Why do many people choose not to shop at Wal-Mart?

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spaceman

Lifer
Dec 4, 2000
17,609
170
106
if it werent for wal-mart i'd be getting screwed by the locals.
walmart is everything everyone said in this thread.
i might get a slightly better deal even on a few items at competing stores(like video games for ex), but factor in the hells half an acre of driving, my personal time spent etc..
its hard to beat walmart for the total retail package they offer.
 

RichardE

Banned
Dec 31, 2005
10,246
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Cause 99% of there merchandise I would buy would be "disposable"

As in, it will break/wear out within a few months.
 
Feb 6, 2007
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Originally posted by: clowntard
if it werent for wal-mart i'd be getting screwed by the locals.
walmart is everything everyone said in this thread.
i might get a slightly better deal even on a few items at competing stores(like video games for ex), but factor in the hells half an acre of driving, my personal time spent etc..
its hard to beat walmart for the total retail package they offer.

I know, it would suck if your hard-earned money stayed in your community, right? Better to give it to a family of billionaires so they can eliminate competition through shady business practices and hocking worthless knock-offs in place of well-manufactured goods, all while lining their pockets at the expense of your community because you're so focused on penny-pinching, you lack the vision to realize how you're being fucked.

That and Wal-Marts are filthy. Really, really dirty. And they actively union bust. And they continually refuse to engage in talks on wage increases. They treat their workers like shit. They'll routinely hire people for just below a threshold of hours worked per week to avoid enrolling them in a benefits package. They are just about the clearest example of a company whose executives go out of their way to make conditions as horrific as possible for the employees to keep prices down so they can attract more customers and line their own pockets rather than sharing those profits with their workers.

Wal-Mart represents the basest form of capitalism; money for money's sake. It is detestable and vile. That's why I don't shop there.
 

SparkyJJO

Lifer
May 16, 2002
13,357
7
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I shop there, but I hate the one near my apartment. Practically stuffing a super wal-mart into an older, non-super-wal-mart-sized building FTL. Horribly crowded, can barely fit a shopping cart down some of the aisles, not to mention the problem when someone is coming the other way. Plus whoever runs it has no idea how to organize stuff.

The one back at home is pretty well organized and the aisles are wide enough to let a couple people pass each other with shopping carts.
 

troytime

Golden Member
Jan 3, 2006
1,996
1
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cuz i don't want to be associated with the rest of the redneck trailer trash that shops there

same reason i don't eat at Old Country Buffet or Golden Corral

there's a walmart near my work that doesn't cater to the redneck crowd, i've gone there for random shopping (during work hours)
 

AndrewR

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
11,157
0
0
Originally posted by: Lothar
Originally posted by: AndrewR
I rarely shop there simply because they are typically poorly maintained, always crowded, and just not pleasant. If we have an urgent need for something, we may stop there, but it's not one of our normal shopping outlets. If we need a similar store, we'll go to Target.

I do, however, think they treat their employees like crap and find it reprehensible from a company which has made so much money.

Right...
Target doesn't treat their employees like crap.

I have not heard that Target deliberately limits employee hours to avoid paying benefits. If that's true, I'd be interested in reading about it.
 

bctbct

Diamond Member
Dec 22, 2005
4,868
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Originally posted by: Epic Fail
People don't want to be greeted at the door by some old guy that will pretty much accuse you of theft 10 minutes later when you leave.

fixed

 

GagHalfrunt

Lifer
Apr 19, 2001
25,284
1,996
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Originally posted by: AndrewR
Originally posted by: Lothar
Originally posted by: AndrewR
I rarely shop there simply because they are typically poorly maintained, always crowded, and just not pleasant. If we have an urgent need for something, we may stop there, but it's not one of our normal shopping outlets. If we need a similar store, we'll go to Target.

I do, however, think they treat their employees like crap and find it reprehensible from a company which has made so much money.

Right...
Target doesn't treat their employees like crap.

I have not heard that Target deliberately limits employee hours to avoid paying benefits. If that's true, I'd be interested in reading about it.

WTF planet are you living on? Pretty much every retail business in the country hires bajillions of part-timers so that they don't have to pay benefits.
 

Throckmorton

Lifer
Aug 23, 2007
16,829
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Sweatshops. Not just that they sell products made in sweatshops (no store can avoid that) but they use their clout to pressure the market to lower prices as much as possible just so they make a few more cents.
 

RESmonkey

Diamond Member
May 6, 2007
4,818
2
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Heres a neat story:

My dad bought a backpack 2 years ago from there. We open it up here, and find 2 dead cockroaches inside. Theres more of a chance the roaches roamed the shitty walmart then the country of origin of the backpack (China, I think). Fuck walmart.
 

bctbct

Diamond Member
Dec 22, 2005
4,868
1
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Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt
Originally posted by: AndrewR
Originally posted by: Lothar
Originally posted by: AndrewR
I rarely shop there simply because they are typically poorly maintained, always crowded, and just not pleasant. If we have an urgent need for something, we may stop there, but it's not one of our normal shopping outlets. If we need a similar store, we'll go to Target.

I do, however, think they treat their employees like crap and find it reprehensible from a company which has made so much money.

Right...
Target doesn't treat their employees like crap.

I have not heard that Target deliberately limits employee hours to avoid paying benefits. If that's true, I'd be interested in reading about it.

