Post: #26

Hate Walmart. Love the 46 inch Vizio TV I just bought there for ~$350.

Post: #27

(08-19-2015 12:34 PM)Ziltoid Wrote:  As to the 'Wal-Mart destroys local economies' stuff... Who's fault is that, really?
Nobody in history has ever been forced to shop at a Wal-Mart. Consumers decided they wanted to shop at big box stores, and not at mom n pop outfits. For better or worse, Wal-Mart is a big company only because people chose make them a big company. How are dumb and arbitrary regulations or taxes supposed to fix that? Get real.

Let me put it this way:

I don't fault Wal-Mart for being the way they are. Companies are money making machines which will squeeze the life-blood out of everyone and bend the rules to the utmost. Sure - some other companies like Target are different, pay their employees more etc. But being more ethical and human is not something that you need to expect from corporations.

If you put a tiger in a hen-house then don't blame the tiger for eating all the chickens. Wal-Mart such a 10.000 pound tiger.

But what the current economic models almost miss completely is that for every force there has to be a counter-force to reach a balance. In economic terms capitalist powerhouses need to have the opposition of strong labor unions and regulative authorities, otherwise it's straight back to the Dickensian times of shoeless laborers. It's comparative to a dating market where either men or women ruled completely. If men ruled, then every 70yo fatso could fuck every hottie out there as women would not refuse anyone. If women ruled completely, then 70-80% of men would be incels and the top dogs would have harems of 5000. A system works because a balance of diverging interests is reached.

Capitalism needs counter-forces or it will concentrate market power, create oligopolies or monopolies and will rule over all until 5 banks remain in the end who control everything. Trust me - you don't want to live in such a world and we are almost there already.

Either way - it's a futile discussion. Wal-Mart is a 10.000 pound tiger who is let loose to roam the wastelands of the US. Long-term (2050-60) all smaller towns are set to die anyway with the entire population being concentrated in the big high-density cities. The mayor likely won't succeed in his attempts. Wal-Mart is a fun experience - it is what capitalism is all about when unchecked - workers who don't have enough money to feed themselves, suppliers who are working for a pittance, Chinese slave laborers who are producing most products in their work concentration camps - and a few bosses, owners and managers who make the dough and live in NY, LA and Miami to enjoy their spoils.


Excellent book by an economics professor who writes about balance in every system - when opposing forces of interest are not in an equilibrium, then mayhem ensues sooner or later.

Post: #28

I don't think this story deserves its own thread and we don't have a dedicated Walmart bullshit megathread, so here is this head-scratcher -- Three Walmart Employees Charged With Manslaughter After Shoplifter Dies

Quote:Three Walmart employees who restrained a man accused of stealing DVDs in a store have been charged in his death.

Nathan Allen Higgins, 35, a support manager; Crucelis Nunez, 23, a customer service manager, and Randall Eugene Tomko, 58, a loss prevention worker, have all been charged on Thursday with manslaughter in the death of suspected shoplifter Kenneth E. Wisham, 64, reports The Ledger.

Wisham tried to steal almost $400 worth of DVDs from the Lakeland, Florida super Walmart on February 7, according to reports.

When the three employees tried to prevent him from getting away with the merchandise, things took a turn for the tragic and the man stopped breathing.

Nathan Allen Higgins, 35, a support manager; Crucelis Nunez, 23, a customer service manager, and Randall Eugene Tomko, 58, a loss prevention worker, have all been charged on Thursday with manslaughter in the death of a suspected shoplifter

Once an autopsy concluded that Wisham had died due to mechanical asphyxiation while being restrained and not from a pre-existing medical condition, and also had 15 broken ribs, the trio were charged in his death.

Walmart released a statement saying that the three had been suspended from their jobs and the company is cooperating with police.

'Our hearts go out to everyone affected by these events. The status of the associated involved continues to be reviewed,' said the company in a statement, according to KTLA.

'They're not supposed to chase them,' a man named Wayne Cole, who worked for eight years at Walmart, said of loss prevention officers, according to the outlet. 'They're supposed to go out there and stop them but not use any kind of force at all to stop them. If they get away, they leave.'

Higgins, a support manager, had been ordered to intervene by his supervisor and only grabbed Wisham by the ankles, according his lawyer James 'Rusty' Franklin

Higgins' bail was set at $2,500, much less than that of the other suspects, and was expected to be released from South County Jail.

