[Edited 4/24/12 20:25pm]

nd33 said:

^^^^This is why you shouldn't shop at Walmart.

New Orleans has a Walmart but the Target is in Meterie which is too far out for me on public transportantion.

There is often a feeling of depression, anger or saddness in me when I leave Walmart.

That does not happen when I leave Target.

They never open up enough registers so there is always a long wait and the cashiers are about as happy to be their as people doing community service as part of their plea bargain in court.

There is just too much negative energy in the air for my supper sensative mind to fend off.

Cerebus said:

I must go to some of the world's most normal Walmarts. Granted, I don't go to them very often, but I've never seen stuff like what's in these videos. Just regular people doing some shopping.

The one I go to most often is in the town where I work (population ~3700), so it can be somewhat "interesting," at times. But honestly, most of the folks are just kind of country. They don't have a lot of money - and it shows. (That's not a dig - just speaking the truth.)

I never get the hatred for Walmart. In little communities like this, it's made it possible for folks to get a lot of stuff they used to have to drive 40 miles to Madison to get - saving them time and fuel. (Which is no small thing these days. I figure my drive to work and back costs me about $11/day right now - and I drive a car that gets 30 mpg.) A big percentage of people out here drive trucks - which means it'd cost them 20 bucks just to drive to Madison and back, before they even buy anything.

The way Walmart treats it's employees (particularly in some areas, becasue I don't believe it's the same at every store nation wide) is inexcusable. They should be held to the letter of the law just like every other business. But if they aren't breaking any laws, then I don't see any problems. I worked for a company for seven years who supplied NO benefits. ZERO. They paid me, gave me three weeks vacation and a week of sick days each year - which was more than the law required.

Now, as far as Walmarts business practices go, I applaud them. If somebody can't find a way to beat them, they win! That's the way a free market economy is supposed to work. Walmart isn't losing money overall or they would raise their prices. Anybody else can come along and buy up millions of units of the same products and sell them for the same prices as Walmart. But nobody has done it.

More to the point, this is the way it's supposed to be. There's always supposed to be somebody trying to find a better way to do EVERYTHING. And it's to OUR BENEFIT if they do. Walmart had a plan, paid to institute it and reaped the MASSIVE reward for doing so. That doesn't make them evil, it makes them smart.

Also, they aren't killing the "Mom and Pop" shop. The way of the world did that. Life moving on did that. We don't live in the 50s anymore. We don't know all our neighbors. We don't leave our doors unlocked. We're not loyal to the corner grocier. Everyone shops at multiple stores on a regular basis, as well as online. In communities big and small, if a "Mom and Pop" shop has a product or service that is needed, they continue to thrive. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that more "Mom and Pop" shops have failed because people have chosen to stop supporting them than have been driven out by "the big bad box stores". Somebody has to choose to shop at the big box stores in order for them to survive, same as the "Mom and Pops".

All that being said; if something I need is cheaper at Walmart by a significant amount (like my cat food - which saves me $30 a month over Safeway, more if I were to shop at PetSmart), I'm going to buy it there.

Ya know, this same thing happened with Starbucks. There was this huge backlash about how evil they were. How they were driving out the small coffee shops. Well you know what? More people drink good coffee now. More people buy good coffee now. And there are small coffee shops in nearly every town in America, existing just fine WITH Starbucks.

Genesia said:

Cerebus said:

I must go to some of the world's most normal Walmarts. Granted, I don't go to them very often, but I've never seen stuff like what's in these videos. Just regular people doing some shopping.

The one I go to most often is in the town where I work (population ~3700), so it can be somewhat "interesting," at times. But honestly, most of the folks are just kind of country. They don't have a lot of money - and it shows. (That's not a dig - just speaking the truth.)

I never get the hatred for Walmart. In little communities like this, it's made it possible for folks to get a lot of stuff they used to have to drive 40 miles to Madison to get - saving them time and fuel. (Which is no small thing these days. I figure my drive to work and back costs me about $11/day right now - and I drive a car that gets 30 mpg.) A big percentage of people out here drive trucks - which means it'd cost them 20 bucks just to drive to Madison and back, before they even buy anything.

