Shopping Discussion

Wal-Mart to expand Canadian supercentres

  • Last Updated:
  • Mar 13th, 2010 3:21 pm
Tags:
Deal Addict
Jan 10, 2009
2596 posts
1987 upvotes
Boom and Bust Calgar…
oldsnail wrote: i noticed all these little towns have wallmart super centers.

i am from victoria, and we have 2 walmarts.. there is a little town called 1hr north called duncan with a super center here.

i was in alberta last month and stopped in a little town called OLDS, AB.. and all i can see is a supercenter there . and a Boston pizza.
Cheap land.
Deal Addict
Apr 24, 2007
2712 posts
1058 upvotes
Wal-Mart is a blight. There's a reason why they are the most sued corporation in the world.

Also, their profit IS in the billions (11 billion in 2007). Sure, it's a low margin considering their sales were 351 billion, but do you really think they'll keep their prices low if they knock of the competition?

It's great to save money on the items you buy, but sometimes the true cost of the good isn't just printed on the pricetag.
Deal Addict
User avatar
Nov 5, 2005
3172 posts
142 upvotes
Mississauga
caltran wrote: LD and Walmart sell different brands. This is critical. Walmart carries a lot of stuff, but barely any variety within a category. Also, LDs sale prices often beat WM's regular prices by a fair margin.

The only things I buy at WM are shampoos, soaps, milk, canned soups, light bulbs, pop, candy, baby clothes (but everything past one year there is junk)... Their toy selection is abysmal, their food selection is terrible, their clothes are awful, their baby stuff prices are nothing to write home about.
Totally agree... the only clothing I pick up from there is just underwear and socks and the occasional sleep/walk-around at home wear. Shoes and such I would rather buy brand names like Nike, Reebok, etc which they don't carry. Jackets and clothing I buy elsewhere where I can find sales. I would never buy electronics there because their selection is pure crap and too low end for most. Even my PS3 and Wii consoles and games I got at the other stores because I would of saved a whopping $0.05 cents anyhow - went to Bestbuy and EB Games. Last time I went there to look for some sporting equipment at the Heartland Super Center, I couldn't find anything I was looking for - went to National Sports. Christmas trees looked cheap and disgusting... ornaments and decorations were horrid - went to Canadian Tire. Like the above poster stated, only the small things I drop by to pick up and if you're patient, you can find them cheaper when they go on sale.
Sr. Member
Feb 22, 2006
811 posts
509 upvotes
number8888 wrote: +1

I rather people work and contribute back to society than instead of leeching off welfare.
And I'd rather live on welfare before I support Walmart in any form. Again, watch the documentary on Walmart and the Walton's and you "may" see why I don't shop there.
Deal Addict
User avatar
Oct 15, 2007
4763 posts
2462 upvotes
blakjak wrote: These same people you mentioned would not drop welfare even if they got a job that payed them more than welfare does, so this really is not a factor. There are always plenty of fulltime minimum wage+ jobs out there, but welfare is much more convenient than actually working. This is nothing new and it makes no difference if you're talking about Walmart or any other company.
how do people stay on welfare for so long?

isnt the max time like a year or something?
Everything has been said before, but since nobody listens we have to keep going back and beginning all over again. - Andre Gide
Banned
Mar 4, 2009
4833 posts
277 upvotes
Toronto
jrees wrote: Also, their profit IS in the billions (11 billion in 2007). Sure, it's a low margin considering their sales were 351 billion, but do you really think they'll keep their prices low if they knock of the competition?
Yes, or else new competitors will enter the market and steal market share.

