BajaNomad

Civilization arrives to La Paz

Don Alley - 8-6-2008 at 08:28 PM

Please delete your post before Paula sees it.

Thanks,
Don


:biggrin:

DENNIS - 8-6-2008 at 08:41 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by morgaine7
I've never been to a WalMart. Is it anything like Lowe's or Home Depot?

Kate


More like Target or K-Mart.

Paula - 8-6-2008 at 08:42 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by DENNIS
Quote:
Originally posted by morgaine7
I've never been to a WalMart. Is it anything like Lowe's or Home Depot?

Kate


More like Target or K-Mart.


Yeah, but bigger and badder:rolleyes:

DENNIS - 8-6-2008 at 08:45 PM

Quote:
Quote:
Originally posted by Paula

More like Target or K-Mart.


Yeah, but bigger and badder:rolleyes:


If the store down there gets a produce department like the one in Ensenada, you folks are in for a treat.

Paula - 8-6-2008 at 08:57 PM

Dennis, I'm stickin' with my favorite veggie stalls at the Loreto Sunday tianguis.

Paula - 8-6-2008 at 08:59 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by morgaine7
Produce? You mean it's a food place? We've already got a bunch of those.
What we need is a decent selection of ceiling fan light kits and stuff. :(

Kate



We bought nice ceiling fans at the Home Depot in Cabo a few months ago. I'd rather go all the way to Cabo than see those ugly stores in La Paz:no:

CaboRon - 8-6-2008 at 09:01 PM

How awesome is that ????

Now we don't have to drive to the Wal Mart in Cabo ....

Hope they put in a Home Depot and a Costco too...

CaboRon

Alan - 8-7-2008 at 06:34 AM

With all the construction going on in La Paz right now Home Depot can't be far behind.

gnukid - 8-7-2008 at 07:59 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by lencho

Too late for that-- the pueblo has NOT spoken and it looks like this is a done deal. Welcome the final nail in the coffin of many more mom & pop businesses in La Paz...

--Larry


Pacenos want walmart to reduce prices and increase options. But on the other hand pacenos don't want to go that far to buy crap and hassle with parking. We prefer the corner store for most everything. Besides corner stores offer a credit tab.

BMG - 8-7-2008 at 08:13 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by lencho

And for the locals, when when they're shopping during chubasco season, there are two major arroyos conveniently located each side of the site, which have the potential to trap shoppers in the place, perhaps for days... :lol:

--Larry


Wow, kinda like going to Disney World!

Whatever you think about Wal-Mart and the other big box stores, people shop at them and they are the largest private employer in Mexico (approx 155,000.) I have no doubt that the La Paz store will do well.

rob - 8-7-2008 at 09:14 AM

Heard yesterday that Commercial Mexicana (? - not sure if that's right name but they have a huge store in San Jose as well) are putting in a megastore on the Abasolo opposite the Ford dealer/Privada Los Posadas development.

The comments on mom&pop vs megastores above are ambivalent. I have had both unbelievable rudeness and service and genuine kindness beyond all expectation by m&p stores.

gnukid - 8-7-2008 at 10:31 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by morgaine7
Job opportunities should be welcome, with AeroCalifornia going down the tubes. From people's descriptions, it sounds to me like WalMart will be more likely to attract Soriana and Ley shoppers than those who currently patronize downtown and neighborhood tiendas. But I agree with Lencho that the "suburban supercenter" trend in general will have an inevitable impact on the character of downtown.

Kate


Perhaps examples provided by Walmart for customer service, cleanliness, price, return policies etc... will demonstrate to other stores that its time to become a little more professional and efficient.

Price shopping will help reduce prices of overinflated goods across all stores that hurts everyone in la paz.

CaboRon - 8-7-2008 at 10:46 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by rob
Heard yesterday that Commercial Mexicana (? - not sure if that's right name but they have a huge store in San Jose as well) are putting in a megastore on the Abasolo opposite the Ford dealer/Privada Los Posadas development.


Traffic on Abasolo is maxed out .... There are times of day when it is truly a nightmare .....

They could start by eliminating the northbound left turn to CCC and making people turn in on Colosio .....

I have noticed that trafic mitagation seems to be non-existant with new construction.

I now avoid Abasolo whenever possible.

CaboRon



[Edited on 8-7-2008 by CaboRon]

CaboRon - 8-7-2008 at 10:54 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by lencho
Quote:
Originally posted by CaboRon
You mean, all of those mom and pop businesses that do not display prices on the items and charge gringos more than Mexicans ?? :fire:

This is their reward for ripping us off all these years.

CaboRon

Ron, honestly now, how long have you actually lived in Mexico? How well do you communicate with these people who you believe are ripping you off? I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but I personally can't remember the last time I felt overtly ripped off by any local business.

