I just went into walmart for the first time in months... I feel physically ill

[Asher]

Originally posted by General Ludd
Because box stores suck the money and culture out of a community and give back nothing. Unless, maybe, if you count poverty.

It turns shop keepers into minimum-wage check out boys, and it takes everyone's money and puts it in the pockets of CEOs and shareholders who couldn't give a rat's ass about the people paying them, or the place they live in.

Caution: General Ludd dropped out of highschool and lives with mum and dad, so try not to take his opinions on things like this too seriously.

[Asher]

Personally I don't give a f*ck where I shop, provided they have it and it is cheap.

If people didn't want to work for Walmart, they wouldn't have employees. If people didn't want to shop at Walmart, it wouldn't exist.

Those who constantly ***** about Walmart annoy me to no end, the self-indulgant *****.

That is all.

[Jamski]

If people didn't want to work for Walmart, they wouldn't have employees. If people didn't want to shop at Walmart, it wouldn't exist.

BS. People work at Walmart because they can't find anything better since Walmart drove all the local stores out of business. They shop at Walmart, because they can't afford to go to a proper shop.

People who live within a Walmart "sink" have my sympathy. I'm just glad that in Europe people are still prepared to.
a)Pay more for better products
b)Pay more for better service
c)Stop and chap with the baker every morning

-Jam

[General Ludd]

Originally posted by Asher

Caution: General Ludd dropped out of highschool and lives with mum and dad, so try not to take his opinions on things like this too seriously.

That doesn't make what I'm saying any less true.

[Az]

Ok, listen to me, people, and listen to me very very well.

mom'n'pap shop suck. They suck from a consumer's pov, they suck from society's pov. They ARE NOT The fabric of your community.

A cashier in a supermarket will never try to cheat on you, or take some more money from you, because he won't profit from it one bit.

I FULLY AGREE that employees must recieve better conditions in S-markets.

HOWEVER, This doesn't mean that the robbers from "Mina's market" are better. All this cuchy-muchy sweet and pretty "grandma's" shops on Main street can kiss my ass.

[Verto]

Originally posted by Oncle Boris


Hmmm... the manufacturing jobs?

Interesting how manufacturing jobs are going down, while manufacturing itself is going up.

[Jac de Molay]

If you're a zombified suburban breeder mom who squeezes out 10 soccer brats and carts them around the sprawlburbs in your Chevy Gigundus SUV, then Wal-mart is your Mecca.

Who needs trees and parks when you can have lots and lots of concrete and, hey, everything you need under one roof? They even look exactly alike for your shopping convenience

[Provost Harrison]

Originally posted by Verto


Interesting how manufacturing jobs are going down, while manufacturing itself is going up.

Well ever increasing levels of automation make that the case. We can have higher output than ever but without people having to take care of the minutiae of the job. Look at the numbers that used to be employed in car plants some 30 years ago...thousands, perhaps even tens of thousands. Now the numbers are in the hundred, because of automation. Not a bad thing in itself as it frees up people for less menial and more creative jobs...however whether this is really happening is my concern.

[Az]

Originally posted by Jac de Molay
If you're a zombified suburban breeder mom who squeezes out 10 soccer brats and carts them around the sprawlburbs in your Chevy Gigundus SUV, then Wal-mart is your Mecca.

Who needs trees and parks when you can have lots and lots of concrete and, hey, everything you need under one roof? They even look exactly alike for your shopping convenience

"suburban breeder mom"? Is breeding something to frown upon?

[Az]

BS. People work at Walmart because they can't find anything better since Walmart drove all the local stores out of business. They shop at Walmart, because they can't afford to go to a proper shop.

A proper shop?

newsflash: the "proper" shops sell the same products.
People 'work' at walmart because they cannot find anything better? people who work for small shops eat the same ****, trust me on this one. People who own those shops and work in them don't but this is a rather big difference.

