Why WalMart failed in germany...

^_-

We have some of the most protective workforce laws in the world, and the strongest economy in the world (aside from 'countries' that have economies weaker than the state of New York). How do you suppose that "strip mining" has made our country so prosperous?

 

Well it was only natural that our sorry excuse of a President award siemens a contract to build a windfarm given the German expertise in blowing hot air. Given his failed investments in solar energy, the results in awarding germany a contract for this project are very foreseeable:

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Maybe the culture problem is that Germans are savers and Americans are spenders considering we are 17 trillion in the hole and counting.

Perhaps Germans spend money for a reason and Americans spend money for no reason. I don't see a problem with capitalism, but there is a blatant problem with easy credit with little to no income, mortgages for those who can't pay them and a government that can't keep hands out of our pants... pockets I mean.

It's okay to be proud to be an American and still have the humility to admit we could learn a thing or two from a German. Life without learning is Einstein's version of doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result. "Insanity", as he put it.

I wonder if Einstein knew that spending when you are already broke is exactly what a dummkopf would do?

 

Aldi >>> Wal Mart

That's why.

 

Good for you. Good for you. Good for you.

Don't come to North America. We don't want your kind over here.

 

Your economy is tethered to Greece & Italy. I wouldn't go around bragging how your country is superior.

 

Herein lies the root of the matter: The left believes (quite sincerely, I think) that there is no moral or practical distinction to be made between those who are born or sold into involuntary servitude (i.e. real slaves) and those who feel compelled, because of a modest or nonexistent skillset, to work for meager wages (i.e. "wage slaves," in the lexicon of leftist verbiage).

 

We use 'wage-slave' to differentiate their situation from forced servitude. It is obviously a deliberately negative term because we view the situation negatively. Phrases and definitions always imply political stances, you might use "free labourer" instead of wage-slave if you view the situation positively.We understand the distinction you made (and you put it quite eloquently) but we do not believe the choice between working for one capitalist or another is enough choice. We know that wage-slavery is preferable to slavery.

 

I would love to debate how Germans don't speak English with you more some other time.

 

Everyone you would bother talking to does. Look, you get around fine on English there. That is all you need to know.

All the other things you listed are also wrong. Not just opinion either. It is incorrect to think mayo is better then ketchup on fries.

 

I have been interested in the failure of Walmart in Germany - especially since Real is using almost the same model in the same buildings as Walmart, and doing fine.

The first point in the quote can't be the problem - it is illegal to sell products below cost in the US too. It is called "predatory pricing" and is illegal on both a federal and state level.

I do think the cultural aspect is a big part of it. No stores here bag your purchases or employ greeters, so by doing this Walmart would have emphasized the fact that they are a foreign business.

I think that the foreign business part was the biggest problem, and ultimately the reason for their failure.
In the US we have a lot of people who refuse to shop at Walmart. They have many reasons, but the two most common are that they consider themselves above Walmart quality or that they are against Walmart's practices/reputation.

In Germany, I think that the part of the population falling into this category was so large that it prevented Walmart from succeeding. Too many Germans were just above Walmart quality or against the practices of this foreign retailer.

Interestingly, just as those Walmart opponents in the US have no problem shopping at similar discount stores like Target, the opponents in Germany seem to have no problem with shopping at Real.

So I really think that more than anything else, th failure of Walmart in Germany was due to a general rejection of the Walmart culture by the German culture.

 

Ya win some, ya lose some.

 

Dear Germany:

We don't care.

 

Who is we?

Everyone? No.
Everyone on this board? No.
Everyone in America? No
A few American republicans? Yes.

The majority here do not care about your opinion, if we did your font would be much smaller.

 

I've never found anything at Walmart to be in anyway inferior to anything I've purchased anywhere else and the Beef, Pork and Chicken I get at Sam's club is superior to most that I get anywhere else in cheaper into the bargain. And the Milk is 50cents to a dollar cheaper than anywhere else

 

I spent 6 years over there in the Army , I liked the place a lot but not enough to live there , the culture is different , when I was there they shopped everyday or so not buying huge amounts to go for a couple weeks

 

Really, $22/hr is "sky high"?

 

As has already been noted Germany ahs no minimum wage and OECD is ten grand a year less than in the US.

 

I would agree with you there. When I lived in Australia shopping at Aldi I had the same experience. So it seems some retailers can find a way to produce good basic quality food products at a competitive price point

 

Not sure they have NO min wage, but if they don't, sure looks like they need one.

And folks think the US pays low wages...

http://m.thelocal.de/20131121/germany-to-introduce-minimum-wage

 

Germans are relatively humorless, cold, and artistically barren compared to what Americans are used to. That's what I've gathered when dealing with German clients. Technically top notch and driven, but just a very hard people. A bit pompous when it comes to their products, which a generally well made, but still break like anything else. Automobiles for example. Expensive in every aspect and can't compete when given equal price points. Dealt with a paper manufacturer recently. Beautiful but too expensive, like everything that comes from there. Even their language is gruff, down to the food and strong beers. Friendly and fun loving is NOT a German trait=) I can see why being greeted in a store could be off putting to them.

 

This is insanely nonsensical!! Bagging your own groceries is not an essential part of German culture. I understand the point about the greeters being an irritant. They serve no purpose, they are simply a bother. However, you originally said you don't want people touching your things. When it was rightly pointed out that the cashier had touched that thing literally seconds earlier, you abandoned that silliness. Then you went with that is our culture. No it is an irrelevant point, and if it legitimately really bothered Germans, they are terribly thin skinned people.

Having said that, I am glad Walmart failed. It is a truly horrible place. I don't like there business practices, but I also just really hate the shopping experience. There is terrible traffic, huge lines, and too much stuff. I fit the stereotype for men, in that I don't like to shop. I want to go into a place, find what I want, and get out as fast as possible. Walmart makes that impossible.

PS. Since Aldis has been mentioned, I have been to Germany, but never to an Aldis there, but the Aldis in the US are legitimately terrible. The quality of there stuff is incredibly poor. Lower even than Walmart. I am picky about food, so I want fresh produce, fresh meat from a butcher, and high quality food. Aldis has cheap crap, they seek to extract every last penny from you by charging for everything, and they usually have one cashier working when there are many people in the store. I have been in multiple Aldis in the US, and it is always incredibly unpleasant. I wish all supermarkets would become much less common, and all of the US had more specialized food stores.

 

Yes, we got that message. Just as an aside here... nobody in the grocery business should be making gigantic profits. If they are, they're price gouging customers. I'm surprised you think that's a positive thing.

 

Walmart is cheaper for there base prices, but not when other stores have specials, which are much more common in other grocery stores. When I go visit my girlfriend at med school, she lives in a town where there aren't many options beyond Walmart, so I will go there for things that are the same everywhere. In general milk, bottled water and soda, etc are going to be the same wherever you go. However if you think Walmart is equivalent quality when it comes to produce and meat, you have never been to a good butcher or a green grocer that sells fresh and ripe products. Do you go to farmers markets? Same thing. You can't find anything of comparable quality at Walmart.

 

logic forbid we give people in a 1st world country a livable wage, right ?
you attitude belongs in a third world country.