What is really wrong with Wal-Mart?

[soccercruiser87]

i live near the Walmart in Epping, NH which is a Supercenter. It is very clean and tidy and is huge. Its one of the biggest in the country and is awesome. I love shopping there.

 

[LisaR]

I do not like WALMART. I do not like that they do not offer great paying jobs yet seem to take so much away from a community.{/QUOTE}

{QUOTE}
I do not like that WALMART may be setting the retail trends and practices, forcing competition to outsource EVERYTHING to China. {QUOTE}

{QUOTE}There is plenty of information out there about WALMARTs practices - I just don't happen to think those practices are good for this country in the long run. I fear by the time the American people figure that out there will be no more American-made products or quality left to speak of.

But then where do you shop? I have had one friend that works at Target and one friend that works at Wal-mart for almost the exact same amount of time. The friend at Target makes .50 cents an hour more then the friend at Wal-Mart. Both have kids in school and work only for "fun money." Wal-Mart has been overly accomadating in this regard and Target hasn't been. My one friend would rather make .50 cents less and not have to fight with them when her kids have a half day of school.

What does Wal-Mart take away from the community that Target, Home Depot, Costco, etc. don't? Aren't they all the same in this regard?

I am against outsourcing. But, to put that blame on Wal-Mart isn't fair. The list of companies that depend on outsourcing is too long to type on my HP (that was outsourced)! How about the success of all the Dollar Stores. Is is even possible to find one single item in a Dollar Store that is American made? Yet nobody complains about those stores.

I agree 100% I just don't think Wal-Mart is the only one guilty of this yet they seem to take most of the heat. The demise of America products is not Wal-Marts fault.

Lisa

*had to edit because my responses ended up in the highlighted portion instead. That hasn't happened to me before. Wonder what I did wrong.....

 

[LisaR]

My sister owned and operated a one hour photo shop in a tourist area of New Hampshire. Wal-Mart opened up nearby and poof! No more customers were coming in. She lasted about six months and had to go out of business. She is now working in a kitchen of a nursing home.

That stinks. But, I am willing to bet if a Target opened up in the same location, she would have lost her business as well, unless she reorganized and offered something Target and Wal-Mart couldn't provide.

Lisa

 

[mariolatry]

Interestingly enough, in my small hometown, Target opened about 3 years ago with almost nil effect on most retailers. Walmart opened about 10 months ago and has crushed almost any small competitor in the area. There used to be quite a few small "Mom-and-Pop's" in the area (about 70% of total retail, by my estimate). Wal-mart undercut their prices so drastically, I would estimate small business is now about 10% of total retail. Due to Wal-Mart's success, the property taxes and real estate prices went up so much in the area that many retail and residential neighbors couldn't afford to stay there. Luckily for us, Red Lobster and the Olive Garden rushed in to fill the void. (that's sarcasm BTW)

Plus my best friend got fired from Wal-Mart for suggesting a union might help them get better benefits.

 

[Jeff in BigD]

I used to hate going into the local Wal-Mart. It was dirty, the staff wasn't very attentive, the other customers seemed a little "rough" & just overall it wasn't a comfortable experience.

They opened 2 Wal-Mart Super Centers (one by work & one by the new apt) & it's like night & day. They're in nicer areas, the stores are very clean, the staff is helpful & the customers seem friendlier as well.

Now if I need to get something late at night I have no problem with the new stores.

 

[EsmeraldaX]

That stinks. But, I am willing to bet if a Target opened up in the same location, she would have lost her business as well, unless she reorganized and offered something Target and Wal-Mart couldn't provide.

Lisa

Or Ritz Camera. Or CVS, Brooks, Walgreens or any one of a dozen places that offer cheap, 1 hour photo.

 

[HOGFAN]

Our wal-mart seems to hire the scummiest people it can find. it seems that gold teeth, rasta dreads,low-slung pants are requirements for employment. Mr. Sam is rolling over in his grave.

 

[Stepharoonie!]

I hate Wal-Mart purely because the store is ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS filthy and it tends to have a lot of crap on the floor.

