Another reason NOT to buy a Wal Mart bike..

[Tuckervill]

Another thing that really blows me out of the water is that a company that wants a reputation as being quality like Shimano would allow low end bikes to have their components. I guess it is all about the buck for them, too.

Shimano makes all kinds of things in Wal-Mart, like fishing reels and rods, etc. They're a for-profit company, so I imagine they're trying to get into every market segment they can.

Karen

[Mr. Bloom]

Walmart in general has deteriorated since Sam died.

Funny thing happened when Sam died...real estate in Bentonville boomed. Since Sam lived in the same ranch house and drove the same old truck, none of the Wal-Mart mgmt felt that they could live in a manner than their accumulated wealth could support...since Sam would view it negatively.

So, when Sam died, it triggered a building boom of huge mansions on newly built golf courses. It was amazing to see!

Tuckervill, would you agree?

[Tuckervill]

Funny thing happened when Sam died...real estate in Bentonville boomed. Since Sam lived in the same ranch house and drove the same old truck, none of the Wal-Mart mgmt felt that they could live in a manner than their accumulated wealth could support...since Sam would view it negatively.

So, when Sam died, it triggered a building boom of huge mansions on newly built golf courses. It was amazing to see!

Tuckervill, would you agree?

Nah, I'm thinking that's giving 'Ol Sam's positive regard a little too much power. He died in 1992, which happens to coincide with a boom in the stock market. Remember there is more than just Wal-Mart up here. Tyson, JB Hunt, Jones Truck Lines, and all the millionaires that were made by getting in on the ground floor of those companies before they went public. There are a number of lesser players in the real estate biz, too, (Lindsey) who drive the massive development.

Same thing was happening in Memphis in the '90s...

Bentonville/Rogers is still booming, but it's more along the retail segment. We've had a number of big developers get overextended around here, though. Building has slowed, but people are still optimistic.

Karen

[kat_h]

I deal with Walmart toys practically every day. I teach guitar for a living and expecially at this time of year there's a lot of new kids starting up because somebody bought them a guitar for Christmas. Unfortunately Santa shopped at Walmart and just got them a toy guitar. The parents always say "Well, she can start on this and we'll get her something better if she sticks with it." That's usually the point where I explain that first of all she won't stick with it because it's unplayable - not just hard to play but the frets are spaced incorrectly so it's not possible to play in tune, and then point out that they could have bought a real guitar (not a good one, but at least a real one) for $50 at a music store and it would have a warranty with it.

Whenever parents talk to me before buying a guitar I simply say that the Walmart/Radio-Shack/Giant Tiger guitars are just toys, not guitars, and they seem to understand that.

[Eden]

Whenever parents talk to me before buying a guitar I simply say that the Walmart/Radio-Shack/Giant Tiger guitars are just toys, not guitars, and they seem to understand that.

Unfortunately most people already view bicycles as toys.