I love my city. You will not find a Starbucks or a Taco Bell or a Walmart or any chain store. Our city council refuses building permits to monolithic chains, allowing local businesses to thrive.
BAZ00KA J0 True, Eureka has all that trash and If I wanted to endorse slave-labor, I could travel seven miles into Eureka to do it. But why, when my city (and it is called the CITY of Arcata) has everything I need from merchants I know and trust?
Yep, I live in the Lancaster Metropolitan area in PA (pop 507,766). And, the place exploded as far as building and growth the last 10 or so years. However, many chains struggle to survive. We have them, but a LOT of mom and pop places exist for just about everything. And, they deliver and provide great service.
I agree with LCK. Small businesses have character. Our obsession with "convenience" is turning us all into conformist zombies who have no connection to other humans.
The problem is, everyone has 3 or 4 things they care about, and most other things they just want get done, so they go to the cheaper and faster place, who know has the power to kill the small business.
well maybe because life is hard so maybe any little comfort you can get or maybe nobody wants to keep going to the store just in hopes to get what they need.
James Adcock No going back? I disagree, it feels too good to live off grid, simply. it is therapeutic and needed to live permanently without ever broadening and intensifying bureaucracy and the 90 hour per week rat wheel.
Willy's Toys ywah it's definitely more than 15 cents the savings are a lot for people. I don't think small stores can even compete with bigger stores tbh
Who really talks too their neighbors anymore anyways? In my neighborhood which is getting huge me and my wife have actually only talked to one of them which live next door on occassion, the rest I might have nodded or waved once in the five years I have lived their. So I will stick to going too sams club and walmart for various shit.
Not for ever they can,t and when they catch you unless your from another country and can pick up sticks and vamoosh on what you owe.....your stuck with a bill
Mintberry Crunch no they can forever it's very very hard to prove it court. I know a couple 'mom & pop's' that have been cooking the books for 40 years with no audit no problems...
***** Hamilton, Ontario. The store I go to sells, but doesn't rent videos. They are awesome. However, there is another ma an pop shop not far away that does sales and rentals.
Well walmart use to, I'm not sure if they still do. When a Walmart was first opened in an area. They would lower their prices beyond their usual prices to make it so no one in the area could compete with them. They would all close up and after the 2yrs they would raise the price back to the usual price.
When I was young and poor, Walmart is all I could afford. My basic needs outweighed my need to uphold some stance on capitalism. Now that I have more money, I can be more selective about which business I purchase from. Don't blame low-income families who need to shop there because of unregulated monopolies and outsourcing for cheap products.
I agree that it gets complicated. I see it sort of like this; many people like yourself (and I for a couple years) didn’t KNOW there were alternatives to Walmart because it was so hard to find when Walmart was right there… made available because of the money they already had when they got to my town, and took the most central, easily seen spot, and yes with mostly lower prices. But there WERE some prices as low, I only noticed that second year before I changed jobs and realized it would have been luck to find (no internet for me then- no computer for sure lol). So Walmart took advantage of that situation, and yes it’s not our fault they were huge and shiny in our faces, HOWEVER people of all incomes survived before Walmart existed. They (my relatives, some friends, etc…) didn’t rise up to be wealthy, they didn’t stay poor and struggling… they usually made it work with a blend of two jobs some garden-to-table, neighbor and family scratch-each-other’s-back. The struggle varies, person-to-person, I know it just isn’t as easy to do that for each… but it does mean Walmart didn’t need the popularity it received. It’s unfortunate things worked out this way, but I do blame the ones thinking quantity over quality. Without Walmart we would have found a way. There were less homeless in those days, without Walmart. We would have found a way.
there was a family owned video store in my town. originally their gimmick was pizza to go along with video rentals. Then eventually when everything went digital, they sold their whole inventory, and now they sell pizzas and sandwiches. So they evolved with the times and stayed in business.
I grew up in a small town with a mom and pop hardware store and my dad grew up in said and raised his family there. My dad was a Jack of all trades and was constantly in and out buying materials. My father passed away recently of cancer in November at 58. While going through my dad's affairs, my mom went to to pay off my dad's account (which was about $400) at the hardware store. The owner waved her away and told her not to worry about as my dad was such a loyal customer.
*MASTER DEBATER* The thing with Louis, is he could argue the other side just as effectively in almost any argument and be just as convincing -- just like a master debater.
Also in a lot of ways it's not a compromise.Generally, you do get better service, especially if you become a regular. Also when those businesses do well, they keep the money in the local economy... when a chain does well it siphons the money away to headquarters.
No, it's not fair. This country, and "conservatives", used to stand for some principles. Something besides just money; besides being top dog in a dog-eat-dog world. Now there are no rules. When was the last time you heard the term anti-competitive business practices? I'll tell you where- from Europe, about American companies. These problems are not new, at all. They are why Teddy Roosevelt left the Republican Party over 100 years ago. Walmart pays millions to lobbyists to change laws in their favor and prevent enforcement against them, instead of paying their employees a livable wage. When they build a store, their 5-year plan for that store is to close every competitor in that territory, by selling at prices below cost - just like Blockbuster used to do. After dominating a region, they raise prices to profitable levels, taking advantage of a desperate labor pool who will work for peanuts. Where are the 21st Century Trust-Busters? Democrats? They are what Republicans used to be; Republicans are now dominionist fascists whose stated strategy is to win "by any means necessary". No Rules; No Principles. ~
Meredith Bixby You write a long paragraph but it is short on truth. Walmart's prices aren't below cost for five years to push local businesses into closing. Walmart's prices are low because they have the most efficient supply chain in the business. Walmart, just like most local mom and pop stores, pays entry level employees minimum wage. You also mentioned Blockbuster. This franchise went out of business because a more efficient business model came out, people streamed as it was easier for them to consume the product.
Yeah, but you're going to pay a lot more than 13 cents a mop at Mom & Pop's store. I have my own family to think about. If I can cut my costs in half or more by going to Walmart instead of someone's small business, c-ya Ma' & Pa'.
Target came to Canada and bought out all the Zellers discount stores. One year later Target pulled out now theres 100`s of empty stores where the Zellers once were.
Louis is one of the best comedians of our lifetime. No one likes shopping at Walmart, but when you're not a millionaire you have to try spend the least amount of money. So nice to hear grocery budgeting advice from a rich dude.
In my small town I've noticed if a small business opens up Wallmart will try to replace them. A nice vegetable/produce market opened up and a short time later Walmart rearranged their produce section to look like the produce market.
Walmart is so successful because over half the population can't afford "regular priced items" at their local store can afford to sell it at. Middle-class is dead, lower middle-class NEEDS to save those pennies and dimes.
Holy crap true. People are absolutely retarded in this country. Why can't I buy my booze in a refillable drum :P Though jokes aside. I absolutely see the amount of waste that is over and over run in this oil run failure of a future. Oil is going to freaking dry out and we aren't even being trained to live without it. That shitty walking dead show doesn't even try to show that gas/diesel will become useless before a year goes by. How the hell can anyone even watch that past season 2. Cars working 6 years after the world ends? That joke is so bad that the uneducated regular breeders will never understand.
and while we talk about the fucked upness of China..... they are WAY out ahead of us in Alternative energy! Not even close. Look it up. We are in the dark ages here. And people Like Trump say out loud that climate change due to our actions is "a hoax". Some societies simply deserve to die a slow death.
Jesus. I always missed this mom and pop VHS/SNES store that my dad would take me and my little brother to rent games and movies in the mid/late 90s but hearing Louie talk about it like that makes me miss it even more so..
To be fair, it's not the people's fault. Walmart comes in, gets all kinds of concessions from local governments, and eventually takes over. Plus, their prices are lower. Blaming poor people is simply wrong. People are just trying to survive. I've been in towns all over America where Walmart is literally the only place to get groceries in a 30 mile radius. It's awful, but it's the reality on the ground.
tantivymuckermaffikk - We have a local grocery store chain in my hometown. It has survived Walmart so far. It had to close one of its three locations (and that may not have been just because of Walmart), but it's still around with smaller selections and higher prices than Walmart. But the metro area is large enough to support those two locations with loyal customers, and the one is in the most affluent area. In a smaller, economically depressed area, it probably wouldn't matter what the local store did to try to stay afloat.
One of my favorite moments of Louis on O&A. The other one is where he talks about responsibilities of reasonable parents and their children having to grow up to be functioning, healthy people. Thanks for uploading! :)
It’s fine if you want to say “f my neighbor” and save money at Walmart. But then you don’t get to be upset when you don’t have unique things to buy, and your town lacks visual character. When the cashier is looking at their phone when you talk to them, and treats you like you’re an inconvenience, you only have yourself to blame.
