I think maybe my Walmart post came across as rude and ignorant. I'm always very careful about not offending anyone, and I feel like I need to apologize. But at the same time, this is my blog, and I'll write what I want :-P haha...so I'm not going to sugarcoat things. And as far as the ignorant thing goes, I did get most of my information from the documentary "Walmart: the High Cost of Low Price." I'm sure the documentary was biased. So when I talked about the workers not being paid well or treated fairly, I was talking about the ones who gave interviews on the documentary. They didn't just intreview people who were working there part-time to have a little extra money. They interviewed a lot of people who were single parents and things like that, relying solely on their Walmart wages.
Okay, now to address some of your comments. A lot of you said that you shop at Walmart because it's the cheapest, and I'm just going to have to disagree with you :-) Do you all have Aldis around you? I actually love their produce section, and everything there is usually dirt cheap. Also, Marcs is super cheap. Both of those places are at least as cheap, if not cheaper, than Walmart. And I would argue and say that their produce and meat sections are actually better. I also shop at Giant Eagle which I know isn't a nationwide chain, but I'm sure you all have stores similar to Giant Eagle around you (their prices are much higher than Walmart's). Anyway, I have their advantage card and am able to get great sale prices AND Fuelperks (everytime I buy groceries, I get money off when I buy gas). Throw coupons into the mix, and I'm getting some pretty great deals! If you don't believe me, my weekly grocery bill was $32 this week. Without going to Walmart. And when I say "grocery" I am including personal care and cleaning items.
Also, someone brought up a great point in the comment section: Walmarts in different parts of the country are probably different. So when I say I haven't had great customer service and that shopping at Walmart is a terrible experience, that might not be the case for you in your area. That has just been my experience.
I think I have convinced myself to do a little study of my own. I am going to shop around and see if I really am spending the same amount or less money at other places than at Walmart. I'm also going to pay more attention to the customer service at Wamart as opposed to Giant Eagle. I'll post my findings.
The MAIN reason I don't like Walmart is because of what it has done to our economy. The other items I listed in the post just add fuel to my Walmart-hating fire. I won't go into details, but about 5 years ago, the company my dad worked (not workS...catch my drift?) for was hit hard because of companies like Walmart. I don't want to support them.
I'm sorry if I came off as rude or snobby, because I don't think I am either of those things! The reason I wrote this post is because I felt like I needed to defend myself a little bit, I guess. I like it when everyone agrees with me. Yeah, I'm THAT girl. Haha...so I'll try not to take it too personally if you do not agree :-) To each his own, I guess!
For five years I boycotted WalMart. I will be looking forward to reading what your experience is!
ReplyDeleteI didn't read your other post Jessica but I have to tell you something icky that happened to me. I bought ground beef there and when I plopped it into the pan the underside of it had a huge spot of mold on it - as big as the palm of my hand. After that I started shopping at the market across the street from Walmart. One day I saw an employee of Walmart that was always friendly to me filling her shopping cart with meat! That pretty much says it all.
ReplyDeleteI'll refrain from adding to the Wal-mart debate ;-).... but I just can't help myself on the Aldi's thing. Haha. I'll agree that it's cheap, which is why I tried to shop there for a while, but I had to stop because it disgusts me so much. Not only does the store itself make me feel like I need to shower (lol), but I think the "fresh" food is... not. The produce I've bought there has shriveled within a day EVERY time, I bought a bag of pretzels that were stale when I opened them (yeah, I have no idea how that happens either! Haha.), and I've had the same experience Cinnamon-Girl had with moldy meat. Oh, and my milk soured a week before the "expiration date." Maybe I'm not buying the right stuff... I've just never been happy with anything I've bought there, fresh or non-perishable. My mom stopped shopping there for the same reasons. No offense to you Jess!! I'm glad you're able to find good food there! :-)
ReplyDeleteLaura...wow, I've never had problems with Aldi...do you shop at the one in Alliance or Salem? I always go to the Salem one and I've always gotten good stuff. I got the most delicious, fresh pineapple there once and I love their multi-pack of peppers and other things. Maybe the one in Alliance is not so good, because I'm assuming that's where you go. I really don't shop at Aldi very often. But Marcs you can't argue with...their meat is excellent and their produce is good too. They even have a dollar aisle of things that are getting close to their expiration date, which I love for things I know I will be using immediately.
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ReplyDeleteWhoops, I made a mistake on the first comment - here it is again.
ReplyDeleteYeah . . . we don't have any of those stores here. No Aldi, Marcs, or Giant Eagle. The closest thing is Big Lots, and they don't have a great selection of groceries. Most Safeways and King Soopers are expensive, and many of them are not as nice-looking as our Super Walmarts. There are still the little run-down Walmarts around, but the majority of the Walmarts are big and nice inside. And Walmart is by far the cheapest place to shop where I live.
I seriously do think the Walmarts out East must be worse than ours, because everyone out East hates Walmart, and MANY people out here do there grocery shopping at our Walmarts. When you come out West in December you must try a Super Walmart, and let me know if you see a difference. :-)
Don't worry, I'm not offended - I just disagree! :-P (LOL!) Please don't take it personally at all, because you know I love you, Jessica! Don't worry, when you write an opinions post like this, there's always going to be SOMEONE that disagrees with you - I say this from experience (I know you've caught the opinions posts that I write that spark this kind of discussion too). It always gives me a knot in my stomach when someone disagrees, but it's really not that big of a deal, because I'll think what I think, and they'll think what they think, and at least we both got to hear both sides of the story. :-)
But yes, when you come out West, you must try our new Super Walmarts. LOL! :-)
Callie, I will put that on my to-do list when (and if...crossing my fingers!) I go out there! haha...and it didn't really bother me that much that people disagreed with me because I expected it. But I just wanted to make sure I didn't sound mean or snobby or something. I think I worry too much! lol
ReplyDeleteOh, you didn't sound mean or snobby at all! I hope I didn't make you feel that way, because I didn't think that at all. I hope I didn't come across as angry or annoyed or anything, because I'm not either (I worry too much too!). :-)
ReplyDeleteThere are people out here who hate Walmart too, but it makes it more difficult for them because there really aren't any comparable alternatives.
I think I need to learn the couponing art though, because I probably could get stuff even cheaper if I could find those coupons and actually use them! I think you need to give me some tips. :-) Where do you find your coupons anyway?