# Walmarts Got Some Great Prices on Plumbing Supplies



## Mike Finley (Apr 28, 2004)

ARI001 said:


> The difference is that you seem to believe that standard business negotiations for product discounts is unethical behavior and only done by evil Walmart like organizations and terrorist supporters.


Hey mr Alzheimer's, if you can't remember what was posted a few pages ago stop replying with assine replies.

Standard business negotiations were never the issue. 

There is no controversy with Walmart over standard business negotiations.

Now either go back anjd re-read what the subject is which is you defending Walmarts predatory business practices and the things that have resulted in them being sued left and right and making the news and given them a reputation for being a notorious unethical business partner to their suppliers, which has been the subject here or start replying to somebody else.


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## ARI001 (Jun 16, 2009)

Hey Donkey my original post:



> The way I understand it is they negotiate a lower price contract with the manufacturer based on volume purchases for set time periods. Similar to how the government works with private supply companies. This allows them to sell said products for slightly less or the same as other outlets. The also like HD, Lowes, Petsmart, etc. will come into an area and sell items at or below cost for awhile to try and drive out or shut down smaller local suppliers.
> 
> I don't believe a large product maufactures like fluidmaster, sony, dell, mobil one, etc. are going to risk damaging their reputations by producing inferior products just to be able to sell them at Walmart. It just doesn't make sense to operate that way.


The rest of the information quoted was not in defense of or against Walmart. As I said several times it was from unbiased information. It was neither meant to defend or vilify Walmart. What don't you get about that? You keep traveling in circles with this. I guess now it is back to me and my company running like Walmart and supporting terrorists. You are a rock headed sob you know that? My original point was I did not believe larger manufactures would produce an inferior product just to be able to sell them at Walmart. I still don't believe that they do. Does Walmart maybe bully smaller companies I have said they may do so. Did they flip the supply chain? I said; yes they did and are credited with doing so. Did I say I credit them with doing so: no. Did I say all the suits against them where frivilous? No. I said that many suits brought against them where, not all, and I'm not justifying any bad behavior on thier part. 

You have already implied you use the volume purchasing for discount method, so what exactly is the problem here? We have addressed that all stores and manufactures may have low quality items for sale regardless of the outlet. So what is your point with regards to product quality? Do you still want to keep running around in circles with all this? Can you quote me one time where I said I believe Walmart is a great store and we should all be like Walmart? No. All you can quote is what I regurgitated from unbiased information with regards to Walmart. You are just being a donkey to be a donkey at this point. Whats next, are you going to challenge me to a fight because I won't kiss your ass and bow down to you?

Coincidentally when you give a material price to the government they expect you to honor it even if it's a five year old price and the materials have quadrupled in cost. I wonder who Walmart is learning from and basing their practices on?


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## Mike Finley (Apr 28, 2004)

> The way I understand it is they negotiate a lower price contract with the manufacturer based on volume purchases for set time periods. Similar to how the government works with private supply companies. This allows them to sell said products for slightly less or the same as other outlets. The also like HD, Lowes, Petsmart, etc. will come into an area and sell items at or below cost for awhile to try and drive out or shut down smaller local suppliers.
> 
> I don't believe a large product maufactures like fluidmaster, sony, dell, mobil one, etc. are going to risk damaging their reputations by producing inferior products just to be able to sell them at Walmart. It just doesn't make sense to operate that way.


And that simply my friend is where you are wrong. While that might have been true back when Sam Walton was still only a wide eyed boy driving around in his pick up truck saying "oh shucks" and "pass the corn bread ma", Walmart moved way bast that.

But of course to you it's all internet hearsay and nothing more.

Oh and jealousy that was your other theme.


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## ARI001 (Jun 16, 2009)

It's right and it's wrong. OK I omitted the promise of higher sales volume and product turn around promised to the manufactures. I also found out after the fact with a little bit of brief research that they do use their ability to do high volume sales to suck manufactures in. I did however mention that information in a later post with additional information as to how they "renegotiate" or sometimes even set manufacture prices. The information was not meant to be for or against, rather simply informative. My point being that the information was unbiased and therefor more credible then the information coming from anti-Walmart websites or organizations especially in terms of law suits filed against the company. 

The jealousy thing was a bit out of line and I will concede that to you. It was not a well illustrated example of the point I was trying to make. That point being the standard practice of negotiating volume discounts with suppliers. I think we have established and agreed that this is not an unethical way of conducting business now, yes?

As far as Walmart products being anymore inferior then other outlets, I think that point has been made also. So whats left to argue about? Was I really in that much disagreement with your view points or where you just looking for an argument? I think it's the later of the two. For the record I don't think Walmarts board officers are any more corrupt then the polititians sitting up in the capital. Take that how you will, but I think you get the jist of it.


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## AJX4 (Jan 17, 2008)

Wut, in the haell is gonin on in haere? 

I save soooo mush aet Wally world that I caen aford intranet :clap:


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## dayexco (Mar 4, 2006)

how's that old saying go? something about wrestling with a pig in the mud?


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## monkey (Jan 25, 2009)

Mike Finley said:


> It would takes hours and days of therapy and intervention to show you the error of your ways and your 'devil's advocacy', your praise of "flipping the supply chain back wards' and all the rest.
> 
> If you go back to your first replies defending Walmart's practices or defending them or acting in shock and denial, then you shortly turn around and give examples of praise for those tactics and place the blame on the victims.
> 
> You've drank the cool aid my friend. Good luck as a GC practicing walmart's business philosophies. Those tactics will win you some short term profits but guarantee you long term failure in a service business.


