Who here is tired of big business taking up space for small businesses?

L

Loyaltist Shinra

Banned
Anybody here remember the good days where you went to a store and saw the young couple working behind the counter or somebody open a store and had there own little thing.


I am just sick and tired of big bussiness moving in and taking up space
for smaller businesses.

My father owned a store and at the time the big store was Mcorries. eventually somebody from Mcorries would walk in and make offers on his store. Later my father did sell and they converted his store into a tools and Hardware section.

Then recently they have a bunch of pet stores here and there. Then the Petco nearby open up and started to steal bussiness from all of them. Like Petland discount is okay being a small store with many items but Petco has big big buildings where they could fit ten or even three petlands in.

Lastly I am getting tired of seeing Virgin MegaStore. I know Virgin is starting to be big but now they are building one right where there is this really nice comicbook/game store. Along with that everything you can find in Virgin Mega Store is basically around the area. I feel sorry for the people in the area.

The next worst thing is the Amazon book stores and the Starbucks. I am sick and tired of them sprouting up here and there.

MY advice is never shop from these palce no matter what deals they have.
 
When Mom & Pop gets me a better price on a product than a chain, then I'll agree.

So, I probably will never agree. At least until I start working again.
 
[quote name='CocheseUGA']When Mom & Pop gets me a better price on a product than a chain, then I'll agree.

So, I probably will never agree. At least until I start working again.[/quote]

For me, it's all about service.

I don't care how big or how small a place is, as long as I get quality service, and don't have to deal with any "ghetto-ness"

A pretty good documentary is "Walmart: The High Cost of Low Price"
I worked the overnight shift at wally-world for 1/2 a year, so I can vouch for the facts presented in that film.
 
Am I tired? Sure.

Can I do anything on my own? Not likely.

Do I do anything on my own? I try. I shop at WM 1-2 times per year, go to local groceries and farmer's markets (I'm lucky by proximity in that regard), try to buy from local hardware stores, pet stores, and whatnot.

Price is more than the number on the shelf. I look at where items are made, and if I have a choice in the matter (i.e., unlike shoes, where it seems every fucking shoe ever is made in Morocco, Indonesia, or somewhere else with sickening underpriced third-world sweatshop labor), I'll buy the item made in the USA. Even if it costs a bit more. Price is also the wage the employees get. Costco got a bunch of shit from shareholders years ago b/c dividends weren't good enough to satisfy their hunger. The shareholders protested, arguing that if Costco would pay less/offer fewer benefits to their employees, the shareholders would have greater dividends. The Costco execs balked and told the shareholders to shove it. I'd be much happier paying to shop at a Costco over Sam's Club or Wal-Mart. You should be to, because you're shaping the standard for you and everyone else by where you shop and what you buy. It's a shame that the nearest Costco is 45 minutes away.

Am I upset that the businesses exist? Nope. I'm more upset that people want to continue to shop for cheap pieces of undurable shit from Wal-Mart, and simultaneously decry how poorly big business treats workers.

It's like McDonald's. People who eat there eat shit. They eat Big Macs, fries, and Apple Pies. People protest about how McD's sells poor health to people - ultimately, though, offering all the apple slices in the world doesn't mean shit, because people are still buying Big Macs. What will we complain about when perpetual McDonald's eaters are still artery-clogged fat pigs, but McDonald's now sells apples and salads? At what point do we identify the culprits that perpetuate the problem - not only big business, but ourselves as well?
 
Boo hoo, hoo. That's the way of the world - unless you prefer a government controlled economy. Ask all your former soviet union commrades how they liked their monthly ration of toilet paper and stale bread back in the good old days when the only big business was mother russia's sickle on your throat and hammer up your ass.

Sorry but businesses come and go. Markets appear, change, and go away. God forbid we should be lamenting the day when all those horse breeders lost their jobs because of the automobile. I, for one, prefer the streets not to be covered in shit. And I like getting my plumbing supplies, my lumber, and a new gas grill at one convenient location. It saves gas and time that way.

Save the environment - shop at big business !
 
[quote name='Loyaltist Shinra']MY advice is never shop from these palce no matter what deals they have.[/quote]
:applause: You, sir, deserve a standing ovation.
 
[quote name='bmulligan']Boo hoo, hoo. That's the way of the world - unless you prefer a government controlled economy. Ask all your former soviet union commrades how they liked their monthly ration of toilet paper and stale bread back in the good old days when the only big business was mother russia's sickle on your throat and hammer up your ass.