Nunez’ bail was set at $20,000 and Tomko’s at $30,000.

Post: #29

^^^

More proof that online pirating saves lives.

Post: #30

^^ All three of those employees would've been told multiple times never to physically engage a shoplifter, especially the loss prevention guy. I worked at Wal Mart a couple years back, and this is one of the first things they mention in orientation.

I never understood why some people try and physically stop a shoplifter. Like it or not, they're not stealing from you. They're stealing from a massive corporation that factors theft into their costs. No company is going to ask you to physically confront a thief. You lose a lot more in revenue dealing with situations like this, than when the thief gets away.

Same deal with getting robbed. They tell you to comply with the robber, try and remember distinguishing features, and check the height (that's partly why you have the height strips on doorways).




When it's your own business then I can understand. But saving a multi-national corporation some cash on dvd's isn't worth getting stabbed or having some scumbag wait for you to get off work. Or in this case getting charged with manslaughter and almost certainly being fired.

Post: #31

(08-01-2016 04:00 AM)Yurtley Wrote:  ^^ All three of those employees would've been told multiple times never to physically engage a shoplifter, especially the loss prevention guy. I worked at Wal Mart a couple years back, and this is one of the first things they mention in orientation.

No company is going to ask you to physically confront a thief. You lose a lot more in revenue dealing with situations like this, than when the thief gets away.

Some companies do have a hands-on loss-prevention policy.

Naturally, guys with an interest in working loss-prevention generally seem to prefer to work at a location with a hands-on policy.

I worked for the safety team at my university and we were trained to go hands on if we wished to in situations involving shoplifting at the campus bookstore (which happened more than most people probably realized on our beautiful, friendly campus).

However, every staff member did everything they could to avoid a physical confrontation. In the several years that I worked as a patrol officer no employee ever needed to go hands-on. Being an imposing presence always seemed to do the trick.

Post: #32

(08-01-2016 04:20 AM)Suits Wrote:  I worked for the safety team at my university and we were trained to go hands on if we wished to in situations involving shoplifting at the campus bookstore (which happened more than most people probably realized on our beautiful, friendly campus).

However, every staff member did everything they could to avoid a physical confrontation. In the several years that I worked as a patrol officer no employee ever needed to go hands-on. Being an imposing presence always seemed to do the trick.

Seems like a good gig, everyone needs textbooks so that means every girl eventually walks through the doors, when you're in a position of some authority. Not to mention you already have an excuse to go up and talk to them. Seems like I've found my new job.

I'm surprised they asked you to do that though. Stealing or not, I don't want to be touching these people. We had a guy that would come into our store every couple of weeks and just jerk off in the changing rooms. Sometimes he'd use a shirt to clean up, but his favourite spot was the door handle. I think he liked the mirrors.

Post: #33

(08-01-2016 05:02 AM)Yurtley Wrote:  

(08-01-2016 04:20 AM)Suits Wrote:  I worked for the safety team at my university and we were trained to go hands on if we wished to in situations involving shoplifting at the campus bookstore (which happened more than most people probably realized on our beautiful, friendly campus).

However, every staff member did everything they could to avoid a physical confrontation. In the several years that I worked as a patrol officer no employee ever needed to go hands-on. Being an imposing presence always seemed to do the trick.

Seems like a good gig, everyone needs textbooks so that means every girl eventually walks through the doors, when you're in a position of some authority. Not to mention you already have an excuse to go up and talk to them. Seems like I've found my new job.

I'm surprised they asked you to do that though. Stealing or not, I don't want to be touching these people. We had a guy that would come into our store every couple of weeks and just jerk off in the changing rooms. Sometimes he'd use a shirt to clean up, but his favourite spot was the door handle. I think he liked the mirrors.

No one specifically worked the bookstore. We were responsible for the entire campus. Other than extra patrol requests during book buy-back week and visiting the front desk to pick up cash deposits to move over to the financial service offices, we didn't spend much time in that area of the campus.

I did meet a lot of cute girls, however. We had a escort program available to anyone on campus after dark and to the disabled 24/7. It was a department policy to never even ask a girl for her number while in uniform because it could potentially prompt a lawsuit.

Ironically, given that we were somewhat disliked by much of the student body, I think being in an ugly grey and blue uniform would only have hurt our chances of getting a date.

