Walmart: the compleat(ly evil) business model?

[NHere]

I'm still new around here, so forgive me if this has been discussed before *briefly reviews accumulated history* :book:, but googlebot didn't return anything specific.

I was enjoying the Are INTJs Truely the Evil Masterminds that they Believe Themselves to be? (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.) thread and the concepts of evil and mastermind efficiency melded in my head to produce the following question:

Premise: If INTJ-ness upholds efficiency as a consummate goal -- maximizing resource availability while minimizing costs with the added bonus of minimizing necessary interactions -- then an INTJ should laud the achievements of this "low-cost leader" as a model of INTJ (Evil) Mastermind In Action.

You can look at this from both a business model standard (how Walmart gets things from A to B and then out to C-ZZZ all over the world), or from a personal INTJ retail shopper perspective (go to one place, get everything you need on the cheap, get out with out having to make small talk with the shopkeeper).

Do you agree? If Walmart still sucks, why?

Discuss. :popcorn:

[Exponential]

I generally admire Walmart's business strategy and what they have managed to create. Undoubtedly it is a work of art, in it's own way.

While Walmart may not be "fair" what are are doing is ultimately rational, they are making rational choices in their own best interest in the environment they find themselves in... as all human beings do.

They are not any more evil than any other person, they are just higher up the food tree, and accordingly their choices have an impact on a greater number of people.

For those of you interested in Walmart from the perspective of employees, consumers and the other businesses that have had to close down, I would like to suggest you watch the movie Walmart - The High Cost of Low Prices (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.) which is very insightful.

Much of the movie is people feeling defeated and claiming how unfair it is, but it is interesting to see it from the other perspective.

Maybe it is sad that some people have been negatively affected by Walmart, but ultimately they made their own choices, and you cannot blame Walmart for that. There will always be negative influences, people doing things that attempt to lower your own position relative to their's, and that is something you cannot change. It is nature.

What is important is how you as an individual or a community react to that.

Anyway - watch the movie, it is very interesting.

[Jakalwarrior]

Efficent yes, but annoying as hell there are 2 registers open and a line that wraps around in a "super" walmart!

[zibber]

Do you agree? If Walmart still sucks, why?


Walmart merely reflects the economic trend towards maximum efficiency (through standardisation, globalisation, centralisation, mass production, etc). That's something virtually inevitable, and the only inevitable, nonethical process I admire somewhat is evolution.

[NHere]

Walmart merely reflects the economic trend towards maximum efficiency (through standardisation, globalisation, centralisation, mass production, etc).That's something virtually inevitable, and the only inevitable, nonethical process I admire somewhat is evolution.

Hmm, I thought the only "inevitable" trend was towards chaos (entropy) - I've never heard of maximum efficiency ever being described as a potential inevitability.

But assuming that it possibly could be in this case, shouldn't INTJs be rejoicing? Cut down on wasted time/space/resources, centralize it all in an area that can be controlled, let every one get on with their lives in freedom around it or use it as a jumping-off point for creating new and more wonderful things - what's not to love?

Or is it actually more of an ISTJ trait to love Walmart, the result of the ultimate INTJ vision? Our internal anarchists rebel against other people's organization and control?

I'm seeing Chairman Mao and the never ending revolution. We build it, get the sensors to love it, then grow to hate what has been built...?

[hypervel]

Yes, but I don't shop there. No moral issue, I just don't care for the clientele.(It's a local issue.)
They do represent to me a fine example of vicious capitalism, the kind I'm starting to react against.

[zibber]

But assuming that it possibly could be in this case, shouldn't INTJs be rejoicing? Cut down on wasted time/space/resources, centralize it all in an area that can be controlled, let every one get on with their lives in freedom around it or use it as a jumping-off point for creating new and more wonderful things - what's not to love?

I don't see how vicious capitalism (thanks hypervel) is automatically every INTJ's wet dream.