Yeah, all of them around here (for many miles in every direction) are in heavily populated areas. I mean, you could add two zeroes to that population number up above for the people within ten minutes of most (if not all) of them. I'm sure that's the difference.

See my last post. I agree.

I too dont hate Walmart for the business reasons.. like I said, I do shop there... What I hate the Walmart "experience"... Some of the employees are completely disgustiong and I have no idea WHY they would be hired to work the the general public...

Then there is the whole customer base... Not everyone mind you, but if I need a pick me up or a good laugh I know I can get it at my walmart... There is a really nice one, but its across town... I might as well of bought my expensive items at the hy-vee because Im gonna spend it in gas and time..

I dont have this experience at Target.. I dont leave there wanting to punch 10 people..

tinaz said:

Dewrede said:

I like Walmart

Don't see anything wrong with them

Did you not watch the videos??...

wasn't talking about the people but the store itself

btw that song and those people singing it are 100 times more annoying than those walmart customers

i've never encountered any people like that at walmart btw

[Edited 4/24/12 5:51am]

Cerebus said:

The way Walmart treats it's employees (particularly in some areas, becasue I don't believe it's the same at every store nation wide) is inexcusable. They should be held to the letter of the law just like every other business. But if they aren't breaking any laws, then I don't see any problems. I worked for a company for seven years who supplied NO benefits. ZERO. They paid me, gave me three weeks vacation and a week of sick days each year - which was more than the law required.

Now, as far as Walmarts business practices go, I applaud them. If somebody can't find a way to beat them, they win! That's the way a free market economy is supposed to work. Walmart isn't losing money overall or they would raise their prices. Anybody else can come along and buy up millions of units of the same products and sell them for the same prices as Walmart. But nobody has done it.

More to the point, this is the way it's supposed to be. There's always supposed to be somebody trying to find a better way to do EVERYTHING. And it's to OUR BENEFIT if they do. Walmart had a plan, paid to institute it and reaped the MASSIVE reward for doing so. That doesn't make them evil, it makes them smart.

Also, they aren't killing the "Mom and Pop" shop. The way of the world did that. Life moving on did that. We don't live in the 50s anymore. We don't know all our neighbors. We don't leave our doors unlocked. We're not loyal to the corner grocier. Everyone shops at multiple stores on a regular basis, as well as online. In communities big and small, if a "Mom and Pop" shop has a product or service that is needed, they continue to thrive. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that more "Mom and Pop" shops have failed because people have chosen to stop supporting them than have been driven out by "the big bad box stores". Somebody has to choose to shop at the big box stores in order for them to survive, same as the "Mom and Pops".

All that being said; if something I need is cheaper at Walmart by a significant amount (like my cat food - which saves me $30 a month over Safeway, more if I were to shop at PetSmart), I'm going to buy it there.

Ya know, this same thing happened with Starbucks. There was this huge backlash about how evil they were. How they were driving out the small coffee shops. Well you know what? More people drink good coffee now. More people buy good coffee now. And there are small coffee shops in nearly every town in America, existing just fine WITH Starbucks.

Geez, dude. You sound like a conservative.

Genesia said:

Geez, dude. You sound like a conservative.

I've always said I'm a liberative, or a Demopublican. One of my biggest issues with all of that is the notion that you have to be one or the other. It puts people in boxes which force them to shine at less than full power. I think ALL sides have some good ideas and ALL sides have some bad ones.

That's all. Not gonna ramble today. My head kinda hurts.

Cerebus said:

Genesia said:

Geez, dude. You sound like a conservative.

I've always said I'm a liberative, or a Demopublican. One of my biggest issues with all of that is the notion that you have to be one or the other. It puts people in boxes which force them to shine at less than full power. I think ALL sides have some good ideas and ALL sides have some bad ones.

That's all. Not gonna ramble today. My head kinda hurts.

tinaz said:

I too dont hate Walmart for the business reasons.. like I said, I do shop there... What I hate the Walmart "experience"... Some of the employees are completely disgustiong and I have no idea WHY they would be hired to work the the general public...

Then there is the whole customer base... Not everyone mind you, but if I need a pick me up or a good laugh I know I can get it at my walmart... There is a really nice one, but its across town... I might as well of bought my expensive items at the hy-vee because Im gonna spend it in gas and time..

