Am I the Only One Who Likes Walmart?

[eliza61]

I'm an ex walmart employee. Unfortunately my walmart treated employees one step up from slavery. We actually had tee shirts made about being "legal slaves" So I don't shop there on principal. I try not to bad mouth them too much though.

 

[luvmyfam444]

I think electronics in general have seen their quality go to crap no matter where you buy them from. I used to subscribe to the theory that if you paid more it would last forever, and I do think that used to be true. I have some ancient electronics that still run. But we found around 10 years ago no matter what we paid it wasn't lasting more than just past the one year warranty. We literally went through 3k in Sony products that died within 2 years, and everything we bought before the year 2000 is still going strong. Everything from photo printers, to dvd players, to PS2s (one at our store, one for home, and one gift), all died just out of warranty. The timing was just too convenient to the manufacturer for it to be a simple quality issue. These were NOT cheap items and it really made me mad that they all died within a month of their warranty expiring and sony wouldn't do a darn thing. That's not cost cutting, that's planned obsolecence.

Now unless I get a really good deal if I can get the $30 crappy version at walmart I will, because after spending $500 on a couple dvd players that died at 13 months (we thought the first one was a fluke because Sony had always been such a high quality brand for us) it is cheaper to keep buying the terrible Walmart version. I don't like it, it's wasteful as hell, but I don't blame Walmart for this trend. I blame the companies that decided moving the technology forward at warp speed wasn't enough. They had to do things like make the batteries impossible to replace but destined to die after a year (Apple) or bring out TVs that advertise that their life spans are low but put it in hours so it isn't so obvious (the new styles of TVs). A lot of the companies that are known for planned obsolesence electronics are higher end brands.

Read a couple articles on planned obsolecence a few months back - I completely agree....everything magically fails right around the warranty expiration. Shoot I've noticed every car I have owned's a/c has gone out right around 100,000 miles - that's a given - so we just know its coming.

 

[bicker]

Warning: Operations Research scientific explanation ahead!!!

This really shows the power of parametric analysis for robust design. All physical systems tend to be regular in nature: You build in a certain amount of robustness, and failure generally happens at a specific point in time, distributed over a statistical distribution. By varying the parameters that affect robustness, you can move the center point of the distribution in or out, of course, but you can also tighten up the distribution (making the distribution "thinner"). The bits of the distribution that fall inside the warranty period represent real, immediate cost. So the objective is to vary the parameters, keeping in mind how such parameter manipulations tend to move the distribution such that more or less failure falls within the warranty period, but also keep in mind how much it costs to vary a parameter in a certain direction, to a certain amount.

So basically, the science of robust design, combined with the realities of a low-price-driven consumer mass-market, drive design of products such that many of them tend to fail very little before the warranty period is up, and fail quite a lot after. And since it costs money to move the distribution of failure further out, there are often inexpensive parameter changes you can make that help tighten the distribution up so that failures do tend to happen very often very soon after the warranty period expires.

Isn't science fun?

 

[TheZue]

Warning: Operations Research scientific explanation ahead!!!

This really shows the power of parametric analysis for robust design. All physical systems tend to be regular in nature: You build in a certain amount of robustness, and failure generally happens at a specific point in time, distributed over a statistical distribution. By varying the parameters that affect robustness, you can move the center point of the distribution in or out, of course, but you can also tighten up the distribution (making the distribution "thinner"). The bits of the distribution that fall inside the warranty period represent real, immediate cost. So the objective is to vary the parameters, keeping in mind how such parameter manipulations tend to move the distribution such that more or less failure falls within the warranty period, but also keep in mind how much it costs to vary a parameter in a certain direction, to a certain amount.

So basically, the science of robust design, combined with the realities of a low-price-driven consumer mass-market, drive design of products such that many of them tend to fail very little before the warranty period is up, and fail quite a lot after. And since it costs money to move the distribution of failure further out, there are often inexpensive parameter changes you can make that help tighten the distribution up so that failures do tend to happen very often very soon after the warranty period expires.

Isn't science fun?

That's exactly what they are doing. The reasoning I've heard for it generally isn't cost but more that the speed of technology is moving so fast that without the old stuff dying there wouldn't be the demand for the new stuff. Often they have the next great technology invented and marketed at the ultra high end when they are pushing the one that is just hitting consumer shelves. I know that the next gen of blue rays is not too far away and there are new TVs coming as well. If any of this stuff lasted more than five years there would be less incentive for people to buy yet another new format. They want us to expect our electronics to break. We are well past the time when you could buy a radio and it would be repairable or still working decades later.

