<p>Allow me to be the first (I think) to mention that Walmart sells weapons - Target doesn’t.</p>
<p>At one time there was a controversy about the unsecured nature of the bullets and rifles. I don’t know how or if that was resolved.</p>
<p>But, it is a good enough reason for me to never shop there.</p>
<p>“WalMart doesn’t win because it has cheaper groceries and basics like underwear and shirts. It wins because people insist on more of everything in their lives. I am not sure where the “pressure” originates: at WalMart or in the US consumer.”</p>
<p>If you pound the consumer on the head long enough that owning more crap is important, sure, you will train a whole new generation of consumers who will help with keeping the pressure on.</p>
<p>I love the way that people seem to worship “mom and pop stores” as if they’re all owned by benevolent middle class folks who pay their employees oh-so-well. </p>
<p>Years ago, when I worked for a mom and pop, the owners lived in a gated community, owned several homes, drove MBs, and paid us crap. They didn’t “share the wealth” in the least. Thankfully, I didn’t have to work there long before I got hired by a major big-bad corporation. </p>
<p>This idea that “mom and pops” are generous with their employees is just part of the romantic mythology that some embrace. Some M&Ps may be generous, but that certainly isn’t some widespread rule of thumb.</p>
<p>*How holier than thou can some posters be.</p>
<p>Let’s not shop at WalMart, look down on those who do.
Please walk a day in my shoes as a low income person. Then come back with your bull attitude.
Edit: Would it make you happier if I shopped and ate 1/2 less at a local small grocer? *</p>
<p>Yes…they want you to shop at Whole Foods so then you can complain about the price of arugala.</p>
<p>^Talk about turning an opinion on a predatory company into class warfare! Everyone with a negative view re Walmart shops at Whole Foods?</p>
<p>As Ricky would say: AI, Yi Yi Yi Yi</p>
<p>GA2012MoM…no not necessary…your point was made.</p>
<p>^Bunsen- and if you never apply critical thinking, you succumb to advertising pressures in all sorts of arenas. I am a big proponent of looking behind the hype. Does one detergent really work better than another? Do all the hip people really have Macs? My fav expression with my kids is: try to figure out who’s driving the Mercedes. Sometimes accused of being a killjoy. But, I have a happy family.</p>
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<p>One thing I have to buy from Walmart, because they seem unavailable anywhere else, is bullets! LOL Because when you live in the country and there are lots of animals, sometimes rabid, and occasionally bears you really do need a few bullets around just in case. </p>
<p>I have nothing but sympathy for everyone shopping as inexpensively as possible. But for those of us still able (though goodness knows for how long) and willing to spend more money at Walmart’s competitors - so Walmart still has a few competitors - I don’t really think bad feelings are deserved.</p>
<p>“Everyone with a negative view re Walmart shops at Whole Foods?”</p>
<p>LOL, neither gets my business.</p>
<p>lookingforward, as a whole, we, the consumer, lost the ability to think critically. “Will this make my life more enjoyable, will this be used regularly, or will it collect dust and later get sold at a garage sale?” “Can a Corolla take me where I need to, or do I really have to have a fancier set of wheels?” etc. In my family, we end up looking at and not buying a lot of things, because, well, we don’t really *need *them.</p>
<p>Good for you musicamusia. Glad that you have the resources to not have to shop at a discount grocer such as Walmart. Sorry your H has been out of work…so you are struggling?
