As I've said before my best friend works at WalMart. I went there with her a couple of times and realized it's not as bad as I thought it was. And she asked me how it was worse than Target, Kmart, or any other store. I thought about it for a while and realized that perhaps WalMart is picked on more than the other stores because it's bigger however those other stores don't treat me or their employees any better than WalMart does. She said she would appreciate if I support it as it supports her job and thus her family's life. I bought a few things there and have decided that I will go there for things that are the same as at other stores: my shampoo, make up etc when it's cheaper than other stores.
I have learned things in my life and I have changed and adapted with the times. I admit when I'm wrong and I was wrong about a lot of my ideas about WalMart.
It's not perfect and all the prices are not always cheaper than "my" other stores.
But it's really clean and as long as I go through my friend's line I don't have to deal with incompetent cashiers who have no idea about coupons.
That being said I understand why others don't want to go there. I just wanted to say it as I was so adamant about not going there.
I have gotten some really good deals in the last few weeks although I'm not buying all my groceries there for various reasons.

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The political system is broke and it's a joke.

Here is a thread from 2008
Sexysmurf.. Question for you...
here was my response as to why I don't shop WM

ah...the ever famous question LOL

I don't shop there for lots of reasons. I don't like their business practices pretty much sums it up in one sentence.

No business is perfect but I really feel that WM is worst offender.

I like this story: Wal-Mart You Don't Know | Fast Company

Also, they *cheat* distributors so they can make more money. Our good friend used to work for a company that supplied products to WM. One day he was overlooking the invoices for WM when he noticed that WM shorted each invoice's payment by 10-15% for "damage". He asked his manager about it because EVERY invoice was marked that way and looking in the history, it appeared that it's always this way. His manager told him that WM automatically takes that discount "because they can". If you say you want full payment, they will told "fine...then we wont' carry your product on our shelves". Well, where they are at, you can't not have your product on a WM shelf as it's all there is there.

I also know many people who have worked there and gotten cheated on their wages or forced to contribute to things they did not want to. Did they hold a gun to their head? No. But if they didn't, they were put on shifts they couldn't work (ie: night shift for single parent with no babysitter) or bathroom detail until they did contribute.

I know many people say they LOVE their WM and hey, that's good for them. I choose to take a stand and show people that YES...you can live in the USA and NOT shop at WM AND save just as much money (not to mention feeling better about yourself).

So, there are a few reasons. They are more but really, it just all boils down to their business practices


You had a post listing several reaons why you don't shop at WM Anna. I know other stores aren't perfect but I do not feel like they go to the lengths WM does. I could care less if someone shops there but *I* won't and I won't allow my DH to either. It's a little stand we take to say "hey, we don't like your practices". I like to "put my money where my mouth is" so to speak and it makes me feel good.

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Proud to say I haven't shopped at a Wal-Mart since Sept 2003

Flip side - my great uncle worked at the Wal-Mart in Scottsdale, AZ for 8 years. He was twice written up in the paper as a great Wal-Mart greeter. He and my aunt left Scottsdale and moved to the D/FW area to be closer to family. 6 1/2 years later, my uncle passed. Senior leadership at the Scottsdale Wal-Mart sent flowers to my aunt and to the funeral. I think that's pretty impressive.

I do shop there - not all the time - but I do it. I like their practice of hiring people with disabilities, as well as the elderly. This is my opinion.

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Kim

I can understand your choice but one big deciding factor for me is that my best friend works there. It took her almost a year to find a job after she lost her previous one. Nobody else even called her for an interview.
Another thing is in this day and age NO store is loyal to me NO store goes out of their way to do anything to keep me as a customer. I don't have as much money as I did in years past. I have to be very careful of how I spend it and I have noticed I can save up to $2 on my shampoo/conditioner per item and some other things also.
If and when the day comes that some other store is noted for stellar business practices and/or for treating their employees in an exceptional manner then I will reconsider and go there. In the meantime it's hard times right now economically in the US. I have also noticed that WalMart has listened to public demand and made some changes in the way they do business and how they treat their employees as well as in the items they carry to reflect the demand of a changing nation.
If you can show me that other chain retailers are better somehow I will reconsider my choice.

