Wal-Mart MF - 8 pack "Detailer's Best" (Hometex), 14x14, 70/30, $4.86 - any good?

truzoom said:
Wal-Mart can't be fought because it's a way of life to most people now. Where else can you get a bicycle, shampoo, cotto salami, computer desk, tube socks, and valentines gifts in one place?
Click to expand...



Target and K-Mart?
 
all those things being sold under one roof is the future no doubt. The problem is how much of that stuff is no longer being made in America. To maximize efficiency per sale/per square foot stores like KMart and Target are passing over American manufacturers of clothing, bicycles, furniture, pet supplies, etc and going directly to the Chinese made versions. We as consumers who can afford to make choices are totally in control of the future. Just check the tag and don't buy from China, Iran, North Korea. Sounds funny but that's who China call as their nuclear allies.
 
If you have access to Sam' Club pick up the 80/20 18 pack by Hometex, around $10 for 18 towels. I've used them on every color you can think of. Guess what? No marring or scratching. Like mentioned above, years ago we were using terry cloth towels!



Lorne
 
Just so you all know, Sam's Club is Walmart.



I've used the yellow MF towels that Costco sells in large packs and not had a problem with them.
 
We've lost our MANUFACTURING edge in the auto industry and thousands of lay offs have been announced with more coming.
Click to expand...



No we have not. Our US-based BMW, Toyota and Honda plants make fine automobiles.
 
True but are TOyota and the others going to hire all the dudes with families who have just been cannned? going to pay to have their families relocated? The decline of manufacturing in this country is evident just by visiting the shipyards in California. THe containers are full of raw materials going to China for their workers to manufacture goods. Just like when 3rd world and developing countries would send us their raw good for us to produce exportable goods.

It never ceases to amaze me how NO ONE seems to be alarmed by this. OUr population is growing yet we make no attempt to buy American goods or to abstain from buying Chinese goods like 2nd rate MF towels. Its like we are willingly undermining our own economy just to save a few bucks.
 
Instead of harping on Wal Mart maybe we should put our heads down and regain that edge back. We live in an economy/society that looks and worships the "best deal". The reason that the Japanese automakers is giving the US auto industry a run for their money is because they offer that best deal/best package. If you look harder, GM and Ford are having problems. Daimler-Chrysler much less. Also the GM makes big bucks outside the US and the north American operations have billions of deficit. In addition of making better cars/offering better packages that the Japanese manufacturers we need to control expenses and cost of health care. It seems that the Japanese manufacturing even in the US are doing a good job. The season of the fat cows is long gone. We either jump on the bandwagon or see it going by us. I know for sure we can do it. We have done it before and we can do it again. This is the challenge and I am sorry if it is bigger than life. We need to stop looking at the tree and start rise and look at the whole forrest.



Cheers



Nick
 
going to pay to have their families relocated?
Click to expand...



Well in Toyota's case they are opening plants in Michigan.



OUr population is growing yet we make no attempt to buy American goods or to abstain from buying Chinese goods like 2nd rate MF towels.
Click to expand...



The best microfiber is from Asia and some Chinese plants do a good job. China is no longer synonymous with poor quality, it depends on the item and the plant where it is made. A lot of good mf comes from Korea. Who really cares where it comes from as long as it is high quality? There's no real mf industry in the US anyway...



Your arguments seem curious for a Porsche owner with foreign seats...why did you not purchase a Vette? Think of all the GM employees you could have employed...
 
bottom line: most consumers will shop wherever it's cheaper & more affordable. some can't afford to shop one place over another because of some ethical reason(s). i prefer to go to target rather than wal-mart, but... wal-mart's prices for the most part are cheaper, and they have more of a selection (just look at the auto dept, for example). people are gonna do what they want, regardless what people say....
 
racingbeat said:
True but are TOyota and the others going to hire all the dudes with families who have just been cannned? going to pay to have their families relocated? The decline of manufacturing in this country is evident just by visiting the shipyards in California. THe containers are full of raw materials going to China for their workers to manufacture goods. Just like when 3rd world and developing countries would send us their raw good for us to produce exportable goods.

It never ceases to amaze me how NO ONE seems to be alarmed by this. OUr population is growing yet we make no attempt to buy American goods or to abstain from buying Chinese goods like 2nd rate MF towels. Its like we are willingly undermining our own economy just to save a few bucks.
Click to expand...



If it weren't for your signiture, I might take you seriously. But from someone who's driving a German car, (Porsche Boxter S), bought German automotive products and accessories (Recaro is made in Germany, right? And the Carrera wheels?), I'd say you have about zero status talking about how we should be buying American.



:sosad :cry:



When you can walk the walk, you can talk the talk. But until then, :nomore:
 
"We've lost our MANUFACTURING edge in the auto industry and thousands of lay offs have been announced with more coming. Making us even more dependent on other manufacturing fields. Who is going to hire all thos out of work auto workers with families?

