Anyone refuse to go into Walmart? *Updated figures on Page 1*

[UncleKyle]

It's become like a religion for me not to go to Walmart. If I go I only go after midnight when no one is around. I've been twice since the new year. The Walmart here in our town is so overcrowded you have to park so far away from the door they need a shuttle bus. Even when I go after midnight I always have to wait in line for a cashier. There was an article in Playboy not long ago about Walmart, the writer spent a few weeks in Bentonville, Arkansas where it's headquarters is. After I read the article I pretty much avoid it like the plague. Some of the facts and figures were amazing. Walmarts 2002 revenue was 246 Billion thats an amount equal to that of IBM, Hewlett-Packard, AOL Time Warner, Dell, and Microsoft combined! I found the article and might post more facts and figures later.

Now I'm a Target man all the way, I could live at the place and be happy. But Walmart has become a monopoly like no other. Sam would be so disappointed at how some of the stores are run these days. Sorry I got carried away but I just can't stand the place anymore, they have been good at lowering costs on some consumer goods but its just sad to see the little guys get crushed. OK off the soapbox


Updated Info and Tidbits


Walmart sold 64 million books in 2002, or 4% of the 1.6 Billion books sold in the United States. The relatively low percentage belies the chain's influence: A typical Barnes & Noble stocks at least 60,000 titles, while most Walmart stores carry just 500.

Video Sales in the US topped 12.2 billion in 2002. Walmart's share of that was 21%, but the percentage of units it moved was higher - about 24% of the 833 million movies sold nationwide - because of Walmart's cut-rate pricing. Thats nearly 1 in every 4 movies sold in the US.

Walmart sold 20% or the 649.5 million CDs and musical Albums that Americans bought in 2002.

Walmart began selling groceries in 1988 and is now the largest grocer in the Us with the annual revenue of more than $72 Billion and a market share approaching 15%.

Walmart has become the biggest civilian employer on the planet, with more people on it's payroll than GM, ExxonMobil, Ford, and General Electric combined!

It's sales in 2002 nearly surpassed the gross national product of Russia.

It holds many store employees to a 28 hour work week so it doesn't have to pay benefits that by law go to full time workers.

More than 3 dozen employee law suits allege that it insists on unpaid overtime.

It's full coverage health insurance is so expensive that only about a third of it's employees buy in.

It's the target of a class action lawsuit brought by women - led by a former Miss America - who charge sex discrimination in wages and promotions.

 

[daughter_of_amid_chaos]

Living in a tiny *** college town in the middle of Indiana I have no choice but to go to the Super Walmart here.

Not only would i have no social life without the walmart but i would have no supplies or anything.

Now at home I never go to walmart

 

[Disneyland_emily]

Not on my days off... if I can help it...

Course on the days I work I'm there but I get paid... :-D


-em

 

[Shells9]

You mean THE EVIL EMPIRE ?
That's what we call it at work.

Count me in as not shopping there.

I detest the entire Super Center concept. I also hate the fact that they will build a brand new store right across the street from an existing, vacant box store.

They are building waaay too many of them in my area. They are also working now on kicking about 100 familes out of a 55 year old mobile home community to build another one.

 

[my3kids]

If they had revenues of 246 billion last year, why do you think Sam would be disappointed? He'd be thrilled. He knew exactly what he was doing to small town businesses. He pioneered it.

 

[flrose]

Michelle,
Sounds like what they were trying to do in my area. Tried to
purchase the land of a mobile home park that has been around for ages. There is also a little country store that sits in front of it and the owner was refusing to budge. Not only that but, the road they were trying to build off of is already so congested it would have been a traffice nightmare.

Enough is enough WalMart monster stores. You don't have to
kick people out of their homes. You have already proved "if you build it the people will flock to it, no matter where it is"

 

[Disney Ella]

I don't like the way they do business, and I refuse to shop in them. I've had to go in a few for work reasons, and they've all been very disorganized, with merchandise all over the floor, no resemblance whatsoever to their commercials. I'm a Target person too. I do try to shop at smaller businesses when I can, but that's gettting harder and harder to do.