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The political system is broke and it's a joke.

Anna,

I try to avoid all chains if I can. I am a small business owner so I will go mom & pop if I can. With my business, I DO try to go out of my way for my customers and many thank me. That means a lot! I'm glad your friend has a job there. I know others who have/do work there and hate it because of how they schedule them. I know one person who worked WM and then went to Target and liked it so much better. Ultimately, it's a personal choice. Is every WM the same? Certainly not. I guess sometimes I get sick of people who contact me online and say "I can get it cheaper at WM but I don't want to drive there". I can't compete with WM price wise and never will because the big boy will always win that one. I don't have as much money as I used to either but I haven't seen the "good" changes you are talking about (at least locally). In the current economy, the employees of WM that I still know say it's gotten worse, not better but they don't have any other options.

In terms of showing that other chains are better. I can't. I can say I have never heard of Target coming into small towns, running out all the mom & pops and then raising their prices higher because they can now that there is no competition. I haven't heard of Target leading a company to file bankrupcy because they blackmailed them by saying they wouldn't carry their product unless they priced it as WM saw fit. I have never heard of Target cheating the manufacturers on "product damage" when there was none. Of coarse I will say I know more people that work at WM. That is because there are 2 Targets in 25 miles but 5-6 WM's in the same grid so odds are, I'll know more at WM.

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Proud to say I haven't shopped at a Wal-Mart since Sept 2003

The Wal-marts I have gone to are just so huge........I don't have all day to cruise around the store to find what I want. Also, the clientelle that I encounter in Wal-Mart is a little different than what I come across at Target. I find I have a more pleasurable shopping experience at Target, and think their stores are much cleaner, overall.

I also like that Target can look up your return by the c/c you used to buy it with. I don't have to worry about keeping my receipts.

YMMV, and this is just MY opinion, of course.

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Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.

Walmart is gross and nasty. Ick. I only go there when I have to and that is very rarely. Our new Walmart is only 6 months old, and it is just as nasty as the one it replaced. No thank you!!

People of Walmart: a collection of all the creatures that grace us with their presence at Walmart, America's favorite store.

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Donna

I love our Walmart. It's very neat & clean. I've found the associates at our store to be extremely friendly and helpful. I guess it's different at different stores.

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Mom to Jake, Zach & Meghan
SJCC STREAKS FOOTBALL!!
CLEVELAND BROWNS FOOTBALL!

A new kind of Walmart greeter

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I was walking home one night and a guy hammering on a roof called me a paranoid little weirdo. In morse code. -Emo Phillips

I know most of you know that I am a Walmart supporter....
Yes, they are picked on because they are the biggest kid on the block. Yes other retailers/"big box" stores have some questionable business practices---you just don't hear about it like you do with Walmart.

Even if I didn't do the job I do now---I would STILL support Walmart and "love" Walmart. Plain and Simple, they are no better or no worse than most retailers/big box stores

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Mental that one, I'm telling you. ---Ron Weasley, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"

"They" may not be different, but in my area, shopping in Walmart is like being a foreigner in my own country and it is not a pleasant shopping experience. There are a few stores that are as messy and nasty as Walmart - in NewEngland, there's places like Building 19 and some nasty Dollar Stores - and I don't shop at those stores either.

cj/

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I was walking home one night and a guy hammering on a roof called me a paranoid little weirdo. In morse code. -Emo Phillips

Not according to the news stories I've read. But, I avoid all big box stores. The only one I ever go to is Target because it's the only place left to buy some things. (And I admit, I can't resist the 90% off after holiday sales for candy.)

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If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn't help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we've got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition, and then admit that we just don't want to do it.

- Stephen Colbert.

