Wal-Mart not sole focus of meeting

I live very close to a WalMart,I don't and won't shop there.I despise buying products from China.And it is getting harder every day to get American made products,may be if more people would check where there products are made,and make a conscious effort to buy American made,we could put some of the friends/family back to work in industries in the U.S.A.

You can bet that WalMart will have some effect on the down town area.

FastFred wrote:

You can bet that WalMart will have some effect on the down town area.

I agree--people will fast realize how the 'good old boys' who own the Ma and Pa downtown stores have been ripping them off all these years and start buying from Walmart. Do me a favor and just compare the price of any item that Walmart carries that is the same brand carried by a local Fairhope store of your choice and then come back and tell me that you are willing to pay the difference because you are such a great guy. I do this all of the time in Foley between Piggly-Wiggly, Winn-Dixie and Publix (Orange Beach) and what these stores charge for the same items should be against the law--and these aren't even Ma and Pa stores.

Imangttia wrote:

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I agree--people will fast realize how the 'good old boys' who own the Ma and Pa downtown stores have been ripping them off all these years and start buying from Walmart. Do me a favor and just compare the price of any item that Walmart carries that is the same brand carried by a local Fairhope store of your choice and then come back and tell me that you are willing to pay the difference because you are such a great guy. I do this all of the time in Foley between Piggly-Wiggly, Winn-Dixie and Publix (Orange Beach) and what these stores charge for the same items should be against the law--and these aren't even Ma and Pa stores.

I travel to Gulf Shores Publix,and the Piggly Wiggly in Foley.I travel to Robertsdale to buy all meat and produce,and yes some items I pay a little more for,I will go a long way to buy local or made in the U.S.A.,in fact I will do with out in some cases rather than buy products not made here.I have been doing this for many yrs.And my biggest thing is to buy from Southern Companies.And you can take it from me,I practice what I preach,All because I am a great Guy !!

"And you can take it from me,I practice what I preach,All because I am a great Guy !!"

See, when you are retired with employer paid health insurance, you can afford to be a Great Guy!! When you are unemployed, under-employed or retired and have to pay for your own health insurance like many people down here and elsewhere, you just might not have the luxury of paying more for anything that you can buy for less.

Wal Mart is able to get their items cheaper because they in much larger quantities than the Ma and Pa stores so they can set their prices lower. It's not a case of Ma and Pa ripping anyone off in most cases. Unit costs go way down when you order hundreds of thousands of something as opposed to ma and pa only ordering 100.

On another note, I've recently begun shopping the Dollar General stores and have found them to be cheaper on things I buy regularly that at the almight Wal-Mart. I've also found gallons of milt to be cheaper at some gas stations. Same brand, size, exp. date, but cheaper.

Steady wrote:

Wal Mart is able to get their items cheaper because they in much larger quantities than the Ma and Pa stores so they can set their prices lower. It's not a case of Ma and Pa ripping anyone off in most cases. Unit costs go way down when you order hundreds of thousands of something as opposed to ma and pa only ordering 100.
On another note, I've recently begun shopping the Dollar General stores and have found them to be cheaper on things I buy regularly that at the almight Wal-Mart. I've also found gallons of milt to be cheaper at some gas stations. Same brand, size, exp. date, but cheaper.

Yes, most of us know why WalMart can sell for less but, it is also true that in the beginning, little WalMart decided to take less profit on each item inorder to build up thier clientle. It paid off for them and now all of us have the opportunity to take advantage of their buying power. I lived in a small town for a long time that was miles away from the big shopping centers. Most people in town were unwilling to travel 30 miles to the nearest big shopping malls to get superior products at lower prices so the Ma and Pa stores hung in until my little town became bigger and the Big Boys moved in. Within a very few years, all of the Ma and Pa stores closed. This is the type of competition that makes America great. Either shape-up or ship-out. Most people are not in the position to support a descendent of a land-grant ancestor whose family virtually owned some of these small towns since the Revolution when another alternative is possible.