posted
I don't understand. Are you saying that Walmart is a draw for meth addicts? She wouldn't have thought of parking there if it was a Dollar General or a K-Mart?
Posts: 6394 | Registered: Dec 1999
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posted
Why does that make you hate Wal-Mart? Makes me hate drug abusers. At least they’ll get the baby away from them before they can damage it beyond repair. Probably wouldn’t have found out if it wouldn’t have been for the well lit parking lot.
Posts: 2845 | Registered: Oct 2003
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posted
I have to agree -- this is not a good reason to dislike Wal-Mart. You're upset because they have parking lots?
Posts: 1002 | Registered: Feb 2005
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posted
Maybe I misunderstood, but if they sell medical drugs that can be used by toxicomans, they are kind of responsible too...
Posts: 3526 | Registered: Oct 2001
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posted
That's reading a lot into the article. The only mention of Walmart at all is that they own the parking lot where the incident took place.
I'm not claiming there is no reason not to like Walmart. I just think that one's point might be better received if the link were illustrating a legitimate reason to hate Walmart. That story doesn't seem to represent one in the slightest, unless one happens to hate all locations where bad things might happen. By that reasoning, you'd have far more reason to hate your bathroom and kitchen than to hate Walmart.
Posts: 6394 | Registered: Dec 1999
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posted
This could be one of those externalities, like increased traffic. Mostly, the story reminds me why I hate meth.
Posts: 5600 | Registered: Jul 2001
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posted
perhaps you should be glad that it happened in a Walmart where they have security cameras so they can put the guy in jail... many places don't have security cameras and video and it would be just an accusation and the guy might get off without paying for his crime...free to molest another child.
PS BTW No I don't work for Walmart.
Posts: 15082 | Registered: Jul 2001
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posted
I'm going to have to agree with the others. It's a terrible situation, but I don't see how Wal-Mart has any responsibility in this. Yes, they sell cold medicines that are an ingredient in meth, but so does every pharmacy or Dollar General. Personally, I get pissed at the idiotic druggies that cause cold meds to be locked up so that I have to ask someone working there in order to buy a box.
posted
Ok, I just have to say that this is a silly thread. Neither of the articles have anything to do with the evil empire know as Wal-Mart. Crazy, stupid and evil people exist everywhere. I personally love Wal-Mart. Of course, I come from a big city where you have mega-chain everything and very few ma-and-pop shops so I've never dealt with the local buisiness issue. I love the low prices and everything you could ever want to buy variety. How can that be a bad thing?
Posts: 1294 | Registered: Oct 2003
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There is a community impact. It's not nearly as severe as having a casino next door, but there is a cost.
Posts: 5600 | Registered: Jul 2001
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posted
yea, the cost is .99 for a can of pringles, or 5.00 for a pair of jeans.
But like I said I've never been in a place where the community impact was negative. So, what do I know?
Posts: 1294 | Registered: Oct 2003
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posted
Walmart is cheap and a shop there for things, but I hate going to that store because it's just so darn ugly. It makes me want to pull my hair out and scream with anguish when I walk through the door. The bright white lights and ugly-grey ceiling and shelves stacked with broken boxes... yech.
Sears is almost as bad, as is K-Mart.
Hmm, maybe I just hate big box retail?
Posts: 8473 | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
I understand why people hate Wal-Mart, but I'm mostly ambivalent. They're a facet of capitalist evolution. If people valued little shops and local color more, Wal-Mart wouldn't be so successful. But they're cheaper, generally. And they're open 24 hours, which means a lot to night owls such as me. I think little shops need to work harder at being better, since they're often unlikely to be able to match Wal-Mart's price, or the convenience of having a wide variety of shopping needs taken care of in one destination. Wal-Mart generally has inferior quality and an inferior atmosphere, and that needs to be a little shop's selling point. If that's not enough, then we as a society have spoken, and we prefer cheap convenient crap.
(Kind of like with education. We say individually that we value it, but when you look at our spending, we clearly, as a society, do not.)
Posts: 13680 | Registered: Mar 2002
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posted
I don't hate Lackluster Video because they're successful. I hate them because they treat me, the customer, like crap.
Wal-Mart doesn't treat me great, but they do have low prices and convenient hours. They don't have deceptive prices and policies like Lackluster does. They don't think I'm stupid and try to fool me into thinking that two nights is three nights.
Like I said, ambivalent.
Posts: 13680 | Registered: Mar 2002
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posted
I was going to post here about what a silly name "Lackluster" was for a store, when I thought that you probably meant "Blockbuster". Phew! Saved from being a fool!
I rent from Rogers when I rent movies, which is very rarely. Is Rogers only a Canadian company?
Posts: 8473 | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
I hate Wal-Mart because instead of rebuilding on property they already own, they abandon old buildings and parking lots to the rats and tumbleweeds and then pave over what used to be farmland.
Posts: 2655 | Registered: Feb 2004
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I have to say, on my one attempt to use my free coupons at a brick-and-mortar Blockbuster, I was decidedly underwhelmed. And while the mail-service was better than Walmart's (I'm staying the free month, and then trying Netflix), that ain't saying much.
