maryte wrote: 
Isn't that at least part of the definition of "nobility"?

 smokinsean wrote: 

We happen to have some pretty good Goodwill stores, which will maked that $20 bucks go a lot further *and* helps the community.

 smokinsean wrote: 
  Noble?  No, just trying to live by some kind of ethical standards.

 dionysius wrote: 

...sometimes morality and ethics go out the window when you only got twenty bucks to by shoes socks AND underwear for yourself or a child...just sayin'...

 smokinsean wrote: 

Even in small-town Texas, where Wal-Mart has pretty much put most competition out of business, there are alternatives. I know people in these towns who will drive a distance to put money in a neighbor's pocket, not Sam Walton's. Small groceries and producer co-ops in small towns do okay business, and would do even better if more people kicked the Wal-Mart habit. If people realized what their money was buying in a Wal-Box, many, even most, would refuse to spend it there. The social costs of Wal-Mart, even in a local economy (forget about the macroeconomy for the moment) vastly outweigh any small advantage in price or convenience the shopper gets there.

 aflanigan wrote: 
I must say, I used to shop at WM because their Health & Beauty Aids were much cheaper than anywhere. And of course, I picked up other stuff while I was there, so it worked.

 aflanigan wrote: 
  I have memories of seeing the same behaviors, on the few visits I've made to such places.
My old boss used to call it "going broke saving money", people buying massive amounts of unnecessary s**t, simply because they believed it was such a bargain.

 maryte wrote: 

...how noble to go w/out...

 arsenault wrote: 

Perhaps you do, if you are very judicious in what you buy and how much you spend there.

From what I have read and seen firsthand, you can find some bargains at stores like Walmart, but I think a lot of people mistakenly assume that virtually everything they lay their hands on in Walmart will be a good bargain, better than the value they could get elsewhere.  That assumption is I believe an important aspect of Walmart's business model.  I saw the same mentality at Price Club (now Costco) when it first opened in our neighborhood; people would fill their carts with all kinds of goods and staples, and it was apparent that they hadn't really done their homework to find out if the price they were paying was lower than what they would have paid elsewhere.

It used to be called a "loss leader"; Walmart's version of selective pricing to induce consumers to purchase under the false assumption that they are likely to find a good value on any item purchased in the store is called "opening price point".  The goal is the same; to lead consumers into making false assumptions regarding the competitiveness of a store's prices across the breadth of their offerings.

See HERE

and HERE

 dionysius wrote: 
I also refuse to shop there. I did stop in once to use the bathroom, and in that case, I'm proud of my contribution to the chain. I understand there are those who can not afford to not shop there and I certainly don't fault them. 

Walmart is the perfect example of the heartless corporate machine. Absolutely no concern for their employees, or for laying local Mom & Pop businesses to waste in their quest for the bottom line; maximum profit.

Excactly, Dio! Buy locally whenever possible!

 smokinsean wrote: 
No kids, but I've never had a ton of money and have, at times, done without instead of shopping with those jackals.

...heh...how many people in here who have kids and not a ton of money boycott wal-mart?...

 dionysius wrote: 
Same reason I don't have Comcast Cable. And never will. They own all the entertainment media. (ok, maybe not all, but a lot)

Edit: And there's very little competition.

For all the reasons stated, and more, Maryte and I do not shop at Wal-Mart. Ever. We vote with our dollars, and I will not cast a ballot for this business model. Predatory capitalism at its archetypal robber-baronialest.

Buy local. Buy (whenever possible) green. Buy from the producer. Buy from producer co-ops. Remember, YOU are the "demand" they talk about. Use capitalism against Wal-Mart.

 MayBaby wrote: 

I agree. Great post, BDB.

 BillnDollarBaby wrote: 
I feel the same way as you do, and I have given up shopping at WalMart. When I was a paint rep for glidden I used to go into WalMarts and heard the same thing from the employees, although K-Mart was much worse. I swear, most of K-Mart's employees must live in halfway houses.

What Scott said and I'll add  "BDB for the American Role Model !!"

 BillnDollarBaby wrote: 

The stuff that goes around about WalMart, pro and con is very interesting to me.  These were both interesting articles.  I made the decision to not shop at WalMart anymore because of a few things...

