<p>Sewhappy, I have 0 problem with the fact that Walmart is not union. My favorite place to shop (Costco) is not a union company. As another poster indicate, if a company treats both its employees and its customers right, they have no need for a union.</p>
<p>And, I’ve got no problem with corporate CEO obscene paychecks as long as <em>I</em> don’t have to support their EMPLOYEES.</p>
<p>“You have some nerve to speak for me.”</p>
<p>You’re right, I don’t. </p>
<p>Your posts speak for themselves.</p>
<p>Scubasue, that may have been your point and it is valid and important, but it wasn’t mine. I was talking about something else entirely, for reasons of my own. I don’t believe I used the words disrespectfully or underlings though.</p>
<p>But scubasue – Costco isn’t cheap like Walmart. The poor can’t shop at Costco. They can’t even begin to summon the membership fee!</p>
<p>And I also like Costco very much.</p>
<p>But I want my poor brothers and sisters to be able to go to Walmart and buy their kids a 9.99 pair of sneakers to wear to school. </p>
<p>That isn’t going to happen at Costco.</p>
<p>And it is going to happen for immigrants - many perhaps illegal (gasp) – trying really hard to get a foothold here.</p>
<p>Viva Walmart!</p>
<p>Is Costco really cheaper? I’ve never really shopped there because it is pretty intimidating to think about storing some of that stuff. Do you really use all of it before it expires?</p>
<p>I understand that not everyone can afford to “vote” with their pocketbook. Fortunately, I can so I do. I believe that more people should do the same.</p>
<p><< I have a very long thread that is anti sister, but I am not morally opposed to sisters.>></p>
<p>Thank you for that. :)</p>
<p>There is no question that the income gap has widened as union membership has declined in this country. No, unions are not perfect and many people who are in them don’t want to be. But living-wage protections, healthcare, workplace safety regulations, and other things that unions fight for are generally good and benefit not just their members but the economy as a whole.</p>
<p>What seems to be lost in this discussion is that the better Walmart employees (and other unskilled workers) do, the better our economy will do. The working poor put pretty much everything they make back into the economy. So improving wages for Walmart/Target/etc. workers means–guess what?–more shoppers in their stores. Everybody “wins” (except of course the businesses that have been unable to stay afloat because of the low-price competition).</p>
<p>How did the argument become union vs nonunion? I guess a keyword search on the thread would reveal how it started. </p>
<p>Why would so many people sing the praises of Wegman’s if they were bashing Walmart because it is non-union? Makes no sense.</p>
<p>I always wanted a sister . . . only got brothers :{</p>
<p>I do not shop at Walmart. As much as is possible I only buy made in the USA.</p>
<p>I believe Walmart is the new company store. Workers are paid less than a living wage and manipulated into feeling fortunate to be able to afford store merchandise. They can’t afford to shop elsewhere. To me this is the Emperors New Clothes. When Walmart drives other retail out of business, I imagine they will raise prices… since even if not everyone is greedy, it seems true Walmart is greedy.</p>
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<a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/books/review/overdressed-by-elizabeth-l-cline.html?_r=0[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/books/review/overdressed-by-elizabeth-l-cline.html?_r=0</a></p>
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<p><a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/02/books/review/Frank-t.html?pagewanted=all[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/02/books/review/Frank-t.html?pagewanted=all</a></p>
<p>[Tentative</a> Ruling Allows Walmart to Be Named as Defendant in Wage Theft Class Action | The Nation](<a href=“http://www.thenation.com/blog/172048/tentative-ruling-allows-walmart-be-named-defendant-wage-theft-class-action#]Tentative”>http://www.thenation.com/blog/172048/tentative-ruling-allows-walmart-be-named-defendant-wage-theft-class-action#)</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/21/business/21bizcourt.html?pagewanted=all[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/21/business/21bizcourt.html?pagewanted=all</a></p>
<p>Sew happy, I have a fully house-trained sister I would be happy to let you have for a very good price!</p>
<p>Costco is cheaper for some things, not cheaper on other things, just like ANY other store. No store wins on price on every item every day. Our local very expensive grocery store beats Costco and Walmart on prices of sale items.</p>
<p>I find it interesting that some commenters on this thread are assuming unions have anything to do with why some of us dislike Walmart. Very few, if any, comments on this thread said or implied anything about unions.</p>