 

[luv2nascar]

I like Walmart but I LOVE TARGET. Walmart if closer and the things I buy there are cheapest and convenient. We like both walmart and target because whole family enjoys shopping there due to variety. With two kids (9 & 18mos) Target or Walmart is a Friday or Saturday night event for us.

 

[Planogirl]

Our Wal-Mart is nice and clean and I have no problem with their employees. But their policy of undercutting prices does bother me. I know that they've targeted the toy stores and I've heard that the electronics stores are next in line. However, I think that someone else would probably be doing it if it wasn't Wal-Mart. I don't like it but that's competition.

 

[totalia]

Let me start by saying: I hate Wal-Mart! I rarely shop there. I don't like it because I think the store is dirtier then Target. I think the quality and styles offered at Target are nicer then Wal-Mart. I like the feel of Target better then Wal-Mart.

That said, I do not avoid Wal-Mart because they don't pay their employees enough money or because they discriminate against women. I have read the articles but I just don't see that in the real world. I know people that work at Wal-Mart (all females) and they feel they make good money, considering the type of job they are doing. They feel they are treated fairly.

I also do not avoid Wal-Mart because they put "mom & pop" stores out of business, which is the number one argument I hear. First of all, unless you live in a VERY small town, it is unlikely you have any mom & pop stores left. Wal-Mart didn't put them out of business. Kmart was around certain areas long before Wal-Mart but nobody protested when a new Kmart was opening.

When I was a kid, we had real hardware and plumbing stores. Home Depot and Lowes have put those places out of business, yet nobody protests when a new one of those are opening.

So I ask, is Wal-Mart really that bad? Or are they just an easy scapegoat?

Lately, I have run into a lot of people really on the "boycott Wal-Mart" bandwagon. That is what prompted me to ask this question on The Dis.

Lisa

I love Walmart. Its not dirty at all. In fact, its the busiest store in my city and has a HUGE parking lot compared to any of the other major stores (even the big mall).

I think it must be local differences.

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

One reason I prefer Target over WalMart is convenience. WalMart is about a mile farther than Target is.

Also, the WalMart nearest to us is the only WalMart in Richmond that is NOT a Supercenter. The aisles are tight and it's very cramped when the store is busy. Right now they've started remodeling into a Supercenter, so hopefully that will make things better. OTOH, there's a Supercenter a few miles farther that's always in pretty decent shape.

That's not to say I won't shop at WalMart. New DVD releases and bird seed for the parakeets and cockatiels are things I'll regularly get at WalMart, along with any other loss leaders they may be running. By and large, though, I'll shop at a wide variety of stores for different things.

Every chain has its share of good employees/stores and bad employees/stores. The sheer size of WalMart means they have more bad than other chains and people hear about them more.

One thing -- I agree with JimB. WalMart's practice of using eminent domain to get land when they can't buy it or the landowners don't want to sell is abhorent. Right now that issue isn't enough to get me to stop shopping there, but it's pretty darn close. If WalMart continues that practice and don't change it as more people find out about it, it'll hurt them in the long run.

 

[Disneyland_emily]

Okay as a Mart Associate- I just need to say..

>I have seen good Wal Marts and bad Wal Marts. Some of them just reek of filth and some are pristine. I think it depends on the managers and employees (and yes, to a point the shoppers) in that particular store.<<

This is soo true I used to work at a good Mart, where we as Associates were appreciated, respected and had a wondeful mgmt team that kept us working towards being better and being the best in our area. We were usually staffed and the lines were kept as short as possible. Then our mgmt team changed and well... We fell from being the best of the area to mid to low range. Staffing is usually pathetic (yesterday the floor kids made 4-5 cart runs and cashiered for several hours) and so things don't get maintained and stocked as well, mgmt doesn't appreciate and respect us. We have become a number to them, and replaceable... Now when you dont see someone for a few days you assume they've been fired and this is just the tip of the iceberg.

I used to love my job, now it just makes me so sad. I miss having a Mart that I could defend against the rumors and stories about the "bad eggs" of the company. Now I can't. I miss that.

-em

 

[gymmom]

What does Wal-Mart take away from the community that Target, Home Depot, Costco, etc. don't? Aren't they all the same in this regard?

