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...

Not in Florida.  At least in Central Florida.  By no means do they pay well (Target) but they are more than the minimum.

As far as retail type work goes, I can't think of many or any offhand that rival Costco.  And they also have pretty decent benefits packages as well.  Not as good as some years ago for part time, but still better than many.  Heck very few companies even have PT medical benefits let alone dental, etc.

I like Target over Wal-Mart, but I think they are corrrupt also.

when possible, independent stores are the way to go.  i'm trying to spend less at whole foods and more at local farmer's market.

i DO NOT shop at wal-mart... and for this reason i paid $5 for a box of cheerios and $2.50 for a small jug of milk at my corner store.

but who else is going to support the mom&pop stores?! 

america needs to chill on the consumerism.  does everything have to be wrapped in plastic and have a $1.00 sticker to be considered?  its pretty scary.

Yep, we're dirt poor and we still choose the farmer's market and the local stores over Walmart. Seriously, it's not that much more. You just need to be resourceful. And a warning to people who buy their meat from Walmart: they have some very substandard butchering practices. I completely agree that you vote with your money - that right.

Another reason why I hate Walmart: They buy up old drive-in theaters and build on the land. I love drive-ins!

Well Walmart took over the supermarket i've been shopping at a while... and they do such yummy things i have to keep going.

 

But i shop more at the local mrket, just get dog food and packet foods from Asda 

Are you people THAT blind and swayed by media propaganda?

All you "socially aware" people who are truely that would know that wal-mart is GOOD for any city it goes to!

They do NOT underpay their workers, provide benefits when most other employers don't, they help boost the enconomy (yes even in smaller towns!), and each store provide millions in assitance and charity every year!

Stop being so closed minded and actually read the real facts about wal-mart before bashing it.

The ignorance of people sometimes amazes me.

fmjess there is no reason to be rude. You are entitled to your opinion and so is everyone else. 

Sorry, I have to agree with fmjess.  I think you can find something you disagree with in each and every store or business you frequent.  Walmart is no different.  My sister in law worked there for several years as a second job and made much more than minimum wage.  I shop at walmart, target, krogers, big lots, etc. 

And just for my two cents.  I don't agree with the morning after pill, so I am happy that walmart doesn't provide it.  That is the wonderful thing about my country.  We are allowed to have differing opinions.  Individuals and Business can. 

it's rude to me people who protest stores without knowing anything about them....

don't agree with the morning after pill?  huh?  yes, we NEED more unplanned/teen pregnancies!  YES PLEASE, bring on the unwanted babies that have parents that can't provide for them in any way (unless they get a job at walmart maybe) or end up abused.  Lets get rid of the morning after pill altogether, bann it!  Let the abandoned children fill up the orphan and group homes & suffer their whole lives - YAY!!!! 

kellygreen, sorry but wal-mart in the US & Canada started carrying the morning after pill over a year ago.  The women who buy it have to read a pamphlet & speak with the pharmacist about what it may do (make them super sick).

I'm in total shock.  And boy am I ever glad I live in Canada. 

fmjess.  I was not attacking you just making my opinion known.  Is there any need for the nasty tone of you note.  We can agree to disagree.  You haven't changed my mind by being a jerk. 

So...if I only I knew how to make my own furniture, house, clothes.........anyway....even shopping at the small stores one would find it hard to avoid the BIG corporations, well I guess maybe if you only ate fruit.....I know I don't.  
My family isn't up for living as Ghandi did, so I still depend on the Corporations.
Just my 2 cents for the day.

Well, in our case, we really want to make a difference...for your children. So if you don't have the time or the energy for being socially aware, we do it for you. Unfortunately, a large percentage of Americans feel the same way, Zwn.

And Fmjness, I have no idea what you're talking about. I've been picketing Walmart for years. They start out at minimum wage here in Colorado and rarely grant raises. No healthcare to speak of. Oh, and no, they don't carry that pill here.

So, unless you're going to direct me to the marketing page for Walmart, show those flying pigs!

Oh, and by the way, we don't build our own furniture or sew our own clothes - but we pick companies that don't force children to make them. Can you imagine your children sitting in a dank basement sewing clothes? That's how Walmart stuff is made. They're paid pennies. Lucky you to not live there.

We boycott Wal-Mart as well due to their politics. I agree that I personally don't think the quality of their stuff is very good (you get what you pay for).