People who live within a Walmart "sink" have my sympathy. I'm just glad that in Europe people are still prepared to.
a)Pay more for better products
b)Pay more for better service
c)Stop and chap with the baker every morning

What better products? what better service? It's the same products, and the same service. Unless, of course, in Europe they buy the milk directly from the goat, and they make shampoo in the back of the hut.
Bakeries are different, but not much, since what happens is a bakery is opened, but only the backery belongs to the supermarket. Big change. Real big ****ing change.

I mean, just today, the shopowner tried to cheat me for some cash. That won't happen in a supermarket.

[Jac de Molay]

Originally posted by Azazel



"suburban breeder mom"? Is breeding something to frown upon?

These people are generally a blight on society, and deserve an all-electrodes free trip to Camp X-ray. They pump out way too many offspring, fuel sprawl, drive around huge SUV's, and cause spontaneous Wal-Marts to pop up where there was once nice open spaces.

If Wal-Mart is so great, how come nobody wants one in their neighborhood? Everytime Wal-Mart petitions to build one in smaller cities, people go nuts and protest like it's a toxic waste dump coming to town. I guess it's not that good after all.

And what is a "ponce"? A jewish poncho?

[Az]

These people are generally a blight on society, and deserve an all-electrodes free trip to Camp X-ray. They pump out way too many offspring, fuel sprawl, drive around huge SUV's, and cause spontaneous Wal-Marts to pop up where there was once nice open spaces.

"way too many offspring"? how much is that? 3 or 4?

but I am sorry, you care more for open spaces than for people.

If Wal-Mart is so great, how come nobody wants one in their neighborhood? Everytime Wal-Mart petitions to build one in smaller cities, people go nuts and protest like it's a toxic waste dump coming to town. I guess it's not that good after all.

People protest != bad. People want army bases in their town, does it mean they're good?

[Jamski]

A ponce is another term for a homosexual.

I just prefer to buy shoes in a shoe shop, where I get my feet measured, and the assistant talks to me about what looks good, and we have a chat, and she offers me 5% off...

Or to buy books in a bookshop, and if they don't have the one I want, I can order it, and I can ask the assistant if author X has written anymore books about Y...

Or to buy cheese from the cheese store, and know its going to taste great, because the man let me taste it first.

Or to by wine from the wine store and ask the man there what's good with bacon, and he'll tell me X, and I say that's too expensive, and he says "how about this one" and I say, that looks good, and he offers me a taste, and we agree it is good.

Or I can run around in a warehouse with a wheeled steel basket and fill it with all the branded products I can find

-Jam

[General Ludd]

Originally posted by Azazel
[q]

What better products? what better service? It's the same products, and the same service. Unless, of course, in Europe they buy the milk directly from the goat, and they make shampoo in the back of the hut.

It depends what products you're talking about. Some shops make their own merchandise, or buy it from local craftsmen. Not everything is mass produced these days, you know - you can still buy hand made, high quality products.



As for buying milk directly from the goat, yeah.

I buy alot of food through an organic food co-operative that puts priority on any local farms and buisnesses. The same people who run the co-operative have a great restaurant, too, which uses as much localy grown produce as possible. And they also display art from local artists, and hire local musicians, ect... But they're going out of buisness - 'cause no one goes downtown anymore, now that the box shops and chain restaurants have opened up.

[asleepathewheel]

I love the wal-mart ads in the thread. Great stuff


Should I hate Sam's club as well, because I really like buying in bulk some non perishable items.

[Verto]

Originally posted by Provost Harrison


Well ever increasing levels of automation make that the case. We can have higher output than ever but without people having to take care of the minutiae of the job.

Exactly. And this is blamed on Bush.

[Jac de Molay]

Originally posted by Azazel
[

but I am sorry, you care more for open spaces than for people.

What a crock of sh*t. There's plenty of space for redevelopment in existing, older cities, but developers and wal-marts can't be bothered to go the extra mile and become actual parts of the community that contribute to quality-of-life, as opposed to a monolithic, soul-sucking tumor that gobbles up cheap farmland and puts concrete in its place.