Let's just say that by the time I graduated and stopped working that gig, I'd been assaulted and battered more times than I got a lay as a result of "being in a position of authority."

Post: #34

Regarding the Walmart being a nuisance...

Municipalities approve zoning laws for a Walmart to set up shop. All they have to say is 'no'.

And it's not like "well if we don't put it in, the next city over will, so we're sorta forced to" situation. Because if your neighboring municipality approves a Walmart, that's great...you can get all the benefits of low prices without having the deleterious effects directly on your community.

Sure, you miss out on the tax revenue generated, but...oh, maybe that's it. I'd be curious if this mayor was for or against the store going in beforehand.

Regarding loss prevention...

No doubt Walmart has a hands off policy. I actually worked at the HQ of a decent sized grocery store (I know, not the same as having electronics, but hear me out), side by side (cubicles) with the loss prevention guys (the lead guy a former LA cop). Loss prevention tactics at a big retailer are fairly benign and proactive...procedural stuff like engage and say hi to customers, never make change for someone, one-way swing bars when entering the store (so a customer can't easily push a cart out the entrance), store design stuff.

When we got stolen from, the attitude was never "oh that person is horrible because they stole from our store", but rather...
- We have a store layout that exposes us to the risk of theft, which we're willing to accept
- We have a store layout that needs to be changed because we aren't willing to accept the risk
- A certain procedure wasn't followed
- A certain procedure exposes us to the risk of theft, which we're willing to accept

Post: #35

(08-01-2016 07:43 AM)Suits Wrote:  No one specifically worked the bookstore. We were responsible for the entire campus. Other than extra patrol requests during book buy-back week and visiting the front desk to pick up cash deposits to move over to the financial service offices, we didn't spend much time in that area of the campus.

I did meet a lot of cute girls, however. We had a escort program available to anyone on campus after dark and to the disabled 24/7. It was a department policy to never even ask a girl for her number while in uniform because it could potentially prompt a lawsuit.

Ironically, given that we were somewhat disliked by much of the student body, I think being in an ugly grey and blue uniform would only have hurt our chances of getting a date.

Let's just say that by the time I graduated and stopped working that gig, I'd been assaulted and battered more times than I got a lay as a result of "being in a position of authority."

Ahhh that makes sense. I was only looking at the benefits of it all. I'd prefer that to an office job or customer service though.

Post: #36

A worthy read...
Walmarts get Thousands of Police Calls; You Paid the Bill

Quote:The Times reviewed thousands of records and interviewed dozens of officers and experts to provide an unprecedented look at the impact 53 Walmarts had on local policing.

Among the findings:

*Sheriff’s deputies in Hillsborough, Pasco and Hernando counties were called to individual Walmart stores more than to any other location — by far. The same went for police in Largo, Pinellas Park, Tarpon Springs, Dade City, Plant City, Brooksville and Port Richey. For authorities in Pinellas and St. Petersburg, Walmarts were the second busiest locations.

*Officers logged fewer than 500 calls for violence, drugs or weapons. They took roughly another 7,000 calls for potential thefts. An even bigger category was general disorder, everything from suspected trespassing to parking violations, lost property and people sleeping outside stores. Those roughly 9,000 calls consumed hundreds of hours of officers’ time, but resulted in just a few hundred arrests.

*Many businesses paid a lot more in property taxes than the local Walmart but were much less of a burden on police. The Tyrone Square Mall in St. Petersburg, for instance, paid nearly four times as much in taxes as three nearby supercenters combined. Still, the mall attracted fewer police calls.

Officers know Walmart is such a regular trouble spot that they routinely show up without being called.

They simply hover around stores and parking lots to avert further issues, providing even more taxpayer-funded crime prevention. The Times found 6,200 of these unsolicited visits on top of the 16,800 other calls.

Post: #37

Post: #38

^
^ Not exactly unreasonable. Divide the floor space of Walmart between 100 smaller businesses and you'd still be policing the same crimes except you'd be doing it in 100 different places instead of just one.

Another service Walmart seems to be providing. A one stop shop for police to pick up criminals.

quickedit: The rates obviously need to be fair as compared to other Commercial zones.

