anybody else not shop at walmart?

i've seen a lot of references to walmart here, and i recognize that they are cheap and all, but my little socially-aware conscience refuses to shop there. am i the only one? please tell me there are more of you out there...

Wow, csthomas! What a great dad you have! Tell him someone in Texas thinks he is the cat's pajamas!

There are certainly some problems with Walmart insofar as they use eminent domain to acquire space in many areas.  They also import many things.  Look around....whatever you buy in most cases is NOT from the United States.

However, in this country it is not a right to have a job, it is a privilege and you have the right to choose where you will work --- as well as shop.  That's one of the great things about living here.  It is also not a right to medical or dental benefits through your job -- if you are concerned about benefits, find a job that has good ones.  Good luck finding that these days.  It is a BENEFIT not a guarantee.  Too bad people got used to having their employers choose all these important things for us instead of us choosing them for ourselves.

This is a capitalistic society.  Everyone has the right to make money.  If it makes you feel good to boycott, that is great!  In this country it is competition that rules the day....if you can't complete  you will not survive...that is the cold hard truth.  Not nice, but the way it is. 

When Walmart is forced to unionize someway, someday, and they end up like the auto industry here in the United States, with underfunded pensions (plants closing) that the gov't taxpayers have to pickup (oh, airlines too for that matter)...then we can all cheer because we really achieved total failure!  When this country starts to reward success again and not demonize it, that will be a good day.  It's one thing to want change....it's another thing to cut off your nose to spite your face.

Large corporations have their problems...but one thing I have never seen is a poor man give anyone a job.  B

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Okay, I can't resist. Even though my reasons for not shopping at Wal-mart have nothing to do with the politics of it all (I just wasn't aware of it).... I HATE shopping at Wal-mart. I will pay the extra at Target because it is such a nicer shopping experience.

Everyone has the right to make money.

true, but no one has a right to exploit...and wal-marts policies are, for the most part, purely exploitive.

I love target but sometimes I get annoyed because they seem to think they're Macy's, only with wannabe brand names that are supposed to sound like a big deal but umm Mossimo?  Who cares.  lol  May as well be Route 66 or Basic Additions as far as I'm concerned.

But as I said, I do very much like Target.  I shop there.  I love the people who pronounce it Tarjay... to make it sound more stylish though.  Was very popular in South Florida when I lived there.  Ah, I do love b.s.  lol

I hate shopping at Wal-Mart, but in rural areas there is no other option.  There is no target or costco here, I dont even think we have a costco in my state.  Every town around me that has a Wal-Mart has shut down the other little stores (mom and pop).  So there goes anything that might have been a viable option.  I would have to drive 4 hours (round trip) to go to a target.  That is part of the reason Wal-Mart is such a booming business in my opinion, they prey on the rural areas, resulting in small businesses closing up shop.  We do have the dollar stores around....but come on seriously... most of their products arent exactly quality.  (not that Wal-Mart is high quality but you can find more what you are looking for). 

So for now...looks like Wal-Mart it is in my area.

*edit* As far as clothing goes I either order online or go to clothing stores around here.  So I do minimize what I buy at Wal-Mart.

manic - your post just seriously depressed me.  i know i'm lucky in that i live in a city.  i can find most of my daily/semi-regular needs in small businesses, and the rest i order online.

I feel as you do and do not shop at walmart. The way we spend our money is like voting. If enough of us acted they would start to change their ways.

This might depress you even more, aasil. Trustwomen's already posted about what they did at Jonquiere. But now they've jumped on this "home-grown" and "sustainable" bandwagon and proudly proclaim that the stuff they're selling in the "grocery" section is made in Quebec.

I put those in quotation marks because they're only supporting other large Quebec corporations, not farmers or small businesses. They just happen to be manufacturing in Quebec and near Walmart warehouses, and I guess they qualify for whatever the province allows you to promote as "sustainable."

When even a hardcore neocon is disgusted by your business practices, you've got a problem.

"manic - your post just seriously depressed me.  i know i'm lucky in that i live in a city.  i can find most of my daily/semi-regular needs in small businesses, and the rest i order online."

Nah dont be depressed about it :), lol.  I was throwing that out there as to the reason why some people might shop there more.  Not because they like it but because there arent many choices and those living in urban areas probably dont realize how few choices some have.  I do wish I lived somewhere that I could really go shopping haha. 

But, in all honesty I choose to live where I do because I like living in a small town area where everyone knows everyone else.  And, while you always have to worry about things happening now days, it eases your mind to know that you don't have to worry as much about your kids you know. There are many benefits to living in the country.  I'm sure I would love living in the city also, though.

I could never choose to live rurally.  Well, I sorta chose it.  But not really.  I had to come here to get a house.  And you wouldn't call this rural even, exactly.  What a come down from living right smack in the middle of one of the most hopping  tourist areas in the whole world though & NY before that.  Yikes.  I always thought if I lived in a town where Wal-mart was the main attraction I'd end up opening a vein...or three.  lol   Sad part is it isn't a "good' neighborhood, but it's bumble&*ck to me.  Interesting combination.  So far I've gotten by reasonably well all things considered.  There are things starting though finally.  Thank goodness!  By October supposedly some big commercial construction should begin fairly nearby.

