TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: Re: What Wal-Mart Knows About Customers' Habits


Re: What Wal-Mart Knows About Customers' Habits


Steve Sobol (sjsobol@JustThe.net)
Sat, 20 Nov 2004 16:59:26 -0800

Tony P. wrote:

>> I was surprised that Walmart would put a store in Napa, since there
>> was already one in American Canyon, 14 miles away. Since then, they
>> have applied for a move of the American Canyon store to a larger
>> position 3 miles closer to Napa.

We have a Walmart in Victorville, and a Walmart in neighboring Apple
Valley. As long as there's enough population to support both, the
company doesn't have any issues with distance.

>> Other stores can stay in business, but only in little tiny niches. No
>> one can compete with Walmart. A new move by Walmart will leave
>> merchandise in the inventory of the supplier until it is sold. $60
>> billion will disappear from Walmart books. This would really be "just
>> in time". It would never belong to Walmart. It would be sold
>> directly from the distributor to the consumer at the Walmart checkout.

> So they're acting as a consignment vendor. How interesting.

I don't think that's a bad idea, actually. People ARE going to walk
into a Walmart and buy stuff. I wouldn't mind putting my stuff there
on consignment, although I'd probably prefer to sell it to them
directly and let them sell it out of their inventory.

> Distance has nothing to do with location of stores period. In Boston
> there are two CVS stores directly across the street from each other.
> Granted, it's a busy street and the reasoning is that people don't have
> to cross the street to get to CVS.

Most of these situations like this one, and like the streetcorner in
suburban Saint Louis with one Shell station on one corner and another
Shell station on another at the same intersection (seen that in
Cleveland too, near where I grew up, until Ashland Oil finally bought
the land, tore down the Shell and put a SuperAmerica there), are
probably caused by mergers and acquisitions.

> Cox Communications tends to be generous with the communities they
> serve. But they have no choice -- they are a protected monopoly to
> some degree.

> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Is Cox Communications the same thing
> as Cox Cable?

Cox cable operations are owned by Cox Communications. It's the same company.

JustThe.net Internet & New Media Services, http://JustThe.net/
Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge / 888.480.4NET (4638) / sjsobol@JustThe.net
PGP Key available from your friendly local key server (0xE3AE35ED)
Apple Valley, California Nothing scares me anymore. I have three kids.

[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Here is another question for anyone who
wishes to answer: The merchandise I bought from Walmart (or from a
vender of Walmart is faulty, or injures me or makes me sick, etc.) I
am advised to file suit. Do I sue Walmart or do I sue the vender or
both of them? I know Walmart does not go out of their way now to
do any customer service they can avoid. Earlier this year I went to
Walmart to get something, and used my debit card to pay for it. When
I got home I checked the computer and there were *three* identical
charges instead of only one. I called and went back to Walmart, all
they would say is 'not our problem, we did not swipe you three times,
we only swiped you once. The problem got corrected in a couple days,
but Walmart never admitted to any part of it. PAT]

Post Followup Article Use your browser's quoting feature to quote article into reply
Go to Next message: Thomas A. Horsley: "Re: Sears and K-Mart"
Go to Previous message: Dave VanHorn: "Re: What Wal-Mart Knows About Customers' Habits"
May be in reply to: Monty Solomon: "What Wal-Mart Knows About Customers' Habits"
Next in thread: Robert Bonomi: "Re: What Wal-Mart Knows About Customers' Habits"
TELECOM Digest: Home Page