Burt Flickinger Quotes

"He's a brilliant person, but did not have extensive executive experience"

"Wal-Mart and Target have both been criticized for their eminent domain use."

"Starting with the recession in the mid-70's, the worse the economy got the better Wal-Mart sales would be. Now, like everybody else, Wal-Mart is using every excuse in the book to disguise company-specific problems."

"Most retailers made major mistakes of putting their distribution centers at greater distances from each other when energy prices came down and stayed stable in the 80s and 90s . Retailers are long-hauling freight anywhere from 300 to 700 miles. With 50 cents a mile for a 20-ton diesel freight truck, it adds up."

"Now, rather than former outsiders having a big voice in the company, it will become more of a meritocracy."

"The company is in so much of a free fall. It looks like it's going to get worse before it gets better."

"Consumers increasingly have a conscience and are increasingly shifting to competitors."

"Food manufacturers will capitalize on fads as long as they're around and its profitable for them. When it's over, it's on to the next thing."

"For busy parents who stock up on baby food and other items, if they can't easily find it in Wal-Mart, they don't have time to go back. They'll just go to the competition. It's critical for Wal-Mart stores to be fully stocked and have experienced staff on weekends."

"When it comes to their eating habits, consumers will continue to choose the proverbial sin over salvation -- or fat and sugar -- over the lack of it."

"The biggest implication of Wal-Mart bringing payment processing in-house is the potential for it to save an unprecedented amount of money in yearly fees."

"Retail planning has a very long lead time and it's tightly controlled,"