I am against outsourcing. But, to put that blame on Wal-Mart isn't fair. The list of companies that depend on outsourcing is too long to type on my HP (that was outsourced)! How about the success of all the Dollar Stores. Is is even possible to find one single item in a Dollar Store that is American made? Yet nobody complains about those stores.

I agree 100% I just don't think Wal-Mart is the only one guilty of this yet they seem to take most of the heat. The demise of America products is not Wal-Marts fault.

Lisa

Walmart has more power than ANY other of the other companies mentioned because they represent 1% OF ALL RETAIL SALES!!! That's HUGE! No one else even comes close. They are the 1000 lb gorilla, and no supplier can face them down unless they are willing to risk losing everything.

Lisa

 

[Missy1961]

I love Wal-Mart. Here in Massapequa, our Wal-Mart didn't do anything terrible to get here, in fact, they did something good: they took over a store in the local mall that had been closed for 2 years. The store is always clean, always well stocked, and the employees know where things are. I do agree that their children's clothes aren't great, but I shop for me all the time. I'm a plus size, and they have a great selection of trendy clothes for great prices. The stuff holds up pretty well too. And they have a great craft selection--something Target and K-Mart do not. As to "mom & pop" stores, since the mall opened in the 1970's, there were less of them, but there were never many here anyway. (we tend to have small restaurants, bagel stores, etc. than shops). Don't get me wrong, I love Target too, but Wal-Mart is 5 minutes away, and Target is 20.

 

[JillLovesDisney]

I don't particularly enjoy the Walmart shopping experience but there are some items where their price just can't be beat. Last week I bit the bullet and went into the Walmart down the street for saline solution because their own Equate brand is much cheaper than anywhere else. However since the whole Walmart shopping experience is not too pleasant, I wound up buying 10 cans of it so that I don't have to go back again very soon.

 

[Papa Deuce]

What a lot of folks do not realize is that Wal-Mart put American business out of business or forces them to go to other countries to stay in business.

For instance: Levi Strauss was told by Wal-Mart that they must hit a price point that Wal-Mart set or they wouldn't be carried in their store.... Levi Strauss moves their company out of the US to make this happen.

Another problem:

Vlassic Pickles were sold in ONE GALLON jugs for only a few cents more at Walmart than a "normal" sized jar. Tons and Tons of people were buying the gallon jar. When Vlassic complained that the sale of these one gallon jars was killing them in the grocery stores, Walmart said basically "tough toenails, you don't like it we won't carry any of your products in any of our stores"......

 

[Planogirl]

I agree Papa Deuce. It's some of these tactics that disturb me. However, I still believe that a lot of large stores practice this and it's only so apparent with Wal-Mart because of their size.

 

[JoeThaNo1Stunna]

I like Wal-Mart because I don't have much money and I can make what I have stretch very well there. There are tons of Wal-Marts in Richmond, some clean, some not. However I'll take products at a low price in a very dirty store over products at a slightly higher price in a beautiful store anyday. The bottom line to me is how much the product costs.

It does take a lot of time to get in and out at peak hours, but I tend to be in Wal-Mart between 10PM and 2AM, when it is not as bad. You can kill a lot of birds with one stone there too, so it doesn't bother me if it may take a little bit of extra time.

Wal-Mart is as American as apple pie, poker, baseball, and rap music.

 

[JoeThaNo1Stunna]

What a lot of folks do not realize is that Wal-Mart put American business out of business or forces them to go to other countries to stay in business.

For instance: Levi Strauss was told by Wal-Mart that they must hit a price point that Wal-Mart set or they wouldn't be carried in their store.... Levi Strauss moves their company out of the US to make this happen.

Another problem:

Vlassic Pickles were sold in ONE GALLON jugs for only a few cents more at Walmart than a "normal" sized jar. Tons and Tons of people were buying the gallon jar. When Vlassic complained that the sale of these one gallon jars was killing them in the grocery stores, Walmart said basically "tough toenails, you don't like it we won't carry any of your products in any of our stores"......

When you pay your dues and become the number one superpower that you can be, you get this kind of hegemony. The bottom line is it is good for the consumer who shops at Wal-Mart.

If Vlassic doesn't want to offer that deal at Wal-Mart, then lose money and don't sell products there.