Do you shop at Wal-Mart?

[sigbrown1297]

Watched this tonight.

Walmart - High Cost of Low Prices

[Murgatroy]

I prefer Kroger. I had four years with them in lower management before my current job.

My wife is at Target now after six years at Walmart (then a five year break to raise our daughter.)

We still shop at Walmart. The prices and selection make it hard to not shop there.

That doesn't mean that is the only place we shop, but I am not gonna lie and say I boycott them. Price is king.

[quietguy]

My wife and I generally get a few Walmart gift cards each year for Christmas. I go and spend those, but that is usually it.

[Guest bkelm18]

Yep I shop there. You can buy your Chinese crap at Walmart or you can buy it somewhere else.

[sigbrown1297]

I try to avoid walmart and im not saying that i am boycotting walmart or anything but i do feel for some of those folks.

[QuietDan]

There is a flip side of the coin to 'the evil Walmart.'

In a lot of little towns, the leading family owned the main stores and basically held the residents over a barrel because they had no alternative. In those same towns, the leading families often held the Mayor's office or a number of seats on the city council and fought kicking and screaming to keep the Walmarts of the world out of their towns to protect their little fiefdoms.

Fine. Then, the Walmart goes into the NEXT town over, or in the county outside the town limits, and the Walmart thrives anyways, and the town with the little fiefdom circle loses business AND doesn't get the tax revenue -- substantial tax revenue -- that the Walmarts of the world generate.

We can all sing sob stories over the poor little businesses that lose out to the Walmarts of the world, and some of them have noble stories. But, a LOT of those little stores were actually run by nasty people that lorded it over their neighbors for generations, never developed the customer service, never developed efficiencies, never developed competitive prices, never improved.

A Walmart exists because there are efficiencies involved with operating a big store that people drive to. They depend on a larger trade area. If people can burn a little gasoline to save a couple of dollars, they will. It's called rent-seeking behavior and pretty much everyone does it. I don't like it that Walmart minimizes prices by buying from China, I don't like it at all, but people want to save a buck and respond to that. That's just the way it is. A lot of domestic businesses just depended on their political influences to protect their turf and didn't bother to get or stay competitive. If the little store that people can walk to or drive a short distance to doesn't develop a compelling reason for people to continue to shop there, then they won't.

[Guest NYCrulesU]

I love Walmart. Low prices, great selection. I also shop Kroger..only in Cookeville...for meats and seafood.

I don't boycott anything. I'd club a baby seal if it was worth my while.

[sigbrown1297]

Of course. Just as with anything else, when you watch documentary, you have to consider the source and consider the bias towards/against what they are presenting.

[Guest bkelm18]

I don't boycott anything. I'd club a baby seal if it was worth my while.

I like the cut of your jib.

[FJCrusing]

I buy lots of ammo at Wal-Mart. Can't beat their prices on ammo. That's about the extent of my Wal-Mart shopping though.

[gregintenn]

I go to Walmart occasionally, but only as a last resort. I will, however, starve before I ever set foot in another Kroger store.

[DWARREN123]

Wal-Mart has survived and grown because they give folks what they want. I 'm not saying they are good or bad just available.

[greenego]

I go to HellMart only if I can't fine something somewhere else or someone gives me a gift card. I call it HellMart not because of the store, but trying to get around the place, large number of people blocking my way, and trying to find what I am looking for is a challenge. As for the prices, never compared them. I am sure they have their loss leaders like all retail stores.

[DaveTN]

We are getting our 3^rd Wal-Mart in Murfreesboro.

I’ve never seen a city of 100K have three Wal-Marts.

[Moped]

I shop at Walmart, Target and K-Mart. But I shop at Kroger for my groceries. I think it's cheaper over all and has a better selection of food.

[TMF]

We are getting our 3^rd Wal-Mart in Murfreesboro.

I’ve never seen a city of 100K have three Wal-Marts.

Clarksville has 4 now... ain't we the metropolis?

[Moped]

I shop at Walmart, Target and K-Mart. But I shop at Kroger for my groceries. I think it's cheaper over all and has a better selection of food. I shop for the best price I can find. Money is tight. My family has to make every dollar count in this economy. If we don't, we become homeless and a burden on society. I'd love to see ma and pa businesses make it, but not at the expense of what it might cost me and mine.

[quietguy]

I go to HellMart only if I can't fine something somewhere else or someone gives me a gift card. I call it HellMart not because of the store, but trying to get around the place, large number of people blocking my way, and trying to find what I am looking for is a challenge.

I feel pretty much the same way. My aversion is based more on the other shoppers than the store, especially around Nashville.

