What I've read recently about companies like Wal-Mart, Home Depot, and McDonalds is that they are "paying" their employees with debit cards which cost them a substantial amount of money per transaction for them to use. Of course, the big banks are making tons of money from these. Another reason not to shop them!

We also support companies that are based in NC, so we support Lowe's over HD--not that Lowe's hasn't had its issues, Earth Fare over Whole Foods, etc. I now prefer my furniture vintage vs. buying new mass produced from overseas.

I also need to be thankful that we are not food insecure and have the luxury of shopping where we want for groceries, since a lot of people don't have that option.

Here is a link that might be useful: article from Forbes.com

Without getting into the politics and morality of various stores, the Walmart here has great meat. The company overall used to have terrible meat a few years back before the upgrade, but now they have a wide section of choice grade and also organics and choice is so much better than select grade which is what most of the other grocery stores carry. I buy flat iron, skirt, rib eyes on sale ( and looking excellent) all the time to stock the freezer.

I know lots of people bash Walmart and the people who shop there. I shop there sometimes - not as much as I used to since Target now has a larger selection of relatively inexpensive store brands.

I must just go about my shopping obliviously at Walmart as I never notice anything particularly outrageous. There is something I like about shopping there besides the low prices and the fact they're not frequently out of stock like Target.

Coming from my high income waspy neighborhood, and similar work environment, I actually like getting some exposure to people who are a little different than most of the people I'm surrounded by on a regular basis. That's the same reason I drive a good distance to go to an urban church. I just don't like the idea of being completely buffered from all the people who don't have the same advantages I do. Maybe it has something to do with my own family background. There were no Walmarts when I was growing up but we could barely have afforded to shop there if there'd been one nearby.

Well, I have something positive to say about Walmart. My step son worked there in the produce department. Not a manager, just a regular worker. He was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma and Walmart paid for him to go to the Mayo clinic and have a bone marrow transplant. That was a couple of years ago, and he is cancer free now. This was not their health insurance, he didn't have any insurance - his choice at the time, being young and (he thought) healthy. It was paid for by the company. Walmart saved his life. So I have a little different opinion of the company. We shop there every week.

Gibby and jean, Thank you for the two differing opinions! I am so happy to hear your son is well and what a great thing Walmart did! Both of your points of view have me rethinking my stance against a company based on public opinion and media coverage. It is nice to see that opinion and news can be misleading.

That is a wonderful story Jeanne - thanks for sharing it with us!

Bumble, your Walmart must be better than the ones here. A couple of years ago a local university did a study on meat (food./meat scientists)in local stores. Walmart did not fare very well. Neither did Kroger, but I do believe they have improved since then. Not sure about Walmart. No biggie for us - we are not big meat eaters and I do not like to keep alot frozen.

tina
tina

A couple of other positive things I've thought to myself sometimes when I've been shopping at Walmart. I always find the people who wait on me there to be quite pleasant. At times I've thought, if these people are treated so poorly by the company you'd think it would come across in their attitude toward customers. It doesn't seem to though as they are quite pleasant. It also seems that Walmart may be willing to hire some folks that Target wouldn't. This is hard to describe but you may know what I mean. People who just wouldn't have "the look" you find in red and khaki at Target.

Walmart may have some unpopular business practices but they also have low prices that make things more affordable to people with low incomes.

I just don't think they're all bad.

gibby I agree with you on that and I know what you mean with the hiring of out of the norm people as well. I guess I seem to notice more of a variety of people working there as in they don't seem to discriminate in that sense.

Jeanne - thanks for sharing that and glad your stepson is doing good now too.

Now on another note I do seem to notice when going anywhere at a late hour that there is a difference in the people you meet or see during the day, or maybe you just notice some of them more because there are less people overall and I don't mean it as a bad thing, just they are different than me. They and some of you probably would find me weird too.

Another thing :-), it's not just "poor" people who shop at Walmart.
Lots of people like a good price and don't want to over pay for exact items. It doesn't mean they are poor, in fact in many cases they might be very well off. It's the Millionaire Mindset thing going on. That constant awareness of the value of money combined with frugality is why some people are indeed well off.

