Gallon jars of pickles (the Wal-mart thread) (page 2)

talesin

As a form of protest, I have boycotted Walmart since it came to town.

Although I am poor, and it costs me more to buy certain products elsewhere, I am proud to say (and yes, you won't hear me say that too often) that my principles forbid me from taking advantage of the opportunity to save a few cents whilst supporting one of the most greedy, abusive corporations in the world.

Good article, Dan. There's nothing wrong with being an idealist, no matter what some people may say!

talesin

FMZ

OK, now a more serious post...

My wife has worked at Walmart for 14 years. I worked there for a couple of years before I graduated from college. My personal belief on the matter is that Walmart employs MILLIONS of people in the world. They bring decent prices to customers. If the other stores are not as dedicated in giving people low prices as Walmart are, then maybe they don't deserve the business of their customers.

Just my humble opinion. Let the flames begin.

FMZ

DanTheMan

talesin, good for you. The world needs a few more windmill-fighting Don Quixotes like us! LOL

FMZ, thanks for thinking before you typed this time! I don't think Wal-mart is all bad. Retail is cut-throat, there's no way around it, and nobody plays the game better than Wal-mart, they obviously have been wildly successful at doing what they do. The question is, will their success be our collective undoing?

Sassy

well my problem is that to support a strike against them is also a hit against the company I work for.. (I'd prefer not to say on the board publicly in writing)..

but for me to support a boycott.. and yet in a very large way Walmart is my company's biggest customer... then I'm hurting my own security of a paycheck.. so I do have mixed feelings about shopping there. I figure me alone, probably doesn't make a huge difference... so I decided it isn't worth fighting with my bf over.. If I can find things elsewhere..........but when I can't, I still might go and get it there...

talesin

Sassy

IMHO, nothing to feel guilty about, hon!!! We all have to pick our battles. If your livelihood depends on this field, then what can you do? I'm sure that you choose to make your stand in other ways, and do the best you can. None of us is perfect, none of us can live up to our ideals 24-7, that's part of getting away from JW black-and-white thinking. I for one, am so imperfect that we could write a book about it if we chose.

You just keep surviving the best you can, kay? From what I've read, you're a pretty amazing, powerful womyn in your own right! Maybe someday we will be going to "sassymart", who knows?

tal

L_A_Big_Dawg

My biggest beefs with Wal-mart are the reports that managers instruct new hires how to get on public assistance, how they intimidate persons that try to organize the workers into a labor union (both being based on anecdotal evidence), and their claim to protect American jobs, yet "Made in China" is so prevalent on so much of their merchandise that sometimes I want to speak in Mandarin just from driving by one of their stores. The Los Angeles Times ran a three-part story on Wal-mart at the outset of the So. California grocery workers strike that was very interesting. I do't have the link, but I recommend you take a look at it. The Times won a Pulitzer prize for that series.

I was pleased that the citizens of Inglewood voted to not allow Wal-Mart to ruin that community (then again ruining Inglewood would be an upgrade). That area does need jobs, however the Wal-mart super store was merely a quick fix, and a way for a city to fatten it's coffers in an economically strapped city.

Personally, I no longer shop at Wal-mart. Though I have, in cases of extreme personal discomfort made use of their toilet facilities. Guess they are good for something.

DanTheMan

Big Dawg, I think I found the articles you refer to ("The Wal-Mart Effect") on Google but when I clicked the link it took me to a registry page. Maybe I'll look those articles up at the library, they sound really interesting.

A lot of people say that they don't shop there, but they must be a tiny minority because the couple of times a year I do find myself in that dreadful place, it is packed out with people.

got my forty homey?

I shop at Walmart almost weekly here in Upstate Ny. In my region it has put 2 Kmarts and the Ames chains out of business. But as the article stated A&P at one time was the largest grocer in the US and now they dont exist anymore. The beuty of American capitilism as that the consumer had the choice. Just look at how many in here that have posted said they won't or don't shop at Walmart.

The reason I shop at Walmart is that I can get stuff for the garage, my car, the house and do the weeks food shopping plus get some cd's or movies at one time. Where as the biggest food market chain here (Shoprite) has horrible prices and I can't get half of what I can get at Walmart for the same money.

Also remember, at one time many jobs were outsourced from Europe to the US so we must remember that world economy's change with time and go in cycles.

CountryGuy

Wal-Mart... hmmm.... you either love it or hate it.

It scares me a bit that I've never known a world without Wal-Mart. I love the fact that they are so convenient. Like Got My Forty, we go once a week and get everything we need all at once. And, since we usually go on Sunday morning, when a lot of people are in church, it's pretty much easy in and easy out.

On the other hand, since this town pretty much only has Wal-Mart... I can see what people are talking about when they cry that Wally World is destroying their towns. It used to be different, but all the Mom and Pop stores have gone out of business.

But, honestly, you can't blame it all on Wal-Mart. Customers aren't forced to shop there.

CountryGuy

Gallon jars of pickles (the Wal-mart thread)

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