Do you shop or boycott Walmart?

[Gayletmom]

I have been shopping at Walmart for several years, mainly for price and convenience. I have four kids and go through rather large amounts of laundry detergent, soaps and shampoos, paper products, etc. WM has the best price (other than Sam''s Club) and I like being able to buy my groceries, toiletries, cosmetics, garden supplies, etc. all in one stop.

I have a couple of acquaintances, however, who boycott WM. I''m generally familiar with WM stores driving smaller businesses out and with questions regarding their labor practices but confess that I haven''t looked into the details. Should I be paying closer attention?

I''m wondering if I''m being a bit socially irresponsible or contributing to negative effects of WM on my community (and the world). Do any of you feel strongly about this issue?

 

[Elmorton]

DH and I do some shopping there, fully aware that it''s pretty socially irresponsible - the Walmart corporation does bully companies into making lesser products (by cutting quality control, employees, and other things) and a lot of the labor comes from factories that are hardly more than sweatshops in China. Oh, and Walmart comes into small towns and cities to drive other businesses out and suck up city resources. Historically, Walmart treats workers extremely poorly, espeically women. It''s not really good business (all this info comes from the documentary "The High Cost of Low Price" - a great rental).

That said - all of the big stores, Target, K-mart - they''re doing the same things, it''s just the Walmart is well, better at it. I find it kinda funny how people who very dramatically boycott Walmart will do all their shopping at Target, when these businesses are truly cut from the same cloth (for the record, I DO prefer Target''s products and the shopping experience there as a whole in comparison).

So, bottom line - do I like shopping at Walmart? No. Do I avoid it for the reasons listed above? Yes. But frankly, I sometimes I find myself in a position when I need a furnace filter, orange juice, socks, and a spatula at midnight. That''s what it''s there for.

 

[packrat]

We shop there. And Kmart and Target. Places like that kinda gotcha by the short hairs, you know? Well, if you don''t have a lot to spend, I should say. I would love to shop at small mom and pop places or little boutiques or wherever, but money wise it isn''t always feasible. My BFF bought a door for her shop, in town, b/c she wanted to stay local etc, and especially as a new business owner, felt it was the right thing to do. She spent over $200. We bought the SAME exact door for $80 at Menards. If everyone could scrimp for the $200+ door, and nobody bought them from Menards, that would be great..but we can''t always. Short hairs. They got em.

 

[Circe]

I do my damndest to avoid them, for basically the same reasons that Elmorton described: it''s worth it to me to be a bargain hunter extraordinaire in other categories to not support that sort of a place with day-to-day purchases. They''re a little cheaper than the local grocery store, true, but I feel considerably less ... morally compromised, for lack of a better term, when I shop elsewhere. It''s the little decisions that make the personal political.

 

[movie zombie]

yes, i feel strongly on this issue.....and i do not shop at walmart.

mz

 

[Dancing Fire]

i''d prefer Target cuz most of the WM in our area are located in the gettos.

 

[VRBeauty]

I avoid Walmart but I do shop there occasionally, usually if I''m looking for something specific that I haven''t been able to get elsewhere, or if I need something after hours. (There''s a 24/7 WM near where I live.) I am a big Target fan, however.

 

[Clio]

I used to shop at Walmart pretty frequently, but their poor customer service ticked me off one too many times.

These days, it''s not an issue anyway because the closest Walmart is at least 25 minutes away. I''m not driving that far in DC-area traffic when Target is only 5 minutes.

 

[Haven]

I buy our Myoplex shakes and a variety of toiletries at Target.

I don''t shop at Walmart because there isn''t one near my town. There is a Walmart in my hometown where I grew up, and frankly, the shopping experience there leaves much to be desired.

I imagine that shopping at either isn''t completely aligned with my values, and I should probably look into that.

