# Walmart giving up on Germany!



## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Jul 30, 2006)

In a victory for small business in Europes largest economy Germany, Walmart is giving up and going home. Walmart has not made a profit yet since it moved into Germany in 1997. They have been loosing more and more every year. They announced yesterday that they are going to close down there 85 stores in Germany. Another company here in Germany said it will hire the employees so that they can keep there jobs.

Walmarts in Germany sell more than just clothes and goods, they also sell groceries and produce.

I think this is great because in my opinion I would rather walk out my door and go to a deli and get fresh cheese and meats or go to a Butcher and get fresh beef or pork or whatever. These small businesses are cheaper and the product is better than what you get at Walmart. If I need clothing I would rather go into town and buy it from stores than from Walmart.

I dont mind traveling to different stores to get what I need rather than go to Walmart and buy from one location. Apparently most Germans agree with me.


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## syscom3 (Jul 30, 2006)

Id like to see the same thing here too.


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## Tiger (Jul 30, 2006)

Good for Germany! I hope the same happans here!


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Jul 30, 2006)

According to the article they are pulling out of Argentina and several other European Countries.

I wonder if it will impact Walmart at all. I doubt it because they make billions alone off the United States.


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## FLYBOYJ (Jul 30, 2006)

Not its funny, where I live in Colorado there a few local markets are spread out around town, no real corner store type delis or butchers. Everything that is bought at the local food chains are way more expensive than Walmart. The only advantage of the local markets is they are not as crowded as Walmart on the weekends (which turns into a freaking zoo). I'll buy stuff from Walmart during the week but avoid the place on the weekend.

Oh yea, and there's 2 where I live, the one located closer to Denver looks like its in Tijuana on the weekends. I think half the shoppers are illegals....


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Jul 30, 2006)

FLYBOYJ said:


> Oh yea, and there's 2 where I live, the one located closer to Denver looks like its in Tijuana on the weekends. I think half the shoppers are illegals....


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## P38 Pilot (Jul 30, 2006)

FLYBOYJ said:


> Not its funny, where I live in Colorado there a few local markets are spread out around town, no real corner store type delis or butchers. Everything that is bought at the local food chains are way more expensive than Walmart. The only advantage of the local markets is they are not as crowded as Walmart on the weekends (which turns into a freaking zoo). I'll buy stuff from Walmart during the week but avoid the place on the weekend.
> 
> Oh yea, and there's 2 where I live, the one located closer to Denver looks like its in Tijuana on the weekends. I think half the shoppers are illegals....



My family will buy stuff from Wal-Mart, but I don't like getting my clothes from there. Walmart does have a lot of stuff, including guns! Isn't Walmart succeeding in Japan? I heard a year ago they built one there.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Jul 30, 2006)

Well they just pulled out of S. Korea as well and Japan is not looking very good it said in the artical.

They are going to try and make up for the loss in Germany by attempting to break into China.

Im glad they are gone. Walmart threatens to ruin the mom and pop stores that I love so much. Good bye evil Walmart!


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## P38 Pilot (Jul 30, 2006)

It does not work here. Walmart is like an Army, a powerful army! Small business in Auburn and Opelika are slowly dieing from Walmart. But some small businesses manage to remain in buissness because they have stuff Walmart may not have.

Its like that South Park episode. When they destroyed Walmart the first time, they thought it was the end. Few days later, its built back.

Here in America, Walmart has taken over. Now I don't hate or support walmart, because too me, Walmart is both positive to us customers having alot of our basic needs, and negative for driving small business out of business.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Jul 30, 2006)

Its too bad for mom and pop...


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## plan_D (Jul 31, 2006)

Wal-Mart bought out one of Britain's largest supermarket chains, ASDA. But they haven't altered the prices, and it's still the cheapest competitive supermarket chain there is. They have made the ASDA in Doncaster massive though. But in Britain we'll shop in supermarkets, and small time businesses. There's still market days in Doncaster and it's those days that are packed with people.


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## cheddar cheese (Jul 31, 2006)

I couldnt really care less about shops and supermarkets, I dont really go to any. The internet is so much easier, if I want something I get it from eBay or Amazon or some other site.  Of course when the time comes for me to get my own groceries ill go to town, but for now I dont


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Jul 31, 2006)

That is easy for you to do, your parents do all the shopping.


