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

[Bichon Barb]

I avoid Walmart as much as possible, but I don't have a complete ban on it. As my nephew the comedian says. "One never knows when one might need a super-sized box of feminine products at 3:00 in the morning."

I've posted this link before, but I think it's really funny:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/gate/archive/2003/06/18/notes061803.DTL

A small portion:

Let's put it this way. Wal-Mart is all too happy to pummel customers with mountains of toxic processed foods and Teen People and giant tins of barbecued popcorn and sweatshop-made T-shirts and gaudy porcelain-clown bookends and giant bins full of stuffed teddy bears made in Malaysia.

All well and good. Hey, they're a discount retailer, after all. Horrible landfill merchandise and giant ads for Doritos and tons upon tons of plastic crap you really don't need intermixed with a few things you actually do, and deep deep deep this nation is in a BushCo recession so of course Wal-Mart is flourishing.

 

[tlgoblue]

I don't care for wal-mart. It really never even comes up on my screen to go there. Once or twice I had the privledge of shopping there fore something a teacher said DD needed and could be found there. I've never had the experience with the lines, but it is just overwhelming to me and I can't be bothered with it. Once, I stopped at a wal-mart on my way home (Currently Indiana, which has no alcohol sales on Sundays ) from our summer home in Michigan, to get some beer, though. They had both kinds, Bud and Bud Light.

I think they are just doing what they do best, but it isn't for me. I don't care much for Target anymore, either. They tend to be very regional in their merchandising, and apparently, my region, has no taste. I have to order stuff from their .com site, as our stores don't carry most of the things I like. I also can't stand their return policy. They won't take anything without a receipt, even when it is their own labled merchandise. I'm sick of paying for the trash that causes these policies to need to be enacted, and choose to shop with local, smaller markets and co-ops. They aren't any more expensive for the items I buy, and are often cheaper. A little investigation is all that is necessary to fing good value. One can use the time they would normally be standing in Wal-mart lines, to do that.

Keep the Faith!
Tracy

 

[preshi]

I personally dont care for WalMart at all. Everytime I've been in there I've had to abandon my cart because it wouldn't fit through the aisles, too much junk in them.

The one in our area is too out of the way anyways. I much prefer Target

 

[tlgoblue]

Barb, thanks for that! I always like it when people can capture something so evasive (pervasive?), so succinctly!

Tracy

 

[Bichon Barb]

LOL. I like the part about the ammo and the vat of cheez puffs--but don't dare look at a Glamour magazine.

 

[CourtasanSatine]

One of DBF's roommates work at the Super Wal Mart so we do stop by to say hi but that's usually it

 

[Disneyland_emily]

As someone else stated it really depends on the Walmart- My main experiance as a shopper with various marts is in Orlando- The one on John Young is a pretty decent store- whereas the one on 192 was scary- If all marts were like that I wouldnt shop(or work) there...

I work at a very busy store (we were the 21st store in the nation to break 100 mil for the fiscal year-) but it is pretty well maintained (when ya have 10,000+ people a day it gets messy) but we still usually get a 85+ on our customer trac reports so we must do a decent job of maintaining order in the chaos-

I agree with the its the Mgmt that makes or breaks a store. Walmart has some pretty good policys that if properly followed (ie the working off the clock thing, the anti union thing and such) makes for a better store and happier associates, and in my experiances with policies they are decent policies. For the most part my mgrs strive to and do a good job of keeping the policies and such in line and making all managers esp the higher ups very accessible to us that work the 4-1 and overnight shifts and tuesday doughnut day for my store is a nice perk... I dont plan on making Mart a career but its a really pretty good part time job (and the stakeholders bonus is a nice chunk of change)

There are a few things I disagree with (esp the losing money on stuff to be the lowest- if its a popular seller WHY loose money on it esp if its a few cents between profit and loss) but then there is the whole price fixing thing so its a thin line to tread...

-em

 

[bunnyfoo]

Interesting to know about the insurance policies... I had no idea a company could do something like that.

