Hundreds of Occupy Wall Street protesters arrested

[AVGWarhawk]

Originally Posted by 1480

Why? You would miss out on gems like this "fella":

I can not say we have seen unsavory characters as this at our local Walmart but we have seen something close. In reality, we do not shop Walmart because of the mass of people always there. The shelved items in one particular Walmart in our area looks like a bomb went off. The staff is normally disinterested in you, the store or their jobs. The patrons run amuck along with their kids. Most are just floating around the store on their cell phones with a cart that is empty. Overall, it is just a unpleasant experience. However, there is another Walmart close to our home and is a bit better. We sometimes drop by maybe once in a six month period. We shop Target every two weeks. Furthermore, stores like Walmart are nothing but a gorilla. Walmart squashes out the the small businesses. It has hurt Kmart. Target's number one competition is Walmart. Personally, I don't want one stupid mega-store like Walmart and nothing else to choose from when shopping. Walmart could close tomorrow with all it's containers full of China product and I would not miss it at all.

[mookiemookie]

Originally Posted by AVGWarhawk

I can not say we have seen unsavory characters as this at our local Walmart but we have seen something close. In reality, we do not shop Walmart because of the mass of people always there. The shelved items in one particular Walmart in our area looks like a bomb went off. The staff is normally disinterested in you, the store or their jobs. The patrons run amuck along with their kids. Most are just floating around the store on their cell phones with a cart that is empty. Overall, it is just a unpleasant experience. However, there is another Walmart close to our home and is a bit better. We sometimes drop by maybe once in a six month period. We shop Target every two weeks. Furthermore, stores like Walmart are nothing but a gorilla. Walmart squashes out the the small businesses. It has hurt Kmart. Target's number one competition is Walmart. Personally, I don't want one stupid mega-store like Walmart and nothing else to choose from when shopping. Walmart could close tomorrow with all it's containers full of China product and I would not miss it at all.

I refuse to shop at WalMart for the reasons you mentioned (the one closest to me is like going to a flea market in a third world country) but also because I don't like their receipt and bag checking policy. I bought the stuff, it's mine, I paid the money, transaction over. Nothing gives them the right to rifle through my things on the way out of the store. If for some reason I have to go to WalMart, I walk by the receipt checker guy on the way out and say "No thank you." I've never had a problem doing so. But then again, I can count the times I've been to WalMart in the last 10 years on one hand.

[soopaman2]

Wally World is a scourge.

Around here they try to sell food and the shelves are a joke. Lightly stocked. Everyone that works there is paid so little, and treated so bad by customers and bosses, they want to kick you for a simple question.

Shopping there is contributing to the low wage, union busting lifestyle the far right wishes on us.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by August

I believe our problems are the natural result of the transition to a world economy. Standards of living have always been tied to economic strength so it necessarily follows that our standard of living has to fall as we increase the strength of the rest of the world.

Is that a comparative or an absolute value? As our economic strength falls are we actually worse off? I may be wrong, but it's my understanding that "standard of living" refers to how we live, and, though comparisons are made, it's not really comparative. Does Dowly enjoy a better standard of living than I do? As more countries obtain modern conveniences, or necessities, does that really lower my "standard of living"?

Originally Posted by CaptainMattJ.

per say

Per se. It's Latin, and means "by itself".

[frau kaleun]

Despite hearing numerous accounts of receipt/bag checking issues at Walmarts nationwide, I have to say I have never once had anyone ask me to stop so they can check my stuff on the way out of a Walmart here locally (and I've shopped in 5-6 different WM locations over the years).

OTOH, I don't shop at any Walmart on a regular basis, so maybe I've just been lucky. But at the one nearest me, where I shopped maybe once a month or so when they first opened, I've never even seen any Walmart employees near the exits waiting to stop customers to check stuff. Of course it's not like I'm looking around for someone who looks like an employee who might want to stop me on my way out the door. No eye contact means if someone wants me to stop for that they are either going to have to really yell at me to get my attention or else physically prevent me from walking out the door. I don't see either of those happening, in fact the latter would constitute a crime on their part so... no.

[Sailor Steve]

All you folks refusing to shop at Wal*Mart are elite, effete snobs.

Or else you can afford not to. I, on the other hand, can't afford not to. When a can of chili costs half there what it costs at my local grocery store, I have no choice. Yes, there are many things there made in other countries, but many others are not, especially the food, which is much cheaper than anywhere else, at least in my town. Also, in my town the Wal*Mart stores are clean and neat, and the employees are no better or worse than those at any other store in the area.