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## davparlr (Jul 31, 2006)

DerAdlerIstGelandet said:


> In a victory for small business in Europes largest economy Germany, Walmart is giving up and going home. Walmart has not made a profit yet since it moved into Germany in 1997. They have been loosing more and more every year. They announced yesterday that they are going to close down there 85 stores in Germany. Another company here in Germany said it will hire the employees so that they can keep there jobs.
> 
> Walmarts in Germany sell more than just clothes and goods, they also sell groceries and produce.
> 
> ...


While I understand the desire to support small shops and people have the right to choose and, if Germans do not want Walmart type stores, that's fine. If Walmart goes out of business because no one shops there, that's tough. However, in a free enterprise type of economy, efficiency is rewarded, inefficiency is not. This advances the standard of living (products per manhour). Walmart has been successful because they offer more product for the money and are able to do this because of volume procurement. Years ago many, more efficent, automakers absorbed small less efficient automakers, putting many out of business and many jobs lost. However, because of this, we can afford the vehicles we drive around today. They provide incredible technology at low prices. And, this stimulates all of the economy thus creating even greater jobs. This story can be repeated on and on. Walmart actually provides a service to economies by being more efficient. To declare Walmart evil, you would have to say the same to most of the business world that provides us a standard of living unimaginable fifty years ago.

I have no complaints about stores closing because of lack of business. I have real complaint about making some stores illeagal. It takes away our right to choose.

DerAdler, isn't there a home grown German department store that effectively does the same thing as Walmart, and is quite successful?


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Jul 31, 2006)

Walmart was not made illegal. It just went out of buisness because it never made a profit.

The reason people do not want to shop at Walmart is because they go to actuall smaller stores and they might pay a little bit more money (not much more) but the product is of better quality than what Walmart sells. Atleast here in Germany.

Yes there is a store called Real which is like Walmart and it is quite successful. There is also the Mediamarkt, Praktika, and ofcourse there is IKEA. There are several others.


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## plan_D (Jul 31, 2006)

Small time shops are generally better quality than super-markets here too, but are more expensive. I have nothing against supermarket chains or department stores, but Wal-Mart better not screw ASDA up!


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## davparlr (Jul 31, 2006)

DerAdlerIstGelandet said:


> Walmart was not made illegal. It just went out of buisness because it never made a profit.
> 
> The reason people do not want to shop at Walmart is because they go to actuall smaller stores and they might pay a little bit more money (not much more) but the product is of better quality than what Walmart sells. Atleast here in Germany.
> 
> Yes there is a store called Real which is like Walmart and it is quite successful. There is also the Mediamarkt, Praktika, and ofcourse there is IKEA. There are several others.



If the people do not like to shop at Walmart then too bad for Walmart. That is the peoples right.


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## Erich (Jul 31, 2006)

Adler thanks for posting this as I am going to make a copy for a few business owners in my kleine berg. Wally's decided 4 years ago to put a superstore right in the middle nearly of some small business shop owners. Sadly this over sized organization has destroyed these shops/owners with not too kindly advertizements and unruly so-called professional behaviour. Very glad that Deutschlands people have been smart and given this insane company the finger ............

E ~


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Aug 1, 2006)

I agree.


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## Clave (Aug 1, 2006)

I'm not sorry to see Walmart losing out because they are indeed Evil:

WIPE: WalMart is Pure Evil


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Aug 1, 2006)




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## P38 Pilot (Aug 1, 2006)

cheddar cheese said:


> I couldnt really care less about shops and supermarkets, I dont really go to any. The internet is so much easier, if I want something I get it from eBay or Amazon or some other site.  Of course when the time comes for me to get my own groceries ill go to town, but for now I dont



The only thing I have purchased from the internet is a G-36C Airsoft gun for $19.95 plus shipping and handling.


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Aug 2, 2006)

> Of course when the time comes for me to get my own groceries ill go to town, but for now I dont



but it would be so very ammusing to try and see the tesco van squeeze down your back passage... to the house


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## cheddar cheese (Aug 2, 2006)

Van? Pfft, Im paying for it, Id have it air dropped by some Hueys.


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## FLYBOYJ (Aug 2, 2006)

Here's something funny.....

BEIJING (Reuters) - China is determined to introduce trade unions in all local Wal-Mart stores, despite the retail giant's opposition to unions among its workers, a Chinese labor official said in state media on Wednesday. 

