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Post by mrgman on Oct 24, 2007 12:21:39 GMT -5
I'm a Teamster & we have seen Walmart coming for years. The company I work for has the attitude of,"We have to be able to compete with Walmart". So they could have an excuse to cut our wages down to Walmart wages. It's called a race to the Bottom folks! Who wants to work for Walmart wages? Do you?I could go on & on about all the bad things that Walmart dose. But I'll just say this: I don't care what else you shop for, just don't shop for food @ Walmart! I know I'm gonna take a lot of heat for this. I don't wont to get people all stirred up. But those of you who are like me & in a Union, know what a threat Walmart can be to our selves & our family's way of life. Once again I don't wont to get people angry. I just hope you all can see where I'm coming from.
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Post by SK on Oct 24, 2007 12:52:09 GMT -5
I agree with you. I only shop at Wal Mart when I have no alternative, because I don't like the way they run their business. It is a great place to work when you are a teen and are just getting some extra money in your pocket, but beyond that it is terrible. (at least, where I grew up, as a high school job Walmart was one of the highest paying).
I had to buy school supplies there this year, because everywhere else was out of stuff. And I buy fabric there because we don't have another place nearby... That is it! And I wouldn't buy food there, especially not produce, because I just don't trust it.
If the prices are that much cheaper, there is usually a reason and somebody is getting hurt. It's too bad.
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Post by sparrow on Oct 24, 2007 15:36:24 GMT -5
Iam with all of you. Wal marts bad news.Traget is just better.
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Post by Steve on Oct 24, 2007 16:46:37 GMT -5
I agree with all of you too....I NEVER shop at Walmart.
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Post by LT Smash on Oct 24, 2007 21:13:00 GMT -5
The main reasons I avoid Walmart is everytime I went there the store was a mess, there is too much merchandise in the aisles, and the customers and employees are rude. There are many other reasons, but I'm fine with paying 20 cents more for soap than go to Walmart.
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Post by vicious590 on Oct 26, 2007 7:33:23 GMT -5
I agree with all of you too....I NEVER shop at Walmart. well on the other hand i do i love just walking in there messing around with stuff of corse only at night when noone is there
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Post by Stephanie on Oct 27, 2007 18:33:42 GMT -5
Here's my two cents. Go buy a hane's tshirt at walmart. Then go pick one up at JC Penney or other dept store. Wash it, dry it and see which looks better. Walmart has convinced the public they are paying less for the same thing. Quality is less. People!! YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. And their meat is disgusting.
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Post by Stephanie on Oct 27, 2007 18:34:26 GMT -5
Hey vicious590! Are you any kin to Liz?
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Post by mrgman on Oct 28, 2007 8:30:31 GMT -5
Wow! I'm surprised. There must be someone out there who works for Walmart. If there is, tell us what you think. Or maybe you know someone who works for Walmart. I'd like to know both sides.
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Post by vicious590 on Oct 28, 2007 12:45:32 GMT -5
Hey vicious590! Are you any kin to Liz? no sorry
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Post by Austin on Oct 28, 2007 14:01:01 GMT -5
Okay, It's been hurting me to read this, and it's probably going to hurt me to post this. But here goes.
I live in Northwest Arkansas, literally 30 minutes from the Wal-Mart home office. Wal-Mart provides almost all of my family's income, be it directly (my mom works for a Wal-Mart supplier) or indirectly (without Wal-Mart, NWA would be a little tiny rural community) The customer service may not be great. It's true. They may seem to be cold, lifeless stores. Sure. But let's be honest. What would our country be without Wal-Mart? Would there even BE a Target? Probably not. I would not exist. Tens of thousands of jobs would be lost. And hey, the wages may not be great, and that is a n understatement, but it is all the people who work there can do! Why would they work there if they could apply somewhere else and make more money for the same amount of work? I agree that Wal-Mart has gotten too big for it's own good. I get why people dislike it. But the people who try to shut it down or go on strike from buying there? Not only is it very unlikely that Wal-marts are just going to disappear, but if it did the nation would go down with it. And that is my two cents. Deal with it.
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Post by PogsKlinc on Oct 28, 2007 14:10:29 GMT -5
My family pretty much does all the shopping at WalMart. Meijer has higher prices, but is an overall nicer store. We don't like Scotts. Those are like the only 3 stores in town. The customer service is great at my WalMart. Everybody's nice too. We don't buy our produce there though.
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Post by markedman on Oct 28, 2007 17:06:34 GMT -5
From a different perspective: I worked with American manufacturers for years, and can honestly tell you that accepting a WalMart contract has been the death of many an American company. They get into debt to fulfill the contract and then WalMart starts squeezing them. They know the manufacturer needs WalMart now to survive. Eventually WalMart comes to the manufacturer and says "you simply can't meet our price needs if you keep these American plants open. Here's a list of Chinese manufacturers we recommend." Oh, and a couple of years after shutting down the plants and moving work to China, some other Chinese company suddenly starts duplicating the product exactly and Walmart buys from them instead.
Is it labor that makes Chinese goods so cheap? Sometimes, for labor intensive items such as clothing. But what about plastic goods or toothpaste or electronics where labor accounts for less than 1% (sometimes significantly less than 1%)? I'm afraid the answer lies in the fact that in China you can expose your workers to toxic chemicals and they can't sue, so you don't have to install expensive equipment to protect them. Or you can dump toxic waste on the ground or in the rivers, so you don't have to install expensive reprocessing plants.
I probably sound like America First! Rah Rah Rah! but the truth is that I believe everyone, everywhere deserves a job if they can make something better or in a more clever fashion. But American workers have to compete against companies that are trashing their workers and the enviroment, and any protest is met with jail or worse. That's just not right.
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Post by SK on Oct 29, 2007 2:42:00 GMT -5
The WalMart in my area is the nicest one I've ever been in. The manager is competent and seems focused on customer service and cleanliness. We've even seen him sweeping up the storefront, rather than pawning the task off to a lower worker--which I'm sure he does too, but not always.
And still, I avoid the store if I can. I go to Target, and feel guilty about it, because Target too, has its fair share of issues.
A friend's mom has worked at WalMart, and it was impossible for her. Numerous friends have worked there and it was great for them, as much as any job is. They didn't have to support a family, and were under their parent's insurance. Since our WalMart is well managed, working there as a teen was probably not horrible. Yet I see more adults working there than I see kids, and I feel bad for these people every time. I know they wouldn't choose to work there if they could help it.
I feel like I can shop at that specific WalMart, but nearly all others I've been in I didn't feel that way. The atmosphere and attitude of the employees (although can you blame them?) made me feel like I was snooping around someone's huge garage and they were trying to convince me to leave.
However, like I said earlier, Target has it's share of problems too. Basically anywhere you choose to shop in the US, someone is getting screwed over, and you are perpetuating it by making your purchase. Even if you can find all the things you need from other sources, good luck affording that. So while I feel bad about shopping at WalMart, I don't feel too bad. WalMart is one of the biggest symptoms of a larger problem that I am nowhere and nothing to tackle.
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Post by vicious590 on Oct 29, 2007 15:42:03 GMT -5
dudes guess waht i totally just got a JOB @ WALMART WOOT ;D ;D
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