Wal-Mart and their industry leading position of having the most workers without benefits?

Manufacturing built this nation into what is today and Wal-Mart is doing everything it can to destroy that."



You seem deficient in economics. Nothing wrong with that most Americans (as you stated above) do not fully understand economics. I can make cite one prime example of this:



You hear all the "record profits" reports about the oil companies all over the news (biased- no doubt). What do you hear? Chevron posts $X Billlion in profits 4th quarter, etc... what you don't hear: profit MARGINS (the true bottom line) are no more increased as a percentage than before. Of course PROFITS are going to be at record highs- the companies are paying more for crude than ever so of course the PROFITS will be higher!!!! PROFIT MARGINS are only slightly changed...



I can go into a whole slew of economic and political debate about shopping Wal-Mart (and many researchers and analysts have and continue to do so!) but that is not the purpose of this thread. PM me if you care to chat.



Back on topic- I have a slew of generic MFs and would trust all of them over ANY terry towel any day. No they aren't final finish quality, but a bargain.
 
your example is a good one but it doesn't change the fact that people continue buying from an enemy of our country with nuclear capability. And the evidence that our reliance on Chinese made goods (like Micro Fiber towels) is devastating our manufacturing base is as obvious as our National Debt. What do you think the Chinese do with that revenue from our massive trade deficit? Build up their armies and build more manufacturing plants. Does anyone care that we have a massive trade deficit with China on how it will effect our work force into the future?



Sure I have a German car, as do many of Americans but ask me if I would buy that same car if it were made by a nuclear communist totalitarian state? I may not always buy American but I'm certainly not sending an enemy of our American freedom who supply the insane North Korean Govt. with Nuclear technologies my hard earned cash. Just add up in a give week how much you spend on Chinese made products and multiply that by 300 Million and you'll see what we are doing to ourselves. Its like nobody gives a sh1t anymore.
 
Wow talk about paranoid. I'd hate to see the lengths you go to when shopping to avoid chinese-made products. I don't think I've even seen any products in the U.S. that are made by North Korea.
 
racingbeat said:
Does anyone care that we have a massive trade deficit with China on how it will effect our work force into the future?
Click to expand...



I do. :usa



So how will continued trade effect our workforce? Well, in extrema, it will eliminate the manufacturing sector. So if I was in the manufacturing sector, I'd be looking for a career change.



Since the service industry is fat with people, wages are low, and with more people entering it, supply and demand will force wages lower yet, assuming the gov't doesn't intervene and raise the minimum wage. That would do nothing but increase inflation, though. It's still poverty. You can work as many part-time, minimum wage jobs as you want, with no real hope for improvement, and you're left jumping from job to job just so you can get an extra nickle an hour.



That leaves professional fields as the only option [assuming the job market can be lumped into three catagories - service, manufacturing ("Blue Collar") and professional ("white collar")]. Engineering, scientific research, legal, medical... Those typically require more education than those in the manufacturing sector. So I'd be going back to school, and earning whatever degrees are required to enter the profession of choice. And that choice would be driven by significant job market research, aptitude testing, and some serious discussions with competent career counselors. Things very few Americans consider, even among those entering professional fields.



Does society adapt to the individual, or does the individual adapt to the society? Think carefully. How you answer tells alot about your socio-political bent.



Education, as I see it, is the key. It's not that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. That's political horse-puckey - a catchy sound bite. The truth is there are too many exceptions to that rule for it to remain a practical model of society. My theory is it's the educated who see what's going on, adapt, and conquer, while the uneducated can't figure out what's going on, and get left in the dust. Social Darwinism? Maybe.



There are exceptions here, too. We've got plenty of PhDs flipping burgers at McDonalds, simply because the education they have is so obscure, it has no practical relevance to our society. The burger-flipping-PhD is smart, but not smart enough to be able to adapt to society, or market his skills (and you market your skills every time you fill out a job application).



This might not be politically correct, but it's not politically correct because it's the blunt truth, and too many people think there is shame in being educated, and drawing class lines based on education. This is because, for the most part, a persons education is a personal decision. I chose to go to school, and am doing well. My sisters chose not to go to school, and they're not doing nearly as well. In a society where everyone looks for how they're the victim rather than take personal responsibility, being divided based on your life's decisions is very unpopular - not politically correct.



Many years ago, I saw a letter published in Aviation Week and Space Technology. It was to the effect that we, here in America, make fun of inteligent people. Geek, nerd, it really doesn't matter. However, in Japan, these people are admired, and considered national treasures. Interesting, no? This letter was a revelation to me. I wish I'd kept a copy, so I could quote it verbatim today.



