Wal-Mart

On Tue, 25 Apr 2006 14:07:33 -0700, JR wrote:

wrote:
On Tue, 25 Apr 2006 12:08:28 -0700, JR wrote:

..... only that if I were poor and sick, I'd get better medical
treatment if I were an Italian in Italy than an American here.

Er, no, this is the first time you've said that you'd "get better
medical treatment if I were an Italian in Italy than an American here"

My bad. I assumed since the topic was medical care and health care
systems, that *that* was how what I wrote would be read.

Why? "Better" is not the same as or even related to "at little or no
apparent cost." Heck, Walmart sells tools and they are pretty
inexpensive...wanna try to rebuilt a Cat diesel with 'em? OTOH, Walmart
sells large white loaves and I'd guess they are probably, well, they are
as good as those costing two or three times as much...

The whole tube sock angle was, I confess, entirely unforeseen.

Nobody expects the tube sock inqui...er, nevermind...

TC,
R

"Calif Bill" wrote:
the system is paid for with high taxes. $3+ a gallon on fuel, and high
tax rates.

(gasp) You mean middle class Italians don't drive around in 6000 pound
SUV's like middle class Americans do, just because they can? What a backward
and contemptible society they must be!

Charlie Wilson wrote:
"Calif Bill" wrote:

the system is paid for with high taxes. $3+ a gallon on fuel, and high
tax rates.

(gasp) You mean middle class Italians don't drive around in 6000 pound
SUV's like middle class Americans do, just because they can? What a backward
and contemptible society they must be!

Also, we get to have $3+ a gallon gas *without* high gas taxes used to
pay for government services.....

Anyway, the burden of high taxes on Italians is widely overestimated.
They simply evade them! And when the financial police (yes, that's
right) come around, they simply bribe them. It all works out in the
end. No joke. The biggest problem I had finding an apartment when
I first arrived was finding a landlord who didn't want me to sign two
rental agreements: the "real" one showing the actual rent, and another,
showing a much lower rent, he could file with the tax authorities....

wrote in message
...
On Mon, 24 Apr 2006 21:03:38 -0400, "Gene Cottrell"
wrote:

Completely wrong. Believe it or not, Walmart sees its biggest
competitor as its own stores, especially older ones. And here's a hint:
would your average "mom-n-pop" store really want to take Walmart's
customers away - IOW, have them all leave Walmart and come into their
store? No? So why would Walmart want to take "mom-n-pop's?" Really
think about that before you answer.


HTH,
R

What do you mean? Those customers were Mom-n-pops before Wal-Mart came to
town. You can't be serious and I doubt you're that stupid.

Gene

On Tue, 25 Apr 2006 23:16:52 -0400, "Gene Cottrell"
wrote:


wrote in message
.. .
On Mon, 24 Apr 2006 21:03:38 -0400, "Gene Cottrell"
wrote:

Completely wrong. Believe it or not, Walmart sees its biggest
competitor as its own stores, especially older ones. And here's a hint:
would your average "mom-n-pop" store really want to take Walmart's
customers away - IOW, have them all leave Walmart and come into their
store? No? So why would Walmart want to take "mom-n-pop's?" Really
think about that before you answer.


HTH,
R

What do you mean? Those customers were Mom-n-pops before Wal-Mart came to
town. You can't be serious and I doubt you're that stupid.

Gene


No. They were driven out of business by a combination of larger chain
groceries or hardware stores and their own ineptitude. Where I lived
before, the two of three local hardware stores that gave good service
managed to survive. The one that tried to be big itself, but didn't
have knowledgeable clerks or good customer service went under. The
grocery in walking distance went downhill with each successive owner
after the original owners sold out. The quality of this and that
failed as they tried to cut prices and then they turned their garage /
storage area into a video game shop that got closed down for lots of
noise and scum violations. But up until the original owners, who did
quality (not to mention credit) and service sold it, that little
grocery stayed busy enough.

We now live where there's a hardware store and a meat store right
across the street from a newer WalMart. They're both still doing good
business. I'll go to that little hardware store first every time,
because I can walk in there with a washer, hand it to any of them, and
ask for one just like it and they'll show me two they think will work
and tell me to return the one that doesn't. Not that I would, after
taking it out of the plastic packaging. Then I'll go over to the meat
market and be able to actually special order something. Or get the
baby back ribs and they'll snip the integument to save me the time and
trouble.

The WalMart and the two very nearby grocery stores and the fairly near
big hardware / lumber store haven't hurt either of those smaller
stores. Neither of the little stores knows me by name, but they've
seen me fairly often and they greet everyone in a friendly manner
anyway. Not like the official 'greeter' at the WalMart. Oh, the
'greeters' try, but...

And fat people shop at WalMart because they carry the sizes that
Target doesn't. Now that I've lost a bunch of weight, I could find
slacks that would fit at Target, but I'll hardly bother. I know that
unless I get model skinny (and maybe still then), I'll find something
adequate at WalMart. It's not as if I care much about my clothing,
other than decently respectable and comfortable and it's nice if
they're inexpensive.
--

r.bc: vixen
Speaker to squirrels, willow watcher, etc..
Often taunted by trout. Almost entirely harmless.
Really.

"JR" wrote in message ...
Charlie Wilson wrote:
"Calif Bill" wrote:

the system is paid for with high taxes. $3+ a gallon on fuel, and high
tax rates.

(gasp) You mean middle class Italians don't drive around in 6000 pound
SUV's like middle class Americans do, just because they can? What a
backward and contemptible society they must be!

Also, we get to have $3+ a gallon gas *without* high gas taxes used to pay
for government services.....

Anyway, the burden of high taxes on Italians is widely overestimated. They
simply evade them! And when the financial police (yes, that's right) come
around, they simply bribe them. It all works out in the end. No
joke. The biggest problem I had finding an apartment when I first arrived
was finding a landlord who didn't want me to sign two rental agreements:
the "real" one showing the actual rent, and another, showing a much lower
rent, he could file with the tax authorities....

That is $3+ in taxes.

"Charlie Wilson" wrote in message
. ..

"Calif Bill" wrote:
the system is paid for with high taxes. $3+ a gallon on fuel, and high
tax rates.

(gasp) You mean middle class Italians don't drive around in 6000 pound
SUV's like middle class Americans do, just because they can? What a
backward and contemptible society they must be!


Actually there are a lot of BMW x5 etc driving around Europe, Italy
included. They may not be a Hummer, but they do not get great milage
either. And the reason they do not drive a Hummer, etc, as the roads are
too narrow in a lot of cities and towns. Since they were designed for ox
carts.

"Dave LaCourse" wrote in message
...
...They work 40 hour weeks, and are married to
other folks who are employed....

Well, unless they're gay.

Wolfgang

wrote in message
...

...I mean this as a serious question....

HA HA HA! DAMN!, you crack me up!

I don't agree or disagree because I haven't any basis to even form an
opinion on why _you_ would rather be a poor Italian sick in Italy than a
poor American sick in the US. Even if I had such information, your
preferences are yours and IMO, folks are perfectly entitled to their
preferences.

In other words, you have absolutely nothing to say.

You COULD have done it with fewer words, you know.

Wolfgang

"Scott Seidman" wrote in message
. 1.4...
"Wayne Knight" wrote in
oups.com:

ecause of the games hospitals have to play with the insurance
companies, in CA I've seen reports of hip fractures costing in excess
of 6 figures.

At those prices, why would anybody buy one?

Status.

Wolfgang
it's the bumper nuts i can't figure out.