Wal-Mart sales hit new high record, 1.52 Billion in one day.

[Silverhair]

The sales were for the day after Thanksgiving and were about a 6.3% increase above last year's sales for the same day.

No comment needed.

[whirlygigspin]

1. you know what this means!

4 more...dare I say it?

4 more...I can't say it!!!

4 more something or other

[liberalmuse]

2. I hope it's worth it...

selling your soul to the devil for a 5% discount. This could also mean that most Americans are too poor to shop at the more upscale stores this year. I'd like to see the overall retail sales figures for Friday instead of the figures from one measly little store (a joke).

[LeahMira]

17. Agreed.

This could also mean that most Americans are too poor to shop at the more upscale stores this year. I'd like to see the overall retail sales figures for Friday instead of the figures from one measly little store (a joke).

Let's see Macy's sales figures!

I actually did go to WalMart on Friday (needed a vacuum cleaner belt), and the lady behind me in line said she'd been waiting for a TV to go on sale for months. Maybe people are taking advantage of sales to get things for themselves also?

[theoceansnerves]

3. questions

is this taking into account same store sales or also new stores that have opened? i wonder if it takes into account the other local businesses that have closed since wal-mart came to town (yea right.)

i was in target today and it was pretty much like any other saturday...

[Silverhair]

7. Total sales of all Wal-Mart.

I quess I should have commented after all. I meant that as a statement about Wal-Mart alone, not about the economy. WM opens lots of new stores every year. They have way over 3,000 of them now.

[vision]

4. The local Wal-Mart had some sales that were off the hook

On that Friday if you came in between 6-11 you could by a 20" flat screen for $100.

[Fescue4u]

5. Man that is a sbig stack of money

Especially in this shitty economy. Hmm maybe the economy is turning around, but I doubt it.

[Zorra]

6. I've been researching

holiday sales reports from news sources in different cities. Wal-mart
did ok. The rest of the retailers are far behind, maybe a 4% increase over last year at the most -- and that is not good for them, and is worse than projected as last year was the worst in history.

By the way, WAL-MART SUCKS

[Corgigal]

8. I went to Belks

JC Penney and some smaller stores. All seem to be doing fine.

I stayed away from Walmart because it's always insane and I saw nothing worth fighting for.

[ShaneGR]

9. That is bigtime money

No way to spin it really. Of course, everyone will rush to bash Dean, Edwards, Clark, Kerry, and Gephardt. What is their position on famine in Canida again?

[elfin]

10. Got nothin from me - and they won't

ever again until they unionize.

[Zynx]

11. Sales ALWAYS rise year over year.

No big news. They had an 11% increase last year. This is dramatic underperformance.

[Ksec]

12. 1.52 Billion in one day and 5 bucks an hour for the help..nt

[PVnRT]

13. And the workers there will see a raise of

absolutely nothing, while the Walton demon-fucks who own it get even richer. God Bless America!

[jiacinto]

14. I am going to be blunt

Why attacking people who shop there isn't going to change anything:

1) In all too many towns it's the only store around.

2) It's the only place some people can afford to shop at.

3) Most people simply don't care about Wal-Mart and its practices. I've had several friends tell me "so what" when asked about their horrible practices.

4) Those who do care think that Wal-Mart will survive without them. And they are right.

But browbeating and attacking those who shop there personally--I was outraged by some of the posts who were insenstitive to the woman who was trampled--is not going to raise awarness about the issue. I was shocked to see so much contempt for that woman.

[ecstatic]

15. In a nutshell, can someone explain the problem with Walmart

My cousin and I shopped there last night. Together we spent over $200.00 and my house looks nicer as a result.

[bleedingheart]

16. The list is far too long and you can find great sites through google

but basically:

1. They pay their workers shit... even though 4 Waltons sit in top ten positions of the US's richest people.

2. They provide no healthcare...they let the US government and state agencies do that because of number 1.

3. They hire illegals, discriminate against women and they have a way of even screwing over companies that even do business with them...(someone posted an excellent article about Vlasic recently about this)...

