I know Wal-Mart is as ubiquitous as McDonalds or Geico commercials.....but I've never been in one.

[marmar]

Who here has never stepped foot in a Wal-Mart? ..... And this is not to debate whether or not it's a terrible company, but just a survey on who's never been in one, because I know a lot of people who have not. Maybe it's because Wal-Mart is not rooted in the culture here in Michigan the way Target and Meijer (a Michigan-based superstore chain) are, but I've never needed or wanted to go into Wal-Mart.
As for how I feel about their corporate practices....that's another debate for another day.....

[Donnachaidh]

1. stopped going when they closed the small one for a big box

Went to the big box and found it actually had LESS choice in brand name articles we wanted. Figure that one out!

[aikoaiko]

2. I go once or twice a week for family groceries mostly.

Target's groceries are a little pricey, but the wife likes to browse shop for other things there much more than wallyworld.

[hlthe2b]

3. I'm guessing over the past 20 years or so

I've probably been in a WalMart 5 or 6 times--mainly when traveling in communities that had nothing else. I probably bought nothing on at least two of those occasions.

I do shop Target frequently, which I consider to be a reasonably pleasant experience--stores bright, well staffed with friendly people, spacious and organized. I have always found WalMart to be quite the opposite.

[MercutioATC]

4. Other: I went with my mechanic and HE bought 3 quarts of transmission fluid.

It was 10:00 pm and WalMart was the only store open.

He bought it, but it was for my car.

[marmar]

5. So you've shopped at Wal-Mart in a Six Degrees-of-Kevin Bacon kinda way?

n/t

[MercutioATC]

Yes, but just once...

...and it still feels kinda dirty.

[teach1st]

6. I never shopped there until...

I had never shopped at WalMart until I became a single father just starting on a career in teaching. It was the only reasonable way to stay within our tight budget and still keep my daughters in the hair spray and cosmetics they thought they needed in order to keep up with styles in the late 1980s. I just couldn't tell their friends that we actually shopped at WalMart. Now that my daughters are grown, I don't shop at WalMart.

[ixion]

7. store of last resort... last time I set foot in one was in 2k5

for the most part, I avoid them with extreme prejudice.

[rocktivity]

8. #2--but since they couldn't pull their commercials for even a lousy 24 hours

in the wake of one of their own employees being TRAMPLED TO DEATH on the job, it is now a CERTAINTY that I will NEVER set foot in a Wal-Mart again.

x(
rocknation

[marmar]

9. That is pretty tacky......Their commercials have been nonstop.

We're sorry about our employee's death....BUT DID WE TELL YOU WE'VE GOT GREAT PRICES?!?

[alfredo]

10. I shopped some back when I still worked at the Post Office, but then

the local Wal Mart on a route I worked started treating mail carriers poorly, putting more restrictions and roadblocks to delivering. At first we could just place the mail in the cluster box like all other businesses in the center. Next they made us bring the mail into the front of the store and give it to the front desk, but then they started making us go all the way around back, ring the loading dock bell, wait for someone to answer. Then we had to go through that routine then wait for the responding employee to find a supervisor. The postmaster listened to our complaints and told Wal Mart to go fuck themselves. He told them to either start taking their mail in the cluster box provided or get a Post Office box. They pissed and moaned but accepted the cluster box.

[eilen]

11. When I was down in Tennessee

I went to a Super Walmart a few times. My sister lives in a neighboring county and Walmart is one of the few shopping options available. I purchased gas there a few times as they were the last gas station on the way to the highway which is a good 15 miles away and then a ways from another gas station.

I found the grocery options in Ashland City to be Food Lion and there was one other one up around behind the Library and I had been to both of them. To me the prices seem high everywhere in the Nashville area, particularly the fresh produce which I was expecting to be lower given the extended season. Walmart as a grocery store had only convenience to recommend it (less driving to other shops--clothing, hardware etc.). The aisles were uncomfortably narrow-- you could not fit two carts down the same aisle. You also have no option to use cloth or paper bags. The cashiers use these spinning plastic bag things that preclude any choice. After visiting this Walmart twice, I stopped. Instead I went to a Kroger then found a Publix. My brother lives near a Kroger--which is located on Charlotte Pike (I went there a couple times but dumped that place for a different Kroger a little farther away--not far from St. Thomas Hospital) and his girlfriend was mugged in the parking lot.

I liked Publix the best even though it took a little longer to get to (it was in Bellevue). It most reminded me of Wegmans which is a regional favorite in upstate NY. I found out that they bulk buy together as a consortium in order to compete with Walmart. You cannot beat the customer service in Wegmans and Publix (at least the one I went to). Wegmans is frequently in the Top Places to Work list.

[marmar]

12. My first job out of college was in Syracuse.....and I too liked Wegmans a lot.

n/t

[enlightenment]

17. I'm not a huge fan of Walmart,

but I will defend them on the reusable bag issue. They were one of the first big stores I saw that started selling cloth bags - 99 cents for large, decently made bags that last. Yes, they use revolving bag racks, but the clerks are more than happy to use the bags you give them - as long as you give them to them.

I agree about the aisles.