Sorry but businesses come and go. Markets appear, change, and go away. God forbid we should be lamenting the day when all those horse breeders lost their jobs because of the automobile. I, for one, prefer the streets not to be covered in shit. And I like getting my plumbing supplies, my lumber, and a new gas grill at one convenient location. It saves gas and time that way.

Save the environment - shop at big business ![/QUOTE]

I see where you're coming from, but that's a horrible example. At least they got those rations back then, the oligarchs have everything now.
 
I try to never shop at box-chain stores, but admittedly, sometimes you have to in today's society. It's sad it leaves out variety and quality and replaces it with consistent mediocrity.

My hatred for chain restaurants has no bounds. I don't think there's a more obviously phony industry around today. The idea of Applebee's make me sick to my stomach. I'd rather eat at the dirtiest greasy spoon in America before I set foot in a Chilli's. They all promote the same prepackaged idea of what FUN is supposed to be, but offer nothing genuinely fun at all.

PS - I like how the same guys who were crying that a raise in the minimum wage would destroy small businesses are so willing (or in one case, THRILLED) to see them destroyed by large corporations.
 
[quote name='Brak']I'm tired of how irresponsible Big Business is.[/QUOTE]

As irresponsible as big business can be (see: CEO salaries), I'm much, much more tired of the constant whining of people about said big business while at the same time shopping at said big business' stores.
 
It's been since taken off Google Video, but there was a great thing done by Penn and Teller for their Bullshit show: Wal-Mart Hatred Is Bullshit. While they are libertarians, they make a very compelling argument for how big business works, why it's successful, and how, for the mother of all shocking things shocking, big business and small business support one another. It may still be up on Youtube under a different name.
 
[quote name='bmulligan']Boo hoo, hoo. That's the way of the world - unless you prefer a government controlled economy. Ask all your former soviet union commrades how they liked their monthly ration of toilet paper and stale bread back in the good old days when the only big business was mother russia's sickle on your throat and hammer up your ass.

Sorry but businesses come and go. Markets appear, change, and go away. God forbid we should be lamenting the day when all those horse breeders lost their jobs because of the automobile. I, for one, prefer the streets not to be covered in shit. And I like getting my plumbing supplies, my lumber, and a new gas grill at one convenient location. It saves gas and time that way.

Save the environment - shop at big business ![/quote]

I must have missed the part where the OP went from expressing distaste for big business to quoting Lenin.
 
[quote name='camoor']I must have missed the part where the OP went from expressing distaste for big business to quoting Lenin.[/QUOTE]

Business is business, big or small. I'm sure the OP really has a problem with the capitalist system in general, even if he/she is afraid to admit it to himself/herself.

No one forces people to take jobs in "big business" and no one forces you to buy their products. They are choices made by the free market that create these phenomena, and no lamenting about how unfair they are is going to change the way b usiness works, save more government takeover of the economy. Which, I'm sure the OP would agree with in order to make things "fair" instead of "free."

Alluding to Lenin, or Marx, is just a natural progression from the OP's misappropriated sentiments about freedom.
 
[quote name='Illini Jeeper']It's been since taken off Google Video, but there was a great thing done by Penn and Teller for their Bullshit show: Wal-Mart Hatred Is Bullshit. While they are libertarians, they make a very compelling argument for how big business works, why it's successful, and how, for the mother of all shocking things shocking, big business and small business support one another. It may still be up on Youtube under a different name.[/QUOTE]

They also said smoking wasn't that bad for you. You gotta take what they say with a grain of salt, and since they aren't journalists, but 'commentators' at best, they aren't beholden to the same rules of journalistic ethics. They don't print retractions.
 
[quote name='Cheese']They also said smoking wasn't that bad for you. You gotta take what they say with a grain of salt, and since they aren't journalists, but 'commentators' at best, they aren't beholden to the same rules of journalistic ethics. They don't print retractions.[/QUOTE]

Teller has never spoken a lie! Take that back!
 
[quote name='Cheese']They also said smoking wasn't that bad for you. You gotta take what they say with a grain of salt, and since they aren't journalists, but 'commentators' at best, they aren't beholden to the same rules of journalistic ethics. They don't print retractions.[/QUOTE]


I find the term "journalistic ethics" incredulous at best. Only used by two types: the naive who promote it, and the deceitful who hide behind it.


