Don't Shop at Wal-Mart

“I was in the Dollar Store the other day and saw cereal-type bowls with labels that said "known to contain chemicals hazardous to your health and cause birth defects." Check out the 'ok people..the real test' thread for an outside view of your politics on stuff like this.”

“LOL wannabp....


thats what you get for shopping at a place that sells third world junk!”

“Wash your hands people.
LOL”

“SC, I work with really poor people. I make a point of being familiar with where my clients shop. (But I did buy a dollar laundry basket......... Well, !@#$%, okay 4 laundry baskets. Cleanliness is next to godliness and all that rhetoric.)”

“Many of you should wash your mouths with soap. God is homeless and never baths.”

“wannbp, hippies dont bathe :P”

“Nah, they bathe nekkid in cold mountain streams.”

“I guess it is not known in the other states of the union to cause problems.. my suggestion.. stay out of cali with those lights.”

“You wouldn't believe what's in those fillings in your mouth!”

““You wouldn't believe what's in those fillings in your mouth!”

Well, let's see, there's a little General Tso's chicken from last night...[sucksuck]...a bit of bread from my morning toast and...[sucksuck]...yes, definitly some pop corn from over the weekend.”

“Sass, the last few times I had to get fillings the dentist gave me the "safer" ones. They're all rotting out and nothing I've done seems to stop it. All of the old toxic ones are still good.”

“I still have old toxic ones too. Tons of them. It'll be a good excuse to behave mad as a hatter when I'm an old lady (if I still have my teeth that is).”

“but my dentist told me that the mercury in my silver/mercury amalgum fillings is inert once it sets up in the tooth. Even if it dislodged and I swallowed it, it would stay all together and I would just poop it out in a day or so.
As for the lead and other things that will kill you in california, just be careful and limit your exposure. The parking garages in S.F. (and the rest of california, I would imagine) also have warnings about toxins, even the ones that are well ventilated.”

““Isn't there a law against selling items that contain and shed lead?
Buddur
8:22:25 PM
11/27/05
ignore this user

Yes and no. There are a lot of things that I have bought with that warning on it, fishing reels come to mind. The fact lead is still used in products. The main problem with lead is when it is used in something that might end up ingested, like lead paint chips/dust or lead plumbing and pipe solder.”

“You wouldn't believe how much asbestos is sold at homedepot too. You'd never know it was in the products unless you contacted the manufacturer.

I feel so much better about my fillings now Tango, but you've ruined my excuse for acting nutty! ;)”

“BTW, lead is an amazing roofing material. Its malleability makes it easy to work with. It also lasts a long time, because when it oxidizes the outer oxidized layer protects the rest of the material. When the time comes that it need to be replaced much of the original material can be easily melted down and reused.”

“And Superman can't see through it!”

“Critics Say Tide Turning on Wal-Mart By MARCUS KABEL, AP Business Writer
1 hour, 19 minutes ago (Off Yahoo news)


BERRYVILLE, Ark. - Nancy McShane used to spend $600 to $700 a month at Wal-Mart on everything from groceries to oil changes. Then in March she abruptly switched to other discount stores, upset over what her turkey-farming relatives saw as undue price pressure from the world's largest retailer.


McShane, a Springfield, Mo., housewife with children aged 11 and 12, is among what organized critics claim is a growing number of Americans turning against Wal-Mart amid allegations from unions and others that the company is bad for workers, the environment and communities.

"We cut off Wal-Mart cold turkey. Now I'm preaching it to other people," McShane said.

But for James Butler, a chicken plant worker from Alpena, complaints that Wal-Mart is bad for America just don't add up — but the savings do.

"It doesn't change my mind. It's just a convenience. And anywhere else costs more," Butler said Wednesday night outside a Wal-Mart Supercenter where he had just purchased batteries.

According to a poll released Thursday by Wake Up Wal-Mart, an anti-Wal-Mart group launched this year by the United Food and Commercial Workers union, more Americans have an unfavorable view of Wal-Mart today than at the start of the year.

