About 9 months ago, the parent company of the company that I work for was bought out by the grocery retailing giant, SuperValu. Because we manufacture refrigeration equipment, and SV isn't into manufacturing, SuperValu really didn't want our company, but we came along for the ride because we had no choice.
Well, as it turned out, our biggest customer, Wal-Mart, is a competitor of SuperValu, and they wouldn't do business with us anymore. We had to lay off about 40 of our employees, which was half of our workforce.
Now, if I was your typical Wal-Mart hating Lefty, I'd blame it on Wal-Mart. I don't blame them. The essence of Capitalism is competition. No sense in putting money in the pocket of your competitors.
The real point is, because we lost Wal-Mart, there were 40 people who were unemployed. And these were realtively high paying positions.
When the Left thinks of Wal-Mart, it sees nothing but people in blue smocks who are working (willingly) for low wages in the stores. Anything beyond that is too complicated for them.
The Left, being unable to see the next step, doesn't see the people who are building these stores, furnishing them, putting in the electrical, plumbing, HVAC, refrigeration and everything else that it takes to make these stores run. They just hate Wal-Mart.
As I've said before, I don't think that it's a coincidence that they hate Wal-Mart, which was founded by Sam Walton, a very religious man, but they seem to have no problem with Target, which was founded by Minnesota Democrat, Senator Mark Dayton's family.
I managed to keep my job, because there aren't very many people out there who can fix, literally, anything and/or coordinate the people who can do what I can't. I'm the guy who keeps the shop running. Luckily the management in my company was smart enough to realize that. Arrogant? Maybe. But I've never met a good Maintenance guy who wasn't somewhat arrogant. If you don't believe that you can do anything, then you can't. And when you are required to know how to fix a machine that you've never seen before, you'd better believe it.
The rest of the people in the shop are also relatively skilled. The welders, the electricians, the plumbers...these are pretty well-paid jobs. And when Wal-Mart went away, so did many of the jobs.
SuperValu is in the process of selling us off, because they realize the damage that they've caused to our company, and they are truly sorry about it. Which is something else the Left would never believe. Corporations, in their minds, intentionally hurt people, or just don't care.
The sale should be done any day now, and then we can get back on track with our original plans, which include doubling the size of the shop to about 180,000 square feet (which is going to make my job incredibly interesting) and hiring about 100 more people. And that's just the start.
All thanks to Wal-Mart.
Shhhhh, if the left ever finds out about this they might have a truth overload and explode.
ReplyDeletewww.ravingconservative.com
We can always hope, DL.
ReplyDeleteFunny thing about Wal-mart.Yes when they move into an area,it usually means the demise of other companies.but I've found those companies are living off of government ewlfare anyways and therefore is no big lose.Up here in Canuckistan,the first people they hire,at far better wages and benefits,are the people who have lost their jobs. As PD said,no reason for unions.The Wal-mart employee's at one store in Queerbec,which is just North America's mis-placed socialist frogs anyways,actually got a union into the store.Two days later,Wal-mart shut the store down and moved out. Heh.I love justice doled out by the free market. No wonder the commie unions are running scared.
ReplyDeleteI lived through mergers and take-overs, downsizing etc. It was difficult but, unlike liberals, I don't expect life to be a bowl of cherries. As long as you are hardworking (and a giving and caring person) you will have a job.
ReplyDeleteWal-Mart is the second biggest employer in the town nearest to my farm (after the Coast Guard) and the best place in town to shop.
Good luck, Exile.
I read a review of a new anti-Walmart film that came out recently.
ReplyDeleteThe film apparently uses countless "sob stories" about Walmart employees who can't make ends meet working for the retail giant. Of course, one of the people mentioned is a single mother who can't keep a roof over the head of herself and her two children.
When, oh when, will some enterprising documentary maker do an expose on the stupid decisions people make guaranteeing that they won't succeed in life? I'm so tired of irresponsible behavior being held up as a badge of honor. If this person wants to double her wage, she has two choices: get a second job, or track down dad(s) and make him(them) pony up child support.
Walmart pays its employees what it can afford and still keep prices low. If Walmart cashiers suddenly made $20 per hour, their prices would rise and people would be fired, forced to take lower-paying positions elsewhere. Net gain = zero.
Even a dunce like me can figure out something so elemental about economics. Why the left can't get it through their heads is beyond me.
"don't expect life to be a bowl of cherries."
ReplyDeleteAnd nobody should.
DOn't you just love the "lefties" (liberal means conservative in Australia)when they say: "The Government should create more jobs!"
In their minds business should only exist for th sole purpose to make the workers earn salaries.
http://democracyfrontline.org/blog
exile, I don't think you're arrogant. Arrogance is thinking you can do it all better than anyone.
ReplyDeleteConfidence is knowing you can do the job.
Admin Worm said: "The film apparently uses countless "sob stories" about Walmart employees who can't make ends meet working for the retail giant. Of course, one of the people mentioned is a single mother who can't keep a roof over the head of herself and her two children."
ReplyDeleteOf course! It couldn't possibly be her poor choices that have anything to do with the position she finds herself in - 'course not! It's all Wal-Mart's fault. If she doesn't like it she needs to find another job. She's probably not skilled enough to do that and should be grateful that Wal-Mart hired her ungrateful butt in the first place.
These people wail and moan about how hard it is to make ends meet, but somehow most of them drive newer cars than I do! How is that possible?
One more thing: I know of liberals who shop at Wal-Mart because they like the prices. They bitch about Wal-Mart but continue to shop their... Hypocrites all!
ReplyDeletePD, I'll keep them in mind when we get back to that point, which should be pretty quick.
ReplyDeleteWal-Mart is actually holding off taking bids on the equipment until we're sold because they like our stuff so much and want us to be able to bid on it. It must be driving our competitors nuts!
And since we lost Wal-Mart we've had to bring in a bunch of new business; so when we do get Wal-Mart back, we'll be up and running in no time. And we were absolutely exploding before this ordeal. Our sales had increased some ridiculous amount like 7600% in one year. The Boss is predicting $100 million in sales within 5 years (and he's no bullshitter), which ain't bad for a company that was losing money 2 years ago when they brought me aboard.
I do HVAC PD, but I'm not an HVAC guy. I also do plumbing, electrical, landscaping/irrigation, carpentry and cabinetmaking, and that's just the easy stuff that anyone can do.
My skills are more in fixing machinery of any kind so that they don't have to call in contractors at $80/hour.
Saws, welders, air compressors, bridge cranes, hoists, grinders, lathes, automated wire strippers, mills, drill presses, hand tools, electric motors, specialty equipment that you've never heard of...I can fix them all and more.
Hydraulics, pneumatics, 3-phase and single phase electrical, mechanical, electronics, PLC's...I have to know all that and more. And if I don't, I have to learn it...NOW.
It's the best of all worlds. I work with my hands, but my brain gets just as much of a workout. And it's, literally, something different every day.
And the best part is, nobody really knows what I'm supposed to be doing at any given moment, so I have complete freedom to do what I want whenever I want. If I don't feel like busting my butt, I can sit in my office and research equipment on the web, order tools, coordinate contractors by phone, work on the CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management System) program that I wrote in Visual Basic, or any number of other things. If it's a nice day, I find a reason to work outside.
Is it any wonder that I love my job?
You are right - competition is the essense of capitalism. Why don't people get that? ('Course, I love Wal-Mart because they won't unionize, too!)
ReplyDeleteYep, I'm sure Liberals wouldn't exactly be willing to give up the low prices because of their hatred of the "evil corporation"!