And the time of day Walmart shopping experience does make a difference. My preferred time is mid morning, with all the retired people and young mothers. Whole different crowd at night and on weekends.

These kinds of threads P!$$ me off to no end.
Always full of a bunch of snooty, holier than thou, faux concern for ethics and the working man posts.

Do you really believe that Target is better than Walmart?
They may have better P.R.and a hipper reputation but their stores are full of made in China merchandise and customers on a budget too.
They pay their employees the same wages as Walmart and most other retailers do also with the same, lousy benefits.

The answer to the question 'What is it about Walmart' is this: nothing.
The people you see there are your neighbors and fellow citizens.

If you don't like what you see when you're at Walmart, don't go or, better yet, move to a better, classier, neighborhood or, for that matter, country where only better, classy people like you live /end sarcasm.

Btw, the workers at my local Walmart and Target don't look different from each other and are no more or less helpful at either place.
I won't elaborate on what I think that silly comment about "the look" was supposed to mean but sheesh.

So much to respond to. I wish we were together IRL, so I could address everyone. I always feel like I am rude and ignoring people when I do not respond to every post.

Gibby, I do not live in a high income suburb. I don't even have to venture very far to get to Walmart. I don't avoid WM for the people. Most people I know here DO go to WM. I avoid because of business practices. I did notice that the people working there were extremely pleasant. I was surprised by that, given the late hour. Actually, I find people in general to be very pleasant when I go out-- anywhere.

Jeanne, that is amazing about your stepson. I am so glad everything turned out well!

Lyfia, that is a great point about the time of day. Very true. When my wallet was stolen, it happened at Target, not WM and it was LATE. I rarely go out late for that very reason.

I am the opposite of many of you re: food. It seems like we spend SO MUCH on food and I want to spend less. (There are 7 of us, granted.) We generally go to a middle range store, not Whole Foods. Trader Joe's is a little far for me now. I don't buy organic (too $) but I do try to make most meals from scratch, inc. snacks. (Minus ice cream, but DH has started the kids on making that, too.) I have been thinking about going somewhere cheaper, like Aldis. My sister is horrified by this, but it can't be ALL bad, right??? I am also thinking about trying a Mexican grocery store. My neighbors told me it was great and much cheaper. That's the kind of store I went to growing up. And, it's not a chain.

Ha, ha! Joanie! We cross posted.

I was going to spend 10 minutes responding to your post. But, I am not going to bother. Come and meet me in person sometime. I'll let you decide if I am snooty and have a "faux concern for the working man." You'll have to drive through my blue collar neighborhood to get to me . . .

Anele, our Hispanic supermarket is excellent! Really, you should try it. They have a fabulous produce selection, and every type of produce or meat part you see on Food Network and the Travel Channel. I think the meats and poultry there are excellent because they have high volume. However, most of their seafood seems to come from China, and I won't buy it.

Prices are great, and the cashiers and managers are bilingual.

Why should I pay $1.79 for a bunch of cilantro or parsley at my supermarket when I can pay sometimes 2-3 bunches for $1 on sale.

No organic, though.

Gscience, I will. It is the kind of grocery store I grew up with, so I think it will be comforting.

I grew up in a bilingual household so I speak Spanish fluently, but my husband is not so I don't speak it as often now. I used to speak only in Spanish to my oldest, so she understands a lot. I will take her with me so she can start practicing again. :) AND, save money! That is key for me!

We also like to occasionally go to the Japanese market. It's not cheap, but it is fun. It turned out to be a big help for us. There were not very many Asian-Americans (other than from India) at her school/community, and my oldest DD started saying she "didn't match." Being in a whole mall of people who were from primarily Japan helped curb that. I would not have thought such a brief experience would make a difference.

The guy was spitting on his kid? Interesting.

I shop at Walmart. Store location and time a day makes a difference in the shopping atmosphere, but ours is nice. Their prices are cheaper and they have the stuff in stock. We buy our groceries from Aldi and another store. We buy meat locally.