WTF planet are you living on? Pretty much every retail business in the country hires bajillions of part-timers so that they don't have to pay benefits.


But walmart was so dumb they put it in writing. Along with telling HR to pass out the forms for public assistance and explaining to their employees they were doing them a favor by cutting their hours so they could leech of taxpayers.

So much for low prices when you factor in higher taxes you pay so walmart can save by not giving employees HC.

There is a reason the walton kids are on the top 50 wealth list.....they screw everyone at all times for a profit.

<rant over>
 

WraithETC

Golden Member
May 15, 2005
1,464
1
81
I live less than 2 miles away from a Target and Costco which are less than .5 miles apart. Don't need to go to wal mart.
 

Jadow

Diamond Member
Feb 12, 2003
5,962
2
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I shop at walkmart about once every week and a half. The one closest to my house is clean, and the prices are good.

I figure they treat their employees fine, since the employees aren't forced to work there and could quit anytime if they feel like they're treated lousy.

Also, I've seen what Target pays their employees, they start at < 6 bucks an hour, so they ain't no better than wal-mart, employee relations wise.
 

spamsk8r

Golden Member
Jul 11, 2001
1,787
0
76
Because Walmart sucks. It's full of the lowliest people on the planet (welfare whores, white trash, morbidly obese women with 8 kids running wild) and I just can't stand it.
 

quikah

Diamond Member
Apr 7, 2003
4,101
670
126
I dislike shopping there because it is always so crowded, I don't mind going to Target cause I can browse the store and not feel so claustrophobic. But, my wife likes it cause you can save a couple of bucks.

Funny thing about the Wal-mart by me. They have someone always standing at the exit checking receipts. They never check me, no matter if I have one bag or a cartful. I haven't really stood around there to check, but I would guess they are only checking the Spanish speaking shoppers...

 

imported_Lothar

Diamond Member
Aug 10, 2006
4,559
1
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Originally posted by: AndrewR
Originally posted by: Lothar
Originally posted by: AndrewR
I rarely shop there simply because they are typically poorly maintained, always crowded, and just not pleasant. If we have an urgent need for something, we may stop there, but it's not one of our normal shopping outlets. If we need a similar store, we'll go to Target.

I do, however, think they treat their employees like crap and find it reprehensible from a company which has made so much money.

Right...
Target doesn't treat their employees like crap.

I have not heard that Target deliberately limits employee hours to avoid paying benefits. If that's true, I'd be interested in reading about it.

Obviously you know nothing about the retail business.
Pretty much all retail businesses do that by hiring mostly part-time workers.
 

Elstupido

Senior member
Jan 28, 2008
643
0
0
If you don't speak spanish at my local walmart you are fucked, I think one out of ten employees there can speak english! Try going there on a Sunday morning right after church, talk about a classic example of population explosion.

6 to 10 ill behaved screaming kids per illegal alien couple. The only reason I go there is because it is right next to where I work....convenience only.
 

HannibalX

Diamond Member
May 12, 2000
9,359
2
0
I get groceries from a local, small grocery store/butcher that has been around since the 1940s. They have everything a grocery store should have and nothing they shouldn't (trash cans, garden hoses, tires, suit cases). This store buys and sells locally grown veggies and fruits when available and almost all of the meat from the butcher is local but the seafood.

I buy household products from a local, small general store that has been around since the 1960s (bathroom products, cleaning products, kitchen/cooking products, etc).

I buy home improvement supplies from a local hardware store/lumber yard that has been around since 1910 and is family owned and operated.

Almost all my electronics come from Newegg these days but for larger appliances there are several local stores that have everything you will find at Home Depot/Lowe's for usually less $$$.

It's hard to buy clothing at local stores though and I usually have to go to a national chain which is 90% of the time Kohl's or Sears. Sometimes Old Navy for casual clothes. We do have local clothing stores for women but none for men.

There is an excellent wholesale furniture store that is local and family owned/operated that has everything you can find at Haverty's or other big chains. The best part is you don't have some shmuck in a suit following you around the store.

I go to a local pharmacy, local tire shop, local auto-parts store, local video rental store, etc, etc. BTW when I say local I mean a non-chain small business.

As for Wal-Mart, I just never have much of a reason to go in there. I also find it annoying to find a parking spot, walk through the 100,000 s/f store, deal with employees who don't give a damn, cheap products, etc.

At my local stores I know everyone, I get great service, I am supporting my local economy and I like to do it. Those are my reasons. If someone has a problem with that I say you are the elitist then for trying to tell me how to spend my own money.
 

wetcat007

Diamond Member
Nov 5, 2002
3,502
0
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Walmart stores are typically very dirty, overcrowded isles with junk all over the floor. I typically goto Target because the stores are cleaner and nicer, large wide isles. I know people who've worked for both Target and Walmart, any of those who've worked for Walmart vow to never purchase a single item there ever again, while those who have worked at Target have no problem buying stuff there. Gives me an idea of how employees were treated although they could be isolated cases but I don't really care.

There's also a lot more Targets around me so they're typically easier to drive or bike to. On top of that Target is a Minnesota based company, being I live in Minnesota that's just another reason to shop there helping the local economy more than shopping at Walmart.

Of course results for both stores do vary by location, I don't think I'm spending much of anything more shopping at Target(and the reasons above) so I continue shopping there.