Why WalMart failed in germany...

Wal Mart failed in Germany and somehow it is the fault of the German people?

What ever happened to the idea that you should be responsible for your own failings?

Wal Mart failing can only be blamed on Wal Mart. They had equal opportunity but didn't get equal results....In fact, they had better than equal opportunity...and failed.

Ps...love Aldi.

 

Yep! And in the mean time, ALDI, the big Germans grocery store, is making excellent headways in the US market. . .even with a Wallmart 200 feet away from the Aldi store!

I know I will NEVER put a foot in a Wallmart again as long as I live. . .but I very much appreciate the ability to shop at Aldi!

 

You have NO IDEA what you're talking about!
French fries are NOT FRENCH. . .but actually BELGIAN (ask any French!).

And, mayo and fries are EXCELLENT together. . .in fact, they are the typical staple, not unlike "peanut butter and jelly" for Americans!

Ketchup and fries, in the other hand, were NEVER met to go together. . .only the British in Europe appreciate that strange combination of "sweet and salty!"

Many more German speak English than French, or Belgian, or Spanish speak English, but it is still not "everyone" by far!

 

Wallmart will NEVER take hold any place in Europe. The food they offer, the style of clothes, and the way they treat their employees is NOT acceptable in the European culture.

And. . .legalized prostitution is a GOOD thing. . .and any country who idolize "free market" should applaud legalized prostitution as the perfect solution to resolve a dangerous (and thousand years old) "industry" problem as a health risk and potential abusive (by pimps) situations by requiring monthly health exams and limiting prostitution to PRIVATE homes, rather than "street walking." (although I will admit that there are still street walkers!).

And, NO. . .Europeans do not like someone else handling their groceries. . .they prefer to do that themselves, as they prefer to bring their own grocery bags (or crates) to carry out their groceries in the carts that they RELIGIOUSLY put back in the cart area. . .because of the SMART system of putting in a coin (usually the equivalent of a quarter) to get a cart, and then retrieving the coin when one is done with the cart by placing it back where it belongs. . .sure saves a lot of damage to customers' cars!

By the way. . .talking about "fear of cooties," why do you think Wallmart cashiers wear plastic gloves to serve customers? Could THEY be afraid of "cooties" from the customers?

I wish you wouldn't talk about what you don't know!

THAT is hypocrisy!

 

I am not sure you get it. You know, we have Aldi in the US. In Aldi, let us see what happens, disgusting employees touch things when they shelve them; disgusting customers touch things when they are shopping; disgusting cashier touched things when you go through the checkout whether or not you have them bag them; and when you return your cart, you don't get your quarter back but that of someone else who may have had the bubonic plague or something for all one knows. For someone who finds a cashier who touches their goods disgusting, you seem to ignore a whole lot of other things.

And while I cannot speak for every Walmart in the world, the two I go to most regularly do not have anybody at the front door greeting them. I am young and healthy and I don't consider those who work at stores disgusting and I don't mind if someone breaks up the monotony of standing or sitting there to say "Hello".

 

I would have suggested Aldi might have been a bigger factor

 

I don't consider anybody's job "insulting" to them. Someone saying hello is not a "personal assistant" and this is why we spy on Germany--they are unfriendly so you have to suspect them.

 

Who is "we"? I am not spying on anyone, and neither are you. All governments spy on each other this is nothing new. There's nothing unusual about America spying on Germany. America spies on Germany to gain intelligence not out of some sort of grudge that they don't like Wall-Mart.

Yes, someone's job can be insulting to them. You sound like you've never worked a crappy job. Nobody likes kissing people's arses especially when those people often do not want to get arse-kissed. It is unfear to create jobs like that, they will always get snapped up by desperate people as there is always unemployment.

 

yet the other businesses do ok, so what your saying is we have to give up walmarts to have a higher min wage? sounds like a win\win


.

 

Excellent post.

Truth hurts huh?

 

Except that it is based on a false premise as Germany has no minimum wage, as markus already pointed out. And there is no rampant consumerism.
Germany's economic success is largely based on finished goods exports to what is in certain ways a captive market in the Southern tier of the EU. In other regards the situation vis a vis Europes Southern tier and Germany resembles old time Merchantilism.

 

/chuckle

Real competition involves highly artificially inflated wages and staggering government regulation......

 

So basically Walmart failed in Germany because they couldn't believe that a country in which porn and prostituion are legal a simple good morning and thanks for your patronage would be verboten? One of the problems of a gun free culture would appear to be that you get to be all the (*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*) you want to be without fear of consequences...

 

Many French people eat their fries with ketchup, just so you know. As to the origin of pommes frites (as they say in Germany), or papas a la francesa (as some say in Spain), it is still unknown (unless you can provide a birth certificate) - which leaves us to conclude that those who make such a big deal out of it, are either idiots, or still suffering from sour grapes. Toodle pip.

 

You make Quebecois seem reasonably preferable to Germans.

 

Will you deny that Belgian fries are the true specialty of BELGIUM?
I have suffered enough of the "Belgian jokes" about fries as a teenager and as a young woman living in France. And. . .until about 20 years ago, ketchup was NEVER used with fries , neither in Belgium nor in France. But I understand that you must be a lot younger than I am, and that you may not know that.

And, the reason the Belgian fries are the original (as Belgian chocolate is), may not be that they were the FIRST. . .(I don't know that anymore than you do), but because of the type of potatoes used for the fries, which are grown in a specific area of Belgium.

Of course, fries today are made with just about anything (even "reconstituted potatoes" like those at McDonalds, which are, by the way, delicious).

But, since I find that a debate over "fries" is not that interesting. . .I think I'll leave it at that!

 

hmm, I ran across this tid bit. Quite shocking!!

In Germany, the average household net-adjusted disposable income is 28,799 USD a year, more than the OECD average of 23,047 USD a year

 

They arent there to greet. They are there to spot thieves.

 

and in the US 38,001..

 

Yeah, I mean we are so much bigger than that little Germany is, just unbelievable isn't it.

 

I am old enough to know that even 20 years ago many French people ate their fries with ketchup. And the fact that they are the true speciality of Belgium doesn't mean much. Hamburgers are considered an American speciality, too, but it certainly doesn't mean they first came from the US. It is not a very interesting bebate but you started it. So if you want to go further you'll find that the potato wasn't introduced in Europe that very long ago, and that some form of potato disease may have well play a significant role for the need to chip and fry them prior to consumption.

 

So cute that you should be so adamant about . . . FRIES?

You know what. . . if it is that important to you. . .I will let you have your way. . .but you might want to look at this:

 

It's not that important to me. I really don't care if Americans want to call their fries belgian, french, or freedom. You seem to care, though. So cute of you to try to pretend otherwise now.

 

I was stationed in Germany in 1971-72 I was there for seven months. About the only people I ran into that weren't at least moderaty fluent in English, and that includes a little Gasthaus out in what passes for the country in Germany, that had some really good hasenpfefer, were some Turkish waitresses in Munich where I played in a Chess tournament.

 

It sounds like Walmart did mismanage this. They failed. That is not a bad thing. In the US...failure is important for success. It takes risk-taking and the ability to handle failure and learn from it---to bring success. I know a man who went bankrupt and then succeeded in his own business...something he wouldn't have done if he hadn't learned from his failure. Some of our greatest failures have turned into worldwide success---Kentucky Fried Chicken founder being one...who failed consistantly until old age and success.

Perhaps if Germany had more failures---we might see more German businesses in the U.S thriving.