Wal-Mart competes on price and that will continue into the foreseeable future.
Deal Addict
User avatar
Feb 14, 2007
2573 posts
1947 upvotes
Nova Scotia
weales wrote: And I'd rather live on welfare before I support Walmart in any form. Again, watch the documentary on Walmart and the Walton's and you "may" see why I don't shop there.
I haven't watched the documentary. Is it strictly one sided with carefully placed music and images that paints walmart as evil?
Deal Fanatic
User avatar
Dec 3, 2009
6029 posts
1391 upvotes
Toronto
Red_Army wrote: how do people stay on welfare for so long?

isnt the max time like a year or something?
I dont know the time and how much you get from welfare, but I heard in the US its 6 months. There are some people that milk the whole 6 months then get a job, quit that job after 6 months to be entitled again and repeat.
Deal Addict
Oct 29, 2004
1478 posts
521 upvotes
GTA
No Frills wrote: I dont know the time and how much you get from welfare, but I heard in the US its 6 months. There are some people that milk the whole 6 months then get a job, quit that job after 6 months to be entitled again and repeat.
That's not welfare, it's EI. Think of welfare as 'permanent EI'.
Deal Fanatic
User avatar
Dec 3, 2009
6029 posts
1391 upvotes
Toronto
slim_shady wrote: That's not welfare, it's EI. Think of welfare as 'permanent EI'.
Do you know the welfare part then?
Deal Addict
User avatar
Jul 29, 2006
1543 posts
301 upvotes
sunnybono wrote: How much do you think someone making minimum wage will contribute to society???
More so than people that live off welfare. People who make minimum wage pay income tax as well as pay their own bills.

People that live off welfare don't pay their bills and when they do it by choice, their choice is to be lazy and live off others.
Feel the wraith of the Old English Sheepdog.
Deal Fanatic
Jun 22, 2004
6461 posts
213 upvotes
I think we need more Wal-Marts in Metro Vancouver. The supercentre on Granview hwy is a dump and doesnt even have a tire or automotive centre. The other location is in Surrey. There's empty land still vacant on Marine Drive and so many Wal-Mart and Big Box haters object to opening any store there, which is odd since they're ok with shoppng at the RCSS on Marine Drive which also is a dump and rats can on occasion be seen running across the floor.

Many RCSS locations dont even show Wal-Mart's flyers at their entrance. You have to bring the flyer and then go to Customer service to do a PM. Even so, I'm finding stock on hand at RCSS very poor with popular items, especially those PMed with other stores OOS. It's like RCSS deliberately will not sell the item at the reduced price if they can help it and keep stock hidden until the competitor's sale is over.
Newbie
User avatar
Mar 4, 2010
25 posts
14 upvotes
Edmonton AB
I hope they do something with the Capilano WalMart here in Edmonton, that place is truly pathetic...R U LISTENING WALMART?!
Deal Fanatic
User avatar
Oct 7, 2007
7282 posts
1820 upvotes
Mississauga, ON
sunnybono wrote: How much do you think someone making minimum wage will contribute to society???
Simple. They contribute by NOT being a burden to the rest of society.
There's a sucker born every minute.
Deal Fanatic
User avatar
Nov 13, 2005
5897 posts
301 upvotes
GTA
cliffclaven wrote: I haven't watched the documentary. Is it strictly one sided with carefully placed music and images that paints walmart as evil?
It was a pretty even sided documentary, however, in this case the Negative impact outweighed the positive impact that WM may have in society. Try finding it and you'll be shocked as to what really goes on at WM.
Deal Fanatic
User avatar
Nov 13, 2005
5897 posts
301 upvotes
GTA
sheepdogexpress wrote: More so than people that live off welfare. People who make minimum wage pay income tax as well as pay their own bills.

People that live off welfare don't pay their bills and when they do it by choice, their choice is to be lazy and live off others.
number8888 wrote: Simple. They contribute by NOT being a burden to the rest of society.
Seriously folkes, someone making minimum wage, how much do you really think they are contributing to society. They're barely paying any taxes and they are pratically in the same position as someone on welfare in which they can't afford to pay their bills.

Secondly, WM will not give most of its employees FT jobs and the sole reason is that they do not want them to be entitled to have any benefits!!!!

The only people that benefit are the shareholders.
Sr. Member
Nov 15, 2006
900 posts
31 upvotes
Toronto
See now -- this is the problem. And I blame when they started raising minimum wage. Now that it'll soon be $10.50 an hour (at least in Ontario), you have people who are satisfied with "living" off their minimum wage job (whether it be Walmart or Tim Hortons or whatever). Minimum wage jobs were NEVER meant to be permanent and a family's sole source of income. Minimum wage jobs were for teenagers to earn some spending money/cash towards tuition or college students to get a bit of cash for beer money or for older people who don't have families to feed and just want to get out there and do something or need a bit of cash to make due.

