Walmart under fire for selling black Barbies at half price of white dolls

Discussion in 'Politics' started by desi, Mar 11, 2010.

  1. desi Valued Senior Member

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  3. superstring01 Moderator

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    I managed at two Walmarts (North Olmsted and Brooklyn; in Ohio) and two Targets (Cleveland Hts. and Strongsville; in Ohio). In each case, one was urban and the other suburban. One mostly white and the other mostly. . . well, urban (Hispanic and black).

    Markdowns are almost always decided by "on-hands" (as in: the number the store has on hand). In cases with high on-hands and low sales, the goal is normally to mark the product down until it sells and makes space for newer products.

    In urban stores, the black and Hispanic toys sell quickly and rarely require additional marks. White dolls usually sell well in all stores because we crackahs are everywhere. In suburban stores, that sell fewer racially diverse dolls, the recourse is obvious: mark the stuff and get rid of it. Stores cannot risk NOT carrying "colored" dolls anymore because it's just not PC to not carry a diverse selection, even in place where they won't sell. So, at the end of the day, the business must go on and the dolls must be sold.

    To those of you who think, "Why not just stock balance transfer them to a store where they will sell?" The answer is: expense. It's easier to just mark them in the store where they are and wait for them to sell. Even black kids want the newest doll. Transferring out-of-date toys to the black kids has just as many social repercussions and ultimately is just not worth the expense.

    My suburban Walmart would just donate them, rather than mark them down. It cost a bit, but was good PR and avoided social nastiness.

    ~String
     
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  5. Giambattista sssssssssssssssssssssssss sssss Valued Senior Member

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    This proves once again that there's no shortage of people willing and able to find racism everywhere!
     
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  7. Read-Only Valued Senior Member

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    Agreed. And neither is there any shortage of people who choose to be offended by practically anything and everything they come in contact with - and even direct contact isn't a requirement for the majority of them. :shrug:
     
  8. Giambattista sssssssssssssssssssssssss sssss Valued Senior Member

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    The mere smell, or the feeling that someone will get a hint of a premonition of something that might smell like there is someone somewhere who is all set to be an offender. I know that offends me.
     
  9. CutsieMarie89 Zen Registered Senior Member

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    People sure have a lot of time on their hands to waste it complaining about nothing worth complaining about.
     
  10. Giambattista sssssssssssssssssssssssss sssss Valued Senior Member

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    Are you implying that we here discussing this are wasting our time?
     
  11. Doreen Valued Senior Member

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    Well, it is ironic, people getting upset about people getting upset at nothing. Just as my post is now potentially doubly ironic. I looked around to find American articles on the topic and found that a few experts commented on the price difference after someone posted a photo of the barbie display - showing the two prices - on a HUMOR site. Good chance some individual got upset and then the media called around to 'experts' to weigh in. I see no evidence that more than a handful of people gave a shit, but no doubt the media can whip up a few more.

    But let's look down on black people for being hypersensitive, just in case they are.
     
  12. Randwolf Ignorance killed the cat Valued Senior Member

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    Well, we're up to at least 100 hits on google now:

    Geez, people, don't we have something better to discuss? And I'm not talking about the participants on this thread, but rather the "media", as Doreen pointed out. Did it occur to anyone (outside of this forum) that these decisions are based on economics, not racial ideals?

    Perhaps WalMart should devote a few feet of shelf space (extremely expensive, by the way) to multi-cultural Barbie dolls just for political promotion. Oh, and price them all at least three times that of the white dolls - as well they should - and that will make everyone happy, right? Forget the fact that they won't sell, at least WalMart is PC. I mean, WTF?
     
  13. Doreen Valued Senior Member

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    Oh, yeah. I found the media fascinated by it. I just couldn't find anything supporting the idea that a significant percentage of the black community was upset. One outlet picks up the story, others see it as a controversy. Constroversies get people upset and then people follow the issue - buy the newspaper or make a hit on a website.

    Sometimes people show up with signs and picket. Or school kids write letters. Or someone files a suit. You see evidence of 'people getting upset' and it seems like more than one.

    Here, I don't see that. The media may make people upset, but in this case I actually doubt it.
     
  14. Read-Only Valued Senior Member

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    Who here is "upset"???? :shrug: I'm sure not. I find the whole business to be somewhere between absolutely hilarious and patently stupid.

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  15. Giambattista sssssssssssssssssssssssss sssss Valued Senior Member

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    Totally agreed! Anyhow, a discussion forum is for everything, both important as well as trivial. Of course we would weigh in.
     
