Notice anything about Wal-Mart...

I noticed it too... The closest I've ever found to HW Fcars was a Maser Quattroporte... ToysRUs and target can almost always be counted on for at least an Enzo in 1:18, but I'm getting tired of searching... I've got a lot of the more common models now, anyway, and I'm finding myself becoming more selective about what I spend my money on. That kinda stuff I'm not going to find in Wal-Mart, anyway!

 

Wal-Mart is not worth the concrete their heads are made of.

 

Yeah... Both Walmart and Target toy departments sucks...

 

About a week ago, in the business section of the L.A. Times - was a picture of a Wal-Mart SuperCenter in China (first of about 30). IT WAS HUGE!!!!!

There are places in America where people are being ripped off by MOM & POPS - because they have no other choices. Wal Mart can make a positive difference there. Here, in a city like Los Angeles, I can go in nine different directions to get to stores with acceptable prices. Wal-Mart's persistence in making a presence in major cities, is driven by greed, IMO

Oh well, business as usual -
Cheers, Hank

 

We must be lucky as we have acquired quite a few Ferrari Hot Wheels in various sizes and models at the local Wal-Mart stores. Daughter in PA has found several near her too.

Carol

 

Hank, I am not sure what you know about Wal-Mart, but in small cities, and towns, they actually make a far more negative difference than anything positive. While prices might be cheaper, and the volume is all there, what are they doing? Forcing mom & pop's out of business. Those mom & pops and small start up companies which individuals like your or I might form will be ended very quickly. While we need to keep up our infrastructure and make our wages by working 40+ hours a week, the Wal-Marts will have shady employment practices by limiting the amount of hours an employee can work, so they do NOT get benefits, and only be considered 'part time', at least on paper. It is cheaper for a large corporation to do so, and that... is far from making positive statements in rural or even urban America.

Me? You won't see me shopping at Wal-Mart for that very reason. While I admire Sam Walton for making a successful business, I don't admire the corporation it has become after his death.

 

I live in Western Canada and Wal-Mart only carries the "Whips" version of the 360, no Enzo's, either regular or "Whips".

Toys R Us is horrible for 1/18th Hot Wheels here. They never have any 1/18th Hot Wheels, let alone Ferraris.

SuperStore and Zellers occasionally have Enzo's (red only) and all of the other Ferraris.

I have yet to see a yellow or black Enzo, nor have I seen a "Whips" Enzo.

 

And here, within 20 miles of each other, there are two rather large empty ex-Wal Mart stores. They were the "anchor" store for the strip mall they were in, but now that they built much, much larger stores right down the road, the area is dying slowly. It seems that each day one more store there closes. It's a sad sight to see 20 plus buisnesses close and leave vacant buildings.

 

I pass 3 Wal Marts on the way to work every day, on ONE highway. I drive about 10 miles on this road. I were to go another 3 miles the opposite direction, I would encounter a 4th.

I do my best to avoid this store, I don't like their business practices. And they NEVER have 1/18 Ferraris.

 

Yet you keep checking. I do too. I am always disappointed. Yet I keep being drawn to the blue monster.

 

Toys R us is another one that always disappoints. Until yesterday. They have a 1:12(I think) Lego "Enzo Ferrari" set for $39.99. I didn't buy it, because I thought it was pretty crude. But it was fun to see.

 

Understatement of the year.

 

Hey Randy,

Straight up, I can tell you that the only Wal-Mart that I have EVER been in was the one we used outside of Austin in 99 for shooting the film, "Where The Heart Is". Also, I absolutely agree with you and millions of others who feel that after Sam left, Wal-Mart became a beacon of corp. greed!!

I got into a lenghty discussion with a woman from Arkansas who had some pretty interesting stories about small towns and Mom & Pops in her area, in that they were constantly overcharging the local people because there were no other shopping choices. I don't put that out of the realm of possibility when we're talking about any "people doing business". She claims that it happend in her town - and Wal-Mart was Prince Charming.

As far as "do they have die-casts"? I don't know and I wouldn't buy one from them even if they did.

Cheers, Hank

 

Thanks for the response Hank. Familiar with the movie, but did not see it.

 

The funny thing about Wal*Mart is that they sell DuPont Registry.
The rest of the store is stocked with (around here) cheap crap, and then they have this magazine filled with advertisements for high-buck cars...

Oh, and the last halfway deent model I saw at the Wally was a black Enzo with Black/Red seats...HW obviously but not terrible.

 

DuPont registry may have originally been intended as a publication for the wealthy, but now it's for people who want to dream about being wealthy. I am sure they sell hundreds of thousands of copies to people who have negative net worth.

 

Hey...I've been buying that magazine at grocery stores and airports since I was a young boy! ...And yeah, you can bet I was dreaming! Think about it - at the time, the only place I *ever* saw exotics was in C&D or on TV. DuPont provided a place to see many cars, in a variety of colors, that were actually FOR SALE! I loved seeing the prices... A kid can dream, right? Now - I'm here on FChat! Not an owner (yet), but definitely a tifosi, and the non-ownership is definitely a temporary thing...

 

Thumbed through a copy of DpR at the grocery store today as a result of this thread, and thougt, you know, this is pretty cool. till I saw the price on the mag. 6.95? I read it until I was next in line at checkout and then stuck it in the enquirer rack.

 

LOL...yeah, the price has become rather ridiculous. It was not always so expensive.

 

I live close to bentonville where walmart began.
In fact my little town had the 3rd walmart store(walton's then)
I may be negatively biased against walmart because my family
business was and is a mom & pop operation. Their prices are
hard to compete against because they sell high profile items at
cost or a little above and they target items that are available at
other small retailers in an area to make them (small dealers) look
overpriced. On many items walmart is very expensive especially
if there is no competition for that item in the area.
I have had consumers come to my shop and tell me that they
can get it cheaper at wal marts and sometimes I point out
the same item and show them it is 10-20% less but they
still argue walmarts has to be cheaper they buy in huge
quantity,ect. They have a lot of people brainwashed.
Walmarts may be good for consumers in the short term
by providing lower prices in an area but they also discourange
small business growth in an area. They also have ruined many
businesses that vend to them by demanding changes of product
quality/profit margin, making product less desirable to sell through
old establised retailers then dropping the product in favor of
walmarts own chinese made knock off.
In my small town for example years ago if you wanted a tool you went to
one of the 4 hardware stores and bought a nice american made
tool good enough to last for generations. The first place I ever
saw a cheap chinese built tool was in Walton's (walmart)
Now those 4 hardware stores are not around but there
is walmarts with those cheap disposable tools.
My (and mom/dads) store sold RCA tvs and stereos which were
made in indiana. Waltons would carry a high profile model like
a 19" table model and discount it until it was not profitable. But they
would also sell the 19" emerson import along side it and they made
a big margin on it. Eventually this type of thing led to rca losing
money and becoming both foreign made and foreign owned. Ok
I will get off my soap box.