New
#40
Something else that won't help HDD prices even after they dry out the factories in Thailand,
Rare earth prices to stay high as China extends crackdown | Reuters
Neodymium magnet - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Skyrocketing price of mechanical hard drives
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New #41
Yes, Americans have realized that offshoring everything has cost us jobs...but it doesn't change the fact that we want to get everything as cheaply as we possibly can. There are very good reasons that most mom and pop retailers are disappearing and we are only left with corporate giants like Walmart and online retailers. In theory, we are willing to pay more, in actuality though, we don't.
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New #42
Quite so. Things from China are inexpensive because they have a large, cheap labor force.
This is just what America had a century ago. And, after two world wars decimated much of the world, the US was free to produce and sell to the world, using cheap labor.
But the rest of the world did not remain in ruins. China recovered. Japan recovered. Germany recovered. But labor costs in America kept rising, and with that came the expectation of better living. We're now at a point where China has an easy time beating our higher costs.
They've taken over our role. Instead of the US making everything and the rest of the world buying from us ... it's now China making everything and the rest of the world buying from them.
Cheap labor wins.
Will this ruin America? If you have the skills and talent to produce what China cannot, you win. If you don't, you lose. It's not a pretty picture, but that's the way it is.
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New #43
It already has ruined US. The middle class is quickly disappearing and the poverty rate is skyrocketing, we could be a developing nation in a decade if things keep going at the rate they are.
Actually who decided that fake free trade was in our interest anyhow?
Did citizens get to vote about this? No.
There is NO way a developed western nation that can compete with the dictatorship called China. Not unless of course you want your country to look just like China. I certainly do not want that.
I say being tariffs back in a big way...and you force companies to make things here. If nothing else it is good for job creation. And I definitely don't think that we would expect to get our military items from China when we go to war with them.
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New #44
Wrong. 99.7 percent of all employer firms in this country are small businesses, and they've created 65 percent of net new jobs the past two decades. Wal-Mart used to be a small business, now they employee 1.6 million in the U.S. You can't be a big business without being a small one first. Everyone who starts a company wishes to have a fraction of the success that company has, the hostility against them is ridiculous. It's one of the greatest American success stories.
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New #45
Are you kidding me? Have you noticed that many of the small businesses that started to grow into larger businesses are now simply out of business. Toy stores and such are disappearing like crazy because they cannot compete with Walmart and whatever business practices they employ to keep prices low. Most computer stores like CompUSA and such are now out of businesses because of huge online retailers and uber low prices. Numerous appliance stores and such in our area are all gone now simply because people hit the major retailers like Lowes and Home Depot. The sheer number of small businesses that are now gone is simply shocking. Tons of closed store fronts and family run businesses that had been around for 30+ years are no longer able to stay open.
If it's not obvious, I'm no fan of Walmart. And I'm not the only one, or simply crazy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Walmart
http://www.pbs.org/itvs/storewars/stores3.html
http://makingchangeatwalmart.org/201...harm-to-women/
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/666837/posts
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/n...loyees-smokers
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/21/bu...4&ref=business
But Walmart is irrelevant to the price of hard drives. For those who wish to buy their hard drives at Walmart, by all means have at it. I simply choose to shop anywhere else.
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New #46
Yeah, that's awesome. Meanwhile, it's the biggest retailer on the planet because tens of millions more don't think like you or those behind the few links you threw up.
The SBA says otherwise. Small businesses aren't going anywhere, I don't care what you think. The data prove you wrong. Some people are definitely hosed, yes. But a lot of that's because the government has screwed the economy. Not big business. A free market isn't stagnant. It's not a promise for lifetime employment. If you can't produce a good or service competitively, you aren't going to make it. It's always been that way, not sure why this is such a shock. You just don't like the way it's happening now, but what's happening now is no different than any other transition. What the hell is wrong with online businesses? I can find so much more crap now, and more cheaply, than I ever could at any previous point in my life. You see that as bad. I don't. Sorry.The sheer number of small businesses that are now gone is simply shocking.
Grocery prices have plummeted because of Walmart. I shop HD and Lowes constantly since buying a house, and the mom and pop hardware store charges more for all their stuff. The only reason I go to the mom and pop store is because the people who work there are incredibly knowledgeable and they have some specialty things HD and Lowes don't have. Otherwise, I'm wasting my money.
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New #47
Just think, many of us geeks knew of this the week before the price spikes started.
There would have been a lot of money to be made from a few pallets of Western Digital drives. Especially the enterprise level stuff. The big companies will pay whatever they have to, once the supply chain dries up.
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New #48
well, I don't want to continue arguing about Walmart. It's the biggest retailer in my opinion because people want the lowest prices possible on everything regardless of the costs of achieving those low prices. For those reaping the benefits and saving money...it's a win. For those concerned or apprehensive of the costs...it's not a win.
Perhaps the fallout is more regionalized. I am in Michigan, just outside of Metro Detroit and small business here has not fared well. We used to have lots of hobby shops, bike stores, computer shops, mower and power equipment shops, electronics stores, etc. So many are now gone.
Yes, it's the service and support that I miss from these small shops. We have given up so much in terms of rock bottom prices and I think it's sad. I've got a bike shop that I visit and while I know that I can get my parts cheaper online....I want to see these guys in my area who put their money on the line succeed. They are so much more knowledgeable too on what works best and what is best investment per dollar. I just don't find "average person" reviews on websites to paint a really good picture.
I don't profess to be an expert on this subject, but in looking at the overall economy, the housing market, the healthcare situation, the unemployement rate, the national debt, the profits of big business, and the wars that we are engaged in just seem to indicate that some things might not be as wonderful as we think. It certainly isn't the American dream that I was told about growing up. And my parents who are now in their 60's and struggling and most likely won't be able to financially afford retirement simply arent' pulling me aside to tell me about how wonderful their "golden years" are.
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New #49
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