Appearing on CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight a year ago, I noted that while Wal-Mart works fine on a logistical level, management "behaves like Inspector Clouseau." Wal-Mart corporate was not amused with me, but it was a prophetic statement.
As revealed by the intrepid Ann Zimmerman at the Wall Street Journal, Wal-Mart has a private group of ex-CIA and NSA spooks housed in a dark "rheum" called the "Bat-Cave" at corporate headquarters in Bentonville. What do these admirable folk do? Are they looking for bimbs? You know, the exploding kind?
No. They started by bugging the phewne conversations of a New York Times reporter they are not fond of. Then they travelled to South America to record audio of some hot minkey love between two employees. Ahh... the old take off all your clothes ploy!
Wal-Mart's crack spook squad sol-ved the problem of annoyed shareholders by drawing up personal profiles on them. Wal-Mart's PR firm told me several months back they knew which reporters I was talking to on the phewne. Uh-oh. I guess now I can't be pehrseuded to ruhn for the Peublic Office.
Pratfall after pratfall has befallen Wal-mart in the last 2 years. If management doesn't stop their Strangelovian paranoia and focus on becoming the corporation they really can be, they will follow the lead of Sears, Kmart and Montgomery Ward to irrelevance.
Millions shop at Wal-Mart because they financially need to. But do they feel good about it? Not anymeur.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Friday, December 08, 2006
Should Wal-Mart Buy Barclays?
I think most of us realize Wal-Mart is backed up against a wall in its efforts to grow earnings. WMT's net profit margin seems stuck at 3.5%, it has squeezed all the efficiencies it can out of the supply chain, upscaling failed, and their store growth will become more and more difficult as they try and move into urban areas.
It's also clear WMT wants to move into financial services, which is logical. To succeed in financial services you need 2 things, capital and distribution. WMT has capital, and 130 million people per week enter their stores. Ergo, distribution.
Wal-Mart wants to enter US retail banking, but WMT's move into retail banking through an ILC will be stymied by the new Congress, even as they open branch banking in Mexico.
Put aside banking for a minute. What if Wal-Mart was able to offer financial products, in the form of ETFs and mutual funds to the 80% of the American public that visits its store? Since the FDIC is not involved, it might be an easier path of entry for WMT.
Barclays (BCS) is clearly in play, one reason being the incredible success of their iShares, which are being used by more and more by retail and institutional investors as a less expensive means of investing. Bank Of America, with a market cap roughly equivalent to Wal-Mart's, seems interested. Why? Through their branches, Bank Of America has a massive distribution channel to retail investors. Much like...Wal-Mart.
Barclays has a net profit margin of 22%, which would surely aid WMT's pitiable 3.5%. Wal-Mart could spin off the parts of Barclays (investment banking, British branch banking) it didn't want or need and have a wholly new predictable, high margin, revenue stream to grow through their unmatched distribution. With no FDIC hearings.
Admittedly, this is an out of the box idea. But would cutting the costs of investing to millions of retail investors, many of them unbanked, while raising your profit margins utilizing assets and talents you already have, be such a bad idea?
It's also clear WMT wants to move into financial services, which is logical. To succeed in financial services you need 2 things, capital and distribution. WMT has capital, and 130 million people per week enter their stores. Ergo, distribution.
Wal-Mart wants to enter US retail banking, but WMT's move into retail banking through an ILC will be stymied by the new Congress, even as they open branch banking in Mexico.
Put aside banking for a minute. What if Wal-Mart was able to offer financial products, in the form of ETFs and mutual funds to the 80% of the American public that visits its store? Since the FDIC is not involved, it might be an easier path of entry for WMT.
Barclays (BCS) is clearly in play, one reason being the incredible success of their iShares, which are being used by more and more by retail and institutional investors as a less expensive means of investing. Bank Of America, with a market cap roughly equivalent to Wal-Mart's, seems interested. Why? Through their branches, Bank Of America has a massive distribution channel to retail investors. Much like...Wal-Mart.
Barclays has a net profit margin of 22%, which would surely aid WMT's pitiable 3.5%. Wal-Mart could spin off the parts of Barclays (investment banking, British branch banking) it didn't want or need and have a wholly new predictable, high margin, revenue stream to grow through their unmatched distribution. With no FDIC hearings.
Admittedly, this is an out of the box idea. But would cutting the costs of investing to millions of retail investors, many of them unbanked, while raising your profit margins utilizing assets and talents you already have, be such a bad idea?
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Eduardo Bends A Little At Wal-Mart
From The AP:
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has softened its stance on its attendance policy only weeks after the nation's largest private employer implemented changes that made hourly workers more accountable for excessive unexcused absences.
Word is that Eduardo Castro-Wright, head of the stores (and for intents and purposes right now, the company) has resisted pleas from his regional managers to make changes to his, and make no mistake they ARE his, recent employee dictates, which have provided so much ammo to Kofinis & Co.
These employee mandates (wage caps, strange scheduling, the move to part-timers) may have worked at Wal-Mex, but they probably won't fly here.
