Saturday, July 29, 2006

Schnäppchenjäger chase Wal-Mart out of town

Germany pretty much invented the Schnäppchenjäger (the deal hunter – the tight shopper who will drive miles to find a bargain). And now the natives have single-handedly (by the millions) jagten (hunted as in chased) that icon of bargain basement pricing from their shores - as in stores. You know, they fought them on their beaches, they fought them on the landing grounds, they fought them in the fields and in the streets and in the hills and they never surrendered. And now they've won. Wal-Mart isn’t cheap enough here, see? Okay, that’s one for you guys. Finally.

Ich habe niemals an den Endsieg gezweifelt!

Kommentare auf Deutsch? Ich bitte darum.

Posted by clarsonimus at 07:39:47 | Permanent Link | Comments (11) |
Comments
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1 - Somehow I knew that you wouldn't be a "guter Verlierer" concerning this one ;). (Comment this)

Written by: Cosima at 2006/07/29 - 09:05:43
2 - You're wrong, Wal-Mart IS cheap, really ... ;-) (Comment this)

Written by: ulysses at 2006/07/29 - 10:04:23
3 - Ist halt die typisch amerikanische Naivität zu glauben, mit in den Staaten funktionierenden Methoden auch hier Kunden anzuziehen. Ich meine man muss sich ja nur einmal umschauen, wie "beliebt" die amerikanische Kultur in Europa ist, um sich auszurechnen, dass das eigentlich nicht hinhauen kann. (Comment this)

Written by: Zyme at 2006/07/29 - 10:15:21
4 - Zyme, it has nothing to do with how beloved (on not) American culture is. After all, McDonalds, pop music, Hollywood films, and other American cultural icons are rather successful.
Quite simply, Wal Mart had their heads stuck up their collective lower torsos when they tried to expand into the German market. And just so you know, a Wal Mart in Germany is NOTHING like the normal supercenter in the States. What makes Wal Mart unique in the States is _completely lacking_ in Germany. A Wal Mart in Germany is just another small, dark, unattractive, discounter with no greater selection, no lower prices, no better parking, and no friendlier service (after all, they are Germans) than any of the others. In other words, no compelling reason to shop there.
Apparently most of the population here felt the same way. No compelling reason to shop there. Now we see the inevitable result of a poor management decision (but fortunately, poor management decisions at Wal Mart are still relatively rare). (Comment this)

Written by: Scout at 2006/07/29 - 12:13:36
5 - The german Einzelhandel is a very hostile environment, even for the local traders. Wal Mart had to learn it the hard way... (Comment this)

Written by: Simon at 2006/07/29 - 16:53:12
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