<p>Surprise–many goods sold at famers markets are bought wholesale from other suppliers and just unpackaged.</p>
<p>Barron’s, the farmers market I shop at is run by the family who grows the stuff. I know this because we actually go there if I need something or am off work on the days that it is not open.</p>
<p>Sewhappy, you are extremely insulting towards the people who work at Walmart. You are saying that many of them are essentially unemployable elsewhere, and that they should be thankful for whatever Walmart is willing to pay them because without Walmart they would be completely jobless.</p>
<p>Why, exactly, in your opinion, are the lower level Walmart workers unemployable elsewhere? Is it because there are no other jobs, or is it something about the workers themselves?</p>
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<p>You do realize that a LOT (probably most, actually) of WM employees qualify for the EITC, right? </p>
<p>For two FULL time working minimum wage WM employees (does such a thing even exist?) with two kids, that means that their tax credit MORE than negates the money they did pay into SS. They’re getting back more than they paid in.</p>
<p>And, eastcoast crazy is right…of all the posts on here, yours are the most elitist sounding. </p>
<p>How many walmart employees do you KNOW? I know a LOT of them…their kids names, family issues, schools/teachers etc. I’ve written resumes for a lot of them. They are not BY ANY stretch unemployable–even many the developmentally disabled students I’ve served are capable of finding other work.</p>
<p>^ And this is problem?</p>
<p>You’d rather have them sitting at home drawing a check for nothing?</p>
<p>EastCoast posted:</p>
<p>Why, exactly, in your opinion, are the lower level Walmart workers unemployable elsewhere? Is it because there are no other jobs, or is it something about the workers themselves?</p>
<p>No, I just think our educational system and federal government have pretty much blocked these people from much beyond Walmart non-Associate level jobs.</p>
<p>Oh, that’s right – but the education “workers” are Unionized … now that can’t have anything to do with this, naturally</p>
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<p>What? No, and I think every post I’ve made is about the need for Walmart CEOs to pay their employees a living wage. </p>
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<p>Sheesh…well that answers my question. No, you clearly do not know very many Walmart employees.</p>
<p>Okay.</p>
<p>You dwell on your planet. i dwell on mine.</p>
<p>Scubasue, does Walmart hire full time employees at this point or are they moving to a part time model regardless of what the employees want?</p>
<p>To me a “farmer’s market” is a collection of multiple sellers that get together at one spot on a regular basis. Not some store on a farm. But many of those also import items to sell.</p>
<p>The people I know who work at walmart are either students, retired folks looking for extra money, or stay at home mom’s who are reentering the work force and want some income. Sure there are some who lost jobs elsewhere and are doing it just to make some money… But a majority of them do not seem to be unhappy, from what I’ve seen. I have a relative who works there as a full time manager. He works six thirty to three, every day. Only 21, has been there 5 years. He likes it.</p>
<p>Of the four I know that have worked there, three were full time and one was part time/retired.</p>
<p>They get benefits for being part time. Very few companies do that.</p>
<p>Sent from my Nexus 7 using CC</p>
<p>Barron’s, my farmers market comes in from out of state a couple of times a week, but makes produce available at the farm on other days.</p>
<p>I just read the OP to this thread. All it asks is “do you shop at Walmart?” period. It doesn’t ask for political, socioeconomic, or ethical opinions. It certainly doesn’t ask for a defense of whether you do or don’t shop at Walmart.</p>
<p>Choices, choices. You know, folks have varying reasons for making the decisions they make. It doesn’t make any one person’s viewpoint more holier than thou than another’s. </p>
<p>I, for one, am disgusted with the nasty turn this thread has taken.</p>
<p>sewhappy- whether or not WM workers can still get some other benefits means nothing to me. In many of the smaller towns where WMs are located 2 FT WM workers can live a very normal lifestyle as the housing and other costs are also very low. The avg FT WM worker makes well above min wage. That is just a starting point. In smaller towns many work there for years. Often other local jobs are scarce and/or require more training such as RNs.</p>
<p>^ Ok…so you want every poster to just respond with a yes or no?</p>
<p>Okay then Thump, I will just go out and start a thread called “What retailers do you hate?”</p>
<p>Kind of preposterous to think a thread entitled “Do you shop at Walmart” would not provoke pro and con Walmart posts, duh.</p>
<p>There are certain Wal-marts I find clean and organized and others I will never go into again.</p>
<p>^ Pretty much like Macy’s. Or Home Depot. Pretty much like our life now.</p>
<p>Zoosermom, WM has relied for a long time on the part time model, so I don’t get the “moving” part of your questions. </p>
<p>Having said that, I am aware that they do have some full time positions available.</p>
<p>Oh wow – right. The whole part-time status thing is only just right now getting to be a big deal. Can’t have anything to do with anything but Walmart, right?</p>
<p>“Pretty much like Macy’s. Or Home Depot. Pretty much like our life now.”</p>
<p>Well of course it is now with the vilification of unions being almost complete.</p>