Walmart's Wines
Rick Dalderis
Some Walmart customers soon will be able to sample a new discount item:
Walmart's own brand of wine. The world's largest retail chain is
teaming up with E&J Gallo Winery of Modesto, California, to produce the
spirits at an affordable price, in the $2-5 range.
While wine connoisseurs may not be inclined to throw a bottle of
Walmart brand wine into their shopping carts, there is a market for
cheap wine, said Kathy Micken, professor of marketing at Roger Williams
University in Bristol,
R.I. She said: "The right name is important."
So, here we go: The top 12 suggested names for Walmart Wine:
12. Chateau Traileur Parc
11. White Trashfindel
10. Big Red Gulp
9. Grape Expectations
8. Domaine Wal-Mart "Merde du Pays"
7. NASCARbernet
6. Chef Boyardeaux
5. Peanut Noir
4. Chateau des Moines
3. I Can't Believe It's Not Vinegar!
2. World Championship Riesling
1. Nasti Spumante
The beauty of Wal-Mart wine is that it can be served with white meat
(Possum) and red meat (squirrel).
ll
> Walmart's own brand of wine. The world's largest retail chain
> She said: "The right name is important."
With apologies to Meg: Grapes of Roth-child
JC Dill
<rdal...@comcast.net> wrote:
> Some Walmart customers soon will be able to sample a new discount item:
> Walmart's own brand of wine. The world's largest retail chain is
> teaming up with E&J Gallo Winery of Modesto, California, to produce the
> spirits at an affordable price, in the $2-5 range.
A few dot.com jobs ago I worked with a gal who formerly worked in
marketing for Gallo. She described a branding meeting where they
tried to explain to Mr. Gallo that his name was not an asset on a new
line (Turning Leaf), that adding the Gallo name to the label would
hurt their attempts to brand this as a high quality wine. And now
there will be a Walmart/Gallo branded wine! That's going to do all
sorts of things to the Gallo name status, none of it improving Gallo's
status among wine snobs, or their ability to command a higher price at
the fancy wine stores. Have they given up their attempts to go
upscale, and decided to return to their roots?
<http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/president/players/gallo.html>
<quote>
With the end of Prohibition, the Gallo brothers set out to dominate
what was then a relatively small and down-market American wine
industry. Ernest wanted the company to be the "Campbell Soup company
of the wine industry" and effectively marketed cheap, fortified (20%
alcohol content) wines like White Port and Thunderbird in inner city
markets. A radio jingle for perhaps the Gallos' most notorious product
went like this: "What's the word? /Thunderbird/ How's it sold?/ Good
and cold/What's the jive?/ Bird's alive/ What's the price?/ Thirty
twice." According to author Ellen Hawkes, who wrote an unauthorized
history of the Gallo family called Blood and Wine, Ernest later
delighted in telling the story of driving through a tough, inner city
neighborhood. Seeing a man on the sidewalk, Gallo rolled down his
window and called out, "What's the word?" The immediate answer was,
"Thunderbird."
</quote>
jc
Todd Michel McComb
JC Dill <jcdi...@sonic.net> wrote:
>Have they given up their attempts to go upscale, and decided to
>return to their roots?
I don't know about that part, but Wal-Mart had better undersell Two
Buck Chuck if they expect to sell much wine.
Tim May
> <quote>
> With the end of Prohibition, the Gallo brothers set out to dominate
> what was then a relatively small and down-market American wine
> industry. Ernest wanted the company to be the "Campbell Soup company
> of the wine industry" and effectively marketed cheap, fortified (20%
> alcohol content) wines like White Port and Thunderbird in inner city
> markets. A radio jingle for perhaps the Gallos' most notorious product
> went like this: "What's the word? /Thunderbird/ How's it sold?/ Good
> and cold/What's the jive?/ Bird's alive/ What's the price?/ Thirty
> twice." According to author Ellen Hawkes, who wrote an unauthorized
> history of the Gallo family called Blood and Wine, Ernest later
> delighted in telling the story of driving through a tough, inner city
> neighborhood. Seeing a man on the sidewalk, Gallo rolled down his
> window and called out, "What's the word?" The immediate answer was,
> "Thunderbird."