[Guest NYCrulesU]

As someone said above...my only complaint with Walmart is the other people shopping there. Especially here in Sparta.

My 3 and 5 yr old girls have more manners than most adults around here. They say excuse me, move out of someones way when we are in the isles. Most times my wife does the shopping because I can't stand having to tolerate some of the shoppers we encounter...rude, clueless ...

[JPR1959]

I will never shop at Kroger and encourage others to do so as well. My reason is very simple. My oldest son used to work there and had to miss a day of work to have a biopsy done to determine if he had cancer (he did). He spoke with the store manager to explain he just had a biopsy done and would need a couple of days to recover. He was fired during that phone conversation. Just imagine as a 19 year old, the same day you're diagnosed with cancer, your boss fires you because you HAVE cancer. Those bastards can rot in hell and I'll starve before they EVER get a penny from me!!! Please shop anywhere but Kroger.

[Guest Star1021Scott]

I also avoid kroger like the plague. Publix is where I do my grocery shopping and target for everything else

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk

[kb4ns]

I will never shop at Kroger and encourage others to do so as well. My reason is very simple. My oldest son used to work there and had to miss a day of work to have a biopsy done to determine if he had cancer (he did). He spoke with the store manager to explain he just had a biopsy done and would need a couple of days to recover. He was fired during that phone conversation. Just imagine as a 19 year old, the same day you're diagnosed with cancer, your boss fires you because you HAVE cancer. Those bastards can rot in hell and I'll starve before they EVER get a penny from me!!! Please shop anywhere but Kroger.

While I sympathize with your situation, sounds more like a d-bag manager than a terrible chain of stores. I hope you took up issue with management above the store manager. While I was in high school, I worked for Kroger for a few years and was always treated very well. Boycotting the entire chain over one terrible manager would be like boycotting TGO because one of the members is a butthole.

[jtmaze]

I will never shop at Kroger and encourage others to do so as well. My reason is very simple. My oldest son used to work there and had to miss a day of work to have a biopsy done to determine if he had cancer (he did). He spoke with the store manager to explain he just had a biopsy done and would need a couple of days to recover. He was fired during that phone conversation. Just imagine as a 19 year old, the same day you're diagnosed with cancer, your boss fires you because you HAVE cancer. Those bastards can rot in hell and I'll starve before they EVER get a penny from me!!! Please shop anywhere but Kroger.

Your son should own that company.

JTM🔫

Sent from my iPhone

[Grunt67]

There is a flip side of the coin to 'the evil Walmart.'

In a lot of little towns, the leading family owned the main stores and basically held the residents over a barrel because they had no alternative. In those same towns, the leading families often held the Mayor's office or a number of seats on the city council and fought kicking and screaming to keep the Walmarts of the world out of their towns to protect their little fiefdoms.

Fine. Then, the Walmart goes into the NEXT town over, or in the county outside the town limits, and the Walmart thrives anyways, and the town with the little fiefdom circle loses business AND doesn't get the tax revenue -- substantial tax revenue -- that the Walmarts of the world generate.

We can all sing sob stories over the poor little businesses that lose out to the Walmarts of the world, and some of them have noble stories. But, a LOT of those little stores were actually run by nasty people that lorded it over their neighbors for generations, never developed the customer service, never developed efficiencies, never developed competitive prices, never improved.

A Walmart exists because there are efficiencies involved with operating a big store that people drive to. They depend on a larger trade area. If people can burn a little gasoline to save a couple of dollars, they will. It's called rent-seeking behavior and pretty much everyone does it. I don't like it that Walmart minimizes prices by buying from China, I don't like it at all, but people want to save a buck and respond to that. That's just the way it is. A lot of domestic businesses just depended on their political influences to protect their turf and didn't bother to get or stay competitive. If the little store that people can walk to or drive a short distance to doesn't develop a compelling reason for people to continue to shop there, then they won't.

Good post. Lot of truth in that. I don't like the idea of buying Chinese goods or anyone

else overseas, especially folks that would like to see us all 6 ft. under. Problem is,

it's hard to find stuff made in the USA. It can be done, but it isn't easy, convenient,

or cheap.

I'll stick with Walmart, because mainly I can't afford the high end shops, or the Ma & Pa

shops.

To each his/her own.

[DaveTN]

I hope you took up issue with management above the store manager.

This.

There are two sides to every story and I am sure we are not going to get the other side here. I have trouble believing a chain like Kroger would allow anyone to be fired because they have cancer.

If it matters, I have been diagnosed with cancer and know what that feels like. So far I have been doing well as a survivor; I hope your son is doing the same.