  16. superstring01 Moderator

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    See my post, above. As I said, I worked for them. There's a lot of stuff Walmart does wrong. But claiming that Walmart sells Barbie's at lower prices just to make black people feel bad is idiotic.

    Why? Well, for starters, Walmart has a HUGE number of black and Hispanic managers and executives. (Eduardo Castro Wright, President of Walmart USA is from Mexico; Dedra Dogan, EVP People Sams Club is black; Rosalind Brewr, SVP Regional Manager is back, are just a few). Beyond that, it's just bad business practice to make racial distinctions for no reason, other than to be racist.

    There are lots of reasons to criticize Walmart. Marking down baby dolls for not selling at a fast enough pace, is not one of them.

    ~String
     
  17. BenTheMan Dr. of Physics, Prof. of Love Valued Senior Member

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    Wait wait wait...this makes no sense.

    Why would you sell a product at a cheaper price if you had a large quantity of it?
     
  18. superstring01 Moderator

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    You don't sell a product at a cheaper price JUST because you have more on hands. You sell it at a cheaper price if it's not selling AND you have significant on hands. For example, Walmart sells more jeans than anybody else. They are the leading seller of denim by Levi Strauss (their line "Levi Strauss Signature" was created specifically to sell at Walmart). They carry HUGE stocks on hand at all times, but the price rarely changes. Why? Because they sell, that's why. Jeans rarely change much in style, so the need to move the current trend out to make room for the newer trend isn't really an issue.

    With toy's, however, changing styles and trends ARE an issue. One year Zulu Barbie and Caribou Barbie (i.e. Palin) might be all the rage. Caribou Barbie might sell out totally in all stores, while Zulu Barbie lingers on the shelves in McWhiteville. The following year Matel introduces Compton Barbie and Bulimia Barbie, which are to replace last year's models, but Zulu Barbie won't get off the shelf. So, Walmart merely marks Zulu Barbie down by 60%, moves it to the clearance section and hopes it leaves the store at the lower price. This option is always preferable, even at a negative gain, than consigning it to the dumpster and taking a total loss on it.

    ~String
     
  19. Doreen Valued Senior Member

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    Clear inventory. Basically you have money invested in that product on the shelf. If you move that inventory you can invest money in other products that sell or invest the money anywhere where you are getting a better return for your investment. Same reason the whole just in time supply process came along. Any money locked in inventory is not earning. Move it or lose it.
     
  20. superstring01 Moderator

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    Better said than my explanation!

    ~String
     
  21. Doreen Valued Senior Member

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    Now that's scary. I couldn't manage a business to save my life. Funny thing is I ended up having to teach a lot business English, which ended up meaning I had to sound like I understood business. How pleasant I can create that illusion.
     
  22. superstring01 Moderator

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    Funny thing, before ten years ago, I was sure I'd end up working in the computer industry or insurance for the rest of my life. I was good at both, had worked in both, and was aiming for an IT job at LibertyMutual.

    How, with all my IT certifications (MCSE, Visual Basic, C# and Net+) and continuing education in computers I ended up in HR for a major retailer is proof that you can almost never plan exactly for where you'll end up. You merely make sure you've got all the tools for success and, if you are able, take every opportunity that comes your way.

    ~String
     
  23. Read-Only Valued Senior Member

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    Very true = and well said, String.

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    My own experience was quite similar to yours. I had always enjoyed electronics (and had a natural talent for it) and intended to make of future of it - bit it didn't happen that way.

    Instead, I headed off into the world of telecommunications - first voice and then data. Next it was networking. And even though I had *always* planned to avoid being in management (where one becomes trapped between the company and a union), it wasn't long before I was the manager of a nation-wide network and had lots of people reporting to me. Next thing I knew, I was transferred into an R&D job as the liaison between several different departments (software development, computer systems engineering, hardware engineering, data communications engineers, end-user groups, etc.) because I had the background needed and could translate what was needed in those varying disciplines in a way they could understand in the "native language" of their business what was needed form them to complete a cooperative project. *Very* interesting job, but I took the first opportunity to retire early because I wanted to do different things.

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    My IT background got me into the R&R and manufacturing world of medications. I managed to work my way into the R&D and QA/QC labs because chemistry had always been an interest of mine. And after a few enjoyable years of that, I retired again and created my own business (more than one, in fact). But that's another story all by itself.

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    And needless to say, my dreams of electronics sort of fell by the wayside.
     

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