Well the one my friend works at is different than the one in the next town over. I went there after work tonight to redeem the coupons I posted on the Shopping Board $5 off on Monopoly games for the Monopoly card game. At my friend's WalMart the games were $5.24 so I paid 24 cents for them. The lady (not my friend) rang them through with no questions no problems. (I printed up 5 coupons so bought 5 games).
The Eugene store they were marked at $4.00 so I was excited and thought maybe I'd get the whole $5 off and the other dollar for each of the games would go towards my purchase of a big outdoor garbage can. The cashier lady first told me that I couldn't use the coupons because they were only good for the board game of Monopoly. I showed her on the card game where it said "card game" and pointed out that nowhere on the coupon did it say "board game" just "game". I said "it has a bar code on it so if you can't use it for that the register won't accept it". She called a man over he told me I couldn't use them. I asked if he was the store manager he said no the customer service manager. I asked for the store manager. It was taking a long time for him to come so I started telling the lady I had used the coupons at the other WalMart and nobody asked any questions. She told me she had never seen coupons worth more than the price of something. I asked if she had ever seen the ladies on tv talk shows who buy several hundreds worth of groceries, used coupons, and got money back. She said she hadn't and I told her we couponers live for deals like that. I finally talked her into redeeming the coupons it had been about 10 minutes and here comes the manager. He looked at the coupons and the games and told her yes it's okay to redeem them but I couldn't get money back. I was okay with that. The cust serv manager (who was a young man between maybe 18-20) was annoyed that his decision was overridden.
I guess I'll only go the Springfield one from now on.

I understand what you guys about the type of people who normally shop there I have seen the website and it looks exactly like 90% of the people there. That's one reason I resisted for so long believe me I don't look like, speak like, or think like the typical WalMart shopper.

And sexysmurf I would love to shop exclusively at local stores however I'm not rich. I can't afford to pay three times the price of WinCo or WalMart or Costco for groceries, personal supplies, furniture, clothes, shoes, etc. And there is not a big enough variety of local places that sell everything one would need to live.
And if you're buying national corporate products then you're supporting large corporations anyway.
Everyone that I know that works in retail has crappy schedules. All the big retailers have employees coming in 5 or 6 days a week and working less than 30 hours. Maybe they just want to keep people so busy and tired they don't have time to look for jobs anywhere else.

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The political system is broke and it's a joke.

I shop at our Walmart, but I also shop at our local grocery store. There are certain items (pet food, cleaning supplies, etc), that are much cheaper at Walmart. I save a great deal of money in the span of a year. With that being said, I am very careful about what I purchase at Walmart. I do not purchase any meat or poultry. I have had to take chicken back two times that was spoiled when I purchased it. I also look at all expiration dates on dairy, several times I have found expired dates on food still on the shelf.

We have a Super Wal*Mart, it is about 20 minutes from the house. I only shop there if I can't find what I need locally. I live in a small town and appreciate and support the local business.
One of the reasons I don't like Wal*Mart is that they are like to coupon police. I never have as many problems as I do there. I purchased 5 of one product, had 5 coupons and was told I could only use 1 per purchase, HELLO I purchased 5. It just isn't worth it.
I rarely do grocery shopping there, the aisles are too small and there is way to much area to cover. As far as the savings, I do just fine at my local grocery stores and drug stores with coupons. As a matter of fact, our Weis grocery store runs a per off that you qualify for and on Tues. they give anyone 55 or older (hubby) 5% off. So in November we qualified for 20 plus went on Tues. for another 5, so 25% off our order. We arrived at 7am and left at 1:30 We purchased over $1300 and only paid $700 using coupons. Some of that was oil for the trucks and tractors (2 cases - no coupons). So that is how I save and stock up.

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Sometimes the elevator often the shaft

I do have to say that I have never had an issue with coupons at Walmart, I have had problems using them at both Target and Kmart. Kmart is horrible when it comes to using coupons!

