The Walmart Effect?

[Cruentus]

An article on the effects of Walmarts, and large chain-stores like it, on communities:

http://www.alternet.org/stories/18926/

THoughts?

 

[StraightRazor]

Whos fault is it? The chain or the millions of shoppers that buy from the chain. For all the people who complain about the store, the lots always seem full.

 

[Tgace]

Whos fault is it? The chain or the millions of shoppers that buy from the chain. For all the people who complain about the store, the lots always seem full.

Build it and they will come............

 

[shesulsa]

I boycott Walfart....and encourage others to do the same.

 

[michaeledward]

It is difficult to not go to Wal-Mart. You know they are going to have what you need. But, I have stopped my shopping at Wal-Mart. I still have my Sam's Club membership, but I am think that has to go to.


What is nice, is our downtown has really been revitalized. There are a lot of little niche shops. If I can shop at Blackbird cafe & bookstore, I will shop there rather than the Barnes & Noble / Starbucks in the commercial part of town.

Mike

 

[OULobo]

I don't shop at Walmart because I think they are excessive in their sprawl and I hate their censorship of CD, DVD, ect. The problem with all the "bigbox" corps. and the "sprawlmart" stores is that you just can't beat some of their prices. Despite all the bluster, people still follow their wallets.

 

[theletch1]

For those of you that listen to country music, Allen Jackson had a song several years ago called "The Little Man". The song addressed large chain corporations running the little, mom and pop stores out of business by cutting prices so much that the smaller vendors just can't compete. The cold hard fact of the matter is that so many of the small stores have had to close up shop that it is getting almost impossible to find what you need anywhere else.

 

[hardheadjarhead]

And as small businesses get pushed out by Wal-Mart, small farms get bought up by Con-Agra.

We need to note that Wal-Mart wasn't the first to do this. It started with Woolworth's about a hundred years ago. Then we had K-Mart.

A sidenote, but I heard Wal-Mart is trying to expand to Europe. I suspect this will fail. Europeans don't have the cars we have...they're not as auto-mobile (yuk). We live in our cars. To GET to Wal-mart you hop in the car and then load the car to the point where the seat springs groan with the goods. I don't see the Danes doing this anytime soon. More of them seem to rely on mass transit and bicycles.

Regards,



Steve

 

[Makalakumu]

I don't shop at Walmart because I think they are excessive in their sprawl and I hate their censorship of CD, DVD, ect. The problem with all the "bigbox" corps. and the "sprawlmart" stores is that you just can't beat some of their prices. Despite all the bluster, people still follow their wallets.

The problem with "low, low, prices everyday" is that Walmart only buys from companies that can give them those prices. These companies, incidently, are not too well known for their human rights practices. So when you buy something from Walmart, understand that it was made in absolutely deplorable working conditions...very likely by children working 12 hour days for very, very little.

 

[Kempojujutsu]

I hate Wal Mart also. They force other companies to produce a product cheaper so they can sale it cheaper. Example I checked for some vitamins. Both Walgreens & Wal Mart had the same brand. Walgreens was about $3.00 higher, but you got 50 more tablets then the Wal Mart brand. Sure they were cheaper, but not on price per unit. Someone else I know works for a paper factory. The School notebook pads you get, usually has 100 sheets of paper per book. Wal Mart wanted 95 sheets per book. So they can sell it cheaper. My Dad works for Wal Mart, back in the meat deptament. When shoppers price match it must be the exact product. Example would be ground beef. Wal Mart sells it 70%lean for say $1.09. Store down the street may have ground beef at 73% Lean for 99 cents. They won't give you the difference, because the product is not the same lean type beef.

 

[OULobo]

The problem with "low, low, prices everyday" is that Walmart only buys from companies that can give them those prices. These companies, incidently, are not too well known for their human rights practices. So when you buy something from Walmart, understand that it was made in absolutely deplorable working conditions...very likely by children working 12 hour days for very, very little.

Don't take this wrong, as I am only trying to look at this logically. I can't forgive them for the work conditions or retched work hours. It's never okay to negligently poison your workers or work them to death, but in terms of pay and age, I'm not sure I have a problem. Even the "very, very little" they are getting paid is well over the average salary for the people of these countries, and children in third world countries have always had to work. The only differance it that it is in a factory now instead of a farm or family crafts and trade shop.

 

[hardheadjarhead]

Last weekend I was in Scottsburg, Indiana, for a wedding. My wife and I went to a Wal-mart to pick up some things we'd forgotten to pack for the weekend.

I say this with no arrogance or exaggeration, she and I, from the time we walked in the door, were the most beautiful people in the building. We were Brad and Jennifer. We were J-Lo and Ben. We were lean. We were sexy. We had all our teeth.

I've never been able to say that before, nor since.

Stand by aisle seven next to the frozen pork tenderloins and look at the people there. YOU WILL FEEL SO MUCH BETTER ABOUT YOURSELF.


Regards,


Steve