I think I'm going crazy . . .

[philreed]

I think it's sad that people are ready to call others "stupid" and "idiots" without knowing anything about them.

Please note that I also called myself an idiot in the first post.

 

[philreed]

We are learning that most of the "bargains" are illusions however (we chose to disbelieve).

You have to be extremely careful at Wal-Mart. As reported on PBS, one of the things they do is pick one or two items in each section and price them low -- very low -- but then price everything else the same as other locations (or sometimes higher). It lulls the customer into a false sense that everything is cheaper at Wal-Mart and frequently people buy the more expensive item since it's a more appealing product.

 

[reveal]

It's "your".

Ordinarily I would agree with you, but the Hy-Vee near my house is hopeless when it comes to selection. I was trying to find canned red peppers - the hot kind - for a Thai recipie I was trying. I looked and looked - nothing. I looked in the produce section - not even any FRESH hot peppers, no jalapenos, no serranos, nothing. I asked an "assistant manager" and he led me down the canned vegetable aisle, and handed me a jar of sweet red peppers. Um. Thanks. I said "hot peppers," nimrod! Bleh. I only got to H-V if it's one or two things to pick up on the way home.

Luckily, we live in farm country and have a huge produce section. They do have hot peppers and other kinds of peppers.

 

[Starman]

I don't work at one and I never have. This was simply an observation of how people can go into a place with preconceived notions of the people who shop at Wal-Mart (or any place) and get very self-righteous when they're "proven correct." I think it's sad that people are ready to call others "stupid" and "idiots" without knowing anything about them. Maybe they had a bad day. Maybe they made a mistake. That doesn't mean they're stupid; it means they made a mistake as any human would.

Yeah, I didn't actually think you did. I just had this funny image of some insecure person who's spent their entire life working for Wal-Mart getting pissed at the anti-Wal-Mart comments.

Starman (who for the record, hates Wal-Mart)

 

[reveal]

Please note that I also called myself an idiot in the first post.

I'm not saying you did this. I'm just speaking of people in general.

 

[Darth K'Trava]

I don't want to like Wal-mart for various reasons, but when my grocery bill is $40.00 a week lower, I can't afford not to.

Or anything else for that matter.... They're usually cheaper than most other stores on most anything. I don't have any probs with shopping at Walmart. It's just the fact that the place looks trashed alot of times that I'm in there... worse at the Super Walmart.

 

[Darth K'Trava]

In our case, we can definitely tell in the budget when we've been making the trip to Super Wal-mart (about 15 miles away), versus getting lazy and shopping at the local Food Lion/Piggly Wiggly/IGA.

A Target moved into the area about a year ago, and when shopping there, I looked at the prices and felt like I was getting ripped off! It's a good store in terms of selections, but not enough to persuade me off of the "W".

I usually shop at Food Lion for the meager amount of groceries I get... and so does Mom. I don't care too much for Target: less selection and higher prices on most anything.

 

[reveal]

I usually shop at Food Lion for the meager amount of groceries I get... and so does Mom. I don't care too much for Target: less selection and higher prices on most anything.

I never shopped at Food Lion when we lived in Burke, VA. They had a news report one day that made me glad I didn't. The local Food Lion was taking things like spoiled meat, adding seasonings, and putting it back on the shelf in the exotic foods section. They also hardly cleaned their meat processing equipment. It was a hidden camera expose on the local news. Yuck.

 

[VirgilCaine]

Plus, most of what Wal*Mart imports comes from China, including goods produced in forced labor camps. Political prisoners are forced to work long hours for no pay and all the money goes to support the Chinese government. Meanwhile, US manufacturing jobs are moving to third world suppliers, and unemployment among undereducated workers in America rises.

Wal*Mart may be amoral, but you have a choice whether you support what this "amoral" company is creating in our society. I urge you to think twice before shopping there.

Einan

So taxes going to local and state governments are okay? Sales taxes, income taxes, an infinite amount of other taxes on simple business operations (moving freight for example) those are okay?

U.S. manufacturing jobs are going overseas because it's much easier to hire workers who can get by on $5.00 American a day in their local currency than put up with a union whining for (for example) $15+/hour plus health benefits...and if the foreign workers decide to unionize, it's probable that unions aren't as protecte there as they are here. For example, the union can be prosecuted if it can be proven that the union leaders order the use of violence, which cannot be done in the U.S.