@@officekuroro yeah, that’s a totally valid position to take. Just saying, if that’s your position, you don’t get to complain about the downsides. Also, the worry is that the savings are temporary. As soon as they drive out all the mom & pop stores, they can go back to charging the same or more, because they don’t have any competition. Kind of like what blockbuster did with independent video stores, and then Netflix did with blockbuster
I remember my Dad used to take me to this local barber shop called Carmen's named for the old guy who ran it. It's like this building that looks like a house with one of those spinning barber poles in front of the door, and as soon as you step through the door you feel like you're in the old west. Theres this creaky wooden floor as soon as you walk in, and the foyer is about 3x3 with a little staircase leading up into the parlor where they have those old chrome chairs. I used to get these awful bowl cuts there, but they always knew our names, I could watch the old box television up in the corner, Carmen would always talk to my Dad over my shoulder while I was getting my hair cut, and then when I was done he'd crack open the big jar of sweets and give me a lollipop. Carmen died when I was about 10, but I don't think I'd been in for a haircut for a few years by then, because I wanted a "cool" haircut from someplace like supercuts, where you go to a strip mall and they make you wait with some guy who's there to get his tips Re-frosted, and then the disinterested lady cutting your hair pretends to be concerned about how you're doing in school, like they're reading off cue cards and its company practice. Carmen's shop is still there today, it's run by his daughter who's a little older than I am, maybe I'll go in one day.
I would love to support more local businesses, but many of them sell things I don't need or even want. Since I live in a small town, I do know how many of the small businesses operate, and I tend not to approve of their practices. Also, our local bookstore is terrible. There is not one book I want to read there.
positively correct if we the people once again work together and stand together we should be able to keep what we work so hard for, but everyone is so busy trying to do I don't know what.
This idea of the fault of consumerism is very interesting. It falls along the same lines of the fault among drug addiction. Walmart is the drug dealer, consumers are the drug addicts...
And much like a drug addiction, you're left wondering if you can turn things around by not being a patron to Wal-Mart or Starbucks, but all the local small businesses will cost you alot in petrol money to drive there.
Fuck em I say. They are a dying breed and that's that. Walmart and other big stores are cheap, so why wouldn't people shop there? Seriously? They can close their store, and go work at walmart. :0
Small businesses employ over half the private sector. They can't all work for Wal-mart. The power dynamic would be insane too. 10% of America's private enterprises employ the other half. If that number were to grow to 80-90% of the workforce, things would most likely get out of hand. Competition is the most important check on greed in a free enterprise system.
One of the businesses I miss the most are arcade rooms. Home consoles killed 'em. However, I still have a desire to go to an arcade where I can smoke cigarettes, drink beer, and play Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat II, and some Street Fighter II. The problem with any arcade type establishment that ever opens (like a Dave & Busters) is that they try to make it too family oriented. They put in machines for little kids and old ladies, no thought to what guys in their 20's - 50's would actually want to play (the kind of guys who would be regular patrons), it's too well lit, no smoking, too much of a big corporate feel (no regulars, nobody socialises), etc. One of the only mom n' pop type of small business that still thrive are dive bars, because everyday you go in and it's the same people, they all know each other, they're loyal, they can drink and smoke in peace. But they only ever offer pool tables, dart boards, etc. I would open a dive bar that caters to it's regulars, but I would have some classic 90's arcade machines in it and maybe we could have fighting game tournaments or something while we all drink, smoke, and socialise. That's my dream business, and I would keep it small. Of course it will never happen because I'm not successful enough to open a business, but that idea needs to happen. Playing games from home isn't the same as going someplace to play against real people, and having a good time doing it.
Goes to show how much this fucking idiot knows about technology. He's a really funny man and that's all he will ever be. Take everything he says with a grain of salt and a chuckle. Also... linux.
Considering this was 2006 when Apple was at its peak, and he uses a lot of their software for his media (he's an entertainer), I think that's a pretty fair assessment. I've used the video editing software on both windows and apple and I can't tell you how many times Windows has locked up on me. As far as Linux goes...who wants to take the time to learn Linux when they're already in a comfort zone with an OS that serves their purpose perfectly fine?
Why exactly is this host guy laughing? What Louis is telling here is the story of the end of the American Dream. That's not _funny_. And we have the same mentality here in Europe. You heard the stories about how great bread is in Germany? Like really good stuff, many regional specialities, sold in small family-run bakery shops just around the corner? Just forget about that tale. There are now "back shops" everywhere, run by big chains, because people want to save 10 fucking cents on their fucking tasteless industrial-made bread rolls... _"That's fucking amazing..."_ - yeah right.
CK is a comedian who uses SOCIAL CRITISISM. He makes light of social problems that make people laugh. That's generally the only way you can get through to people without getting an aggressive response. O&A are laughing because 1.) Theyre non oversensitive bitches and 2.) CK has just summed up a social conduct that is really damaging to our society, with very simple and funny starbucks analogies, Opie himself had been subject to the same social issue with his lumber store story.
I was just about to say that. Microsoft gives you more control. Apple is better for kids and old ladies who have no business dicking around with a command prompt. It’s been that way since apple 2e and it continues today with iPhone
we've got a small hill town that only advertised its new development in NYC as a summer vacation home.. now theyre petitioning for a walmart and chain restaurants.
The thing is, it's not 13 cents. sometimes you're looking at way lower prices at the box stores, and times are tight for a lot of people so it makes sense for them. So yeah, blame Walmart, blame Starbuck's. Fuck these monstrosities. Louis shouldn't blame consumers who make way less than he does for wanting to save money. What he should blame them for is consistently voting against their own interests.
I actually don't enjoy Norton's standup, but I absolutely love him on O&A. His characters, his life stories, even his political ideas (which I sometimes disagree with or find stupid), there's just constant gold coming out of this guy. But I can't watch his standup. I couldn't even make it through Monster Rain, and I tapped out in like three minutes to some standup thing he did after Anthony got fired.
+Garlicjr Made This is actually more frustrating for me because I want to tell him why he's wrong. This is like when a singer/actor starts making political comments. Stick to jokes, not your real personal opinions. If he presented this as a stand up, I would laugh. Jokes are often exaggerations. But these seem to be his actual opinions, so I don't find it funny.
TheEgg185 singers aren’t known as being introspective but Comedians are. If Singers made Porn I think it would be quite good. Conveying Emotion is Fuck it..
Louis CK is 100% wrong. IT is WALMART's fault because they slash prices & undercut rivals deliberately to put the others out of business. Ordinary working class families shopping on a weekly basis are forced to shop at Walmart because the savings are far, far greater. Not just 13cents on a mop. Walmart pays its employees so little that it can get away with low prices. And the people on 'Walmart' wages can only afford the cheap prices for every day groceries at Walmart. Funny man Louis CK but sometimes he misses the mark. Bill Burr has his finger on the pulse.
You don't get it. We as a society created Wal-Mart by allowing them to push out small businesses. What do you think people did before businesses like Wal-Mart came along that started selling garbage quality products made in cambodia? Wal-Mart didn't force wages below the poverty line this country. He is not saying Wal-Mart is BLAMELESS for their cut throat business tactics, not by far, but he's saying that we as people are blameless either. Even those of us that don't make alot of money, and I'm one of them, choose how we live our lives and our choices shape the society we live in. I live within my means do my best to support ethical businesses and vote with my wallet. Louie is talking about the decay of our entire society and people taking the easy way out with places like Wal-Mart. And he's 100% right. And there are many more people out there who go to wal-mart that dont have too because they like paying 50 cents for a carton of eggs or 2 dollars for a bundle of clothes so they can have more money to spend on more useless shit. It's a vicious cycle that we all need to own up to.
Cheez Wiz it's really the mom and pop shops that sell things way over priced . you ever actually go into one of those? look at an ace hardware. that's sort of an example. shit is expensive af.. go to any bike shop. 7 dollars for a cable. go to Walmart. 10 dollars for a bell complete cable tune up kit for the whole bike complete with all cable housings and fittings.. universal works with all bikes.. that shit would cost 50$ at a bike store.. fuck that. it's metal wire..
Zach Good - Yeahh... well Wal-Mart definitely had the better business model, but is a shot company when it comes to its care for its employees and the consumer. One huge example is that they refuse to pay most employees above the poverty line so that they get welfare - then, those employees have to spend all that gov't aid right back at Wal-mart. Basically, the govt pays Wal-Mart employees more than Wal-Mart does, and it all goes back to Wal-Mart anyway.