Anele our Aldi store is clean and the food's fresh. I sometimes see organic items. For the substantial cost savings, I have no problem bagging my own groceries.

We're not poor but money doesn't grow on trees. All saved money adds up and we'd rather spend it on other things.

lol joanie b. spitting on kids. weird lighting, occasional screeching, heebeegeebies. I guess life is good, lol.

There are 3 Walmarts (2 are supercenters) and 2 Targets in my city area. We also have virtually every single chain store and eatery known to man. We have 3 regional all-in-one stores and several major supermarkets. No shortage of corporations in my town!

That said, I've been to every one at one time or another, and frankly, if I'm going to go buy cat litter or Tylenol, I will go to Walmart because it's cheaper, and it's always in stock. Walmart pays the same wages as all the other chains, and I'm pretty sure that their benefits levels are comparable. No one working a minimum wage (I think it's almost $9/hr) is working 40 hrs a week so few, if any, actually get any benefits at any store.

Every single one of the chains carries the same stuff. Target just seems to carry a more 'hip' line of junk, but they still sell the same cheap quality as everyone else (including Pier One, Cost Plus, BB&B, et al). Any more, I shop at Costco for things.

We have a plethora of farmers markets and farm stands, so I buy local produce-much higher quality and lower price. A regional grocer offers lowest prices on staples and has a great bulk foods selection; and I go to Trader Joes for more ethnic stuff. There are several ethnic shops, but I seldom buy specialty things, so shopping at TJ's for them fills the bill.

Now, as to customers-one of the Super Walmarts attracts the lowest of the low clientele. Not necessarily economically, but socially-in the sense of being on par with the worst of reality TV characters. You WILL see filthy, sloppy, nasty, under clothed, and tasteless at that store. The employees are the rudest, too. But I suppose if you had to be surrounded by the worst of society, you'd probably have a nasty attitude too.

I live in a once-a-month paycheck town, too. The majority are government employees (all levels, municpal, county and state are paid on the 1st), and then there are those on SS or welfare and, of course, the food stamps all come out in the first week of the month-so you really do not want to shop in any Walmart, Target, Costco or grocery store in the first week of any month in this town!

My job takes me thru some of the poorest and the most wealthy areas of our state. In the highest economic areas you won't even find a Target store, much less a Walmart within miles. (There are also no Goodwill or other thrift stores, but they do have discrete donation centers). Whole Foods, yes. Boutique stores and services, yes. In the lowest income areas you find the absolute highest priced independent grocers and service providers. I've popped into a couple of them while on the road and I'm shocked to find just how high the prices are for staples! And those customers are most likely to be on food stamps, too. It's in the lower to middle class areas that you find the greatest number of corporate owned chains.

I love Aldis, it's the third tier in the parent company that owns Whole Foods and Trader Joes. Many of the products are repacked for each so as to distinguish them but they are the same things. Unfortunately, the TJ and WF are an hour away from me.

But all the Aldis' around here are clean, fresh, pleasant and cheap. I don't like the meat much and the produce varies but overall I shop there once a week for staples.
Maple syrup is maple syrup. It doesn't vary much. Same with a bunch of stuff.

I will come back with more . . .but I am definitely going to start trying out different grocery stores, inc. Aldi's. I am excited!

Actually, Aldi is the owner of Trader Joe's and Whole Foods has no relationship with either of those stores.

In my area, HEB (TX based grocery store) is king. Our only option is HEB and Wal-Mart but if I travel to the big city there are a few more options. However, we don't have Trader Joe's which I would love.

I go to Walmart as little as possible because it is just so large and offers so much, I spend too much money and time in there. Yes I have seen some unpleasant people late at night in Walmart but so what. That's America. We're a variety of people aren't we? I buy my meat from my local grocer and plan to get a deep freeze so I can buy my meet from a local farmer. I worry about all the additives to my meat. But I must brag on Aldi. I love Aldi! It is hard for me to understand why some people have never gone there. The food is much less expensive and the produce is fresh and good priced. I LIKE bagging my own groceries. I can pack like things together. Certain things I have to have name brand (like peanut butter), but with most things who cares. They have the best raisin bran type cereal I have ever tasted. It stays crunchy in my milk.

