tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7169279.post2943740143949060936..comments2023-11-24T03:20:02.361-07:00Comments on Tufte's Economics Classes Blog - A Living Textbook: Is Wal-mart a monopsony?Dr. Tuftehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17397586052171706438noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7169279.post-40793599601560303682009-09-23T16:44:54.010-06:002009-09-23T16:44:54.010-06:00Wal-Mart is a monopsony. I'm taking a Consumer...Wal-Mart is a monopsony. I'm taking a Consumer Education class, and we're learning about the economy now. Wal-mart pretty much comes to mind whenever we discuss things that damage the economy. Anyway,what they do is call a company they want to get supplies from. They ask the potential supplier or company they want to "work" with some questions involving their prices and such, Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7169279.post-12166477102218679552008-02-28T17:42:00.000-07:002008-02-28T17:42:00.000-07:00Dr. Tufte said:"For me, it is unclear whether Wal-...Dr. Tufte said:<BR/><BR/>"For me, it is unclear whether Wal-Mart is winning or loser the price/value tradeoff. There definitely is one there, but I'm inclined to think they are doing OK on it."<BR/><BR/>I think most people know exactly what quality they're going to get from Wal-Mart's low prices. Though, in Wal-Mart's defense, Wal-Mart offers pretty good quality products considering the prices Jordanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06334144632643811762noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7169279.post-81032935905569413102008-01-28T22:11:00.000-07:002008-01-28T22:11:00.000-07:00Okay, maybe this doesn't have that much to do with...Okay, maybe this doesn't have that much to do with economics, but as a marketing major, I have to say that Wal-Mart is really trying to upgrade their image. I've always thought of Wal-Mart as having a cheap style, but you get what you pay for. I've always thought of Target as a bit higher price, but worth it for a more classy style. <BR/><BR/>Wal-Mart is trying to upgrade their image but stillMatthewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12123732548787517799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7169279.post-35005235186769499522007-04-29T16:54:00.000-06:002007-04-29T16:54:00.000-06:00I wouldn't call Wal-Mart a monopsonist, although I...I wouldn't call Wal-Mart a monopsonist, although I would say they have monopsony power.<BR/><BR/>For me, it is unclear whether Wal-Mart is winning or loser the price/value tradeoff. There definitely is one there, but I'm inclined to think they are doing OK on it. <BR/><BR/>FWIW: I've been pleasantly surprised with Wal-Marts clothes. And incidentally, this is an area where Wal-Mart has had troubleDr. Tuftehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17397586052171706438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7169279.post-41322566537034771732007-04-15T19:09:00.000-06:002007-04-15T19:09:00.000-06:00What about consumers who do not have a choice? Whe...What about consumers who do not have a choice? When you are on a very limited budget you may not have the $50 to $100 to fork out all at once on a pair of jeans. The demand curve for these people is different than the one for consumers like Jada and Eric. I think Wal-Mart understands who their customers are and how much they are willing to spend on different items and they price accordingly.Patrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15537514981181573945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7169279.post-88783729501734527132007-04-15T18:46:00.000-06:002007-04-15T18:46:00.000-06:00This comment has been removed by the author.Patrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15537514981181573945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7169279.post-73684501335563513832007-04-12T14:08:00.000-06:002007-04-12T14:08:00.000-06:00I agree completely with Jada, Wal-Mart pants don’t...I agree completely with Jada, Wal-Mart pants don’t last as long as pants from other retail outlets. I bought my last pair from Wal-Mart!!! This concept very well could be the down fall of Wal-Mart, if customers feel they sell inferred products. I have stopped buying pants from Wal-Mart and if I feel quality is lacking in other products, I’ll stop buying them as well.Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08906425457011146831noreply@blogger.com