"Hamfisted" is too kind a word to describe Eduardo's employee policies.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has softened its stance on its attendance policy only weeks after the nation's largest private employer implemented changes that made hourly workers more accountable for excessive unexcused absences.
Word is that Eduardo Castro-Wright, head of the stores (and for intents and purposes right now, the company) has resisted pleas from his regional managers to make changes to his, and make no mistake they ARE his, recent employee dictates, which have provided so much ammo to Kofinis & Co.
These employee mandates (wage caps, strange scheduling, the move to part-timers) may have worked at Wal-Mex, but they probably won't fly here.
"Hamfisted" is too kind a word to describe Eduardo's employee policies.
John Edward's Playstation 3
First, he should have waited till Sunday for the Nintendo Wii.
Second, Wal-Mart released this statement:
"While the rest of America's working families are waiting patiently in line, Sen. Edwards wants to cut to the front," the Wal-Mart statement said."
Anytime you see the phrase "working families" in a Wal-Mart quote, it's being written by Edelman. They were on top of it today.
For once.
Second, Wal-Mart released this statement:
"While the rest of America's working families are waiting patiently in line, Sen. Edwards wants to cut to the front," the Wal-Mart statement said."
Anytime you see the phrase "working families" in a Wal-Mart quote, it's being written by Edelman. They were on top of it today.
For once.
When Wal-Mart Doesn't Work (from HuffPo)
I gave a keynote address last Friday at the University of Connecticut Law School's Wal-Mart Symposium where I began by asserting that “Wal-Mart is like the genius kid who lives in your neighborhood who heads into the woods and starts killing frogs.”
Wal-Mart has been on a bit of a PR roll lately.
From lowering the prices of generic drugs to cutting prices on toys, they have enacted policies of late that are by and large beneficial. I often tell audiences in talks that Wal-Mart is not a store, it is an I.T. company, and it is their logistical models, not management expertise, that are primarily responsible for the startling efficiencies that drive the stores.
However there is often a disconnect between the propellerhead nerds in Bentonville and the folks that actually work on the floor in the stores. The subtext of my film “Why Wal-Mart Works” was that it was the common folk at Wal-Mart that make it work, not management or logistics. Last year on CNN's Lou Dobbs broadcast, I stated Wal-Mart's management sometimes acts “like Inspector Clouseau.” Recently, they proved me right.
Last August, Wal-Mart announced that they would “cap” wages for certain positions, such as a cashier, at a certain level that could not be exceeded, no matter how long you had worked there. So, for instance if you had been a cashier for 20 years and through annual raises worked your way to making $16/hour, you could be capped at $15/hour forever, with no hope again for a raise. Clearly this is a form of accelerated attrition, in which Wal-Mart hopes to replace those who have worked their way up to $15 with new workers willing to work at a starting wage of $8-10/hour.
Wal-Mart will tell you one reason for this new policy is to “encourage” long-term workers to move into management positions. This is utterly disingenuous. Let's move you 50 to 100 miles away from home, have you work twice as hard, for 50 cents more per hour. Thank you sir, may I have another? New hires at Wal-Mart are aware going in of these wage caps, so they are fully informed, but the long-term loyal workers have had the rug pulled out from under them by having these caps foisted on them.
Bentonville does not get the fact that a lot of people are perfectly happy cashiering or stocking at Wal-Mart, and that is all they want to do. I believe most people in life are simply trying to make it through the day, do their jobs, think about their kids, and go home. The logistics/accounting magicians at Wal-Mart need to understand that a person is not a forklift, a palette, or a shelving unit. Wal-Mart's long-term employees are their first line of defense in giving the 5000 customers who enter a superstore a good shopping experience, i.e. a more Target/Costco type experience. People are additive to Wal-Mart (and their share price), especially the long-term employees. You can't enter loyalty and experience into a spreadsheet.
I became aware of this issue when a Wal-Mart employee from my film got wage-capped and called me. I frequently get calls from Wal-Mart employees relating their experiences, and have gotten more than a few about this issue, as well as Wal-Mart's sneaky scheduling and their childish directive that all employees call an 800 number to report in sick.
200 Wal-Mart employees in Florida recently staged a walkout. This has never happened before, and if they'll do it in Florida, you can be sure they'll do it in Michigan and California. 3 weeks ago I resigned from the steering committee of Working Families For Wal-Mart over the wage cap issue. Don't get me wrong. I still feel Wal-Mart is a great company and the largest non-governmental resource to the poor in this country. Millions of people need to shop at Wal-Mart.
I just wish Wal-Mart would value their long-term employees as much as they do their shoppers.
Wal-Mart has been on a bit of a PR roll lately.
From lowering the prices of generic drugs to cutting prices on toys, they have enacted policies of late that are by and large beneficial. I often tell audiences in talks that Wal-Mart is not a store, it is an I.T. company, and it is their logistical models, not management expertise, that are primarily responsible for the startling efficiencies that drive the stores.