People protest != bad. People want army bases in their town, does it mean they're good?

I'm sorry, but this is completely devoid of sense.
Try not to address the original question in monosyllabic doublespeak. My argument is that the benefits of wal-mart you espoused are outweighed by the negatives, which why many people are so vehemently opposed to having one set up in their towns...

[Gangerolf]

is this what they call irony?

[asleepathewheel]

thats what they call google ads. Seems to be triggered by words in the thread or MarkG is particularly naughty. And I commeneted on this 3 posts ago

[Ned]

I find this desire to shop at higher priced stores because they pay their employees a greater wage just a bit bizarre. I would suggest that the people who actually believe this buy nothing but handmade shoes, clothes and cars, and eat at only the finest restaurants were the employees are paid the greatest wages. If you are truly wealthy you may be able to do this. But the common folk cannot.

[Gangerolf]

i never read more than page 1

[General Ludd]

Originally posted by Ned
But the common folk cannot.

Because they're all working for minimum wage at wall-mart.

[GhengisFarb™]

Originally posted by General Ludd
At all of the locally owned buisness that've gone out of buisness in favour of the junk shops.

If they've gone out of business how are we supposed to do business with them?

[asleepathewheel]

where I've lived, the local shops have been the junk shops. Walmart at the very least is consistent in quality. cheap goods cheap quality mostly, you get what you pay for.

And as I said before, since wal-mart owns basically every team I root for, gooooo Wal-mart

[Az]

A ponce is another term for a homosexual.

not so.
http://www.yourdictionary.net/ponce.html

I just prefer to buy shoes in a shoe shop, where I get my feet measured, and the assistant talks to me about what looks good, and we have a chat, and she offers me 5% off...

The one doesn't exclude the other. ( Though I, myself, find people that buy shoes in supermarkets wierd.

Or to buy books in a bookshop, and if they don't have the one I want, I can order it, and I can ask the assistant if author X has written anymore books about Y...

Same as above.

Or to buy cheese from the cheese store, and know its going to taste great, because the man let me taste it first.

In supermarkets here, they often allow this.

Or to by wine from the wine store and ask the man there what's good with bacon, and he'll tell me X, and I say that's too expensive, and he says "how about this one" and I say, that looks good, and he offers me a taste, and we agree it is good.

Wine shops? pfft. niche.

Or I can run around in a warehouse with a wheeled steel basket and fill it with all the branded products I can find

yes you can.

[Jac de Molay]

Originally posted by Ned
I find this desire to shop at higher priced stores because they pay their employees a greater wage just a bit bizarre. .

If you compared the prices at a union-run grocery store vs. Wal-Mart, there's not that much difference except where you're buying in HUGE bulk, and the quality and variety of foods is far better at the smaller store.

I'm not buying the argument that grocery shoppers are paying any premium for shopping at smaller, higher paying markets. Most of these also offer discount club cards to save even more.

[Urban Ranger]

I don't know about the United States, but here in Hong Kong, buying stuff from large supermarket chains doesn't mean you pay less. On the other hand, the supermarket chains consistently charge you more, from toilet paper to fluorescent bulbs.

[Datajack Franit]

I did read a book about a chick working in a Walmart and almost getting disabled.. "Nickel and dimed" of Barbra Ehrenreich or sth like that

[Vesayen]

Nickel and dimed is a book I read rescently.... everyone here should read it, its not that long.

[Oncle Boris]

Originally posted by Ned
I find this desire to shop at higher priced stores because they pay their employees a greater wage just a bit bizarre. I would suggest that the people who actually believe this buy nothing but handmade shoes, clothes and cars, and eat at only the finest restaurants were the employees are paid the greatest wages. If you are truly wealthy you may be able to do this. But the common folk cannot.

The problem are large stores that put a huge emphasis on raw consumption at the expense of environment and quality of life. Just a small example: in Europe, many shops just don't give you plastic bags.

Large corporations with shareholders to justify artificially inflate the economy with useless, resource-unefficient stuff.