Here''s an interesting story: A very dear family friend works at Walmart. She''s worked there for years now, including the three years that her husband was dying of cancer. They provided outstanding medical treatment for him (except for the fact that he had to travel from Chicago to the Mayo Clinic for his bone marrow and stem cell transplants to be fully covered.) Anyway, right before he passed away his father died and left the family enough money for them to live off of and never work again. Our friend left her Walmart job shortly after she became a widow, as she no longer had to work for a living, only to return to Walmart a few months later because she missed it. She manages one section of the store, so she''s out on the floor working with all the customers, so it''s not as if she''s in an office somewhere. She says she loves it, which goes against everything I hear about working there.
So, there is at least one independently wealthy woman out there who *chooses* to work at Walmart, blue vest and all, and does so happily.

 

[Kaleigh]

My DD had to give a senior assembly in High school,. She picked Walmart. She highlighted every negative aspect of the company, how unfair and unjust they are to their employees.

We don''t have one near by. But we do in FLA at our other house We would no more shop there than fly. I hate the Wallmart brand, it doesn''t stand for anything great in my book. I''d rather buy from Target, who actually gives a damn...

 

[Liane]

I avoid WalMart. It's only partly because of the company's ethics (which I do find substandard and unworthy of my support -- the last straw for me was when they got rid of their distinctive blue bags because so many people were throwing them along the roadsides and the litter made the company look bad; rather than do anything at all to fix the problem, they just changed their look to run away from it). I also avoid it just because it is so incredibly depressing to go there. Something about the lighting and linoleum floors kills my soul.

(I realize how goofy and over-dramatic that sounds, but man, it is true.)

 

[purrfectpear]

Sure I shop WalMart. In fact I spend extra to make up for those who "boycott"

 

[KimberlyH]

I don''t like Walmart because of the shopping experience. That being said I don''t find their business practices any more unethical than most retail businesses, I think people just like having someone to call the bad guy. For as poor as their reputation is they have an amazing record of philanthropy.

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 12/8/2009 11:01:36 PM
Author: purrfectpear
Sure I shop WalMart. In fact I spend extra to make up for those who 'boycott'

PP do you know anything about Walmart and their pratices?? You are such a wise woman, so find it out of sorts that you buy from them... I know a bargain is a bargain, but if the owner disregards paying benefits to his employees, and has unfair pratices... I can't but from a company like that..

 

[Haven]

How do they screw over their employees? And do they do so in a way that is any more harmful than other retailers?

 

[Kelli]

I do try to avoid Walmart because of their terrible reputation for being unethical, but it''s pretty hard to know just where to go. Where IS the most socially responsible place to shop?

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 12/8/2009 11:10:07 PM
Author: Haven
How do they screw over their employees? And do they do so in a way that is any more harmful than other retailers?

I'd have to ask DD, her talk was for her senior year assembly in HS, and she's now graduating early from College. If she's home and can provide me the info, I will gladly provide it. I was floored, by what she found out. She was very thorough in her research, she got an A+ on the assembly.

 

[iluvcarats]

I avoid them. They go out of their way to drive small businesses out. They go into towns, undercut the mom and pop shops so that they can''t compete and have to close, and then raise the prices. I feel as though they will stop at nothing and never be satisfied. I guess it''s business but just because you can doesn''t mean you should.

 

[Haven]

Thanks, Kaleigh. I've heard stories like that before, but as I shared earlier in the thread we have a very close family friend who *chooses* to continue working at Walmart even though she could not work another day in her life and be more than set. I think part of it is that she feels they were so incredibly supportive of her when her husband was dying of Myeloma, but we all thought she'd be out of there a couple months after going back, but she isn't.

And she's out on the floor, too, wearing the blue vest and helping customers. Now, if you said that the *customers* mistreat the employees, then I'd understand exactly what you're talking about. Boy does she have stories about awful customers doing really unheard of things.

To make this story even more interesting--this particular friend of ours lived her entire young adult life in England, on the family estate which includes a *real* castle. She went to boarding school, the whole nine yards. She came here on a student visa, fell in love, and never went back. So, not only does she work at this place with a horrible reputation despite the fact that she doesn't have to work, she was raised in the lap of luxury, as well. I say: good for her! She loves it, and her coworkers, so that's all that matters.