For those and many other reasons I don't shop there.

[SoCalDem]

18. They get "sweetheart tax deals" when they arrive

translation://YOU pay higher local taxes, because the smaller taxpaying businesses end up going out of business, because THEY cannot compete, and when their "former" customers buy at walmart, they have no choice but to close..

Big box stores and malls are famous for getting "7 or 8 year "no tax" deals from communities, and when that time is up, they threaten to close or move, so the communities either extend their tax-free time or give them a reduced rate to keep them..

Malls hurt downtown small businesses, and Big box stores are finishing them off...and taking a bite out of mall revenues too..

When a community ends up with one large employer, they are at their mercy, and the employees suffer in wages, benefits, and treatment..

Remember the mill towns, the steel towns, the auto mfg towns?? When they played hardball, the employees took it on the chin.

[bleedingheart]

19. another excellent point!

[Neshanic]

26. If one is good, two are better. Build one 3 miles from the other.

Here in the land of the big boxes, Phoenix and it's suburbs have not met a monster store they did not like. Since there are no "industries" to speak of, Phoenix, the soon to be 5th largest city exists on a parasite economy; one suburb fighting the other for bragging rights to how much they can give away to developers/stores.

This bizzaro scenario is being played out now at this moment. Two suburban cities, Avondale and Goodyear have no space between them. If you drove down the main street, you would not know that it was two towns. This was the case when the land for miles around was farmland.

Avondale got a Walmart 5 years ago. Right down the street from me. Ugly, massive, and it was expanded after it was up after 2 years.

Goodyear has a corner that Walmart wants. It is 3 miles away. 3 miles! Goodyear is getting much heat from the citizens, but as in all Walmart store locations here, it pretty much gets what it wants.

My guess is that they want a BIGGER parking lot, the mammoth one at the already "old" one is not big enough.

[solinvictus]

20. Wal Mart

Locally, one opened up on an abandoned golf course that had been promised as a city recreation area. The current mayor (of Chattanooga, TN) owns the land and pressed for the development. The area was home to several hawks and many waterfowl. The local neighborhood association pressed hard to deny the permits, but the mayor railroaded it all through the bureaucracy. The association fears that local businesses; a bakery, shoe store, clothing store, and sporting goods store, will all be put out of business. The mayor's holding company profited enormously from this new Wally World. It makes me sick.

[ecstatic]

21. thats horrible...

Companies who gross less still manage to give their workers good pay and benefits. But why don't the workers quit or strike? :-(

[Kitsune]

22. Because Wal-Mart is insanely anti-union.

I'm told that if anyone even says union, the manager is supposed to call a national number and an anti-union team is dispatched there.

[curse10]

23. Well, they didn't get any of my money

and they never will

[democratreformed]

24. More people feel the need to go

to the "discount store" b/c they can't afford to go anywhere else.
Seriously, it might indicate that higher end items are less in demand b/c people can't afford those.

[SoCalDem]

25. If you are a careful shopper, you can get great stuff @ 75% off

Robinson's May and Macys have great sales.. But you have to buy ahead for gifts.. Walmart shoppers are lazy shoppers..

I paid $4.00 for a designer handbag.. It started out at $200.00 and had been marked down a few times.. The 75% off sale hit (that's 75% off the LOWEST price marked)...and I had a 20 % off all purchases on a given day.. $4.00 was what I ended up paying for it..

I found all kinds of bargains.. I ended up paying less than $100 and left with THREE of the LARGE shopping bags.. they were pretty full too :)

Instead of getting a bunch of cheap junk, I got some really nice quality stuff and gifts galore..

Of course, you must know your recipients.. ( I took them with me and gifted them early)..

I know I am a cheapskate, but no one I got stuff for complained at all :)..and they got cool stuff and more of it than if I would have had to pay full price :)

[the_real_38]

27. The one-state solution...

... Wal-Mart's internal economy is now the 15th-largest in the world. How long until the CEO is more powerful than the president?