America is going to HAVE to boycott Wal-Mart...Or else...

I'm sorry, but Walmart has been doing a disservice to the American people for many years. In good conscience, I would never work at that place, because the products that they sell are the most cheapest thrown together merchandise, and over the years I have experienced nothing but problems with them.

I bought an emerson flat screen tv on sale there for $400.00 in 2007, it lasted one year. I went to turn it on and it was a black screen with a red line going through it. It was just dead.

I bought an air conditioner there for $350.00 and it died within two years. Just exploded, right in the window one day. The motor locked up and that was that.

Emachines computer tower, dead after 18 months. Died, just would not turn on. Mother board went. I take very good care of my computers too.

Dishes, chip easily and are not well made. Coffee makers, go out after a year. Clothing, fades after a couple of washes and the fabric tears easily. My husband got me a treadmill that cost over $300 and it died after 2 years.

I had a friend that worked in the meat dept for Walmart and he told me he would never eat any meat that comes out of that place. He would go to another store to buy it for his family.

The only thing I have ever bought out of a walmart that has lasted beyond a year or so is the ipod touch and men's jeans.

I would rather pay an extra $100 - 200 on a product and have it last much longer. Walmart rips off it"s consumers by selling this cheap junk to the public. When it dies, people keep going back to pick up something else on the cheap that may last a year. I know, because I did that until it finally hit me that their stuff is total junk and that it's more cost effective to dole out the extra $100 or so and get something better made.

They are a shady company and they always have been. Some people complain about where would they go if they couldn't shop at walmart, but think about it...... at one time walmart didn't exist and everyone got along just fine.

You know what's interesting? I bought a very basic sunbeam microwave at a target back in 2002. It still runs and works like brand new after all these years of heavy use.

Originally posted by audioengineer
reply to post by seabag

 

Here is a stat for ya. My mother works at Walmart and has no college degree. Makes over 20 bucks an hour and has great benefits.

How is their retirement plan? Do they get a pension for life when they can't work there anymore? I see people well up into their 70's and 80's working there until they can't go no more.

Originally posted by Destinyone
Walmart is the doorway of the legal takeover of America by China. Small town killer.

Des

And Canadian Tire is the doorway of legal takeover of Canada by China (along with Walmart)

reply to post by TrueAmerican


but now where can I buy an Xbox 360, and McDonalds in one trip??!

I think it' safe to say nobody is going to boycott anything... People in general just don't do it and it's pretty sad

Originally posted by r2d246
If no changes ever happened in the way things are purchased then everyone would have just 2 choices still from the 1800's

1) The General Store

2) The Sears Robuck Catalog

No, the changes are inevitable. You can't stop progress. You can't change that fact.

Like say you only bought from small stores and paid more. And you helped those stores. Then say one day you just couldn't make ends meet. So you go into those stores and say "hey can you help me, give me some food and put it on a tab and I'll pay you when I can". they'll laugh in your face and show you the door in most cases. Unless your friends with the owner of the store. And even then he might help you once or twice but that's it. Personally I don't know the owner of any of the local smaller stores. All I know is I pay more there. So I think in most cases it's better to shop where you can get the best price.

Besides Wal mart gives people jobs in 3rd world countries. Your local store doesn't do anything, other than get rich off a monopoly they held in the community for many years on your dime.

No the choice is clear, the time for change is now, WAL MART IS HERE TO STAY AND I'D MUCH RATHER SHOP THERE.

The Sears and Robuck and General stores of yesteryear took care of their customers and sold quality items. Walmart sells low quality junk. If you think these corporates running walmart care about their consumers, think again. They KNOW the turn around rate on their junk, and how fast it takes for a customer to come running back to their stores to replace the crap that busted out on them.

Progress in this case is just a thief in the night stealing out of your pockets in the long run, when you buy junk and have to replace it all too soon.

But how can you say....

1) it sells crap

and

2) it's out to destroy small businesses....

First it sells a lot of brand name stuff too, not just there own home made George line. So all that stuff is made and it's quality is determined by others. And they don't go with the absolutely poorest quality. If you want that you go to the dollar store. Thats' the poorest quality you can buy china crap. There stuff is a bit better than that. Again lot of brand names too. Like Levis, Tide, Colman, Panasonic and whatever other decent brands you'd find anywhere else. So there stuff lasts just as long as most any other.

As for destroying small business, it's not like they planned out the destruction of other biz's. They're mission statement was simply to not be undersold. That's it. And by doing that gradually after many many decades and many many improvements they gradually got a foothold. Then gradually were able to start getting prices lower and lower. That's the nature of any industry. One biz competing against the others by simply dealing in the same biz arena. All biz's compete against each other by default. But they don't go into biz with the sole notion that there goal is just to hurt small biz's. They're just bigger and more competitive and have gained buying power where smaller merchants aren't able to do that.

