Walmart is evil but the sheep still shop there... Why?

Originally posted by tport17

Originally posted by Advantage

Originally posted by tport17
You know, I hate Wal-Mart. I have done as much as possible to buy elsewhere but we still end up having to purchase certain items at Wal-Mart due to price. We are on a ridiculously tight budget and are planning bankruptcy. We cannot afford to spend money on "nice" things. Heck, we had to eat ramen just so I could buy a $20 pair of jeans from Wal-Mart because my one and only pair finally gave out. We are that tight with money around here.

That said, why is Wal-Mart considered the evil one? Why aren't the stores that sell a pair of jeans for $150 not evil in themselves? What pair of jeans, no matter the material, is worth $150? Perhaps the other stores should take a look at Wal-Mart and find ways to bring their prices down to a reasonable level. Maybe then people wouldn't be so reliant on Wal-Mart.

I am not ashamed of this... so listen up. I have plenty of money, live in a 5 br historic home, etc etc etc.. and I still go to the thrift store to buy certain things cause Im a notorious tightwad when it comes to certain things. Jeans are one of them. When I was single and young.. several hundred for a pair of jeans I wanted wasnt a huge deal. Older, responsibilities, things I channel my money to , and not allowing my kids to get too uppity for their own good drives me to seek out the best bargain I can find on some things. WIth the kids Im trying to teach by example and I feel looking down on frugality or those who MUST be frugal is BS.

Some electronics I REFUSE to buy new.. especially those for the kids.. its craigslist or the pawn shop. Many things I do buy retail or new... but some things just make sense not to bother with paying the inflated prices.
If you are that tight for money.. never allow pride or ignorance to push you further to the edge

The idea is catching on these days and Im glad.

I'd love to! Now point me to a cheap thrift store that has my size!

lol, believe me, I like thrift stores. In fact, I was at one yesterday and dug through all the clothes and came out with nothing. I live in a rural area and there really aren't that many thrift stores around unless you drive an hour to a city. But every one I have been in, the clothes are either extra small, extra extra large, or stuff from the 80's with lots of colors, flowers, buttons and sequins. And there is usually a wedding dress or two.
All of this applies to $1 racks at clothing stores as well.

And jeans aren't even an option. I have enough trouble finding jeans in a store. I have extra long legs and apparently the most common waist size because my size is almost always the first to go.

So, for me, clothing isn't an option at thrift stores. Now, as far as other things go, thrift stores are great to find appliances, books, toys, shoes (sometimes), belts, etc. In fact, we got my brother's suit jacket for $3 at a thrift store for my wedding.

Sometimes cheap-ish clothing can be found at those buy back stores. The kind where you sell your gently used name-brand clothes and they resell them. Really though, I haven't had a whole lot of luck at those either.

I feel for you then.Maybe its your area.. I find name brand and sometimes with the tags on here. Maybe go to a diff town? I even found authentic Coach winter boots that looked as if they had never been worn that I bought for 12 and sold on CL for 50 cause the daughter didnt want them. I rarely wear jeans in any case, but I have found some decent ones.. I prefer RL or apple bottoms as I have a big ass and a little waist... and I refuse to pay retail prices for things I do yard or rehab work in However, given what I do, I cant look as if I use things found... I have found NICE name brand suits and current styles. I have a seamstress in the neighborhood, so I do have that advantage of having things altered. Im only 5'4" and I have the opposite problem than you.. everything is entirely too long for me!

Where oh where is Mblah... she is the queen of found treasures.. she would have best advise in this vein!

reply to post by Advantage


What's funny is that most jeans are at that in between area and I constantly hear women complain that pants are too long or too short. Where are all these perfect length women that jeans are made for? I also don't know a woman who doesn't have an issue with their butt - to - waist ratio and finding jeans that fit both areas.

And our thrift stores don't have name brand with tags. My husband found a few shirts and a jacket yesterday that he wanted but they got put back because they had stains and some intense wear and tear. Broken zippers, holes, stretched out elastic, and faded with stains seems to be the norm. And man, if I could afford a seamstress I could probably afford to buy the better jeans, so that is not an option. I'm a terrible seamstress.

That said, somewhat back on topic, the only jeans I have found that fit perfectly every single time cost minimum $70. Usually over $100. So yes, Wal-Mart is evil. Why can't they make jeans that fit perfect for $10?

Originally posted by tport17 What pair of jeans, no matter the material, is worth $150?

If I could find jeans made out of the poly/nylon/cotton blend that Sears 'used' to make their toughskins jeans out of they would be worth the 150$. I have a pair from the late 70s and they are still wearable,

They made a line of mens work clothes out of the same material but stopped after a couple of years because they would wear not for years but for decades before they wore through.

They lasted until the age of designer jeans when toughskins became uncool. .

The answer to your silly rant is had by counting the pennies in your pocket.
Many of us are peasents or "indentured servants" today and we need the biggest bang for our buck.
It is that simple.

Actually, the situation is about the same way as how we put up with our government doing to us as it does.

reply to post by Chrisfishenstein


I didnt mean that in a bad way. People who care about cheaper products go to walmart, because for the most part, walmart has the cheapest prices.

reply to post by VforVendettea


I used to shop there quite a bit. My own form of civil justice used to be stealing excedrin and drawing supplies from them. That was before I kicked my stealing habit.

When I shopped there, I'll admit, I was naive about the whole "evil" thing. I always thought "Yeah, Walmart is bad, but... how bad can it be? It can't be THAT evil."

Then I watched this documentary. "Walmart; high cost for low price."

It showed how many hundreds of people have been killed, mugged, and raped in Walmart parking lots--the parking lots covered in security cameras, which apparently no one is watching.

It showed how thousands of family businesses died when Walmart came to town.

It showed how pathetically miserable the Chinese and Indonesian people are who work for less than three dollars an hour every day, all day, to make the supplies.

And, my fiance got a temp job working at Walmart. They ripped off an entire paycheck... they just decided not to give him his last paycheck. And we really NEEDED that paycheck. We were relying on it for food for the rest of the month. They also treated him like trash when he worked there, along with one of my best friends who worked with him there. They were constantly threatened about "NEVER FORM A UNION! NEVER SAY THE WORD UNION! NEVER EVEN THINK THE WORD UNION!"

I hate Walmart.

Lets face some facts: A lot of people in this thread are in denial, Walmart is Evil!!!!
Walmart is like a virus, the more you shop there, the poorer the community becomes.... and all the other baggage that comes with it.