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When did Walmart turn into America's loony bin?

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by hondo, Aug 9, 2019.

  1. Neutral Corner

    Neutral Corner Well-Known Member

    Fred MacMurray was one of the richest men in Hollywood because he invested in buying real estate all over the valley. That land might as well have had gold under it. He was worth about $150m when he died in the early 90's.
     
    Last edited: Aug 11, 2019
    maumann likes this.
  2. WriteThinking

    WriteThinking Well-Known Member

    While there are degenerates and seemingly lowest-common-denominator type people among Walmart's customers, people shouldn't kid themselves. There are lots of upper-middle class and even well-off people who shop there, too -- and who do it much more than the once or twice in a lifetime that many tend to claim. They like a good deal or a great buy as well as any low-income person who can't afford anything else -- maybe even more so.

    As with almost everything else, a store's individual look, general condition and "vibe" often depends largely on its location, prevailing customer base, and its staffing level. But that makes it little to no different than any other store. There are run-down, tired-looking Walmart stores, but there are many downright beautiful, well-stocked and well-run Walmart stores, as well. If you haven't been in one in years, and you have such a store nearby, you're missing out on what can be a genuinely enjoyable browsing and shopping experience.

    As far as the merchandise, there's some cheap stuff -- that looks it, lasts like it, and is priced as such. But, there is also quite a bit of good/better stuff. Check out the home/housewares departments. You can absolutely make your house look nice with Walmart stuff, and you can do it for a good, affordable price, too.

    Food -- particularly the fresh areas -- is where there is the greatest discrepancy between stores. I'm one of those who doesn't buy meat or produce there, either. But that's more because of price than quality. For some reason, despite good prices on most general merchandise, Walmart's meat and fresh foods tend to be high-priced. Much of the meat actually is high-quality. Have you taken a look lately at the meats available at a Super Center, or, better yet, at a Walmart Neighborhood Market?

    The browsing/shopping experience at one of those is often downright enjoyable.
     
    Iron_chet and Inky_Wretch like this.
  3. micropolitan guy

    micropolitan guy Well-Known Member

    From what I learned today, Walmart's groceries are much cheaper than King Soopers, and that's where Micro Jr. will be encouraged to shop for the next three years.
     
  4. Slacker

    Slacker Well-Known Member

    Walmart's Great Value brand food is total shit, though. Cheap, nasty stuff.
     
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  5. OscarMadison

    OscarMadison Well-Known Member

    I found that out when they bought the old Wild Oats brand and tried to produce organic food. Nope. Nope. Nope. They stopped using it when fans of the old chain weren't fooled.

    Not to throw shade on anyone who really doesn't like Walmart, but it's become the new, "I don't watch television," in some circles.
     
  6. Driftwood

    Driftwood Well-Known Member

    My tv went out a couple of weeks ago. We went to Walmart and got a new one. Try as I might, I can't think of ANY other local place we could have purchased a new tv other than rent-to-own type places. I wouldn't call where I live completely rural. It's certainly not the sticks. It's small town America. I have Best Buy, etc. within a 45-minute drive, but they are in surrounding towns. I'm not a techie type person. As long as I have a nice HD flat screen, it's going to perform for what I need it to do. I could go to Walmart, get a new tv, get it home, and be watching it before I could drive to Best Buy.
     
    Inky_Wretch, OscarMadison and maumann like this.
  7. maumann

    maumann Well-Known Member

    I needed a digital recorder in Florida because I got a freelance opportunity and mine was at the cabin in northeast Georgia. I guess I could have one-day delivered something from Amazon but the local WalMart was more convenient. It's the modern-day equivalent of Sears and Roebuck.

    Yes, I hate that they've basically eliminated local hardware, pharmacies and groceries in many smaller towns. But they've also provided more selection over a wider range of items than those towns had in the first place, especially in areas where it's a good hour or more to an actual mall or specialty store.

