Higher Wal-Mart prices in Wisconsin

Well, the word is out. Wisconsin is one of 4 states that has a law against selling below cost at retail stores.

It seems that Wal-Mart is offering all these great deals across the nation to help people that have lost jobs, etc. Prices have been slashed to unbelievable low prices for backpacks, calculators and other school supply items.

I understand the challenge of having to get those supplies for the upcoming year and looking for deals. But why can Wal-Mart do this?

When they first went into full scale expansion their motto was all about "America". I'll paraphrase from memory: "American products by Americans for Americans", so something like that.

Of course they found that products were cheaper overseas so those "by Americans" changed and people lost their jobs. Now more people have lost or are in jeopardy of losing their jobs. Wouldn't it be nice if Wal-Mart went back to their roots and supported American workers by purchasing American made products? It's pretty hard to do in today's world.

We're always asked how we compare to Wal-Mart. Here's the best answer:

Go into a Wal-Mart with your supply list and give it to the store manager. Ask him to send one of his workers to go through the store and get everything on the list, exactly as listed. If the school is asking for a specific brand or item that Wal-Mart doesn't carry, have that person go to other stores until they find it. Then put everything together into an easy to carry-to-school package and send it to the school without a shipping charge. And, oh, by the way, give the school up to a 9% commission on everything. And don't charge more for the products or the service.

You'll hear the laughter throughout the store. So how do we compare? We don't because they can't do what we do. If you're a price shopper, Wal-Mart might be a good choice if you have the time to spend walking through the store, and please, don't buy anything else. Just go there to get that 25¢ box of crayons. Come back next week for the colored pencils. Maybe the third week you can get the cheap notebooks.

But you know what really happens. You get that box of crayons and spend another $30-50 on socks, underwear, shoes, and other items at the store. And you'll still need to go to another store to get the rest of what you need.

Since we can't stay in business selling below our cost, they really shouldn't be allowed to either. Sorry, but there should be some fair trade practices for all of us.

Try matching some products with their country of origin. You may be surprised.

Product matching