I never lived in a small town but I still "knew" everyone.  I worked in a fast food restaurant in my early 20s for a while, for a change of pace, and my manager used to tease me about the fact that it sometimes seemed everyone knew me, young, old & everyone in between.  They even sorta created a new customer service type position for me because of it.  I was involved in a lot of things though through the years & I tend to meet people.  Like even in stores and stuff, people tell me all sorts of things about themselves within five minutes of meeting me.  lol  Sometimes really odd things they even seem surprised they told me.  It's kinda nice.  More interesting than the weather & it's real.

Be  careful manic, though about how safe you "feel."  Sometimes that's worse.  Odds are there are at least a couple of closet freaks living near you, no matter how small your town & I think it's more dangerous to perceive safety.  Often it's not some random stranger that hurts kids.  Sad as that is.  I'm sure you just don't assume safety though.

I agree with feeling too safe is a bad thing.  That is definetly true.  I'm what most would consider an over protective mother lol.  So I don't really assume safety but on a normal basis I don't have to worry about getting gunned down while getting in to my car or other things that many people worry about on a daily basis.  Although anything is a possibility.

Most of the time when something really bad happens you hear people saying how quiet and small of a community it was and how they never would have thought something like that would happen around there.  So I totally agree with you.

Sorry I know this is all off topic lol. 

I just hate that I have to worry here AND there's nothing good going on, either.  I have all the luck.  :P 

Actually, my house was robbed right after I moved here (brand new, btw) WHILE I was at Wal-Mart!  (where else?)  I actually find that a little funny, despite how much it sucked & I lost so many things, many sentimental & irreplaceable.  Quite an icky invasion, too.  You just gotta laugh... there's no other way to deal with some things. 

Btw, although they have put in some decent new Wal-marts (I know that sounds like an oxymoron  lol) in Central, FL lately, they refurbished ours already, and they did very little.  So we know we're not getting another fix up anytime soon.  It's an old skanky one.  The freezers work like hell for one thing.  This doesn't help matters!  It is however the one place I can sorta safely drive my poor little car to because it's basically going to die at any moment, I'm told & at least from there a cab wouldn't be shockingly expensive.  Wal-mart has sadly become the one place I can get out to most of the time.  lol Maybe I should tell myself I love it there.  :P

I haven't read all the posts, so sorry if I repeat something.  But I have to agree with manicdieter, that Walmarts are bombarding rural areas and putting all other small shops out of business.  It's sad, and sickening, I must admit.

Let me ramble for a moment... My parents live in a rural area.  Bumble&*$K as someone put it earlier.  The closest town with a business has, of course, a Walmart.  It's where everyone basically does their shopping.  And of course there is a Kohl's beside it, a Lowe's and a Panera  bread.  It's the "bees knees" of the area and the "shopping metropolis".  I have been to the Walmart, mostly because it's open 24/7 and late-night munchies had me calling for fresh pineapple a few times.

Luckily, I have a father who admits to accepting Christ into his life because of Walmart. LOL.  I know my mom who is somewhat-happily married to him shops there on occasion, but to him I am sure she would never admit it.  He has despised Walmarts from the beginning of their somewhat spontaneous boom, and that is one characteristic I have acquired from his personality.  I refuse to spend my hard-earned (or otherwise obtained) money at a place such as Walmart.  He's also a Home-Depot hater as well.  He is a carpenter/contracter and wouldn't be caught dead in such a place.  I can respect that.  I tell my Walmart-shopping friends that I have ethical reasons that prevent me from shopping at Walmart or other such corporate conglomerates(sp?).  I can't get into the details now, because I'd be up all night and no one would read my post...it would be too long.  All I have to say is,

DO NOT SHOP AT WALMART.  Please.  For me, for you, and for everyone out there who deserves a better workplace and a better community.

Thank you.

Oh and as far as Walmart's pathetic attempt at carrying organic foods goes, I hope that people don't buy that bullsh!t (pun intended).  They are working to minimize the requirements that organic food and goods require at this moment so they can market things as organic that are actually not, and sell them cheaper than their honest competitors...

Sick.  Absolutely sick. 

If I had to drive 4 hrs to shop elsewhere, I would.  I cannot say that I have but to me it is worth it.  I hope no one takes offense, because it is my personal opinion that I cannot bring myself to enter that version of what I and others and my father call "Hell on Earth"... but I do think it is important to realize the strong negative impact that Walmart and its counterparts have on society and the world in general and to choose to shop elsewhere.

If nothing else, order your goods and (if you have to) food online. 

My 2+ cents.

Unfortunately I shop at Walmart. Hopefully I won't get myself in trougble for saying this. I work in the store as a vendor. Weare pretty much treated like crap by most store management. I shop there because I am already in the store. I usually only shop in the ones that treat me decent though I usually only buy clearence items and I hardly ever buy food product especially their produce (yuck).
 If I am going shopping and not already in a store I don't go there I have heard some not so nice things about Target also

yes we do shop there, but only because we can't afford to go anywhere else. wal-mart happens to be the cheapest option in our parts for groceries etc. instead of spending the 80 bucks it would cost to feed the two of us we end up spending 50 or less. we just make sure to make it a point to get in and get out. neither of us really enjoys spending more than an hour in there.

i've banned walmart from my life. this has not been hard for me to do at all, no harder than banning mcD's, etc. i'm a very poor person, and have had no problems surviving without them.

My two cents: Target pays minimum wage too. 

...and all the crap in both stores comes from China, India, Madagascar et cetera....what's the difference?