Wal-Mart coming to Poland?

He never visited my town.

Anyway, the same results could be found in Poland or anywhere. It is possible.

Does this mean that soon Polish people will soon start to look like this? walmart shopper

courtesy of the splendor that is People of Wal-Mart

peopleofwalmart.com

Let's just hope Poles stick to home cooking.

that's an excellent counter-argument to a scientific study of a nationwide scientific study...

well, guess what, theyactually answered it:

"Wal-Mart presumably does not locate stores randomly. When expanding into a particular region, it may, for example, opt to build in towns experiencing greater job growth. Unless this location selection bias is accounted for, one might compare job growth in towns that gained Wal-Mart stores versus those that did not and erroneously conclude that Wal-Mart caused an expansion in employment. The authors of this study have devised a persuasive method of accounting for this bias."

Wal Mart Super Center has helped my town substantially by providing enough tax revenue to the city allowing them to give tax breaks to companies like Target adding to growth. It hasn't hurt us at all. The amount of jobs brought by the retailers combined is enormous. You wouldn't believe it! Anyone who criticizes Wal Mart on this point needs to visit this community and then decide. Talk to the mayor of this town.

are you saying that Walmart's taxes paid for Target's taxes?

did they pay for the medicare for the walmart employees who don't have insurance? did they pay for the damage to the infrastructure?


I'm sure he did not remain unrewarded for promoting walmart in his town.

so, here's another study: Emek Basker, University of Missouri, Review of Economics & Statistics, February 2005

"This study examines the impact of the arrival of a Wal-Mart store on retail and wholesale employment. It looks at 1,749 counties that added a Wal-Mart between 1977 and 1998. It finds that Wal-Mart's arrival boosts retail employment by 100 jobs in the first year—far less than the 200-400 jobs the company says its stores create, because its arrival causes existing retailers to downsize and lay-off employees. Over the next four years, there is a loss of 40-60 additional retail jobs as more competing retailers downsize and close. The study also finds that Wal-Mart's arrival leads to a decline of approximately 20 local wholesale jobs in the first five years, and an additional 10 wholesale jobs over the long run (six or more years after Wal-Mart's arrival). (Wal-Mart handles its own distribution and does not rely on wholesalers). This works out to a net gain of just 10-30 retail and wholesale jobs, and the study does not examine whether these jobs are part-time or whether they pay more or less than the jobs eliminated by Wal-Mart. The study also found that, within five years of Wal- Mart's arrival, the counties had lost an average of four small retail businesses, one midsized store, and one large store. It does not estimate declines in revenue to retailers that survive."

I already typed Wal Mart is not a great place to work. Wal Mart provides only a tiny fraction of the retailing jobs in my community. But, because of them, we have so many more retailers, restaurants, movie theatre, etc, which do provide better jobs than Wal Mart. Without that Wal Mart taking the initial risk, they wouldn't be here.

MAKRO or Selgros in Krakow...

I'm sure it looks this way, but Walmart does not take risks. They're not moving into communities out of the goodness of their heart. They have selecting locations for their stores down to a science. So, chances are, your city council, or you mayor, or whoever, decided to spend a lot of government-subsidized money on bringing in new retailers: new infrastructure, tax breaks for new businesses, etc. Once Walmart got the news, they probably negotiated a very good deal with the city, that again involved some taxpayer money, on setting up shop there. All the other big stores came in because of a policy decision, and most likely because of some financial incentives from your city council, not because of Walmart. Then it was just a matter of time before the rest of the vacancies on your strip mall filled up with hair and nail salons, pizza huts, and hallmarks. Some new population probably moved in, too. This tends to happen when you have a lot of low-skilled jobs available all of a sudden.

I saw it happen to at least two places we used to live in - the first time Walmart just moved in, too, the second, Walmart was already there, but was now expanding, due to a tax break.

Again, it's the fiscal decision of a township that starts the whole thing, not Walmart, that makes it happen. Obviously, in some places it works, in some others it doesn't, because of addtional factors.

You have been brainwashed by your Leftist Media which is always anti WM/ anti big biz/ anti rural whites.

Here's the truth about WalMart:


And any jobs in a community -even lower pay with fewer bennies- are better than no jobs.

Poland should look forward to WalMart coming.

here we go again... you forgot to say militant. fixed it for ya.

I should, just for the fun of it, send you the quotes of people calling me a cold-hearted republican not so long ago...

either way, I just quoted a study that says exactly the opposite. I guess they must brainwashed by the Leftist Media, too...

thanks god for Llama, as always sharp as a mashed potato, consistently revealing the Leftist Media conspiracies...

We had a tiny Wal Mart before, which is why I differentiated between Wal Mart and Wal Mart Super Center. Every Wal Mart in this test market has growth around it. Not just this one. Throughout the metro area. Wal Mart can be part of overall economic well being. It provides people with low prices and when Wal Mart SC first came, the quality of the food was higher, prices lower, and variety greater. They provided a service to our community. Now, with so much competition, local chains have become better than Wal Mart, adding to our quality of life. YES they compete against Wal Mart and are quite successful. It is possible to have free enterprise with the mighty giant.

It has happened here time and time again :)
Sure, Wal Mart weeded out the weak, but made other places better. The consumer is the winner!


Our city has made more off Wal Mart Sales tax revenue than Wal Mart has made off the city.


Not just that but managerial jobs. Some of the jobs have higher salaries. A fraction are low.

About the look of the Wal Mart shopper, it depends on where you go. Where I live, everyone shops at Wal Mart SC regardless of how they look. A Wal Mart SC in a poorer community has a lower economic status consumer because of location.