Even some relatives they have small biz's that sell some consumable goods. The prices are way way way too high. So I've bought a few things time to time mostly just out of wanting to help them out. But when it comes to total strangers that to me doesn't matter too much as they're not your friends. They're just looking to make money off you. so the cheapest one gets my business.

I might sound cheap but I really like: Thrift stores, dollar store, wal mart, and second hand. To me that gives you the best bang for your buck. I don't have to buy to gratify my ego anymore like back in the day so it's not about that anymore. I get a good feeling out of leaving the store knowing I saved a bundle. Not leaving knowing I spent a bundle on virtually the same things. Anyway it takes all types for the world to go round I know that too.

now watch this... www.youtube.com...

the reason prices are so low on the goods at walmart is because of the amount of slave labor being used to build their products. the goverment knows this and they just dont care . china is known for thisbut the past 4 administrations keep looking the other way so of course walmart buys their stuff because they can get it for nothing. oh and remember when walmart used to have 100 percent made in america stuff in stores it was mostly just the 100 percent made in america tag that was actually made here and sent overseas and sewed into foreign made products.

reply to post by Starchildren


I'm not pro walmart by any means..but it really is hard and sometimes expensive buying all quality items..no matter where you shop. Usually, when I have to make a purchase no matter how big or how small I go to reviews on the web and Amazon. I search out the best ratings/reviews and then find the lowest price through all stores in my area. Most of the times no matter the store, they carry the same items at the same quality. Sears, Menards, Home Depot, Macy's, Walmart, Target..etc..carry many of the same items..at approx the same price..so, where should we shop? Is one of the stores listed any better than the others? Most of the stores carry things from China, they have similar hiring/firing practices, and the same wages. What's the difference? Should I feel better buying from Macy's than walmart?
I bought a 179.00 cuisinart coffee maker from Macy's and after about a year it started spewing hot water all over my counter. The washing machine I purchased from sears now makes a horrendous noise when the water is running. It never has filled up quickly and I think it has always had some kind malfunction. My point is the stuff is junk and cheap anywhere you go...so what's really the difference?

reply to post by Starchildren


I know of 4 small family owned manufacturers within 40 miles with Wal-Mart as their main customer. One of them is a small textile firm that makes shirt material for Wal-Mart as well as for a few name brand suppliers. The Wal-Mart fabric is the 2.00-3.00 per yard type (middle range) and the name brands usually opts for the cheapest .40 per yard fabric (nearly dumpster quality).

I wish that I could go into specifics and tell names but, that is not possible because of contracts when I worked with this company. People would be surprised. I can pick out good quality clothing though regardless of price because the CEO of of this business took me onto the floor and taught me the various fabric types for my job.

So when I go into any store and touch a t-shirt I can pretty much name the model number (yes different shirt type fabric have model numbers) and tell anyone what would be a good long lasting shirt. Most of the brand name shirts are 9125 which is terrible quality. I can even smell the shirt and tell you what type of dye was used lol. The higher the number the thinner the fabric. reply to post by Starchildren

But also if you complain about Walmart you will also have to complain about there internet partner. Amazon.com. All sales on the internet for Walmart goes through Amazon.com. Amazon.com is the internet partner of most retailers with a physical store for merchandise. They all figure the internet is seperate from there stores so they allow Amazon.com to handle all internet stores sales. The webpage you see when shopping is just a window front for Amazon.com. The largest internet sales company in the world.

reply to post by Starchildren



What you described above is planned obsolescence. All manufacturers do this now with better quality name brands lasting a little past the expiration date. If one buys a 12.00 dvd player you gotta know it won't last longer than the warranty. In 10 years I have gone through about 4 ovens but, was surprised at an estate sale that an elderly neighbor that passed away still used an oven from 50 years back which still worked.

OP, just one question. Have you ever bought anything made in China?

If you have, your post is hypocrtical at best and incendiary at worst.

If you haven't, bravo! You could be the only person in America who never bought anything made in China.

To all those folks wanting to boycott WalMart, are you willing to pay more for your stuff just so you can get it from a ma and pa operation selling American goods only at twice the price or more?

Thought not.

reply to post by babybunnies


It depends on what you call "American made products". Just like car manufacturers all other products have different levels of manufacture. By that I mean if a car is a Honda but, assembled in the US is it an American car? If I buy a Ford that was assembled in Japan am I buying an American product?

Likewise if fabric is sewn in China, dyed and prepared in the US also cut into shirts, a Chinese company then puts graphics on said finished shirt and sells under their Chinese company name. is it an American product?

reply to post by Starchildren


She has 401k and thousands in stocks

Wal-Mart won't even hire someone unless they are already on food stamps, disability, etc.

They actually won't even hire someone that isn't supported by the government.

That's how evil that company is.