YGTSTV I think half this country chose their wallets over common decency. That's how Trump got elected. Everybody KNOWS he's a piece of shit but he's going to be good for their bottom line. Which makes me incensed but I shop at Walmart. I KNOW that's an evil corporation. So I don't know. ..
orc001 Walmart is just business smart taking advantage of every regulation. trump is right that if we want people to behave differently we need to change the regulations.
Piano and guitar lessons were replaced buy the internet. You can learn anything on the internet now, which I'm sorry to say was better than my high school teachers. They would give a lecture, and then that night I would go on RUclips and find a better way to do it. That's how I kept my grades up, because people, including teachers don't give a shit about their own jobs anymore.
Same thing happened with Starbucks at my local mall several years back. I had a friend who worked at a place called The Coffee Bean, while Starbucks had a small kiosk at the food court. Starbucks eventually opened another location inside the mall, on the opposite end from The Coffee Bean, which forced them to close a few months later. Then Starbucks moved into the vacant location, and closed the two others.
Louis seems to forget places like WalMart thrive in a shit economy...I have no doubt more people would shop 'local' if they could afford it...it's a double-edged sword ...I think it's a shame mom and pop businesses are shutting down, but it's the economy to blame, not so much the 'people'
There is no right answer to the question of "Who's worse, Wal Mart or shitty American consumers?" It's like asking if the chicken or the egg came first. Wal Mart should understand their power as a conglomerate that has the most optimized economies-of-scale in the entire world. They know full and well that when they put their stores into small towns, they are putting dozens of small businesses out of business. They are not stupid, but they know that we as consumers are stupid and want to save money as much as possible, even though service may suck. It's both our fault and Wal Mart's fault so lets all just nuke each other and start over and see if we can do better next time?
Wal-Mart just exploited the weakness in the average consumers minds in America, and the world. Convenience in having the "one stop shop", and then cutting prices so low that the mom and pop stores couldn't compete. Americans can't stand paying 5c more for something so they'd rather go to Wal-Mart.
Louis makes an EXCELLENT point. I even hate to argue his point at all, because I believe he's 90% right and I don't want to take any limelight off the point he is making. However, I do disagree with him to this degree: Just because the fault lies mostly with the heroin addict for having made the bad life choices that got him or her to that point, I cannot hold the drug dealer blameless. Likewise, although most of the fault lies with any of us who give our business to the evil empire called Walmart (nobody FORCES us to work there) nevertheless I DO blame Walmart for playing on the vice of greed that lies in all of us. There are so many cesspools that are fostered by Walmart, poorly played store employees, factory workers in Mexico who have to work in horrific conditions, etc. Bottom line, we the people are at fault, but so is Walmart.
When it comes to the heroin addict...the epidemic that we are seeing right now has more to do with the pharmaceutical companies than the do any drug dealer and/or the addict. Most of them started with a prescription for pain medications due to some operation or other injury or physical aliment. Well, the doctors get kick backs from the pharmaceutical companies incentivizing them to over prescribe the drug. Well, they are highly addictive and those taking them trust their doctors and probably don't even know they are addicted until the doctor will not refill their prescription. There have been reports of increase "self injuries" so people can get a prescription. They are breaking their bones or hurting themselves in significant ways so they know they will get the prescription for a descent period of time. Those that don't hurt themselves turn to the next best thing...heroin. It is more readily available, cheaper and apparently the high is similar or at least it stops the withdrawls.
Ck is telling the absolute truth. We as Americans complain about losing jobs to other countries and mom and pop stores closing down but its been the American consumer that vote with their dollars for all of it!
This seems like a classic case of: There's how things should be, and then there's the way it is. I'm not saying it's right, I'm just saying that's how it is.
Funny is that Loui says to his daughters, let's lock ourselves inside the house and just put food in our mouths, if you don't have kids I got us covered till we die. Lol. I love him.
Mom and Pop stores charge more and have less choices than Walmart. I'm supposed to shop there b/c of "oh poor them. they are trying to make a living"??? Well so am I and part of that is saving $.
jim oconnor government created the walton's fortune. They allowed them to become a monopoly. You can't blame the consumer for wanting a cheap product. It's the fault of the government to allow a giant company to become a monopoly
+Joe Galley Yes and it just so happens Hillary Clinton was on the board of Walmart in Arkansas from 86 to 91' while her husband was governor. And as everyone knows her husband went on to be president and pass NAFTA.
The collective wealth of the Walton Family is $147 Billion. If you gave that money to half the population, which is around 175 million people, each person would receive a one time payment of $840. If you don't want the Walton's to be rich, stop shopping at Walmart. Shop at your local mom and pop shop and make them rich. Although, if you make mom and pop rich, they will open additional stores, making them even more rich and then they will open even more stores making them billionaires and then they are the Waltons. There will always be rich people and there will always be poor people, no matter what type of economic system you have. The only thing that matters to me is freedom to live my life the way I want too.
Your math implies that the more people there are the less wealth inequality matters. That doesn't really make sense. The Waltons may be able to give "just" $840 to 175 million people, but they also have $147 billion more than EACH of those 175 million. To say that "there will always be rich people and poor people" doesn't end the discussion. All that being said, i appreciate your comment and it isn't wrong but it seems a bit misleading in part.
Careful Louis, your money is showing. You mean in order for a store to survive I have to purposefully pay more for stuff when i can get it cheaper elsewhere?! That's really bad business and goes against everything we know in regards to successfully saving money. It's called capitalism and the free market. The store is supposed to compete and charge less, not force it on the backs of consumers. Businesses make decisions based solely on profit and yet the consumer is demonized for doing the same? And it's not 13 cents, get real. You forget that Walmart used to be "Walton's Five and Dime" which opened in 1962 in Rogers, Arkansas. They figured out how to get things for less and still make a profit and they grew from there. So because the other little store isn't smart enough or too lazy to figure out how to do the same or how to compete, I have to pay for their profits out of the kindness of my heart?? You're not thinking straight on this one. It's like saying to your long time loyal fans, out of the kindness of their hearts, that they ought to continue to pay to see your shows even if you turned into a comic who was no longer funny. That ain't gonna happen. We're not going to continue to come see you out of pity and we're not going to shop at a more expensive store out of pity either.
Don't demonize small business who can't afford the benefits major corporations like Wal Mart has please. If you're poor and have to shop and Wally then it's understandable. I've been there, and still am from time to time. Boiling it down too "well other businesses are just lazy and dumb!" is incredibly dishonest and a simple minded way of looking at economics. "Freer the market, freer the people" is not a good mantra to live by
Walmart will charge as much as it can while undercutting local business, and spend as little as possible acquiring goods in bulk (buy more for less, manufacture more for less, walmart can do this, mom & pop can't), and then they pocket the difference and make an obscene amount of money. It's a one-two punch of creating market incentive that ultimately close down local business, and killing off american industry. And it's been happening for more than 30 years. We're eating our own tail by shopping at Walmart. As you said it's obviously not as simple as shopping locally since now we're in an economy where the lower middle class depends on cheap goods, but it's a reminder that big business outsourced manufacturing NOT because of regulation, but because of rock-bottom prices on foreign labor. It's a complex issue and Louis CK is just a comedian- but he's in the right ballpark on this one.
Ant is the oldest guy in the room, yet he's the one pushing for technology to overtake "old fashioned" mom & pop stores. Even if he agreed with what Louis was saying, he probably wouldn't admit it. At 58, he's so afraid of seeming old, that he's constantly pushing for newer, younger, better, faster. Not to mention that he dates girls that were born in the last few years so he's got to keep up with whatever the young, hip thing is. Lol
Tbh whenever I have to buy something I try to go through craigslist first. Not just because it's cheaper but just so that I can help another person out and my money doesnt go straight to the store.
Worship corporations because they have no souls and can get what you want instantly until they are eaten by the bigger predator... Yip Human existence.
Without commenting on his views as a whole, he is very wrong about the reason why VHS became the standard instead of Beta. The real reason is Sony had the intellectual property rights to Beta, and were not licensing it out at an affordable cost for movie companies to use it as the platform. VHS, while technologically inferior, was very affordable to use as a platform for distribution. Sony learned their lesson and approached BluRay much differently as a result of the lesson learned with Beta. The risk at the time was HD DVD would be the standard HD platform. Just some pointless facts for ya.
The problem with Louis's indictment of small town folk fucking over their neighbors is that Walmart has an enormous marketing department that employs professionals that abuse knowledge to further their sales goals and domination of the local market. They design and scheme ways to compel you to shop with them, they manipulate numbers just enough to get you to go into their shop over your neighbor's. Lesser educated or innocent small town folk are going to fall prey to these psychological techniques. Walmart is fully to blame for what they do knowingly. Marketing industry taking advantage of psychology is a huge problem and is quite sinister. edit: TL;DR Walmart is the vampire that persuades you to invite it into your home (occupies your brain space)
"The problem with Louis's indictment of small town folk fucking over their neighbors is that Walmart has an enormous marketing department..." No. The problem is that Walmart runs its shit much more efficiently and can not only stay in business, but actually thrive and expand, while selling shit at dirt-cheap prices. They found a way to do the job better, economically speaking, so they deserve the victory. "Walmart is the vampire that persuades you to invite it into your home" No, Walmart is the superior method of product distribution and it won based on economic merit.
