If you could shut down one business...

[webny99]

Kmart is more responsible for killing Kmart than any other business

What other businesses did they kill? 

[Max Rockatansky]

Kmart is more responsible for killing Kmart than any other business

What other businesses did they kill? 

Sears, or at least sped up the process substantially. 

[inkyatari]

I'll bite on one not yet mentioned:  Monsanto.  Between their aggressive lawsuits against innocent farmers, their R&D tactics, and their big contributions to the poisoning of the earth and crops (despite their claims, pesticides are not all positive), they're the one I'd pick.

(biting my tongue.  MUST NOT COMMENT .)


Chase.  I don't have an account with them, but had to cash a check that was drawn on Chase at one of their branches. $8 Highway robbery. But the worst part is that whilst cashing the check, they tried getting me to open a checking account with them.  Uh.. I have a checking account that has no fees whatsoever, not even overdrafts. Why would I need their menu of fees? (The reason I had to cash the check is that my bank is online only, and I could have used the app, but the money would take four days to be credited to my account, and I needed gas right then.)

[hbelkins]

Despite Walmart being a lot more common, Target is a whole lot less crowded and therefore the lines are a lot shorter and it's less annoying the spend a long time there. I'll even go as far as to say that Target isn't as cold as your refrigerator, like Walmart is.

My problem with Target is the same problem I have with Meijer, and had with Kmart -- prices are higher than Walmart.

[jeffandnicole]

Without Walmart, they go to Target. Or Kmart. Or Bradlees. Or Caldor. Or Ames...

Bradlees, Caldor and Ames have been gone for years if not decades and Kmart seems to be presently on life-support...

Exactly.  They're all businesses that had their heyday, but trailed off and died for whatever reason.  People transitioned from those stores to the stores we have now.  It wasn't all that long ago where no one would have ever thought Kmart would be in the position they are in now.  Then again, how about Woolworths, or Kiddie City?  People's tastes change. 

And while we think of Walmart as some million pound goliath that is trying to shut down everyone, it itself was just a single store at one point: Walton's 5 and 10.  Mr. Walton had a vision.  If some little independent store with just an owner and 2 employees has the same vision, some day that could be the goliath that overtakes Walmart.

McDonalds or Walmart. They're dishonest and inconsiderate companies.

The only reason you mentioned these companies is because they're the most well known companies in their industries.  Do you really think Burger King and Kmart gives their part employees $20 an hour and full benefits?

[kphoger]

I've known enough Walmart employees to think of that company at a whole different level as it relates to caring for their staff.  I've only ever known one person working for Walmart who had anything good to say about them as an employer.

[Mark68]

I'm surprised nobody mentioned Comcast. There may have been a hint upthread, but I don't think anybody has actually come out and said that they are the scum of the earth.

Full disclaimer: My wife was formerly employed by that scum of the earth for many years.

[cwf1701]

I'm surprised nobody mentioned Comcast. There may have been a hint upthread, but I don't think anybody has actually come out and said that they are the scum of the earth.

Agree there, and lets add Dish Network to the list.

[ozarkman417]

I hardly watch live TV anymore, and the only time I do is during the Super Bowl or similar event. The customer service of just about any company in the industry is usually downright awful.

Many of the same companies offer Internet, and they simply rip me off by providing speeds far slower than what I'm paying for. Have any of these companies taken advantage of the repeal of Net Neutrality?

[kphoger]

they simply rip me off by providing speeds far slower than what I'm paying for. Have any of these companies taken advantage of the repeal of Net Neutrality?

I work in the cable industry, so I'm wondering about this.  How do you know your speed is less than what you're paying for?  Are you using a company-provided modem, or are you using a retail modem?  Have you checked your transmit and receive levels by going into the modem diagnostics?  Have you checked for packet lost by pinging the web from your computer's command prompt?  Is your computer hard-wired to the modem, or are you running on Wi-Fi only?  What have you done to rule out wiring or equipment issues in order to be confident that the speed coming to your house from the mainline is less than what you're paying for?

[inkyatari]

I said Chase in my previous post.

I'd like to change that to AT&T.  I've gotten screwed over by them 3 times.  Twice for selling service that wasn't available, and once for double billing.

[TEG24601]

Only One?


I would have to say the entirety of the Comcast Corporation.  Including Xfinity, NBC, Universal, etc.


If I could do multiple, it would be about 90+ cable TV channels that have no business existing.

[Verlanka]

If I could do multiple, it would be about 90+ cable TV channels that have no business existing.

Pretty sure all of them are useful in some way.

[mgk920]

I would have allowed GM to go Chapter 7/liquidation when they were in their deepest trouble a few years ago.  They had been actively selling off divisions for many years before then.  Any of the remaining remnants with any value would have then been taken over by other companies and they were have continued on a much stronger, better position.

I'd also put Sears Holdings and JCPenney out of their misery.

Mike

[vdeane]

I'd also put Sears Holdings and JCPenney out of their misery.

I certainly wouldn't mind seeing Sears/Kmart put out of their misery, but I can't even conceive of where I'd shop if JCPenney closed.  Everywhere else is either more expensive or lower quality, and I will never, ever shop for clothes online.

