Answers to Brett's Questions

[MAXIMUM at WEETAMOO.COM]

I don't want everyone spending a lot of time on this so I did the research and have the answers to
the questions that Brett wanted you to ask.  It's a busy season and I had the time to do the
research so here goes.  Happy Holidays.

1. Ask someone at Walmart what they're paid some time.

Answer: The going rate for which someone is willing to work.  While I prefer the old hardware stores
with the real wood floors myself, Jed the stockboy never got rich working there either.

2. Ask them about attempts to unionize while you're at it.

Answer: They attempt to thwart attempts to unionize like almost every large corporation since the
beginning of time (or at least the beginning of large corporations and unions).  It may involve
dirty pool said some of the managers I talked to doing this research, but that's nothing new.  I
asked William Clay Ford about his great-great grandfather Henry and he pretty much said the same
thing.

3. Ask the store manager how many local family businesses they wiped out when they moved in.

Answer: A whole bunch of them.  This happens in a retail market economy that functions pretty much
on supply and demand.  Someday, Wal-Mart will be out of business too.  Capitalism is a painful
business sometimes.  My research indicates that these things all tend to work themselves out over
time but the period of change can be painful, especially when looked at from a micro-economic
perspective.

4. Ask them what they do to presents dropped in the donate-a-toy box that aren't in a Wal-mart bag.

Answer: I couldn't get a straight answer on this one.  You may have to do your own research. Sorry.

5. Ask the management if they follow state laws such as the MA state law that requires prices be ON
items.

Answer: They don't.  I talked to several managers about this and they all admitted to speeding on
the way home as well.  They obviously can't be trusted as they are pathological liars and scoflaws.

6. Which is more important to you, a buck or two off a case or Mobil 1, or your soul and conscience?

Answer: $6.50 off a case of Mobil 1, but I am a souless, conciousless, bastard.

7. And funny that a corporation that's strongly in the black needs to worry about losses
from people stealing toys to put in the donation box...

While I was at it I asked about this too, and none of the folks I talked to were worried.  Are you
sure you weren't thinking of the soon to be bankrupt Catholic Archdiocese of Boston?

I hope this has been helpful and saved you time in getting the answers to these burning questions.

Royal aka 16RoT ( wishing my 200TQW would get out of the paint shop soon )

Bonus:

8. Extra observation....some of the retailers that Brett named can indeed be ruthless and
aggressive; but do you think for a moment that K-Mart and others would be in so much trouble if they
had only figured it out sooner?  You like the service you get at your local camera store?  Buy your
film there.  Don't like getting hosed at $5.50 a quart for Mobil 1 at the local whatever, don't
agonize over buying your earl at Sprawl-Mart.  The specialty retailers that ARE staying in business
do so because they still offer value in terms of price/quality/service.  Those that don't offer such
value will disappear.  Do NOT confuse value (price/quality/service/etc) with price here.  We talk
about value loyalties on this list all the time because most of us don't mind paying a few extra
dollars for good service.  Where there is no value added, why pay?  People don't go to Wal-Mart for
the outstanding service, fancy dressing rooms, piped in Jazz music, free lemon tarts, Bombay Safire
martinis while you shop, and carpeted floors... they go for the price.  Competition, value systems,
etc.... is this a great country or what?  In the meantime if anyone knows where I can get a Bombay
Safire martini while I shop for Mobil 1 I'll pay the $5.50 a quart.