This is topic I forget. Why do I hate Wal-Mart so much? in forum Books, Films, Food and Culture at Hatrack River Forum.


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Posted by peterh (Member # 5208) on :
 
Why does the community fight Wal-Mart to prevent them from building here?

Oh yeah! I remember!

This is the nearest Wal-Mart Supercenter to my house.
 
Posted by Anna (Member # 2582) on :
 
They sell guns too, if I remember well.
 
Posted by KarlEd (Member # 571) on :
 
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?
 
Posted by Jay (Member # 5786) on :
 
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.
 
Posted by Beren One Hand (Member # 3403) on :
 
If Wal-Mart is good enough for Natalie Portman....
 
Posted by AntiCool (Member # 7386) on :
 
I have to agree -- this is not a good reason to dislike Wal-Mart. You're upset because they have parking lots?
 
Posted by Anna (Member # 2582) on :
 
Maybe I misunderstood, but if they sell medical drugs that can be used by toxicomans, they are kind of responsible too...
 
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
 
I'm pretty sure they don't sell meth pipes or meth itself.
 
Posted by KarlEd (Member # 571) on :
 
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.
 
Posted by Andrew (Member # 7502) on :
 
I hate Wal-Mart because it shuts down local businesses, and has been proven to be sexist and racist to outrageous degrees.

Other than that, it's a fine business.
 
Posted by the_Somalian (Member # 6688) on :
 
quote:
I forget. Why do I hate Wal-Mart so much?
Because all the cool kids do?
 
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
 
[Laugh] Somalian.
 
Posted by Irami Osei-Frimpong (Member # 2229) on :
 
This could be one of those externalities, like increased traffic. Mostly, the story reminds me why I hate meth.
 
Posted by peterh (Member # 5208) on :
 
But wait, there's more....

I also found this in today's paper.

[ March 11, 2005, 12:46 PM: Message edited by: peterh ]
 
Posted by Wendybird (Member # 84) on :
 
Doh! I forgot Wal-mart is the only place child molestors hang out.
 
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
 
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.
 
Posted by Space Opera (Member # 6504) on :
 
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.

space opera
 
Posted by beatnix19 (Member # 5836) on :
 
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?
 
Posted by Irami Osei-Frimpong (Member # 2229) on :
 
quote:
How can that be a bad thing?
There is a community impact. It's not nearly as severe as having a casino next door, but there is a cost.
 
Posted by beatnix19 (Member # 5836) on :
 
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?
 
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
 
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?
 
Posted by digging_holes (Member # 6237) on :
 
I hate Wal-Mart too, but they have good prices for workboots.
 
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
 
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.)
 
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
 
Wait a sec, Ic.

You don't hate Walmart, but you DO hate Blockbuster? [Confused]
 
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
 
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.
 
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
 
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?
 
Posted by skillery (Member # 6209) on :
 
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.
 
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
 
That makes sense to me, Ic.

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.
 
Posted by Mabus (Member # 6320) on :
 
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 .
 
Posted by mothertree (Member # 4999) on :
 
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. [Mad] [Mad] [Mad]

[ March 12, 2005, 10:25 AM: Message edited by: mothertree ]
 
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
 
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 .
Heh! [Big Grin]
 
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
 
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.
 
Posted by Shan (Member # 4550) on :
 
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.

[Roll Eyes]

The state of the American public and consumerism.

Whoop-te-doo.
 
Posted by Danzig (Member # 4704) on :
 
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.

Tweakers suck.
 
Posted by mothertree (Member # 4999) on :
 
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.
 
Posted by Shan (Member # 4550) on :
 
Was that to me, mt? It was my mom.
 
Posted by Shan (Member # 4550) on :
 
Hmmm - must be on everyone's mind . . .

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.

linky
 
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
 
So they'll spend more money on fewer coats.
 
Posted by Irami Osei-Frimpong (Member # 2229) on :
 
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'.
 
Posted by mothertree (Member # 4999) on :
 
Shan, yes.
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.
 
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
 
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.
 
Posted by digging_holes (Member # 6237) on :
 
Here in Canada we have Zellers. Much better than Wal-Mart. [Razz]
 
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
 
Ha. Not.

I knew there was one I'd forgotten of my list of Ugly Stores.
 
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
 
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.
 
Posted by Eaquae Legit (Member # 3063) on :
 
I dislike Wal-Mart because I suspect my father is having a love affair with it. Yes, the whole chain.
 
Posted by sarcasticmuppet (Member # 5035) on :
 
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).
 
Posted by Theca (Member # 1629) on :
 
I don't think I hate any stores.

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.
 
Posted by AntiCool (Member # 7386) on :
 
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.
 
Posted by Shan (Member # 4550) on :
 
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.

[Smile]

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.

[Big Grin]
 
Posted by AntiCool (Member # 7386) on :
 
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.
 
Posted by Mabus (Member # 6320) on :
 
Shan, a lot of people who have good reason to dislike Wal-Mart are also very short of money. Unethical as it is, Wal-Mart is still about the cheapest place around, and is thus very tempting to working class folks like myself. (Though I no longer shop there if I can find what I need anywhere else.)
 
Posted by Nick (Member # 4311) on :
 
Two facts about Wal-Mart:
-They used to claim that all their product was produced in the United States. Of course, that was when the company was first starting. Now they have over 70% of their inventory that is from China.

-Since they offer usually offer lower quality items at lower prices, and they sell pretty much everything, it puts specialty stores out of business. That eliminates a lot of jobs and replaces them with lower paying ones. Which that means less taxes and a higher poverty rate.

Guys, I'll let you draw your own conclusions from those.
 
Posted by JonnyNotSoBravo (Member # 5715) on :
 
quote:
AntiCool wrote: That mirrors my experience. Netflix was much better, though. So much better that I decided to start giving them money.
I totally agree with that. I tried Blockbuster first, but they were slow to mail the movies and often had a short wait for the movies I wanted. Every movie (that I ordered) that had a short wait from Blockbuster was available right away from Netflix, and they mail them faster. It was worth the three extra bucks to go with Netflix.

But back on topic, I agree with a lot of what has been said about WalMart affecting the nation's trade deficit and forcing American manufacturing plants to shut down. The question is whether the low prices and one-stop shopping is worth those arguably bad effects. The average American is not directly (IMO) affected by the bad side effects and so does not associate them with WalMart.

One sneaky thing about WalMart that no one has mentioned is their "entry price" scheme. Their lowest price for the cheapest model in a category, say TVs, is the lowest, but often their higher end models are NOT the lowest price in town. That "entry price" just gets you in the door. Their "low prices" slogan influences you to believe they have the lowest price on everything.

But you might think I'm talking out of my butt. I should provide a link: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/walmart/.

Weird WalMart fact: they shipped two items out to their stores right before the hurricanes hit because their research showed people stocked up on these two items the most. You might think the items were flashlights or batteries. Nope. The two items were...pop tarts and beer.
 
Posted by Stan the man (Member # 6249) on :
 
Beer, Mmmmmmm.

Nope, don't go to Walmart because the Kmart and Vons are soooo much closer. An if I am looking for great prices on food I just stop at the commissary on base. When I go to NY I go to Price Chopper. The area I will be living in the Price Chopper is (be prepared) closer.

edit to add: If you haven't guessed it by now, I tend to go to places that are close. I try to conserve my gasoline.

[ March 13, 2005, 03:59 PM: Message edited by: Stan the man ]
 


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