Wal-Mart: Never Been There, Never Done That

[marmar]

I was talking to a friend of mine from Atlanta on the phone, rambling on about various subjects, and he asked me if I'd ever tasted some brand of coffee (exclusive to Walmart and/or Sam's Club, I assume). I told him that I've never been in a Wal-Mart, and he was stunned.
Even before I learned to loathe Wal-Mart because of its practices, I've never needed to go into one. Maybe it's because Target is more ubiquitous here in Michigan and the Great Lakes region, but I've just never ventured into Wallyworld.
Who else has never been into one?

[Stevenmarc]

1. We don't have them in NYC

[marmar]

5. They've got plenty of them in the 'burbs though.

Westchester and the Island.

[Stevenmarc]

11. LOL not exactly a compelling reason to take a field trip to Westchester

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

23. I'm in Westchester, have one 5 minutes away and I haven't been there in over 6 months. Before that,

another 6 months.

[lame54]

2. have been in a super walmart to see if they honored the voluntary pull list on pet food...

they did not - items from the list were still on the shelf

have never spent a dime in a walmart

[a kennedy]

3. I went once......and never went again.....does that count??

and what about Sam's Club.....I went in there once too.....does that count???

[fishnfla]

10. hey you

if you were able to attend our Packer kickoff parties, You'd have a killer beef brisket. You get a big slab of beef from Sam's for like 20 bucks and cook that sucker til it melts.

and then the Pack blows the game in the 4th quater and you are ill

:hi:

[a kennedy]

17. *cry* *cry* *cry*

:cry: noooooooooooooooooooooo, here's hoping they don't blow so many 4th quarters this year..... :pals: :fistbump:

[Lorien]

52. I've been to one about four times in my life. Sam's Club once. But I care

too much about my fellow Americans to ever darken their doors again. I've seen what Walmart did to the once thriving small Ohio town that my mother grew up in, and YES, they are evil and destructive. The high cost of low prices truly does stick it to the poor. Short term gain for long term pain.

[fishnfla]

4. I admire your conviction. I hate the place too. They are a business

competitor of ours. But the damned place is 2 miles from our home. The savings in time and gas for us is huge

[ginnyinWI]

6. They're all the same.

I don't think that Target or any of the big box stores are much different than Walmart, and you have to shop somewhere. I shop wherever I think I can find the item I need.

If I can buy something at a small store, I do.

[AndyA]

7. I've been in Walmarts but I do not normally shop there.

From time to time over the years, I have made small purchases at Walmart. But as a practice, I do not shop in their stores, nor do I buy gas from their gas stations.

I will drive past a Walmart to shop elsewhere. I will pay more for the privilege of NOT supporting Walmart.

It has been years and years since I've even set foot in one of their stores.

I feel sorry for the people who shop there regularly, and support that company. They don't understand what they're doing, or they just don't care. It's a good example of how American society has decayed over the years.

[cboy4]

8. I have news for you....supporting a family and/or trying to make ends

meet in this tough economy completely outweighs any political/social position concerning Wal-Mart practices .. particularly if Wal-Mart is all people have in certain areas.

Not defending Wal-Mart in the least.

But more than anything, not chastising folks for shopping there.

Who am I to judge.

[cboy4]

12. And I just looked at the vote. 14-1 so far.

See what I mean?

[marmar]

13. I'm not trying to chastise anyone, just taking a poll....

..... n'est-ce pas?

[cboy4]

15. That's good to know. Many of these DU Wal-Mart shopping threads are

thinly veiled ways to ridicule and attack people who cannot afford to shop anywhere else.

[SeattleGirl]

32. Absolutely.

My youngest sister is a case in point. She pays for insurance for her husband and son, which is a hefty chunk of change. She is quite aware of the dark side of WalMart, but shops there anyway, because her money goes farther there. Principles are a good thing, but unfortunately, they don't feed you for a month.

[Maru Kitteh]

48. Thanks for saying this. I'm glad I have a choice, but many do not and it is not progressive to mock

them for their economic disadvantage or lack of available alternatives.

Well said.

[tammywammy]

49. Yes, exactly

I'm fortunate to have a choice, but if I really needed to make ends meet, I would shop at Walmart. I don't like the company, but I'm not going to ridicule people who have to shop there to afford food for their family.

[Lorien]

55. Can't afford to? Do you honestly think Walmart's prices are that much

cheaper? I shop at Big Lots, Tuesday Morning, thrift stores, Ross dress for less, Costco...ALL of which beat Walmart's prices. Do some comparison shopping. Watch this film: http://www.walmartmovie.com/ Americans are hurting because of the high cost of Walmart's so called "low-prices". Don't buy the advertising and the hype. Walmart is a sham, and absolutely a factor in shifting American jobs overseas and widening the divide between rich and poor.

[emilyg]

36. Thank you. This

retiree shops Wal-Mart weekly.

[Lorien]

54. I'm beginning to think that a troll stole cboy4's account

this doesn't sound like the guy we used to know.

[rurallib]

9. unfortunately Wally world is the only choice in some rural areas.

[KittyWampus]

14. Thanks. I won't add anything else.

[baldguy]

16. Yes, I've been in Wal-Mart

But I literally can never find anything in the store. They're always messy, they're not laid out logically, and there are rarely any employees around to help - and when they are, they don't.

Yes, I've been in Wal-Mart. But I seldom actually buy anything there.

[JohnnyLib2]

18. I use Walmart.

and I know of two diehard "no-Walmarters" whose spouses sneak trips to the store. :shrug: Kind or a rec vs. unrec situation, LOL.