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
It's odd....That architecture Teshi dislikes so much is one of the few things I enjoyed about Wal-Mart. Though maybe not for great reasons--it makes me think of Asimov's Caves of Steel .
Posts: 1114 | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
I hate Walmart because they secured a municipal bond to build their cruddy store over a site that was seeking recognition as a historic site. (they did build a little monument to it in their parking lot- this was the rationale for getting the municipal bond.)
After that I became aware of their impact on the trade deficit (that is, all those cheap goodies are made by people getting paid next to nothing in other countries) Some capitalists justify this as our duty to spread the wealth, but it can be done through organizations such as fair trade.
Walmart provides compulsive shoppers a cheap fix. I think materialism is not good for people.
Then there is the anti-union, anti-mainstreet angle. I hate that a town doesn't have a camera shop because of Walmart, but I certainly can't get the sort of items I am looking for at the Walmart camera department. People who want thing that are actually useful are not well served by Walmart. People who have a compulsive desire to feel like they are saving money by spending it are well served by Wal-Mart.
And I guess there are the labor practices. Always low wages, Always Wal-mart.
That other stuff? That could happen in a church and the media would report it because the media loves the irony of bad things happening in places the public considers "wholesome".
quote: I hate Wal-Mart because instead of rebuilding on property they already own, they abandon old buildings and parking lots to the rats and tumbleweeds and then pave over what used to be farmland.
I know which one you mean, skillery. The building wasn't even that old. I think they built it new less than five years ago.
quote:It's odd....That architecture Teshi dislikes so much is one of the few things I enjoyed about Wal-Mart. Though maybe not for great reasons--it makes me think of Asimov's Caves of Steel .
quote: It's odd....That architecture Teshi dislikes so much is one of the few things I enjoyed about Wal-Mart. Though maybe not for great reasons--it makes me think of Asimov's Caves of Steel .
Architecture? What architecture?
Ugh. The only thing it reminds me of is itself.
Posts: 8473 | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
Well, the value placed on Wal Mart by the people that shop there is rather strong.
For instance, I was treated to a diatribe about how my brother was so poorly treated (long uncompensated OT hours, and under standard union wages for construction workers) while he was helping build a local Wal Mart.
And yet the diatrib-er was truly horrified when I gently suggested that perhaps Wal Mart would be less likely to pull those sorts of stunts if people refused to shop there on tha basis of the unethical business practices.
posted
Meth is a silly reason to hate Walmart. Hell, as far as drugs go it should probably be the prohibitionist's favorite store. They card people for Coricidin, which is more than any other store did two years ago. I think they have restricitions on pseduoephedrine as well, because while not actually meth it is about an extra oxygen molecule away from it. (I would bet they actually do sell meth, but l-meth instead of d-meth.) They do sell meth pipes, but so does every other store that sells light bulbs.
posted
So your brother was the one complaining about Wal-mart? Maybe that was more of an "Only I get to diss my mother" situation. They were his employer after all. I just bristle when people try to pass it off as some kind of great American Institution. I feel the same about McDonald's, Coca-Cola, and Disney.
Posts: 2010 | Registered: Apr 2003
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quote: Teacher union's charity program embarks on boycott of Wal-Mart
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SEATTLE -- A Washington Education Association charity has begun a boycott of Wal-Mart because of the company's "exploitative labor practices," the president of the state teacher's union says.
The move was made last week after numerous teachers asked the union to either change the Children's Fund policy or distribute information about Wal-Mart's labor practices, WEA president Charles Hasse told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, which reported on the boycott Friday. The decade-old fund reimburses teachers around the state for purchases of coats, shoes and other emergency items for disadvantaged students up to a maximum of $100 per recipient annually.
In a membership newsletter, Hasse wrote that the boycott stemmed from Wal-Mart's "exploitative labor practices (that) have added to public assistance burdens in our state and across the nation."
Exceptions will be granted for teachers in isolated areas that lack other shopping options, Hasse said.
"We're not going to have some student go without a coat if that's the only place it could be purchased," he said.
Since the policy took effect, Hasse said, he has received more than 200 responses from teachers who supported it 20 to 1.
"It was interesting to see the intensity of feeling around this," he said.
Wal-Mart, the nation's biggest private sector employer with 1.2 million workers, spent $40 million in the last fiscal year on educational efforts, including scholarships, teacher awards and a national literacy hot line to link callers with local resources, spokesman Dan Fogleman said.
"We understand the value of an education, and we strongly support it," Fogleman said.
WEA's boycott amounts to "allowing a political battle to trump its charitable intentions," said the Evergreen Freedom Foundation, a conservative research group in Olympia that has received funds from Wal-Mart and has frequently tangled with the union.
"Wal-Mart can be the best place to go for bargain shopping," said Michael Reitz, a foundation legal analyst. "If the mission of the Children's Fund is to help children, then it shouldn't matter where the teachers are purchasing goods."