I dont have this experience at Target.. I dont leave there wanting to punch 10 people..

They certainly can't answer a question about an electronic appliance such as a stereo or TV. All Walmart carries is basic amateur type tabletop stereos for people that aren't really much into music in the first place and they can't even answer questions about those simple products such as "does it have jacks and a ground wire jack in the back for plugging in a turntable" because the employees don't know their head from their ass. That's the kind of customer service you can't get from ordering online and you have to ask when you're in an appliance store such as Rex when you're buying something in person. Oh wait, there's no more Rex stores thanks to places like Walmart and Best Buy.

vainandy said:

tinaz said:

I too dont hate Walmart for the business reasons.. like I said, I do shop there... What I hate the Walmart "experience"... Some of the employees are completely disgustiong and I have no idea WHY they would be hired to work the the general public...

Then there is the whole customer base... Not everyone mind you, but if I need a pick me up or a good laugh I know I can get it at my walmart... There is a really nice one, but its across town... I might as well of bought my expensive items at the hy-vee because Im gonna spend it in gas and time..

I dont have this experience at Target.. I dont leave there wanting to punch 10 people..

They certainly can't answer a question about an electronic appliance such as a stereo or TV. All Walmart carries is basic amateur type tabletop stereos for people that aren't really much into music in the first place and they can't even answer questions about those simple products such as "does it have jacks and a ground wire jack in the back for plugging in a turntable" because the employees don't know their head from their ass. That's the kind of customer service you can't get from ordering online and you have to ask when you're in an appliance store such as Rex when you're buying something in person. Oh wait, there's no more Rex stores thanks to places like Walmart and Best Buy.

Here's the thing: Do people really expect stellar customer service when they go to Walmart? I don't. I go to Walmart for stuff I don't want to spend a lot of money on (which nobody beats them at) and because, in the town where I work, it's the only game in town.

When I needed a new cartridge for my turntable, I didn't even think about going to Walmart or Best Buy. I needed guidance to get the right thing - which I knew I wasn't going to get in either of those places. I went to a place in Madison called Specialized Sound. It's an audio store that's been there for years (I mean, since I was a kid - I think my dad bought his first stereo there in the early 70s). They've carved out a niche - designing high-end sound systems for people and providing terrific service. They had exactly the cartridge I needed. Pricey - but perfect.

In fact, until several years ago, I had the original stereo receiver my dad bought. I kept it because it had - yup - a dedicated turntable jack and ground. When it died, I tried to find a replacement at Circuit City - where it quickly became obvious that the salespeople had no friggin' clue. I found my current receiver at another small stereo store in Madison - University Audio. I paid more for it than I would have at a chain, but the guys there were so helpful, I didn't mind.

Now, when I need a pair of cheap-ass earbuds for work, I'll be at the local Walmart again. But for something major that requires help? Gimme small merchants.

Frankly, if there's no more Rex, it isn't Walmart's fault. It's the fault of Rex, itself - or of the customers who abandoned it.

Genesia said:

vainandy said:

They certainly can't answer a question about an electronic appliance such as a stereo or TV. All Walmart carries is basic amateur type tabletop stereos for people that aren't really much into music in the first place and they can't even answer questions about those simple products such as "does it have jacks and a ground wire jack in the back for plugging in a turntable" because the employees don't know their head from their ass. That's the kind of customer service you can't get from ordering online and you have to ask when you're in an appliance store such as Rex when you're buying something in person. Oh wait, there's no more Rex stores thanks to places like Walmart and Best Buy.

Here's the thing: Do people really expect stellar customer service when they go to Walmart? I don't. I go to Walmart for stuff I don't want to spend a lot of money on (which nobody beats them at) and because, in the town where I work, it's the only game in town.

When I needed a new cartridge for my turntable, I didn't even think about going to Walmart or Best Buy. I needed guidance to get the right thing - which I knew I wasn't going to get in either of those places. I went to a place in Madison called Specialized Sound. It's an audio store that's been there for years (I mean, since I was a kid - I think my dad bought his first stereo there in the early 70s). They've carved out a niche - designing high-end sound systems for people and providing terrific service. They had exactly the cartridge I needed. Pricey - but perfect.