You're neglecting the fact that all people have a choice. Whether Wal-Mart is trying to persuade or not, people choose. Every company does marketing and tries to get people to pick their store. People need to understand the damage Wal-Mart does to s a community economy and stop shopping there. It's a detriment to small business and those small businesses are keeping families alive.
He's absolutely right. Everything slowly goes to crap because very few people have good taste, and because we don't stop and think about what we're doing and its larger consequences.
That's why ingenuity thrives... Learn how to adapt. Blockbusters had the money and resources to change. Amazon came online in 1994. Netflix in 1997. If they had anyone in charge to see there was a change coming, blockbuster could have easily been a hybrid of Netflix/Redbox right now. Same goes for Borders and Barnes & Nobel. You have to learn to change with the times.
Well, Books-a-million started doing the 2nd Charles stores, which are like, book stores / retro game stores / comic book stores / collectible stores / record stores that will buy and offer trade credit for your old stuff! It's very creative and draws my attention in a lot more then a normal book store with a coffee shop. And when you have in store credit and can't pick anything from the more interesting part of the store, it's all to easy to go blow it on some book you find.
Holy Crap!! I do remember the Coffee Connection in HV2! It was an awesome place and their coffee was so much better than Starbucks. The grounds themselves are probably the same, but the way the coffee is prepared is not. I don't ever remember getting a cup of coffee that tasted like it was over-cooked at the Coffee Connection, but it's a routine experience at Starbucks. I once met the original owner of Coffee Connection, George Howell. Great guy and although he never said this to me, I always wondered if Starbucks told him he had 2 choices, sell his business to them and make a lot of money, or, once they moved into the area, try to compete with them while they offered their coffee at prices that would bankrupt him, because they had more funds and could hang in there till he could no longer make a go of it. I'm sure they would have expressed that with more diplomatically phrased statements, but who cares if the poison you're forced to swallow has a good taste? Like I said, he never said that to me and I wouldn't have put him in the position to comment about it, but it it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck...it's a freakin' duck.
I sort of agree. I think that the culture of consumerism and individualism itself is the core issue. people have stopped being social and forming relationships with their neighbours and the media perpetuates this mindset of keeping yourself to yourself. as a result, no one is thinking about small businesses, they just see the convenience of buying everything from a superstore - that is more than likely not paying their taxes. we do need to take action and come together, like ck says, but it's not just our fault, it's just that we need to refuse the fear we are fed by media (funded by the 1%) and hopefully change the system for the better. in conclusion: make love not Warcraft
That was what I found hilarious about blockbuster closing down. I frequented Blockbuster at least 2-3 times a week for quite a few years until they closed. If they didn't have the chance to buy Netflix I wouldn't have thought it AS funny.
Lotta small businesses gouge the fuck out of the local population before they complain about the company moving in not doing it and killing their previous monopoly. I can buy food at the local grocery store, but if Im buying more than two things I'd save money by driving 30 miles to Safeway.
I'm the same way for some reason. Louis used to be my ultimate favorite but he's becoming less and less relatable lately, not sure why. But Bill Burr is killing it
Porn also started the mass consumer use of Credit Cards to pay for pornsites online on the internet. Paypal was invented just for that purpose. Porn industry sets standards for a lot of our technological advancements and pushes people to use the new tech through pornography.
Lol they mentioned the big Barnes and noble on the upper west side at 83rd and broadway, my favorite independent bookstore of all time, Westsider Books, is literally right by there at 80th and broadway, everyone should go there
so true, which is why I don't set foot in any Walmart and instead order everything off Amazon. Just doing my part.
LOL
Glol
Haha that was actually a clever comment. I was very surprised
Jajajaja you are funny
:(
I love my city. You will not find a Starbucks or a Taco Bell or a Walmart or any chain store. Our city council refuses building permits to monolithic chains, allowing local businesses to thrive.
30_Helens Agree I know this is a weird thing to ask, but what city is it? it sounds really awesome and interesting :)
DuncanEscNJ
Arcata, California -- Pacific Northwest
Extra awesome that your city is doing this, AND that your profile name is based on a Canadian TV show! :D
BAZ00KA J0
True, Eureka has all that trash and If I wanted to endorse slave-labor, I could travel seven miles into Eureka to do it.
But why, when my city (and it is called the CITY of Arcata) has everything I need from merchants I know and trust?
Yep, I live in the Lancaster Metropolitan area in PA (pop 507,766). And, the place exploded as far as building and growth the last 10 or so years. However, many chains struggle to survive. We have them, but a LOT of mom and pop places exist for just about everything. And, they deliver and provide great service.
I agree with LCK. Small businesses have character. Our obsession with "convenience" is turning us all into conformist zombies who have no connection to other humans.
Why should we have to wait? No one wants to wait. Even you.
The problem is, everyone has 3 or 4 things they care about, and most other things they just want get done, so they go to the cheaper and faster place, who know has the power to kill the small business.
@@franciscofarias6385but if a lot of people care about a few things than a community covers everything. That's the entire point
well maybe because life is hard so maybe any little comfort you can get or maybe nobody wants to keep going to the store just in hopes to get what they need.
Heartless capitalist Ant, "wOuLdN't wE nEvEr pRoGrEsS??"
We are giving all our wealth and power to a few people. It's a bad idea.
It's the same as it's always been.
Yup. The people here defending wal mart because "free market, etc" are disgusting and are part of the problem
It has always been that way too
Idolcruisefix we are paying for the convenience. Humans being lazy and a short life. They have got us no going back
James Adcock No going back? I disagree, it feels too good to live off grid, simply. it is therapeutic and needed to live permanently without ever broadening and intensifying bureaucracy and the 90 hour per week rat wheel.
I saved 13 cents on a mop!
Willy's Toys ywah it's definitely more than 15 cents the savings are a lot for people. I don't think small stores can even compete with bigger stores tbh
Willy's Toys fuck u .13 cents more like $25 or $35 a week
Who really talks too their neighbors anymore anyways? In my neighborhood which is getting huge me and my wife have actually only talked to one of them which live next door on occassion, the rest I might have nodded or waved once in the five years I have lived their.
So I will stick to going too sams club and walmart for various shit.
@@darthbane2669 exactly. you think they give a shit about your finances? lol. Louis was completely out of touch even back then..
Louis always has these great well thought-out, educated takes. Makes me nostalgic for a time I didn't grow up in.
This is what happens when big businesses evade tax and small ones can't.
@Mr D 1670's ?
small ones can too don't worry! lol
Not for ever they can,t and when they catch you unless your from another country and can pick up sticks and vamoosh on what you owe.....your stuck with a bill
:D
Mintberry Crunch no they can forever it's very very hard to prove it court. I know a couple 'mom & pop's' that have been cooking the books for 40 years with no audit no problems...
I still go to a video store where the staff really knows their inventory. And they will search and order rare stuff for you. It's awesome.
HOLY SHIT...you still have a video store?...Where the hell do you live?
***** Hamilton, Ontario. The store I go to sells, but doesn't rent videos. They are awesome. However, there is another ma an pop shop not far away that does sales and rentals.
May I actually ask if they are "videos" or dvds?
***** They sell DVDs and BluRays.
... and you're NOT talking about porn?
Well walmart use to, I'm not sure if they still do. When a Walmart was first opened in an area. They would lower their prices beyond their usual prices to make it so no one in the area could compete with them. They would all close up and after the 2yrs they would raise the price back to the usual price.
When I was young and poor, Walmart is all I could afford. My basic needs outweighed my need to uphold some stance on capitalism. Now that I have more money, I can be more selective about which business I purchase from. Don't blame low-income families who need to shop there because of unregulated monopolies and outsourcing for cheap products.
Thank you for your sense.
I agree that it gets complicated. I see it sort of like this; many people like yourself (and I for a couple years) didn’t KNOW there were alternatives to Walmart because it was so hard to find when Walmart was right there… made available because of the money they already had when they got to my town, and took the most central, easily seen spot, and yes with mostly lower prices.
But there WERE some prices as low, I only noticed that second year before I changed jobs and realized it would have been luck to find (no internet for me then- no computer for sure lol).
So Walmart took advantage of that situation, and yes it’s not our fault they were huge and shiny in our faces, HOWEVER people of all incomes survived before Walmart existed. They (my relatives, some friends, etc…) didn’t rise up to be wealthy, they didn’t stay poor and struggling… they usually made it work with a blend of two jobs some garden-to-table, neighbor and family scratch-each-other’s-back. The struggle varies, person-to-person, I know it just isn’t as easy to do that for each… but it does mean Walmart didn’t need the popularity it received.
It’s unfortunate things worked out this way, but I do blame the ones thinking quantity over quality. Without Walmart we would have found a way. There were less homeless in those days, without Walmart. We would have found a way.
...you know that monopolies have been illegal in the US since 1890 right?
@@jabber1990antitrust is not enforced
Great point
Damn every time these guys try to get Loui he simply responds back stronger
there was a family owned video store in my town. originally their gimmick was pizza to go along with video rentals. Then eventually when everything went digital, they sold their whole inventory, and now they sell pizzas and sandwiches. So they evolved with the times and stayed in business.
I grew up in a small town with a mom and pop hardware store and my dad grew up in said and raised his family there. My dad was a Jack of all trades and was constantly in and out buying materials. My father passed away recently of cancer in November at 58. While going through my dad's affairs, my mom went to to pay off my dad's account (which was about $400) at the hardware store. The owner waved her away and told her not to worry about as my dad was such a loyal customer.
this is beautiful
*MASTER DEBATER*
The thing with Louis, is he could argue the other side just as effectively in almost any argument and be just as convincing -- just like a master debater.
A walmart ad preceded my visit to this recording. How F'n nice.
Because you don’t want to pay, CK’s point exactly 🤷♂️
Well, I agree with Louis ck ... people should compromise a little to keep small family businesses..
It's not fair for big corporations to take it all!
Also in a lot of ways it's not a compromise.Generally, you do get better service, especially if you become a regular. Also when those businesses do well, they keep the money in the local economy... when a chain does well it siphons the money away to headquarters.
No, it's not fair. This country, and "conservatives", used to stand for some principles. Something besides just money; besides being top dog in a dog-eat-dog world. Now there are no rules. When was the last time you heard the term anti-competitive business practices? I'll tell you where- from Europe, about American companies. These problems are not new, at all. They are why Teddy Roosevelt left the Republican Party over 100 years ago. Walmart pays millions to lobbyists to change laws in their favor and prevent enforcement against them, instead of paying their employees a livable wage. When they build a store, their 5-year plan for that store is to close every competitor in that territory, by selling at prices below cost - just like Blockbuster used to do. After dominating a region, they raise prices to profitable levels, taking advantage of a desperate labor pool who will work for peanuts. Where are the 21st Century Trust-Busters? Democrats? They are what Republicans used to be; Republicans are now dominionist fascists whose stated strategy is to win "by any means necessary". No Rules; No Principles. ~
Meredith Bixby You write a long paragraph but it is short on truth. Walmart's prices aren't below cost for five years to push local businesses into closing. Walmart's prices are low because they have the most efficient supply chain in the business. Walmart, just like most local mom and pop stores, pays entry level employees minimum wage. You also mentioned Blockbuster. This franchise went out of business because a more efficient business model came out, people streamed as it was easier for them to consume the product.
Yeah, but you're going to pay a lot more than 13 cents a mop at Mom & Pop's store. I have my own family to think about. If I can cut my costs in half or more by going to Walmart instead of someone's small business, c-ya Ma' & Pa'.
K Melad times change.
Target came to Canada and bought out all the Zellers discount stores. One year later Target pulled out now theres 100`s of empty stores where the Zellers once were.
Target Canada was operating badly so they died. Taking out Zellers was not their goal.
@@tubeyou89119 The point is that what Louis is describing happens...they buy up something, fail and pull out leaving nothing.
Leave it to Ant to take the side of the greedy corporations and billionaires.
make america great again: Vote Louis
LISTEN TO LOUIS CK. HE SAYS VOTE HILLARY OR YOU'RE AN IDIOT.
Michael Faux or you're an idiot
Jacob Clark now days actors and comedian have more sense then presidential candidates i would vote will smith for pres.
Jacob Clark He's like Jefferson. Too smart for politics.
Fuck Hilary
Louis is one of the best comedians of our lifetime. No one likes shopping at Walmart, but when you're not a millionaire you have to try spend the least amount of money. So nice to hear grocery budgeting advice from a rich dude.
We love you Louis! Come back!!!
In my small town I've noticed if a small business opens up Wallmart will try to replace them. A nice vegetable/produce market opened up and a short time later Walmart rearranged their produce section to look like the produce market.
Walmart is so successful because over half the population can't afford "regular priced items" at their local store can afford to sell it at. Middle-class is dead, lower middle-class NEEDS to save those pennies and dimes.
+
Holy crap true. People are absolutely retarded in this country. Why can't I buy my booze in a refillable drum :P Though jokes aside. I absolutely see the amount of waste that is over and over run in this oil run failure of a future. Oil is going to freaking dry out and we aren't even being trained to live without it. That shitty walking dead show doesn't even try to show that gas/diesel will become useless before a year goes by. How the hell can anyone even watch that past season 2. Cars working 6 years after the world ends? That joke is so bad that the uneducated regular breeders will never understand.
and while we talk about the fucked upness of China..... they are WAY out ahead of us in Alternative energy! Not even close. Look it up. We are in the dark ages here. And people Like Trump say out loud that climate change due to our actions is "a hoax". Some societies simply deserve to die a slow death.
I was thinking the same thing.
Saff Michael I disagree with OP..
I think shopping at places like Walmart actually brings the lower class down like Louie says around 7:38
Jesus.
I always missed this mom and pop VHS/SNES store that my dad would take me and my little brother to rent games and movies in the mid/late 90s but hearing Louie talk about it like that makes me miss it even more so..
To be fair, it's not the people's fault. Walmart comes in, gets all kinds of concessions from local governments, and eventually takes over. Plus, their prices are lower. Blaming poor people is simply wrong. People are just trying to survive. I've been in towns all over America where Walmart is literally the only place to get groceries in a 30 mile radius. It's awful, but it's the reality on the ground.
tantivymuckermaffikk Amazon is just about ready to do to Walmart what they did to mom & pop stores. Just a matter of time.
tantivymuckermaffikk - We have a local grocery store chain in my hometown. It has survived Walmart so far. It had to close one of its three locations (and that may not have been just because of Walmart), but it's still around with smaller selections and higher prices than Walmart.
But the metro area is large enough to support those two locations with loyal customers, and the one is in the most affluent area. In a smaller, economically depressed area, it probably wouldn't matter what the local store did to try to stay afloat.
One of my favorite moments of Louis on O&A.
The other one is where he talks about responsibilities of reasonable parents and their children having to grow up to be functioning, healthy people.
Thanks for uploading! :)
It’s fine if you want to say “f my neighbor” and save money at Walmart. But then you don’t get to be upset when you don’t have unique things to buy, and your town lacks visual character. When the cashier is looking at their phone when you talk to them, and treats you like you’re an inconvenience, you only have yourself to blame.
yeah and they're gonna see they saved a hundred dollars on groceries and say fuck it. having more money is better than living in a cute town.
@@officekuroro yeah, that’s a totally valid position to take. Just saying, if that’s your position, you don’t get to complain about the downsides. Also, the worry is that the savings are temporary. As soon as they drive out all the mom & pop stores, they can go back to charging the same or more, because they don’t have any competition. Kind of like what blockbuster did with independent video stores, and then Netflix did with blockbuster
Louis CK Rocks one of the Best Stand ups of the last 20 Years IMHO .... Do Another Netflix Show I have rerun all your older stuff to many times
I remember my Dad used to take me to this local barber shop called Carmen's named for the old guy who ran it. It's like this building that looks like a house with one of those spinning barber poles in front of the door, and as soon as you step through the door you feel like you're in the old west. Theres this creaky wooden floor as soon as you walk in, and the foyer is about 3x3 with a little staircase leading up into the parlor where they have those old chrome chairs. I used to get these awful bowl cuts there, but they always knew our names, I could watch the old box television up in the corner, Carmen would always talk to my Dad over my shoulder while I was getting my hair cut, and then when I was done he'd crack open the big jar of sweets and give me a lollipop. Carmen died when I was about 10, but I don't think I'd been in for a haircut for a few years by then, because I wanted a "cool" haircut from someplace like supercuts, where you go to a strip mall and they make you wait with some guy who's there to get his tips Re-frosted, and then the disinterested lady cutting your hair pretends to be concerned about how you're doing in school, like they're reading off cue cards and its company practice. Carmen's shop is still there today, it's run by his daughter who's a little older than I am, maybe I'll go in one day.
And this is one of the reasons I support Family Video here in Springfield, Mo. Fuck yeah!
member? , yea I member.
CoreyLevins member ewok village and boba fett?
Oh I member!!
Boba fett was fantastic!
TheMechanicalReaper ooh I member! Member the Cold War?
Memba bionic man? 🍇
Whenever I was feeling sad, I'd go hang out in my local used bookstore 💜
"Once you get the consumer hooked, quality takes a back seat" -Bill Gates
Damn louis is insightful as fuck. Cant stop listening to podcasts with him
I would love to support more local businesses, but many of them sell things I don't need or even want. Since I live in a small town, I do know how many of the small businesses operate, and I tend not to approve of their practices. Also, our local bookstore is terrible. There is not one book I want to read there.
positively correct if we the people once again work together and stand together we should be able to keep what we work so hard for, but everyone is so busy trying to do I don't know what.
This idea of the fault of consumerism is very interesting. It falls along the same lines of the fault among drug addiction. Walmart is the drug dealer, consumers are the drug addicts...
And much like a drug addiction, you're left wondering if you can turn things around by not being a patron to Wal-Mart or Starbucks, but all the local small businesses will cost you alot in petrol money to drive there.
Fuck em I say. They are a dying breed and that's that. Walmart and other big stores are cheap, so why wouldn't people shop there? Seriously? They can close their store, and go work at walmart. :0
Small businesses employ over half the private sector. They can't all work for Wal-mart. The power dynamic would be insane too. 10% of America's private enterprises employ the other half. If that number were to grow to 80-90% of the workforce, things would most likely get out of hand. Competition is the most important check on greed in a free enterprise system.
Cameron Ross Then stop complaining. Jeez.
I'm not, lol
One of the businesses I miss the most are arcade rooms. Home consoles killed 'em. However, I still have a desire to go to an arcade where I can smoke cigarettes, drink beer, and play Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat II, and some Street Fighter II. The problem with any arcade type establishment that ever opens (like a Dave & Busters) is that they try to make it too family oriented. They put in machines for little kids and old ladies, no thought to what guys in their 20's - 50's would actually want to play (the kind of guys who would be regular patrons), it's too well lit, no smoking, too much of a big corporate feel (no regulars, nobody socialises), etc. One of the only mom n' pop type of small business that still thrive are dive bars, because everyday you go in and it's the same people, they all know each other, they're loyal, they can drink and smoke in peace. But they only ever offer pool tables, dart boards, etc. I would open a dive bar that caters to it's regulars, but I would have some classic 90's arcade machines in it and maybe we could have fighting game tournaments or something while we all drink, smoke, and socialise. That's my dream business, and I would keep it small. Of course it will never happen because I'm not successful enough to open a business, but that idea needs to happen. Playing games from home isn't the same as going someplace to play against real people, and having a good time doing it.
There's actually quite a few here where I live 👍🏼. Pinball especially is making a comeback
Do these other two guys have to keep laughing hysterically, even when Louis is making a serious point? Ass-kissing laughter is the worst kind.
lol you're so funny man. haha good one bro! roflmao
You're killing me, Joker. I'm in stitches.
These dudes senseless chattering over LCK was maddening
What Louie says about small businesses is very important. It's on us.
the fact he said apple is better than Microsoft made me angry as a developer
The guy is an artist, of course he thinks apple is better.
chiefanon789 Most non-tech people think Apple is great because they make the cases look pretty. All they are is a shit version of Linux to me.
Goes to show how much this fucking idiot knows about technology. He's a really funny man and that's all he will ever be. Take everything he says with a grain of salt and a chuckle.
Also... linux.
Considering this was 2006 when Apple was at its peak, and he uses a lot of their software for his media (he's an entertainer), I think that's a pretty fair assessment. I've used the video editing software on both windows and apple and I can't tell you how many times Windows has locked up on me. As far as Linux goes...who wants to take the time to learn Linux when they're already in a comfort zone with an OS that serves their purpose perfectly fine?
The iPhone is the shittiest phone on the market now.
I love shopping at the small local stores in town. The people who work there are much friendlier.
Agree with everything except for Microsoft being shit and Apple being superior... no man, just... No..
Why exactly is this host guy laughing? What Louis is telling here is the story of the end of the American Dream. That's not _funny_. And we have the same mentality here in Europe. You heard the stories about how great bread is in Germany? Like really good stuff, many regional specialities, sold in small family-run bakery shops just around the corner? Just forget about that tale. There are now "back shops" everywhere, run by big chains, because people want to save 10 fucking cents on their fucking tasteless industrial-made bread rolls... _"That's fucking amazing..."_ - yeah right.
Oliver Weber Convenience will always be the easiest human need to capitalize on.
Bc he said the f-word...
CK is a comedian who uses SOCIAL CRITISISM. He makes light of social problems that make people laugh. That's generally the only way you can get through to people without getting an aggressive response. O&A are laughing because 1.) Theyre non oversensitive bitches and 2.) CK has just summed up a social conduct that is really damaging to our society, with very simple and funny starbucks analogies, Opie himself had been subject to the same social issue with his lumber store story.
Because the only way to respond to the reality of this is to laugh. What else is there to do, seriously?
brot für die welt aber...
microsoft/apple comparison is invalid.
I was just about to say that. Microsoft gives you more control. Apple is better for kids and old ladies who have no business dicking around with a command prompt. It’s been that way since apple 2e and it continues today with iPhone
Basketvector microsoft is for nerds w no taste haha
we've got a small hill town that only advertised its new development in NYC as a summer vacation home.. now theyre petitioning for a walmart and chain restaurants.
The thing is, it's not 13 cents. sometimes you're looking at way lower prices at the box stores, and times are tight for a lot of people so it makes sense for them. So yeah, blame Walmart, blame Starbuck's. Fuck these monstrosities. Louis shouldn't blame consumers who make way less than he does for wanting to save money. What he should blame them for is consistently voting against their own interests.
Spot on assessment of the US consumer and retail sales in America.
is it just me or would you rather listen to comedians have real conversations than listen to their standup
Definatly, i think thats why they loved to be on O&A, because it was just a talk
I actually don't enjoy Norton's standup, but I absolutely love him on O&A. His characters, his life stories, even his political ideas (which I sometimes disagree with or find stupid), there's just constant gold coming out of this guy. But I can't watch his standup. I couldn't even make it through Monster Rain, and I tapped out in like three minutes to some standup thing he did after Anthony got fired.
+Garlicjr Made This is actually more frustrating for me because I want to tell him why he's wrong. This is like when a singer/actor starts making political comments. Stick to jokes, not your real personal opinions. If he presented this as a stand up, I would laugh. Jokes are often exaggerations. But these seem to be his actual opinions, so I don't find it funny.
TheEgg185 singers aren’t known as being introspective but Comedians are. If Singers made Porn I think it would be quite good. Conveying Emotion is Fuck it..
I agree but how do we solve this problem?
Louis CK is 100% wrong. IT is WALMART's fault because they slash prices & undercut rivals deliberately to put the others out of business. Ordinary working class families shopping on a weekly basis are forced to shop at Walmart because the savings are far, far greater. Not just 13cents on a mop. Walmart pays its employees so little that it can get away with low prices. And the people on 'Walmart' wages can only afford the cheap prices for every day groceries at Walmart.
Funny man Louis CK but sometimes he misses the mark. Bill Burr has his finger on the pulse.
You don't get it. We as a society created Wal-Mart by allowing them to push out small businesses. What do you think people did before businesses like Wal-Mart came along that started selling garbage quality products made in cambodia? Wal-Mart didn't force wages below the poverty line this country. He is not saying Wal-Mart is BLAMELESS for their cut throat business tactics, not by far, but he's saying that we as people are blameless either. Even those of us that don't make alot of money, and I'm one of them, choose how we live our lives and our choices shape the society we live in. I live within my means do my best to support ethical businesses and vote with my wallet. Louie is talking about the decay of our entire society and people taking the easy way out with places like Wal-Mart. And he's 100% right. And there are many more people out there who go to wal-mart that dont have too because they like paying 50 cents for a carton of eggs or 2 dollars for a bundle of clothes so they can have more money to spend on more useless shit. It's a vicious cycle that we all need to own up to.
Cheez Wiz it's really the mom and pop shops that sell things way over priced . you ever actually go into one of those? look at an ace hardware. that's sort of an example. shit is expensive af.. go to any bike shop. 7 dollars for a cable. go to Walmart. 10 dollars for a bell complete cable tune up kit for the whole bike complete with all cable housings and fittings.. universal works with all bikes.. that shit would cost 50$ at a bike store.. fuck that. it's metal wire..
Zach Good - Yeahh... well Wal-Mart definitely had the better business model, but is a shot company when it comes to its care for its employees and the consumer. One huge example is that they refuse to pay most employees above the poverty line so that they get welfare - then, those employees have to spend all that gov't aid right back at Wal-mart. Basically, the govt pays Wal-Mart employees more than Wal-Mart does, and it all goes back to Wal-Mart anyway.
YGTSTV I think half this country chose their wallets over common decency. That's how Trump got elected. Everybody KNOWS he's a piece of shit but he's going to be good for their bottom line. Which makes me incensed but I shop at Walmart. I KNOW that's an evil corporation. So I don't know. ..
orc001 Walmart is just business smart taking advantage of every regulation. trump is right that if we want people to behave differently we need to change the regulations.
Louie CK seems to be a down to earth and kind person. Awesome riff by CK.
Fuck Walmart.
u missed the point
it happening in craft beer right now.. its a race to the bottom.. who ever sellout first wins...
it doesn't matter what it is but "it's not the fault of any corporation" is a wild thing to say
Where are all the piano teachers? I'm serious!
The piano teachers got replaced by Starbucks.
+ExclusiveLM lmfao
Piano and guitar lessons were replaced buy the internet. You can learn anything on the internet now, which I'm sorry to say was better than my high school teachers. They would give a lecture, and then that night I would go on RUclips and find a better way to do it. That's how I kept my grades up, because people, including teachers don't give a shit about their own jobs anymore.
+Sad Giraffe and literacy was replaced buy the internet two.
Bryan L. clever 😏
Same thing happened with Starbucks at my local mall several years back. I had a friend who worked at a place called The Coffee Bean, while Starbucks had a small kiosk at the food court. Starbucks eventually opened another location inside the mall, on the opposite end from The Coffee Bean, which forced them to close a few months later. Then Starbucks moved into the vacant location, and closed the two others.
Louis seems to forget places like WalMart thrive in a shit economy...I have no doubt more people would shop 'local' if they could afford it...it's a double-edged sword ...I think it's a shame mom and pop businesses are shutting down, but it's the economy to blame, not so much the 'people'
Montage Matador dont take it so seriously man Louis Ck is the corporate crap just happens to have an under doğ package.
caremell
you are right about that
I love how louis doesn't let Opie interrupt him with his useless comments
mmm..I gotta disagree with you on Microsoft Louis
I chuckled heartily at the idea of Steve Jobs not being a capitalist.
There is no right answer to the question of "Who's worse, Wal Mart or shitty American consumers?"
It's like asking if the chicken or the egg came first.
Wal Mart should understand their power as a conglomerate that has the most optimized economies-of-scale in the entire world. They know full and well that when they put their stores into small towns, they are putting dozens of small businesses out of business. They are not stupid, but they know that we as consumers are stupid and want to save money as much as possible, even though service may suck.
It's both our fault and Wal Mart's fault so lets all just nuke each other and start over and see if we can do better next time?
Wal-Mart just exploited the weakness in the average consumers minds in America, and the world. Convenience in having the "one stop shop", and then cutting prices so low that the mom and pop stores couldn't compete. Americans can't stand paying 5c more for something so they'd rather go to Wal-Mart.
they saved more than 5 cents,they saved so much money through out the year.
those poor small business owners some are only millionaires a few times over. what will they do now? I don't mean to sound sarcastic.
The Sunshine Group Walmart is actually capitalist af.. it's competition. they out compete. really anyone could have done it.
+Bryan Jones yes, for you! Ya consumer fuck 😂😂
I'll let loyalty outweigh convenience when I can fucking afford it. Until then Walmart it is.
Louis makes an EXCELLENT point. I even hate to argue his point at all, because I believe he's 90% right and I don't want to take any limelight off the point he is making. However, I do disagree with him to this degree: Just because the fault lies mostly with the heroin addict for having made the bad life choices that got him or her to that point, I cannot hold the drug dealer blameless. Likewise, although most of the fault lies with any of us who give our business to the evil empire called Walmart (nobody FORCES us to work there) nevertheless I DO blame Walmart for playing on the vice of greed that lies in all of us. There are so many cesspools that are fostered by Walmart, poorly played store employees, factory workers in Mexico who have to work in horrific conditions, etc. Bottom line, we the people are at fault, but so is Walmart.
When it comes to the heroin addict...the epidemic that we are seeing right now has more to do with the pharmaceutical companies than the do any drug dealer and/or the addict. Most of them started with a prescription for pain medications due to some operation or other injury or physical aliment. Well, the doctors get kick backs from the pharmaceutical companies incentivizing them to over prescribe the drug. Well, they are highly addictive and those taking them trust their doctors and probably don't even know they are addicted until the doctor will not refill their prescription. There have been reports of increase "self injuries" so people can get a prescription. They are breaking their bones or hurting themselves in significant ways so they know they will get the prescription for a descent period of time. Those that don't hurt themselves turn to the next best thing...heroin. It is more readily available, cheaper and apparently the high is similar or at least it stops the withdrawls.
Nope. Drug addiction is neurological. "Opinions" that do not come from a place of current scientific research need to fuck off.
Ck is telling the absolute truth. We as Americans complain about losing jobs to other countries and mom and pop stores closing down but its been the American consumer that vote with their dollars for all of it!
South Park covered this topic already. Quite well. Louie made a few new good points though.
Right?
Which episode?
IOwnTheSpire "Something Walmart this way comes" season 8 episode 9. One of their best.
David Taylor omfg that episode was so god damn brilliant one of my favorites
The South Park episode aired in 2004
Man I love Louis CK
This seems like a classic case of: There's how things should be, and then there's the way it is. I'm not saying it's right, I'm just saying that's how it is.
Lol the ad that played b4 this video was for support small business day when I tapped it
The host's fake laugh puts Jimmy Fallon's to shame
Maiden Aust totally!
great commentary, but his initial point is totally contradicted by his starbucks example.
Funny is that Loui says to his daughters, let's lock ourselves inside the house and just put food in our mouths, if you don't have kids I got us covered till we die. Lol. I love him.
He's been so contradictory these days, it's like he's not even the same person
Quiet Fat He's a comedian
nothing he says is serious.
rekrn12345 I mean the suit wearing and the Hilary supporting
Mom and Pop stores charge more and have less choices than Walmart. I'm supposed to shop there b/c of "oh poor them. they are trying to make a living"??? Well so am I and part of that is saving $.
McDonald's coffee is good
This shit says everything about Ant. Homie is funny as hell but he always sides with corporations and government over common people
Half of America literally lives in poverty. No coincidence five members of the Walton family is consistently top 10 wealthiest in the world.
jim oconnor government created the walton's fortune. They allowed them to become a monopoly. You can't blame the consumer for wanting a cheap product. It's the fault of the government to allow a giant company to become a monopoly
+Joe Galley Yes and it just so happens Hillary Clinton was on the board of Walmart in Arkansas from 86 to 91' while her husband was governor. And as everyone knows her husband went on to be president and pass NAFTA.
The collective wealth of the Walton Family is $147 Billion. If you gave that money to half the population, which is around 175 million people, each person would receive a one time payment of $840. If you don't want the Walton's to be rich, stop shopping at Walmart. Shop at your local mom and pop shop and make them rich. Although, if you make mom and pop rich, they will open additional stores, making them even more rich and then they will open even more stores making them billionaires and then they are the Waltons.
There will always be rich people and there will always be poor people, no matter what type of economic system you have. The only thing that matters to me is freedom to live my life the way I want too.
People around here have food stamps and 600 dollar Iphones.
Your math implies that the more people there are the less wealth inequality matters. That doesn't really make sense.
The Waltons may be able to give "just" $840 to 175 million people, but they also have $147 billion more than EACH of those 175 million.
To say that "there will always be rich people and poor people" doesn't end the discussion.
All that being said, i appreciate your comment and it isn't wrong but it seems a bit misleading in part.
Careful Louis, your money is showing. You mean in order for a store to survive I have to purposefully pay more for stuff when i can get it cheaper elsewhere?! That's really bad business and goes against everything we know in regards to successfully saving money. It's called capitalism and the free market. The store is supposed to compete and charge less, not force it on the backs of consumers.
Businesses make decisions based solely on profit and yet the consumer is demonized for doing the same? And it's not 13 cents, get real. You forget that Walmart used to be "Walton's Five and Dime" which opened in 1962 in Rogers, Arkansas. They figured out how to get things for less and still make a profit and they grew from there. So because the other little store isn't smart enough or too lazy to figure out how to do the same or how to compete, I have to pay for their profits out of the kindness of my heart??