If you are seeing the uglies, ItsAllAboutMe, it might be because you are shopping in a store that's in a slum?

Lol. And you continue to ignore the real facts given by someone who is telling you first hand how WM has benefited her town. :s


Nah. She's just been brainwashed and always blindly spouts the Leftist line regardless of what reality tell us.

Wal mart will need to do their research if theyre to be successful in Poland, average people in Poland love their Biedronka, i used it for many things especially t-bags.

Aldi has failed miserably on the bases that you cant sell German food to Poles. Tesco's assimilated very well as did Auchen, cant see Alma staying for long either, fantastic shop at fantastic prices.

as they will be taking over an established business we will only see a name change above the door. i think wal-mart might do ok.

but they still have competition from: tesco, carrefour, leclerc.

It's a Belgian company right?

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I think it's more to do with being different than being worse. In the US you like the very friendly (what I would call over-zealous) approach to customer service. In the UK it's moving that way, but there is still a slight bit more formality in my opinion. You go out to South East Asia and a lot of people still see Western people as money and so they act slightly subserviently (which I am not a fan of at all). On the other hand, you go to France or Italy where the customer service staff feel they are above the customers and will shout at them.

Horses for courses and all that!

why not suspicion? ;) Isn't that not fair since supposedly Germans when buying vegetables ask if Poles picked them.

I just fear a highly industrialized Poland with senseless corporatist intentions (we've seen how much Walmart has of these) basically ruining all the mom-n-pop shops and the traditional atmosphere of Polish consumerism and marketing. All this damn conformity and materialistic crap is dulling national colors and raising logos instead. I think walmart should stay in the Americas. They're owners are greedy bastards who would rather invest billions in court cases preventing their exploited employees from getting proper benefits...they have more money than they could possibly ever spend...their rankings keep growing on Forbes richest and for innovating nothing. Trust me...they would lost absolutely nothing if they don't expand their oligarchical empire to Europe..let alone Poland.

I can't wait to see my fellow Americans line up at the glorious walmart this 4th of July to buy all their patriotic decorations and flags... the vast majority of which comes out of the People's Republic of Communist China...

Its simple - its a free country since 1989.

If you want to shop at a mom and pop shop then do so. It has some advantages - no petrol cost being the only one I can think of. And it has some disadvantages - surly slow service, stuff not put in the fridge, people brushing your arse all the time in the aisle, drunks outside etc. Until they fix those things they can't really complain about unfair competition - on Sunday I waited about 15 minutes behind a bunch of old biddies fiddling with their coins and all I wanted was a liter of milk and some bulki. Walmart's till line time is about 1 minute per person and they have self check out too in the US.

If you want to shop at Walmart then do so. Its bigger choice and cheaper but yes sometimes a waste of time and a long way and not a good place to buy a chess set.

it's coming slowly but surely even without Walmart

I guess it's too late for that.


yes, how true, and how sad

well, let's face it, walmart is not going away. i wouldn't say they didn't innovate, they created a whole new paradigm for chain retail stores. but they have just grown too big and powerful for any meaningful competition in the US. There is nothing that compares to Walmart here.


that's very true. but it's not always about if you do something better (in that respect, they'll never have a larger selection or lower prices than Walmart), but about the new, unique value to the customer. It's the same story with any kind of business, retail, banking, car manufacturing. If I were the store owner next to the future walmart site in Poland, I would start thinking about strategy, and what I can offer to the customer that Walmart can't.

I shop at a grocery store across the street from walmart. they are a chain, too, with higher prices, and you can't get sweatshirts or WD-40 there. But I go there because they recognize me, their stuff is always fresh, the people are ridiculously helpful and attentive, they have a better wine selection, the people who work there actually know something about what they sell, whether it's wine or seafood, there are sanitizing wipes containers all over the place and their carts are always clean (which may not be important for a lot of people, but it is for me).

so it's all about competing in a smart way.

here is a very funny blog by my favorite Brit in Poland, about the competition between modern supermarkets and mom & pop stores, and how it relates to customer service:

I think it was somewhat foreseeable, after Starbucks made their landing in Poland.

it did? do you know if they have the insane Trenta size, too? do people go there like an everyday thing?

I'm curious what else they got, and how American brands are viewed there. A while back (like 10 years ago) someone was telling me about the Pizza Hut in Opole that was considered an expensive restaurant, with white table cloth and such. And a Levi's store in Katowice that was more like a museum - you go there, you look, can't touch, and wouldn't buy anything because it was way too expensive. And there was a KFC in Bytom - same story, most people found it too expensive for casual meals on the go. Not to mention the craziness over the first McDonald's in Warsaw.

I hope it changed.

I bet sephoras are all over the place. And I saw T.G.I. Friday's are listed by Yahoo as one of the best restaurants in Warsaw. That sucks.

Exactly, if you are not happy at Walmart, vote against it: don't go there. I go to Wegman's for example, because I hear that the workers, even part-timers get benefits, and as you just said, they know their stuff. I might be spending some $5 more a week, but it's well worth it when you know that the store as employer adheres to certain standards.

I'll go you one further. For a while, one of the first McDonalds in Poznan was a date restaurant (including candles on the tables).

Food Lions are ok but Harris Teeter and Giant stores are MUCH nicer though a bit more expensive.


I don't think so.What's special about Wal Mart?I haven't been at Wal Mart for like 2 years already and I don't miss it.Food selection is poor and the prices are not any lower than Food Lion.

Some American chains look good like Starbucks, Wal-Mart on the other hand does not it's products look cheap. There are much better American warehouse stores than that.

There you have it, the free market at work in all its glorious glory! Other businesses are free to try and lure customers just as customers are free to shop where they choose.