In fact, until several years ago, I had the original stereo receiver my dad bought. I kept it because it had - yup - a dedicated turntable jack and ground. When it died, I tried to find a replacement at Circuit City - where it quickly became obvious that the salespeople had no friggin' clue. I found my current receiver at another small stereo store in Madison - University Audio. I paid more for it than I would have at a chain, but the guys there were so helpful, I didn't mind.

Now, when I need a pair of cheap-ass earbuds for work, I'll be at the local Walmart again. But for something major that requires help? Gimme small merchants.

Frankly, if there's no more Rex, it isn't Walmart's fault. It's the fault of Rex, itself - or of the customers who abandoned it.

Actually, I think the Rex stores closed in my area because the city is on the decline and they were constantly getting broken into after they closed. They had video cameras but a video tape of a break-in is simply a souvenir to remember the occassion because the police never catch the crooks. And the little rinky dink stereo stuff at Walmart ain't worth stealing. They prefer to rob the customers in the parking lot. That and the fact that the younger generation today seems happy with little portable stuff they can listen to through headphones. I can just imagine if they were to throw a party...."Come on everyone, let's gather around the headphones". My motto is, if the stereo is not capable of having the police to come out to your place for disburbing the peace, then it ain't worth having.

We still have Radio Shack. I don't know for how long though. But I never have liked their stereo products. Give them a few months, and the volume and bass knobs develop static when you turn them. I sometimes buy accessories there that no one else would have but if I know someone else has the accessory for cheaper but I have technical questions I need to ask, I will go into Radio Shack as if I were going to buy the accessory, ask my questions, and then when they get ready to ring it up, I'd say...."Oh that's expensive. I never dreamed it was that expensive and I didn't bring enough money with me". Then I take my ass somewhere else and buy the same product for cheaper.

The only stuff I get at Walmart is health and beauty aids such as shampoo, toothpaste, soap, toilet paper, etc. but I rarely even get those at Walmart now that I know about the dollar stores that are much smaller where I can park right in front of the window.

.

.

.

[Edited 4/24/12 11:57am]

They're fightin' tooth and nail about the building of a new Walmart here, technically, the fact that a neighborhood landmark is having to be demolished to build it is the problem. The area is the perfect and worst location, it's closeness to the redeveloped downtown and the extreme homeless population. If and when they actually get it built I doubt I'll ever see the inside of it, I'm hardly ever in that area at this point in my life. City council is trying as best they can to keep the super-Walmarts at bay, so they're building more of them throughout the city. And yeah I shop there for the household stuff, but I do spread my dollar around and now they've reopened the KMart near me so that helps, they are never crowded, but they're not as cheap either.

Just wondering if the people that shop at Walmart watched the video about Walmart. Tinaz??? What are your thoughts on the video (High cost of low price)???

and i was just wondering ~ does anyone here who goes 2 wallmart follow the dress code????

of course u dont!!! but do u know anyone that does??????????

omg bad grammar edit x 2

[Edited 4/24/12 19:38pm]

kewlschool said:

Just wondering if the people that shop at Walmart watched the video about Walmart. Tinaz??? What are your thoughts on the video (High cost of low price)???

I've seen more anti-Walmart material than I ever thought could exist. Most of it was produced by their competitors or political advisaries. I stand by what I said above. If somebody wants to get rid of Walmart then they need to come up with a better idea to draw consumers away from them. Until then, Walmart wins.

kewlschool said:

Just wondering if the people that shop at Walmart watched the video about Walmart. Tinaz??? What are your thoughts on the video (High cost of low price)???

It seems nobody wants to hear it.

In that case, America is on it's way to becoming one ginormous Walmart.

Cerebus said:

kewlschool said:

Just wondering if the people that shop at Walmart watched the video about Walmart. Tinaz??? What are your thoughts on the video (High cost of low price)???

I've seen more anti-Walmart material than I ever thought could exist. Most of it was produced by their competitors or political advisaries. I stand by what I said above. If somebody wants to get rid of Walmart then they need to come up with a better idea to draw consumers away from them. Until then, Walmart wins.

The guy who produced it is an independent film maker, he's no affiliate of rival corporations.