<p>Scubasue, I completely agree that it is good to vote with one’s pocketbook. I do so, but Walmart isn’t allowed in my city so I couldn’t cast that vote if I wanted to. However, there are absolutely stores and businesses I refuse to patronize for ethical reasons. I’m sure my husband does the same, but I’m a generous woman and don’t bar him from the places I won’t go.</p>
<p>The whole “voting with one’s pocketbook” subject is interesting. In Wisconsin, where I live, we had a very tense period two years ago now when our governor launched a surprise attack on unions and did some other things that made people very, very mad. Then a year later we had the recall election (which he survived). People and businesses were “outed” for which side they took and to whom they had given money in the elections. It made for a very difficult and ugly time. I took the position that even if I disagreed with the policies of certain businesses, I didn’t want to penalize their workers, who likely had been unaware of them until all of this happened and didn’t have the ability to just up and leave because of their bosses’ politics. So although I may have steered my business to organizations I felt were like-minded, I didn’t make a big fuss about it publicly. Also, some businesses whose positions I disagreed with helped support community organizations that were important to me. It was hard to view the whole thing as black and white.</p>
<p>I go to our local WalMart. I see many of our high school’s graduates working there. Most have disabilities and have less choices for employment than the top of their high school class. Some have been there for many years and if asked, because I have, they are happy working there. Most have worked their way up within the system to full time employment. They are good at their jobs and take pride in their work.</p>
<p>All that said, I’m sure most of you have read The WalMart Effect and Nickeled and Dimed. There is another side to this issue. In my opinion, the fastest way out of poverty is education. But until our reluctant students can lift their heads from their phone keyboards and skipping a day of school because Call of Duty came out and instead pay attention to what their teachers are trying to teach them, they will be stuck.</p>
<p>[The</a> Wal-Mart Effect: How the World’s Most Powerful Company Really Works–and HowIt’s Transforming the American Economy: Charles Fishman: 9780143038788: Amazon.com: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Wal-Mart-Effect-Powerful-Works---Transforming/dp/0143038788/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1361743446&sr=1-1&keywords=walmart+effect]The”>http://www.amazon.com/Wal-Mart-Effect-Powerful-Works---Transforming/dp/0143038788/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1361743446&sr=1-1&keywords=walmart+effect)
[Nickel</a> and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America: Barbara Ehrenreich: 9780312626686: Amazon.com: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Nickel-Dimed-Not-Getting-America/dp/0312626681/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361743404&sr=8-1&keywords=nickeled+and+dimed]Nickel”>http://www.amazon.com/Nickel-Dimed-Not-Getting-America/dp/0312626681/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361743404&sr=8-1&keywords=nickeled+and+dimed)</p>
<p>I hate the Walmart in my city. I go there maybe once a year. However, I did get my Sprint phones there because my daughter stopped in their phone store while I was picking up an item. Staffed by all middle-aged women not on commission. They spent a lot of time with me comparing the brands and I bought there based on their service.</p>
<p>On the flip side, my mother loves her Walmart, an hour away from me. I actually don’t mind going there; enough cashiers, helpful clerks, available merchandise, pharmacy right in the front. Very unlike my store.</p>
<p>Walmart did award my kids’ charter school a grant to build a Montessori elementary school using two very nice modular units that hold 100 students each, so I do have some fondness for the Walmart name.</p>
<p>ahs – </p>
<p>I think the most selfish people are the ones unwilling to acknowledge we are all selfish.</p>
<p>They are usually the ones who think they know what’s best to do with everyone’s money.</p>
<p>But maybe I’m cynical and wrong. That would be nice. I’m doubtful.</p>
<p>I would suggest that Amazon has put as many stores out of business as WalMart–maybe more. And they are mostly non-union and have very questionable practices including helping buyers avoid sales tax. Money most state need to provides services to—the poor.</p>
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<p>Exactly. Greedy taxpayers would be smart not to shop there since their tax dollars are providing the majority of Walmart workers what Walmart won’t.</p>