However there is often a disconnect between the propellerhead nerds in Bentonville and the folks that actually work on the floor in the stores. The subtext of my film “Why Wal-Mart Works” was that it was the common folk at Wal-Mart that make it work, not management or logistics. Last year on CNN's Lou Dobbs broadcast, I stated Wal-Mart's management sometimes acts “like Inspector Clouseau.” Recently, they proved me right.
Last August, Wal-Mart announced that they would “cap” wages for certain positions, such as a cashier, at a certain level that could not be exceeded, no matter how long you had worked there. So, for instance if you had been a cashier for 20 years and through annual raises worked your way to making $16/hour, you could be capped at $15/hour forever, with no hope again for a raise. Clearly this is a form of accelerated attrition, in which Wal-Mart hopes to replace those who have worked their way up to $15 with new workers willing to work at a starting wage of $8-10/hour.
Wal-Mart will tell you one reason for this new policy is to “encourage” long-term workers to move into management positions. This is utterly disingenuous. Let's move you 50 to 100 miles away from home, have you work twice as hard, for 50 cents more per hour. Thank you sir, may I have another? New hires at Wal-Mart are aware going in of these wage caps, so they are fully informed, but the long-term loyal workers have had the rug pulled out from under them by having these caps foisted on them.
Bentonville does not get the fact that a lot of people are perfectly happy cashiering or stocking at Wal-Mart, and that is all they want to do. I believe most people in life are simply trying to make it through the day, do their jobs, think about their kids, and go home. The logistics/accounting magicians at Wal-Mart need to understand that a person is not a forklift, a palette, or a shelving unit. Wal-Mart's long-term employees are their first line of defense in giving the 5000 customers who enter a superstore a good shopping experience, i.e. a more Target/Costco type experience. People are additive to Wal-Mart (and their share price), especially the long-term employees. You can't enter loyalty and experience into a spreadsheet.
I became aware of this issue when a Wal-Mart employee from my film got wage-capped and called me. I frequently get calls from Wal-Mart employees relating their experiences, and have gotten more than a few about this issue, as well as Wal-Mart's sneaky scheduling and their childish directive that all employees call an 800 number to report in sick.
200 Wal-Mart employees in Florida recently staged a walkout. This has never happened before, and if they'll do it in Florida, you can be sure they'll do it in Michigan and California. 3 weeks ago I resigned from the steering committee of Working Families For Wal-Mart over the wage cap issue. Don't get me wrong. I still feel Wal-Mart is a great company and the largest non-governmental resource to the poor in this country. Millions of people need to shop at Wal-Mart.
I just wish Wal-Mart would value their long-term employees as much as they do their shoppers.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Why Context Works
In an AP article widely circulated today, I am quoted as saying:
At least one steering committee member, filmmaker Ron Galloway, said he would prefer the strategy to focus on the facts of Wal-Mart's case.
"I still think that it is a sub-optimal strategy to personalize all this. I think the facts are in Wal-Mart's favor and that's just not part of the battle I'm interested in joining," Galloway said, referring to the paidcritics.com Web site.
From October 2005 to February 2006 I was the guy in the arena putting forth the case for Wal-Mart in the media, as I promoted "Why Wal-Mart Works." My opponent in this battle was not Robert Greenwald, but rather the unions who wish to swell their ranks from 9 million to 10.4 million by unionizing Wal-Mart, thereby swelling their dues collection by $400 million per year.
For my troubles I received telephone threats, startling email abuse, and lots of nasty remarks about me in the blogosphere (read the comments on my HuffPo columns). I was target A in the personalization wars with the unions.
As a steering committee member of Working Families For Wal-Mart, I am active in, and supportive of all of the goals and initiatives of the organization, whose ranks have swollen to numbers I could not have expected. Part of our mission is to answer the critics of Wal-Mart, who would not be after Wal-Mart if they were not PAID to do so. To criticize a store 130 million people shop at every week, if you are not getting paid to do so, is irrational behavior.
Remember, the people criticizing Wal-Mart are not the ones who NEED to shop there.
I find that when people are made aware that the critics of Wal-Mart are merely union employees, they immediately discount the negative things being said. That's why the anti-Wal-Mart organizations are striking back in anger at being exposed for who they are. THEY made the battle personal. I know. I lived it. It made me tired and cranky. On the bright side, I did lose a lot of weight.
Working Families For Wal-Mart is a new, very large organization whose goals include putting out the positive facts about Wal-Mart that are ignored in the press, as well as answering the paid critics of Wal-Mart. Having done more than most in answering the paid critics of Wal-Mart, for which I received no compensation, I simply prefer now to focus on putting out the positive facts about the company, which in and of themselves defeat the arguments of Wal-Mart's paid critics. To that end "Why Wal-Mart Works Version 2.0" will be released in a few weeks, as well as a companion book "Defending Wal-Mart."
Working Families For Wal-Mart is not Edelman. WFFWM is a collection of individuals who share a common goal in putting out the positive facts about a company that I have found to be indispensible to the lives of millions of families.
At least one steering committee member, filmmaker Ron Galloway, said he would prefer the strategy to focus on the facts of Wal-Mart's case.