> </quote>
I lived outside the negro ghetto of Washington, D.C. in the 1950s and
60s, and can confirm that Gallo did more to deal with the negro problem
than any of the various groups like Aryan Nations ever did.
As the negroes would say, "Mad props to da bruthas."
Big ups to Gallo.
--Tim May
ate1
Not if Walmart wine is more accessible. Aren't there more Walmart
locations than TJs locations?
Todd Michel McComb
ate1 <amalia_...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>Not if Walmart wine is more accessible. Aren't there more Walmart
>locations than TJs locations?
Around the country, definitely. They could probably sell $5 stuff
in the midwest (<rim shot>), but here? Maybe some of their customers
are so opposed to snootiness (and/or learning) that they're unaware
Trader Joe's has cheaper wine than that....
Steve Fenwick
Trader Joe's has 200 stores, all in the U.S.
Walmart has 1500 stores outside the U.S., and 3500 or so in the U.S.,
along with about $5 billion in cash, and a market value exceeding $200
billion.
I think Walmart could use classic robber-baron strategies to undercut
two-buck Chuck in TJ's markets; for example, selling their own plonk for
$1.49 at stores near TJ's and for $2.99 at stores outside TJ's markets,
and still make lots of money while running TJ out of the cheap wine
business.
The only thing stopping Walmart from buying TJs just to shut them down,
if they wanted, may be that TJ's is still privately held (I think!)
ObBAFood: Did anyone else notice that Szechuan Garden (Castro St., Mtn.
View) is closed for remodeling? Any word on when it may re-open?
Steve
--
steve <at> w0x0f <dot> com
Gregory Morrow
Todd Michel McComb wrote:
A lot of the Walmart demographic is not now or ever will be aware of
TJ's...and that includes the customers who buy wine.
--
Best
Greg
Ciccio
news:tkd4d.9867$mb6....@newsread3.news.atl.earthlink.net:
> A lot of the Walmart demographic is not now or ever will be aware of
> TJ's...and that includes the customers who buy wine.
That's a safe bet, considering that Walmart is in all 50 states and 10
foreign countries. Whereas TJ's is in only about 20 states. It's likely
most Walmart customers in Shenzhen China aren't aware of TJ's.
Ciccio
JC Dill
<nos...@nospam.invalid> wrote:
>I think Walmart could use classic robber-baron strategies to undercut
>two-buck Chuck in TJ's markets; for example, selling their own plonk for
>$1.49 at stores near TJ's and for $2.99 at stores outside TJ's markets,
>and still make lots of money while running TJ out of the cheap wine
>business.
I shop at the TJs in MV, which is just across the parking lot from WM.
There is NO WAY I'd venture into WM just for a >$2 bottle of wine.
Even in the after-work rush I can be in and out of TJs in a fraction
of the time it would take to find an item in WM and make my way to the
register lines.
jc
PeterL
"Steve Fenwick" <nos...@nospam.invalid> wrote in message
news:nospam-AFFA2F....@news.meer.net...
> In article <cipilj$o9r$1...@machaut.medieval.org>,
> mcc...@medieval.org (Todd Michel McComb) wrote:
>
> > In article <3124c149.04092...@posting.google.com>,
> > ate1 <amalia_...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> > >Not if Walmart wine is more accessible. Aren't there more Walmart
> > >locations than TJs locations?
> >
> > Around the country, definitely. They could probably sell $5 stuff
> > in the midwest (<rim shot>), but here? Maybe some of their customers
> > are so opposed to snootiness (and/or learning) that they're unaware
> > Trader Joe's has cheaper wine than that....
>
> Trader Joe's has 200 stores, all in the U.S.