Here are some things I learned by watching my mom work in one of their warehouses:

Men get paid more than women because "They have a family to support."

A high percentage of their workers end up on uppers, meth, or caffine pills so they can work the long, back-breaking shifts that the distribution centers require.

A few years ago, they made medical insurance mandatory even if you had it through a spouse or a different source, and then raised the cost of health insurance. Wal-mart profited something to the tune of 4 million dollars. My family ate macaroni and cheese with tuna in it or hot dogs cut up in baked beans for a few weeks. GO WAL-MART!!!!

If you tear your rectum from lifting heavy boxes for 40 hours a week, and your doctor tells you you can't work until it's healed and you stop bleeding anally, your managers will get together, and decide if you really can work or not (because your doctor doesn't know what's best for you).

...And that's just in their distribution centers. We've all heard the horror stories about them locking employees in the stores at night and not letting them leave until work is done -- not allowing them to even quit.  

When W-M will move into a town, they will make huge contracts with local construction teams, and then not pay them. They end up settling out of court or getting their buildings built for free because the companies they screw go out of business, and have no money left to sue.

As for their business practices, they make deals with small companies to sell their products, which are initially good deals. Then they demand huge amounts of merchandise so the companies basically have to cut all other deals with other companies, and they supply solely to Wal-Mart. Then, when the contract comes up for renewal, Wal-Mart demands a lower cost, and the companies either have to go with the lower income or go under because they lost their only buyer.

Not to mention that because they are a big-box store, they drive out all the mom and pop shops, and kill any uniqueness a town had. Those store owners (who used to be good for LOCAL economy by selling things at reasonable prices and employing locals at reasonable rates) are then typically left donning the blue vests since there isn't anywhere else for them to work.

Have you ever wondered why the small towns are struggling to stay afloat? One of the big reasons is this kind of business practices. Wonder why you have to move to a bigger town or city to get a good job? Because you thought it was a good deal to spend $2 on a tube of toothpaste instead of $2.50 and now your local infrastructure has crumbled. Congratulations, you saved $.50 and sold your soul to the devil.

Has anyone ever read The Wal-Mart Effect?  It's eye opening.  It's not specifcally anti-wal-mart, but it makes you realize how powerful this store really is, and how wal-mart has changed the landscape of almost all parts of our society. 

Here's the link:  http://www.walmarteffectbook.com/thebook.html

I have stopped shopping at wal-mart.  But I'm only able to not shop there because I live in a city with other store options.  When I visit my parents, Wal-Mart is the only store around.  I went there staurday with my mom and dad, and realized why I can't stand the store so much...   Besides all the public policy reasons, the store is too big, crowded, understocked and has lines that take you 20 minutes to get through.  I would gladly pay a few extra cents and get the same product from either a local grocer or another store.  Paying extra money isn't an option for many people though. 

Thank goodness for all of you! I boycott Wal-mart, I can safely say I have NEVER stepped foot in a single Wal-mart EVER. I refuse to spend my money there. The beauty of capitalism is that I have the right to spend my money where I want to, and I would rather drive hours and spend hundreds more than support that business. I am just one person, and the only power I have for change is where I spend my tiny bit of money, and I simply could not live with myself if I put even my small bit towards things I don't believe in. Unfortunately I usually feel like the only person in the world who feels this way. I also boycott other businesses/industries for the same reason.

However, for the record food items at the farmer's market are usually a lot cheaper and higher quality than those at big box stores. The real items that are cheaper at Wal-mart are usually crap that you don't really need. When I think of what items I could get cheaper at Target/W-M than I could elsewhere, it's usually something that I ultimately realize is unnecessary anyway.

i agree with Hk. their corporate politics/policies are unacceptable to me (yes, i've read the facts).

i hate wal-mart. we're currently trying to keep them from building one in my neighborhood. i really hate wal-mart.

and i kinda hate that so often on this site when folks are looking for something how many people say, "you can find it it at wal-mart"... ugh. tell me where ELSE i can find things, 'cos i'm not going to wal-mart to get it.

I like WalMart for the essentials... Toilet Paper, Paper Towels, Shampoo.... etc.  HOWEVER Target is closer, and I just usually end up going there because its just easier.

I dont care about their ethics, or principles.... if the employees who work there, dont like it... then they can go work somewhere else.  Simple enough.

Just like with any job, if you dont like it, you know where the door is.