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Old 09-10-2009, 08:29 PM   #41
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Old 09-10-2009, 08:54 PM   #42
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Have you ever been to a new 24-hour Wal-Mart at around 4:00 AM? I did that once over 5 years ago, and I actually enjoyed it. There were very few if any other customers, and I loved the empty, wide aisles and the leisurely shopping. The night crew had neatly put away everything so it wasn't a mess at all.

That was a very nice Wal-Mart experience. Normally I almost never go to Wal-Mart because I don't enjoy battling through crowds, but the stores themselves seem perfectly fine.
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Old 09-10-2009, 10:36 PM   #43
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Yeah, but are you gonna leave your hat on?


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Old 09-11-2009, 12:26 AM   #44
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After 8 years with the wacko Govm'nt agency I work for , I now have an assistant. He was a Jr. store manager at Sam's Club ( part of the wonderfull Walmart Empire ) a few years ago. He tells me the best thing about it as a former employee , several times each year, he gets a check as a result of numerous class action lawsuits . Usually has something to do with timekeeping misdeeds by the company. Never even has to file a claim , just sit back and remain part of the class .
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Old 09-11-2009, 05:14 AM   #45
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Yeah, but are you gonna leave your hat on?

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Coffee and fresh buns and Tom Jones - now that is how I like to start my day.

What were we talking about? Oh yes, WM. Back to regular programming.
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Old 09-11-2009, 06:50 AM   #46
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If at all possible I avoid the local Walmart. Its not that I have any qualms with Walmart itself, just my local store. The parking is horrendous the store is filled with idiots (both workers and customers). There is no service. I walked out two times in one day because of the lack of service at the checkout. The bad part is the first time I walked out was at 4 AM, when there were few people in the store. The only time I go there now is if there are no other close options. I don't even do price comparisons there. I don't care if things are cheaper there, it's not worth getting my blood pressure and my irritation level up.
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Old 09-11-2009, 07:17 AM   #47
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"Cheap meat... packaged in sealed plastic with nitrogen so it stays red longer. Doesn't mean it stays fresh... just red."

You really think this is a Walmart invention?
I never said or implied that I thought this was a Walmart invention. Stating so... why? Rather, its one of the many reasons I don't like their groceries.

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Come on so does any other grocery store.
Different stores have different business models. Walmart's seems to be price over quality, among other things. I understand most retailers do certain things for marketing purposes, but it seems Walmart is king of duping people, and around here they don't even have the best prices.

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Like any other store you need to pick the scams from the deals. Walmart is no different.
I believe Walmart is different. If they weren't masters at doing what they do they wouldn't be the size they are.

Where I buy meat it is labeled as "choice", and sometimes prime, not a step down like Walmart ("select", and they even have big signs boasting about this -- I guess it fools a lot of ignorant people). It is also cut/butchered and packaged there at the place, not shipped not in pre-packaged case ready containers. It comes in a more traditional saran wrap type of package that's not going to hold in any gas, and held in the back with a sticker, not a heat sealed container. Sure, I can get lower quality "case ready" meat at these stores as well (usual its frozen), but they also have decent butchers on staff as well (and not just making hamburger).

Who do you think has fresher meat, a place which ships it in (the packages are often label Argentina or Brazil), or a place where I actually see someone behind a window cutting the meat?

Oh... need to make a correction in my last post. Carbon monoxide is used, not nitrogen.
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Old 09-11-2009, 08:40 AM   #48
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Missionfinder, I agree with you that it is a personal choice not to buy lower quality food at Walmart. As Fuego said, this is one of those issues that we will not all agree on, and while our decisions to shop/not shop at Walmart are our own, you make some excellent points.

I don't go there because as lets-retire pointed out...most of the patrons and the staff are breathtakingly stupid. But I'm creeped out by the meat, too.
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Old 09-11-2009, 09:15 AM   #49
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Missionfinder made excellent observations, IMHO. S/he wasn't saying we should never shop at WM, rather that we should be mindful of what we're getting, and not taken in by surface appearance. I wish more people would do price and quality comparisons and post them on the forum.

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...most of the patrons and the staff are breathtakingly stupid. .
I'm sure you're right, but I truly have not noticed they are any duller in my Wal-Mart than in other low-end retail stores. Some are grumpy, while others seem to appreciate a smile; no doubt they don't get many.
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Old 09-11-2009, 09:50 AM   #50
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Have you ever been to a new 24-hour Wal-Mart at around 4:00 AM? I did that once over 5 years ago, and I actually enjoyed it. There were very few if any other customers, and I loved the empty, wide aisles and the leisurely shopping. The night crew had neatly put away everything so it wasn't a mess at all.

That was a very nice Wal-Mart experience. Normally I almost never go to Wal-Mart because I don't enjoy battling through crowds, but the stores themselves seem perfectly fine.
In my younger days I would go grocery shopping after 2nd shift around 1am. Was quite peaceful and you seen some interesting characters come in.
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Old 09-11-2009, 10:42 AM   #51
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One thing I have to admit about Walmart... we shop there, a lot, when on vacations. Why? There's always one around and when we're on vacation we don't know where all the different places are and time is more important than money. Besides... if we want a great meal on vacation... we go out! :-D
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Old 09-11-2009, 05:28 PM   #52
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Coffee and fresh buns and Tom Jones - now that is how I like to start my day.