[NikolaC]

13. Yes, I Used to Shop There Regularly

until about 2 1/2 years ago when I saw the Greenwald film. Since then I have only been in the store twice. One time I bought a magazine to get change, it was the only place open. The second time I was on my way to a job interview and it started to rain, I needed an umbrella and, again, it was the only place open. I have not been back since.

[CrispyQ]

18. I also shopped there until I learned of their business practices.

I got most of my education about Walmart shortly after I discovered DU. I was very surprised that this 'all American' company, as they like to portray themselves, was so awful. I also gave up my Sam's club membership, which was painful, cuz there wasn't a Costco anywhere close to me at the time.

I am fortunate that I have options & money enough to shop elsewhere. I think all of us who do, should.

The Greenwald film is excellent! Everyone should see it - everyone! Even if you shop at Walmart for economical reasons, you should watch it. If your circumstances ever change, remember it & vow to shop elsewhere.

Walmart: The High Cost of Low Price
http://www.walmartmovie.com/

[NikolaC]

25. It Is A Great Film

I too dropped my Sam's Club membership and closed my card with them after seeing the film. I understand that there are people who need to shop at WalMart, especially in this economy. I cannot look down on anyone who does. However, for the time being, we can afford to shop elsewhere and do so. It is a shame that so many are not aware of what WalMart has done and continues to do. We can only hope that word will get out eventually about them.

[2Design]

14. most are in poor or middle class becoming poor neighborhoods

when I see a wal mart - I know there are a lot of poor people - in florida they are like pharmaccies, almost on every corner

[hendo]

15. There are only two things that I do at Wal-mart

Return merchandise that i bought elsewhere and lost the reciept.

And

Get Cabot Cheese. They are the only place here that doesnt charge an arm and a leg for it.

[blue_onyx]

16. I usually shop at Meijer

I went to the first Walmart near me, which I think opened around 1999-2000, just to see what the biggest deal was. This particular store was a dump. I almost turned around as soon as I went into the building. I walked around and then left without buying anything.

I went to the first Supercenter in Metro Detroit which opened last year because the news acted like it was a big event. I wasn't impressed. The atmosphere wasn't appealing...the store just doesn't give me a positive feeling when shopping there. I've only purchased one thing from Walmart and it was paper towel. I've been there with my mom a few times (she shops there occasionally). Meijer has low prices too and I find the shopping experience there more positive.

[Liberal_in_LA]

19. shopped there twice in my life. Totally avoid the place now.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

20. I shopped at WalMart in the '80s

when they first came to the town where I lived. Didn't like the fact that they drove out the local mom n pop stores, but they had become the only game in town, and since I tended to walk everywhere rather than driving my car, I had little recourse. Then Sam Walton introduced "Made in the USA" and I felt good about shopping there. Until Sam died. There was a change in the tone and practices of the store after that. And I moved to a metropolitan area, where I found the huge super Wal Marts dark and oppressive. Luckily, there were plenty of mom n pop stores where I could shop instead, and I did so. Then I moved to rural Northwest Arkansas, to one of the few counties in the state without a WalMart. I did find that for certain items I'd have to go to another county to shop WalMart because they were the only one with the products I needed.

And then I got a job in a neighboring county, and discovered their downtown. Mom n pop stores making a comeback, with competitive prices and much better service--plus a commitment to the community. I don't have to shop WalMart! I'm hoping that other small towns make this comeback as well.

[moriah]

21. How about been in waaaaay too many WMs?

.... as I indicated in another thread, I live in Bentonville.

I don't work for WM directly, but I've worked a little over five years now in the WM environment. (In other words, I haven't sold my soul, I'm just renting it out right now.)

I've seen just about every incarnation of a WM -- the tiny ones that are in leased buildings and *very* difficult to run cable in, as well as the Supercenters, Neighborhood Markets, Sam's Clubs, and their warehouses.

I've also gotten to see quite a bit of the country because of it -- prior to renting my soul, I'd never seen the country west of Kansas. Now the only states I have not visited in the continental US are North Dakota, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maine, and Rhode Island.

[Synicus Maximus]

22. Once or twice a month

Whenever I go to visit my Mama I stop at her local Wal-mart and buy her flowers. They have a good variety and they last a long time.

[Kickin_Donkey]

23. Never been in one ...

and never intend to go into one.

[K Gardner]

24. The store gives me the willies. Don't know why. Won't go in one unless its the

only store in town, which sometimes happens on my travels. Ugh.

[tjwash]

26. They're a good place to take a dump in when you are on a road trip.

Kind of like mcdonalds...never buy anything there; but use the hell out of their bathrooms.

[cali]

27. My state was the last to get a Walmart

and there's very little shopping culture here. I don't think there's more than 3 malls in the state.

[Bill McBlueState]

28. this is an interesting poll

At the moment, about two thirds of respondents say they shop at Wal-Mart either occasionally or regularly. I suspect many of these people also disapprove of Wal-Mart's business practices.

Despite the "with Wal-Mart or against them" threads that always turn into giant flamefests, it seems like most DUers take a moderate view and are simultaneously able to sometimes get what they need at the store while continuing to disapprove of the way it does business.