"I still think that it is a sub-optimal strategy to personalize all this. I think the facts are in Wal-Mart's favor and that's just not part of the battle I'm interested in joining," Galloway said, referring to the paidcritics.com Web site.
From October 2005 to February 2006 I was the guy in the arena putting forth the case for Wal-Mart in the media, as I promoted "Why Wal-Mart Works." My opponent in this battle was not Robert Greenwald, but rather the unions who wish to swell their ranks from 9 million to 10.4 million by unionizing Wal-Mart, thereby swelling their dues collection by $400 million per year.
For my troubles I received telephone threats, startling email abuse, and lots of nasty remarks about me in the blogosphere (read the comments on my HuffPo columns). I was target A in the personalization wars with the unions.
As a steering committee member of Working Families For Wal-Mart, I am active in, and supportive of all of the goals and initiatives of the organization, whose ranks have swollen to numbers I could not have expected. Part of our mission is to answer the critics of Wal-Mart, who would not be after Wal-Mart if they were not PAID to do so. To criticize a store 130 million people shop at every week, if you are not getting paid to do so, is irrational behavior.
Remember, the people criticizing Wal-Mart are not the ones who NEED to shop there.
I find that when people are made aware that the critics of Wal-Mart are merely union employees, they immediately discount the negative things being said. That's why the anti-Wal-Mart organizations are striking back in anger at being exposed for who they are. THEY made the battle personal. I know. I lived it. It made me tired and cranky. On the bright side, I did lose a lot of weight.
Working Families For Wal-Mart is a new, very large organization whose goals include putting out the positive facts about Wal-Mart that are ignored in the press, as well as answering the paid critics of Wal-Mart. Having done more than most in answering the paid critics of Wal-Mart, for which I received no compensation, I simply prefer now to focus on putting out the positive facts about the company, which in and of themselves defeat the arguments of Wal-Mart's paid critics. To that end "Why Wal-Mart Works Version 2.0" will be released in a few weeks, as well as a companion book "Defending Wal-Mart."
Working Families For Wal-Mart is not Edelman. WFFWM is a collection of individuals who share a common goal in putting out the positive facts about a company that I have found to be indispensible to the lives of millions of families.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Extorting Wal-Mart
From The Joplin Globe re the Maryland Health Care Act:
You may not like Wal-Mart - indeed, you may even actively dislike the world's largest retailer - but what the state of Maryland is trying to do in forcing the company to either increase spending on employee health care or pay a similar amount in higher taxes is simply, well, unfair and discriminatory.
The law, which was written so that it applies only to Wal-Mart, is nothing less than extortion.
You may not like Wal-Mart - indeed, you may even actively dislike the world's largest retailer - but what the state of Maryland is trying to do in forcing the company to either increase spending on employee health care or pay a similar amount in higher taxes is simply, well, unfair and discriminatory.
The law, which was written so that it applies only to Wal-Mart, is nothing less than extortion.
Monday, July 03, 2006
ASDA Union Negotiations
From LA Times:
Asda Group Ltd., the British division of Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, has reached a deal with one of Britain's largest unions that marks the most significant concessions the global retailer has made to organized labor.
"This is a very significant victory for the GMB, and for the unions in general," said Jan Furstenborg, who monitors Wal-Mart's global labor relations for Union Network International, a global union federation.
The new agreement in Britain brings Wal-Mart's approach closer to that of Tesco, which has a broad partnership with the USDAW shop workers union.
Expect some crowing from the usual suspects today.
Asda Group Ltd., the British division of Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, has reached a deal with one of Britain's largest unions that marks the most significant concessions the global retailer has made to organized labor.
"This is a very significant victory for the GMB, and for the unions in general," said Jan Furstenborg, who monitors Wal-Mart's global labor relations for Union Network International, a global union federation.
The new agreement in Britain brings Wal-Mart's approach closer to that of Tesco, which has a broad partnership with the USDAW shop workers union.
Expect some crowing from the usual suspects today.
Saturday, April 08, 2006
Halt Global Warming. Stop Making Movies.
This is off-topic, but somewhat timely...
Global warming has become has become the cause celebre amongst, well, celebrities. What’s the single best way for Hollywood to decrease greenhouse gases? Buy more Prius hybrids? Nope. Stop making movies.
The MPAA reports paid theatrical receipts of $8.99 billion in 2005, at an average ticket price of $6.41. Dividing ticket price into receipts you get 1.4 billion people who attended movies. How did they get to the theatre? For the most part, they drove, let’s say in a average group of 3 to a car. That means that 468,000,000 car trips were made going to the movies. The average passenger car gets about 22 miles to the gallon. Lets assume the average trip to and from the theatre totals 4 miles.
468 million car trips multiplied by 4 miles per trip equals 1.87 billion miles driven getting to the theatre. Divide that 1.87 billion miles by 22 miles to the gallon and you get a total of about 85 million gallons of gas burned by the simple activity of going to the movies. It takes 4.4 million barrels of oil to produce that much gas. My math may not be exact, nor my assumptions correct, but you get the point.
