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| Walgreen Walmart Costco (3); Livonia developments unions | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jul 12 2009, 11:48 AM (676 Views) | |
| Extra Olives | Jul 12 2009, 11:48 AM Post #1 |
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I totally agree with you about anything Walmart - I won't set foot in one either. But I'm curious, what about the other places you mentioned? Apart from these companies being big, corporate giants taking over the world (which I really resent), is there anyting in particular about the companies you mentioned (OK, I agree with you on Exxon, too). Why do you not think Target falls into that category? I shop at Meijer because it's local. I shop at Costco for many reasons, but my favorite reasons are that the CEO/Founder doesn't have an over-inflated ego and the greed to take millions in salary. A few years ago (maybe 3?), I saw a story on him on 60 Minutes or something, and at the time his salary was in the neighborhood of 300K. He also treats his employees very well. I will support that "we are all on the same team" attitude any day of the week. I don't know how to move things around on here, so could someone perhaps put this topic on a new thread? |
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| Otis B. | Jul 12 2009, 06:30 PM Post #2 |
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I shop at Costco for many of the same reasons. They are one of the few "good guys" that are left. You can tell that their employees are treated well because 95% of them are extremely friendly and eager to help. It seems like they hustle more at the checkout lines as well. Treat your employees well and they'll work hard for you. What a novel concept. |
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| Spanky | Jul 12 2009, 07:39 PM Post #3 |
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I agree, Otis. The people at Costco have always gone out of their way to help us and our friends that belong. I have many examples of things they have taken back that have been opened or I don't have a receipt for and they still refund my money. Smart on their part as they know chances are good I will turn around and spend that money back in their store. And I usually do, unless I'm in a hurry. The only problem I have with Costco is that they don't open early enough for my liking. My youngest is off on the bus at 8am, and I like to go right from there to do my errands. If it is a Costco day, I have to wait til 10. |
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| Momof4 | Jul 12 2009, 10:18 PM Post #4 |
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Spanky, that is just another way Costco is good to their employees ~ they don't have to get up early! or they can run their own errands before heading out to work. |
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| IlikeLIvonia | Jul 13 2009, 07:03 AM Post #5 |
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Consumer Reports: Costco's Renewal Rip-off By Jeff Blyskal http://ConsumerReports.org If you’re a Costco member like me, sometimes you don’t shop at the big box store for months at a stretch. If your membership happens to expire during such a sabbatical, guess what happens when you renew a month or two later? Tim Boyle, Getty ImagesAnswer: Costco automatically backdates your membership to renew on the date it expired, not on the actual date you renewed. That means you pay for membership you didn’t and couldn’t have used, because you can’t get your discount-price purchases past the cashier without a current membership. This happened to me twice in recent years. For some reason, I let my Costco membership lapse each August in 2005 and 2006. But, like clockwork, my need for three-football-field lengths of paper towels and gallon jugs of mayonnaise eventually pressured me to renew in November. I thus retroactively paid for four unused months, a $33 waste. Last year, I wised up, and when I renewed in November I asked that my renewal be dated as of the actual date of renewal. The counter clerk at Costco customer service was happy to accommodate me, and I patted myself on the back for being a shrewd consumer. As it turns out, Rhonda Dupler and Tempe Evans were shrewder still. When those two residents of New York and California encountered the same backdating pick-pocket, they sued, and their cases became a class action, which has now reached the proposed settlement stage in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Costco disputes the alleged claims and does not admit any liability or wrongdoing whatsoever, but wants to settle anyway. Costco currently has over 53 million members. Close to 12 million former and current members were beaten out of some $40 million worth of back-dated renewals between March 1, 2001 and March 31, 2009. If you were one of them, you probably got a postcard or e-mail notice about the proposed settlement. Terms of the deal: Your current membership will be automatically extended one to three months, a $4 to $25 value, depending on how much you got gypped and the type of membership. Former members will receive similar reparations in the form of a temporary membership. You don’t have to do anything to collect, unless you object or want to opt-out of the settlement. To find more details, check the notice of proposed settlement on Costco’s web site. We think that’s a good deal. Class action settlements have typically awarded victims coupons that often go unused. By contrast; this settlement provides real economic value—months of Costco membership—that automatically go to victims identified by Costco’s membership renewal and payments database. One piece of the settlement falls short, however. Prior to March, 2009, Costco automatically back-dated renewals that occurred up to five months after expiration. In the settlement, Costco agreed to shrink that to renewals of up to only two months. In other words, Costco will backdate only if you’re renewing less than two months after your membership expired. If, say, your membership expired February 1 and you renewed a month-and-a-half later on March 15, Costco will automatically backdate the renewal to February 1; but if you renew two and a half months later on April 15, that will be dated April 15. Michael Berg, an attorney from the White Plains, N.Y. firm of Meiselman, Denlea, Packman, Carton & Eberz, estimates that Costco’s shortened renewal backdating will save members $87 million over the next seven years. Great! But why should Costco members risk even a two-month fleecing? The $70 billion in revenues wholesaling giant wouldn’t answer that directly, but told me that customers renewing expired memberships can ask that the back-dating policy be waived. “Because of the membership-based nature of the Company, our local warehouse managers are vested with substantial discretion to accommodate member requests in a wide variety of contexts, based on the facts and circumstances. Our policies help guide the exercise of that discretion but do not strictly dictate all outcomes,” said John Sullivan, Costco’s associate general counsel, in an e-mail. I think Costco should stop slapping customers in the face this way if they don’t know that they need to ask. Instead, Costco should automatically date all renewals as of the actual renewal date. If you agree, let Costco know by commenting below. In the meantime, here’s how you can get around this rip-off when you need to renew an expired membership: Go to the customer service desk and ask that your renewal be dated as of the actual date of renewal. That worked for me. |
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| Spanky | Jul 13 2009, 09:02 AM Post #6 |
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Yes, I guess that's one way to look at it
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| Purple Haze | Jul 13 2009, 10:49 AM Post #7 |
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and HALLELUJAH! they finally have self-checkout! |
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| LPS Reformer | Jul 13 2009, 10:24 PM Post #8 |
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The schools exist to educate, not employ.
