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

[CindyKansas]

Our Wal-Mart supercenter opened a year ago. I HATE it, but then, I wasn't a fan of Wal-Mart anyway. Target is my store but have to drive an hour to get to one. Wal-Mart reminds me of a really busy day at WDW in the summer. Too many people and long lines.

 

[DNSDisney]

I worked at Walmart after my divorce for 5 yrs as a cake decorator. It was the first interview that offered me a job after being out of the market for 5 yrs.
Anyway, to clear up a few misconceptions.. Walmart considers 28 hrs a week full time and do furnish bene's for there full time employees after 90 days full time.
They are being sued by women in class action lawsuit and also by employees and ex employees (not me) for not paying them for hrs worked , some ot some reg hrs. Both suits have been going on for over 4 yrs.
For me, Walmart the company was terrible to work for but the people you worked with made it better. Most (not all just like anywhere else) employees work there buns off there . Even the ones with missing teeth or dead teeth, or the little old ladies and men working the door. My background was in banking and they put me in the bakery for some odd reason , and taught me how to decorate cakes lol Seems like i could of been more useful in the acct. dept. but what the heck. After all the management there isn't too bright, well at least most of them.
There are many good anti walmart site online look a few up you won't believe the stories and dirty laundry on them.

 

[momof2inPA]

Originally posted by luvdzny
I shop at Walmart all the time, the prices are great. I don't understand what screaming kids and parents spanking them has to do with Walmart, I have seen this in many stores. I don't think Walmart has much control over how people treat their children.

Maybe it's the sheer size of the place and people spend too much time there at one stop, or maybe it's the hectic atmosphere. My local grocery store, Giant Eagle provides a lovely supervised place for the kids to play while I shop, they also have a cookie club for the kids and give out cheese slices at the deli. I don't care if the groceries cost a bit more, I will choose that atmosphere anytime over the screaming children being walloped by their stressed out parents at Walmart. --Or maybe the surly Walmart employees just put everyone in a bad mood.

As for toys, our Toys R Us is so clean with a nice Thomas table set up and supplies like diapers and wipes available for free in their clean restrooms. Find that at a Walmart. I would much rather support the pleasant establishments with my cash, than gross Walmart.

 

[tlgoblue]

Originally posted by my3kids
Interesting how it appears no one will shop at Wal-Mart, yet they are making billions of dollars every year. Either this group isn't reprentative of the nation as a whole, or we're spending a lot more in the aparantly rare visits than we think!

Ineresting point. This may be better suited for the DB, but I think what makes Wal-mart so successfull is the fact that they appeal to peoplew who live largely off of various social programms. I am not passing judgement here, just reflecting on who I see in these stores, where they are located, and their marketing strategy. They are "trying" to help all Americans, live the Dream. Elderly, on fixed income, single parents, under employed, and unemployed.

To be sure, many middle income people shop there, for much the same reason: to have more left over to spend else where. (Vacations to Disney ) But, and please feel free to correct me, I can't recall Wal-mart stores in the truely upper class addresses. They tend to be located in declining neighborhoods. It always amazes me when I see a new one going into a town where a plant just laid off hundreds. I think "Not a place I'd be opening up a store." But there they are, raking in money hand over fist. See, they know that people will have to shop there, because they won't be able to afford much else. Same thing with the locations in "retirement" communities. They know the elderly have to watch every cent they spend, whether by necessity or by habit. Then there are the middle income locations, where poeple are scrambling to keep from plummeting down the social ladder.

I often wonder what life would be like if we were still producing our own goods and services, and paying our own people American sized wages. Would we be able to afford to buy our own products, instead of relying on cheap imported items? I know this has been beat to death, but while I agree with spreading the wealth, the large coporations, (Wal-mart is not alone in this, as has been pointed out, just a glaring example of it) seem to be running things a little top heavy, and the "wealth" is being spread all over the globe like an all too thin layer of frosting, trying to conceal a bitter dried up cake.

Like I said before, I'm not a Wal-mart shopper. Not because of any conviction of right or wrong, (I do shop Sam's on occasion) it just doesn't suite my needs. Maybe, some day (UGH, I hope not) it will.

Keep the Faith!
Tracy

 

[hyzdufan]

Originally posted by momof2inPA
Maybe it's the sheer size of the place and people spend too much time there at one stop, or maybe it's the hectic atmosphere. My local grocery store, Giant Eagle provides a lovely supervised place for the kids to play while I shop, they also have a cookie club for the kids and give out cheese slices at the deli. I don't care if the groceries cost a bit more, I will choose that atmosphere anytime over the screaming children being walloped by their stressed out parents at Walmart. --Or maybe the surly Walmart employees just put everyone in a bad mood.

As for toys, our Toys R Us is so clean with a nice Thomas table set up and supplies like diapers and wipes available for free in their clean restrooms. Find that at a Walmart. I would much rather support the pleasant establishments with my cash, than gross Walmart.

It's funny you provide the Giant Eagle example, because I just can't believe people can shop there with the prices they charge. I guess it's like staying at a Deluxe hotel vs a Value. The store may be cozier, and it may be a little quieter. Well, just like you get a bed and a bathroom in both, the products are the same. I'll take Wal-Mart though.

