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quote:
Originally posted by Derrick Barnicoat
They suck the soul out of being a human on earth.
Wasn't that from the movie
Idiocracy?
"Welcome to Costco. We suck the soul out of being a human on earth. Welcome to Costco. We..."
No, that's not right. It was:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8zNsUTWsOc
"I'm at that stage in life where I stay out of discussions. Even if you say 1+1=5, you're right - have fun." - Keanu Reeves
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Haha! I never saw that one! but yeah exactly.
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First you say they're a monopoly (they're not) and then you say monopolies are illegal. Call the police!
As terracore pointed out, as publicly listed companies they are most likely giving back far more to people living here (investors) than the mom 'n' pop stores. With their lower prices, Walmart has done more for poor people here than any politician ever will.
To each his own, I wish more people would boycott the big box stores so I wouldn't have to park so far away.
Maybe we can petition Costco to hurry up and get here. They're in an expanding mood - 28 new stores in 2013.
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One of the small mom n pop drugstores here went out of business, not because any big boxes, with all of them he was still in business... but because of a life changing robbery at his store.... he sold out less than a year after his assistant was attacked & he had to deal with a drug addict with a loaded gun....
Another large family owned furniture store closed up because no one else in the family wanted to continue working the store
The shoe repair guy was begging to get someone on board to learn his business & take over
so maybe there are more issues going on with mom n pops, not just the competition, shipping, maybe also it is a whole bunch of reasons, including small business insurance, staffing, hours, burnout, and added to all of the the dynamics of some of the people they have entering their business....
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You have to resist the cultural force of big-box retail, not just the individual stores.
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quote:
Originally posted by HereOnThePrimalEdge
quote:
Originally posted by Derrick Barnicoat
They suck the soul out of being a human on earth.
Wasn't that from the movie Idiocracy?
"Welcome to Costco. We suck the soul out of being a human on earth. Welcome to Costco. We..."
No, that's not right. It was:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8zNsUTWsOc
and I suspect that similar arguments were made to preserve the horse and buggy...
Mom-and-pop stores aren't efficient - from the beginning of the supply chain down to the consumer. Consumers get to make a choice - lots of them choose Walmart/Home Depot/Costco over mom-and-pops - because the former offer more choices, broader product ranges, and better quality/price than mom-and-pops can. Or would you prefer to preclude those choices for consumers?
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quote:
So some guy climbed a corporate ladder, good for him and many many more are struggling to keep their small businesses open because of that one store. Should we all just give up an go start pushing carts at Costco? Go work for the place that we spend most of our money at? That doesn't sound sustainable. Is Costco even offering up that many management jobs? How about cart pushing jobs? Good thing we don't all have the same ambitions.
One of the many businesses we owned, my wife closed it and took a management job with a "big corporate box store" that recently opened in our community and threatened to drive us out of business. "If you can't beat them, join them." I counseled her against it but like a good wife she listened to her brain not her husband. She LOVED that job. All of the joys of her profession and none of the anxiety of owning a business and navigating the seemingly impossible regulatory hurdles. She only quit because we moved. She still misses that job.
Unless you've been a small business owner "displaced" by a big box store, please don't try to defend those of us who have.
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Owning your own business is no picnic. I prefer it anyway.
That aside, why can't they run a costco on catchment? They would have a HUGE roof and could use underground tanks for nicer appearance, UV and charcoal filters for purity, is there some county reg against it or what?
comin' your way soon!
comin' your way soon!
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Another fact is you can buy water by the truckload at a rate that is similar to county water bills.
Assume the best and ask questions.
Punaweb moderator
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quote:
Originally posted by sputnut
We have found time and again (we sat down and did the math) that if you just shop sales in the regular stores you can save a lot over any and all those big box stores. Walgreens, for instance, if you watch their ads, they beat walmart a lot of the time, and beat em bad sometimes. Just read the ads and watch the markdown / clearance areas.
comin' your way soon!
You're correct about the price blasting discounts that some stores have. But remember, many of us would have to spend $10+ in fuel to get to those stores for the bargains. I have to weigh that over and over when I see a great price at a store in Hilo. I'm one who does not travel up there unless I really need to go.
He who hoots with owls at night cannot soar with the eagles in the morning.
He who hoots with owls at night cannot soar with the eagles in the morning.