Clothing Company Bans Wal-Mart

[player24]

Clothing Company Bans Wal-Mart

SHAWNEE, Kan. (May 18, 2005) – Ace Kicker Tees has announced that it will not allow Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) to carry Ace Kicker’s line of poker t-shirts in any of Wal-Mart’s more than 5,000 retail outlets.

Wal-Mart’s past history of music and book censorship contributed heavily to Ace Kicker Tees’ decision. “It really worries me when big business starts dictating ethics to artists and other creative voices,” says Ace Kicker Tees sole proprietor John Carlton. “One of our poker shirts has an obscenity on it. And we’re simply not willing to sacrifice our first amendment rights, regardless of what sum of money we stand to make in return.”

In addition, Carlton believes that the business values of Ace Kicker Tees and Wal-Mart are not in line with each other. “I have a great respect for Wal-Mart’s tremendous success and economic influence. But I believe that to get our products’ pricing in line with the low-price leader would require us to decrease quality and significantly devalue the creative contributions of all the people involved in making Ace Kicker Tees. Even though that means our prices will never compete with Wal-Mart, we believe our customers are willing to pay more for a premium quality product.”

The popularity of poker – especially No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em – has skyrocketed in recent months. Retailers have experienced increased sales in poker chip sets, electronic poker games, tabletops and other poker supplies. But despite the added demand, Carlton says Ace Kicker Tees must remain true to the company’s core values. “We might not ever sell at the highest volume, but we will always sell with the highest integrity.”

[jakethebake]

Hilarious! Are they serious?

[Lazymeatball]

this ain't high art, this isn't even a mainstream punk album, it's a fricking slogan on a cheap t-shirt with a picture of poker cards. Maybe these guys just don't need money for anything.

[player24]

Yes,they put the "F-word" on a poker T-shirt and now they need to protect their artistic integrity. I'm sure Wal-Mart is really gonna miss their business.

[jakethebake]

[ QUOTE ]
Yes,they put the "F-word" on a poker T-shirt and now they need to protect their artistic integrity. I'm sure Wal-Mart is really gonna miss their business.

[/ QUOTE ]

I liked the part about "first ammendment rights"...LOL.

[Shajen]

I'm gonna go a different route:

Walmart sucks. Their products suck. They are shady as hell.

I agree with the t-shirt maker, why sacrifice your integrity for a buck?

Also, Walmart will basically own this company if they agree with these demands. Walmart has a history of bending over companies once they get business from them.

Things like "You can't sale these shirts at any other retailer, including your own website or stores", "We need you to lower your wholesale price or we will drop you and you'll be screwed".

I hate Walmart. /images/graemlins/mad.gif

[The Goober]

The artistic integrity thing is definately pushing it a bit for a t-shirt, but I'm happy to see anyone stand up to walmart.

[tbach24]

[ QUOTE ]
Walmart sucks. Their products suck. They are shady as hell.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't completely agree, but I am VERY pissed that they changed the shape of their water bottles. There are less places for me to chew on it after I'm done drinking /images/graemlins/frown.gif

[jakethebake]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm gonna go a different route:

Walmart sucks. Their products suck. They are shady as hell.

I agree with the t-shirt maker, why sacrifice your integrity for a buck?

Also, Walmart will basically own this company if they agree with these demands. Walmart has a history of bending over companies once they get business from them.

Things like "You can't sale these shirts at any other retailer, including your own website or stores", "We need you to lower your wholesale price or we will drop you and you'll be screwed".

I hate Walmart. /images/graemlins/mad.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Yea. But I'm guessing this little company found out there's no way in hell they could get into walmart so they produce this silly press release as a publicity stunt and to make themselves feel better. The fact is, if they could get into walmart, they'd make a ton of money. sure margins would be lower, but volumes would be huge. Did they really think walmart would sell shirts with [censored] on them? That's just stupid. It's a mass merchandiser. Of course they won't. It has nothing to do with censorship. It has to do with not offending their customers. This isn't art. It's a consumer product. Hate walmart all you want, but these guys are still [censored] hilarious if they think anyone is buying this.

[pokerjo22]

[ QUOTE ]
Maybe these guys just don't need money for anything.

[/ QUOTE ]

Or maybe they figure the free publicity will make up for their lost sales?

[BusterStacks]

I'm really suprised any company had the balls to do this. vnh guys.

[jakethebake]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm really suprised any company had the balls to do this. vnh guys.

[/ QUOTE ]

HaHa...What balls? It's not like these shirts were in Wal-Mart and they wanted to keep them and this silly little company said no. Are people really that naive. It's a publicity stunt for gosh sake!

[BusterStacks]

I think you are missing the point. Publicity stunt or not, they will make less money by doing this, simply to keep their product how they want it. I like that and you don't see it a lot.

[Sponger15SB]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Yes,they put the "F-word" on a poker T-shirt and now they need to protect their artistic integrity. I'm sure Wal-Mart is really gonna miss their business.

[/ QUOTE ]

I liked the part about "first ammendment rights"...LOL.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah that was great.

I didn't know congress = wal-mart

[PhatTBoll]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Yes,they put the "F-word" on a poker T-shirt and now they need to protect their artistic integrity. I'm sure Wal-Mart is really gonna miss their business.