[Scott5114]

Despite Walmart being a lot more common, Target is a whole lot less crowded and therefore the lines are a lot shorter and it's less annoying the spend a long time there. I'll even go as far as to say that Target isn't as cold as your refrigerator, like Walmart is.

My problem with Target is the same problem I have with Meijer, and had with Kmart -- prices are higher than Walmart.

I'm happy to pay a few dollars more or whatever, because Walmart is so up its own ass it feels like it doesn't even recognize its customers as people anymore. Besides the fact that there are entire shifts with zero cashiers (just self checkout, which I don't normally mind, but it's sort of a pain in the ass if you have more than a few dozen items), there is zero effort into making the stores comfortable to be in. The shelves are always way too close together in the grocery area, so if there's someone else shopping at the same time as you, you have to wait in line just to get through an aisle.

But the most obnoxious thing Walmart has done lately is put these stupid screens everywhere showing their surveillance cameras. Dumb, because that means if you want to steal you can observe the camera angle and hide your movements so that they're not visible (this is why casinos keep their camera angles secret, even from the staff). But if they want to be stupid, that's their own business. No, the problem is that they have a motion detector on them that emits this loud ching when it detects motion, to draw attention to the monitor. Yes, you like to spend money on masturbatory technology, I see you there, Walmart. However, this becomes infuriating when I'm looking for a product–common at Walmart because they don't leave well enough alone and rearrange the entire damn store every 6 months–and so while I'm searching for something across a few aisles, already pissed because I can't find what it is I'm looking for, every time I turn a corner CHING! CHING! CHING! Last time, I finally got so pissed off at the chinging that I just left without it and ordered it off of Amazon*.

Fortunately we have a grocery chain called Crest in Oklahoma City that is competitive with Walmart on price and is a much more pleasant experience. The Norman Crest has been around for about 7 years at this point and they have only rearranged the shelves once, and that was because Oklahoma liquor laws changed and they needed more inventory space for booze.

*Amazon is one that I think is getting to the point where it would be better for everyone if it just goes away. They've done a great job with me as a customer, but my experience as one of their vendors has been hellish enough that I'm not selling through them again. They've lost $207 worth of my inventory and seem content not to bother looking for it, sent out the wrong item to a customer and when they returned it damaged charged me for the loss, instructed me to ship product to a non-existent warehouse so I had my shipment returned by USPS, and on top of it all, they took high enough fees that my profit margin shrank to a mere 3%, meaning I lost money by selling on Amazon. Fuck that noise.

[LM117]

Despite Walmart being a lot more common, Target is a whole lot less crowded and therefore the lines are a lot shorter and it's less annoying the spend a long time there. I'll even go as far as to say that Target isn't as cold as your refrigerator, like Walmart is.

My problem with Target is the same problem I have with Meijer, and had with Kmart -- prices are higher than Walmart.

I'm happy to pay a few dollars more or whatever, because Walmart is so up its own ass it feels like it doesn't even recognize its customers as people anymore. Besides the fact that there are entire shifts with zero cashiers (just self checkout, which I don't normally mind, but it's sort of a pain in the ass if you have more than a few dozen items)

I found that out the hard way yesterday morning. The Walmart Neighborhood Market in my area is open from 6am-12am (used to be 24/7, but crime changed that), so I stopped by there around 6:30am yesterday to beat the crowd and pick up more than a few things. When I got to the registers, only the self-checkouts were open. I flat out asked the woman keeping watch over the self-checkouts if anyone was working the registers. She told me that the cashiers don't come in until 7:30am.

Funny thing is that I've seen her work registers before...

[RobbieL2415]

Despite Walmart being a lot more common, Target is a whole lot less crowded and therefore the lines are a lot shorter and it's less annoying the spend a long time there. I'll even go as far as to say that Target isn't as cold as your refrigerator, like Walmart is.

My problem with Target is the same problem I have with Meijer, and had with Kmart -- prices are higher than Walmart.

I'm happy to pay a few dollars more or whatever, because Walmart is so up its own ass it feels like it doesn't even recognize its customers as people anymore. Besides the fact that there are entire shifts with zero cashiers (just self checkout, which I don't normally mind, but it's sort of a pain in the ass if you have more than a few dozen items)

I found that out the hard way yesterday morning. The Walmart Neighborhood Market in my area is open from 6am-12am (used to be 24/7, but crime changed that), so I stopped by there around 6:30am yesterday to beat the crowd and pick up more than a few things. When I got to the registers, only the self-checkouts were open. I flat out asked the woman keeping watch over the self-checkouts if anyone was working the registers. She told me that the cashiers don't come in until 7:30am.

Funny thing is that I've seen her work registers before...

We did this at my Kmart sometimes.  I'd work the service desk and check out customers for upwards of an hour after open.

[J N Winkler]

I'm happy to pay a few dollars more or whatever, because Walmart is so up its own ass it feels like it doesn't even recognize its customers as people anymore. Besides the fact that there are entire shifts with zero cashiers (just self checkout, which I don't normally mind, but it's sort of a pain in the ass if you have more than a few dozen items), there is zero effort into making the stores comfortable to be in. The shelves are always way too close together in the grocery area, so if there's someone else shopping at the same time as you, you have to wait in line just to get through an aisle.

