support) companies that offer more than just the lowest price. I'm always willing to pay more to get better quality & better service (including convenience).
Big Box Retail is the free market system supplying the consumer with what he demands - less
Knock Walmart all you want, but a smart shopper can save money, especially when it comes to grocery items. I'm not talking about house brands, but nationally recognized brands. Walmart is always lower, at least in this area, and not by a penny or two, but by 10-20% or more.
As SeaBoss Kid suggested, there are items to avoid, beef being the one that I never buy at WallyWorld. All of their fresh beef is "enhanced" with up to a 12% solution. The solution being water, salt and a few assorted stay fresh chemicals.
Walmart up to their BS tricks 