Going to the movies creates a whole lot of greenhouses gases. Shouldn’t Hollywood demand theatrical exhibition be halted in the name of global warming, and distribute films solely on DVD and VOD?
Notably, if Al Gore’s upcoming global warming film grosses $20 million, then 189,000 gallons of gas will be burned into the atmosphere driving to see his movie about, well, gas being burned into the atmosphere.
Global warming has become has become the cause celebre amongst, well, celebrities. What’s the single best way for Hollywood to decrease greenhouse gases? Buy more Prius hybrids? Nope. Stop making movies.
The MPAA reports paid theatrical receipts of $8.99 billion in 2005, at an average ticket price of $6.41. Dividing ticket price into receipts you get 1.4 billion people who attended movies. How did they get to the theatre? For the most part, they drove, let’s say in a average group of 3 to a car. That means that 468,000,000 car trips were made going to the movies. The average passenger car gets about 22 miles to the gallon. Lets assume the average trip to and from the theatre totals 4 miles.
468 million car trips multiplied by 4 miles per trip equals 1.87 billion miles driven getting to the theatre. Divide that 1.87 billion miles by 22 miles to the gallon and you get a total of about 85 million gallons of gas burned by the simple activity of going to the movies. It takes 4.4 million barrels of oil to produce that much gas. My math may not be exact, nor my assumptions correct, but you get the point.
Going to the movies creates a whole lot of greenhouses gases. Shouldn’t Hollywood demand theatrical exhibition be halted in the name of global warming, and distribute films solely on DVD and VOD?
Notably, if Al Gore’s upcoming global warming film grosses $20 million, then 189,000 gallons of gas will be burned into the atmosphere driving to see his movie about, well, gas being burned into the atmosphere.
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Wal-Mart Won't Quit Brokeback
The Huffington Post was gracious enough to print my comments today:
Standing up to protests from a prominent Christian organization, Wal-Mart is not only carrying the DVD of Brokeback Mountain in its over 3,600 American stores, it is featuring ads for the film in the front of its stores. 138 million Americans pass through the front of these stores every week.
According to the L.A. Times, the American Family Association accuses Wal-Mart of pushing a gay agenda and is encouraging its purported 3 million members to boycott the store. So why is Wal-Mart risking alienating part of its red-state base?
Remember, Wal-Mart is a business committed to delivering products its customers want at prices they can afford. BoxOfficeMojo reports Brokeback has grossed $82 million domestically. King Kong has grossed $218 million domestically. King Kong moved 6 million DVD units in its first week of release. We can infer that Brokeback will sell around 2.4 million DVD units initially. Wal-Mart is 40-45% of the domestic retail DVD market, so Wal-Mart will probably sell at a minimum 1 million copies of the Brokeback DVD.
Brokeback Mountain is a movie the public clearly wants to see. Wal-Mart will offer it to them at the lowest price possible. In fact Wal-Mart will offer it at such a low price, many video rental stores will buy their copies from there. Imagine the howls of protest from liberal activists had Wal-Mart decided not to carry the film, even though these activists claim not to shop there. Will the progressive community applaud Wal-Mart's smart business decision to carry and promote the film?
Probably not. Brokeback's director was outsourced from Taiwan.
Standing up to protests from a prominent Christian organization, Wal-Mart is not only carrying the DVD of Brokeback Mountain in its over 3,600 American stores, it is featuring ads for the film in the front of its stores. 138 million Americans pass through the front of these stores every week.
According to the L.A. Times, the American Family Association accuses Wal-Mart of pushing a gay agenda and is encouraging its purported 3 million members to boycott the store. So why is Wal-Mart risking alienating part of its red-state base?
Remember, Wal-Mart is a business committed to delivering products its customers want at prices they can afford. BoxOfficeMojo reports Brokeback has grossed $82 million domestically. King Kong has grossed $218 million domestically. King Kong moved 6 million DVD units in its first week of release. We can infer that Brokeback will sell around 2.4 million DVD units initially. Wal-Mart is 40-45% of the domestic retail DVD market, so Wal-Mart will probably sell at a minimum 1 million copies of the Brokeback DVD.
Brokeback Mountain is a movie the public clearly wants to see. Wal-Mart will offer it to them at the lowest price possible. In fact Wal-Mart will offer it at such a low price, many video rental stores will buy their copies from there. Imagine the howls of protest from liberal activists had Wal-Mart decided not to carry the film, even though these activists claim not to shop there. Will the progressive community applaud Wal-Mart's smart business decision to carry and promote the film?
Probably not. Brokeback's director was outsourced from Taiwan.
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Name This Stock
From Market Watch
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Want to buy a stock that trades at close to its five-year lows despite posting 13% annual earnings-per-share growth over that period? What if the stock also traded at a discount to the market on a price-to-earnings basis? Furthermore, what if Berkshire Hathaway (led by the legendary Warren Buffett) had initiated a sizable position during 2005? And lastly, what if the company stood to benefit greatly from a potential stabilization in energy prices?
Interested now? Look no further than the largest retailer in the world -- Wal-Mart.