I started coming to Mexico in my 20's and was convinced from the outset that folks were cheating me right and left. When I started being able to communicate better, I realized that it wasn't generally so, and I suspect that it hadn't been before, either-- I was just so out of touch with what was going on around me, that I figured myself for an easy mark. :lol:

--Larry


Prices at the local tiendas are generally 30% to 50% higher than the big box stores .....

And there was recently a thread where the consenses seemed to be that there is a two tier price structure at these businesses .... the gringo tier and the local tier.

I do know that if I patronize the local stores in Todos Santos my budget is shot to hell.

Once a month I drive to either La Paz or Cabo San Lucas for my major shopping.

I hope you are right, but, I don't think so.

Just one man's opinion.

CaboRon

comitan - 8-7-2008 at 10:58 AM

Ron

I'm afraid you have just chosen an expensive place to live and you have learned to deal with it.

DENNIS - 8-7-2008 at 11:02 AM

Traditionally, M&Ps bought their inventory at the larger stores at full retail and raised the price to make a bit. They had no wholesale outlets and as far as I know, that hasn't changed much. So, with the availability of new items at WalMart, the inventory at the M&Ps will expand. The convenience of the small stores is worth something.

lingililingili - 8-7-2008 at 11:12 AM

Dennis:

I agree with you. We often see people shopping in City Club that are obviously buying for resale.

CCC in La Paz is so willing to bring in "requests" that it will be hard to beat, but I look forward to a wonderful produce department at Wal Mart.

oldlady - 8-7-2008 at 11:21 AM

I would define being discriminated against (ripped off) in pricing as the same store charging one customer a higher price for the exact same product as another customer. I haven't had that experience here. Now that I know a little more about where things are, I have found that, shopping at the tiendas in Centenario, I get the same prices as my neighbors. Some, but certainly not all, of the products are slightly more than Leys or City Club. Some products are less! Nothing they carry is as expensive as CCC or Soriana. I found the same to be true in the US with smaller stores. In general, small stores cannot compete on price with the Big Box store that can almost commoditize the products they sell. They simply have a very different business model.
David Faber, on CNBC, did a very lengthy investigative piece on Wal-Mart, the largest retailer and private employer in the world. It's a good piece that explains their supply chain implementation and distribution very well. CNBC reruns it now and again, usually on days when the stock market is closed.
Todos Santos may have different issues that affect the pricing of goods there that don't necessarily mean your neighbors are trying to rip you off.

longlegsinlapaz - 8-7-2008 at 11:40 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by CaboRon

Traffic on Abasolo is maxed out .... There are times of day when it is truly a nightmare .....

They could start by eliminating the northbound left turn to CCC and making people turn in on Colosio .....

CaboRon
[Edited on 8-7-2008 by CaboRon]


It certainly would impact traffic around CCC if they made people take a left on Colosio.....since it's about 8 blocks away from CCC which is on the corner of Abosolo & Colima.:lol::lol:

In my personal experience, the small tiendas charge me the same as the guy in line in front of me & as oldlady pointed out, I've also noticed some items are actually cheaper than at CCC.

Edit: Of course prices are going to be higher in TS since they have to add transportation costs to stock their shelves from San Jose, Cabo or La Paz!

[Edited on 8-7-2008 by longlegsinlapaz]

Sharksbaja - 8-7-2008 at 11:57 AM

Thanks Larry. I like yer brand of soap! It's nice that you can see thru the savings.
What (real) American gives a ratsass if they build a Walmart in every city in every country.

Pretty sad state of affairs methinks. What American cares if Mexico sells Chinese garbage.

They do want the same available merchandise. Especially those ceiling fans.:tumble:

What American really cares wtf happens to Mexicos' pseudo-modern cities.

Hey, let's face it, it's all about big corporations spoon-feeding the cheap and the lazy and making big bucks doing so. :P



Applebees for lunch anyone??


[Edited on 8-7-2008 by Sharksbaja]

CaboRon - 8-7-2008 at 12:00 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by longlegsinlapaz




It certainly would impact traffic around CCC if they made people take a left on Colosio.....since it's about 8 blocks away from CCC which is on the corner of Abosolo & Colima.:lo


Thanks Longleggs,

I must have that 24 hour altzheimers :lol:

I was just there on Tuesday ....

Went to renew my third age card and do some shopping.

CaboRon

CaboRon - 8-7-2008 at 12:03 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Sharksbaja[/



Applebees for lunch anyone??


[Edited on 8-7-2008 by Sharksbaja]


Applebees S U C K S :barf:

Sharksbaja - 8-7-2008 at 12:05 PM

We have a winner!!!!!:bounce: