Chrysler Shuts Down for Month

51hornet · Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2008 12:53 pm Post subject: Chrysler Shuts Down for Month

Wow Chrysler has shut down all the factories for a month. Idling 46K workers. Man they only have 46K workers in US and Canada now.

Dave53-7C · Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2008 2:54 pm Post subject: Re: Chrysler Shuts Down for Month

Yeah, 46,000 soon to be former workers if Chryslerberus has its way. Sad

If it weren't for the fact that factory workers earn as much as a personal injury attorney, I'd feel sorry for them. Oh, boo hoo, they get a month off with pay. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that factory work is a walk in the park, but there is something seriously wrong when people making $80,000.00 a year are building cars for those who make $30,000.00. The time of the unions and pay raises just for shits and giggles has come and gone. People need to get beyond that crap and get paid for how much and how well they produce.

My wife was in a union position for 13 years until Cerberus bought her company and sold it off piece by piece. Where was the union then? Did she get to lounge around and get paid, NO! Did the union fight for her and 1000's of her fellow employees, NO! Did the union find anyone another job, NO! So, there goes 13 years of my wife paying union dues, and for what? My wife is now in management with the largest corporation in the world and is enjoying better compensation and working conditions than ever before, all without a union. Personally, I think Chrysler shouldn't get a penny in the way of a taxpayer funded bail-out since 80.1 percent is privately owned by Cerberus and 19.9 percent owned by a foreign corporation, Daimler. To show how evil, greedy and stupid Cerberus and GM are, they tried to get government approval to make GMAC a bank. And why do this? To get access to some of the 700 billion in bank bail-out funds. Thankfully, the government saw through this and told them to F themselves. Cerberus has the money to bail out Chysler, they just don't want to spend it.

Face it, times are tough and those which deserve to live will live, those which do not will fall by the wayside. When the smoke of this economic mess clears, the strong, honest and self reliant will prevail.

SoapBox

51hornet · Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2008 3:33 pm Post subject: Re: Chrysler Shuts Down for Month

I agree that company is private it should get zero. If they get money I want money when I get stupid and run my company into the ground. That money would be free money to those investors.

Also, I know your wife works there but Walmart is evil......

Dave53-7C · Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2008 9:56 pm Post subject: Re: Chrysler Shuts Down for Month

I agree that if Chryslerberus gets bail-out money, we should run our businesses into the ground and collect a few million for having done so.

Yes, my wife is part of the master plan of world domination. You'd better be nice to me or she'll have the company hit men spank your bottom. If that doesn't work, the subliminal messages I send you will eat away at your free will and place you under our master's control.... Insert evil laugh here----> Mmmwaaa.... Seriously, WM is not the evil empire it is portrayed as being. Rather, it's the height of free enterprise. Have you joined the rest of the world in shopping there? If not, drive into the lot of a super center and park amidst the Cadillacs, Lincoln, Lexus, Mercedes and other cars driven by high end shoppers. The more the economy tanks, the more people (even the well heeled like you) are looking for a deal. Don't fool yourself into believing the unsubstantiated negative hype, the store designs are green friendly and all of them return loads of tax and donation revenue to every community they serve. Every year, more and more products are coming from American and Canadian manufacturers, as was Sam's original philosophy. If you'd rather spend extra for your needs, you're certainly free to do so. If you want to talk about the real evil empires, my wife can tell you volumes about the mismanaged, blood suckers like Cerberus and Big Daddy Warbucks Coffee. Oh, and one more thing, the stores in the Chain of Lakes area just north of us spend thousands every month for alternative ice melting chemicals that won't pollute nearby lakes, rivers and streams. Obviously, not a sign of an uncaring company.

51hornet

Oh I have been to Walmart here could not find anything to buy except Chinese junk. I do understand they provide a store that people of lower income can shop but they gutted Ma and Pa America.

I do not shop there as I only buy local. Yup I pay more but I am happy in my cocoon.

Dave53-7C

Sean, go to a super center that has a full blown grocery store. There, you'll find it impossible to buy Chinese produce, meats, boxed and canned goods or pharmacy items. Rather, you'll find foods from America, Canada and South America. As far as GM (general Mercahndise) goes, there's still work to be done.

Unless your stores have yet to be remodeled, I don't get your perception that they cater to those of lower income. I can assure you that management is fast tracking everything from products to improved employee relationships and how they're preceived in the marketplace.

Did WM really gut Ma and Pa American? I think that is no more accurate than applying that logic to McDonalds, Sears, Target, K-Mart or other mass mechandisers. Nothing against Ma and Pa American business which, after all, have been the backbone of our economy, but if they can't offer affordable prices and to pay a living wage and offer benfits to their employees, they need to go the way of the Dodo bird.

If you'd rather pay 2 or 3 times more for name brand groceries and GM items than we do, go for it. As for us, the moola we save is better spent on us as opposed to lining the pockets of stores with bloated prices. Guess I have a dislike for being played the fool when it comes to spending my money.

51hornet

Nah, I am not spending 2-3 times maybe 3% diff in prices and I get my meat and veg from local farmers.

Yes we have the big super centers I steer clear.

Yup big box stores killed Ma and Pa America used to be you could get your stuff close to home now you have to drive to one of this big box stores. I hate that crap.

When I am in Brazil everything is in my neighbourhood. And I mean everything. Supermarket, restaurants, hardware store, you name it. In Sao Paulo my neighbourhood has maybe 150 businesses that service that neighbourhood. And we are loyal to those businesses and they do well. I freaking love that sense of community. I would go to my local market and my guy would sell me a roast chicken he would carve it for me and place it in the container that way. All the time asking me how my day went did I need anything else with that. This is service.

Last time I went to Walmart they did not have any cashiers working at that hour only the self serve check outs. And thats supposed to be service. What a f**king joke.

Dave53-7C · Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2008 3:25 am Post subject: Re: Chrysler Shuts Down for Month

Right you are. I'm all for supporting our local farmers too, but try getting some Raisin Nut Bran, toilet tissue, car battery or motor oil from your local farmer.

You need to get sucked into the subculture of big box life. Now pay close attention. You are getting sleepy, sleepy...you and everyone else must shop at WM so earnings and my stocks go up. When you awake, you'll head out and get a Sam's club membership too. Laughing

Big boxes killed nothing. Where I live, you still have to drive nearly ten (that's 10) miles to get to town since their still aren't any Ma and Pa stores in the fields and pastures. Ever heard of Farm N Fleet or Tractor Supply Company? Yep, they're big old box stores started in the 1940's for we folks who live in the country.

Yes, the area of warm, sunny Brazil you mention sounds lovely. However, packing many people into a small space creates stress, not only on them, but the environment in which they live. The following link may be of help to you when in Brazil.

walmartstores.com/Abou...aspx?p=251

As a matter of fact, we drove to a new WM tonight to pick up a few things. The parking was great, the store was warm, clean, well stocked and full of happy shoppers and polite employees. The plan is to upgrade every store to a Super Center and, in doing so, everything from appearance and selection to customer service and employee relations is being dramatically improved. I can assure you that the association with trailer trash, unclean stores, junk stock and useless workers is fast becoming a thing of the past. To say or think otherwise is an insult to my wife's efforts, so don't go there or I'll cry.

Sorry to hear that you had a bad experience at one of a thousand WMs. However, one example of less than perfect service is not a fair assessment.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for the little guy, but not at the expense of being an atruistic fool who throws his money away. Gotta watch the moola, I have many iron mistresses to support. Very Happy

51hornet · Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2008 9:55 am Post subject: Re: Chrysler Shuts Down for Month

Get all those supplies locally without going to WM.

Yes I see Walmart in Brazil thankfully they are no match for the local companies like Carrefour which have better service and supplies.

What I laughed about is when Starbucks came into Brazil. A cup of coffee in Brazil is cheaper than dirt about 50 cents US and here comes SB selling $5 coffee I could not explain this to my friends there. They were scratching there heads. One store in Sao Paulo became trendy with the rich as they wanted to make a statement by buying coffee and that price. My friend almost had a fit he was asking me why people are so stupid. I just laughed my ass off.

I have been to Walmarts all over here and the service in these stores is as crappy as all big box stores in general here. Home Depot, Home Hardware all the same total crap service.

I go to local supplier Totem which is Alberta owned. Its smaller but I can go up to counter and guy will get all my stuff on my list for me. Its pretty close to same price as big box. Problem is they are not in prime location for most people. (They are for me so it works out great) They serve free popcorn and have a cheery store and nails still come in bins that you pick from with a glove they supply. I get less angry in stores like this.

I understand that these big stores are popular but they are not for me. I let the sheep shop there. I will search out the little guys. And I don't know about your neck of the woods but I ain't paying much more than the big stores and I am willing to take a 3% hit for quality and supporting local businesses.

Dave53-7C

I could also get the items I mentioned at other stores, but why should I pay a hefty premium to do so?

Hmmm, on one hand you say to support the companies of north American, but then you shop foreign when in Brazil. I'm confused.

Starbucks is the evil empire. They prefer to hire the young and naive with the promise of a future and career. As time goes by, even the store managers realize that they're just glorified waitresses, barely making more than the baristas. I will admit that I enjoy their coffee, but shy away from spend that kind of money when I can get a yummy cup o joe at a Dunkin Donuts.

Too bad you're having such unpleasant experiences at the large stores. Although it's management's responsibility to keep things in line, they can't follow every employee through their duties. Perhaps it's poor work ethics on the part of population who work there.

Hey, I'm all for stores that keep you from getting angry. Getting bent out of shape is so unCanadian.

Since you know as much about life here as I do there, I'll say this, most people with a budget to mind and those with kids to support are shopping at WM. It's the prices. As far as crappy service goes, that isn't tollerated here, not in this economy. Employees are coming around, albeit slowly, that they are lucky to have a job. As far as the bitching you hear from the mouths of clerks and stock boys about how the big box stores treat them, it's true you can't support a family on what they make. Rather than repeating the folies of the auto companies that pay a worker $76.00 an hour to install a screw, the BB stores rely on younger people to fill those jobs, the ones that don't have families to support. Rather than the dregs of society ragging on how poorly they're treated by the BB stores, maybe they should take some responsibility, further their education, get a better paying "adult" job and stop pumping out kids they obviously can't afford. As for your paying only 3% more to shop at little stores, I can't imagine that's possible since the little local guys can't buy at the volume and offer the prices the BB stores can.

And another ditty about service, everything I'm looking for is clearly visible in the BB stores. I pick out what I want, take it to the cashier, pay and leave. So, I guess you must be dependent upon others to help you do your shopping. Who's the sheep? Come on Sean, I want to hear you go Baaaaaaaa, Baaaaaaaa. Laughing

P.S. Let it be known that the author has the deepest admiration and respect for all his Canadian friends and the opinions expressed herein don't reflect those of the management or the sheep. Laughing

Dave53-7C

On a different note, the Big Three (actually the emasculated GM and Chrysler) have $17.4 billion coming their way. Still, GM and Chrysler will close all plants for one month, Ford only for an additional week during the holidays.

I saw a little ditty on the news last night, it was an auto worker and his little girl, both walking in a snowy parking lot. When the reporter asked the father how the month long shut down would effect him, he said he'd only be getting 80% of his regular pay and didn't know how he was going to pay his mortgage, car payments, etc. So, I found a solution for him. Get off your fat ass and get a temporary job for a month! Man, talk about being spoiled, lazy, overextended and dependent upon the status quo!

51hornet

Yup I have applied for my bailout loan. I need a billion to keep afloat.

Here is a example out of flyer's

Cedar decking 5"x8' $8.78 each Totem $8.42 Home Depot
4x8 Birch plywood $56.50 Totem $55.98 Home Depot
etc, etc prices are pretty competitive they source from smaller mills. When I got my cedar decking they sent me out to guy who was cutting the wood. I offered to pick up to save delivery charge.

If I cannot get here I go to Rona which is Canadian big box. If not them I go to US big box. If they do not have I go without.

I support regionally. Like when we lived in Ireland we did not buy NA we bought local.

I have a permanent business presence in Brazil when I am there I shop local I do not search out NA stores. (The fact there are not many helps)

Its all about where you are. When I visit Europe I buy local I do not try and find businesses owned by NA.

I fully understand I am in the minority and people prefer to shop at the big box stores, me I absolutely f**king hate it. I prefer the small stores and they would not be in business if their prices were 2-3 times the competition. Buy local is my moto. Like my car batteries I buy off of small shop all he does is batteries. I had trouble with one of my batteries Larry drove over with a new battery tested the old one and gave me the replacement on the spot no crap no paper work. He also got me the six volt Optima's and stands behind the 5 year warranty. I spend the time and I search these guys out. Thats just me. I grew up with my Dad dealing with vendors with a word and a hand shake and so far I have been able to deal with my "guys" the same way.

How long they will be able to stay in business is another question globalization has gutted these types of outfits. But during the high gas prices of months ago these local stores were doing boffo as they do not have long shipping costs to bring in product. So a lot of stuff was actually cheaper. Its a balance, selection and price. I am not complaining.

Dave53-7C · Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2008 1:42 pm Post subject: Re: Chrysler Shuts Down for Month

I've got a good slogan for Totem..."You get the pole at Totem." Or how about, "When you spend $500.00 on supplies, we will Totem to your home for free." Laughing

See, I knew you secretly shopped at the BB stores. Smash

OK, so you're saying spend the money to support the country you're in, even if you're visting. Hey, whatever floats your boat. I bet you'd have a hard time buying anything like a Sony TV or Cadillac in Ireland. What do you do in the case of a TV or car? Does Ireland make something like a McSony TV or McCadillac car? Before you get all defensive, my wife is half Irish and half nuts. ROFL

Hey, I've got nothing against the little guy, but my purpose on earth isn't to subsidize their existance at my expense. If they can't deliver what I need at a price I want to pay, I'll go where I need to. I also like to shop local when I can. For example, my parts guys are in a little shop in town. I can call them and have parts the next day if they're not in stock. If I have a problem or need help, they bend over backwards. I get it, you can't get this service at a franchise parts store or a BB. Still, I don't need to consult anyone about the groceries, tires, batteries, or numerous other things we buy at WM and other BB stores. I'm more than capable of serving myself by doing my own homework on purchases and hauling anything that needs to transported. If I have a problem or wish to return something to a BB store, no questions are asked.

The little guys will stay around as long as they find a way to remain relevant. Funny, but the Dicken's classic, A Christmas Carol, comes to mind right about now. Poor old Fezziwig, his little business gets gobbled up by greedy Scrooge and Marley. Still, it all worked out in the end. God bless us, everyone. Very Happy

51hornet · Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2008 2:55 pm Post subject: Re: Chrysler Shuts Down for Month

I can see you are part of the WM cult and beyond my help. Just remember when you need safe haven from their tracking dogs I will pick you up in the Stealth Hornet I am building.

In Ireland its Euro cars all the way of course in England you cannot buy local either unless you want a Morgan. Most of your daily life you can get away without buying anything but local but if you are Jonesing for stuff like TV's you buy those from which ever brand you like. Those are not everyday purchases.

I of course look like a house from the 50's I have a Zenith Transoceanic tube radio in my office and bedroom. I like retro furnishings that were built in the 30's-50's.

My computers are apple as are my iPods. Good Yanky stuff.

If I lived in Japan I would be a Sony household all the way down to Hello Kitty. Buy regional is my motto I stick to it. Funny thing is I am in these stores and we are all over 40. Maybe its just more manageable to our slow moving lifes.

I am not advocating staying away from everything non-local but I am surprised at how much stuff we can get sourced here or close. Has very low impact on my time, pocket book or living standard. It also allows me to feel morally superior and look down my nose at others not so ivory tower.

Dave53-7C · Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2008 4:05 pm Post subject: Re: Chrysler Shuts Down for Month

Nah, I'm a slave to no man or cult, but maybe a hot babe. I was thinking you're the one beyond all hope. And I was going to send you a $1,000.00 WM gift card. Oh, well, I'll use it myself. You can still pick me up in the Stealth Hudson though. We can go shopping at Wal-Mart. ROFL

Sean, don't the Irish have a sport where they see who can pitch a TV the furthest? Wait, maybe that was the Scotts and cabers.

You look like a house from the 50's? Shocked

Gee, I bet you really stand out at a gathering. Are you a Rambler or a Bungalow and how many bedrooms are you?

OMG, not you too. Shocked

My former assistant has a 50's era house, car, clothes, furniture, hair style and Rock a Billy band. As for me, the 60's and 70's are alive and well here, but only in my heart...as well as the music and some of the cars in the barn. Hey, retro is cool. Cool

Good man, buy American. But come on, I know for a fact I saw Hello Kitty in one of you car pics. As for me, I like the Jap cartoon that causes seizures.