Walmart is at it again

[Hawkmoon]

A number of years ago, Walmart almost put Rubbermaid out of business. Now they're doing it to Campbell Soup.

http://fox6now.com/2018/02/16/campbell-soup-has-a-soup-problem/

[K Frame]

Hum... Sounds to me that Walmart is taking the blame for Campbell's failing to respond to changing consumer demand across the markets. Yes, WalMart is the largest single retailer in the US, but combined, all other grocery store chains smoke the number of WalMart stores.

[HeroHog]

Walmart is the devil! Having had worked in the HQ of a company who did a LOT of business with them, I have inside knowledge of this. They dictate product features, packaging AND what you will sell it to them for. They will get half of your companies business then screw you with ridiculous demands.

[Hawkmoon]

Walmart is the devil! Having had worked in the HQ of a company who did a LOT of business with them, I have inside knowledge of this. They dictate product features, packaging AND what you will sell it to them for. They will get half of your companies business then screw you with ridiculous demands.

That's the problem. Walmart wants to make a profit yet they want to sell YOUR product for less than anyone else sells it for, so they basically demand that you sell your product to them at or below your cost -- so Walmart can make money while you lose money. And then next year, even though costs have gone up, they want you to sell them your product for LESS than you sold it for last year. so they can do their famous "rolling back prices" thing.

[HeroHog]

Sears was infamous for this as well. They also stole numerous patents from vendors they drove out of business or outright stole!

[lupinus]

That's the problem. Walmart wants to make a profit yet they want to sell YOUR product for less than anyone else sells it for, so they basically demand that you sell your product to them at or below your cost -- so Walmart can make money while you lose money. And then next year, even though costs have gone up, they want you to sell them your product for LESS than you sold it for last year. so they can do their famous "rolling back prices" thing.

So then don't sell your stuff in Walmarts stores. And have none of your plants, or contracted vendors, make their in house brands either.

From the seller side, there's plenty of brands you DO NOT want to not have on your shelves. From the grocery store I'm going to bet very hard Campbell's is one of them. And paying for premium shelf placement is anything but free in any major grocery store.

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[HeroHog]

So then don't sell your stuff in Walmarts stores. And have none of your plants, or contracted vendors, make their in house brands either.

From the seller side, there's plenty of brands you DO NOT want to not have on your shelves. From the grocery store I'm going to bet very hard Campbell's is one of them. And paying for premium shelf placement is anything but free in any major grocery store.

The problem is, at first, the money is good and the volume is huge. Once you, as a manufacture, are now "pot committed" to Walmart as a large chunk of your manufacturing goes to them, you simply can't afford to lose that much income by stopping dealing with them and looking for another retailer.

[Larry Ashcraft]

Many of the farmers I live around sell pumpkins to WalMart in October.  They are slow payers, and they'll reject an entire truckload if they find one bad pumpkin, but selling pumpkins by the semi load is the big draw.  Pumpkins are easy to grow and low labor to pick, and apparently there's enough profit in them that nearly every farmer grows a field or two.

[lupinus]

The problem is, at first, the money is good and the volume is huge. Once you, as a manufacture, are now "pot committed" to Walmart as a large chunk of your manufacturing goes to them, you simply can't afford to lose that much income by stopping dealing with them and looking for another retailer.

Sure you can, or you can negotiate and reach a mutually beneficial agreement to terms. Just because Walmart has a bargaining chip, unlike very small retailers, doesn't mean they hold all of the chips.

When you walk down the Walmart grocery isles and they are missing big national brands? Walmart doesn't want any part of that. Because they know they can do only so many facings of the same thing to take up space, and loose a big enough brand (or brands),and shoppers will simply go elsewhere.

The same holds true for any large national retailer. I work the logistics side for one of the big three pharmacy chains, certain vendors are an absolute pain in the ass to work with. Why? Because they know they can be. Because you do not want to be a big pharmacy and not be selling Bayer products, or example. And while Bayer likes the floor space, they know darn well if someone walks into a CVS and they don't carry Bayer aspirin, there's a very good likelihood there's a Walgreens right across the street. And CVS knows that a certain percentage of folks will go across the street, esspecially if it's enough brands.

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[gunsmith]

"soup is good food"

 Campbell's isn't.

If im really hungry, and a nice gal has cooked a meal for me, i might have some.
so that means about once every couple of yrs, i have campbell soup.

i would never buy any.

its garbage.

[Larry Ashcraft]

its garbage.