I have been a single mom for 22 years, and yes…until you can walk in my shoes, don’t judge those of us who need discounted stores.</p>
<p>I AM NOT JUDGING YOU. I am, however, judging Walmart. There are no coded words between the lines of my posts. (You, however, are doing an excellent job at judging me. Jeeeeeeeeeeeeez) Why does my opinion towards Walmart rankle you so? Again it is an opinion TOWARDS WALMART.</p>
<p>Last Christmas I was stranded with my extended family in Fishkill NY during a massive blizzard. Our hotel was directly across from Walmart. As the snow began dumping down we observed a fleet of independent snow plow operators (guys with trucks) start working on the parking lot. They kept the lot cleared throughout the blizzard, a feat not managed by JFK or the City of NY. WM stayed open 24 hours, and was our only source of food and supplies, as the hotel abandoned us with one front desk employee and no other services. A steady stream of people filtered through the store all night and the following day, as everything else was closed. My opinion of WM has softened somewhat since that night, they have become the “General Store” for our generation.</p>
<p>From a PBS documentary on Walmart</p>
<p>Despite a well-publicized “Made in the U.S.A.” campaign, 85 percent of the stores’ items are made overseas, often in Third World sweatshops. In fact, only after Wal-Mart’s “Buy American” ad campaign was in full swing did the company become the country’s largest importer of Chinese goods in any industry. By taking its orders abroad, Wal-Mart has forced many U.S. manufacturers out of business.</p>
<p>I am glad many find Walmart affordable and a good place to shop,but that doesn’t stop my criticism of their lousy business practices</p>
<p>Will people pay more for goods made in the U.S.? A few will, but most won’t. Will people pay more for goods from a store with better employee benefits? A few will, but most won’t. Will they pay more for dolphin-safe tuna? For carbon-neutral products? For a Prius? For local produce? A lot of people would view paying more for anything as a luxury that they can’t afford. And this is why a free market doesn’t give us those things. A free market wants those goods to be made cheaply in China.</p>
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<p>Me too. I like the mix at Walmart, sometimes like a Fellini movie but always a great big swathe of humanity.</p>
<p>The “predatory” practices are called globalization. This is not unique to Walmart. Try buying furniture that is made in America anymore. How about the keyboard you are typing on when you post on CC?</p>
<p>Our unskilled and low skilled workers are competing against their counterparts all over the globe. Walmart didn’t make that happen. It’s just the reality.</p>
<p>Most definitely Hunt, choice is a luxury product. And as more and more manufacturers get pushed out of the US, the rarer and more expensive choice becomes. I wish more people had screamed ENOUGH years ago. Most of what I sell in my own little company is manufactured domestically. I am constantly struggling against the surge.</p>
<p>Minor victory last week: I EXPORTED A CALIFORNIA MADE PRODUCT TO TAIWAN.
Should I put in a call to the Wall Street Journal?</p>
<p>addendum:
“Walmart didn’t make that happen. It’s just the reality.” I do beg to differ. Read up on how Wal Mart treats their vendors. Walmart is THE major player in this move. I refuse to shrug my shoulders at globalization.</p>
<p>A free market wants those goods to be made cheaply in China.</p>
<p>This is the information age & I hope people are informed about where they are choosing to spend their money.
None of us, save the most destitute, need half of what we have in this country.
We don’t need * more* and we don’t need * new*.
[Secrets</a>, Lies, And Sweatshops](<a href=“Bloomberg - Are you a robot?”>Bloomberg - Are you a robot?)</p>
<p>Switzerland did not fall into the pray of globalization, as far as I saw there, locally or in the airport. In the airport, we made our last purchase, a stainless steel Termo Cup as a gift, 100% Swiss made, cost: 30SF and I don’t want to convert it to USD.</p>
<p>artloversplus: Are you telling us that the Swiss are busy cobbling together their own flat screens and cars up in those Mountain Chalets? 
Tourist goods, precision equipment and fine watches might be made there, but I hardly look at Switzerland as a manufacturing powerhouse.</p>
<p>I guess you do not have Uwajimaya, PCC and Top Foods in your neck of the woods, sewhappy, since you have to look for diversity at Walmart. It must have been very successful at driving the likes of these stores out of your area. Pretty sad, because I highly doubt a typical Walmart would sell as much Asian foods as a Uwajimaya, Mexican and Russian staples as a Top, or local organic produce as a PCC store.</p>
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<p>No, Walmart is just part of it. I read somewhere that the initial sales of Prii in China fizzled because of China’s stiff tariffs on imported tecnological goods and parts, so a Prius would cost $15K more in China than in Japan. That killed the sales. A friend’s co that is trying to bring their product to the Chinese market is facing multiple obstacles (including the condition that the product has to be manufactured in China). It is not exactly a two-way street. It is not exactly a fair competition.</p>
<p>My grandmother used to insist on “Buy American,” a poular slogan back in the 60’s, when the Japanese were the target of complaints.</p>
<p>My area is quite diverse, in economics, education and ethnicity, and I freely associate with a diverse lot. Don’t have to go to WalMart for that. Do always notice a few wealthy-looking sorts at Aldi.</p>
<p>Many posters are ignoring the comments that many of the same products at local chains and mom-pop are also from other countries. </p>
<p>On another thread, somone mentioned how much Apple mfg is done in China. Why no rants against Apple? Is it the nature of the goods or the perception that the folks behind Apple are hip?</p>