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Companys can also change over the years, for the good, and otherwise. Edited by LPS Reformer, Jul 13 2009, 10:29 PM.
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“Child Abuse” means different things to different people.... ----Randy Liepa 8/9/12 | |
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| crazy_cat | Jul 14 2009, 08:23 AM Post #9 |
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| Deleted User | Jul 14 2009, 10:53 AM Post #10 |
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Have at it, this is (3) Walgreen Walmart Kmart Costco Unions Livonia Mall (Marketplace) |
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| Monkfish | Jul 14 2009, 10:57 AM Post #11 |
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| Mr.Bean | Jul 14 2009, 11:21 PM Post #12 |
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I don't shop at wally-mart....never have.....never will. |
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| Otis B. | Aug 31 2009, 11:54 AM Post #13 |
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Livonia Marketplace breaks new ground Wal-Mart expected to open next year By Ken Abramczyk • OBSERVER STAFF WRITER • August 30, 2009 Out with the old, in with the new. Developers, along with city and county officials, celebrated the end of the demolition of the old Livonia Mall and the construction of the new Livonia Marketplace at a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday. The former mall will be transformed into a $60 million open-air retail center, anchored by Wal-Mart on the northwest corner of the site and featuring more than 325,000 square feet of retail space. Karl Zarbo, director of operations for Livonia Phoenix, calls it a rebirth and rejuvenation of the mall. Livonia Phoenix is a development group of real estate companies Grand/Sakwa Properties, Lormax Stern Development and Konover South. “Livonia Marketplace is a great example of municipalities and developers working together to achieve a mutually rewarding outcome,” Zarbo said. “Livonia residents will have new shopping choices and the city will add to its tax base and see a previous eyesore transformed into a vibrant, viable retail center.” The 40-acre Livonia Marketplace will include a new Wal-Mart Supercenter accompanied by five additional multi-tenant buildings. Walmart construction will begin in October, Zarbo said, and may be open at this time next year, Zarbo knows the economic downturn has created a difficult business environment for developers to fill malls. Still, he's confident that Livonia Phoenix, an entity of real estate companies can make Livonia Marketplace a success. “It was good dirt then and it's still good dirt now,” Zarbo said after the ceremony about the former Livonia Mall. “When you look at the surrounding neighborhoods, they are much higher density units (than newer communities) and that's a plus today,” Zarbo said. Mayor Jack Kirksey was asked why businesses would be drawn to this location. “Because you have a whole demographic that would gravitate to this location,” Kirksey said. “You would not have a Wal-Mart there if they were not convinced that they would bring people to this store.” Zarbo would not elaborate on discussions with potential tenants. “If you added up all of the things that are difficult in this economy, we're pleased with what's surfacing in our conversations and negotiations,” Zarbo said. A brownfield development authority established for the mall helped spur the redevelopment to create Livonia Marketplace. Livonia Phoenix received a $6.5 million tax credit to redevelop the site. Kirksey said discussions with the developers and residents helped develop a game plan for demolition and construction at the site. “I am convinced that this new mall will do well,” Kirksey said. “We already have interest in a nearby vacant store. This is very exciting, historic and unique, to have this kind of jump start (to an old mall).” kabramcz@hometownlife.com|(313) 222-2591 Edited by Otis B., Aug 31 2009, 11:55 AM.
