Cheap Prices: The Hidden Consequences Essay

According to Raj Patel (2010), Wal-Mart employs “2.1 million greeters, stock clerks, and logistics officers working at its 8,416 stores ... [and] ranks among the largest employers worldwide--only China's army has more people on its payroll.” (para. 1). That is 2.1 million people who chose to work for the company, who were employed despite whatever setbacks there were holding them back from a “real” job. While Wal-Mart is definitely not the dream job, it is better than no job, and in fact does not pay that much below the retail average of $11.86/hour (EAE Alberta, 2011, p. 4). In this economy, it is unrealistic to believe that any retail job will lead a new fancy car every year, or pay much further than the necessities. The high cost of living with a low minimum wage goes beyond Wal-Mart’s business structure. However, it is a job that is helpful in employing students who need to pay for their education, and in assisting in immigrants making money when they first move to North America. It employs those hard to employ people and gives them the experience needed to move on to a better job with higher pay. Also missed in Parmar’s article is the fact that when employing two million people, there is a much higher chance of the company having an issue with employees. Due to its immense amount of employees, it is 5,500% more likely that a bad event will happen at Wal-Mart as opposed to smaller companies such

Walmart is the world's largest company by revenue (approximately four hundred and eighty billion dollars) and the largest private employer in the world with two point three million employees. Walmart is also one of the world's most valuable companies by market value, and is also the largest grocery retailer in the U.S. “One Nation Under Walmart” is a case about how Walmart has taken over the retail business and the effects of their market domination. The case also shows statistics of how much percentage Walmart is of many suppliers’ sales. According to the case Walmart has a 30% market share of all household items. Twenty-eight percent of Dial’s business and twenty-four percent of Del Monte’s business go through Walmart stores. It is also worth noting that Walmart imports ten percent of all United States imports from China. The case states that Walmart is able to offer cheaper prices because they put so much pressure on their suppliers to lower their prices. The case, “One Nation Under Walmart”, explains the problems that some people have with the massive retailer. One of these problems is how Walmart has forced numerous local businesses to close their doors through their extremely competitive pricing. They are able to purchase bulk goods at such low prices and thus pass the savings onto customers. As a result of these lew costs, rivals are driven out of business which results in a loss of jobs. Jobs are vital to the success of a community and with Walmart causing job

Wal-Mart’s persuasive tactics are definitely something that a lot of consumers, suppliers, and the general public think might be on the un-ethical side. While it is the consumer that ultimately is asking for these price reductions and such good deals, it almost seems as if the price is never low enough for the big retail monster and who knows if it will ever stop.

Wal-Mart’s variety of over 120,000 items, size and convenience makes it a severe competitor to any business. It’s unbeatable low prices are so unbearable even the social status of many cities or towns don’t matter and can’t even compete with Wal-Mart therefore they are forced to be terminated. This may be an example of “survival of the fittest” but this process is hurting the economy majorly and there needs to be something done about this.

Wal Mart company strategy is to provide lower prices for their customers. In a small

Unfortunately, when in U.S. companies like Walmart they hire illegal immigrants with low wage and they open stores all over the country, they are destroying the businesses that been around for decades.

Walmart has kept its prices so low by cutting-edge technology, corporate culture and put in their efforts to make the suppliers to lower the prices and sell goods as low as possible. The basic goal of Walmart is to keep their prices low and it has always been successful at this.

The price ceiling is the maximum price a seller is allowed to charge for a product or service. An impact on society includes when the prices are so high of a product, that no one can buy it. A price floor is the lowest legal price a product or service can be sold at. When market price is at its lowest, it may still be too high for consumers to purchase products. Governments can intervene for any purpose, and they are the ones who set these price controls.

In very much the same way Walmart is poised as the lion where we- substituted into the equation-are its' prey; existing solely to instill energy and fuel the power hungry lion that Walmart consists of. Replacing the surrounding wildlife are the small businesses that originated and had once prospered within the community; now starving and unsuccessfully surviving off of the scraps of leftover business Walmart so graciously provides. Perhaps your favourite bakery or coffee shop suddenly, out of nowhere was closed down briefly after the opening of a Walmart in the nearby vicinity. Now you know why.

