Vigilante
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Some years ago, I noticed that our toilet paper and paper towels bought from Wal-Mart had uneven end cuts. Not a big thing, but this got me to thinking. Is Wal-Mart somehow pushing inferior merchandise to keep their costs down?
This morning, Mrs. jon asked me if Wal-Mart might be selling cheap razor blades. It seems that the new ones that she just bought from Rite Aid seemed to work better for her. She doesn't need pink razor blades so we both use the same men's blades. I however will just use and use one until I can't stand the pull any more.
So, @Vigilante do you have the inside scoop? Does Wal-Mart sell crap?
Ironic that your OP mentions cut corners. We really could stop there.
Let's answer this a few different ways.
1. My mentor used to describe what it was like when he was a senior level executive running Philips Magnavox in the United States. He used to tell me that their factory would build a VCR for Wal-Mart, different from their regular models. They would then start removing parts to find cost reductions, one piece at a time until the VCR no longer worked. They would then put back the last part they removed.
2. Sam's Club (a division of Wal-Mart) operates as a separate entity from Wal-Mart, competing for quality/value against Costco. Costco gets the edge for higher end merchandise, but Sam's Club definitely has a different merchandising strategy than their sister company, Wal-Mart. Sam's Clubs quality is different than Wal-Marts. (how's that for a politically correct answer).
3. When Sam Walton was alive, the private label brands owned by Wal-Mart had to be BEST IN CLASS, outperforming and underpricing the industry leading brand competitors
4. Wal-Mart just this week had to recant a position in which they were claiming some products were made in America, that aren't :
http://consumerist.com/2015/10/21/r...eling-after-designation-dropped-from-website/
5. As a buyer for Wal-Mart corporate, they are under a constant grind to reduce prices.
6. When Wal-Mart presses vendors for cost concessions, the vendors look for areas to make that up (see point #1 above, and this article http://america.aljazeera.com/articl...el-the-squeeze-as-walmarts-earnings-drop.html)
7. On branded merchandise (such as a Samsung television) what Wal-Mart carries, in many cases, is a stripped down version of what Best Buy may carry. Only a consumer with a trained eye will detect the difference (and Best Buy no longer has knowledgable people to explain the difference.) Perception trumps reality.
8. When I was a buyer there, I routinely grinded the last penny from suppliers. They like to choke vendors until they almost pass out, and then let off just enough pressure so that the vendor stays conscious. Most companies hate doing business with them, and they get treated accordingly. Most vendors actively seek ways to cut corners.
In the razor blade arena, it seems that some of the direct to consumer "clubs" are doing a better job of providing better razors at lower prices, eliminating the retail markup. Wal-Mart may buy a pack of razor blades from Gillette for $10 and retail them for $20. You can now buy SCHMILLETTE brand blades (likely made in the same factory) for $14 from a direct marketing company that doesn't have to pay for retail stores, employees, or overhead. So that market, like a lot of markets, is evolving to the benefit of the consumer.
Summary : Sam Walton's Wal-Mart didn't sell shit. It sold branded products cheaply. Sam Walton's Wal-Mart isn't the Wal-Mart you walk into today.