Quoted Text

"Everyone from the forklift driver on up to me, the CEO, knew we had to deliver [to Wal-Mart] on time. Not 10 minutes late. And not 45 minutes early, either," says Robin Prever, who was CEO of Saratoga Beverage Group from 1992 to 2000, and made private-label water sold at Wal-Mart. "The message came through clearly: You have this 30-second delivery window. Either you're there, or you're out. With a customer like that, it changes your organization. For the better. It wakes everybody up. And all our customers benefited. We changed our whole approach to doing business."

But you won't hear evenhanded stories like that from Wal-Mart, or from its current suppliers. Despite being a publicly traded company, Wal-Mart is intensely private. It declined to talk in detail about its relationships with its suppliers for this story. More strikingly, dozens of companies contacted declined to talk about even the basics of their business with Wal-Mart.

Here, for example, is an executive at Dial: "We are one of Wal-Mart's biggest suppliers, and they are our biggest customer by far. We have a great relationship. That's all I can say. Are we done now?" Goaded a bit, the executive responds with an almost hysterical edge: "Are you meshuga? Why in the world would we talk about Wal-Mart? Ask me about anything else, we'll talk. But not Wal-Mart."

No one wants to end up in what is known among Wal-Mart vendors as the "penalty box"--punished, or even excluded from the store shelves, for saying something that makes Wal-Mart unhappy. (The penalty box is normally reserved for vendors who don't meet performance benchmarks, not for those who talk to the press.)

Quoted from joebxr

Since we are on Walmart as topic and Bumbler fabrications,
here's a classic that Bumbler never provided support for when asked:

Having been employed within an arm of the food transport industry for the last 35 years,
I would love to get the supporting information behind his "FACT"
BWAHAHHAAAAA !!!!!!  

Quoted from bumblethru

It is all the absolute TRUTH!!! Obviously i can't provide proof.
But come on folks....why in the hell would i make that up?
It would have no effect one way or the other.
Don't matter much if you believe me or not....it's true.

Quoted from imsipps

If indeed the Mall is being sold or whatever, then I wonder why they're undergoing a major roof replacement as well as replacing the sidewalks in front of two of the entrances.

I had also heard that Jewels had bought the old bank building at the intersection of Altamont Ave. and Curry Road and would be moving there. Also rumored is the closing of 99 restaurant as well as 3 additional stores.

Quoted from bumblethru

the sale may be contingent upon this work being done.....IF it's true and not rumor.

Quoted from joebxr

It would be interesting if Walmart might be considering a new model where they would own and anchor a mall.
K-mart would be gone, and Walmart could take that end, explode it into a mega supercenter and have a bunch
of other tenants that would offer products the wouldn't impact Wallyworld's offerings.    Interesting concept/thought.

Quoted from mikechristine1

Of course there are committees in the town that would know.  Of course the resident member of these boards would have to know.  Oh, he does not believe in transparency in government.  Just be a crony