We're plagued with 3 of them here in the F-M area.

In a larger metro area like this, the "Economic drag-down" of wm isn't very noticeable. The whole F-M area has been fortunate economically for a while now.

For more smaller/rural areas, the wm-effect can seem to suck the life out of businesses on the edge. There is no real gain either.

All of wm's Labor-practices, product/vendor-bullying, tax-bullying, etc., just make me ill. Did anyone see the PBS-documentary a few years ago?! VERY interesting...

One of my "Business Heroes" is the Snapper president. At one of their vendor-hosting periods, he got tired of all the "you can make this cheaper, etc." crap they were hounding him with. He got sick of it, & pulled everything out. He mentioned he couldn't put up with the "never-ending downward spiral of product cheapening" he'd have to endure!

MY kinda dude!

Faron

Ooh, sorry! I have thought that it was all the same company for years.

I thought Aldi was owned by one brother and Trader Joe's by another brother, both from a German family. I love both stores!

Also, for those waxing poetic about Target....
Don't delude yourself into thinking that, if Target had anywhere near the sales volume that Walmart does, that they wouldn't use their marketplace power to their own advantage with vendors and suppliers.

Walmart isn't putting a gun to anyone's head forcing them to shop there or supply their stores.
It's business and Target, as well as any other retailer, would love those sales figures.

On another note, I love Aldi too.
The stores are clean and easy to shop and they have great prices and value for your $.

I know who I am,
I don't need to buy into any store's well orchestrated image to make me feel good or better about myself.

You can add me to the NON W-M shoppers.

I cannot stomach the place since I found out they have peasant insurance on some employees. It was the LAST straw. It was never a place I enjoyed anyway!

Nancy

I also live in a semi rural, small town where Wal Mart is the biggest and perceived as the "best" place to shop. I will not go there unless I have to, and that is maybe twice a year. I deliberately shop at the smallest grocery store in town because it's the least assault on the senses. I hate the corporate philosophies of both Walmart and Target. The nearest Target is an hour away and I wouldn't bother to drive that far for the shoddy goods they sell.

Our housekeeper loves WalMart and would rather do our grocery shopping there, but I've told her I want to spend as little money as possible with that store. I have had MANY experiences with their employees who **think** they have health insurance through WalMart , only to find out it is extremely limited at best. IMO, the absolute worst thing that can happen to a small town is to get a WalMart. Low prices, lower wages, lowest quality--- this is the kind of company that gives capitalism a bad name.

I'll bet anyone's housekeeper HAS to shop at Walmart for their own groceries. Good grief.

I also highly doubt that any little, privately owned grocery store, actually any independent store, pays high wages and GIVES full benefits to their employees - I've never known of one.

It seems that some forget that these horrible corporations also employ great numbers of people in this country.
People who are actually happy to have a fairly stable job that doesn't depend on the whims and personal finances of an individual or family owned business.

Do you really think that your cute little independent stores - grocery or others - can support the people and economy of any community?
That they pay a living wage?

You can have all the 'shop local' campaigns in the world and pat yourself on the back for supporting a local merchant but it can't and never will happen.

So many of these comments are the products of entitled lives and don't speak to the real lives of every day people.

Our housekeeper? Enough said.

This post was edited by joanie_b on Sat, Jul 13, 13 at 9:57

Another WalMart hater here. I have been in the place two times and couldn't get out fast enough. It wasn't the people, because the closest WalMart to me is just down the road from a huge mall with Nordstrom's, Bloomie's, etc. In other words, the surrounding area is solidly middle class and above, not to say that there aren't poor areas.

The store itself is just so creepy. They sell an astounding amount of junk, although they are not alone in that. Maybe its the lighting or just the vastness of the place, but it just made me want to turn and run.

My parents came from a small town in a rural area. It had a fair number of thriving locally owned businesses and a nice grocery store. A WalMart opened not far away and the Main Street, along with the small businesses, folded almost over night. It is now a strip of empty store fronts. WalMart is killing small town America.