[/ QUOTE ]

I liked the part about "first ammendment rights"...LOL.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah that was great.

I didn't know congress = wal-mart

[/ QUOTE ]
Just wait a few years...

[jakethebake]

[ QUOTE ]
I think you are missing the point. Publicity stunt or not, they will make less money by doing this, simply to keep their product how they want it. I like that and you don't see it a lot.

[/ QUOTE ]

You're missing the point. They tried to get walmart to sell their stuff and couldn't. Walmart won't accept stuff unless you can get it to them in huge volumes and meet all kinds of distribution criteria. Do you realize how heavily even the biggest consumer product companies compete to get shelf space at walmart. It's not a case of these guys settling for less money because they're holding out against walmart because they'd never get in, with or without the F word.

[bump]

I agree that this is a publicity stunt because Wallmart wouldn't carry their line of products.

I also agree that Wallmart is rediculous in what it does to its vendors.

However, I feel that a better (read: less assinine) route for the company to have taken would have been instead of saying that they were staying out of Wallmart to protect their dubious 'artistic integrity' they should have said that they were staying out of Wallmart because of their policies toward unions. That way they might have at least picked up the support of some pokerplaying tradesmen while making the same publicity stunt.


Edit: That is, of course, assuming that their product isn't made in a sweatshop in China...

[jakethebake]

[ QUOTE ]
I agree that this is a publicity stunt because Wallmart wouldn't carry their line of products.

I also agree that Wallmart is rediculous in what it does to its vendors.

However, I feel that a better (read: less assinine) route for the company to have taken would have been instead of saying that they were staying out of Wallmart to protect their dubious 'artistic integrity' they should have said that they were staying out of Wallmart because of their policies toward unions. That way they might have at least picked up the support of some money-losing pokerplaying union imbeciles while making the same publicity stunt.


Edit: That is, of course, assuming that their product isn't made in a sweatshop in China...

[/ QUOTE ]

Pretty close to all textile product comes from a "sweatshop" (aka people willing to work for a living) these days.

edit: where the hell is whiskeytown? this is one of his favorite topics.

[Alobar]

why dont they just come out and say what they mean....

"We don't want white trash wearing our T-shirts"

[player24]

Wal-Mart Responds to Ace-Kicker Controversy

SHAWNEE, Kan. (May 18, 2005) – Wal-Mart Stores Inc., operator of discount stores, announced today that Ace Kicker Tees, a dinky little company which sells T-shirts out of the owner's dorm room, is "freaking nuts" for pulling out of negotiations for a multi-billion dollar wholesale supply agreement. Wal-Mart spokes person, Chip Bully, confirms that Ace Kicker Tees had been expected to "do for Wal-Mart what Martha Stewart did for K-Mart". According to Chip, Wal-Mart simply could not justify putting the "F-word" on merchandise targeted at a juvenile customer base, even if it meant compromising billions of dollars of profitability. A representative of Ace Kicker Tees was asked to comment for this story but was too busy cramming for final exams. (AP, UPI, Reuters)

[jakethebake]

[ QUOTE ]
why dont they just come out and say what they mean....

"We don't want white trash wearing our T-shirts"

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes only the upper crust of poker society should be allowed to wear them.

[bump]

[ QUOTE ]

Wal-Mart Responds to Ace-Kicker Controversy

SHAWNEE, Kan. (May 18, 2005) – Wal-Mart Stores Inc., operator of discount stores, announced today that Ace Kicker Tees, a dinky little company which sells T-shirts out of the owner's dorm room, is "freaking nuts" for pulling out of negotiations for a multi-billion dollar wholesale supply agreement. Wal-Mart spokes person, Chip Bully, confirms that Ace Kicker Tees had been expected to "do for Wal-Mart what Martha Stewart did for K-Mart". According to Chip, Wal-Mart simply could not justify putting the "F-word" on merchandise targeted at a juvenile customer base, even if it meant compromising billions of dollars of profitability. A representative of Ace Kicker Tees was asked to comment for this story but was too busy cramming for final exams. (AP, UPI, Reuters)

[/ QUOTE ]

vnh. I especially liked Chip Bully


PS Player24, I added some thanks for your help on my stock market thread about dividends, i added some follow up questions

[Russ McGinley]

http://www.southparkstuff.com/images/epiimgs/epi809/809-4.jpg

[thatpfunk]

I've never been in a WalMart and refuse to purchase anything from them.

[Your Mom]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm gonna go a different route:

Walmart sucks. Their products suck. They are shady as hell.

I agree with the t-shirt maker, why sacrifice your integrity for a buck?

Also, Walmart will basically own this company if they agree with these demands. Walmart has a history of bending over companies once they get business from them.

Things like "You can't sale these shirts at any other retailer, including your own website or stores", "We need you to lower your wholesale price or we will drop you and you'll be screwed".

I hate Walmart. /images/graemlins/mad.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

[EliteNinja]

Doesn't Wal-mart still sell bullets for guns in the US?

[jba]

I would like you all to know that I have just banned Jennifer Lopez from licking my balls. Her new movie just looks dumb as hell.

[BadBoyBenny]

yes, bullets and guns

[jakethebake]

[ QUOTE ]
yes, bullets and guns

[/ QUOTE ]

I thought they pulled the guns awhile back? Or maybe it was just the handguns? This pissed me off.