Walmart is the devil!

[vikingshadow]

Ok, old news. But, this site really got me thinking.

18-19 years ago (yikes, was it that long ago???) my wife worked there - she actually saw me coming in to the store, then saw me again a day or so later dragging main with a friend and yelled at us - that's how we met! I tell everyone that I picked her up on a street corner...

You know, with the salary she got there, the discount she was given and the friends she had, they all liked working at Wal-Mart! I didn't actually care for it much, because when I applied in college, they said I was "over- qualified" and was afraid I would leave if they hired me. Go figure...anyway, besides that and how a couple of the old farts there kept inappropriately talking and touching my wife (I had a "talk" with them, and they stopped - and my wife reported them but nothing happened to them - in fact, one became a sheriff here for awhile!) Anywho, what the heck has happened to them?

I've read multiple threads on Wal-Mart in paintball forums, news forums, etc. but I never posted anything because I still shop there - unfortunately, they've killed a lot of the small businesses around here and the others have raised prices to compensate...I remember when Wal-Mart was trying to add American businesses from small local companies - now it seems they're not even interested in that at all.

I've actually even read that China and Germany have all but banned Wal-Mart in their countries...Sam Walton is spinning in his grave, I bet!

So, what's it going to take for Wal-Mart to get their head out and wake up? Surely they don't think they're that safe????

[marvin-martian]

they are that safe. why? because they arent doing anything wrong. they know how to advertise and appeal to the majority of people, giving them business. why would they tone back on stores if its making them tons of money?

and dont even go into "oh no! theyre abusing their workers with little pay!" its an entry level job highschool kids apply for. maybe you should have gone to college if you want to make real money with real benefits. it isnt even that hard anymore with all the financial aid available. anyone who wants to go to college has the opportunity to do so.

[HelpDeskHustler]

we just bought dough nut holes from them and they had baby flies in the container.

[DFSniper]

Originally Posted by vikingshadow

I've actually even read that China and Germany have all but banned Wal-Mart in their countries...Sam Walton is spinning in his grave, I bet!

im not exactly sure what happened, but supposedly Wal-Mart Germany went bankrupt, which i find hard to believe. all i know is that they made a big deal on german news about them closing down, and somehow they managed to changed the name of the local store and everything inside OVENIGHT!

[vikingshadow]

I see them living the American dream - making money and being rich. However, I just think the quality of the stores themselves have gone down, and the prices have actually gone up, and customer loyalty and satisfaction have gone down as well. All of which isn't making it a pleasant shopping experience which ultimately drives a business like Wal-Mart. I think that once everyone starts seeing that the prices aren't much better than the local businesses, we may be seeing the end (although a very long, drawn out end) to the chain...We just build a Supercenter - do they even have regular walmarts anymore? - about 8 years ago, and already the whole town is up in arms about how bad it is. I've been to several stores in many towns that all act the same way, and I see it posted everywhere, so I predict that within 15 years, Wal-Mart will either be bankrupt, or bought out by another company.

Again, I agree with marv on the payscale thing - it is one of those jobs that anyone should be able to do, so don't ***** if you get 6.00 an hour for it, IMO. Because they can get someone else to do it for less than that if they needed to....However, unhappy employees result in unhappy customers - again, an important step on the business food chain.

Case in point - I've been debating returning to my old grocery store but their prices to compete have been higher in the past. However, today I bought grocerys at Wal-Mart and one specific item I noticed was that a red bell pepper was $1.50 at Wal-Mart (they didn't have any on the shelf, then snarled at me when I asked about them, so that's how I know specifically on this one item.) I debated about getting it at United just for spite, but decided I better be the bigger person and save some money and get it there. Now, go to United and guess what. Only 1.20 at United! .30 cents difference! Not to mention that the peppers where the same size and appeared to be the same quality...

Now, to some of you kids who don't understand this - consider this. I spent $150.00 on groceries for this week which is about average - sometimes it's less, sometimes it's more. Take that times an average of 4 weeks, we're looking at a $600.00 a month grocery bill alone - not to mention the added cost of the gas to get there (it's on the far side of town for me, and many more miles for the majority of people.) On a budget that includes a mortgage, credit card bills, heating/cooling, water, electric etc bills, 600.00 is a lot of money for a couple of state employees, never mind the benefits! Now, say that by going to another store, I saved .30 cents on EVERY item I purchased (not realistic, but possible) and I bought 100 items. 30.00 saved right there for the week, 120.00 for the month and 1440.00 per year. Not to mention that said grocery store is about 8 miles closer to my house than Wal-Mart.

When their major advertising spiel is "Rolling Back Prices" and come to find out that it really isn't on things we actually need, Wal-Mart is somewhat scamming people AND they will find out about it sooner or later. This, and the apparent dissatisfaction people have with the store and the recent publication of materials in various media outlets all tell me that 15 years MAY be too much time for the company.

[BrianT]

it doesn't make a difference if we sit and complain about them or not. they aren't going any where for a long time.

[marvin-martian]

start shopping at united vike. you will save money while going to a store thats nicer, closer, and friendlier than walmart. i personally stay away from walmart at all costs, and i gripe when i have to go with someone else. i just dont like the busy and dirty atmosphere they have.

[vikingshadow]

You're right (man, am I saying that a lot lately?) I decided today to do that from now on. I actually only went to Wally World to get batteries (8.00 for an 8 pack of Duracell Ultas for the Reloader - man! When I first bought that loader, they were less than 6.00!) and speaker wire and decided to get the groceries while I was there. But, I'm gonna do the United thing...

[Theheroguy]

I don't really like shopping there either and I try to avoid them but then my parents go and shop at sams club

on a side note for some reason Marvin and Clause strike me as having very similar personalities

[marvin-martian]

Originally Posted by Theheroguy

on a side note for some reason Marvin and Clause strike me as having very similar personalities

do i take offense to this?