    I am skeptical that WalMart can increase its online/direct to consumer model to the point where it can eliminate most of its larger stores, particularly in rural areas where people aren't blessed with high speed Internet, Uber and Teslas. Having a WalMart, a Dollar General and a Dairy Queen pretty much covers the gamut for small-town survival in 2019.
     
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  8. WriteThinking

    WriteThinking Well-Known Member

    Not true, for the for most part. It depends on the items, and some label-reading and testing-out is in order. But many Great Value products are good, nearly all are exactly the same, ingredients-wise, as the name-brand thing stocked right next to them. For household things like plastic food-storage and trash bags, the price is where it's at, anyway, and you'd be wasting money, pure and simple, by buying Glad or Hefty products instead. And all the GV/Equate merchandise is usually close to half the price (or less) and might be worth it for the savings with regard to whatever differences there are anyway.

    The prices are so much better that you after you've tried some things, you learn and realize that you are, literally, and stupidly, just throwing money away by buying the brand names. So you stop doing it, at least on the stuff you like (as I said, some trying things out is needed). If you want to spend literally twice as much on Tylenol as on the Equate store-brand medications, go ahead. But read the labels first. You want to spend more than a dollar a can on S &W canned veggies, as opposed to between 50 cents and 68 cents (depending on if things are on rollback)? You're welcome to do so. Try the GV Raisin Bran Crunch cereal and compare it to Kelloggs' or Post's. We've turned at least three friends on to it, and they like the cheaper store brand better and buy that now. I buy and eat probably close to a whole (large) jar of GV unsweetened applesauce every 10 days, because I tend to use it like a dip, and have it with almost everything. I'd be paying twice as much per container were I to stick with the Mott's brand, and I find I like the texture (lighter, smoother) and taste of the GV brand better. My mom snacks on the GV Original Ricotta Cheese spread every day, putting it on crackers and devouring them. It's one of her favorite things. The GV brand bacon, milk and deluxe American cheese? Much cheaper, and just as good.

    All that said, here are a few things I wouldn't go with the GV/Equate brands for. The refried beans are one. I think if I kept trying them, I'd maybe get used to them, and that might be what I need. But the texture is just not as good as the brand name, and the smell, somehow, reminded me of dog food, so I stick with the Rosarita that I've always used. Another thing to avoid is the GV equivalent of Cool Whip -- again, the texture is different and not as light as the real, brand-name thing. And although I love the GV brand Pretzel Sticks, I'd stick with the name-brand snack chips otherwise. Again, something about the texture and a slight difference in taste wrecks them for me.

    I don't buy Organics, and never have, anywhere, so I wouldn't know about them. I imagine Whole Foods or Trader Joe's would be better for that type stuff, though.
     
    Last edited: Aug 12, 2019
  9. qtlaw

    qtlaw Well-Known Member

    Nothing is free. WalMart provides great prices? Then don’t complain about the deterioration of your small town, the closed store fronts, the loss of the small shop owner in your neighborhood, the closing of your banks, and most importantly the loss of jobs up and down the supply chain. You get great prices and min wage workers and national truckers, etc with all monies being sucked out of your town. That’s the reality of WalMart. You have no sponsors for your LL teams while Blank bought the Falcons.
     
    Fred siegle likes this.
  10. BTExpress

    BTExpress Well-Known Member

    Roughly half of the minimum wage workforce is employed at businesses with fewer than 100 employees. Hello, mom. Hello, pop.

    I believe Walmart's lowest salary now is $11/hour, and its full-time associates make on average $14.26/hour.
     
    Last edited: Aug 11, 2019
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  11. Regan MacNeil

    Regan MacNeil Well-Known Member

    Arthur Blank founded Home Depot. What does that have to do with Walmart?
     
  12. qtlaw

    qtlaw Well-Known Member

    My mistake. [Isn’t there Walmart $$ somewhere in pro sports?]
     
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