Bank-Mart

January 7, 2003 11:16 PM

No, Wal·Mart really is bent on taking over the world! Follow up to an earlier thread about Wal-Mart's dominance and pervasiveness in certain communities. Well the pot just keeps on getting sweeter for Sam's empire as Wal-Mart will now try their hand at cashing cheques (3$ flat), money orders (0.46$/per), and wire transfers. Of course this is just an obvious step when you're so big and 20% of your clientele have no bank account.
posted by ( .)(. ) (8 comments total)

I remember my first Wal-Mart experience some 25 years ago in a midwestern college town-- I thought the place was a hole. I refused to shop there again, and kept my promise for 24 years.

Then I moved to the true backwaters of Missouri (some say Missouri is a backwater all by itself, so just square the experience factor). I quickly found out that the local merchants had little to offer in terms of decent food, clothes and reasonably-priced household supplies. However, about 45 minutes away there was a WalMart SuperCenter.

I've since changed my world-view of Wal-Mart. Through volume discounts and excellent distribution channels, they've delivered goods and services to semi-rural America that local merchants would have never stocked.

So bash away, you MeFians in the populations centers of the world. However, until you've lived 3 hours from a shopping mall, perhaps you should curb your elitist enthusiasm. The truth is that the Wal-Mart model works.
posted by F Mackenzie at 12:06 AM on January 8, 2003

I'm always amused at how if your business is unsuccessful you're an honest, hardworking entrepreneur but if your business is a huge success you're suddenly regarded as an evil empire. Sure, Wal-Mart kind of sucks, but conspiracy theory-level rants about them taking over the universe get old.
posted by Xkot at 12:12 AM on January 8, 2003

Who said it would be bad? In fact Wal-Mart doesn't suck for reasons already mentioned, yet I'd like them to keep to their business and not have one thing lead to another.

Besides, banks are already some of the most notoriously bad-image enterprises, so one at a lower price shouldn't hurt the lower bracket of America which could potetially save hundreds annually.
posted by ( .)(. ) at 12:33 AM on January 8, 2003

Loads of supermarkets in the UK are also do loans, mortgages etc. It's healthy competition for the high street banks and keeps interest rates down. I don't see the problem.
posted by Summer at 1:54 AM on January 8, 2003

until you've lived 3 hours from a shopping mall, perhaps you should curb your elitist enthusiasm. The truth is that the Wal-Mart model works.

fine, then. let them build the things a minimum of 3 hours from the nearest mall.
posted by quonsar at 4:18 AM on January 8, 2003

I remember when Wall Mart came to the hole-in-the-wall town I used to live in. Before they came, there was a mailing campaign urging people to stand up against it, (loss of jobs, etc).

After I started to shop there, I was happy that they opened up shop. I no longer had to pay high prices at "Mom & Pop" poorly run dumps.

Yes, Wall Mart isn't that great to its employees, but hell, what do those people expect for stuffing shelves? It they want more than minimum wage, they better get a skill that matters. Harsh, but true.
posted by Witold at 4:55 AM on January 8, 2003

My issue with Wal-Mart isn't generally with the way they handle their overall operations, but with the way some stores are held on a short leash with the corporate office.

I had to return a gift I received several years back that someone bought at Wal-Mart. They didn't have a receipt. Well, I'll just get a store credit. Instead, I was accused of stealing the item off the shelf by the store manager. After a back-and-forth, he agreed to exchange it for something else, but would not issue me a store credit. So I went back to look for something, and he had someone follow me.

I have not been to a lot of these stores, but the ones that I have been in have been filfthy, poorly organized, staffed with rude employees, and generally in a complete state of disarray.

Formerly, I would go to K-Mart. However, about 9 months ago, Target opened near me (previously all the Target stores had been in the subburbs of town, at least a 30-40 minute drive.) Their aisles were wider than most general department stores, they had price-check scanners that worked, the store was clean, well organized, well stocked, and I have yet to experience a rude employee there.

I won't knock Wal-Mart for some of its global actions, because its typical of big corporations. But they really have to pull the choke chain on some of these stores, and their poor management and employees.
posted by benjh at 5:05 AM on January 8, 2003

I'm not sure that a $3 flat fee for cashing checks is the worst thing in the world, given the high percentages (20%!) some less savory US businesses charge for the same service.
posted by yerfatma at 5:10 AM on January 8, 2003