[Edited 4/24/12 20:25pm]

nd33 said:

Cerebus said:

I've seen more anti-Walmart material than I ever thought could exist. Most of it was produced by their competitors or political advisaries. I stand by what I said above. If somebody wants to get rid of Walmart then they need to come up with a better idea to draw consumers away from them. Until then, Walmart wins.

The guy who produced it is an independent film maker, he's no affiliate of rival corporations.

The video doesn't work.

I've seen it.

You don't know who he's associated with, who he knows or what his motivation is. You only know what he and his supporters want you to know. There are MANY sides to every story.

I know how they get their products and I know what affect it has on everyone involved (from manufacturing, to distribution, to storage and delivery). I know how they sell their products and I know what people want you to believe that means, too. I've already commented about it. If somebody comes up with a better way, Walmart will fall. Until then, I enjoy my reasonably priced cat food quite a bit. What I don't understand is how people can fail to realize that if Walmart is selling something for 40-60% less than their competitors, they're paying too much for it everyplace else.

Cerebus said:

nd33 said:

The guy who produced it is an independent film maker, he's no affiliate of rival corporations.

The video doesn't work.

I've seen it.

You don't know who he's associated with, who he knows or what his motivation is. You only know what he and his supporters want you to know. There are MANY sides to every story.

I know how they get their products and I know what affect it has on everyone involved (from manufacturing, to distribution, to storage and delivery). I know how they sell their products and I know what people want you to believe that means, too. I've already commented about it. If somebody comes up with a better way, Walmart will fall. Until then, I enjoy my reasonably priced cat food quite a bit. What I don't understand is how people can fail to realize that if Walmart is selling something for 40-60% less than their competitors, they're paying too much for it everyplace else.

Cheers, just adjusted the link to one that works.

Alot of that price reduction, as the video points out, is paid for by very low wages, cheating staff of their overtime hours, not complying with environmental regulations, local government subsidizing building costs (while refusing to subsidize any building costs of any independent stores) and relying on government benefits to pay for it's staff's foodstamps, health care etc (because their wages aren't enough money to live on), all the while passing on obscene profits to the 6 or so owners.

Food for thought...

[Edited 4/24/12 20:38pm]

morningsong said:

They're fightin' tooth and nail about the building of a new Walmart here, technically, the fact that a neighborhood landmark is having to be demolished to build it is the problem. The area is the perfect and worst location, it's closeness to the redeveloped downtown and the extreme homeless population. If and when they actually get it built I doubt I'll ever see the inside of it, I'm hardly ever in that area at this point in my life. City council is trying as best they can to keep the super-Walmarts at bay, so they're building more of them throughout the city. And yeah I shop there for the household stuff, but I do spread my dollar around and now they've reopened the KMart near me so that helps, they are never crowded, but they're not as cheap either.

Are U in San Diego too?

nd33 said:

Cerebus said:

The video doesn't work.

I've seen it.

You don't know who he's associated with, who he knows or what his motivation is. You only know what he and his supporters want you to know. There are MANY sides to every story.

I know how they get their products and I know what affect it has on everyone involved (from manufacturing, to distribution, to storage and delivery). I know how they sell their products and I know what people want you to believe that means, too. I've already commented about it. If somebody comes up with a better way, Walmart will fall. Until then, I enjoy my reasonably priced cat food quite a bit. What I don't understand is how people can fail to realize that if Walmart is selling something for 40-60% less than their competitors, they're paying too much for it everyplace else.

Cheers, just adjusted the link to one that works.

Alot of that price reduction, as the video points out, is paid for by very low wages, cheating staff of their overtime hours, not complying with environmental regulations, local government subsidizing building costs (while refusing to subsidize any building costs of any independent stores) and relying on government benefits to pay for it's staff's foodstamps, health care etc (because their wages aren't enough money to live on), all the while passing on obscene profits to the 6 or so owners.

Food for thought...

[Edited 4/24/12 20:38pm]

Low wages are legal. At least those people are employed.

When it's been proven that they shorted employees they've been forced to pay. There are people who get screwed by their small employers all the time and never get squat because nobodies paying attention to them.

Government subsidizes EVERYTHING and it's largely done through partisan politics; one side gets this, the other side gets that.