I also think you could argue the fact that the producers know that they are going to be bringing out new technology gives them an incentive beyond walmart and other discounters to keep prices low. If we were all paying $1000 or more for a DVD player I don't think we'd ever expect to buy another one, and would probably think long an hard about upgrading every time these new ones come out. It takes about every 1-5 years depending on the product to bring in the next wave, cel phones being on the lower end for cycles. But right now the upper limit on price is half that and they have it set up so that predictably the price comes down to get as many consumers over the shelf life of any given wave of technology. At first they get the people who are willing to pay more to get the new stuff and near the end they get the bargin shoppers; either way everyone is replacing their stuff at roughly the same incriments. If it was consistantly well build and priced to match this just wouldn't be possible because there would be far less people willing to buy into each new wave.

 

[CPT Tripss]

Warning: Operations Research scientific explanation ahead!!!

This really shows the power of parametric analysis for robust design. All physical systems tend to be regular in nature: You build in a certain amount of robustness, and failure generally happens at a specific point in time, distributed over a statistical distribution. By varying the parameters that affect robustness, you can move the center point of the distribution in or out, of course, but you can also tighten up the distribution (making the distribution "thinner"). The bits of the distribution that fall inside the warranty period represent real, immediate cost. So the objective is to vary the parameters, keeping in mind how such parameter manipulations tend to move the distribution such that more or less failure falls within the warranty period, but also keep in mind how much it costs to vary a parameter in a certain direction, to a certain amount.

So basically, the science of robust design, combined with the realities of a low-price-driven consumer mass-market, drive design of products such that many of them tend to fail very little before the warranty period is up, and fail quite a lot after. And since it costs money to move the distribution of failure further out, there are often inexpensive parameter changes you can make that help tighten the distribution up so that failures do tend to happen very often very soon after the warranty period expires.

Isn't science fun?

That's exactly what they are doing. The reasoning I've heard for it generally isn't cost but more that the speed of technology is moving so fast that without the old stuff dying there wouldn't be the demand for the new stuff. Often they have the next great technology invented and marketed at the ultra high end when they are pushing the one that is just hitting consumer shelves. I know that the next gen of blue rays is not too far away and there are new TVs coming as well. If any of this stuff lasted more than five years there would be less incentive for people to buy yet another new format. They want us to expect our electronics to break. We are well past the time when you could buy a radio and it would be repairable or still working decades later.

I also think you could argue the fact that the producers know that they are going to be bringing out new technology gives them an incentive beyond walmart and other discounters to keep prices low. If we were all paying $1000 or more for a DVD player I don't think we'd ever expect to buy another one, and would probably think long an hard about upgrading every time these new ones come out. It takes about every 1-5 years depending on the product to bring in the next wave, cel phones being on the lower end for cycles. But right now the upper limit on price is half that and they have it set up so that predictably the price comes down to get as many consumers over the shelf life of any given wave of technology. At first they get the people who are willing to pay more to get the new stuff and near the end they get the bargin shoppers; either way everyone is replacing their stuff at roughly the same incriments. If it was consistantly well build and priced to match this just wouldn't be possible because there would be far less people willing to buy into each new wave.

Wow . . . you two looking for the "thread killer of the year" award?

 

[Free4Life11]

I like Walmart because they have a good selection of stuff and the everday prices are usually lower than other stores.

But checkout is always a nightmare for me. They never have enough registers open and the cashiers are slow as molasses or too busy chatting with their coworkers!

I also just don't care for the fact that, sorry, many of their employees just look so unkempt! I mean greasy hair, facial hair gone wild, dirty clothes. Have a little pride in yourself.

 

[bicker]

Wow . . . you two looking for the "thread killer of the year" award?

Hmmm... by injecting such a comment into a substantive discussion, isn't that what you're doing?

 

[quentina]

I have never had a bad shopping experience at Walmart. That doesn't mean that I can always find what I am looking for, but everyone I have encountered has always been nice. Last week I was looking for coat hangers. I thought I was looking in the right spot, didn't see them and asked a woman who I thought was a customer, if she had a clue where the coat hangers might be. She responded with a very friendly smile and said, "I know, follow me". She walked to an area that was certainly out of her way, probably 50 ft from where we were, and said, "there they are. Today is my day off, but I know where every thing is by now". Of course I thanked her profusely. The cashiers, the greeters and even the people at the return desk are always polite. I have never had a problem at Walmart.