We continue to be confounded by the lack of investor interest in one of the largest and most respected (and feared) companies in the world.
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Want to buy a stock that trades at close to its five-year lows despite posting 13% annual earnings-per-share growth over that period? What if the stock also traded at a discount to the market on a price-to-earnings basis? Furthermore, what if Berkshire Hathaway (led by the legendary Warren Buffett) had initiated a sizable position during 2005? And lastly, what if the company stood to benefit greatly from a potential stabilization in energy prices?
Interested now? Look no further than the largest retailer in the world -- Wal-Mart.
We continue to be confounded by the lack of investor interest in one of the largest and most respected (and feared) companies in the world.
Friday, March 10, 2006
Profiles in Courage
Wal-Mart wants to save their customers' money by processing credit card transactions themselves. Predictably, Congress protests:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A group of congressmen on Friday said an industrial bank owned by Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, could threaten the stability of the U.S. financial system and drive community banks out of business. (Comment: Blah, blah, Blah.......)
In a highly critical letter to the acting chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., obtained by Reuters, a group of more than 30 congressmen asked the bank regulator to reject Wal-Mart's application to open a bank in Utah.
"Wal-Mart's plan, to have its bank process hundreds of billions in transactions for its own stores, could threaten the stability of the nation's payments system," the lawmakers wrote. "Given Wal-Mart's massive scope and international dealings, it is not possible to rule out a financial crisis within the company that could damage the bank and severely disrupt the flow of payments throughout the financial system."
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
A Good Way To Start The Morning
The whole "defending Wal-Mart" experience I've been through has been stressful and tiring. But it seems worthwhile when letters like this come in. I've redacted his name and hometown, but his feelings towards Wal-Mart reflect what I 've heard from other associates.
Hello Ron, my name is ****. I am a manager for Walmart in the great state of Maryland. I had to send you a message thanking you for speaking on our behalf. it is so great to see that someone is taking our side as opposed to those others that hate us. They are just trying to make us look bad through lies and deception. I am so glad that the people of the
Friday, January 20, 2006
If You Haven't Yet...
...then start watching the new Battlestar Galactica. I think you can get this dress at Wal-Mart....
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Always Low Health Care Prices
Last week the Maryland legislature passed a law requiring employers with 10,000 or more employees to spend at least 8% of their payroll on employee health care benefits, or contribute the difference into the state’s Medicaid fund. The bill applies to only one company, Wal-Mart.
This was a clear victory for the promoters of the bill, primarily unions and Wal-Mart Watch. I debated Tracy Sefl of Wal-Mart Watch a couple of times last winter, and she and her organization are nothing if not organized.
The bill does raise an interesting question.
If Wal-Mart, who by its size was the clear and only target of this bill, is forced to pay into a state Medicaid fund, shouldn’t they have some say in how those funds are spent? Might that be a good thing?
No one has ever accused Wal-Mart of being inefficient or having high costs. Most state Medicaid plans are famously guilty on both these points. Wouldn’t it be a good idea to apply Wal-Mart’s vendor negotiation skills and buying power to health care?
I recently had a routine stress test from a cardiologist. 1,200 bucks. If Wal-Mart were negotiating that fee, I bet I would pay half that. Imagine Wal-Mart calling Maryland radiologists to Bentonville, and telling them that if they don’t lower their fees they’ll have all that imaging business routed over the internet to North Carolina, where doctors will read them cheaper. Do you think the Maryland radiologists would cut their fees? You bet they would.
This would not be practical in all areas of medicine, i.e. emergency patients can’t be sent somewhere else. But diagnostic procedures can, and are, a great place to start.
I wonder how pharmaceutical companies would feel about having Wal-Mart negotiate their contracts? Ouch.
What’s done is done. The Maryland bill is law. But Maryland might be advised to take a look at Wal-Mart in a different light as regards health care. Don’t look at them as a money trough. Look at Wal-Mart strengths, and use them as a resource.
This was a clear victory for the promoters of the bill, primarily unions and Wal-Mart Watch. I debated Tracy Sefl of Wal-Mart Watch a couple of times last winter, and she and her organization are nothing if not organized.
The bill does raise an interesting question.
If Wal-Mart, who by its size was the clear and only target of this bill, is forced to pay into a state Medicaid fund, shouldn’t they have some say in how those funds are spent? Might that be a good thing?
No one has ever accused Wal-Mart of being inefficient or having high costs. Most state Medicaid plans are famously guilty on both these points. Wouldn’t it be a good idea to apply Wal-Mart’s vendor negotiation skills and buying power to health care?
I recently had a routine stress test from a cardiologist. 1,200 bucks. If Wal-Mart were negotiating that fee, I bet I would pay half that. Imagine Wal-Mart calling Maryland radiologists to Bentonville, and telling them that if they don’t lower their fees they’ll have all that imaging business routed over the internet to North Carolina, where doctors will read them cheaper. Do you think the Maryland radiologists would cut their fees? You bet they would.
This would not be practical in all areas of medicine, i.e. emergency patients can’t be sent somewhere else. But diagnostic procedures can, and are, a great place to start.