In Wichita, I have not noticed that Walmart (in any format) has been conspicuously worse than the supermarkets in this regard.  In Dillons, for example, an aisle becomes no-go when there are two people in the middle of it having a discussion about which brand of a given product to buy.

However, this becomes infuriating when I'm looking for a product–common at Walmart because they don't leave well enough alone and rearrange the entire damn store every 6 months–and so while I'm searching for something across a few aisles, already pissed because I can't find what it is I'm looking for, every time I turn a corner CHING! CHING! CHING! Last time, I finally got so pissed off at the chinging that I just left without it and ordered it off of Amazon*.

The last time I had to buy shampoo at Walmart (I use a Head & Shoulders 2-in-1 product), it was a purgatorial experience.  I spent close to half an hour cruising up and down the aisles that contain the hairstyling products, finding no bottles of Head & Shoulders.  I eventually found what I wanted in the Beauty section.  I can see myself doing this witch hunt again since it takes me about two years to go through a full bottle of shampoo (yes, I wash my hair every day, and yes, I still have a full head of hair) and product shelving rarely stays stable for that long.

Most of my visits to Walmart are to buy car maintenance supplies, since we generally use Sams for bulk buys and Dillons for general grocery shopping (though increasingly also Aldi for fresh produce).  It is usually an irritating experience.  I park at the bottom of the parking lot, because Walmart favors angle parking with one-way aisles that force you to drive up to the front of the store and wait for pedestrians to cross if you cannot leave by driving over adjacent empty spaces.  I park closer to the market entrance, because the self-checkouts are installed exclusively in that corner of the store and it is never worth it to wait in line at a staffed checkout when I'm buying just a five-quart jug of motor oil and possibly an oil filter.  Once inside the store, I have a looong walk to the auto center and back again, because it is always located diagonally opposite the self-checkouts.

I've actually considered buying motor oil on Amazon to sidestep these types of errands, but I find Amazon's pricing is favorable only for occasional multibuy deals that require me to assume more stockpiling risk than I like.  For example, my last oil buy on Amazon was three jugs of Rotella T6 that took three years to use up.  (In the past I used to have a Mobil 1 stockpile that took almost 15 years to use up.)  I do buy oil filters online because two cars in the family use the same oversize filter can (I like filling the crankcase slightly beyond capacity to improve on the designed-in oil cooling) and RockAuto's pricing is very favorable.

*Amazon is one that I think is getting to the point where it would be better for everyone if it just goes away. They've done a great job with me as a customer, but my experience as one of their vendors has been hellish enough that I'm not selling through them again. They've lost $207 worth of my inventory and seem content not to bother looking for it, sent out the wrong item to a customer and when they returned it damaged charged me for the loss, instructed me to ship product to a non-existent warehouse so I had my shipment returned by USPS, and on top of it all, they took high enough fees that my profit margin shrank to a mere 3%, meaning I lost money by selling on Amazon. Fuck that noise.

Amazon is not working all that well for me as a customer.  Every so often I have to buy BD-R discs for archiving.  I have had one shipment go astray, probably because the delivered package was stolen out of my mailbox.  I still haven't received a refund.  When I had the next few shipments sent to me General Delivery, that worked, until Amazon sent the next-to-last via UPS rather than USPS and the Post Office rejected the delivery.  I had it re-sent to an Amazon locker, which worked, but Amazon charged me for both shipments even though only one was delivered, and I have yet to receive a refund for that too.

[hbelkins]

Walmart isn't the only place that moves stuff just for the heck of it.

[adventurernumber1]

Walmart isn't the only place that moves stuff just for the heck of it.

Indeed. My local Kroger does this all the time. My mom noted that this is likely a business tactic to keep people in the store longer, so they might "buy more stuff."  It's just really stupid, and really inconvenient for both customers and employees alike.

[Chrispi]

I would shut down that lemonade stand a couple of blocks down the street from me.  Damn brat's annoying and the lemonade is Country Time.

[DaBigE]

Walmart used to pride itself in carrying American-made products. That's why I purchased a TV there around 1997. It was American-made.

But no more. Try finding American-made electronics there now.

Does anyone even make electronics in the US?

[DaBigE]

Stretching the word 'business' a bit further, I'm going to go with journalism as a whole...newspapers, magazines, cable/network news. They're in business for one reason and one reason only: to stay in business; therefore, everything is geared to sinking to the lowest common denominator to sell the most of their product. IMO, 'investigative reporting' and reporting the 'truth' died a long time ago. Everything is skewed to bring in the most buyers. TV and print is just visual clickbait nowadays.

Runner-up is Twitter, for helping ruin attention spans. No one reads beyond the headline anymore (as shown by most any comment section of a news story).

[bandit957]

Walmart used to pride itself in carrying American-made products. That's why I purchased a TV there around 1997. It was American-made.

But no more. Try finding American-made electronics there now.

Does anyone even make electronics in the US?

Americans still buy electronics, so someone ought to.