 

[pumba]

with different Walmarts all can say different things ......we have Walmarts here in Maine.......that are NOT ONLY CLEAN.....(gasp) but well run.......courteous employees.......not just two cash areas open at a time.......nice people that work there .....we are not the exception I am sure.......only time that Walmart gets a little zoo like atmosphere is the Holiday season......with the figures that are posted here .....people must be still relying on not only shopping there but working there too......I care for a pharmacy tech ladys child.....she has been with walmart for 5 years....first at the store level and then three years ago she started to work for the Pharmacy......My nieces husband is the assistant mgr for a few of the departments in our Super walmart......yes we go there......not ashamed of it either........why should we......

 

[TeresaNJ]

I love Wal Mart, and shop there quite a bit, and I DO have all my teeth, DON'T have a mullet, and DON'T live in a backwoods community. In fact, my local WalMart is in a VERY upscale community. It's clean and well-organized. I've never encountered a rude or sullen employee there, and 90% of the time extra check-out lines are opened as soon as there is a line forming. Maybe ours in one of the exceptions. Also, I've actually complimented the cleanliness of the bathroom to the customer service department. Living in NJ is very expensive, high taxes, outrageous car insurance, etc. If I can save a few bucks by shopping at WalMart, I'm going to do it. Now on the other hand, if you want to get started on dirty business tactics, DON'T get me started on the high & mighty health care industry that I work for. Talk about underpaying employees, while fattening the pockets of the CEO and higher ups, but looking oh so benevolent to the general public with their constant radio and newspaper ads. It's pretty bad when the health system one works for raises the copay on their prescription plan so high that alot of the employees have to find part time jobs to pay for their prescriptions.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Originally posted by TeresaNJ
....DON'T have a mullet....

Did you change your hairdo again, Teresa?

 

[jfulcer]

Originally posted by JenBlaze
What WalMart does is put a life insurance policy out on their workers without that worker's knowledge. If the employee dies, WalMart profits.

These types of policies are usually reserved for CEO's and other higher-ups of large companies where their sudden death could hurt the company.

This was found out the hard way when a 45 yo man was forced to work 48 hours in a 3-day period. He had a heart attack while attempting to get a 20 inch TV off of the top shelves by himself. He had just had a physical and his doctor had proclaimed him healthy. WalMart made 350,000 off of his death, and the widow found out about it and took WalMart to court.

She won. (I think.)

During the 1990s, Rice and the other plaintiffs have learned, Arkansas-based Wal-Mart bought 350,000 policies on its employees, borrowing money from the insurers themselves -- Hartford Life Insurance Co. and AIG Life Insurance Co. -- to pay for them. Wal-Mart says the insurers did not make it clear that "janitor insurance," which is sometimes seen as a disincentive for employers to keep workplaces safe and healthy, was not legal in all states. When the federal Internal Revenue Service discontinued tax deductions for such policies in 1996, Wal-Mart stopped buying them.

...

But it didn't put the money into employee benefits, Wertz admitted, because in the end the company lost money on the policies.

source

Do a quick search on the internet and you can find a list of at least a DOZEN other employers that did(do) this. It doesn't appear Walmart does it anymore...

 

[TeresaNJ]

Yea Dan, that mullet was "oh so 80's", LOL.

 

[jfulcer]

Originally posted by tlgoblue
But, and please feel free to correct me, I can't recall Wal-mart stores in the truely upper class addresses. They tend to be located in declining neighborhoods. It always amazes me when I see a new one going into a town where a plant just laid off hundreds.

4 of the 5 Walmarts in our area are in nice areas. The one that's not in the greatest neighborhood is the cleanest and most well stocked of all of them. The clientel is interesting, though.

We shop at Walmart all the time - we just avoid the busy times and it works out great. But then again, we avoid busy times at other grocery stores, malls, etc... so it's not just Walmart that bothers us in that respect.

 

[Dan Murphy]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4573885/

 

[arminnie]

I don't shop at Wal*Mart all that often but I do go to Sam's ALL of the time. They are next door to each other and share a parking lot so if I need something that I can't get at Sam's I will go there.

Our stores are very nice here although Little Rock is often slower to get the big stores and the superstores as they do target smaller towns.

Let me speak to the difference that Wal*Mart has made in the state of Arkansas. What has happened here in the last 35 years is just amazing.

As the company was started here there are MANY people who have made a LOT of money off of working at Wal*Mart. Also it has done wonders for the economy - unemployment in the NW portion of Arkansas is about 2%. Thirty-five years ago that was the most impoverished area in the state.

A recent article listed the universities with the largest private gifts last year:
1 Harvard
2 Stanford
3 U of Penn
4 UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS!! - guess where that money came from

The medical school at the U. of Ark. was mediocre at best 35 years ago (my dad worked there). Now it has some truly state of the art facilities and faculty. People come from other countries for some of the specialties.

Yes Wal*Mart is huge and yes some managers have made mistakes. I would not want to be a manufacturer trying to negotiate with them. But they have made a tremendous difference in the way good are marketed and consumers have saved billions of dollars due to their TOUGH price negotiations.

I have an aunt in the Detroit area who went to work for them when she was in her 60s. She worked at Target for a few years before that. She is one of the staunchest supporters of Wal*Mart and tells me that they treat their employees so much better than Target. She's now in her 70s and still working because she likes it there and takes great pride in her work.

 

[Evil Princess]

But, and please feel free to correct me, I can't recall Wal-mart stores in the truely upper class addresses. They tend to be located in declining neighborhoods. It always amazes me when I see a new one going into a town where a plant just laid off hundreds.

I live in a fairly upscale neighborhood at home, and we don't have a Walmart anywhere nearby, nor do we have a Kmart. Target all the way for us, and I love it. I always found Target to be great for low prices (5 and 10 dollar DVDs), but then again, I've never been in a Walmart.