There are numerous, let me make that bigger, NUMEROUS tax breaks and incentive programs available for hard working inviduals who are willing to take the chance on owning a small business. Don't thinks so? Ask all the immigrants who come here and take advantage of those programs because most Americans won't. Most small businesses fail. It's been that way forver. But you know what? Walmart started out as a small business. They succeeded.

The reason they subsidize Walmart so much is because Walmart is a huge part the US economy at the moment. And they pay taxes just like every other business. They also employ a ridiculous number of people. All those people pay taxes, too.

I don't understand what food stamps have to do with anything. It certainly has nothing to do with Walmart.

As I stated before, if they aren't required to be supplying health care benefits by law then they aren't breaing any laws. It's as simple as that.

Business owners are SUPPOSED to get the profits. That's why you go into business. Nobody goes into business to LOSE money. And those owners spend unfathomable amounts of money on a DAILY basis to keep all of their stores running. It's a risk that they take every day. The reward is that they get to roll in cash so long as the risk continues to pay off. I have NOTHING against anyone who gets rich because they had a good idea and skills to make it work.

As far as environmental concerns go I can only assume that you are referring to the location of some of their stores. How they're bigger and less efficient than they're supposed to be. That I'm not in favor of, but that's not exclusive to Walmart. Urban sprawl in general is a plague in our country. We have too much space for our own good and we've been grossly taking advantage of it since the end of WWII.

In closing (and this is all I have to say about it, because I'm not debating, I've already made my decision on the matter), when somebody comes up with something better than Walmart, something that saves me as much money, I'll support them in a heartbeat. And nothing is going to change in that regard until that takes place. So it's very likely that Walmart will be the norm for a very long time. Until then, when I need to shop at Walmart, I'm going to shop at Walmart.

Cerebus said:

nd33 said:

Cheers, just adjusted the link to one that works.

Alot of that price reduction, as the video points out, is paid for by very low wages, cheating staff of their overtime hours, not complying with environmental regulations, local government subsidizing building costs (while refusing to subsidize any building costs of any independent stores) and relying on government benefits to pay for it's staff's foodstamps, health care etc (because their wages aren't enough money to live on), all the while passing on obscene profits to the 6 or so owners.

Food for thought...

[Edited 4/24/12 20:38pm]

Low wages are legal. At least those people are employed.

When it's been proven that they shorted employees they've been forced to pay. There are people who get screwed by their small employers all the time and never get squat because nobodies paying attention to them.

Government subsidizes EVERYTHING and it's largely done through partisan politics; one side gets this, the other side gets that.

There are numerous, let me make that bigger, NUMEROUS tax breaks and incentive programs available for hard working inviduals who are willing to take the chance on owning a small business. Don't thinks so? Ask all the immigrants who come here and take advantage of those programs because most Americans won't. Most small businesses fail. It's been that way forver. But you know what? Walmart started out as a small business. They succeeded.

The reason they subsidize Walmart so much is because Walmart is a huge part the US economy at the moment. And they pay taxes just like every other business. They also employ a ridiculous number of people. All those people pay taxes, too.

I don't understand what food stamps have to do with anything. It certainly has nothing to do with Walmart.

As I stated before, if they aren't required to be supplying health care benefits by law then they aren't breaing any laws. It's as simple as that.

Business owners are SUPPOSED to get the profits. That's why you go into business. Nobody goes into business to LOSE money. And those owners spend unfathomable amounts of money on a DAILY basis to keep all of their stores running. It's a risk that they take every day. The reward is that they get to roll in cash so long as the risk continues to pay off. I have NOTHING against anyone who gets rich because they had a good idea and skills to make it work.

As far as environmental concerns go I can only assume that you are referring to the location of some of their stores. How they're bigger and less efficient than they're supposed to be. That I'm not in favor of, but that's not exclusive to Walmart. Urban sprawl in general is a plague in our country. We have too much space for our own good and we've been grossly taking advantage of it since the end of WWII.

In closing (and this is all I have to say about it, because I'm not debating, I've already made my decision on the matter), when somebody comes up with something better than Walmart, something that saves me as much money, I'll support them in a heartbeat. And nothing is going to change in that regard until that takes place. So it's very likely that Walmart will be the norm for a very long time. Until then, when I need to shop at Walmart, I'm going to shop at Walmart.

