The place for all things wine, focused on serious wine discussions.

Wal-Mart Targeting Upscale Shoppers

Moderators: Jenise, Robin Garr, David M. Bueker

no avatar
User

Virginia Guadalupe

Rank

Cellar rat

Posts

10

Joined

Wed Mar 22, 2006 2:18 pm

Wal-Mart Targeting Upscale Shoppers

by Virginia Guadalupe » Wed Mar 22, 2006 2:24 pm

Wal-Mart Targeting Upscale Shoppers

By DAVID KOENIG
AP Business Writer
Mar 22, 2:52 AM EST

...In its boldest effort yet to target upscale shoppers, the nation's largest retailer is opening a new store this week with an expanded selection of high-end electronics, more fine jewelry, hundreds of types of wine ranging up to $500 a bottle, and even a sushi bar...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060322/ap_on_bi_ge/upscale_wal_mart_1
Bimbo del Vino
no avatar
User

Robin Garr

Rank

Forum Janitor

Posts

21612

Joined

Fri Feb 17, 2006 1:44 pm

Location

Louisville, KY

Welcome, Virginia!

by Robin Garr » Wed Mar 22, 2006 2:41 pm

Neat post ... personally, I won't shop at Walmart, but that's just me.

It's good to see you here, though ... if I'm not mistaken, your name is a new one here, so a warm welcome to you! Hope you'll hang around and talk with us about wine.
no avatar
User

Paul Winalski

Rank

Wok Wielder

Posts

7974

Joined

Wed Mar 22, 2006 9:16 pm

Location

Merrimack, New Hampshire

Re: Wal-Mart Targeting Upscale Shoppers

by Paul Winalski » Wed Mar 22, 2006 10:17 pm

I watched WalMart barge into a neighboring town that didn't want it, and for me that destroyed forever their "we're a good neighbor" image. To me, they are the Microsoft of retailing (well, maybe not THAT bad). I do buy things there occasionally, but only when I can't find the item anywhere else. I certainly won't be buying wine there.

-Paul W.
no avatar
User

Tom N.

Rank

Wine guru

Posts

797

Joined

Thu Mar 23, 2006 10:17 pm

Location

Soo, Ont.

Re: Welcome, Virginia!

by Tom N. » Fri Mar 24, 2006 11:17 pm

Robin Garr wrote:Neat post ... personally, I won't shop at Walmart, but that's just me.


Hi Robin,

That's me too. I avoid Walmart as much as possible as I don't like their personnel policies. (They don't treat their regular employees well, especially women.) I do occasionally go to a Sam's now that they are carrying better wines, but that is only maybe once a year.
Tom Noland
Good sense is not common.
no avatar
User

Bill Hooper

Rank

Wine guru

Posts

2001

Joined

Sat Mar 25, 2006 12:46 am

Location

McMinnville, OR

Re: Wal-Mart Targeting Upscale Shoppers

by Bill Hooper » Sun Mar 26, 2006 5:22 pm

I throw Walmart, Sam's, and Costco into the same heap. I just visited Costco for the first time this week. Not to shop, but to pick up some unmerchanable wine my company had sold to them. One of the bottles was a 2001 Stags Leap WC Fay's Cabernet that had nothing wrong with it whatsoever-The cork wasn't even pulled. I guess a "Costco"mer just returned it on a whim. The employees didn't know a thing about wine, although I suppose this is varies from location to location. Personally, I wouldn't feel comfortable shopping at a store where wine was considered a commodity akin to cheap electronics and over-sized boxes of breakfast cereal, but that's just me.

-Bill
no avatar
User

David R. Laws

Rank

Cellar rat

Posts

8

Joined

Thu Mar 23, 2006 12:16 pm

Location

Maryland, USA

Re: Wal-Mart Targeting Upscale Shoppers

by David R. Laws » Sun Mar 26, 2006 6:20 pm

Bill Hooper wrote:I throw Walmart, Sam's, and Costco into the same heap. I just visited Costco for the first time this week. Not to shop, but to pick up some unmerchanable wine my company had sold to them. One of the bottles was a 2001 Stags Leap WC Fay's Cabernet that had nothing wrong with it whatsoever-The cork wasn't even pulled. I guess a "Costco"mer just returned it on a whim. The employees didn't know a thing about wine, although I suppose this is varies from location to location. Personally, I wouldn't feel comfortable shopping at a store where wine was considered a commodity akin to cheap electronics and over-sized boxes of breakfast cereal, but that's just me.

-Bill


I never shop at Wal-Mart. Nor any of the other stores you mention.

Even if our local Wal-Mart converts to the 'new' Wall-Mart, I will refuse to participate.

This company tries all sorts of suspicious and mean spirited ways to infiltrate a community. Even when it's evident the community doesn't want them. This business is evil in the worst sense. May they go out of business in my lifetime. I will celebrate.

I won't be holding my breath though. Americans are gullible and idiots for the most part.

I just don't have any pride in being 'American' anymore. Second status we are now.

And France is still producing the best and most QPR wines. Too bad they are being Americanized, and the Global Market is berating them as backward.
----------------------------------
Wine Illiterati
DarkMatter is out there...
no avatar
User

Bill Hooper

Rank

Wine guru

Posts

2001

Joined

Sat Mar 25, 2006 12:46 am

Location

McMinnville, OR

Re: Wal-Mart Targeting Upscale Shoppers

by Bill Hooper » Sun Mar 26, 2006 8:00 pm

And France is still producing the best and most QPR wines. Too bad they are being Americanized, and the Global Market is berating them as backward.


I couldn't agree more David.

And I'm certainly not proud of America, but I'm proud to be American, If that makes any sense.

-Bill[/quote]
no avatar
User

joshua albert

Rank

Cellar rat

Posts

8

Joined

Sat Mar 25, 2006 1:52 pm

Location

Toronto

Plus ca change..

by joshua albert » Sun Mar 26, 2006 9:20 pm

..plus c'est le meme


I see that the navel-gazing anti-Walmart angst is still around. I don't have a Walmart near me in Toronto - but I must commend Walmart for revamping the moribund Woolco stores they acquired in Canada some 10 years ago.

I should note that the French are not going to be 'Americanized' because they end up following retail trends such as Walmart. For heaven's sake, it was the French who invented the mega-retailer - i.e. les hypermarche's.

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot] and 4 guests

Powered by phpBB ® | phpBB3 Style by KomiDesign