...while things may be peachy as the gentleman in this article describes, after coming from an area with a regular (now converted to a super), a super and a distribution center, I heard more than my fair share of stories about the labor abuses that go on in these facilities: keeping hours just below FT to avoid insurance, promises of shifts and schedules broken, pressure to "narc" on your fellow "team members," skipped breaks, forced OT, the list goes on.  The behavior among employees that is fostered is one of cut-throat selfishness: eat or be eaten.  These aren't vague ideas I read in an article.  These are real happenings relayed to me from people I know.  And to the last one, every single one expressed that they were only working there out of desperation.  They had lost jobs and couldn't find anything else or were retired and needed just a little bit to supplement their incomes and didn't have any other skills.  Some of them won't even shop in their own stores unless they absolutely have to do so, regardless of the discount, because they hate the place so much.  Do some research.  The average WalMart employee cannot afford health insurance for themselves, let alone their families.

...even if their labor practices were decent in more places than not at WalMart, which I doubt, the way they run their business is extremely damaging to the global economy, and more specifically to the American economy.  How many US laborers didn't work so that someone could buy a cheaper doo-hicky at WalMart made overseas?  How many laborers in other countries worked in sub-standard facilites for sub-standard wages to produce that cheap doo-hicky so some American could save a buck?  There are repurcussions for all of us, from their business model.  Until we demand that our retailers purchase wares only from companies with proven labor practices, shopping at places like this only perpetuates the slave labor that is rampant in many countries.  Even buying American doesn't always guarantee fair labor.  There are sweatshops here, just like every where else in the world.  The retailer has to take a stand and close the demand for the low priced items.  As long as "cheap" places like WalMart place the demand, some unscroupulous bastard will provide the supply at the cost of human beings.  I can't be the only one who remembers the Kathy Lee clothing fiasco.  I used to try to buy American at all times.  Now I focus more on spending money with retailers that do not have a reputation for labor abuse.  Its not a perfect system and I am positive that I have inadvertently bought an item that  I personally wouldn't approve of, but I do my best.

...The Waltons, the wealthiest family in the WORLD, are some of the most self-serving donors to charity in the world.  Up until recently, they donated very little to anything and now that they finally do make donations after a lot of exterior pressure, they choose highly self-serving interests more often than not.  Some will argue that it is their money to do with as they wish, but deep down we all know that is just wrong.  Look at Warren Buffet.  Look at Bill and Melinda Gates.  Look at Bono.  Now tell me which uber-wealthy folks garner more respect from you?  The facts are these: You can't take it with you when you die.  You can't humanly spend the volume of money they possess.  Why not do something for others with your fortune.  Especially since that fortune was built on the backs of your minimum wage employees?  Sam Walton wrote, in Made in America, he didn't believe in giving "any undeserving stranger a free ride." Nor did he believe in being generous with company profits. "We feel very strongly," he wrote, "that Wal-Mart really is not, and should not be, in the charity business." Money that Wal-Mart donated to charity, he reasoned, would only come out of the pockets of "either our shareholders or our customers."  But apparently he had no issue with his family living like kings, while his employees struggle to provide their families with the most basic of needs.

It's all well and good to bargain shop and save a few bucks.  For most of us, its a necessity.  I do it.  My husband could win an Olympic medal in it.  I'm not sure, but I don't think he's ever paid full price for anything.  But bargain shopping on the backs of other American and non-American workers will only come back to hurt all of us.  BDH and I are on an extremely tight budget: I haven't worked full-time in two years and we currently have an 18 year old boy living with us (yeah, they do eat as much as the jokes would lead you to believe).  I have always done our "paper and supply" shopping... TP, paper towels, cleaning supplies, most of the non-food stuff and I always did it at WalMart because they were the cheapest.  Through smart shopping, reasonable expectations and self-control, our budget has not increased a penny since I made the decision to stop shopping at WalMart.

i understand the hostility to the wm..
however, i save a ton of cash when i shop there...
as i do when i go to the 99c only store...
its low end..but effectively raises your wage by decreasing your cost of living..
as does shopping in ethnic supermarkets in southern california...

33c per lb roma tomatoes vs $1.98 in regular supermarkets....
what would you shop?

if you are at the top it doesn't matter if you are on a budge...it makes a diff...