50 replies to this topic

[zman9810]

Mith242, on 20 March 2011 - 11:36 AM, said:

Thought I'd put an update about some info I'd heard about.  I think most of us have heard about Walmart's new small convenient store type store on the campus at the U of A.  From what I'm hearing it sounds like it's doing better than expected.  So maybe at some point we might see Walmart try out some other stores at other university campuses.  One thing that was news to me was the Walmart Express concept.  Apparently they're be building several here in NWA to test them out in Gentry, Gravette and Prairie Grove.  They'll be roughly 15,000 sq ft.  Sounds like there will be emphasis on groceries.  Some will also have pharmacies.  The first ones planned are for NWA in the previous markets I mentioned but sounds like they also have plans to try them out in the Chicago market as well soon.  Although there will be emphasis on groceries there will be more non food items than at a typical Neighborhood Market.  I think these Walmart Expresses are targeting the chain dollar stores that have been doing well recently.  It also sounds like the Neighborhood Markets are going to be re-branded as Walmart Markets.

Yes, from what I've read the dollar stores have been eating WM's lunch. I also read where one of the dollar chains expects to build like 5,000 new stores in the near future. It's not hard to see why- they are more convenient and cheaper. WM can be so frustrating- they are always moving stuff around making it hard to find what you need quickly. I don't know if that is intentional as a way to get you to buy other goods on impulse or just bad management. It seems everytime I find something I like within a few months it is gone, although sometimes I can go to a competitor and find it there. They still have a lot going for them but need to turn it around or the competition is going to catch up with them. Maybe the Express will do the trick.

[Mith242]

zman9810, on 21 March 2011 - 08:49 PM, said:

WM can be so frustrating- they are always moving stuff around making it hard to find what you need quickly. I don't know if that is intentional as a way to get you to buy other goods on impulse or just bad management. It seems every time I find something I like within a few months it is gone, although sometimes I can go to a competitor and find it there.

There have been studies done that show that if you leave items in the same place for long periods of time people eventually start tuning out some of those areas.  Moving stuff around does help get some items noticed and then some people will make that impulse buy.  But I don't know if I'd go so far as to say that it's always Walmart's intentional doing.  Honestly a lot of these companies come out with new products and make big pushes and give incentives to retailers to work in their new products.  So in some instances I think it's the manufacturer's fault as well.  But especially with Walmart they're really big into just keeping top sellers.  If it doesn't sell so many units for a given time period it gets yanked.  Then as you said sometimes you can go to a competitor and find it there.  But sometimes Walmart is so big in that if Walmart pulls the plug on an item.  The manufacturer will eventually stop producing the item themselves.  I sometimes wonder if the manufacturer basically just uses some of these Walmart competitors just to unload the remaining quantities they have on hand.

[zman9810]

Mith242, on 22 March 2011 - 01:28 PM, said:

There have been studies done that show that if you leave items in the same place for long periods of time people eventually start tuning out some of those areas.  Moving stuff around does help get some items noticed and then some people will make that impulse buy.  But I don't know if I'd go so far as to say that it's always Walmart's intentional doing.  Honestly a lot of these companies come out with new products and make big pushes and give incentives to retailers to work in their new products.  So in some instances I think it's the manufacturer's fault as well.  But especially with Walmart they're really big into just keeping top sellers.  If it doesn't sell so many units for a given time period it gets yanked.  Then as you said sometimes you can go to a competitor and find it there.  But sometimes Walmart is so big in that if Walmart pulls the plug on an item.  The manufacturer will eventually stop producing the item themselves.  I sometimes wonder if the manufacturer basically just uses some of these Walmart competitors just to unload the remaining quantities they have on hand.

That's interesting and it does make sense. I'm probably not the consumer that that strategy is aimed at- I like being able to go and find stuff at the same shelf and get out of the store as quick as possible   I believe that about WM making a product disappear altogether, also. I can think of several products that seems to have happened to. When the supercenters first appeared WM was one stop shopping- now I go for long periods where I shop other places and only go to WM to stock up on household goods.

Edited by zman9810, 22 March 2011 - 07:43 PM.

[jdevers]

I hate all the moving around and discontinuing of things (although they seem to do this less than they once did), but my biggest pet peeve at Wal-Mart grocery is how when they have a display of an item at some random place in the store they often remove the normal place where the item is.  I understand the concept of featuring on item on an end-cap, but people who actually went into the store with intentions to purchase an item shouldn't have to search for it.

[Sammy00]

WalMart remains #1 on the Fortune 500 by trouncing Exxon Mobil this year. Still truly amazing to think the world's largest company is right up the road.

http://money.cnn.com...shots/2255.html

Edited by Sammy00, 05 May 2011 - 01:48 PM.

[bubba72704]

Just heard some great news for the NWA economy....  Walmart is closing their New York Apparel buying office and moving those jobs back to Bentonville!!!!!  Should be between 250 and 300 white-collar jobs that will come back here -- not to mention the all the vendors that will be moving back as well.  Should be a much welcomed shot in the arm for the local real estate market especially.  Just thought I'd share...

[Mith242]

bubba72704, on 26 October 2011 - 08:43 AM, said:

Just heard some great news for the NWA economy....  Walmart is closing their New York Apparel buying office and moving those jobs back to Bentonville!!!!!  Should be between 250 and 300 white-collar jobs that will come back here -- not to mention the all the vendors that will be moving back as well.  Should be a much welcomed shot in the arm for the local real estate market especially.  Just thought I'd share...

Cool, thanks for the info.  

[wmr]

Here's a link to the Walmart apparell story:

http://online.wsj.co...=googlenews_wsj

I haven't heard anything about the vendor community getting more people back here.

[Mith242]

wmr, on 27 October 2011 - 02:39 PM, said:

Here's a link to the Walmart apparell story:

http://online.wsj.co...=googlenews_wsj

I haven't heard anything about the vendor community getting more people back here.

Yeah I hadn't considered that at first.  But apparently a number of clothing related vendors moved after Walmart opened up offices in NYC.  I don't think anyone has officially announced they're reopening offices here yet.  But I think it's expected that some of these former vendors would eventually reopen offices here again.

[zman9810]

I always had the impression they were trying to compete with Target's clothes lines. It didn't work out much the same as the reducing brand choices didn't so they are cutting their losses. Great news for NWA- maybe the housing market will get a boost and we al know how that would help the overall economy around here.

[bubba72704]

It will be hard to quantify how many vendors will follow the apparel dept. back to Bentonville....  I work for an apparel vendor (costume jewelry category) -- about 75% of the apparel vendors left when they moved 2 years ago.  I'm sure only a fraction will move back.  It will be interesting to see the numbers on the Skyline Report over the next few quarters.