I wonder how pharmaceutical companies would feel about having Wal-Mart negotiate their contracts? Ouch.
What’s done is done. The Maryland bill is law. But Maryland might be advised to take a look at Wal-Mart in a different light as regards health care. Don’t look at them as a money trough. Look at Wal-Mart strengths, and use them as a resource.
Monday, January 16, 2006
Is Lee Scott The Most Powerful Man In Hollywood?
Musings from yours truly in last week's HuffPo:
It was widely reported last year that Robert Greenwald’s decision to self-finance part of his Wal-Mart movie was prompted in part by the defection of two film industry investors fearful of retribution from Wal-Mart.
Does Wal-Mart carry that much power in the entertainment industry? Yes. Do they use this influence to squelch dissent? Let’s see.
The sale of DVD’s is currently the engine driving the filmed entertainment industry. According to Variety, Pixar’s The Incredibles generated $355 million in home video sales, a figure 35% higher than its theatrical gross. In many instances, theatrical releases serve as little more than trailers for the DVD, which is where the real money is.
It is well-known that Wal-Mart is responsible for between 40-45% of all DVD sales in the U.S. 138 million people pass through their 3,300 stores every week, generating wide exposure and sales for DVDs. Jeffrey Katzenberg makes frequent trips to Bentonville to put on the blue vest and ply his wares. That’s how important they are.
So who makes the decision on what films Wal-Mart carries? In large part, Time Warner Home Video.
As counterintuitive as it sounds, Time Warner Home Video has served as “captain” of the video department for Wal-Mart for several years, providing sales data and DVD buying recommendations to the company, basically rack-jobbing the DVD department. This is not an unusual arrangement. According to Videobusiness magazine, 20th Century Fox Home Video provides the same “captain” services to Target, the #2 retail outlet for DVDs, and may take over that role for Wal-Mart.
Videobusiness states “execs say the role of captain is coveted because it allows the studio to have influence on the strategic direction and growth of the entire industry.”
This is not to say Wal-Mart does not make decisions regarding specific titles. Wal-Mart, or its captain, chose not to carry Mr. Greenwald’s anti-Wal-Mart film, although they offer over 20 of Mr. Greenwald’s other films on their website.
But surely my pro-Wal-Mart film “Why Wal-Mart Works” would be a shoo-in for the Wal-Mart shelves, right? Wrong. They’re not carrying that either.
So should filmmakers fear that by creating or backing certain content, they risk their chances of being carried at Wal-Mart?
Ask Time Warner.
It was widely reported last year that Robert Greenwald’s decision to self-finance part of his Wal-Mart movie was prompted in part by the defection of two film industry investors fearful of retribution from Wal-Mart.
Does Wal-Mart carry that much power in the entertainment industry? Yes. Do they use this influence to squelch dissent? Let’s see.
The sale of DVD’s is currently the engine driving the filmed entertainment industry. According to Variety, Pixar’s The Incredibles generated $355 million in home video sales, a figure 35% higher than its theatrical gross. In many instances, theatrical releases serve as little more than trailers for the DVD, which is where the real money is.
It is well-known that Wal-Mart is responsible for between 40-45% of all DVD sales in the U.S. 138 million people pass through their 3,300 stores every week, generating wide exposure and sales for DVDs. Jeffrey Katzenberg makes frequent trips to Bentonville to put on the blue vest and ply his wares. That’s how important they are.
So who makes the decision on what films Wal-Mart carries? In large part, Time Warner Home Video.
As counterintuitive as it sounds, Time Warner Home Video has served as “captain” of the video department for Wal-Mart for several years, providing sales data and DVD buying recommendations to the company, basically rack-jobbing the DVD department. This is not an unusual arrangement. According to Videobusiness magazine, 20th Century Fox Home Video provides the same “captain” services to Target, the #2 retail outlet for DVDs, and may take over that role for Wal-Mart.
Videobusiness states “execs say the role of captain is coveted because it allows the studio to have influence on the strategic direction and growth of the entire industry.”
This is not to say Wal-Mart does not make decisions regarding specific titles. Wal-Mart, or its captain, chose not to carry Mr. Greenwald’s anti-Wal-Mart film, although they offer over 20 of Mr. Greenwald’s other films on their website.
But surely my pro-Wal-Mart film “Why Wal-Mart Works” would be a shoo-in for the Wal-Mart shelves, right? Wrong. They’re not carrying that either.
So should filmmakers fear that by creating or backing certain content, they risk their chances of being carried at Wal-Mart?
Ask Time Warner.
Friday, January 06, 2006
CJR Doesn't Like My Film. Sigh.
My letter to the editor of the Columbia Journalism Review:
In her January CJR review of my film, "Why Wal-Mart Works," crusading anti-WalMart scribe Liza Featherstone accuses my film of being "ideologically extreme." Coming from a contributor to Robert Greenwald's famously neutral Wal-Mart film, I suppose that's to be expected. She then accuses me of "verging on dishonesty," which coming from a contributor to a film (Greenwald's) whose first 20 minutes she admits are factually inaccurate, is hypocritical. My film is "amateurish," as though a film (Greenwald's) whose first 20 minutes were not fact-checked, is not. Ms. Featherstone misses the point that my film is an op-ed piece, as is Mr. Greenwald's. That is evident in both the films' titles.