>
> Walmart has 1500 stores outside the U.S., and 3500 or so in the U.S.,
> along with about $5 billion in cash, and a market value exceeding $200
> billion.
>
> I think Walmart could use classic robber-baron strategies to undercut
> two-buck Chuck in TJ's markets; for example, selling their own plonk for
> $1.49 at stores near TJ's and for $2.99 at stores outside TJ's markets,
> and still make lots of money while running TJ out of the cheap wine
> business.
>
> The only thing stopping Walmart from buying TJs just to shut them down,
> if they wanted, may be that TJ's is still privately held (I think!)
>
Yes TJ's are privately held. But most importantly WMT and TJ sell to
different clienteles. WMT don't see TJ's as their competition. There is no
need for WMT to shut TJ's down.
Costco, that's a different matter.
Steve Pope
>I don't know about that part, but Wal-Mart had better undersell Two
>Buck Chuck if they expect to sell much wine.
Huh. I figured people who go to TJ's never go to Wal-Mart, and
vice-versa. Not true?
Steve
RWW
Vice versa is true, but not the first part.
A large percentage of people shop at a wal-mart
for cheap name brand supplies such as toilet paper,
cleaning supplies, school supplies, toys (they are
virtually putting Toys R Us out of business) and
garden hoses.
Most People who go to TJs probably go to Wal-Mart,
but not vice versa. They definitely aren't mutually
exclusive.
ate1
> mcc...@medieval.org (Todd Michel McComb) wrote:
>
> > In article <3124c149.04092...@posting.google.com>,
> > ate1 <amalia_...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> > >Not if Walmart wine is more accessible. Aren't there more Walmart
> > >locations than TJs locations?
> >
>
> two-buck Chuck in TJ's markets; for example, selling their own plonk for
> $1.49 at stores near TJ's and for $2.99 at stores outside TJ's markets,
> and still make lots of money while running TJ out of the cheap wine
> business.
>
> The only thing stopping Walmart from buying TJs just to shut them down,
> if they wanted, may be that TJ's is still privately held (I think!)
I'm thinking TJs barely ranks on their radar, other than as a
barometer for new products like cheap plonk. It's not like they
compete on many levels, unless Walmart has a gourmet food empire in
the works. I really tend to doubt it, though.
I know I live on an island, but I think I've been to one Walmart in my
whole life, and as a store it only comes up on radar as "Avoid!
Avoid! Avoid!"
-Amalia
Steve Pope
>Most People who go to TJs probably go to Wal-Mart,
That's revolting. Now I'll feel creepy next time I'm
in a TJ's.
Steve
Joseph Michael Bay
>Steve Pope wrote:
>> Huh. I figured people who go to TJ's never go to Wal-Mart, and
>> vice-versa. Not true?
>Vice versa is true, but not the first part.
You are Yogi Berra and I claim my autographed baseball.
--
Chimes peal joy. Bah. Joseph Michael Bay
Icy colon barge Cancer Biology
Frosty divine Saturn Stanford University
www.stanford.edu/~jmbay/ THE CALLS ARE COMING FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE
Mark Mellin
Yabbut, in what size jelly jar should it be served?
- Mark
--
Mark Mellin San Mateo Village, CA 94403-2918 USA
ll
>> With apologies to Meg: Grapes of Roth-child
Oops. That shoulda been -schild. No hablo Frahn-say.
And I've never been to Paris, TX 95460 either.
> Yabbut, in what size jelly jar should it be served?
You _never_ call them "jelly jars". That would be one of them
fox paws. We usually just say "Mason jar". Kinda like Kleenex,
I guess.
The bottles should all have "Appalachian day Control-lay" on 'em.
All this talk about wine, but nothing about beer.
I guess that's because even Walmart can't go head-to-head (PI)
with Anheuser-Busch for cheap beer.
Natarajan Krishnaswami
>> With apologies to Meg: Grapes of Roth-child
>
> Yabbut, in what size jelly jar should it be served?
Riedel Sommeliers Concord, of course.
N.