You people act like "big business" exists in a vacuum. It doesn't. It creates jobs, from the architects who design the building, to construction workers who build it, to maintenence who pave it, plow it, paint it, wire it, stock it, supply it, police it, protect it, serve it, and service it. It creates far more jobs than it displaces. Most of you who believe differently have no idea and no experience in running a business in the first place, so your opinions about business' carry little weight.
 
Big businees is great for the reasons listed by bmulligan, it creates so many more opportunities for a greater amount of people than a mom & pop that's going to be hard to get into if you're outside of the family. I have no problem shopping at "big businesses" because they are always competing, resulting in lower prices for me.

On the other hand, I think working for a "big business" sucks mainly because of the same reasons. You're easily replaced, resulting in lesser care about employee needs because there's always someone else out there that'll work for what the next man doesn't want to work for.
 
[quote name='bmulligan']I find the term "journalistic ethics" incredulous at best. Only used by two types: the naive who promote it, and the deceitful who hide behind it.[/quote]

And I find people who believe that journalists are incapable of having ethics to be misinformed saps who have been duped into believing the press is out to get them. Imagine that.

I wonder, if you don't trust the press, who do you trust about events in the world around you? The blogopshere, whose track record on accuracy is sketchy at best? Gov't reports, that the ex-Surgeon General just lambasted for being anti-science and politically driven? Political commentators, who openly admit they aren't to be held to the same journalistic standards as 'the news'?

Are there unethical journalists? Sure, just like there are crooked cops, but one has to believe they are few and far between.

You people act like "big business" exists in a vacuum. It doesn't. It creates jobs, from the architects who design the building, to construction workers who build it, to maintenence who pave it, plow it, paint it, wire it, stock it, supply it, police it, protect it, serve it, and service it. It creates far more jobs than it displaces. Most of you who believe differently have no idea and no experience in running a business in the first place, so your opinions about business' carry little weight.
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Many of those jobs are temporary (and redundant; wouldn't the same guys who police it also protect it? The ones who service it also pave, wire, run maintenance on it?). I think it depends on the area it moves into as to whether it creates more jobs then it displaces. I've seen entire small towns destroyed by the addition of a big box retailer, almost creating a fiefdom of citizens completely relying on the store. There's a story about a town in Canada that was pretty small, a lot of locally owned family businesses. In came Walmart that put many out of business because they couldn't compete with the prices Walmart can get. So the town becomes more and more dependent on the one store. Soon enough some of the employees get sick of being treated as livestock and form a union. Walmart, who has a long reputation of union busting, pulls up stakes and leaves the town rather then deal with the idea of a union. The town was decimated.

PS - I've run my own incredibly small business for years. Not that I hold any degrees in it, but I have a more then basic understanding of it.
 
Which towns have you personally seen? The stories you've heard were no doubt told to you from the point of view of the "exploited". I'm sorry, that kind of pseudo-evidence isn't even as palpable as the ethernet it traveled through to get to my screen.

Walmart isn't the best thing since sliced bread, but it isn't the devil as so many capitalist haters make it out to be - especially the unions, who suck off the capitalist teet and curse the cow that gives them milk. The workers could have quit on their own instead of forming a union if they were treated so badly. Such is the definition of freedom- you have the freedom to quit and go somewhere else. Hardship though it may be, you are not forced to provide labor for another person.

Either way, walmart picking up stakes leaves plenty of opportunity for mom and pop to reopen another business, doesn't it ?

You know, for most people who would never consider themselves conservative, your type of people sure are afraid of change and would rather see the status quo remain at all costs. Give me a job, security, and a guarantee that it will last forever. If that's not the definition of conservative, I don't know what else is.
 
[quote name='elprincipe']As irresponsible as big business can be (see: CEO salaries), I'm much, much more tired of the constant whining of people about said big business while at the same time shopping at said big business' stores.[/QUOTE]
Yeah; 'cos, you know, that's the bigger issue at hand.
 
If Walmart is so friggin great, then they shouldn't have anything to hide... right?

RIGHT?!?!

http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/local_story_148015054

so anyways, when i worked at walmart, they pulled us into this meeting one random night with some heads from corporate and told us to never talk to union reps. "they advised" that if there was ever an issue, as a group, we could all apporach the store manager without repercussion. since i was the only non "lifer" there, i had the balls to speak up and say "well, the entire night shift IS here RIGHT NOW, and WE all agree that a 50 cent raise is long overdue."