 

[Kitty 34]

We have a Super Walmart and a Meijers........I go to Meijers a lot more!!

 

[goofy4tink]

Target opened right across the street from Wal-Mart in my town. What a coup. Anyway, I really try not to shop in Wal-Mart. The only help they have can't speak English and I find they just can't help me when I need it. And it's always so messy looking. On the other hand Target is bright and cheery, with some much more upscale stuff. I mean, would I buy my dressy clothes at Target? Probably not, but I buy most of my home furnishings there.

 

[JDY]

I refuse to shop at our local WalMart

1. They support school vouchers. $1500 to send a economically disadvantaged kid across town to attend a school that costs $4000 and giving up that kids free/reduced lunch will not work. School vouchers are public funds given to those who can already afford private schools. It's a "tax break" for the wealthy.
2. They refuse to let workers unionize and retaliate against those who try.
3. I've also read that they force workers to work off the clock. I don't know if it's true but I can't overlook it.

I LOVE Target, however.

 

[Loubon]

There's articles in Playboy???

 

[swanmom]

Very funny, Loubon !

 

[powellrj]

I live in Indiana too, and I must say that I NEVER shop in Wal-mart. I don't like the way vendors are treated and I don't like the way they do business, so I am a Target person. I also don't shop at Kmart for the same reasons I don't shop at Walmart.

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

I won't refuse to go into WalMart, but I will usually avoid the one near us like the plague. It's the only one in Richmond that isn't a Super Center, but it's like they're trying to fit 3/4 of the stuff in a Super Center into 1/2 the space. Cramped, crowded, and not an inviting shopping experience.

Shells9 and flrose, I've heard about the instances you're talking about, in Alabaster, AL, and I think down in Florida (around Bradenton or in that general area??). I think that's what would shame Sam. If someone doesn't want to sell their home and their land, it's not right to use the government to claim eminent domain and force them off for a shopping center.

We shop at Target all the time, though.

 

[Sleepy]

I only go there to see my mom when she is at work. I hate the parking lot situation, the unruly kids, the inconsiderate adults and the check-out lines from hell.

 

[Kermit]

I've stopped shopping there on principle. For years, I've only gone there when going there would mean one stop rather than 3 or more at other stores, but I felt guilty about it. When KB Toys declared bankrupcy, that was the straw that broke the camel's back for me. I'm tired of them reducing the price of their toys at Christmas so that the other toy stores don't have any chance of making a profit. As soon as they get rid of all the toy stores, they'll find another market segment to terrorize. I know some people think it's just free enterprise, and they're free to shop there. But I prefer shopping at smaller stores most of the time anyway, and I figure that if I patronize Wal-Mart, then it will be partially my fault when all of my favorite stores disappear.

 

[daughter_of_amid_chaos]

The Walmart's you are describing are NOTHING like the Super Center we have.

Yeah the parking sucks but it is a clean organized store with very helpful people and I have never had any problem with check out or anything of the sorts.

 

[wuv tigger]

Hate Target, Love Wal-Mart but currently do most of my shopping at Costco.

David

 

[ibouncetoo]

In my neighborhood it's the WalMart that's clean/organized and friendly and the Target that's trashed. However, ours isn't one of the SuperWalMarts and if it were I probably wouldn't go there, as the few that I've been to were way to crowded and had check out line nightmares! I pretty much just use it for paper products and cleaning supplies.

 

[momof2inPA]

On the rare occassion I have wandered into our local Walmart, I have been overwhelmed at the number of parents screaming at their children, smacking their behinds, and generally being evil. It just ruins my day.

My other problem with Walmart, they lobbied the bumpkin local government here for 10 years of local tax abatements and years of school abatements-- and got them. I guess I don't blame them for asking, but they make over $200 billion per year and this is a depressed community.