When I started in the workforce 15 years ago, my wage was $5.85 an hour. Minimum for students was $5.60 but I worked my butt off for my first three months to get that extra quarter an hour. Pizza Hut wasn't really known for their generous wages, but it helped me pay for my two years of York and to have some cash. My first job that I earned $10 an hour was 2005 (minimum wage was $7.50ish) I had to deal with the worst people -- hockey parents -- to get that kind of cash. It was a hard, soul crushing job taking their crap listening to them imply that it was our fault their 16 year old kid who had never laced up skates before wasn't likely to be the next Crosby, but I didn't have to feed anyone for that money (except for me).

Instead of all the minimum wage increases (which has only led to hours being slashed and prices increasing out of the range of people earning minimum wage -- is that irony?) there should have been training offered to get people OUT of minimum wage jobs instead of encouraging them to live on them.

There are a lot of people who work very hard to earn their $10 an hour. There are also a lot who equally deserve to earn minimum wage, whatever that amount is. They're the ones who stand there, talking on the phone or to their coworkers, completely ignoring you and your requests. Frankly I don't see them working any harder now that they get $10 an hour over when the minimum was $6 and they wouldn't work any harder if they were given $15 an hour.

Finally -- my favourite Chris Rock quote. Minimum wage jobs are your boss's way of saying "I would pay you less money if the law didn't say that it was against the law to do so". That should not be anyone's "end game".
Deal Fanatic
User avatar
Nov 13, 2005
5897 posts
301 upvotes
GTA
scagneti wrote: See now -- this is the problem. And I blame when they started raising minimum wage. Now that it'll soon be $10.50 an hour (at least in Ontario), you have people who are satisfied with "living" off their minimum wage job (whether it be Walmart or Tim Hortons or whatever). Minimum wage jobs were NEVER meant to be permanent and a family's sole source of income. Minimum wage jobs were for teenagers to earn some spending money/cash towards tuition or college students to get a bit of cash for beer money or for older people who don't have families to feed and just want to get out there and do something or need a bit of cash to make due.

When I started in the workforce 15 years ago, my wage was $5.85 an hour. Minimum for students was $5.60 but I worked my butt off for my first three months to get that extra quarter an hour. Pizza Hut wasn't really known for their generous wages, but it helped me pay for my two years of York and to have some cash. My first job that I earned $10 an hour was 2005 (minimum wage was $7.50ish) I had to deal with the worst people -- hockey parents -- to get that kind of cash. It was a hard, soul crushing job taking their crap listening to them imply that it was our fault their 16 year old kid who had never laced up skates before wasn't likely to be the next Crosby, but I didn't have to feed anyone for that money (except for me).

Instead of all the minimum wage increases (which has only led to hours being slashed and prices increasing out of the range of people earning minimum wage -- is that irony?) there should have been training offered to get people OUT of minimum wage jobs instead of encouraging them to live on them.

There are a lot of people who work very hard to earn their $10 an hour. There are also a lot who equally deserve to earn minimum wage, whatever that amount is. They're the ones who stand there, talking on the phone or to their coworkers, completely ignoring you and your requests. Frankly I don't see them working any harder now that they get $10 an hour over when the minimum was $6 and they wouldn't work any harder if they were given $15 an hour.

Finally -- my favourite Chris Rock quote. Minimum wage jobs are your boss's way of saying "I would pay you less money if the law didn't say that it was against the law to do so". That should not be anyone's "end game".
You've made some valid points Scagneti, however, unfortunately, in some parts of the states, WM is all that people have, wrt to employment opportunities. WM has been very successful in choking the life out of a lot of stores that they have become the largest employer and at the same time take advantage of their employees!!!

sk

Top

Thread Information

There is currently 1 user viewing this thread. (0 members and 1 guest)