Joanie, while I completely disagree with your abrasiveness and think you could make your points with far more tact, I do see your position. I am not sure if they are true, but certainly something to consider.

Ded, here is thing that makes me so frustrated-- as you said, businesses were thriving, but the shoppers themselves closed them down. After the fact, are people upset Wal-Mart has taken over?

I've been discussing this with DH. DH told me that my underemployed BIL worked for WM because it was the only way his family could get insurance. BIL is a college-educated graphic designer who recently won a national award, but for years could not get a job with benefits. He worked for a college that purposefully allowed him to work only just under 40 hours so he wouldn't qualify. WM was his second job, and even being part-time there, he got benefits. Guess it isn't as bad as the documentary I watched made it seem.

Joanieb-

As a matter of fact, some small independent stores or small chains do pay living wages and health care benefits, in my thankfully Wal Mart free town we have a grocery chain, Tops, which is unionized and a pharmacy chain, Kinney's, which is employee owned. We also have a Wegman's about 25 minutes away. All of them pay a living wage for our rural, NNY area.

I refuse to shop at Wal Mart and rarely go to Target, I don't care for mass produced stuff, and if I go to Target, it's for stuff like my beloved Tom's of Maine toothpaste which I can't always find at other places.

And finally, I would venture that your rude, nasty and judgmental tone comes from housekeeper envy, it's kind of obvious, actually.

Sandyponder

Walmart was fine when it was a job for students,a housewife while her kids were in school or a retiree wanting to keep busy.
However,with the downturn of the economy when it became the only job in town is when the thought of a living wage came into play.

Shopping mom and pop stores provide a living for mom and pop.
(there's nothing wrong with that)
Just don't equate that with doing something good for America.
With the advancements of infrastructure ,transportation and the ease of importing through customs ,you can find mom and pop loading boxes through the back door from China.
(not that there's anything wrong with that )

Walmart does sell basics, ya know; food and pharmacy items, potting soil, gas, frying pans....I don't buy clothes there but nothing wrong with it.
I like buying food, potting soil, depends for dad, a coffee carafe, spray paint, rubbermaid items, laundry bags and notebook paper in one trip.
This seems like the most ridiculous conversation that is perplexing to me.

Here's the thing....
Just as some of you find me to be rude, nasty, judgemental, and abrasive, I find a lot of you to be all of that and more... including passive aggressive and pretentious.

As for me possessing 'housekeeper envy', that's actually hilarious - try again sandyponder.
And I'm rude?

I'm with Bumblebeez about this being the most ridiculous conversation.
But you can always count on a Walmart thread to bring out the pretentiousness and classism on this board.

Now excuse me while I get Jeeves to bring the car around...I need to pick up a few things at Walmart.

Just saw on the news today that Walmart has Twinkies as of today, 3 days earlier than everyone else.

I am also not a fan of the "Walmart exclusive" that many recording artists have done for their music. You sometimes can get their new music ONLY at Walmart or else the bonus track editions are only at Walmart.

Joanie, I don't know where the belligerence is coming from---- but our smallest grocery store is not a cute, independent upscale market, there's no such thing in our town. Our smallest market is a Piggly Wiggly, lol. I like it because it is small, with fewer brands to choose from, and they do give their adult employees 40 hours per week so they qualify for benefits. Walmart will not give the majority of their employees in our town enough hours to qualify for any benefits whatsoever. Yes, I know this for a fact.

Fwiw, our housekeeper shops at a mid size grocery store that she likes. She makes $25 per hour and does not "need" to shop at Walmart.

I am sorry I engaged in this behavior. I apologize.

This post was edited by Bumblebeez on Sat, Jul 13, 13 at 17:48

kswl - I wanna be your house keeper I can't get a job anywhere around here making that kind of money unless I had a trade. My son makes that as a second year electrician.

Apology accepted.

This post was edited by kswl on Sat, Jul 13, 13 at 18:51

Please forgive me for starting this topic. I did not mean to start a fight or make anyone feel the need to defend where they shop or how they live their lives.