Campbell's Soup is salt water in a can.  We might use it to make a recipe, but never by itself.

[Ben]

Campbell's Soup is salt water in a can.  We might use it to make a recipe, but never by itself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdmySY9Qiqo

[K Frame]

If I want canned soup, I get progresso.

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[HeroHog]

Campbell's Vegetarian Vegetable soup is a quick and easy comfort food of mine. Hell, I have been known to pop open a can, stick a spoon in it and call it good!

[230RN]

Kroger's (City Market, King Soopers) apparently does the same thing.  I bitched about their moving products around so much so I had to go looking for things I used to know right where they are.  Then I found out why.. they sell "shelf space" as well as product.

Just last week I had a recently-bought can of Campbell's chicken noodle soup and I found only five or six less-than-a-cc-each little pieces of actual chicken in the whole can.

I'm sure they spent big bucks on two market stidies:  one to find out how small the chicken pieces  cpuld be before 50% of the test market objected, and two to find out the percentage of water they could add before 50% of that test market objected.

Sooner or latre, Megaglom, Inc. will win out over every company everywhere for everything including banks and credit card companies. Then...

"St. Peter don't you call me, 'cause I cain't go...
I owe my soul to the Company Store."

Terry

ETA,  :

Campbell's Vegetarian Vegetable soup is a quick and easy comfort food of mine. Hell, I have been known to pop open a can, stick a spoon in it and call it good!

You ain't the only one.  I do that a lot with canned chile, too.

It's all good.

[230RN]

double post

[Jamisjockey]

"soup is good food"

 Campbell's isn't.

If im really hungry, and a nice gal has cooked a meal for me, i might have some.
so that means about once every couple of yrs, i have campbell soup.

i would never buy any.

its garbage.

Most canned soup is garbage in a can.  High sodium content, added sugars.

[Fly320s]

Most canned soup is garbage in a can.  High sodium content, added sugars.

Most processed food is garbage.  High sodium, added sugers, and added stabilizers.


Updated version, Jamis.

[MillCreek]

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-43064290

Following the trend on processed foods.

[Jamisjockey]

Most processed food is garbage.  High sodium, added sugers, and added stabilizers.


Updated version, Jamis.

True. My MIL thought she was being smart bringing home some high fiber bread for my daughter who was diagnosed with PCOS (which can be managed with a diabetic style diet).  Yeah, for 2g net fiber per slice it came with about 6 additional ingredients over the regular whole wheat version, including known hormone disruptors such as soy lectin.  Exactly what every PCOS diagnosis needs...
My MIL is a *expletive deleted*ing moron who will always go "fat free" on stuff, which almost always includes both more sugar and more sodium.

[Hawkmoon]

My MIL is a *expletive deleted*ing moron who will always go "fat free" on stuff, which almost always includes both more sugar and more sodium.

There's a reason why they print "Fat Free" or "Low fat" in large type on the front of the label, and the nutritional information in microscopic type on the back, side, or bottom of the package. They're required by law to include that information, but apparently the law doesn't require that it be readable without a microscope.

[gunsmith]

 the whole "low fat" craze was started by a liberal so awful
that he lost to Nixon.
I read a book about it a few yrs ago, Sen McGovern ( apparently financed by the sugar industry )
had in put in government suggestions that a low fat diet was healthy.

I think its pretty clear now that it was a huge blunder, that real meat (steak, chicken, not processed remnants )  and fresh veggies is the best choice.

[HeroHog]

https://www.theonion.com/campbells-unveils-one-big-can-sized-noodle-1822424458

[KD5NRH]

There's a reason why they print "Fat Free" or "Low fat" in large type on the front of the label, and the nutritional information in microscopic type on the back, side, or bottom of the package. They're required by law to include that information, but apparently the law doesn't require that it be readable without a microscope.

Yeah, one thing the Euros have on us is the packaging laws in most countries over there, where your disclaimers have to be a certain size relative to the largest print on the container, so no "BEEF! flavored (Contains no meat)" garbage.

OTOH, sometimes in the summer when I forget to take something salty on long rides, my post-ride recovery includes a can of Campbells Cream of Mushroom Condensed Soup, eaten as is, and washed down with whatever amount of water feels right.  You know you're hyponatremic if something that salty tastes good enough you're thinking about a second can.

[BryanP]

The classic "WalMart is the Devil and doing business with them will destroy you" is the Vlasic story.

https://www.fastcompany.com/47593/wal-mart-you-dont-know