I am not rich. Not even close. I really do not feel I pay more for what I buy. I use sales and coupons and get good deals. When I used to shop both Sams and Costco, Costco was a much better deal then but it was farther away. Now I just plan my trips so it's still a better deal than Sams. I have my Costco Business Visa and earn 4% cash back on gas, 3% on eating out and travel and 1% everywhere else.

I buy corporate items but I also support a lot of local businesses when I can. I buy salsa from a company based in my town and I know the owner. I buy my coffee from a local roaster (and I sell her coffee on my site proudly). I am big on "Colorado Proud" motto. You can't get away from supporting some sort of corporate entity. If I had to, I could buy everything I need to live without leaving my house. King Soopers has delivery, local farmers market folks will delivery to you, my milk is delivered by a local dairy and everything else can be bought on Amazon.com's grocery store. Yes, I know Amazon is a big corporate company BUT they have been good to me. I get a lot of my business sales from Amazon and they help me put food on the table so I support them because I know often, it's a 3rd party merchant like myself who is selling the products I am purchasing...not Amazon themselves.

I know people who say WM is so much cheaper and they couldn't afford not to shop there. I just don't think I am spending *that* much more shopping Sunflower, Safeway and King Soopers along with bulk items at Costco. I've compared receipts with friends who shop WM and it's not that big of a difference if I shop wisely. Like I said, I have no beef with those who wish to support WM. I just don't is all. I also like to try to "buy American" when I can. I would say 90% of the products I sell through my business are made in American and the other 10% are made in Europe and China. That doesn't make me better or worse...just makes me me

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Proud to say I haven't shopped at a Wal-Mart since Sept 2003

Walmart saves me soo much money, I adore shopping there.

We have a super wal mart which I use for some grocery shopping. Also buy underware, some household items---all because of the low prices. DH gets his scripts filled there. The store is clean and if the other people shopping there are not "my type", it is not my business and it has no bearing on my life or shopping experience. It is a store just like all others. Of course, I also shop at Building 19, Big Lots and Ocean State Job Lot along with high end department stores

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Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent.

E. Roosevelt

"I go through my friend's line I don't have to deal with incompetent cashiers " THAT is against their policies. You are not allowed to wait on family or friends.....

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Be careful what you wish for.....

That's true. My cousin is a cashier and she has always told me she can't wait on family or close friends or she could be fired.

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Mom to Jake, Zach & Meghan
SJCC STREAKS FOOTBALL!!
CLEVELAND BROWNS FOOTBALL!

We have travelled all over the US by RV and have stopped at lots of Wal-Marts.
Some have been newer and / or larger than others, but I have never seen one that I thought was dirty or nasty or messy. I have never had a bad experience with a cashier.

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Square dancing is friendship set to music!

We only shop at Walmart for big ticket items or stuff we can't find at other stores.I really don't like shopping there only because you have a huge parking lot to have walk across and you have to walk a mile inside the store to find what you are looking for because its soo huge.I do love that they always take my internet coupons though.

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Oh Building 19 is just nasty. I went there once and swore I would never step foot in there again. Another cruddy store is Job Lots. My MIL talked me into trying out Price Rite as she had heard it was cheaper on prices. Umm no thank you.

I will admit I do shop at Super Walmart for some of my groceries. I find that I can save a good deal of money by going there and they carry things I can't find anywhere else. Maybe my Walmart is a rare one, but it is always clean and the fresh veggies and meat always look good.

That should be nothing for something that can shovel 15 inches of snow covered driveway...HAHAHAHAHAHA!

I have never heard of WinCo, Price Rite, Building 19 or Job Lots. We used to have Big Lots but they all shut down (thought they all did?). I had only been in Big Lots once or twice and it was so dirty I wouldn't trust any food items bought there.

For groceries we have: Super Target, WM,King Soopers, Safeway,Albertsons, Sunflower Market,Whole Foods,Sams, Costco (45 min drive), farmers markets. At least those are the ones I know about

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Proud to say I haven't shopped at a Wal-Mart since Sept 2003

that would be Ocean State Job Lot. I know because I go there

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Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent.