Employees of a Wal-Mart store in Quanzhou, in the southeastern province of Fujian, established a branch of the state-controlled All-China Federation of Trade Unions on Saturday - the first such union in the U.S. company's spreading China operations.

Wal-Mart has rebuffed the federation's efforts to expand into its stores, and since the Saturday announcement company executives have said they were unaware of the latest move.

But an official union organizer told the Beijing Daily that China would press forward with an effort to unionize all Wal-Mart stores.

"Establishing this trade union in Wal-Mart was just the beginning," said Guo Wencai, director of the grassroots organization department of the Federation of Trade Unions. "Our goal is to cover every store with a trade union organization."

Wal-Mart has resisted trade unions in most of its worldwide operations and has said it listens to the needs of its Chinese workers and does not need the official trade union to step in.

But Guo indicated this was not enough.

"Even if nobody proposes setting one up, this organization must still exist," he said, adding that the state union would hold a publicity campaign among Wal-Mart employees.

China has previously threatened foreign firms with blacklists and legal action if they did not set up unions in their local operations. Only about one quarter of the 150,000 or so foreign firms in China have unions, the Beijing Daily said.

The paper cited another Chinese trade union official as saying its goal is to raise this level to 50 percent.


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## 102first_hussars (Aug 4, 2006)

DerAdlerIstGelandet said:


> In a victory for small business in Europes largest economy Germany, Walmart is giving up and going home. Walmart has not made a profit yet since it moved into Germany in 1997. They have been loosing more and more every year. They announced yesterday that they are going to close down there 85 stores in Germany. Another company here in Germany said it will hire the employees so that they can keep there jobs.
> 
> Walmarts in Germany sell more than just clothes and goods, they also sell groceries and produce.
> 
> ...



Im jealous for you guys honestly, Wal-Mart is like Cocaine for us in Canada, its the complete opposite of what it went through in Germany, small buisinesses cant get a break its sickening, thats globalization for you


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## mosquitoman (Aug 4, 2006)

Supermarkets here are good but independent buisinesses always do well. Personally the cheapest places are best for me: a small chicken for £1.50 at Netto


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## Nonskimmer (Aug 4, 2006)

102first_hussars said:


> Im jealous for you guys honestly, Wal-Mart is like Cocaine for us in Canada, its the complete opposite of what it went through in Germany, small buisinesses cant get a break its sickening, thats globalization for you


Large retail chains have always done well in Canada. We're a lot like Americans that way, in that we flock to affordable bulk items. We also like big rooms filled with row upon row of pretty colours and shiny objects. 

Wal-Mart has been really giving Zellers a run for their money. So much so that around here there was fear of Zellers going out of business because of it. I think it's pretty much settled out now though. K-Mart folded up shop long ago, and Consumers Distributing too. Then there was the nationwide Eaton's closure, but I don't know how much of that was due to the Wal-Mart giant.


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## pbfoot (Aug 4, 2006)

Well the sad fact is North America built big expansive cities the Downtowns are for the most part the worst shopping and if your going to buy stuff we migrate to where we can see everything at one place without a lot of travelling hence the Mall with Walmarts etc. Toronto with a population 0f 4 million is 1500 sq/km or 560 sq miles or only 40 sq miles less then London which has twice the number of people. Most North American Transit systems are junk so you are left to driving as walking sometimes isn't usually practical


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## reddragon (Aug 5, 2006)

I don't care for WalMart. When they come into an area, it seems many of the small businesses close down. I've seen a program called, "Is WalMart Good for America" and it showed a number of manufacturers that have closed down because they couldn't make products for the price WalMart was willing to pay and they are basically the only game in town. The manufacturing has moved to China because that's the only place able to make the stuff for the cheap price WalMart will pay for it. They showed a man in Pakistan who was paying his employees 17 cents per hour to make clothes for WalMart. He said he asked for a small increase in what he was getting for his clothes so he could give his employees a small increase in pay. In exchange, WalMart cancelled the contract and went to China, where they paid people even less to make the clothing. That's really tragic.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Aug 5, 2006)

I agree.


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## Smokey (Aug 6, 2006)

Allegedly wal mart stack products so high on their shelves that gravity has actually caused at least on fatality in a wal mart


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