 

[Octavia]

The area where I grew up was devastated by the Wal-Mart business model when I was in middle/high school (build a huge store, drive all the local shops out of business, then cut down on product offerings so everyone who lives there is stuck with whatever Wal-Mart deigns to sell them). It was really awful to watch...like a train wreck, for lack of a better analogy. The local economy (meaning non-Wal-Mart stores) still hasn''t recovered and it''s been over 10 years. So, as a matter of principle, I don''t shop there. Fortunately, there are no Wal-Marts near where I live now, so that makes it really easy to avoid. Also, at least for the time being, DH and I are in a position to spend a few extra pennies and support local enterprise, and we vastly prefer to do that.

 

[katamari]

I do not shop Walmart. Although supporting any big box chain has ethical complications, here are some of the reasons I particularly choose not to shop Walmart in order of how I see their perniciousness:

1. Walmart''s treatment of partner corporations. During Walmart''s boom, many manufacturers competed to have Walmart sell their merchandise. Walmart took advantage of their power by contracting merchants. Once a corporation contacted to "sell Walmart," Walmart then set their price point. Instead of the manufacturer being able to decide how much their item could sell for, Walmart told them we will pay $X for your product because we are going to sell it for $Y. Companies often could not meet these Walmart prices and Walmart then outsourced the manufacturing. This put a lot of blue collar workers in the U.S. out of work and promoted unfair labor practices worldwide by supporting sweatshop labor (which is often the only way most companies can meet their price demands).

2. Walmart''s impact on the global labor market and working conditions due to the practice in point 1.

3. Walmart''s domestic labor policies. Walmart hires many "workfare" workers and keeps them under the poverty line either by work hours or wages. Walmart then encourages these workers to remain on public assistance for the things they cannot afford due to working at Walmart. I am in no way condemning "workfare" here as I strongly support a living wage. I say this only to highlight that Walmart knows it does not pay their workers enough to live, but does not adjust the wages of their workers. Walmart is also very strongly anti-Union.

4. Walmart''s rezoning. Walmart seeks to build on land with heavy tax subsidies. They will often vacate a store when the tax subsidies end and build a new store to escape taxation.

There are several other reasons I choose not to shop at Walmart, but those are the most pressing. I wish I could say I shop completely ethically, but I am unable to do it, even though I try very hard. I do not believe there is an option to for many people who shop Walmart--especially people who do not live in urban centers. That''s another major problem with Walmart. My mom, for instance, lives in a fringe suburb and her option is to shop Walmart or drive 45 minutes to another big box. For people in more rural areas, there is often even less choice. Though I personally avoid it, I would never, ever judge someone for shopping at Walmart. Don''t hate the players, hate the game, right?

 

[Cehrabehra]

I have long avoided walmart - I''m not 100% against it but I''m pretty close and I just don''t feel comfortable there.

Last year when we were in China we were taken to a walmart there and I have to say I will probably be shopping there more than I want to admit while we''re living there. It''s hard to find a reliable source of american style goods and walmart is full of them.

 

[Haven]

Kata--Thank you for all of that information. I feel like a lot of people say they hate Walmart (or other such stores) but I''ve never heard anyone give me a real reason *why* they feel that way. Of course, I''ve heard some great reporting on some of these issues on NPR, but I''ve never taken the time to explore any of them any further.

I do understand what you mean when you say some people have no choice--I can imagine that living in a rural area where the choice is shop at a nearby Walmart or drive 45 minutes away to some other large store makes it not much of a choice at all.

 

[Squirrly]

Date: 12/8/2009 11:26:54 PM
Author: Haven
Thanks, Kaleigh. I''ve heard stories like that before, but as I shared earlier in the thread we have a very close family friend who *chooses* to continue working at Walmart even though she could not work another day in her life and be more than set. I think part of it is that she feels they were so incredibly supportive of her when her husband was dying of Myeloma, but we all thought she''d be out of there a couple months after going back, but she isn''t.

And she''s out on the floor, too, wearing the blue vest and helping customers. Now, if you said that the *customers* mistreat the employees, then I''d understand exactly what you''re talking about. Boy does she have stories about awful customers doing really unheard of things.