You're not thinking straight on this one. It's like saying to your long time loyal fans, out of the kindness of their hearts, that they ought to continue to pay to see your shows even if you turned into a comic who was no longer funny. That ain't gonna happen. We're not going to continue to come see you out of pity and we're not going to shop at a more expensive store out of pity either.
ohmusicsweetmusic He's hoping on it. He sucks now.
Don't demonize small business who can't afford the benefits major corporations like Wal Mart has please. If you're poor and have to shop and Wally then it's understandable. I've been there, and still am from time to time. Boiling it down too "well other businesses are just lazy and dumb!" is incredibly dishonest and a simple minded way of looking at economics.
"Freer the market, freer the people" is not a good mantra to live by
The92Waffles Everyone understands the benefits of mom n pop stores. Mainly the self-righteous indignation people obtain from shopping there.
catothewiser Both have their benefits.
Walmart will charge as much as it can while undercutting local business, and spend as little as possible acquiring goods in bulk (buy more for less, manufacture more for less, walmart can do this, mom & pop can't), and then they pocket the difference and make an obscene amount of money. It's a one-two punch of creating market incentive that ultimately close down local business, and killing off american industry. And it's been happening for more than 30 years. We're eating our own tail by shopping at Walmart. As you said it's obviously not as simple as shopping locally since now we're in an economy where the lower middle class depends on cheap goods, but it's a reminder that big business outsourced manufacturing NOT because of regulation, but because of rock-bottom prices on foreign labor. It's a complex issue and Louis CK is just a comedian- but he's in the right ballpark on this one.
Ant is the oldest guy in the room, yet he's the one pushing for technology to overtake "old fashioned" mom & pop stores. Even if he agreed with what Louis was saying, he probably wouldn't admit it. At 58, he's so afraid of seeming old, that he's constantly pushing for newer, younger, better, faster. Not to mention that he dates girls that were born in the last few years so he's got to keep up with whatever the young, hip thing is. Lol
Tbh whenever I have to buy something I try to go through craigslist first. Not just because it's cheaper but just so that I can help another person out and my money doesnt go straight to the store.
Worship corporations because they have no souls and can get what you want instantly until they are eaten by the bigger predator... Yip Human existence.
Without commenting on his views as a whole, he is very wrong about the reason why VHS became the standard instead of Beta. The real reason is Sony had the intellectual property rights to Beta, and were not licensing it out at an affordable cost for movie companies to use it as the platform. VHS, while technologically inferior, was very affordable to use as a platform for distribution. Sony learned their lesson and approached BluRay much differently as a result of the lesson learned with Beta. The risk at the time was HD DVD would be the standard HD platform. Just some pointless facts for ya.
The problem with Louis's indictment of small town folk fucking over their neighbors is that Walmart has an enormous marketing department that employs professionals that abuse knowledge to further their sales goals and domination of the local market. They design and scheme ways to compel you to shop with them, they manipulate numbers just enough to get you to go into their shop over your neighbor's. Lesser educated or innocent small town folk are going to fall prey to these psychological techniques. Walmart is fully to blame for what they do knowingly. Marketing industry taking advantage of psychology is a huge problem and is quite sinister.
edit: TL;DR Walmart is the vampire that persuades you to invite it into your home (occupies your brain space)
"The problem with Louis's indictment of small town folk fucking over their neighbors is that Walmart has an enormous marketing department..."
No. The problem is that Walmart runs its shit much more efficiently and can not only stay in business, but actually thrive and expand, while selling shit at dirt-cheap prices. They found a way to do the job better, economically speaking, so they deserve the victory.
"Walmart is the vampire that persuades you to invite it into your home"
No, Walmart is the superior method of product distribution and it won based on economic merit.
Just because they "deserve the victory" (whatever that means), doesn't mean they made the world better.
You're neglecting the fact that all people have a choice. Whether Wal-Mart is trying to persuade or not, people choose. Every company does marketing and tries to get people to pick their store.
People need to understand the damage Wal-Mart does to s a community economy and stop shopping there. It's a detriment to small business and those small businesses are keeping families alive.
Sure. But I'm arguing that people are making the wrong choice by shopping there.
He's absolutely right. Everything slowly goes to crap because very few people have good taste, and because we don't stop and think about what we're doing and its larger consequences.
That's why ingenuity thrives... Learn how to adapt. Blockbusters had the money and resources to change. Amazon came online in 1994. Netflix in 1997.
If they had anyone in charge to see there was a change coming, blockbuster could have easily been a hybrid of Netflix/Redbox right now.
Same goes for Borders and Barnes & Nobel.
You have to learn to change with the times.
Well, Books-a-million started doing the 2nd Charles stores, which are like, book stores / retro game stores / comic book stores / collectible stores / record stores that will buy and offer trade credit for your old stuff! It's very creative and draws my attention in a lot more then a normal book store with a coffee shop. And when you have in store credit and can't pick anything from the more interesting part of the store, it's all to easy to go blow it on some book you find.
Holy Crap!! I do remember the Coffee Connection in HV2! It was an awesome place and their coffee was so much better than Starbucks. The grounds themselves are probably the same, but the way the coffee is prepared is not. I don't ever remember getting a cup of coffee that tasted like it was over-cooked at the Coffee Connection, but it's a routine experience at Starbucks. I once met the original owner of Coffee Connection, George Howell. Great guy and although he never said this to me, I always wondered if Starbucks told him he had 2 choices, sell his business to them and make a lot of money, or, once they moved into the area, try to compete with them while they offered their coffee at prices that would bankrupt him, because they had more funds and could hang in there till he could no longer make a go of it. I'm sure they would have expressed that with more diplomatically phrased statements, but who cares if the poison you're forced to swallow has a good taste? Like I said, he never said that to me and I wouldn't have put him in the position to comment about it, but it it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck...it's a freakin' duck.
So I might have been able to develop social skills if only I were born before this corporate conspiracy happened?
Fuck. Bad timing.
I sort of agree. I think that the culture of consumerism and individualism itself is the core issue. people have stopped being social and forming relationships with their neighbours and the media perpetuates this mindset of keeping yourself to yourself. as a result, no one is thinking about small businesses, they just see the convenience of buying everything from a superstore - that is more than likely not paying their taxes. we do need to take action and come together, like ck says, but it's not just our fault, it's just that we need to refuse the fear we are fed by media (funded by the 1%) and hopefully change the system for the better.
in conclusion:
make love not Warcraft
Meeemmmberr??? Oh I memba!
"You don't need to save money"- the richest guy in the room
and Netflix closed down Blockbuster which I find hilarious.
It's not as funny when you observe the same phenomena of capitalism on other areas of our society.
Mick Mcmasters - Not having enough jobs to support our population is hilarious...
Blockbuster actually had the chance to buy netflix but turned it down.
That was what I found hilarious about blockbuster closing down. I frequented Blockbuster at least 2-3 times a week for quite a few years until they closed. If they didn't have the chance to buy Netflix I wouldn't have thought it AS funny.
Netflix actually sucks donkey dock tho
Lotta small businesses gouge the fuck out of the local population before they complain about the company moving in not doing it and killing their previous monopoly. I can buy food at the local grocery store, but if Im buying more than two things I'd save money by driving 30 miles to Safeway.
I'm beginning to like Bill Burr more because relatable.
I'm the same way for some reason. Louis used to be my ultimate favorite but he's becoming less and less relatable lately, not sure why. But Bill Burr is killing it
The most aggravating thing about the big box stores is that ~everything is a half-assed substitute for what I really need. :(P
"Apple is simply better than microsoft"
"Belive me, I know."
I threw up in my mouth a little.
Here Here on the bookstore thing!
actually, vhs won because the porn industry chose it. same thing with dvd. porn hold a huge impact on us
dallen3000 I read somewhere that all the advances in the internet was brought about by the porn industry
Mike Fly pretty much
Porn also started the mass consumer use of Credit Cards to pay for pornsites online on the internet. Paypal was invented just for that purpose. Porn industry sets standards for a lot of our technological advancements and pushes people to use the new tech through pornography.
Wow so uplifting
Lol they mentioned the big Barnes and noble on the upper west side at 83rd and broadway, my favorite independent bookstore of all time, Westsider Books, is literally right by there at 80th and broadway, everyone should go there
Louis - weren't you pro Clinton? You know she was on the board of Walmart? Well. Okay.
Sandra what a stupid point you just made
Most left wingers don’t like the Clinton they just have no better choice
Louis CK for president!
Are you serious? Betamax lost because at launch a BM cassette COULD NOT HOLD A WHOLE MOVIE.
Beta cassettes could hold 4 1/2 hrs set on slowest speed. Rented NUMEROUS movies on beta yrs ago
I miss movie rental places.