[Discuss] Discuss - Software Engineering union, now officially OT

[gaf at blu.org (Jerry Feldman)]

On 04/20/2012 08:53 AM, Mark Woodward wrote:
> I'm so glad you wrote that, it saved me the trouble of finding
> articles about "Master Lock" and "Vlasic Pickles" about their
> experience with Wallmart. A deal with walmart is like the deal with
> the devil, it will make you successful instantly, but it will
> eventually destroy everything you started with. Sometimes, that's OK.
> Most of the time, not so much. Walmart and Target are very destructive
> to the U.S. economy and jobs, and usually devastating to local
> economies where they build a store. They are the worst of corporate
> america, speak up against them in a town hall, you get a SLAPP suit. 
> Own a small buisiness? pay local taxes? Well, your tax money will go
> to helping walmart build a building. It will build roads and
> infrastructure, and in the end, your tax money that you paid for your
> community will help walmart put you out of business.
>
> Then, what's even worse, if the walmart that your taxes helped build,
> doesn't make a heafty profit, they'll pack it up and shut it down
> after the local businesses have gone out of business. Devastating the
> local community.
I'm not going to argue regarding whether Wal*Mart is evil or not. I grew
up in retailing. But, I also recall that Sears was the same way. You
made a deal with Sears, you were instantly successful until Sears
decided to move it in house. Today it is Wal*Mart. In our industry IBM
was the market leader and controlled everything, and today, it is
Microsoft (although IBM is a bit bigger and became my employer through
acquisition this year). A few years ago Wal*Mart tried to get all
retailers to use RFID tags. With RFID, you could conceivably check out
without removing the items from your cart. I wonder what would happen in
the RFID era if a woman brings her child who has an RFID identifier :-)

-- 
Jerry Feldman <gaf at blu.org>
Boston Linux and Unix
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