It is true, everything is bigger in Texas, the grocery stores are no different. There has been a long lasting feud between the two major grocery store chains in the lone star state of Texas. HEB and Walmart have been competing with each other for years in the south. There are plenty of loyal customers for both companies that will fight from dawn to dusk on which is better. Breaking both companies down and comparing the customer service, product quality, product selection, price and the impact both make on the local economy, will hopefully bring an end to this long lasting feud. First, when shopping, a big factor that will impact a customer 's experience is the customer service. Whether it’s from a simple “hello”, or an employee going out …show more content…
Walmart product selections is almost three times as much as that of HEB. Walmart is a one-stop-shop store. Customers can walk into Walmart and literally shop until they drop. Walmart provides groceries, baby clothes, boys/girl clothes, adult men/women, shoes, backpacks, diapers, wipes, baby formula, electronics, candles, towels, laundry detergent, cookware, gardening tools, birthday cards, gift bags, candy, costumes, school supplies, office supplies, mini refrigerators, outdoor activities, toys of all ages, board games, bikes, scooters, helmets, sport activities, a fully functioning automotive department, where customers can get oil changes while they shop. An Ophthalmologist office with in store purchase and carry out, a nail and hair salon, and a fully functioning bank. If that’s not enough, why go home and cook after all that shopping when you can stop and grab a bite to eat at Mcdonalds or …show more content…
The minimum wage for HEB is $11.00 a hour. On top of that, HEB recently introduced the partner stock plan. Now Partners can start investing money, and become owners. Now, while Walmart may not start employees off at $11.00 an hour. Both however do offer full time employees medical, dental, and vision. Employees from both receive discount card with takes off 10% off items, they are eligible for the 401K retirement plan. HEB and Walmart work hand and hand with employees who are in school, working around their employees class schedules. To top it off, both companies even offer select scholarships to their student
Wal-Mart represents the sickness of capitalism at its almost fully evolved state. As Jim Hightower said, "Why single out Wal-Mart? Because it's a hog. Despite the homespun image it cultivates in its ads, it operates with an arrogance and avarice that would make Enron blush and John D. Rockefeller envious. It's the world's biggest retail corporation and America's largest private employer; Sam Robson Walton, a member of the ruling family, is one of the richest people on earth. Wal-Mart and the Waltons got to the top the old-fashioned way: by roughing people up. Their low, low prices are the product of two ruthless commandments: Extract the last penny possible from human toil and squeeze the last dime from its thousands of suppliers, who are left with no profit margin unless they adopt the Wal-Mart model of using nonunion labor and shipping production to low-wage hellholes abroad." (The Nation, March 4th 2002 www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20020304&s=hightower).
The retail giant’s policies to offer lowest prices on the market is one that gives the company an upper hand since it can leverage on its massive economies of scale, but ultimately the low prices throw the local economy into turmoil. The many small businesses within the regions find it extremely difficult to compete with the low prices offered by the retail giant, Wal-Mart. According to Wolff-Mann (2016), the opening of Wal-Mart in North Carolina resulted in a 30% drop in the sales of a 44-year-old grocery store. Whenever the grocery store cut prices to retain its clients which were being lost to Wal-Mart, the giant retailer would always undercut or match the price. This unfair practice led to the close down of the store, while other businesses in the region succumbed to the stiff and unfair competition. Therefore, when Wal-Mart moves into a small town, things do not get better; the company introduces unsustainable economic models which makes thing worse within the
For this assignment, I decided to go to a grocery store by my house named Meijer. Meijer is just like any other grocery store, similar to Wal-Mart, yet higher quality products than Wal-Mart.
I have not work at Walmart but I have two relatives who have been working at Walmart for over 25yrs. However, with being a mother I always shop for the best brand and the best quality of food. I shop at Walmart for only products, such as paper towels, cleaning supplies, and under clothing. As far as, groceries H-E-B is a better quality of food than Walmart food products because Walmart has increased higher and Wal-Mart quality of food has decreased as well. You can purchase a gallon of milk for $1.98 instead of half gallon for $1.89 is the better bargain. Another example, is H-E-B known for its eggs is called the Egg-lands Best which is $2.67 and eggs at Walmart is about $2.88 you save 21 cents. I prefer the better brand and the better quality
Last, Wal-Mart is also in direct competition with large supermarket retailers. Production capacity in the grocery industry is quite populated and Wal-Mart poses a serious threat to many supermarket retailers, both large and small. Kroger, Albertson’s, and Safeway are all finding it very difficult to compete with Wal-Mart’s low prices. Because the industry is so crowded, even the large supermarket retailers are seeking to differentiate themselves in order to stay afloat.
