What The Hell Does NYC Have Against Walmart??- Page 2

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 1:01pm

Funny, when having facts on your side is equivalent to lying.

I choose not to shop at WalMart or Sams Club for a variety or reasons:

Its predatory practices that often leads to small town America being decimated.

Its historical bias against women in hiring and promotion.

The fact that it has encouraged its employees to have states subsidize health care because Wal-Mart does not provide benefits to many.

Its heavy reliance on Chinese and off-shore manufacturing to create crap.

The fact that Wal-Mart enters into side deals with manufacturers for their own version of products, so the Levis you get at Wal-Mart are not the same quality as those bought elsewhere.

But, I recognize that I have the luxury of paying a bit more for goods and services, and others don't. So, I do not begrudge those who either because of access issues (i.e, Wal-Mart killed all of the local competition) or budget, Wal-Mart is the only real option.

So, I am exercising my free choice not to shop there. Others can do what they please.

[StockardFan]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 1:23pm

The last time I went to Wal-Mart was for school supplies. There were so many people in those aisles, and it was all such a mess that by the time I left I felt like I was having an anxiety attack. And I only found like 4 things on my son's supply list. I went to Wegmans and found everything easily, neatly presented and stress free.

[Q]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 1:25pm

Calvin - it's almost impossible for me to stop on that site. I just keep thinking, "One more page, then I'll stop."

[Calvin]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 1:26pm

Yes -- especially because I've been to Walmart enough (er, the Walmarts) to know that these folks are not outliers.

[madbrian]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 1:28pm

The Walton family will be one of the biggest, if not THE biggest, beneficiaries of the tax deal heading through Congress. Maybe they could take some of the BILLIONS AND BILLIONS of tax dollars and estate taxes that THEY WON'T BE PAYING and fund their share of an employee health plan. But wait, accoring to SOME posters, they will use their windfall to stimulate the economy. We'll see.

[SonofMammaMiaSam]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 1:29pm

It's hard for me not to shop there even though I understand all that you wrote. I just bought a new vacumn cleaner -- the model I bought at Walmart was $40.00 lower in price than the exact same model at five other stores. I only supplement some of my grocery shopping there, but here are a few examples of savings: Perdue Chicken Breast Strips -- three local grocers, $5.99; Walmart $3.50; Campbell's/Progresso soups, local grocers, $2.59; Walmart $1.50. Those are day in and day out prices. There are enough of those to make the trip worth it to me. How the hell else can I pay for Broadway tickets?
Updated On: 12/15/10 at 01:29 PM

[AmuseBouche]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 1:35pm

I choose not to shop at Wal-Mart because I find their labor laws and practices completely abhorrent and therefore partly responsible for the poverty affecting the lower and middle classes right now.

Barbara Ehrenreich wrote a book called "Nickel and Dimed" which summed up her experience when she worked at Wal-Mart and yet couldn't afford her uniform to WORK there.

Los Angeles has not allowed a Wal-Mart in its vicinity and thus I did not grow up with one. Recently I went into one, and was shocked at the items. Certainly during the holiday season one expects to see copious amounts of candy and non-nutritious items for sale, but it was completely inundated with cheap calories and sugar.

If this is where so much of America does there shopping, and food shopping, as stated above, then is it any wonder that Wal-Mart is having a correlate on obesity?

Hmm, a place that provides no health insurance, unethical wages, and unhealthy environments. Sounds JUST like a place I'd love to have in my town.

Note: Just like YWIW, I'm fortunate enough to make decisions to shop elsewhere and have the finances to do so. But even in economic disaster, the 99 cent store offers canned and fresh vegetables at better prices and in greater quantity than the Wal-Mart I visited.
Updated On: 12/15/10 at 01:35 PM

[JerseyGirl2]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 2:05pm

Walmart's percentage of nutrition empty crap isn't any bigger than any other regular grocery store in America.

[Marianne2]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 2:14pm

Wal-Mart knocked out all the similar stores around me. So, I am one of those who has very few choices on where to shop because there is nothing else similar within reasonable distance for running errands.

But, they have been getting on my nerves recently because they seem to stop selling stuff I buy. Thank goodness for Harmon Cosmetics. I know I can't buy everything there, but for toiletries, makeup, and similar items, it's great.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 2:47pm

If you are lucky enough to have a Woodman's grocery store nearby, patronize it. Not only are they HUGE (two or three times the size of a WalMart) they carry imported, gourmet and organic foods AND they treat their employees well- health insurance, full benefits and profit sharing.