Mr. Featherstone gives her elitist little heart away when criticizing my choice of a poor African-American mother of seven as an interview subject, by lumping her into an imaginary category of Wal-Mart employees who have "few needs and low expectations." A single mother of seven has few needs? How can Ms. Featherstone speak to this African-American woman's expectations? This proves my point that the people criticizing Wal-Mart are not the ones who need to shop there.
My film title is "Why Wal-Mart Works & Why That Makes Some People Crazy." 1.3 million Americans choose to work at Wal-Mart. 138 million people choose to shop there every week. Given the tone of her earlier writings, I'd bet a nickel Ms. Featherstone is pro-choice. So why is she critical of the free choice Americans make to work and shop there? Because she and Greenwald feel millions of Americans just don't understand how vile Wal-Mart truly is, and they must be illuminated.
The anti-Wal-Mart group Wake Up Wal-Mart boasts on it's website that they have 160,000 members. 160,000 Americans shop at Wal-Mart every 12 minutes. That's really what makes some people crazy.
In her January CJR review of my film, "Why Wal-Mart Works," crusading anti-WalMart scribe Liza Featherstone accuses my film of being "ideologically extreme." Coming from a contributor to Robert Greenwald's famously neutral Wal-Mart film, I suppose that's to be expected. She then accuses me of "verging on dishonesty," which coming from a contributor to a film (Greenwald's) whose first 20 minutes she admits are factually inaccurate, is hypocritical. My film is "amateurish," as though a film (Greenwald's) whose first 20 minutes were not fact-checked, is not. Ms. Featherstone misses the point that my film is an op-ed piece, as is Mr. Greenwald's. That is evident in both the films' titles.
Mr. Featherstone gives her elitist little heart away when criticizing my choice of a poor African-American mother of seven as an interview subject, by lumping her into an imaginary category of Wal-Mart employees who have "few needs and low expectations." A single mother of seven has few needs? How can Ms. Featherstone speak to this African-American woman's expectations? This proves my point that the people criticizing Wal-Mart are not the ones who need to shop there.
My film title is "Why Wal-Mart Works & Why That Makes Some People Crazy." 1.3 million Americans choose to work at Wal-Mart. 138 million people choose to shop there every week. Given the tone of her earlier writings, I'd bet a nickel Ms. Featherstone is pro-choice. So why is she critical of the free choice Americans make to work and shop there? Because she and Greenwald feel millions of Americans just don't understand how vile Wal-Mart truly is, and they must be illuminated.
The anti-Wal-Mart group Wake Up Wal-Mart boasts on it's website that they have 160,000 members. 160,000 Americans shop at Wal-Mart every 12 minutes. That's really what makes some people crazy.
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Wal-Mart Doesn't Charge Enough For Food
According to this blog. To whit, the following slapstick comment:
"I do feel strongly that we’re not paying enough for food. That it is an issue, in part, of priorities. We only pay 11% of our disposable income on food in this country. That is less than anywhere else on Earth and that is less than any other civilization that has ever been on this Earth. For some reason we do not want to spend more"
One again I repeat, the people criticizing Wal-Mart are not the ones who need to shop there.
"I do feel strongly that we’re not paying enough for food. That it is an issue, in part, of priorities. We only pay 11% of our disposable income on food in this country. That is less than anywhere else on Earth and that is less than any other civilization that has ever been on this Earth. For some reason we do not want to spend more"
One again I repeat, the people criticizing Wal-Mart are not the ones who need to shop there.
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Thanks Greenwald Part 3
From The AP:
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. recorded its biggest shopping day of the year on Friday, not Saturday as it had expected, the vice chairman of the world's largest retailer said on Tuesday.
John Menzer, who heads Wal-Mart's U.S. division, said more people than expected took Friday off from work and headed to stores to pick up last-minute gifts.
Demand for gift cards was particularly strong, and stores raced to display new merchandise by Monday morning to take advantage of customers redeeming those cards.
"We were expecting to have huge gift card sales," he said in a telephone interview. "It has even exceeded our expectations."
Of course, when you buy gift cards, you are loaning Wal-Mart, or any retailer, money interest free.
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. recorded its biggest shopping day of the year on Friday, not Saturday as it had expected, the vice chairman of the world's largest retailer said on Tuesday.
John Menzer, who heads Wal-Mart's U.S. division, said more people than expected took Friday off from work and headed to stores to pick up last-minute gifts.
Demand for gift cards was particularly strong, and stores raced to display new merchandise by Monday morning to take advantage of customers redeeming those cards.
"We were expecting to have huge gift card sales," he said in a telephone interview. "It has even exceeded our expectations."
Of course, when you buy gift cards, you are loaning Wal-Mart, or any retailer, money interest free.
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