Why do I shop at Walmart? (vent)

[Anne34]

The Walmart here is also awful!!! Everyone I know dislikes it, but sometimes you just have to go Like everyone said -- there is always stuff in the aisles, long lines and crabby people. It doesn't seem to matter where you live (we're in Western suburbs of Chicago) but all Walmarts seem bad. On the other hand, Target is wonderful and I don't mind paying a couple pennies more for something to not put up with the aggrevation of Walmart. The clothes at Walmart are really cheap and gross looking too -- wouldn't spend the money -- they won't last more than a few washings. Would rather watch the sales at Gap and Old Navy, etc and have the clothes last longer and not look all washed out after a few washings.

 

[Snowysmom]

I try to avoid Walmart too. I am appalled at how they treat their employees. Plus, the stores themselves are crowded and messy. Target is much nicer and you can get some good sale prices there. I think Walmart's reputation as a bad employer is catching up to them.

 

[RachelTori]

Another vote for Target! A 1st class operation (I used to work for them and LOVE shopping there!) Walmarts in this area are HORRIBLE - I've had my worst shopping experiences at Walmarts. Another thing they do is abandon their buildings when they build a new Supercenter just down the street. Nothing like the sight of a boarded up building to add value to an area.

 

[Alice28]

Another "WalMart stinks, Target Rules" person here. The ONLY WalMart I have shopped in that was pleasant was the one in Kona, HI. It was neat, clean, and stocked. All the ones I have been in in OR and CA are crazy-busy, messy and just icky. I'm sorry you had such a bad experience....

 

[Octoberbeauty]

Well, I live in the Walmart mecca of the world. lol The one we have in our town has VERY friendly employees. It's amazing, but I KNOW it's not the norm. I've lived in several states and usually, the employees, the service, etc are awful! So, I consider myself fortunate to actually have a good store in town. I LOVE Target. It's my favorite and the last place I lived had a Target supercenter. I'm still going through withdrawal on that one because we have not Targets at all! The closest one is 1 1/2 hours away. But I still make special trips to go there! I keep hearing rumors that we are supposed to get a Target. I just pray it's true.

 

[Buckalew11]

I love our Walmart also. I also Love our Target! Our Walmart is clean, well stocked, friendly, big aisles... no complaints from me at all. Walmart always beats Target praices--maybe with the exception of some sales which they'll match or clearance prices. My DH hates Walmart--says it is the "downfall of America" LOL He's probably right. I never buy clothing at Walmart except for socks, underwear, Levis and some boys clothing for DD because their girls clothing is SKANKY. Oh, that's my complaint with Walmart: cheap, skanky, girls clothes. LOL

 

[PryncessChrysty]

TARGET LOVER RIGHT HERE!! I absolutely LOVE Target!! I can't say it enough! Very rarely do I step foot in a Wal-Mart. I have three near me, one really crappy, one that's okay and one that's pretty nice. I don't even like to go in to the nice one. I always feel 'icky' after I go in there.

TARGET...TARGET...TARGET!!! lol

 

[delilah]

I very rarely go to Walmart, but, Target is the closest general merchandise store to our house--less than three miles. I have to admit, at times I am a Target addict. We went last night for kitty litter, and came home with two bags of Christmas decorating items and other assorted stuff. Walmart is too far and too inconvenient. Walmart actually wants to build a store in the area, across the highway from Target, as a matter of fact. If it were there, I would go more often, but, there is a neighborhood group that has already blocked Walmart from building about two miles from our house. So, it is unlikey that Walmart will ever get any closer, or that I will ever go any more often than I do now.

As bad as Walmart is, Kmart is, and ever shall be worse. As a sidelight, I am glad that my Sears Photo Club card expires in January, because once it is owned by Kmart, it can only go downhill.

 

[PryncessChrysty]

As bad as Walmart is, Kmart is, and ever shall be worse.

This is such a true statement!! I can not stand K-mart. It feels like I'm going in to Big Lots (Pic n' Save) if I ever do get brave enough to step foot in there.

I know I must sound like a total priss....whatever, just give me my Target!

 

[RadioNate]

I had to go to Wal Mart last week, I'm with everyone else. It's nasty, dirty, the employees are rude. I don't think their prices are that good either. I've seen toys that are more at Wal Mart than at Target or even TRU.

 

[Lizzydoll73]

As bad as Walmart is, Kmart is, and ever shall be worse. As a sidelight, I am glad that my Sears Photo Club card expires in January, because once it is owned by Kmart, it can only go downhill.

I worked for Kmart for a whole day and never came back! All the employees were very nasty. Fortunately, it closed three months later and now we have a Kohl's.

Our Sears Portrait Studio is already crap. I've been there twice and had two very bad experiences, The first time, the girl ringing me up took 30 minutes just to put it through the register (I only bought a package and an extra sheet!). The second time, my SIL drove 2 1/2 hours so we could get all the cousins in the picture and they messed up everyone's film for the day(NO pictures). They offered us a re-sit and would double the order. If I wanted more pictures I would have ordered them the first time. I got a refund.

 

[Samirella]

I don't shop at Wal Mart anymore. I agree that the prices are cheaper than Target, but I recently found out that they are building one in Mexico right next to they Pyramids. I guess nothing is sacred. I find that Target has better grocery selections...their produce is better, their bakery is better, and who could resist the Starbucks?

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

We're closer to Target than we are to WalMart by about two miles. The closest WalMart to us is the only one in Richmond that isn't a supercenter, but right now it's being remodeled into one. I can't imagine it'll be an easy chore, considering how landlocked the lot seems to be.