AND their prices are lower than WalMart.

I drive past 4 WalMarts to shop there.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 2:50pm

What some people don't realize is that Walmart provides many jobs to low skilled people. I know that liberals hate that because they would rather have these people on welfare/unemployment.

It also provides low cost goods for people who don't have a lot of money. Many senior citizens shop there because their Social Security checks don't stretch as far as they did when a Republican was in office.

CVS came into Manhattan and blew several mom and pops out of business. I used to shop at one. Duane Reade has done it. All large chains do that. But for some reason only Walmart gets blamed.

[AC126748]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 2:56pm

This is New York. We like to shop at overpriced specialty shops and then complain about how much everything costs.

[Tom1071]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 3:01pm

There is a really interesting documentary that is available on Netflix for instant watch called, Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price. It talks about the economic impact that the store has on communities and small business owners.

[Plum]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 3:16pm

Wal Mart has a combination of general corporate malfeasance and lack of cool working against it. NYC is totally okay with putting blinkers on about, say, how H&M gets clothes that cheap and the environmental implications of its rapid distribution model...but that's because H&M is cool. Wal Mart is all Midwestern and uncool, which combined with its general bastardry makes it a good protest target.

Don't get me wrong: Wal Mart really is awful. They have sexist employment practices, lock employees up in their stores, violate child labor laws, displace health care costs onto taxpayers by keeping their employees poor enough to enroll in Medicaid, censor media...the list goes on and on. But I think there's also a bit of a snob factor going into why NYCers disdain it.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 3:20pm

Oh Goth you caught us! We love torturing old people, unions and Muslim terrorists!

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 3:27pm

I know that liberals hate that because they would rather have these people on welfare/unemployment.

Well, at least you admit you are ignorant.

Many senior citizens shop there because their Social Security checks don't stretch as far as they did when a Republican was in office.

So why did many senior citizens shop there from 2001-2008? Have you actually been to a Walmart? Ever? It's been a haven to senior citizens since the Walmart boom of the Reagan era. I had to wheel my grandmother up and down the aisles every Sunday for at least four hours.

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 3:47pm

In our little town, there's not much choice. Wal-Mart moved in, everything else closed except for the specialty shops and one grocery chain, which actually has better produce and meats than WM. For us, WM is an evil necessity, simply because the nearest alternative is 20-25 miles away.

I guess my question would be: where would you put one in Manhattan? The outer boroughs, sure. But the island? The rent per month for that amount of space would be astronomical.

[JustAGuy]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 3:47pm

"It also provides low cost goods for people who don't have a lot of money. Many senior citizens shop there because their Social Security checks don't stretch as far as they did when a Republican was in office.

Do you really want to drag Social Security and Republicans into this, Goth? If I recall correctly...it was a Democrat who called for and signed the legislation that created Social Security. If Republicans had their way...there'd be none...so those poor old folks that you seem so concerned about, would have even less money to spend than they do now.

How disingenuous can you get?

That was a rhetorical question, we already know the answer.

[uncageg]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 4:37pm

"I guess my question would be: where would you put one in Manhattan? The outer boroughs, sure. But the island? The rent per month for that amount of space would be astronomical."

I bet Walmart could afford it.

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 5:19pm

I'm imagining East Harlem, right on the river.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 6:14pm

If they put one in Times Square, would Manhattan suddenly cease to exist?

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 6:15pm

Why do I want a Walmart here? Because that was taken an hour ago at the Food Emporium across the street from my apartment.



Updated On: 12/15/10 at 06:15 PM

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 8:33pm

Your only choice is Food Emporium? The single most ball-shreddingly expensive grocery store in NYC? Not hatin', just askin'...

[Gothampc]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 8:34pm

Exactly Jordan. That same box at Walmart would cost $4.59.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 8:37pm

No, of course not. lol
I'm just using it as an example. I buy a lot of my groceries at Target in Brooklyn anyways because at most places in Manhattan, good luck finding a box of cereal under 5.99 a box without a good sale whereas there I can get for 2.50 a box. Again, I was just using it as an example of how high food prices are here in the city for so many items. And it would be so so nice to be able to do all my shopping, at prices I can actually afford, from one place instead of having to go to one store for this, another store for that and so on and so on hunting down affordable bargains on things I need.