Wal-Mart has two brands of stores, the regular Wal-Mart and the Super Wal-Mart. The difference being that the Super Wal-Mart has a grocery store inside as well as all the other products. Products offered by Wal-Mart vary from automotive needs to Compacts Discs and DVD's. Family's can get households goods for kitchens, bedrooms, or patios. Wal-Mart's offer products for every household need like vacuums, mops, and brooms. Wal-Mart is an example of a one-stop shop; parents can get clothes for the kids or for adults.
By keeping their prices low, Walmart can easily pass that savings on to their customers and in return, their buyers are able to have a higher income and can spend their money on more products, preferably Walmart’s.
Walmart stores have very high inventory levels. They are inventory rich so they have to have huge storage rooms with additional staff to maintain the rooms and the efficiency. This can become a very expensive operation because of employee wages. They also must have their employees unload their freight trucks, which is another big cost.
Wal-Mart relies heavily on a few key things that they believe will help them have a competitive cost advantage. Size plays a big role in what Wal-Mart is trying to do to keep market share. Wal-Mart’s size helps to effect the economy, and surrounding geographic locations by mitigating the threat of new entrants. If Wal-Mart has already invested in a small area it will be hard for competitors to come in, and share the market, or even small businesses to make rent. Sure, the brick and mortar side of the business is impressive. However, the size that Wal-Mart’s reputation holds is so much larger than we, as consumers can visualize. Also, the distribution centers are a prime part of the success Wal-Mart has. They utilize the hub and spoke system,
Wal-Mart as we know it today evolved from Sam Walton’s goals for great value and great customer service. Mr. Walton’s competitors thought his idea that a successful business could be built around offering lower prices and great service would never work. Mr. Walton also credited the rapid growth of Wal-Mart not just to the low costs that attracted his customers, but also to his associates. He relied on them to give customers the great shopping experience that would keep them coming back. Sam shared his vision for the company with associates in a way that was nearly unheard of in the industry. He made them partners in the success of the company, and firmly believed that this partnership was what made Walmart great.
Bob’s Supermarket had loyal customers who kept coming back because of the good customer service his employees gave. For instance, “the employees got to know and typically greeted regular customers” (Parnell, 2014, pg. 397). Another key point, was that “Bob
Customer service is valued as a competitive tool by many organisations. It gives you the ability to gain customer loyalty while meeting the customer’s expectations. Staff will have many skills and knowledge that will provide a competitive edge. Most organisations are known for the quality of their customer service. This means that they are known for good customer service or poor customer service. However, being known for good customer service will attract customers. It will also attract customers who are usually hard to reach.
Walmart has had a long-standing presence in America society since the middle of the 20th century, seen as a place to get everything done, Walmart has become a fixation in our society. From grocery shopping, to changing your oil and even filing your annual tax returns, Walmart is always there, everyday. Started by Sam Walton in 1962, it began as a small operation catering to a small Arkansas community. It was started on principles very similar to small local businesses in small towns. Today Walmart has gotten a different, darker reputation. On the surface, Walmart may seem like the solution to everyday issues. Low-income families are attracted to the low prices, and people who work odd hours benefit greatly from the 24 hours a day that many Walmarts are open. Lately, Walmart has also managed to be publicly recognized as a store that sells many of today’s green products, including organic food, environmental conscious cleaning products, as well as, paper products made from recycled paper. However, underneath all this, Walmart has a different side. Exploitation of its workers is widespread amongst Walmarts who do not belong to a union, especially in the United States. Wal...
a) Good customer service is a critical component of a quality product. Collier (2011) states that service needs to be consistent, continuous, thoughtful and available. These are crucial in meeting and exceeding customer expectations. Collier also continues on to state that staff providing customer service must have appropriate skills, knowledge and personal attributes to execute a high standard of service. These skills have been identified by Collier as listening skills, punctuality, courtesy, integrity and grooming. The skills and qualities identified are reflected by the five key components of customer service tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy. The five components have been provided by the SERVQUAL service measuring
A service encounter is defined as a moment when a customer interacts with a service or product for the first time. It is the customer’s actual interaction with a service company. It is identified as a key component of the current agenda for service marketers. More than half of the world’s multinational corporations employ in providing services, thus the scrutiny of service encounters is becoming increasingly significant. Research evidence indicates that customers generally compare their expectations with the performance of service industries and they are influenced by the quality of service they receive. The scope of this essay is to discuss about the view that customers don’t buy products they focus on solutions and also about the consumer’s behaviour pattern regarding services provided. Further, it will be noted how businesses are trying to improve the service quality to attract customers leading to an increase in the economic competitiveness.