[47of74]

19. Yes, in fact I worked at Wally World at one time

But that was over 10 years ago. After leaving Wally World the place lost most of its appeal to me. Since 2003 I've only been in a Wally World a few times, going from December of 2003 all the way up to November of 2007 without being in one when I visited the local Sams Club. Then my sister and cousin wanted to go to Wally World to pick up stuff on vacation last year. Since then it's been over a year since I've last been to one.

[pipi_k]

20. I've never been in one either, for which I can probably thank

my particular anxiety disorder. I absolutely HATE big stores and malls and stuff.

Not sure I'd even have any interest in going into one anyway, even if I didn't have a large store phobia.

But anyway...apparently there are still a few of us left on earth who have never been in, nor have any intentions of going into, a Walmart store.

[tomreedtoon]

21. And I bet you NEVER watch TV, either.

Just like the boast that a person never watches TV because they're too good and intellectual and superior to the Mud People to engage in such an activity. Anyone who "never" shops in Wal-Mart is either living in the hills or is a smug poseur.

I do not like shopping in Wal-Mart. I prefer to buy in other places. But sometimes they're the only real choice.

[Hugabear]

22. Smug poseur? Really?

Living in the hills or being a "smug poseur" are the only alternates?

So if someone decides not to spend their money at a particular business because of their strong feelings against that business, that makes them a "smug poseur"?

[tomreedtoon]

37. Yes, they are smug poseurs.

They want to impress other people with their virtue and their intelligence. The only proper response is to not patronize Wal-Mart unless absolutely necessary, and NOT BRAG ABOUT IT.

[hfojvt]

45. I went for many years without owning a TV

until I got a free one from my little brother who had gotten a free one from a hotel that was remodelling.

[proud2BlibKansan]

24. There are a gazillion of them here

[Ilsa]

25. Once they run the mom-and-pop stores out of business, alot of people in

smaller towns don't have much choice in where they shop.

I don't shop there unless I can't find something somewhere else, even at a higher price.

[rrneck]

26. I go there every chance I get

to use the restroom. It's fun to use their twenty million dollar building as my own personal outhouse.

Sometimes I buy stuff if I really need it and there's nowhere else to go.

[HopeHoops]

27. FUCK WALMART!

The ONLY reason I'll enter one is if it is the ONLY place to piss while I'm out on the road. That's all the fucking place is good for.

[krabigirl]

28. I went in one, but never bought anything. Since we have a Target here too, there's no point.

[lib2DaBone]

29. Sometimes I have to go to Wal-Mart...

.. but afterwards I feel so dirty? Kind of like reading a post at FR.

[Shagbark Hickory]

30. Walmart... A last resort. As in it's 4 am and you absolutely need a/an: ________immediately or u die

[4lbs]

31. I go to Wal-Mart, but only to buy something that may not be available locally anywhere else.

So, if by checking other stores and not finding what I'm looking for, if it's at Wal-Mart, I'll buy it.

[aikoaiko]

33. I go to Wal-mart once or twice a week.

Best price AND selection.

I can get better selection someone place else, but it costs more.

I can get cheaper products elsewheere, but the selection is grim.

[GrantDem]

34. I have been in one but it has been about eight years.

Decided to boycott and haven't been in one since. Haven't found a reason to since then.

[dana_b]

35. we didn't have them here (Bay Area) until about 10 years ago

give or take a few years. So No, I've never been to one. Target has always been closer to me and if I can avoid Wal Mart, I will. I'm not, however, chastizing people who have gone to one. I think it is what is convenient for people a well as what they can afford.

[dysfunctional press]

38. we were out of town in small town wisconsin and needed a swimsuit...

farm&fleet didn't have any.

walmart was the ONLY other option.

[mamaleah]

39. I go to both Target and Walmart

Depends on which I am closest to. I also shop at Costco. Saving money is too important for my family these days.

[tammywammy]

40. I go once or twice a year

I prefer Target. I did go to Walmart a couple of months ago. They had 5' x 7' area rugs (really more just like a scrap of carpet that was binded) on sale for $26. A friend told me about it and knew that that's exactly what I was looking for to put in my living room, I got a nice solid beige color.

Also the Walmart that I went to was by far the nicest Walmart I'd ever been too. If I have to go there again, that's the one I'd hit up, but again I really only go once or twice a year anyways.

[Mudoria]

41. Been there many times and will probably be there many more times

in the future. Good selection of items, the price is right and the staff is always helpful if I ever have any questions.

[Lorien]

53. ...

http://www.walmartmovie.com/

[Joe the Liberal]

42. Go there quite often....

It's within walking distance thus making it more convenient. There is a Target near by but I'd have to drive there and I like walking.

[NC_Nurse]

43. You haven't missed much. I have been in, but rarely, and it's never my 1st pick.

[donheld]

44. Yes I have been but

I stopped shopping there several years ago.

[EndersDame]

46. When you need some kind of over the counter medicine at 3 am

Wal Mart is the Only game in town

[EndersDame]

47. Is Target More socially acceptable

Sure they carry trendier crap but they also carry alot of mass produced goods manufactured in china and are Big Boxes that hurt small local businesses as well. I used to work there and really don't pay that well either. I am not trying to say people who shop there are evil (I am poor myself) but i don't understand why Target gets a free pass

[tammywammy]

50. I just prefer Target

The stores are well lit, employees helpful, clean, etc. When I go into Walmart I rarely have that experience. The last time I went to a Walmart though, I have to say it was very nice, clean, etc. If I need to go to Walmart again, it'll be that one.

I also did see some dishes at Walmart in the Better Homes & Garden collection that I really liked...so I may eventually go back and pick up some of them.

[Maru Kitteh]

51. A smile on a dog.

Target hurts mom & pops.

Target is anti-union.

Target has it's own suck, but people like the cute little red balls and the kitschy dog.