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Main Topic: USA Retail Scene Walmart

Hosts: Jane Lu , Clyde Warden

Guest: Anastasia Warden

Jane is just back from USA on a Fulbright scholarship at Kansas State University. Clyde spent a summer month in Texas. In this show, we compare notes on the retail scene in the USA, with a special emphasis on Walmart and some comparison with the Asian scene. Anastasia, who is living in Texas, joins us for some consumer perspective on Walmart.

Walmart
Walmart Defines US Retailing

The idea is to compare and contrast with Asia. Lots of Walmart photos, with ideas about combining the supermarket, the signage, POP displays on pallets set down on the floors, the tire center, the outdoor yard supplies. Wrap up this with an emphasis on how low they get their prices (with the photo of gas grill for BBQ). Finishing up with the self checkout and bagging.

We next look at that big American retail area--the strip mall. Dominated by real estate developers, the USA is overflowing with strip malls. Category killer stores, like Staples, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Hobby Lobby fit in well where car culture is so popular and well supported by the existing infrastructure.

Lastly, we touch on regional stores, like Drug Emporium. The big chains are CVS, Walgreens (now also owns Happy Harry's on East coast), and Right Aid. Drug Emporium has losing out to CVS, went into bankruptcy, has been sold a few times, and all that is left now are independently operated stores. What is interesting here is the number co-op based products being sold in the store. Drug Emporium tries to position the store as organic, but still has a large selection of deep discount products, even lower prices than Walmart (the idea is that even small stores can tap into the discount supply chains Walmart has managed to establish).

Walmart gets seven to ten percent of every retail dollar spent in the USA.

In show 70 , we looked at the retail scene in the UK.

WalMart is just more convenient.

The Show:

Length: 47 minutes. Download MP3 21.86MB (Right click->Save As).
(Skype connection problems make some parts of the show choppy)

Photos:

Show Links:

Bottom Line:

  • Wal-Mart is the World's largest public corporation by revenue.
  • Wal-Mart offers competitive prices.
  • Wal-Mart does not offer convenience for consumers.
  • With packaging and advertisement, consumers will slowing accept specific items such as soy milk.
  • Great Value, Wal-Mart store brand, is very specialized and offers varied assortments.
  • Wal-Mart has many incentive designs such as auto-checkouts and rotational lazy-Susans.
  • Strip malls are common in America and are dominated by category killers.
  • Stores specialize to compete with Walmart.
  • Wal-Mart will have to change in many aspects to compete in the Asian market.
Category: Podcasts

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