To make this story even more interesting--this particular friend of ours lived her entire young adult life in England, on the family estate which includes a *real* castle. She went to boarding school, the whole nine yards. She came here on a student visa, fell in love, and never went back. So, not only does she work at this place with a horrible reputation despite the fact that she doesn''t have to work, she was raised in the lap of luxury, as well. I say: good for her! She loves it, and her coworkers, so that''s all that matters.

to add to that, as a student who''s been working on average 30 hours a week for the past four years at various places, the only place that would give me insurance was wal-mart. when i worked at a mom & pop store i got a 30 min. unpaid break for working 8 hours, when i worked at the mall i was lucky to get a break (my favorite was the 30 minute one i barely got during a 10 hour shift), and the hospital i currently work for gives a 30 unpaid and a 15 paid break if you work 8 hours. at wal-mart, you have to take a 15 min break if you work 3 hours (paid break), 6 hours you still get your 15 paid and are scheduled and extra half hour for an unpaid lunch, and for an 8 hour day you are scheduled nine and given an hour unpaid lunch and two paid 15 min breaks. i had FMLA there (i don''t at the hospital), and when i went through training we were able to select other positions in the store we were interested in, and within my first 3 weeks of working in produce i was interviewed for an office position (they interview internally before opening the position to non-employees). over half the department managers there are women, and one of the assistant managers is a woman, and i never had any problems there being female.

long story short- love my ''grown-up'' job at the hospital, but i''m re-applying at wal-mart in a few weeks to have a second job now that i''m done with school because i know as unglamorous as it is, it has been probably the best work environment i''ve been in overall.

 

[Burberrygirl]

Nope, I don''t shop at Walmart, Target, and many other big chains. It''s just not my thing. I''ve only been to Walmart a few times in a pinch, normally I''d never even go there. I can look at everything in those huge stores and still leave empty handed. Saks on the other hand is a major weakness of mine

...

 

[kittybean]

I don''t shop at Wal-Mart because there are none in my area, but I grew up shopping at Wal-Mart because it was the only store that had certain items within an hour''s drive of my hometown. If you didn''t want to pay "resort" prices at the local stores ($10 for shampoo that costs $3 in a regular locale, $6 for a normally $2.50 box of cereal), you had to shop at Wal-Mart. We appreciated having the option to pay a lot less for our necessities.

I don''t agree with many of Wal-Mart''s practices and policies, but other big box retailers employ similar strategies and get less press. Unfortunately, it is really hard to boycott the savings one is able to find at these mega-stores.

 

[jewelerman]

Date: 12/8/2009 11:51:29 PM
Author: katamari
I do not shop Walmart. Although supporting any big box chain has ethical complications, here are some of the reasons I particularly choose not to shop Walmart in order of how I see their perniciousness:

1. Walmart''s treatment of partner corporations. During Walmart''s boom, many manufacturers competed to have Walmart sell their merchandise. Walmart took advantage of their power by contracting merchants. Once a corporation contacted to ''sell Walmart,'' Walmart then set their price point. Instead of the manufacturer being able to decide how much their item could sell for, Walmart told them we will pay $X for your product because we are going to sell it for $Y. Companies often could not meet these Walmart prices and Walmart then outsourced the manufacturing. This put a lot of blue collar workers in the U.S. out of work and promoted unfair labor practices worldwide by supporting sweatshop labor (which is often the only way most companies can meet their price demands).

2. Walmart''s impact on the global labor market and working conditions due to the practice in point 1.

3. Walmart''s domestic labor policies. Walmart hires many ''workfare'' workers and keeps them under the poverty line either by work hours or wages. Walmart then encourages these workers to remain on public assistance for the things they cannot afford due to working at Walmart. I am in no way condemning ''workfare'' here as I strongly support a living wage. I say this only to highlight that Walmart knows it does not pay their workers enough to live, but does not adjust the wages of their workers. Walmart is also very strongly anti-Union.

4. Walmart''s rezoning. Walmart seeks to build on land with heavy tax subsidies. They will often vacate a store when the tax subsidies end and build a new store to escape taxation.