What were we talking about? Oh yes, WM. Back to regular programming.
Oooh! Tom Jones. And Englebert Humperdinck, too. I'm talking about them in the sixties of course... "She's a lady, whoa, whoa, whoa..."
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Old 09-11-2009, 06:15 PM   #53
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I intended to show some funny pics, not start THIS thread again...lol

Since we're on the topic though, ILOVE walmart for many reasons

1) they have EVERYTHING. If i need it at 3 a.m...walmart. If i need several things at once...walmart. EVERYTHING...and 90% of the time it's cheaper

2) I love supporting them because the company is genius in how they run their business. Watch the MSNBC special to learn more behind the scene stuff. I like to support a company that is so on-top of their game. It is capitalism at its finest
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Old 09-11-2009, 09:11 PM   #54
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1) they have EVERYTHING. If i need it at 3 a.m...walmart. If i need several things at once...walmart. EVERYTHING...and 90% of the time it's cheaper
That pretty much sums up why I like walmart too. It isn't the mediocre customer service, the fellow shoppers, or the cleanliness of the store. All of those are lacking in some regard.

I can get everything I want in one place and 90% of it will be cheaper than anywhere else I would go. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm busy and have better things to do than run around town trying to reduce my weekly shopping bill by a few dollars. Gas isn't cheap and my time is valuable. I don't really care to go to the discount food store (like Aldi), a traditional grocery store or three, a butcher, a sporting goods store, and a hardware store just to do the weekly shopping.

We just got back from walmart. We picked up a clothes and shoes for the kids, tennis balls for us, pet supplies for kitty, plus tons (err, ah, pounds ) of fresh meat and veggies (for da grill tomorrow), fresh fruits, yogurt, and tons of other healthy and not so healthy food items, cleaning supplies, paper products, etc. Their fresh meats and produce are usually very good quality because they have such high turnover and so much volume goes through the store.

Where besides a superstore can I get all of this stuff in less than an hour? And there are 2 superwalmarts within 2 miles of the house, so there is virtually no travel time to get to them. After just one hour at walmart, I am done shopping for the week. And we only spent $120 for a family of four. No sales to chase, no coupons to clip, no stocking up on 2 for 1 items, etc. Just "everyday low prices".

And like thefed says, I admire a company that is well run (provides low cost goods while still making a fair profit).
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Old 09-11-2009, 09:14 PM   #55
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I know Fuego, you have to save your time for all those hours you spend putting together toys for the kids ...and all the paperwork involved in credit card arbitrage <eye roll>

OK. I'll quit picking on you... If I had a passel of younguns I'd be there, too. As it is, I do confess to hitting up wallyworld when we have a party.

And hey, I'll bet I'm the only one here who has been to the Sam Walton Museum in Bentonville! Pretty cool place!
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Old 09-11-2009, 09:17 PM   #56
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And hey, I'll bet I'm the only one here who has been to the Sam Walton Museum in Bentonville! Pretty cool place!
I'm not sure you're the only one here who has been, but you're the only one with the ...uh...'courage' to admit it!
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Old 09-11-2009, 09:27 PM   #57
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I swear I think that the dog displayed with the old pickup truck is Ole Roy, stuffed! I really hope they buried the dog and just used a fake dog, but I was too afraid to ask.

And the actual Wal-mart vendor building looks like a 1950's era lunchroom, complete with the bolted together chairs. We did business with them, and I have to say they were fair and very clear in their specifications. Even came and did an "inspection tour" of our place before signing the contracts.
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Old 09-11-2009, 10:59 PM   #58
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Looks like my local Walmart.
Dang, it looks like my whole town!!! So that right there is the #1 reason I don't have to go to SprawlMart....I can see it any day, anywhere in town!!!

I hate WM....and I don't/won't go there! If I really want a bunch of cr*p made in China, I'll just order it from LL Bean. The last catalog that I got from LL Bean (before I called to have my name removed from their mailing list) had exactly TWO items made in the USA...a dog mat and some sort of maple candy...that was it! Nothing else!!!

And WM is about the same...an entire gigantic store filled to the ceiling with foreign made cr*p. Ol' Sam Walton must turning over in his grave!

As for groceries....our local Krogers, IGA, and Aldi's almost always beat WM prices hands-down! And the meat and produce quality is far better at our local stores!

Where folks shop for stuff is their choice....but you'll NEVER see my face in a WM anywhere!!! Ever!!!
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Old 09-12-2009, 12:12 AM   #59
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And hey, I'll bet I'm the only one here who has been to the Sam Walton Museum in Bentonville! Pretty cool place!
I'm sure Want2retire will add that to her list of places to go after she moves to Springfield. I think Bentonville is about 100 miles from there?
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Old 09-12-2009, 12:14 AM   #60
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Have you ever been to a new 24-hour Wal-Mart at around 4:00 AM? I did that once over 5 years ago, and I actually enjoyed it. There were very few if any other customers, and I loved the empty, wide aisles and the leisurely shopping. The night crew had neatly put away everything so it wasn't a mess at all.

That was a very nice Wal-Mart experience. Normally I almost never go to Wal-Mart because I don't enjoy battling through crowds, but the stores themselves seem perfectly fine.
I w*rk until 5am and will sometimes go to Wal-Mart after. The problem with going that early in the morning is that there are only 2 lanes open and I usually end up waiting longer than I do if I go in the early afternoon during the week like usual.
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