If you think the supercenters are tight on space, the non-supercenter is even moreso!! AARRGGHH!! The one thing I do like are the self check-outs that WalMart has been adding. Usually I'll go there to get one or two things. Unfortunately the one near us doesn't have them, but hopefully they will with the remodel.

 

[goofyshell]

ITA with eveyone here about Target. The other night my dh stayed with the kids because I just needed a break. What did I do? I wandered around Target for almost two hours! (Okay, so I filled a shopping cart too!) I just go up and down every nice, clean, well-lit, uncrowded, friendly associate nearby aisle.

Yeah Target! (I've been waiting for a reason to use that smilie)

 

[gymmom]

I stopped shopping at Walmart a few years ago. Yes, I hated their layouts and some of them are filthy and unfriendly, but I have other reasons.

First of all, in spite of their "all american" PR efforts, in fact the vast majority of what they sell comes from countries that practice terrible human rights abuses. The people in those countries who work for Walmart are paid far less than subsistence wages and live and work in deplorable conditions. Because Walmart is the number one retailer in this country, Walmart's suppliers must cut their costs and wind up using the same slave labor as Walmart, thereby depriving hundreds of thousands of Americans of manufacturing jobs. This is one of the ways they can provide those "everyday low prices"! Here's a quote from an article in Fast Company magazine. The president and CEO of Carolina Mills, a 75-year-old company that supplies thread, yarn, and textile finishing for half of Walmart's clothing brands says, "How can it be bad for things to come into the U.S. cheaply? How can it be bad to have a bargain at Walmart? Sure, it's held inflation down, and it's great to have bargains, but you can't buy anything if you're not employed. We are shopping opurselves out of jobs." Carolina Mills has shrunk from 17 factories to 7 and from 2600 employees to 1200.

The other way they economize is by paying their "fulltime" hourly workers wages below the poverty level even when they work 40 hrs/week. They boast numbers indicating the majority of their employees are FT, but they actually define FT as 28 hr/week--which makes their salaries even lower! Few of their employees have health insurance because the employee cost is so high--Walmart pays for almost none of it! Meanwhile 5 of 10 richest people in the world in 2004 are Waltons!!

Of course, there is the often-mentioned issue of Walmart undercutting the prices of local retailers thereby insuring their eventual failure.

So, BOYCOTT WALMART FOR DEMOCRACY!!! Send Walmart a letter or email letting them know you will no longer shop there and why. If your budget won't allow you to stop altogether, try to buy less there.

Here are some websites with more detailed info:

http://www.walmartwatch.com/
http://www.indyweek.com/durham/2002-05-08/news.html
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/77/walmart.html
http://dev.iam751.org/aero/Dec_02/walmart.html

Lisa (now getting down from her soapbox)

 

[gr8tpanther]

I am a walmart Junkie, I never have a problem at walmart, but I have no choice here, it is either walmart or Kmart and walmart wins by a landslide. They are putting a Target in here by 2007, but I doubt I will switch from Walmart to Target.

 

[Tinkim]

While I am no big fan of Wal-Mart, I shop there because there is nowhere else to shop in town as far as dept stores. My DH worked for Wal-Mart as an asst mgr and I won't bore you with the details but they don't treat their employees very well. Wal-Mart is 5 miles from our house. The other stores are all 30 minutes away. I love Target and I have heard rumors they will be building one in the same town as the Wal-Mart so I would be able to shop there and visit Wal-Mart much less frequently. Looking forward to that.

 

[tinkerbee]

I have to jump in on this one. I think that wal-marts are messer because they have more people shopping there. I go into the target in our area and there is no one around.....go into walmart and the place is packed. More people more of a mess. I never see anyone working on the floor at target so how can you get a rude employee if there is noone to talk to. I like Target too but it's nice to have choices.


Full time for walmart is now 32 hours not 28 and most people get 40 hours if they want it. If you work any retail job yes in most cases you are going to be below the poverty level if you either work as a cashier or on the floor unless you have worked there a long time.....it's not like you need a college education to work there. They pay 2/3 of the health cost. If it weren't walmart cutting out mom and pop stores it would be Target. It's who ever is the biggest gets the blame. Walmart has cut out the "all american" thing because if you really look at it they would have nothing to sell because how much stuff you buy is actually made in America? Walmart, Target, Kmart, Sears, and all the other big name stores carry pretty much the same stuff so don't blame the countrys problems of unemployment on Walmart.


Price cutting is to give you the best price to bring you back. It's a business of course they want to do their best to get people to shop there. And actually they don't like it when others go out of business, compition is good it keeps you on your toes.

Wal-Mart isn't perfect but if it weren't for Wal-Mart I would't have my house, my car, and everything else I own because by now you have you might have guessed I have worked for them for 7 years. Yes I have to agree it has gone down a little in the past year but they will pick up again when they get back to basics and get off their high horse because this past week or so I think they might of realized that people expect more.

 

[crazelion]

Wal-Mart is not the only employer that treat there employees like dirt. Go work for TJ Maxx INC they would put Wal-Mart to shame. HomeGoods starts out all employees with 5.50 hour and do not pay for expeince. When our new Wal-Mart open up Marshells lost all there workforce to Wal-Mart because they were paying more money then Marshells. I mean they had to bring in a temporary workforce even the managers quit on them.

All our Wal-Marts is clean and I never have run into a dirty Wal-Mart in my life. Now K-Mart is filthy. Targart is clean but can't afford them. TJ Maxx and Marshells here is the most dirty retail stores here. The reason being because there employees don't have enough time clean the store during three jobs.

I happy that Wal-Mart move into our neighborhood because now I don't have go cross town to get everything.

 

[Gary M]

This thread reminds me of Yogi Berra's statement "Nobody goes there anymore, it's too crowded."

I like our Wal*Mart. It's clean and the grocery prices can't be beat.