the lemur
Senior Member
That leaves quite a few things that probably aren't available at Wal-Mart and most likely never will be, because Wal-Mart is unable to stock it at the price it wants.
The real problem here is that their business model consists on using price leaders to bankrupt competing businesses while extracting money from the local economy at a massive scale - all the while using advertisement and economies of scale to convince people to settle for worse quality than market standards.
This store wouldn't exist in a vacuum, you have to see what is there right now and weigh the pros and cons of building this type of operation there. As things stand a very large amount of the money that is spent in Kensington Market, The Annex, etc. stays within the local economy. Just as importantly, businesses play on a fairly similar playing field, which means that pricing is for the most part very competitive, and the quality of products on offer determines the success or failure of any given establishment.
These businesses are themselves culturally relevant to the local population, and are more dynamic than any single large chain could dream of being. The degree of social mobility conferred by the current configuration of businesses is actually really high - as people can conquer one position and move to a higher one either in the same store or a variety of nearby stores. This employment flexibility usually means that businesses that treat their employees poorly can and do fail.
Walmart's business model is based on providing as little employment as possible, and paying each employee as little as possible. In other words, it's about obtaining the highest possible amount of money from a particular location and returning as little as possible. Even I probably buy some awful products on a regular basis when it comes to areas where my expertise is limited.
I believe the current configuration is more conducive to the long term social and economic well-being of the area.
It is so terribly naive to think that in a free market situation the little guy can come out on top simply by providing the better product. Large multinationals use every psychological trick conceivable to make sure that the actual quality and value of a product have as little influence on consumer choice as possible.
If I am buying Neilson milk, Old Dutch Ketchup chips, or Herbal Essence shampoo, why should I pay more at the corner variety store. If these little shops want to add value then they need to start selling a more customized better quality product that Wal-Mart does not stock because the masses cannot afford to buy it regularly, or Wal-Mart does not want to operate in that segment.
BTW Wal-Marts efficiency should make the Canadian economy more productive, reduce inflation, and help these small shops find better use of their resources.
What does this even mean? 'Extracting money from the local economy' is beyond vague. It's hard to really address this as a criticism since it is basically incoherent. Every business transaction involves one party extracting money from the purchaser. That's sort of the point.
And, again, regarding your comment that Walmart dupes consumers into worse quality goods, this is both wrong and irrelevant. Wrong in that Walmart sells essentially the same products as its competitor (if you buy a Coleman cooler it will be the same in Walmart as in a random hardware store). But more importantly irrelevant in that consumers are fully able to decide for themselves what kind of quality they want. It's like people who argue that Ikea furniture is 'low quality' by comparison to luxury furniture.
So, the better people among us should strive to pay as much as possible for everything we buy?People that reject Walmart are rejecting the consumerist notion that it's always better to be able to get more for less.
So, the better people among us should strive to pay as much as possible for everything we buy?
So, the better people among us should strive to pay as much as possible for everything we buy?
I am pretty sure that there is not a single person on this thread sufficiently informed to know the "true cost" of everything they will buy today.I think people should be aware of the true cost of everything we buy. By true cost, I don't just mean valuation by our current economic system.