How do you feel about Wal-Mart?

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-04-2008
How do you feel about Wal-Mart?
383
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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iVillage Member
Registered: 11-07-2008
Wed, 12-03-2008 - 11:18pm

How an urban legend is born....


http://www.snopes.com/business/genius/usa.asp

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-30-2007
Thu, 12-04-2008 - 10:51am
Well.... You learn something new every day.
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-19-2008
Thu, 12-04-2008 - 1:53pm

>>> Your portrayal of what happened is fantasyland. Your blaming and namecalling of the Democrats for what happened on Republicans' watch is even worse than that.

Actually, the "crash" happened on the Democrat's watch. They've had the majority for years and did nothing...but prevent action that might have helped avoid the crash.

>>> So let's review your reality. Clinton's surplus was dumb luck. Bush's worst economic collapse since the Great Depression was dumb luck again. You've got to be kidding me.

The surplus was dumb luck as far as Clinton was concerned...it was due to a huge new industry with billions in new investment. And again, realistically speaking, the subprime lending that led to the crash was the Dem's baby...and they're the ones who protected it from conservative regulation...and it crashed on their watch. Reality hurts. LOL!

>>> The fact that you are trashing our President-elect before he has had the chance to serve a day in office is a joke. Did you know that President Obama already is taking the time to attend more intelligence briefings per week than our sitting President. I can't remember - are you the one who keeps "not" comparing our President-elect Obama to Hitler?

Right, I didn't compare him to Hitler...I just agree with the folks who did, that there are similarities...but you're the one who can't refute the comparisons, so I guess they must be valid. And as far as intelligence briefings go...wrong again. Bush gets one 6 days a week...Obama doesn't. And whether he's taken office or not, Obama isn't going to magically get experience, economic or otherwise, just because you wish it.

>>> Anyway, let me fill you in on a secret that everyone but you seems to know.

Oh, please...do share...I'm beginning to feel this "thrill going up my leg."

>>> It's no coincidence that we are in the worst economic collapse since the Great Depression,

Right...the Dems put us here with their stupid, liberal policies.

>>> we are in an unnecessary war,

Only unnecessary as far as you are concerned. The Dems voted for it. LOL!

>>> and our federal government has been totally incompetent over and over from the inept reaction to Katrina to not lifting a finger to stop 9/11 despite all the warning signs.

Except that Bush has been very effective in overseeing a growing economy (until the dopes "Democrat officials and politicians everywhere" were in charge), in overseeing a winning strategy in Iraq (which the dopes opposed) and in fighting terrorism and debilitating Al Qaeda (which the dopes opposed). Sounds like the dopes have been incredibly stupid and incompetent all along.

>>> Bush and the Fox Wal-Mart Bush Republicans have proven themselves a lazy, incompetent, corrupt failure. This is one of the worst bunches of politicians in American history.

Except that they've been successful in almost every respect...with the dopes fighting them at every turn and with incredible failures once the dopes took charge. The dopes are really the worst bunch of politicians in American history.

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-19-2008
Thu, 12-04-2008 - 5:26pm

I just saw a news story about Wal-Mart which seemed interesting. In a down economy, sales seem to be up! It appears consumers really like to shop at Wal-Mart.

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/081204/wal_mart_stores_sales.html?.v=2

Wal-Mart Stores' November same-store sales rise

Wal-Mart same-store sales rise in November, as consumers shopped more as gas prices fell

BENTONVILLE, Ark. (AP) -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. says November same-store sales rose 3.4 percent, as consumers shopped more ahead of the holidays as gas prices dropped.

Same-store sales, or sales at stores open at least one year, rose 3.4 percent at Wal-Mart stores and 3.5 percent at its Sam's Club warehouse division. Including fuel, same-store sales rose 3 percent.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters, on average, had expected same-store sales to rise 2.1 percent.

Total sales rose 2 percent to $32.21 billion, hurt by an 11 percent decline in international sales due to the stronger dollar. In the U.S., sales of groceries boosted results.

The company expects December same-store sales to rise at the high end of a 1 percent to 3 percent range.

mccain image

Obama image
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-20-2008
Thu, 12-04-2008 - 5:49pm
Hey - what other people do is their business.
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-19-2008
Thu, 12-04-2008 - 6:59pm

"I'm not going to contribute to a company whose principles I disagree with."

People should shop where they are comfortable.

