How do you feel about Wal-Mart?
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| Wed, 11-26-2008 - 6:23pm |
I read this op/ed (it's tied in with the automotive industry issues) http://www.indystar.com/article/20081119/OPINION12/811190304/1301/ARCHIVE the other day and it got me thinking. I've always heard about the lousy way they treat their employees but...it's their prices that keep me going back. Since I've moved to the South it's been even worse. They have Super Wal-Marts here where there is a grocery store in the Wal-Mart.
Now, there was an article the other day in my local newspaper with the mayor asking people to do their Christmas shopping downtown and buy local to support our mom & pop stores. Now, I'd love to do that but I have three kids and you know where I'm going.
Part of me really doesn't like what Wal-Mart stands for but the other part of me feels like "why should I pay more when I know I can get it cheaper there?"
Any thoughts?

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Jobs, btw that were already there and lost to Wal-Mart, and instead of spending the money such that it stayed in the area, now it flows out - and strips the area of any uniqueness.
If people wish to shop at Wal-Mart, I have no issue with it, nor should I, and make my own choice as well.
They aren't perfect, and neither am I.
Full length fiction: worlds undone
"You have no power over my body..." ~ Anne Hutchinson
>>> Someone probably posted this already. But sadly a Wal-Mart worker was killed due to inadequate crowd control.
Wrong. They were killed because some people were selfish and thoughtless. The situation required that the crowd act with basic civility...but frankly, the situation needn't have existed at all if not for the baiting of the store owners.
>>> Huh? They run local stores out of business by undercutting them through underpaid labor and outsourced jobs to China.
Sounds kinda mean to the overpriced stores, but good for the community who, no doubt, appreciate the low prices.
>>> Say goodbye to decent, decent paying locally owned service stores and manufacturers. We don't make bikes, TVs, toasters, clothes and everything else we used to make in America and Wal-Mart is a good reason why. Their whole operation is geared towards squeezing factories and their exploited labor in China.
I grew up in a small town, and I can say, for a fact, that no one in the town actually built bikes, TV's, toasters or made clothes. All of the local businesses imported their goods, and all probably did so with regard to the least expense and greatest profit while offering low prices to entice consumers. And frankly, I don't think a single mother of three really cares where her kids clothes are made...she's just happy she can afford to clothe and feed them. Thanks Wal-Mart.
>>> I love how they make a big deal out of selling American flags and parading around like the Fox Republicans like they are some kind of patriots as they run Americans out of decent paying jobs.
They run overpriced businesses out of businesses and offer the community comparable goods for lower prices. They also bring jobs to the community and draw in many other businesses who want to take advantage of the consumer traffic...who also create jobs and offer vital services...all of which generate revenue for the community.
>>> Basically, it's been black is white and up is down for the past 8 years. The Bushie Fox Republican politicians were happy to go right along with the free and unfair trade with China.
It's only black and white for elitist liberals who talk out of both sides of their mouths. They claim to care about "the poor" but then try to screw the businesses that offer "the poor" goods that they can afford. Thanks liberals, for attacking "the poor" and making their lives more difficult.
>>> Because of Wal-Mart alone, we have so many empty shipping containers we don't know what to do with them. Soon we'll be using them for houses and stores like they do in third world countries in Africa.
I'm pretty sure that Wal-Mar takes care if it's own shipping containers, but if liberals want to use them for homeless shelters, mostly so they can say they've "done something"...LOL!...I'm sure that Wal-Mart would pitch in.
>>> But hey everyone, keep on shopping there. See if things change.
They do...and the only thing they don't want to change is the low prices.
>>> Jobs, btw that were already there and lost to Wal-Mart, and instead of spending the money such that it stayed in the area, now it flows out - and strips the area of any uniqueness.
Oh, how sad...crappy retail stores in stucco shoeboxes have been replaced with one-stop shopping...and at cheaper prices to boot. How awful for that family trying to provide on a budget...especially in these trying economic times. Imagine the horror of all of that revenue flowing into the community...keeping businesses alive and bringing in new businesses that create even more jobs and generate even more revenue.
>>> If people wish to shop at Wal-Mart, I have no issue with it, nor should I, and make my own choice as well. They aren't perfect, and neither am I.
No, they're just trying to get by...and Wal-Mart offers them the goods they want at prices they can afford.
I don't think a single mother of three really cares where her kids clothes are made...she's just happy she can afford to clothe and feed them. Thanks Wal-Mart.>>
As a single mother with three I can tell you that I do care where their clothes come from. I don't buy my children's clothes at Walmart because, in my experience, the clothes don't last long. Much more cost effective to purchase better quality clothes that can stand up to repeated washings without falling apart. In actuality I have found thrift shops and resale shops to have quality clothes, often name brand clothes, for reasonable prices. Failing that, sales at more upscale stores provide better quality clothes.
It is a fallacy that many people of limited means fall into when they purchase based solely on price without regards to quality. Most often the product doesn't last as long as a better quality, but higher priced, product. This leads to repeated purchases - good for Walmart, bad for the consumer. Much better to wait, save your pennies, and then purchase a higher quality product that will outlast the cheap 'low priced' product offered at big box stores. Unfortunately, if you don't take the time to realize this you are stuck in an endless cycle of consumerism and inferior products. The concept of planned obsolescence is not good for uneducated consumers who often fall prey to this via the 'low prices' mindset to say nothing of landfills filled with discarded products and their packaging.
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