Just Googling It Is Striking Fear Into Companies

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/06/technology/06google.html?ex=1288933200&en=382239f45e5a64bd&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Wal-Mart, the nation's largest retailer, often intimidates its competitors and suppliers. Makers of goods from diapers to DVD's must cater to its whims. But there is one company that even Wal-Mart eyes warily these days: Google, a seven-year-old business in a seemingly distant industry.

"We watch Google very closely at Wal-Mart," said Jim Breyer, a member of Wal-Mart's board.

In Google, Wal-Mart sees both a technology pioneer and the seed of a threat, said Mr. Breyer, who is also a partner in a venture capital firm. The worry is that by making information available everywhere, Google might soon be able to tell Wal-Mart shoppers if better bargains are available nearby.

Wal-Mart is scarcely alone in its concern. As Google increasingly becomes the starting point for finding information and buying products and services, companies that even a year ago did not see themselves as competing with Google are beginning to view the company with some angst - mixed with admiration.

the plastic crap filling their aisles astronomically expensive both to produce and to transport.

I know that's coming, but I forget about it and focus on all these other things...and its kind of a jolt when I remember that petroleum scarcity is going to effect EVERYTHING.

...to bring all that consumer trash from China?? Maybe they ought to buy sailing vessels.

I always thought whoever owns all this resource rich trash will be rich one day, but that's crazy.

I've been wondering how this will effect recycling of plastic products. Will we have people in rural areas, where they don't currently offer curb recycling, now bringing in their used beverage bottles for the coinage just like they do their aluminum?

I'd be glad to see the cheap plastic parts in products that used to be steel, brass or another long lasting material, gone for good. Imagine if the average consumer could actually buy things that last longer than the warranty again.

:-) this makes me smile

Just like some Employees of some corporations aren't allowed to associate outside of work.

Just wait and see it happen.

I'm not completely surprised by this, but do you have an example or two of corporations whose employees aren't allowed to associate? Or if you don't want to be so specific, can you at least tell us what industry(ies) are known for this?

Thanks.

http://www.ilcaonline.org/print.php?sid=2094

I can't believe I can't find the exact thing I mentioned, I could have sworn that I had seen it before.

is notorious for its non fraternization policies. Can't date or socialize with those above or below you in the company hierarchy. I have family in NW Arkansas and am well aware that folks who work for Wally World are very careful not to show any sign of any possible disloyalty. That means they don't shop at competitors stores and family members don't work for competitors. Among other considerations.

Soon they'll be spending their health-care dollars at Wal-Mart too. Then Wal-Mart can build some cheap housing on top of the store or next to it - rent it out to employees only. soon they can be the old company town style again. How swell. No one will get paid enough to ever get out of the Martville. Then of course their be the Wal-Mart schools to send the kids to. Where does this stop?

everyone's lives, and shoot you if you dare to have a union uprising. Been done before.

This company is a fascist dream come true, and please don't anyone say that's exaggeration, this is a rule by fear totalitarian enterprise.

There is no reason why Wal-mart couldn't be structured as a product supply logistics service. All the stores could be locally owned and locally branded, keeping the profits localy circulating. Wal-mart could fund store development in return for a contract specifying that Wal-Mart logistics is sole supplier of all goods sold, be a purely invisible wholesale operation. But no... they have to control everything from end to end, right down to the lives of it's meagerly paid employees.

This is not a good development for human society, even republicans should recognize that wal-mart is the greatest "planned economy" in the world. If the Communists had had access to the IT capabilities of wal-mart, central planning efforts might have worked.

Freedom is not the freedom to choose from three different types on a shelf.

</sarcasm>

It's as if they never saw this coming.

They have no one to blame but themselves.

Corporations are afraid of the free market - who would have thunk??

When the Economics textbooks talk about the great free market system, they always assume that every consumer has "perfect information." This means the consumer knows everything about the quality of various products and the prices offered. Maybe google will help achieve this.

I know I have saved a fortune with some of the price comparison websites, such as on yahoo.com, and the used books on amazon.com.