I read another related article, which says sales at Costco are down. Apparently consumers have pushed up sales at Wal-Mart and pushed down sales at Costco. This despite a lot of anti Wal-Mart propaganda.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/05/business/economy/05shop.html?_r=1&hp

At Costco, which had a 1 percent sales decline in October, sales sank 5 percent in November, more than expected.

mccain image

Obama image
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-04-2008
Thu, 12-04-2008 - 9:40pm
I'm not surprised at all. Even though things seem to be calming down a little I think that people may have been shocked into going to Wal-Mart after $4 gal gas, unemployment being up, stock market going down. I'm sure people are now watching where their money is going especially now with the holidays coming.
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-20-2008
Fri, 12-05-2008 - 8:42am

Thank you for spending the time to respond to my post. I believe you are in total denial and out of touch with reality. To you, the Democrats are somehow to blame for the horrible record of our Republican President and deserve no credit at all for the relatively terrific record of our last Democratic President. I'll review your post.

">>> Your portrayal of what happened is fantasyland. Your blaming and namecalling of the Democrats for what happened on Republicans' watch is even worse than that.

Actually, the "crash" happened on the Democrat's watch. They've had the majority for years and did nothing...but prevent action that might have helped avoid the crash.

***Denial

>>> So let's review your reality. Clinton's surplus was dumb luck. Bush's worst economic collapse since the Great Depression was dumb luck again. You've got to be kidding me.

The surplus was dumb luck as far as Clinton was concerned...it was due to a huge new industry with billions in new investment. And again, realistically speaking, the subprime lending that led to the crash was the Dem's baby...and they're the ones who protected it from conservative regulation...and it crashed on their watch. Reality hurts. LOL!

***Reality does hurt. It's easier to be in denial.

>>> The fact that you are trashing our President-elect before he has had the chance to serve a day in office is a joke. Did you know that President Obama already is taking the time to attend more intelligence briefings per week than our sitting President. I can't remember - are you the one who keeps "not" comparing our President-elect Obama to Hitler?

Right, I didn't compare him to Hitler...I just agree with the folks who did, that there are similarities...but you're the one who can't refute the comparisons, so I guess they must be valid. And as far as intelligence briefings go...wrong again. Bush gets one 6 days a week...Obama doesn't. And whether he's taken office or not, Obama isn't going to magically get experience, economic or otherwise, just because you wish it.

***Right, you are the poster who says Obama is similar to Hitler but you are not comparing the two. I just don't know how you can say that with a straight face. Come to think of it, maybe you are laughing as you type.

>>> Anyway, let me fill you in on a secret that everyone but you seems to know.

Oh, please...do share...I'm beginning to feel this "thrill going up my leg."

>>> It's no coincidence that we are in the worst economic collapse since the Great Depression,

Right...the Dems put us here with their stupid, liberal policies.

***Denial. We just had 8 years of a Republican President who has mostly controlled Congress and pretty much gotten everything he's wanted across the board. But it was the Democrats' policies, not his record, that led us here. Right. That's the ticket.

>>> we are in an unnecessary war,

Only unnecessary as far as you are concerned. The Dems voted for it. LOL!

***Some Dems did. They made a terrible mistake. And unlike Republicans Dems can acknowledge their mistakes - an essential component to correcting them. The Republicans, on the other hand, led us into this disastrous war, nearly all of them voted for it, and if they had their way they'd run our military and America with it into the ground by occupying the war zone forever.

>>> and our federal government has been totally incompetent over and over from the inept reaction to Katrina to not lifting a finger to stop 9/11 despite all the warning signs.

Except that Bush has been very effective in overseeing a growing economy (until the dopes "Democrat officials and politicians everywhere" were in charge), in overseeing a winning strategy in Iraq (which the dopes opposed) and in fighting terrorism and debilitating Al Qaeda (which the dopes opposed). Sounds like the dopes have been incredibly stupid and incompetent all along.

***Wrong. Bush has not been very effective in overseeing our economy. He has been a disaster. We are in the worst economic collapse since the Great Depression. I would hasten a guess that you believed McCain when he reassured us about a month ago that the fundamentals of our economy are sound. Maybe you still believe what he said is correct? Anyway, now it is widely acknowledged by economists that we have been in a recession since January and that this may be one of America's longest ever.

>>> Bush and the Fox Wal-Mart Bush Republicans have proven themselves a lazy, incompetent, corrupt failure. This is one of the worst bunches of politicians in American history.

Except that they've been successful in almost every respect...with the dopes fighting them at every turn and with incredible failures once the dopes took charge. The dopes are really the worst bunch of politicians in American history."

***Namecalling does not change the reality that the Republicans led this country for the past 8 years. They have been horrible. The attempt to rewrite history and abdicate responsibility for their record only makes it that much worse.

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-20-2008
Fri, 12-05-2008 - 10:18am
Soupy, some just have a hard time coming to terms with what happened November 4th - I'm sure they will eventually come around - NOT!!!!
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-29-2003
Fri, 12-05-2008 - 12:43pm

>>Look at Costco for example...


 


Mich

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