Richard Gilham, a fourth-grade teacher at Olympic Elementary School in Chehalis, said Wal-Mart was hard to beat on selection and price for such items as CD players, batteries and other classroom items.
"If I'm spending WEA's resources, I'm going to try to get the best buy I can for my dollar, and if Wal-Mart is that place it's probably the best use of those funds," Gilham said.
Fogleman defended the Bentonville, Ark.-based chain's employment practices, saying more than half of its hourly workers have company-paid medical insurance and an average pay of $10.14 an hour statewide, compared with a national average of $9.68.
Wal-Mart critics have cited a grand jury investigation following raids in October 2003 that showed hundreds of illegal immigrants employed by outside contractors were cleaning its stores.
In June a federal judge certified as a class-action a lawsuit accusing Wal-Mart of discriminating against female employees, the largest workplace bias case in U.S. history.
After meat cutters at a store in Texas voted to form a union in 2000, the company shut down its meat cutting operations nationwide but maintained that the action was unrelated to the vote. Last month, the company announced the closure of a store where workers voted to unionize in Jonquiere, Quebec.
posted
Yep, and I'm glad the charity is sticking to their principle. It's tempting to backslide, now and then, but it's the now and thens that degrade character.
The funny thing is, when I tell kids not to sell drugs, they give me an argument that's strikingly similar to Reitz'.
Posts: 5600 | Registered: Jul 2001
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quote: So they'll spend more money on fewer coats.
If they don't care where the coats are from, why not get used coats from Salvation Army? Walmart isn't really the cheapest option. It's just the cheapest "new" crap.
Posts: 2010 | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
I also hate the fact that the union is imposing it's particular viewpoint on the teachers that disagree with it.
If Wal-Mart is smart, they'll have a huge donation drive and come out looking better than the union.
Posts: 26071 | Registered: Oct 2003
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posted
Here's a question: Do you all hate Borders and Barnes & Noble too?
Because these stores also drive little shops out of business, and cut down on the competitiveness of the bookstore business. And one other thing, since a LOT of us here are wannabe writers: Borders and B&N make it harder for new writers to break into the field. The have cornered such a large share of the market, that if they won't give something shelf space, the publishers won't publish it. Seriously--I have read articles on this effect--if you want to be a novelist, B&N is seriously hurting your chances.
But nobody talks about that, because B&N is a great meat market for yuppie types, and because it's pretty, unlike Wal-Mart.
Posts: 13680 | Registered: Mar 2002
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posted
I dislike Wal-Mart because I suspect my father is having a love affair with it. Yes, the whole chain.
Posts: 2849 | Registered: Feb 2002
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posted
I'm convinced that the quality of Walmarts goes down the farther away you get from Arkansas. The three or four walmarts I service in Little Rock and thereabouts are, for the most part, really nice, clean, open stores. I went to one in California and understood why everyone in California hates walmart. It was a tiny, dirty store that didn't hardly have anything we were looking for (then again, it was Christmas Eve).
Posts: 4089 | Registered: Apr 2003
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I was at Walmart a couple hours ago. I bought Kleenex, toilet paper, paper towels, batteries, and a file box. I got some cheap Haines underwear and some diet coke too. Where else could I go to buy these items? I suppose I could find most of that at a big grocery store, maybe a Walgreens, or a big place like Target or Kmart. None of the other places are so much better than Walmart, are they? Really? And I can't say I agree that Walmart is full of inferior quality merchandise. Seens like pretty standard stuff to me, just all gathered in one place for a low price.
I went to the local farmers' market this morning and bought a few things like I do every Saturday. I like buying local when I can, but Walmart is so easy for the items that don't matter, that why would I go out of my way not to go there? Especially when I work 12-16 hours on weekdays and 4 hours on weekends and Walmart is always open when I need something. I'll go to local bookstores over Barnes and Nobles whenever possible too. But that isn't possible very often.
Posts: 1990 | Registered: Feb 2001
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quote:I have to say, on my one attempt to use my free coupons at a brick-and-mortar Blockbuster, I was decidedly underwhelmed. And while the mail-service was better than Walmart's (I'm staying the free month, and then trying Netflix), that ain't saying much.
That mirrors my experience. Netflix was much better, though. So much better that I decided to start giving them money.
Posts: 1002 | Registered: Feb 2005
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posted
Well, actually, Ic - I don't care for B&N much, either.
We have some really nifty secondhand bookstores here in Oly (that serve you complimentary tea and coffee with lots of cozy places to sit and browse) that I adore.
I also tend to get most of Nathan's and my clothes at secondhand stores or the local boutiques. Except underwear. I insist on new underwear fresh from the package - no store preference as long as it's new.
quote:If they don't care where the coats are from, why not get used coats from Salvation Army? Walmart isn't really the cheapest option. It's just the cheapest "new" crap.
I do that too. Unfortunately, there is very little in the thrift stores that fits me. But most of the clothes my kids wear is second hand.
Posts: 1002 | Registered: Feb 2005
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