Wow.

Apparently the most-needed new feature on treesandthings is a user-selectable table cell background image that says SATIRE.

I'm not sure what you mean by that.  My comment was sincere.  If you disagree with me, state why.

"These are my principles. If you do not like them, I have others." Groucho Marx

I think the point being made by the parent poster is that he wasn't being serious.

Illegitimi non carborundum.

My bad (or is it "My bag"?).  I thought it was aimed at me.  Sorry I missed the satire.

As a follow-up to my post, however, here's a good article (warning: pdf) about how Wal-Mart's supply chain improvements have benefited other stores and the entire retail industry (although the article also points out the damage to suppliers who don't play ball.  IMHO, if you can't meet the demands of your biggest customer, you shouldn't be in business).

And here's a quote from Fast Company:
There is no question that Wal-Mart's relentless drive to squeeze out costs has benefited consumers. The giant retailer is at least partly responsible for the low rate of U.S. inflation, and a McKinsey & Co. study concluded that about 12% of the economy's productivity gains in the second half of the 1990s could be traced to Wal-Mart alone.

Look, I'm not saying they're perfect (and The Flying Spaghetti Monster knows I would never shop there), but Wal-Mart's benefits to society outweigh their costs.

"These are my principles. If you do not like them, I have others." Groucho Marx

(although the article also points out the damage to suppliers who don't play ball.  IMHO, if you can't meet the demands of your biggest customer, you shouldn't be in business).

I always thought the people who ultimately buy and use the product are the customers. I think businesses that lose sight of that deserve the fate WalMart has in store for them.

Here's another Fast Company article about a businessman who decided not to meet the demands of his biggest customer and why he felt that was in the best interest of his company.

I always thought the people who ultimately buy and use the product are the customers. I think businesses that lose sight of that deserve the fate WalMart has in store for them.

In the case of the suppliers, Wal-Mart is the customer.  But even still, by reducing costs and subscribing to Wal-Mart's supply chain, the suppliers are meeting the demands (namely low cost) of the end user/customer.

"These are my principles. If you do not like them, I have others." Groucho Marx

But even still, by reducing costs and subscribing to Wal-Mart's supply chain, the suppliers are meeting the demands (namely low cost) of the end user/customer.

Possibly. Cost reduction doesn't happen by magic. Cheap means both low cost and low quality. Not every customer believes that the cheapest product is always the best product. There are customers who recognize that paying a little more for quality upfront can translate into cost savings over the long term.

WalMart wanted to sell Snapper products because the Snapper name is associated with quality. Once Snapper caves to WalMart's cost reduction techniques (off-shore manufacture, lower quality materials, etc.) that association is broken. Once WalMart has sucked the value out of a company's brand, there's nothing to stop them from tossing that company aside like a chicken bone with all the meat sucked off it and moving on the the next brand. Meanwhile, the original loyal customer base which was betrayed in order to dance with WalMart is gone, never to return.

I wonder if you read my link and whether you think Jim Weir makes any good points about the value of a quality product in the marketplace?

I have read the link, thanks, and he makes excellent points.  

I would never argue that there isn't a place for quality in the marketplace.  I myself am a Starbucks drinking "trader-upper".  And, yes, there has been some trade off with quality on some of the products Wal-Mart sells, no doubt.  What I'm referring to, however, is Wal-Mart's almost total elimination of inefficiencies in the supply chain.  Most of the cost savings come from just in time inventory and delivery systems.

Like I said, they ain't perfect, but I only seem to ever read about their treatment of their employees and cheap quality (both of which are legitimate arguments) and I think they deserve a lot of props in these other arenas.

"These are my principles. If you do not like them, I have others." Groucho Marx

It seems every article I read (including the one I linked) acknowledges the innovations WalMart has made in the supply chain. But getting products into the stores is only half the job. You've got to then get those products out of the store.

That's where WalMart has been having problems lately. Both analysts and customers say in-store experience and product quality are problems for WalMart. The "always low prices" mantra has made the WalMart brand synonymous with low quality. Even WalMart sees that. And that may prove to be a bigger problem for WalMart than the supply chain ever was.