There are several other reasons I choose not to shop at Walmart, but those are the most pressing. I wish I could say I shop completely ethically, but I am unable to do it, even though I try very hard. I do not believe there is an option to for many people who shop Walmart--especially people who do not live in urban centers. That''s another major problem with Walmart. My mom, for instance, lives in a fringe suburb and her option is to shop Walmart or drive 45 minutes to another big box. For people in more rural areas, there is often even less choice. Though I personally avoid it, I would never, ever judge someone for shopping at Walmart. Don''t hate the players, hate the game, right?

I used to shop Walmart until i went back to college and had to do an indepth report on them that took several months to research....never ever again will i shop there or any stores linked to them(sams)there is so many reasons...their employee and labor problems,overseas labor policies,law suits from employees,how they have affected jobs at home versus the china market,and everything that has been said by those posting before me...if you researched walmart you would shop else where!

 

[TravelingGal]

I don''t shop walmart because as a vendor, I''m not keen on what I perceive is their way of doing business.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

I do not shop at Walmart. Being a savvy shopper, I find that most items can be found at one of two stores I frequent at prices comparable OR lower than Walmart and those two stores have great customer service and are NW regional stores!

A few months back when desperately hunting for a special item on my son''s school supply list, I caved in and went to the store looking for a product. . .I couldn''t find an employee ANYWHERE to direct me. After about 10 minutes, I asked a fellow shopper about how to find someone and she responded, "good luck." I just sighed, gave up, and left. Ended up finding what I needed at Staples for a reasonable price.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 12/9/2009 1:50:14 AM
Author: jewelerman

Date: 12/8/2009 11:51:29 PM
Author: katamari
I do not shop Walmart. Although supporting any big box chain has ethical complications, here are some of the reasons I particularly choose not to shop Walmart in order of how I see their perniciousness:

1. Walmart''s treatment of partner corporations. During Walmart''s boom, many manufacturers competed to have Walmart sell their merchandise. Walmart took advantage of their power by contracting merchants. Once a corporation contacted to ''sell Walmart,'' Walmart then set their price point. Instead of the manufacturer being able to decide how much their item could sell for, Walmart told them we will pay $X for your product because we are going to sell it for $Y. Companies often could not meet these Walmart prices and Walmart then outsourced the manufacturing. This put a lot of blue collar workers in the U.S. out of work and promoted unfair labor practices worldwide by supporting sweatshop labor (which is often the only way most companies can meet their price demands).

2. Walmart''s impact on the global labor market and working conditions due to the practice in point 1.

3. Walmart''s domestic labor policies. Walmart hires many ''workfare'' workers and keeps them under the poverty line either by work hours or wages. Walmart then encourages these workers to remain on public assistance for the things they cannot afford due to working at Walmart. I am in no way condemning ''workfare'' here as I strongly support a living wage. I say this only to highlight that Walmart knows it does not pay their workers enough to live, but does not adjust the wages of their workers. Walmart is also very strongly anti-Union.

4. Walmart''s rezoning. Walmart seeks to build on land with heavy tax subsidies. They will often vacate a store when the tax subsidies end and build a new store to escape taxation.

There are several other reasons I choose not to shop at Walmart, but those are the most pressing. I wish I could say I shop completely ethically, but I am unable to do it, even though I try very hard. I do not believe there is an option to for many people who shop Walmart--especially people who do not live in urban centers. That''s another major problem with Walmart. My mom, for instance, lives in a fringe suburb and her option is to shop Walmart or drive 45 minutes to another big box. For people in more rural areas, there is often even less choice. Though I personally avoid it, I would never, ever judge someone for shopping at Walmart. Don''t hate the players, hate the game, right?

I used to shop Walmart until i went back to college and had to do an indepth report on them that took several months to research....never ever again will i shop there or any stores linked to them(sams)there is so many reasons...their employee and labor problems,overseas labor policies,law suits from employees,how they have affected jobs at home versus the china market,and everything that has been said by those posting before me...if you researched walmart you would shop else where!

What is your view on Target then? I do shop there.