I just watched "Wal*Mart: Teh High Price of Low Cost".  Very, very damning of the Wal Mart business model.  Shocking, and just disgusting enough to make me want to never shop there again.

Or, not so much.

This was propaganda with an agenda, pure and clear.  Wal Mart itself puts out shit just as slick to counter their claims.  Somewhere between the two, is the truth.  But, ultimately, the pendulum *does* go more to one side than the other.  So, which is it?  Generally evil and to be avoided, or a masterful example of world-scale Capitalism at it's finest?

I myself have a Field position with America's largest RX chain, responsible for many, many MANY Mom and Pop pharmacies closing and file buys, so where the hell do I get off being indignant, anyhow?

And, say we all stop shopping Wal Mart, where ya gonna go?  Food World?  Academy Sports?  Vons?  Safeway?  Sears?  Dick's?  I could go on and on, all chains.  And chains less successful than Wal Mart, the Mom and Pop is dead.  It's a choice of *what* corp. you wish to patronize now, not *if*.

When I truly do have a Mom and Pop option, I like to utilize it, I really do.  But it is more often than not, not a choice.

So, what is it?  Is Wal Mart de debbil, or just of the current societal bogey-men?

I haven't been in a wal mart in 3 or 4 years, couldn't tell you.

They got stuff I want for cheap.

I think they really pioneered using China as a source for cheap crap.

Now pretty much all the retailers do to try and compete price wise.

I personally can't fucking stand going into Wal-Mart. Not because of any personal agenda or anything. I actually love the place. I just can't stand fighting a bunch of overweight, middle-aged housewives trying to get to what I need. I just can't seem to get in and out of there in less than anhour, which is a big factor to me. I'd rather go to Target or somewhere less crowded.

You can always count on Penn & Teller to be fair and balanced:

www.sho.com/site/ptbs/prevepisodes.do?episodeid=s5/walmart

I was a semi Wal-Mart hater untill I saw this.

I usually close my eyes from the fat chicks in spandex, but I go at least 1-2 times per week for stuff.  I call it Chinamart myself...

Walmart is not evil.  Walmart is the perfect capitalist with no real limitations.
Walmart takes one thing into consideration, direct cost.

This is in no way an endorsement of Walmart, I think an ethical person (or corporation) needs to consider a bit more than just cost.

WE buy our groceries there every week. We get out of there for $65 for the two of us!!!
I lurvvvvves the Wal-Mart!!

Quoted: I think they really pioneered using China as a source for cheap crap.

Somewhat, how it works is that a company has a product to offer for $XX.XX
Wal-Mart dictates a price point that manufacturer has to meet, for example $XX.XX-$10.00
To be carried by Wal-Mart, and reach a HUGE market, they have to go overseas to have their product manufactured to reach the price mandated by Wal-Mart
So Wal-Mart indirectly forces stuff to be made in third-world, slave labor paradises like China

Walmart is good for most of the people in this country, and for me.  Look at the politics of the people who want to crucify Walmart, they are all bleading heart libtards.

Don't know it's been a long while since I've gone to wal-mart.


I shop at SAM's, a Sam Walton/Wal-Mart conglomerate.

Generally evil and to be avoided

That's the one!

I dunno.  It's not often that I don't have to go to Wally World at least once a week for something though.

I love capitalism and chinamart.

Not on a bet.

It's not evil.  There are some things about Walmart I dislike, but that applies to most of your *big*(read: Kmart, Best Buy, etc) stores.  

Well, if Wal-Mart is evil, I must live in hell.

Walmart is good, Walmart is wise.  You can tell by the number of cars in the parking lot.

Walmart has RC Dragon Fly ornithopters that actually fly, where else are you going to find that?

The worst thing about Walmart is that the checkout lines are long and the customers trash the rest rooms.

When we are on the road and need a short nap the parking lot at Walmart is a safe place to sleep for a while.  The store is a good place to get stuff any time of the day and hit the RR before getting back on the road again.

Anybody who thinks Walmart is bad......simply can't think.  There are lots of people with very, very low critical thinking ability.  Predictably, Walmart haters are democrats.  Washington DC has a 67% illiteracy rate and votes over 90% democrat.  That's all you have to know about democrats and Walmart haters.

I loved the Wal-Mart episode of Penn & Tellers Bullshit, especially their advertising near the end.

They pretty much cut right through all the liberal lies and propaganda and make the Wal-Mart haters look like idiots.

Hey I have no problem with Wal-Mart and they certainly are not evil.  They know how to be capitalists and get the best price from a manufacturer and are pretty good about passing the savings on to the consumer.

Sure they have cheap shit, but what national chain doesn't sell cheap shit?  Infact if you look closely, they all carry the same stuff from the same manufacturers.  The nice thing about Wal-Mart is that they are going to carry the cheap stuff and some pretty nice high end stuff.