Man you like to argue..
This thread didn't have to be so silly now that you have acknowledged that he was playing devils advocate
P.S. I have never been in a walmart


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## Jayrek (Sep 6, 2008)

arioo1 - bid a job at wal-mart when they are building one near you, (call bentonsville to find out when one will be moving in sapping your municipal services, using *your *taxes to support *their* company)
do the job professionally and see if you are paid. Going in I would warn you they have a problem paying their bills. 

P.S.-When did you get someone elses tax money to help build your empire? Let us know.


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## 22rifle (Apr 23, 2008)

Inner10 said:


> Wouldn't you flip your shirt inside-out too?


No. Not if your sole purpose for being on this forum is to promote your internet search engine spam company.


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## protechplumbing (Oct 10, 2008)

:clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap:



22rifle said:


> No. Not if your sole purpose for being on this forum is to promote your internet search engine spam company.


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## Phillip Marsh (Oct 4, 2009)

I have worked with manufacturers who produce a special item just for Wal-Mart with its own unique UPC number. It enables them to make a cheaper version and in theory not upset their other dealers as they are giving Wal-Mart the product at a much lower price. Manufacturers may make a cosmetic change for the Wal-Mart specific product or they may do something substantial - like with the TV's at Costco that lack certain features on the models they sell.

Wal-Mart puts small business owners out of business and replaces them with clerks making minimum wage and without medical insurance. I do not think this is healthy for any community and so I support local businesses.


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## alloyz (Nov 21, 2006)

I'll reserve comment at this time


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## TempestV (Feb 3, 2007)

Some Walmart suppliers cheapen their products, many do not. Walmart will tell the supplier what they are willing to pay for a particular product. At that point, the supplier will do one of 2 things:
Supply a currently produced product for a lower profit.
Create a new cheaper product similar to the current product that will meet Walmart's price point.

Walmart has a lot of other stipulations that they force upon their suppliers as well. For example, in many cases, Walmart does not own the merchandise in their stores. The suppliers are paid after the products are sold. As a result, walmart doesn't have to worry about lost revenue from food spoilage, theft, damage, ect. They don't have billions of dollars locked up in merchandise, which means that that money can be invested. 

The best construction related example is this: Imagion that as a general contractor, you control most of the construction in your area. You control such a high percentage of the market, that many subcontractors are forced to seek contracts from you in order to stay afloat. When you need a subcontractor, you go around and tell each subcontractor what you are willing to pay (which of course is way less money than the job is worth), and if they can't work for that, then they should think about cheapening their quality of work or hiring illegals in order to bring their costs into what you are willing to pay. Heck, you even offer them your book that you wrote on how to best hire illegals to get the lowest price. You stipulate that you won't pay them until the job is done, and if someone steals their tools off the site because of the piss poor security, it's their loss. You make it your goal each year to go after a particular market segment each year with the intent of forcing your competitors in that area out of the running. This year, steel frames. Next year, remodeling. You hire people that can't get jobs elsewhere, and take advantage of the fact that they can't quit if they don't like what you are doing. You get government grants to grow your business due to the fact that you will be creating new jobs, despite the fact that other contractors and their employees will loose their jobs when you force them out of business. Is this really how you would want to run your business? Would you want to subcontract for this contractor? Would you want to hire this contractor to work on your project?


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## J.C. (Sep 28, 2009)

Walmart could be giving the stuff away and I still wouldn't go there. I don't want to take part in hundreds if not, thousands of americans losing their jobs so I can save 10¢ on a toilet flapper.


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## ILPlumber (Aug 26, 2007)

Joe's advertisement sure is getting some mileage here. Jeez! What are you guys even debating.

You took a dumb wetheadmedia (or whatever it is) ad and kept it from dying the miserable death it should have.....


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

Wow this threads still going. I was in wal-mart the other day as wife needed some stuff that only they sold. Well whilst their she purchased some box meals and food and it was all the exact same as the stuff we get from kroger. Kroger price $186. Wal-mart price $132 for the exact same stuff. That was also with the kroger discounts. I give wal-mart that. They sure are cheap for common items. If i was buying for a familey and i could put up with the long waits to check out then i would have no problem buying food from them.


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## Ron The Plumber (Oct 10, 2006)

This thread should be renamed Joe vs. Walmart..

Is it about Joe or about Walmart?


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## KillerToiletSpider (May 27, 2007)

Why is this turd not closed?


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## Joseph313 (Jun 18, 2012)

*Inferior Products*



ARI001 said:


> Think about this reasonably; if every product Walmart sold was of inferior quality then how would they stay in business? They wouldn't, people would eventually get tired of buying the same product over and over and realize it is more cost effective to spend more on the product one time then to purchase it twenty times at Walmart.


Does your average American spend in excess of $300 or even $100 for a pair of shoes? Alternating between two well-maintained pairs of shoes may cost $500-700 over the course of fifteen years or longer. They will be considerably more comfortable. In the long run, they will be cheaper than the 20 pairs of $40 sneakers worn in the same time period.

Maybe you can prolong the life of these cheap sneakers with duct tape or gorilla glue. Or, perhaps you spend the majority of your working day on your rear and do not burn through cheap shoes at a fast rate. I personally opt for a good pair of Ecco's and my resoled Pliners for the next ten years.

This same story applies to stand mixers. Buy that cheap plastic model, but in ten years, you will not be shredding chicken or mixing pizza dough with it. Spend three hundred on a KitchenAid and your grandchildren will be breaking their fingers on the original, fifty-year-old metal paddle.

I have yet to find any product in Walmart (furniture, clothing, electronics, meat, appliance, office supply, garden) which cannot be found elsewhere at a higher quality. As for Fluidmaster, I had one installed which jammed into the valve-open position within a month. They are garbage and belong in Sam Walton's receptacle. Give me all-metal or rubber construction any day of the week for my plumbing needs.


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## VinylHanger (Jul 14, 2011)

You reopened this thread to post that drivel?

Great first post.


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