Our attitude towards education is flawed, and has the potential to undermine this country's survival.



While you may feel good resisting all this by not buying goods at Mall*Wart, it's really insignificant. The real money is in businesses buying and selling to other businesses. Think about it. In the time it took you to read this post, GM bought more brake pads than you'll use in your lifetime. So, if you're Bendix or Raybestos, who do you cater to? In that world, maximizing profit by minimizing costs is paramount to survival, and nobody cares if the part came from Lima Ohio or Lima Peru.



Even if you manage to bring Mall*Wart to it's knees, you 'll never make a dent in the overall trend.
 
Whoa! I don't look at this thread for a couple days and it goes from "are cheap towels ok" to people cleaning their nuke warheads with MF's. With all due respect to those involved, a few observations:





WSUcommuter said:
You hear all the "record profits" reports about the oil companies all over the news (biased- no doubt). What do you hear? Chevron posts $X Billlion in profits 4th quarter, etc... what you don't hear: profit MARGINS (the true bottom line) are no more increased as a percentage than before. Of course PROFITS are going to be at record highs- the companies are paying more for crude than ever so of course the PROFITS will be higher!!!! PROFIT MARGINS are only slightly changed...
Click to expand...



Hold on there, fella! If the gross is increased tremendously, and the profit margin remains the same, they sure as hell are making a lot more money. Their fixed expenses/overheads are not changing. That's the holy grail, increase your gross without trimming your margin or increasing your fixed or operating expenses--that's heaven for a mfr.





SilverLexus said:
Our economy is moving from a manufacturing one to one that provides better paying professional and design jobs. That's a good trend for the country.
Click to expand...



You're entitled to this opinion, but it's complete BS. The strength of any economy is its ability to provide goods. Where our economy is moving to is that of a third world nation, as racingbeat said. Wait 20-30 more years and you'll see. BTW, where is that guy you went to HS with who has an IQ of 85 going to work? As a professional designer?





racingbeat said:
If you think losing our position as manufacturing power in the world doesn't have an impact on our future and the future of the gloabal ecomomy then I suggest you take a closer look...Manufacturing built this nation into what is today and Wal-Mart is doing everything it can to destroy that...It never ceases to amaze me how NO ONE seems to be alarmed by this.
Click to expand...



Amen brother, except WalMart isn't the disease, it's just a symptom. IMO, what started with overreaching unions in the 60's and 70's, continued with the corporate raiding/leveraged buyouts in the 80's, and ended(?) with the Enron/Worldcom/[insert list of other corrupt companies] debacles in the 00's, is what you are reacting to now, and WalMart is hardly alone--it's the incredible executive greed and lack of foresight/oversight. Since you mentioned the auto industry, once-upon-a-time, Delco was a crown jewel in GM's crown, they made computers for the Apollo program, were planning on putting night-vision into cars with the Hughes Electronics folks that GM bought...having a cutting edge division that could put technology into your car that no other auto maker had access to was considered a corporate asset...but, hey, in 90's CEO/MBA-think, if they are good, why not spin them off, make a bunch of money, and give ourselves a huge bonus! If ten years from now the company is in bad shape because we don't do any research or anything anymore, who cares? I'll be screwing up some other company, and besides, I always have my golden parachute so that even if I get fired for ineptness I still get my salary for 5 years.



Anyway, count me as one of the alarmed.





White95Max said:
I'm more worried about the insane amount of interest accumulated on our $8 TRILLION national debt every year.
Click to expand...



Bingo! But don't worry, we'll be halfway to getting the budget balanced again by 2009. At least then we'll be halfway to not adding any more to that $8 TRILLION every year.
 
consumers drive the economy. and as Americans we save little and fully exercize our buying power and then some. If we stop buying from China they go looking elsewhere for consumers willing to pay far less than we can. Keeping Americans from losing jobs to China is no more than changing our buying habits. Its far from a done deal. But care-free attitudes like "no use in fighting the inevitable" is a self fullfilling prophecy. Americans are'nt dumb. IF they are informed about the future they respond.



And by the way to the poster who said what lengths I go to to not buy from China, if you haven't noticed there is a war going on. One that has caused more maimed and amputated then the whole of the Viet Nam war. Stop supporting our enemies. China is no Ally. Its the least you can do for our troops. Our boys and girls are fighting our enemies abroad while we send China our dollars for MF towels at home. ridiculus.
 
Arved said:
Many years ago, I saw a letter published in Aviation Week and Space Technology. It was to the effect that we, here in America, make fun of inteligent people. Geek, nerd, it really doesn't matter. However, in Japan, these people are admired, and considered national treasures. Interesting, no? This letter was a revelation to me. I wish I'd kept a copy, so I could quote it verbatim today.
Click to expand...



When was that? If you can narrow it down to a year, I can probably find it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top