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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. Regan MacNeil

    Regan MacNeil Well-Known Member

    LA Rams, Arsenal, Colorado Avalanche for sure. Kroenke is Walmart money.
     
    Liut and Donny in his element like this.
  2. TigerVols

    TigerVols Well-Known Member

    Hey! You left the ill-begotten, long-lost, "The Paige" off the list!
     
  3. MTM

    MTM Well-Known Member

    I have a Walmart 1 mile away and go once a week for specific items: bananas, juice, frozen meals and trail mix, picking up toiletries and the like as needed.

    What bothers me is that there is high crime in my area and they lock up a lot of items. You have to push a button and an associate comes over to get it then escorts you to the register to pay.

    I get that for items that are small and often stolen, but some other stuff is ridiculous. Like the big container of protein powder I was purchasing. Funny thing, I’ve been profiled as an old, white professional looking guy a couple times and they’ve given me the item without an escort.

    I’ve decided that I’m not going to buy those items at Walmart even if they cost more elsewhere. I’ll go where they don’t presume I’m a thief.
     
  4. Driftwood

    Driftwood Well-Known Member

    It's not Walmart, but the principle applies:
    I have a good friend who owns a local builder's supply. He's a member of my lodge. I ran into him this morning downtown walking before church. If I need lumber to work on my back deck, etc., I go to him. If I need a gallon of paint, I go to Lowe's. He sells 25 gallons of paint at a time. When we built an addition to the house, everything came from his local business. His prices and selection on individual items can't compete with Lowe's. He understands that and at times has told me to go to Lowe's.

    Ultimately, I have to be a good steward of my family's finances. If it's a few dollars or comparative percentage, that's one thing. I can't subsidize mom and pop just because they are local if the best thing for my family is big box.
     
  5. TigerVols

    TigerVols Well-Known Member

    In which a proud progressive, liberal, comes to the defense of Wal-Mart:

    Sure, we all know the heritage and the cultural economic destruction that Wal-Mart has caused small-town America.

    That said, in my opinion, WM circa 2019 is a far different beast. If you haven't been to one of their stores lately, I recommend it. The ones I've visited lately had 5x the staff of the nearby Targets, the employees for the most part seemed happy and were helpful, and the merchandise was far more organized than the competitor's (which looks like a bomb hit it). Perhaps that's because WM is paying its people better? I believe that to be the case (our friendly resident WM department manager can weigh in on that if she wants...).

    I'm not driven as much by price as quantity and availability, and WM's brick-and-mortars have so much of everything, they really do save time. And I'd be willing to bet their organic produce items outnumber those found at your Vons/Krogers.

    Meanwhile, two hallmarks of mid-21st Century retail are WM features: Environmentally correct (see their recycling policy or just look on the roofs of most stores to see all the solar panels); and a great website.

    Such a good website, in fact, I now go there first instead of Amazon for most of my routine online purchases. Oh, and contacts: their contacts prices are second-to-none.

    Wal-Mart ain't what she used to be. And that's a good thing.
     
    OscarMadison likes this.
  6. swingline

    swingline Well-Known Member

    Paige is daughter of the Lauries. Kroenke and Laurie married daughters of Sam and maybe Bud. Together, they own about half of Columbia, Mo.
     
  7. Driftwood

    Driftwood Well-Known Member

    I don't know. Those of us old enough to remember Walmart under the direction of Sam Walton probably remember a better Walmart than that of his heirs.
    I don't have a problem with Walmart, but I remember the early days of American-made products and rolling back the prices. Walton himself didn't seem totally profit driven as much as providing quality products and service.

    That's not absolute, but I think the direction suffered after he died.
     
  8. BurnsWhenIPee

    BurnsWhenIPee Well-Known Member

    David Glass is the owner of the Royals who married one of the Walton daughters. Don't think he's technically affiliated with Wal-Mart now.
     
  9. Regan MacNeil

    Regan MacNeil Well-Known Member

    He counts as Walmart money, given he was the CEO and all.
     
  10. 2muchcoffeeman

    2muchcoffeeman Well-Known Member

    I disagree. Retail product and food quality have improved since the Walton heirs took bigger roles in the company, and they’re the reason that the milk you buy at any grocery is hormone-free — the dairy groups didn’t want to go hormone-free but didn’t have a choice once Walmart told them it would only buy hormone-free dairy products from that point forward. Once Walmart forced the issue, the dairy farmers and all the other grocery companies got on board. Price rollbacks are still a thing, too.
     
  11. WriteThinking

    WriteThinking Well-Known Member

    This is what I want, so much, with regard to gun/ammunition sales, too. If Walmart stopped them, others would follow its lead, and even politicians would finally fall into line and do something about gun control.
     
    2muchcoffeeman likes this.
  12. HanSenSE

    HanSenSE Well-Known Member

    Do the Razorbacks count?

    Bud Walton Arena
     
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