I will answer my own question. I already did above when Lydia pointed out that it was very likely the time of day vs where I shopped that made the difference.

Again, I apologize.

My son works in a small chain grocery store stocking shelves at night, part time. He's definitely not making a living wage, and the "insurance" is a joke. We told him to decline the "insurance" and we put him back on ours via COBRA. It's a hefty chunk of change for us, but he needs good coverage due to eye issues and there's no way he could afford good coverage on his own, given his hours & wages.

Frankly, I'd rather he work at Walmart -- better opportunity for advancement, a chance to learn corporate organization & managerial skills.

eta: Not sure what the big controversy is here. If you don't like Walmart's policies or their merchandise and if you can afford to shop elsewhere, then there are other options. If you go that route, that's great. But for those who need to watch every penny and find the merchandise satisfactory, it's good there are Walmarts. We're fortunate to have variety and choices in this country.

This post was edited by awm03 on Sat, Jul 13, 13 at 20:29

Arm, when the COBRA benefit period runs out you should look for an individual policy for your son. Young working adults can be insured under their parents' policies only if their place of business does not offer insurance--- according to our group administrator. And usually the individual insurance policy for a person that age will be much cheaper than that purchased in a group of older working adults. We ran into this with our insurance; to add DS to our United Health policy would have been an extra $300 per month. He gets better insurance on his own from BCBS for $135 per month.

thanks, kswl. Hopefully, Obamacare will get sorted out by the time his COBRA coverage ends, too. He has a serious preexisting condition which jacks up his insurance costs. Under our plan, we *know* his special medical needs will be covered.

I'm a Costco girl. Love every single thing about them. That said, no chain stores are allowed in my neck of the country, so we make the 45 minute journey down the hill to Costco.

I've been to Walmart once - inTexas - close to where Derek lives. He was setting up house and we went to help him out. Couldn't believe how much stuff we bought for peanuts.

No, I don't like their employment practices. You and I subsidize each and every employee who qualifies for government aid. We employ ten people in the most competitive industry ever. Manufacturing. We still provide insurance and retirement benefits. Call us stupid.

Golddust-- we're in a different type business and also provide healthcare (we pay 75%) and retirement benefits (401k with safe harbor and match). Most people we know in small businesses do not offer either because it means less money for the owner. If we can do this for fewer than 10 employees, why can't a company with the resources of Walmart do it for theirs?

Awm, the affordable care act is already starting to help in our area, and I look forward to the day when everyone is covered--- as that will make healthcare costs go down for us all! I'm glad your son has the options he does because of the changes already made.

This post was edited by kswl on Sun, Jul 14, 13 at 8:37

My nearest Walmart is in a largely Latino area, and while I see plenty of big-sized people, I never see anyone being obnoxious o mean to little kids. Maybe it's the area of the country/ethnicity more than the actual store?
Fun fact--more people have had the experience of working with others of different races while working at Walmart than any other employer in the US.

Well Anele, while I think this thread may have gone some unfortunate areas, one thing that is great about a Wal-Mart thread is that the complexities of the situation come up and also shows the variety of ways things are in various parts of the country. I like seeing the way different people approach the issue and it is refreshing to see people stick with their principles, even if those principles are not manifested the same way as mine.

Someday there may be three things one cannot talk about at cocktail parties: politics, religion, and WalMart.

:-)

There was just an article about Wal-Mart in the Washington Post. I saw it on Facebook, where the comments are mostly vehemently negative, not that people on FB represent a wide cross section.

Here is a link that might be useful: 5 myths about wal-mart

Tish, you hit the nail on the head. Life, in general, is so complex (yet simple at the same time . . .) and we like to look for answers that make sense, or we'd go crazy. But, the answer that usually makes the most sense is that there is no "one" way. As we well know, being the color-focused people we happen to be on this board, the idea of something being strictly black and white is unlikely. I mean, let's not even get started with how many shades of white there are!

Kswl, true, true.

Ded, how timely! Thank you for sharing. I'll read that!