The success of Wal-Mart is due in large part to its ability to consistently produce high quality products at a low cost. This is very critical to the future success of Wal-Mart because it provides consistency to customers who are price sensitive. By committing themselves to "Everyday low prices," Wal-Mart assures customers that the products sold within their stores are competitive in reference to its retail competition. This low price strategy also provides Wal-Mart with a

Walmart serves nearly 260 million customers weekly across 27 different countries, both in stores and through its websites (“Fortune”, 2015). Walmart relies heavily on its proper and effective marketing strategies; Walmart would not be able to achieve the level of success without these strategies. Low prices, easy access for its customers, and social media campaigns are a few of the vital tactics Walmart has used in its marketing plan. “Save Money. Live Better” is Walmart’s mission in delivering customers products at the lowest prices. This low price strategy plays a marketing role that caters to customers who seek the lowest prices and with grocery stores that provide great deals (Brown, 2017). Walmart’s low cost business model is protected by its powerful supply and distribution chains throughout the world. Customers can expect the same cost efficient style in every Walmart store worldwide.

“Always low prices”, is the first thing you think of when you think about one of the most successful companies around the world, Wal-Mart. For years they stand as a well know company due to their everyday low prices and variety of products. Their mission statement is “Saving people money so that they can live better”. They have chosen their mission statement wisely yet there is a lot of controversy when it comes to this International Company.

Stores like Wal-Mart are famous for keeping their prices so low. This is one reason why they are able to maintain a grip on the consumers of an area. They accomplish this by keeping the cost to produce and transport the goods low. In January, a study by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. found that, “an individual family could save $589 a year on groceries by shopping at a supercenter. Overall, shoppers could save $3.76 billion in merchandise nationwide.” (Blazier, A, 2004) A major reason they can keep prices lower than mom-and-pop run businesses is their ability to buy merchandise in bulk. Buying in bulk works the same way it does for a consumer. The more of a product that is purchased, the less the cost is per unit. Consumers see this every day when they go to stores like Sam’s Club or Costco. When they buy their merchandise in bulk, they are able to offer it to the consumer at a lower price. (Kale, 2011) This is what could eventually drive the mom-and-pop owned businesses out of the area, and draw a negative criticism from the public. The interesting thing about this criticism is that the public complains about Wal-Mart

Price has always been the key strategy in Wal-Mart’s marketing strategy. The success of Wal-Mart’s low price philosophy and marketing campaigns has been instrumental to the company’s success in the past half century. It is clear that from Sam Walton’s first store in Bentonville, Arkansas in 1950 to the 6200 stores worldwide as of 2006, Wal-Mart has utilized the price strategy of the marketing mix to become one of the most successful companies in

Price had never been this low where a desktop costs only $499, whereas laptops are hovering around $1100. Yet do not forget the $500 Apple mini sub compact laptop or the Apple iBook laptop that sells for $650, and the stripped down $400 after rebate laptops companies like Gateway and eMachine are flooding the market with to make money on volume of sales instead of a high price margin. The problem is even if the price of PCs plummets the effect is not felt immediately, because people do not rush to change their PC despite the fact they are getting it cheaper, which means the PC turnover rate is low like most durable goods. That might be what is contributing to the declining of prices, as the assumption of the manufacturers might be that if the price goes low enough people might want to change their computer to avail themselves the latest add-ons. Even the add-ons themselves seem to have reached their zenith some time ago and the latest most alluring gadget that came into existence was CD/DVD RW and every reasonably priced desktop or laptop is equipped with it. However, it does not mean the makers of PCs are not coming up with new functionality, add-ons, and price reductions to woo buyers. The other recent addition was Wi Fi that got boost from the introduction of Intel 's Centrino mobile technology chip and it had added a lot to the mobility of laptops, which can access the Internet wherever hot spots are available. Other than that, the overall performance of PCs despite