Post: #39

My favorite "Walmart is shit" video is this one. A travelling Christian family band gets in a fight with police in a Walmart parking lot. Apparently one of the female family members was trying to take a bath in the washrooms, and the male family members weren't letting anyone else in there. That's what caused the police to be called.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=6e3_1428698048

The guy in the green shirt is a BEAST. He fights off a fat security guard, multiple cops, gets tasered multiple times, pepper sprayed/maced, etc. the only reason he stops fighting is to grieve for his fallen family member.

Post: #40

Looking back on my post in this thread from last year I must say now it sounds a little over top and harsh.

Walmart is, no doubt, largely a menagerie of depressing characters and undesirables, but plenty of regular, good folk can be seen there as well, going about their regular lives. It also heavily depends on location. There are 4 not too far from me, in different directions, and each has a different atmosphere and clientele. Some are utterly terrible, some are ok, some have suburbanite girls, others rural families, etc.

Target isn't great for different reasons, but they do have the plus of a heavily female and young shopper, always tons of hot college ass in the ones near me.

Post: #41

(08-01-2016 08:53 PM)Penta Sahi Wrote:  My favorite "Walmart is shit" video is this one. A travelling Christian family band gets in a fight with police in a Walmart parking lot. Apparently one of the female family members was trying to take a bath in the washrooms, and the male family members weren't letting anyone else in there. That's what caused the police to be called.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=6e3_1428698048

We discussed that video here.

Post: #42

(08-02-2016 03:56 AM)Suits Wrote:  

(08-01-2016 08:53 PM)Penta Sahi Wrote:  My favorite "Walmart is shit" video is this one. A travelling Christian family band gets in a fight with police in a Walmart parking lot. Apparently one of the female family members was trying to take a bath in the washrooms, and the male family members weren't letting anyone else in there. That's what caused the police to be called.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=6e3_1428698048

We discussed that video here.

Black lives ma----. Oh wait nothing to see here folks.

Post: #43

I'm always taken aback when reminded of the levels of sheer poverty that can be found in the US. It's not something that Europeans are used to or believe happens outside of the developing World.

The flip side is that it shows just how amazing the produce population of the US is really; by today's standards it is not even that big, population wise, a country for a "super country".

Post: #44

Truly a wise man.

Post: #45

This story illustrates the fucked up nature of the US economy. Everything is a top-down cronyism and crushing of small entrepreneurs.

Why is it that you don't see spaces for small shopkeepers and individual brands in American malls? In a lot of places, there are malls full of small businesses selling their own things. In the USA, malls are full of huge global brands.

I was dating a woman who was designing clothes and building an international brand from a small shop in a municipal market. She was having the clothes made in a bunch of small sweatshops, so was providing employment there. Her store always had Japanese in it, and she spent a lot of time filling orders from Japan and China. Where is the space in the USA for someone like that? Where do you see things like MBK or similar malls of small independent sellers in other countries in the USA? Commercial lease terms in desirable areas bind you for at least a year, rents are too damn high.

They can give a huge tax break to Walmart, but a town providing a reasonably priced space for small businesses would be "socialism." Meanwhile Walmart crushes small businesses in the town center.

Post: #46

(08-02-2016 11:25 PM)Sp5 Wrote:  This story illustrates the fucked up nature of the US economy. Everything is a top-down cronyism and crushing of small entrepreneurs.

Why is it that you don't see spaces for small shopkeepers and individual brands in American malls? In a lot of places, there are malls full of small businesses selling their own things. In the USA, malls are full of huge global brands.

I know someone who owns a few mall shops and kiosk type outlets in a major tourist city. He tells me that the rent is absurdly high (think over 12k a month) just to maintain a business there. Not only that but there's a cap on how much you can make before the mall starts taking a cut of your profits. The mall business for these types of stores is based on volume.

This pretty much ensures that most small business owners will never be able to compete with larger chains or even be able to maintain a spot in a desirable commercial location.

This ensures that big global brands have a monopoly over retail space. Not only that but the big names will undercut to drive competitors out of business. They can operate at a loss for years until you go bankrupt if you have a competing product.

The only options for people who aren't wealthy to begin with are to open stores in strip malls and the like where the failure rate is much greater.

Post: #47

Walmart hurts its own business by selling complete shit products. Think about what you buy there. Clothes? Nope. Hardware? Nope. Electronics? Neither. I buy motor oil, milk, fruit etc. They lose out to TJ Max, Lowes, Best Buy because of the simple fact that their products suck. One day they will wake up to the fact pinching pennies is killing their profits more than growing them.