I go to Wal-Mart about once a month to stock up on supplies. For a while, I refused to go to the Wal-Mart that was closest to my house because it was really gross and disorganized inside. Now they've opened another one which isn't too much farther away ... the store is clean and the staff are pleasant. I usually try to go during the weekdays... I avoid weekends, the place can turn into a real zoo and the check out lines are really long.

I wish they had Target stores in Canada ... I like them better than Wal-Marts

 

[mom2boys]

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.

Yes, but at least Walmart is a U.S. company. I believe Target is owned by a European corp.

 

[UncleKyle]

I put some cool little tidbits and facts on my post on page one.

I never imagined the response I would get to this. Glad to know I'm not alone in my hatred of Walmart

 

[tlgoblue]

Yes, but at least Walmart is a U.S. company. I believe Target is owned by a European corp.

Don't mean to hijack this thread, but I thought Target was based in Minniapolis. Could you tell me which European Corp owns Target? Thanks!

Tracy

 

[Lewski709]

I like Wally World for all but groceries. I don't shop at Super Target too much. Way bigger than Wally World.

 

[tkyes]

Target is based in Minneapolis.


They did one of those comparison shopping things on the local news. They bought the exact same things at Walmart, Target and Kmart. Guess who was the most expensive? Kmart! I would have thought it might be Target.

I avoid Walmart's like the plague, they make me crabby!

I LOOOOVE my Target!!! I'll pay a small amount more for nice products, helpful employees, a clean well organized store and a normal parking lot (our Walmart parking lots are screwy!).


Tamie

 

[C.Ann]

The best deal is the bottom line for me - doesn't matter if it's Walmart, Kmart, or Target.. Can't afford to be too choosey when you're pinching pennies..

 

[Poohbear123]

And walked back out 10 min later...could not find the "office clothes" I needed. Asked a clerk, and she mumbled "over there in that sestion" and she was pointing towards the T-Shirts!!! I said "Work clothes, like you would wear in an office..." She had NO clue, cause I guess she would never WORK in an office. My Dh siad: "what happened?" I said, I got the WRONG store! Went to JcPenney found what I needed.

 

[Alice28]

I do NOT shop at Walmart. Every time I have, it has been a miserable experience. It has been crowded, messy, not well-lit, unorganized & I just don't like what I read about Walmart, even before I saw this thread.....I just cannot stand it. I am a devoted Target shopper and always will be- their products are superior IMHO.

 

[helenabear]

Okay I admit, I used to *never* shop at Walmart. Well our Target stopped being the lowest cost and stopped carrying the better selection... Walmart won. It isn't perfect but I will go there just as often (if not more) than Target now. For some things I will shop elsewhere but for every day things, I am happy to save money and go there

 

[Soccer Princess]

I don't like our Wal-Marts here at all! I think they are very organized and dirty. I'm a Target girl all the way! BTW Kyle, just how did you find that article in Playboy?

 

[jsmith]

I will go out of my way to avoid Wal-Mart. Their corporate business practices are abhortent, they treat their employees like dirt (or at least that is the experience several members of my family have had) and-because of the way they handle vendors and suppliers-if you shop at Wal-Mart over the long term you are voluntarily lowering your standard of living. Wal-mart has damaged the textile industry in the American south, and in small towns, patronizing Wal-Mart for the lower price eventually leads to higher prices and no alternate choices. Wal-Mart is a large client of the company I work for and in recent contract negotitations asked us to adopt a practice that is in violation of Federal Tax law for our industry-and the response when we refused was that they would find a vendor who would be willing to do it because they needed the Tax break. Currently they are trying to get local governments of 3 different municipalities in Metro Denver to condem public property or existing retail space so they can build out parking areas for new supercenters, which we do not need as we have adequate retail grocery service in Denver to keep prices competitive. i was thrilled when the judge told my city that doing that was not a legal use of emminent domain!

 

[IMGONNABE40!]

Love Wal*Mart, hate Target. Wish a Super Wal*Mart opened where they opened a Meijer's store (next to a Sam's Club!). However, I am disturbed by the reports on how they treat employees. 28 hours a week to avoid bennies?! That's just wrong. Unpaid overtime? Also wrong. I have no problem with Wal*Mart being so profitable, but share the wealth with those that keep you in business--your employees!