The poll showed that a majority, 58 percent, viewed Wal-Mart favorably, but the figure was down from 76 percent in January. Wake Up Wal-Mart said that was proof that its message against the company's low-price business model is hitting its intended target — the average Wal-Mart shopper.

"What this polling indicates is that Wal-Mart's reputation is in a tailspin," said Paul Blank, campaign director at Wake Up Wal-Mart.

Blank said changes in behavior would follow if consumer's opinions about Wal-Mart continue to fall.

Wal-Mart said the survey was questionable and argued that November sales and an onslaught of holiday shoppers the day after Thanksgiving showed it remained popular.

Figures released Thursday showed that sales at Wal-Mart stores open at least a year rose 3.8 percent in November when compared to November 2004 — matching analysts' expectations. Same-store sales are considered the best indicator of a retailer's health.

Retail analyst Don Gher said Wal-Mart's monthly sales growth did not suggest that shoppers were staying away amid a slew of attacks by groups alleging that Wal-Mart's low prices come at the cost of poor treatment for its workers, suppliers and communities.

"At this point the sales numbers wouldn't seem to indicate a backlash," said Gher of Coldstream Capital Management in Bellevue, Wash. The company has Wal-Mart stock as part of the roughly $900 million in assets it manages.

Consumers appear divided.

Steve and Sandy Larsen of Holiday Island, which is near Eureka Springs, said they liked Wal-Mart for the prices and the company's pledges to the local food kitchen and the Habitat for Humanity in Benton County, the retailer's home town.

"We work a lot in charity, and they are great," Steve Larsen said at the Berryville Supercenter. "They just keep giving."

But at Springfield, McShane said she changed stores after her relatives, who also raise produce, complained Wal-Mart exerts too much pressure on suppliers to cut their prices.

"That's too much power for one company to have," she said.

The Wake Up Wal-Mart figures came from two national telephone surveys of about 1,000 adults in January and November. The January 15-20 poll by Lake, Snell & Perry had a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points, and the November poll by Zogby had a margin of error of 3.2 percentage points.

"In terms of overall favorability, in the span of about 11 months, Wal-Mart experienced a decline of 18 percentage points in the number of American adults who view the company favorably," Wake Up Wal-Mart said in a summary.

The number of people who said they viewed Wal-Mart very favorably or somewhat favorably fell 18 percentage points to 58 percent while the number who answered that their view was very or somewhat unfavorable increased by the same amount to 38 percent.

The group said attitudes were starting to change shopping practices. Asked how often they plan to shop at Wal-Mart in the next month, the number who said they would not go at all rose 8 percentage points to 28 percent. The largest group, those who planned to shop there once or twice, fell 7 points to 32 percent.

Wal-Mart said the November poll appeared to be times to take advantage of publicity around the release of a scathingly critical documentary, Robert Greenwald's "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices."

"It would be hard for anyone to believe that a poll paid for by the UFCW was more accurate than the fact that our estimated November store sales were up 4.3 percent and that 10 million people shopped at our stores during the first six hours of sales last Friday," Wal-Mart spokeswoman Sarah Clark said.

She added: "A good poll would be to ask if working families enjoy the $2,300 in savings we provide per year."

Clark said Wal-Mart does its own internal tracking of consumer sentiment, but declined to release that data. She said the questions were not the same as Wake Up Wal-Mart's poll so they wouldn't be comparable.”

“Not an option in my backwater town.”

“*Yawn*”

“Is it a human condition that we somehow need boogymen in our lives?”

“I'm out of milk.
A trip to Wally World is coming up.”

“they do have the best price on milk but their beer selection sucks canal water.”

“Wal Mart sells beer?”

“They got Bud Light.
That's all I need lately.
I've been cutting back on the high dollar stuff.”

“And the more tasty beer as well it would seem. Bud Light? Somehow, I'll never look you the same again. At least drink something like Old Milwaukee.”

“This from the guy that thinks Rent is the greatest movie ever made. ;-)”

“I never said it was the best movie ever made. Everyone knows it was Yental.”

“The Terry Schiavo of retail.”

“Bud Light....gag a maggot”

“I only buy milk produced by my local dairy from local cows - for two primary reasons. They don't use milk from cows that were given hormones, and they give away free ice cream cones at the county fair - on the hour of every hour of every fair day. I appreciate that goodwill gesture enough to only buy their products. I don't even look at the price.”

“Walmart refuses to carry Plan B in its Pharmacy
last edited: 12/01/05 1:08:38 PM”

“http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7BD6348582-1740-40AD-BA89-45C5A68BD9B4%7D&siteid=google&dist=

Wal-Mart sales up 9%, sees 2%-4% in December”

“Not carrying Plan B (now it's PC to call it emergency contraception in my neck of the woods) would change if their employees could afford their health insurance instead of being financially forced to go on Medicaid, IMHO. A pregnancy has gotta cost more in health insurance dollars than stopping one.”

“A pregnancy has gotta cost more in health insurance dollars than stopping one.”
wannabp

Naw... they are just adding to thier consumer base...:P”

“Spend the money you would spend in Walmart on WMT @$ 47.00 share.”

“Price slaves! The global enviornment and American labor is more valuable than saving $0.50 per gallon of milk. Continue to buy foreign products and then cry on the other thread about how were ruining the enviornment. Our dollar is more critical than our vote. Can America survive when we become all service sector employees servicing service employees?
The local dairy supports the local economy. The local manufacturer pays higher wages,obeys stricter enviornmental regulation, and provides a life standard expected by us. It is already to the point that we dont have the option to "buy American" on some things. I am fortunate however to live near a big Wal-Mart competitor whose prices are close and sometimes better. Some rural places there is no competition. Wal-Mart does carry some USA made items but promoting competition keeps them honest.”

“Good points, Lumberjack and Salebored, IMO.

It's easy enough to say not worry prices when you have enough money. When my kids were little and my paycheck was little, I paid a lot of attention to price. But even then, the local fruit stands were the best deal.”

“Wal-Mart has a kewl little digital postal scale for $20.
0 to 3 pounds in tens of an ounce.
I've added it to my Christmas list.”

“Who is to say the milk at Wal Mart doesn't come from a local dairy?”

“Wal Mart purchases milk from large corporate dairys. It is not local.”

“Those damned large corporate dairies!

Dairies should be forced to be unsuccesful and unprofitable.”

“"I am fortunate however to live near a big Wal-Mart competitor whose prices are close and sometimes better."

LOL
..and just how are they any diff from Wal-Mart? One large corporate is just like another.
LOL”

“Large Corporate farms are subsidized by the government.

Family farms are not.”

“Why do most American's think it's the responsibility of a business to supply healthcare insurance? That is a BENEFIT, a % of which is paid for (or not) by the employer, it is not a "right", and a company isn't necessarily a "bad guy" because their benefit plan isn't to one's liking.

The whole anti-WalMart thing amazes me. Here's a company simply responding to buying trends by trying to keep their costs as low as possible, yet they get &^#$# from so many corners because they don't want to pay as much in sal;ary/benefits as some of their competitors.

So.... which do you want... lower costs of your goods, or, a socialistic company (can you say "state-run"?) that has salary/benefit standards dictated by some governing body?

Whatever happened to the idea of free enterprise & capitalism? Last time I looked, this was the USA, not Sweden!”

“How many socialistic companies even stay in biz?
Very very few.”

“So.... which do you want... lower costs of your goods, or, a socialistic company (can you say "state-run"?) that has salary/benefit standards dictated by some governing body?

You may be surprised on this board which one people would choose ...”

“Fair enough, wanderer2. let me ask you a question. I'm not sure of the answer but does it not seem like that most Companies that don't offer decent benees are ones that employ mostly uneducated or less educated people? Would unskilled be more correct?”

“I work for a large dairy corporation. But guess what? We are owned by all the family dairies that produce the milk... So essentially our milk is from a local, family dairy...”

“Yum yum. Those Mexican Gum Drops I just bought at the evil Wal-Mart are delish!”