I stood up, looked at my co-workers, and asked "does anyone disagree?" Nobody said a peep.

Turning back to the store manager and corporate heads, i said "and if you guys say NO, what's going to keep us from seeking out a union rep?"

does anyone know what happened next?
 
[quote name='Brak']Yeah; 'cos, you know, that's the bigger issue at hand.[/QUOTE]

Go ahead and explain to me why we have ~1 billion posts on this site alone about people being fed up with GameStop or Wal-Mart or some other store, yet they still go and shop there. If you are so upset over these companies' business practices, don't give them your money. Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Target, chain restaurants, etc. are not monopolies. If people don't want to patronize them, great, don't do so. But it's a little disingenuous, don't you think, to complain and complain and complain while at the same time going there because of "low prices"? I think that is the issue: people whining but taking no action. Must not be so bad since they do nothing except bitch.
 
[quote name='elprincipe']Go ahead and explain to me why we have ~1 billion posts on this site alone about people being fed up with GameStop or Wal-Mart or some other store, yet they still go and shop there. If you are so upset over these companies' business practices, don't give them your money. Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Target, chain restaurants, etc. are not monopolies. If people don't want to patronize them, great, don't do so. But it's a little disingenuous, don't you think, to complain and complain and complain while at the same time going there because of "low prices"? I think that is the issue: people whining but taking no action. Must not be so bad since they do nothing except bitch.[/QUOTE]
I dunno.

"Big Business" is designed so, in the end, they're the only option (within reason) for the consumer, by pushing out "little business", and so on.
 
[quote name='Brak']I dunno.

"Big Business" is designed so, in the end, they're the only option (within reason) for the consumer, by pushing out "little business", and so on.[/QUOTE]

What big business are you referring to? Surely not Wal-Mart or other "big box" retailers if you say you have no "reasonable" choice. Especially on a site like this, I'm tired of people who like the prices but can't stomach where the prices come from. It's like people who can't stand the thought that animals are killed so we can eat meat yet enjoy steak.
 
[quote name='elprincipe']What big business are you referring to? Surely not Wal-Mart or other "big box" retailers if you say you have no "reasonable" choice. Especially on a site like this, I'm tired of people who like the prices but can't stomach where the prices come from. It's like people who can't stand the thought that animals are killed so we can eat meat yet enjoy steak.[/QUOTE]

Don't complain about these people too much - we need them. They are the sheep that have no initiative to start their own business and are lifelong consumers of other people's goods. All the solace they have in life is that the world is keeping them down and screwing them, preventing them from success. It could never be their own fault.

You don't like Walmart? Make your own goddamn shirts. It's not that hard.
 
[quote name='bmulligan']They are the sheep that have no initiative to start their own business and are lifelong consumers of other people's goods.[/QUOTE]

Not all.

etail giant Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) has been the target of frequent criticism for underpaying its employees and providing inadequate health coverage. Wal-Mart has been compared unfavorably to other retailers that are considered more employee-friendly -- retailers like Costco (Nasdaq: COST). But Costco has its own critics -- critics who contend that the company is overpaying its employees and undervaluing its shareholders. I recently had an opportunity to talk with Costco co-founder and CEO Jim Sinegal about this criticism and about the business of Costco.
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http://www.fool.com/ahead-of-the-curve/2006/ahead-of-the-curve-06112201.htm

OMG they pay their employees an average of $17/hour! Why do they hate freedom?!?!?!?!
 
[quote name='mykevermin']Not all.
http://www.fool.com/ahead-of-the-curve/2006/ahead-of-the-curve-06112201.htm
[/QUOTE]

No, not ALL. just 99.99% of them. After all, there are no absolutes. Right, myke ?


I love the business, pure and simple. It is never drudgery to come to work. I love the business. I don't know what I would do with myself if I couldn't go in and visit the warehouses. It is incredibly exciting and I love the people aspects of it, both from the standpoint of the people that I work with as well as our customers and our suppliers and I just love every bit of the job.
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How many people of that 99.99% do you think have ever said anything resembling the above statement? I'm not sure what you meant by the hate freedom comment. Are you championing Costco and it's capitalist exploitation of workers to squeeze profit as better than Walmart's? That's a strange position for you to take, myke.
 