Are you sure you've seen that documentary?

kewlschool said:

Just wondering if the people that shop at Walmart watched the video about Walmart. Tinaz??? What are your thoughts on the video (High cost of low price)???

to be honest Kewlschool, i havent watched it... It was over an hour long wasnt it?? I promise I will get it watched and get back to you!! Unless you wanna cliff note version me

Cerebus said:

nd33 said:

The guy who produced it is an independent film maker, he's no affiliate of rival corporations.

The video doesn't work.

I've seen it.

You don't know who he's associated with, who he knows or what his motivation is. You only know what he and his supporters want you to know. There are MANY sides to every story.

I know how they get their products and I know what affect it has on everyone involved (from manufacturing, to distribution, to storage and delivery). I know how they sell their products and I know what people want you to believe that means, too. I've already commented about it. If somebody comes up with a better way, Walmart will fall. Until then, I enjoy my reasonably priced cat food quite a bit. What I don't understand is how people can fail to realize that if Walmart is selling something for 40-60% less than their competitors, they're paying too much for it everyplace else.

If you own thousand of stores across the nation, I'm sure you could probably get a pretty big discount on an item from the company that makes it since you are ordering mass quanitities of that item. Then you could afford to sell it for less in your stores. For a local store owner, he or she orders a whole hell of a lot less and wouldn't get that discount so he or she could not afford to sell the item as cheap as Walmart.

nd33 said:

Cerebus said:

Low wages are legal. At least those people are employed.

When it's been proven that they shorted employees they've been forced to pay. There are people who get screwed by their small employers all the time and never get squat because nobodies paying attention to them.

Government subsidizes EVERYTHING and it's largely done through partisan politics; one side gets this, the other side gets that.

There are numerous, let me make that bigger, NUMEROUS tax breaks and incentive programs available for hard working inviduals who are willing to take the chance on owning a small business. Don't thinks so? Ask all the immigrants who come here and take advantage of those programs because most Americans won't. Most small businesses fail. It's been that way forver. But you know what? Walmart started out as a small business. They succeeded.

The reason they subsidize Walmart so much is because Walmart is a huge part the US economy at the moment. And they pay taxes just like every other business. They also employ a ridiculous number of people. All those people pay taxes, too.

I don't understand what food stamps have to do with anything. It certainly has nothing to do with Walmart.

As I stated before, if they aren't required to be supplying health care benefits by law then they aren't breaing any laws. It's as simple as that.

Business owners are SUPPOSED to get the profits. That's why you go into business. Nobody goes into business to LOSE money. And those owners spend unfathomable amounts of money on a DAILY basis to keep all of their stores running. It's a risk that they take every day. The reward is that they get to roll in cash so long as the risk continues to pay off. I have NOTHING against anyone who gets rich because they had a good idea and skills to make it work.

As far as environmental concerns go I can only assume that you are referring to the location of some of their stores. How they're bigger and less efficient than they're supposed to be. That I'm not in favor of, but that's not exclusive to Walmart. Urban sprawl in general is a plague in our country. We have too much space for our own good and we've been grossly taking advantage of it since the end of WWII.

In closing (and this is all I have to say about it, because I'm not debating, I've already made my decision on the matter), when somebody comes up with something better than Walmart, something that saves me as much money, I'll support them in a heartbeat. And nothing is going to change in that regard until that takes place. So it's very likely that Walmart will be the norm for a very long time. Until then, when I need to shop at Walmart, I'm going to shop at Walmart.

Are you sure you've seen that documentary?

Typical kneejerk liberal response. "If you don't agree with me, you're stupid, ill-informed, evil - or all of the above."

Cerebus is right. He and I have disagreed on many, many things over the years (haven't we, dearie?), but I won't even try to improve upon his answer in this case.

Genesia said:

nd33 said:

Are you sure you've seen that documentary?

Typical kneejerk liberal response. "If you don't agree with me, you're stupid, ill-informed, evil - or all of the above."

Cerebus is right. He and I have disagreed on many, many things over the years (haven't we, dearie?), but I won't even try to improve upon his answer in this case.

Cheers for the words you've thrown in my mouth!

It's worth a watch for sure.

walmart is inexpensive, howeber, most of the goods thre were not made in the USA. more and more these days i try to buy made in the USA, local if possible. really hard, that