E. Roosevelt

Just curious I see you live in SE Mass too. Which Job Lots do you go to?

I go the one in Taunton and the one in Buzzards Bay

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Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent.

E. Roosevelt

I didn't even know there was one in Taunton. The only one I have been to is in New Bedford.

You must not be far from me at all as I go to the Super Walmart in Raynham and Target in Dartmouth and Taunton.

oh the stories I could tell....

Whether anyone chooses to believe me, all big box retailers have issues--including Target. The difference is that people and media are not up the retailers behind w/ a microscope. Walmart is damned if they do and damned if they don't. Every move they make is scrutinized, analyzed and criticized. By and large because the media has made Walmart out to be "evil". Few people consider the good that Walmart and The Walton Foundation do......

While I know that it's not true in every market---here? There are people w/ no education, who are "unskilled" labor that are making $10-$14/hourly. These people, most likely, would not be considered for a job at Target....or other "big box" stores.

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Mental that one, I'm telling you. ---Ron Weasley, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"

All three of these chains are based in the Northeastern part of the USA and do not go much beyond that area (PriceRite may go into PA, but the other two are no farther out than NY (Job Lots) or New England (Building 19)

But, for informational purposes, Price Rite is a "warehouse" grocery store (the ones most are likely to be familiar with are Aldi or SaveALot, as they seem to be the two most widespread chains) - the groceries are stacked in cases and often on pallets rather than standard shelves, most items are store branded (with some name brands as "Spoeical Purchases"), you need to bring bags (or buy them or use packing boxes that items came in) and the fresh items (Produce, Meats etc.) are limited to pre-packaged items (no service counters).

Building 19 and (Ocean State) Job Lots are both similar in style to Big Lots, in that much of the merchandise is items that are closeouts/overstocks/returns/slightly damamged and sometimes near to an expiration date and will change frequently - what you find this week may not be there next week.
In addtition, Ocean State does stock about 30-35% of the store with "regular" items that they purchase at good deals and these items you will see most of the time (examples that come to mind - 50 pound bags of sunflower seed for bird feeding, spices, aluminum foil pans etc.) - not sure if Building 19 does anything similar.

I would say our Ocean State and PriceRite (in NY) don't seem that bad in terms of being clean and the stuff being good.

Thanks for the info. It seems there are so many stores that I have never seen but hear about people shopping at. I have lived in CA and CO and what is offered in both places is pretty similar

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Proud to say I haven't shopped at a Wal-Mart since Sept 2003

I'm not sure how they could enforce that in a small town. Just about everyone here is family and friends ....or enemies. I would say I probably know around half of our Walmart's employees outside of the store. At night there's only one or two cash registers open, chances are it'll be someone you know pretty well.

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Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back in the same box.

That is absolutely not true. I made sure of it and she knows it for a fact. She would not risk her job nor would I risk it for her.



Sexysmurf Safeway is a national chain and I don't like them too much for their employee policies and their prices are some of the highest in this community.

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The political system is broke and it's a joke.

I have always admired ss being able to not get caught up in the Walmart hoopla. For myself, I know the last time I was there, it was only to get the Bushnell weather forecasters on clearance, then, free after rebate. Before that, I couldn't tell you ( although my longevity isn't near as long as hers !)

Walmart is cheaper on a few things, cost-wise, but the savvy shopper will know where the real savings are in their community. It takes too long to maneuver the store and there is too much for people to add to the cart as they go along, and most of it is cheap you know what.

The service, overall, isn't good and those who constantly patronize the store only make our options fewer and fewer.

dl

I would say Safeway is a regional chain. It doesn't come close to being in all areas of the country, it's mostly in the western part of our country that I am aware of.
dl

Maybe your store is different but I know for a fact here at our store it is true. My best friend was a front end manager and when my cousin was telling me about it I asked her. She said they absolutely can terminate you for ringing up a friend or family member.