I vote yes, I hate them however, I shop their because it is close to home.

 

[SelfEmployedDebtFree]

other than the PS2s so you can't argue that their breaking within a month or two of the warranty was some how Walmarts doing.

OT, but you DO know ou can fix PS2s yourself... right? Theres about a dozen websites that are easily found that explain how to (even with big pictures!!!) disassemble, repair, and reassemble your disc read error on your PS2 in just minutes. I have 3 PS2s in my house. I've done it about a dozen times over the years. All ya need is a screwdriver and a can of compressed air from any Radio Shack or computer store.

Warning: Operations Research scientific explanation ahead!!!

This really shows the power of parametric analysis for robust design. All physical systems tend to be regular in nature: You build in a certain amount of robustness, and failure generally happens at a specific point in time, distributed over a statistical distribution. By varying the parameters that affect robustness, you can move the center point of the distribution in or out, of course, but you can also tighten up the distribution (making the distribution "thinner"). The bits of the distribution that fall inside the warranty period represent real, immediate cost. So the objective is to vary the parameters, keeping in mind how such parameter manipulations tend to move the distribution such that more or less failure falls within the warranty period, but also keep in mind how much it costs to vary a parameter in a certain direction, to a certain amount.

So basically, the science of robust design, combined with the realities of a low-price-driven consumer mass-market, drive design of products such that many of them tend to fail very little before the warranty period is up, and fail quite a lot after. And since it costs money to move the distribution of failure further out, there are often inexpensive parameter changes you can make that help tighten the distribution up so that failures do tend to happen very often very soon after the warranty period expires.

Isn't science fun?

They aren't fooling everyone.
I used to be an ebay power seller. I made KILLER money off vintage audio. There's a LOT of people who want the old stuff because it lasts. In car audio there's vintage Orion, Precision Power (now PPI), Alpine, MTX (once made by PPI), Zapco, and Rockford Fosgate. The newer car audio just sits there. It doesn't sell unless it's a head unit. Of course people want the newest thing in head units, then they use old parts to power the subwoofers and such. (It's what I do also) Some of the old Zapco amps sell into the thousands.

For home audio it's vintage Harmon Kardon, Denon, Bose, etc. People generally buy newer home theater receivers, but there's even beginning to be the start of a market for older stuff there. When I stopped selling on ebay about 4 years ago you couldn't GIVE a cassette deck away on ebay, but if it was a Nakamichi or Harmon Kardon cassette deck, it brought big bucks. It was kinda like Sony, Kenwood, and Panasonic didn't exist. If it wasn't Nak or HK no one would even bid $5 for it. I was selling old Nak cassette decks for upwards of $100 each. And this was relatively recently.

The DJs are searching hard and paying top dollar for 70s model stereo receivers / amps. I'm talking about the old silver colored ones with tubes. They can pump them hard all night and the amps take it. The newer stuff won't take the abuse.

 

[Cool-Beans]

I have to throw in my $.02 on the disposable stuff thing.

My mom bought an electric can opener from Sears in 1969. It still works beautifully. The styling and design is old. It was once white and has turned icky-yellow. Mom even took to keeping it behind a little door that slides up on the kitchen counter, it was so hideous. Had that built right into the house with an outlet in there, just so it would not be seen, but still be handy. Not pretty to look at, that thing. The rest of her kitchen appliances consider it an affront. The KitchenAid Mix Master was so offended by its very presence that it left to live with my cousin.

It's gotten to be pretty ugly over the years, but the damn thing still works very, very well. Find me a product you could buy today that will be working just as well in forty years. Good flippin luck.

They really do NOT build things like they used to and it really IS a shame.

(Sorry if I've put the final straw on the thread's back, Dawn.)

 

[bicker]

They really do NOT build things like they used to and it really IS a shame.

Except for all the folks who make their livings making, distributing and selling new stuff.

 

[momof1princess]

i love shopping at wal-mart. ours is a supercenter that is only 2-3 years old, and it is pretty clean, considering the massive amount of traffic it gets (in the center of town). the grocery prices are great (and they price match anything that isn't BOGO!) and they have the best prices on toiletries and school supplies. the employees may not be the friendliest, but i've certainly encountered much worse, and i don't shop there b/c of employee personality. there's not a target within an hour of here and we only have 2-3 grocery stores. i do shop at aldi (a block from the wal-mart) for milk and a few other things-our aldi is less than 2 years old and is clean and usually well-stocked.