I've bought a $6 toaster and a $6 mixer.  Cheap?  You bet your ass and they do exactly what I want them to do without a need for a lot of bells and whistles, they have never malfunctioned and nothing has broken off of them and I didnt have to spend $50 on either of them as I would have from another store.  But you know, Wal-Mart has that same high end $50 toaster too.

DVDs?  Well I could have bought "Night at the Museum" at Barnes and Noble for $29.95 or at Wal-Mart for $19.99.  Its the same damn shit so why wouldn't I go to Wal-Mart for it.  John Wayne's "Cowboys" was $21.99 at Barnes and Noble or $7.50 at Wal-Mart.  Which would you buy?

I went Christmas shopping for my niece last year and figured that I would go to the up scale toy shop at Merchant's Square in Williamsburg.  Oh, great over priced toys that all sorts of tourists were buying up -- they certainly aint hurting for business.  Nice toy china tea set was $35.  But they wouldn't take my check unless I had a credit card.  Screw them...  Same damn nice china tea set, same pattern, same maker, same place of origin for $3.50.  Do ya get that?  same damn product at 10% of the price.  My niece had a great Christmas, instead of only getting her one or two items from a "Mom and Pop" high end toy shop, I got the same stuff cheaper.  She loves sidewalk chalk.  What 4 year old doesnt?  And I got her 4 boxes of the stuff and still didnt break the bank.  My dad bought her her first .22 from a Wal-Mart.

Groceries?  I can make a trip to Wal-Mart and get groceries for an entire month and get the same product that I can get at any other store and still spend a third to half less than I would spend at Food Lion, Farm Fresh or Ukrops.  On the other hand I wont get their meat, but if your a family on a budget, who cares?  For that I go to where there is still a real butcher.

I dont know about other places, but I have yet to see a local mom & pop anything go out of business.  Maybe because its a college and tourist town, but even with big ol evil Walmart, they thrive.  Hell I spend more time at the local M&Ps, but I do have to live within a budget.

And finally... next time you go into a Wal-Mart, keep in mind that they also provide jobs to those other wise unemployable earning more than if they worked in fast food.  And I cant fault Wal-Mart for giving a hand up to someone "special" trying to lead a productive life.

Winchester white box and REAL Coca-Cola

Just as I suspected.

And as I already believed, wanted to see the group think.

Thanks, and God bless capitalism!

Wal-Mart is the devil.

The people shopping in WalMart are evil....

If Walmart would build a Wally Condo on top of the supercenter I would not have to leave home.

Quoted: I loved the Wal-Mart episode of Penn & Tellers Bullshit, especially their advertising near the end. They pretty much cut right through all the liberal lies and propaganda and make the Wal-Mart haters look like idiots.

+1

capitalism ftw

Helps me make my life easier as a college student!

Walmart is great.  Where else can you buy beans, beer, booze, bullets and $5 DVDs under one roof?  Not to mention motor oil and diapers.

My only beef is with the majority of the customers.  

Maria:  The 500 lb. baby-machine who tries to stuff that gut and butt in the same spandex pants that she looked good in before she squeezed out those five kids in the last four years.

Mildred:  The 90 year old blue hair that bitches at the clerk, while she's asking for help, not realizing that she is asking the 1-hour Photo Lab clerk "Why the Fuck isn't my prescription ready, Bitch?, I demand to see a Gawdamn Manager, Rat Fuckin' Now!"

Jose:  Hasn't bathed in a week, and he's fingering the tomatoes to see if he can find just the right one.

Timmy:  The 11-year old asswipe, with the skate-shoes, hauling ass down the aisle, bumping into everybody he can, and never says excuse me.  (Next time one of these little fucktards comes zipping past me, their gonna go flying.

Tyrone:  The 15 year old that stuffs as many DVDs in his baggy/hanging around his ass pants, and then goes hauling ass out the front door.  This guy's gonna end up Glocked or Locked by the time he's 18.

These shits are the reason that I usually go to WallyWorld at 3 a.m.  I'd much rather dodge the pallets of merchandise being stocked than deal with the 'normal' Walmart customer.

Wal-Mart sells cheap stuff.  People want cheap stuff, therefore Wal-Mart is justified.  They aren't successful because no one likes their cheap stuff.  The people that don't like them usually seem to fail in the understanding of basic economics IMHO.  

You want expensive stuff, shop somewhere else.  

I have shopped at Walmart all my life...and now I work there. I'd say that I would rather work at the Distrubution center (better pay) than the store...just because most customers are idiots/assholes. I have no problem with Walmart at all. I just wish they had an easier way to unload the trucks 0_o