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Mom to Jake, Zach & Meghan
SJCC STREAKS FOOTBALL!!
CLEVELAND BROWNS FOOTBALL!

One thing to consider when shopping for big ticket items is that Walmart makes the manufacturers create a cheapo version for them. So what you might think is the same item for less at Walmart is actually a lower quality item than what you'd buy at a smaller store. I suspect Target and other big box stores do the same thing. For that and other reasons, I actively avoid big box stores when shopping for big ticket items. The percentage you save doesn't make up for getting an inferior product, in my opinion.

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If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn't help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we've got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition, and then admit that we just don't want to do it.

- Stephen Colbert.

Anna,
I agree with you about Safeway and their policies and prices. I don't shop there...it's just an available option.

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Proud to say I haven't shopped at a Wal-Mart since Sept 2003

LOL, Yesterday, I raked the entire yard,scooping up debris and leaves with the rake in one arm and that shovel in the other and lifted the shovel up full of sticks,pinecones,leaves and crap with ONE ARM and dumped it into the trash.I did this for about 6 hrs yesterday .I'm only a lil stiff this morning so I am just thrilled!

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Ya, I figured that, but theres only two (expensive) electronics stores around here (Bestbuy and Sears)and my experience with them hasn't been so great but so far Walmart stuff has worked pretty well for me.

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The Scottsdale Walmart near Raintree always had the nicest employees, and some really unfriendly customers, which seems to be pretty common around there. Glad to hear they treated your great uncle well.

Bestbuy is no better than Walmart, in my opinion. I refuse to shop there too. I don't think I'd buy electronics from Sears either. I guess if those were my only choices, I'd probably order online.

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If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn't help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we've got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition, and then admit that we just don't want to do it.

- Stephen Colbert.

Where do you buy your electronics from then?

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I've had a Foreman Grill for about six years. I've done about 85% of my cooking on it, but I've never burnt myself. Probably because I don't use it as a pillow.

Sunnyday two good places to get electronics online are newegg.com and Tigerdirect.com. They often have deals and very good prices.

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The political system is broke and it's a joke.

Well, we don't buy them very often. The store from which we bought our last TV is out of business now. We buy our computers online. I got my ipod from the Apple store.

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If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn't help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we've got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition, and then admit that we just don't want to do it.

- Stephen Colbert.

Now I love target so much better I do not like Walmart perhaps for some items but not their clothes at all never ever and as far as Best Buy for me there is one 5 blocks away it is always crowded me and my family especially my kids love it , they have the best prices but again to each his or her own. Peace. Catherine

I refuse to buy anything from Bestbuy, we had a horrible experience getting them to do their job when it came to an extended warranty we purchased. They are horrible to deal with! To make a very long story short, we went without a fridge for over six weeks (it was horrible). I have never had a problem with Walmart, I have had a few minor issues with Target.

That stinks Tammy! I don't care for Best Buy much. We do our electronics shopping at Ultimate Electronics and buy appliances from Home Depot (my brother works in appliances there part time so he'll alert us if a good deal is going on). We also have small "scratch and ding" stores where you can get appliances a lot cheaper than retail. We bought our "beer fridge" at one for under $100. The "ding" was on far back on the side...where it wouldn't be seen. Great deals

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Proud to say I haven't shopped at a Wal-Mart since Sept 2003

My brother is disabled and has been looking for a job for a long time now. Wal-Mart recently hired him and they seem to be very good to him. I like shopping there because it's one stop shopping. I don't do my grocery shopping there, but I have friends who do and swear that they save alot of money. I just came across an interesting article and thought I'd post... ~Lisa

Boycotting Wal-Mart? Good luck with that...

Wal-Mart Boycotts: You Can Get Heard, But You Can't Hurt World's Largest Retailer - DailyFinance

Although I'd like to think my boycotting WalMart makes a difference to their bottom line, that isn't the only reason I boycott it. It is important to me to uphold my own ethics.

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If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn't help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we've got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition, and then admit that we just don't want to do it.

- Stephen Colbert.