I never shopped at Food Lion when we lived in Burke, VA. They had a news report one day that made me glad I didn't. The local Food Lion was taking things like spoiled meat, adding seasonings, and putting it back on the shelf in the exotic foods section. They also hardly cleaned their meat processing equipment. It was a hidden camera expose on the local news. Yuck.

Gee, I thought we paid taxes so this kind of thing didn't happen?

 

[Vraille Darkfang]

Example: You purchase a microwave. You go to the microwave aisle. Next to the microwaves are microwave popcorn, microwave safe dishes, etc. All of these items in a traditional store would be in a different aisle, along with others members of its genre or type. At Wal*Mart, they put them together, in the idea that lazy consumer will see them and impulsively think, "I need those items, too!" It's an absolute genius strategy: plant impulses in consumers' minds by placing complementart items together. No other store or chain does this to such a degree and the sales figures show it. I shudder at the genius whenever I think of it.

Don't get out much do ya. Wal-mart didn't invent that practice, it's been around for centuries. Putting similarly grouped items together is what SHOPPING is about. Why does every Blockbuster sell Popcorn? Because it fits with the movie theme. Shop around the mall sometime, you'll see the Impulse buys next to the main item alll over the place. Why is the candy all next to the checkout? Why it's a major impulse buy that's why. Wal-mart may be better at it, but most stores nowdays practice some sort of Impulse-buy procedures. Heck, there are enitre COURSES taught about how to lay out a store to maximize impulse shopping.

Further: Wal*Mart's store building strategy is to buy land outside of city limits, thus depriving cities and school systems of the property tax revenues. This maximizes profits, but does nothing to benefit local areas. Usually it harms them further because after Wal*Mart moves in, local businesses who do contribute to the local government tend to close, ending the city's revenue from taxes.

I've NEVER been to a Wal-mart outside a city limits. They usually need access to a city's sewer & water supply, and frequently need to build up the roads too. Plus, the city has Annexation power. What I've usually seen is Wal-Mart demanded concessions to build a store. For example, the Super Wal-Mart we have coming in has already declared they are prepared to fight the city council (Wal-mart knows they'll eventually win; so does the City Council). They've threatened to do away with the nice brick fronted structure they orginally presented & go with the ugly gray mass most Wal-Marts are. They aren't demanding tax breaks (like some do). Our town is too small to be able to afford to give them those anyway.

Plus, most of what Wal*Mart imports comes from China, including goods produced in forced labor camps. Political prisoners are forced to work long hours for no pay and all the money goes to support the Chinese government. Meanwhile, US manufacturing jobs are moving to third world suppliers, and unemployment among undereducated workers in America rises.

Go to Sears. Or Penny's. or Target. Check out the labels. How many items say "Made in China"?

Replace Wal-Mart with Nike. Lowly paid foreign labor has been an issue for, well, a VERY long time. See Slavery: America in a history book. Competitive Advantage is what economists call it. Wal-Mart niether invented it or is the sole perpetrator.


I should also point out the idea of Loss-Leaders (Goods priced at a loss just to get people into the stores, or drive others out of business) is also a very old practice & many of our more 'venerable' chains became the powerhouse they are today by engaging in it. See Sears, Ford, Pepsi.

I'm not saying 'I Love Wal-mart'. In fact, I spend less money there than ever before. In fact, Wal-mart only gets 1 of 10 of our general budget & 1 of 25 of our grocery budget. We only shop at Wal-Mart for 2 reasons. Price & Convenience. If we need something at a wierd hour, Wal-marts open. Price. We pay close attetnion to. Wal-mart may be cheaper, it may not. For selection we go to a bunch of different places as Wal-mart rarely has the best selection of what we need (maybe the widest overall, but not the best).

Many, many, many stores have found a way to survive when Wal-Mart moves in. They just have to be smart at it. They can't beat Wal-Mart at its own game. (Like the piece of 'bleep' grocery store at the end of the street. Wal-mart going to drive them out, as they have horrible selection, horrible staff, high prices).

Wal-mart became a global force in just a few decades for a reason. Sam knew how to get people to want to spend money at his store. Condemn it all you want. Sam became a very rich man by working very hard. Don't knock him. His kids, however....

Not a Wal-Mart fan, just an advocate of choice.