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| Deleted User | Sep 5 2009, 11:38 PM Post #14 |
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The Wal-Mart You Don't Know By: Charles FishmanWed Dec 19, 2007 at 12:44 AM The giant retailer's low prices often come with a high cost. Wal-Mart's relentless pressure can crush the companies it does business with and force them to send jobs overseas. Are we shopping our way straight to the unemployment line? A gallon-sized jar of whole pickles is something to behold. The jar is the size of a small aquarium. The fat green pickles, floating in swampy juice, look reptilian, their shapes exaggerated by the glass. It weighs 12 pounds, too big to carry with one hand. The gallon jar of pickles is a display of abundance and excess; it is entrancing, and also vaguely unsettling. This is the product that Wal-Mart fell in love with: Vlasic's gallon jar of pickles. Wal-Mart priced it at $2.97--a year's supply of pickles for less than $3! "They were using it as a 'statement' item," says Pat Hunn, who calls himself the "mad scientist" of Vlasic's gallon jar. "Wal-Mart was putting it before consumers, saying, This represents what Wal-Mart's about. You can buy a stinkin' gallon of pickles for $2.97. And it's the nation's number-one brand." Therein lies the basic conundrum of doing business with the world's largest retailer. By selling a gallon of kosher dills for less than most grocers sell a quart, Wal-Mart may have provided a ser-vice for its customers. But what did it do for Vlasic? The pickle maker had spent decades convincing customers that they should pay a premium for its brand. Now Wal-Mart was practically giving them away. And the fevered buying spree that resulted distorted every aspect of Vlasic's operations, from farm field to factory to financial statement. Indeed, as Vlasic discovered, the real story of Wal-Mart, the story that never gets told, is the story of the pressure the biggest retailer relentlessly applies to its suppliers in the name of bringing us "every day low prices." It's the story of what that pressure does to the companies Wal-Mart does business with, to U.S. manufacturing, and to the economy as a whole. That story can be found floating in a gallon jar of pickles at Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart is not just the world's largest retailer. It's the world's largest company--bigger than ExxonMobil, General Motors, and General Electric. The scale can be hard to absorb. Wal-Mart sold $244.5 billion worth of goods last year. It sells in three months what number-two retailer Home Depot sells in a year. And in its own category of general merchandise and groceries, Wal-Mart no longer has any real rivals. It does more business than Target, Sears, Kmart, J.C. Penney, Safeway, and Kroger combined. "Clearly," says Edward Fox, head of Southern Methodist University's J.C. Penney Center for Retailing Excellence, "Wal-Mart is more powerful than any retailer has ever been." It is, in fact, so big and so furtively powerful as to have become an entirely different order of corporate being. Wal-Mart wields its power for just one purpose: to bring the lowest possible prices to its customers. At Wal-Mart, that goal is never reached. The retailer has a clear policy for suppliers: On basic products that don't change, the price Wal-Mart will pay, and will charge shoppers, must drop year after year. But what almost no one outside the world of Wal-Mart and its 21,000 suppliers knows is the high cost of those low prices. Wal-Mart has the power to squeeze profit-killing concessions from vendors. To survive in the face of its pricing demands, makers of everything from bras to bicycles to blue jeans have had to lay off employees and close U.S. plants in favor of outsourcing products from overseas. Of course, U.S. companies have been moving jobs offshore for decades, long before Wal-Mart was a retailing power. But there is no question that the chain is helping accelerate the loss of American jobs to low-wage countries such as China. Wal-Mart, which in the late 1980s and early 1990s trumpeted its claim to "Buy American," has doubled its imports from China in the past five years alone, buying some $12 billion in merchandise in 2002. That's nearly 10% of all Chinese exports to the United States. One way to think of Wal-Mart is as a vast pipeline that gives non-U.S. companies direct access to the American market. "One of the things that limits or slows the growth of imports is the cost of establishing connections and networks," says Paul Krugman, the Princeton University economist. "Wal-Mart is so big and so centralized that it can all at once hook Chinese and other suppliers into its digital system. So--wham!--you have a large switch to overseas sourcing in a period quicker than under the old rules of retailing." Steve Dobbins has been bearing the brunt of that switch. He's president and CEO of Carolina Mills, a 75-year-old North Carolina company that supplies thread, yarn, and textile finishing to apparel makers--half of which supply Wal-Mart. Carolina Mills grew steadily until 2000. But in the past three years, as its customers have gone either overseas or out of business, it has shrunk from 17 factories to 7, and from 2,600 employees to 1,200. Dobbins's customers have begun to face imported clothing sold so cheaply to Wal-Mart that they could not compete even if they paid their workers nothing. "People ask, 'How can it be bad for things to come into the U.S. cheaply? How can it be bad to have a bargain at Wal-Mart?' Sure, it's held inflation down, and it's great to have bargains," says Dobbins. "But you can't buy anything if you're not employed. We are shopping ourselves out of jobs." http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/77/walmart.html |
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