[quote name='bmulligan']I'm not sure what you meant by the hate freedom comment. Are you championing Costco and it's capitalist exploitation of workers to squeeze profit as better than Walmart's? That's a strange position for you to take, myke.[/QUOTE]

All this time and you *still* try to red-bait me? I can't believe I even take you seriously sometimes.
 
[quote name='elprincipe']Go ahead and explain to me why we have ~1 billion posts on this site alone about people being fed up with GameStop or Wal-Mart or some other store, yet they still go and shop there. If you are so upset over these companies' business practices, don't give them your money. Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Target, chain restaurants, etc. are not monopolies. If people don't want to patronize them, great, don't do so. But it's a little disingenuous, don't you think, to complain and complain and complain while at the same time going there because of "low prices"? I think that is the issue: people whining but taking no action. Must not be so bad since they do nothing except bitch.[/quote]

This arguement is going to be filed right next to "If you don't like George Bush, just leave the country!"
 
[quote name='CocheseUGA']Costco has the lowest turnover rate of any major business in the country, IIRC.[/QUOTE]

Jim Sinegal: Well, first of all, we have a very low turnover in our company. Our turnover is something in the 20% range, and that is including a lot of seasonal hires that we have both in the summer and at Christmas. After employees have been with us for more than a year, that turnover rate goes below 6%, so we take great pride in the fact that people join us and they stay with us. Our attitude has always been that if you hire good people and provide good wages and good jobs and more than that -- if you provide careers -- that good things will happen to your company. I think we can say that that has been proved by the quality of people that we have and how they have built our organization.
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From the article I posted above. I don't know that it's true, since it's coming from an executive/founder. At $17/hour average, though, it's very unsurprising that they would have substantially lower turnover.
 
[quote name='mykevermin']From the article I posted above. I don't know that it's true, since it's coming from an executive/founder. At $17/hour average, though, it's very unsurprising that they would have substantially lower turnover.[/QUOTE]

I heard that from Clark Howard, so I assumed it was accurate.
 
[quote name='RAMSTORIA']never knew that about costco, good for them. im gonna get a costco card.[/QUOTE]

If I may throw in my $0.02 I would recommend you do. Costco has some great prices on certain items (be careful though; not all items), and more importantly they have a fabulous return policy that doesn't treat customers wanting to return/exchange something as suspected criminals (hello Best Buy and Target!).
 
Sorry, out of town for a few days…

Which towns have you personally seen?
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Outside of Roanoke, VA. Where my uncle lived. Walmart came in and shut down half of the main drag. The toy store, record store and the hardware store all went belly up.

The stories you've heard were no doubt told to you from the point of view of the "exploited". I'm sorry, that kind of pseudo-evidence isn't even as palpable as the ethernet it traveled through to get to my screen.
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Granted, I haven’t heard Walmart’s side of the story.

10 minutes later…

OK, I just read up on Walmart’s reasoning. They claim, contrary to accounts, that the store was struggling financially. No one bought that, the coincidence that the only unionized shop shut down just weeks after it went union is more then a little hard to swallow, even for Business Week magazine where I read the article, not a bastion of liberal thinking.

Walmart isn't the best thing since sliced bread, but it isn't the devil as so many capitalist haters make it out to be - especially the unions, who suck off the capitalist teet and curse the cow that gives them milk. The workers could have quit on their own instead of forming a union if they were treated so badly. Such is the definition of freedom- you have the freedom to quit and go somewhere else. Hardship though it may be, you are not forced to provide labor for another person.
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What other places? Many of the other businesses in the town went out of business. (with the exception of the local smelting plant, not the place for retail cashiers) All they wanted was a few full time jobs instead of Walmart’s employing mostly part time people so they don’t have to provide benefits. Shit, it’s Canada, they already have universal healthcare, they weren’t even going to ask for much in the way of benefits.

Either way, walmart picking up stakes leaves plenty of opportunity for mom and pop to reopen another business, doesn't it?
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Not after they all lost their shirts trying to stay open when competing against them.

You know, for most people who would never consider themselves conservative, your type of people sure are afraid of change and would rather see the status quo remain at all costs. Give me a job, security, and a guarantee that it will last forever. If that's not the definition of conservative, I don't know what else is.
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So that makes you a liberal?

It is not conservative to want the largest retailer in the country to treat it’s employees with a modicum of respect. While their corporate profits soar it seems reasonable that when a business does well it should do well for everyone, either through straight up raises, bonuses or some sort of profit sharing.
 
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