"Made in China"? Take a good close look at the box before you buy anything from Sony - they outsource too. Phillips television? Look before you buy. Those are only the ones I remember from the brief Christmas job I had at the local Wal*Mart. Also, who else in town will hire the disabled or elderly who still have to work and put them by the doors as greeters? I can't go there as much as I used to because I have to ride the bus, and shopping several miles away is a hassle. So I walk to the local store and wish we had a Wal*Mart closer to where I live.

[soopaman2]

Originally Posted by frau kaleun

Despite hearing numerous accounts of receipt/bag checking issues at Walmarts nationwide, I have to say I have never once had anyone ask me to stop so they can check my stuff on the way out of a Walmart here locally (and I've shopped in 5-6 different WM locations over the years).

OTOH, I don't shop at any Walmart on a regular basis, so maybe I've just been lucky. But at the one nearest me, where I shopped maybe once a month or so when they first opened, I've never even seen any Walmart employees near the exits waiting to stop customers to check stuff. Of course it's not like I'm looking around for someone who looks like an employee who might want to stop me on my way out the door. No eye contact means if someone wants me to stop for that they are either going to have to really yell at me to get my attention or else physically prevent me from walking out the door. I don't see either of those happening, in fact the latter would constitute a crime on their part so... no.

With all due respect Frau, what is your appearance? Where do you live
(no need to answer madame, hypothetical question, not privacy invading)

Around here we got alot of (hmmm....I hate being politically correct so hate me... I am what I am)
We got alot of minorities, with their pants hanging off their butts, not a dime of cash on them who go there to shoplift. If I was a profit based company that catered to low income folks, I would expect low income behaviors..

Sorry if I sounded mean. But it is what it is.

(this applies to here, coastal New Jersey, not saying it is like that in your Wally World, I am sure the same trash of the majority walks into the midwestern ones.. Trash is trash, regardless of ethnicity. )

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

All you folks refusing to shop at Wal*Mart are elite, effete snobs.

If you've got a Walmart that is clean and well-maintained and you are confident buying groceries there... lucky you!

The Walmart nearest me - which is the only one where it would be convenient to buy groceries - probably has lower prices than other nearby stores, but I had too many experiences where I opened a freezer case and started to put something in my cart only to find it was halfway thawed, or pulled something out of a (supposedly) refrigerated case that turned out to be room temperature once I had it in my hand. *shudder*

Did not give me confidence when it came to buying groceries there in general, and I'm not going to one store to buy frozen food and dairy products and a second store for everything else, especially when the second store is the Walmart here and they have already reduced their floor space and thus their inventory by half since they opened. Most of the non-grocery stuff I used to go there to look for or buy... there's just no point in stopping there for it, as the chances of finding it are slim to none.

Combine that with the fact that they have two dozen registers but either can't convince or aren't willing to pay for more than 2-3 cashiers to show up for any given shift, which means a ridiculously long wait in line in a store that is not really that busy - ugh.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by frau kaleun

If you've got a Walmart that is clean and well-maintained and you are confident buying groceries there... lucky you!

Of course I was joking with that opening line, hence the smiley. But that said, I have a big collection of funny T-shirts, all $7.50 from Walstore. I just can't get over the simple fact that a can of Nalley's Chili is $1.79 at the store I walk to, and 98 cents at Walmart. On the other hand, as I said, I have to get on the bus and haul everything I buy home in a big duffel bag, so it's no longer worth it when I have a store I can walk to. Once in a blue moon I make the trip to stock up on cheap staples. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) these days I buy pretty much everything except food and clothes online.

[soopaman2]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

Of course I was joking with that opening line, hence the smiley. But that said, I have a big collection of funny T-shirts, all $7.50 from Walstore. I just can't get over the simple fact that a can of Nalley's Chili is $1.79 at the store I walk to, and 98 cents at Walmart. On the other hand, as I said, I have to get on the bus and haul everything I buy home in a big duffel bag, so it's no longer worth it when I have a store I can walk to. Once in a blue moon I make the trip to stock up on cheap staples. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) these days I buy pretty much everything except food and clothes online.

Most the other supermarkets pay health benefits to both full time and part time help, whereas... Wal Mart makes them pay themselves, most the time it is more than they make.

So next time you buy that can of chili, just know the guy who put it up there was able to afford his kids tonsilectomy or dentistry. (not your fault for wanting a bargain, it's a broken system)

It all goes back to corporate greed (insurance companies especially in this case) , which according to alot in this thread, "is good"

(So trash the working man, far righties, go on...Your blame the victim thing is working, like the marine who got shot in the head with a tear gas canister in Oakland, being blamed by the police chief)

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by soopaman2

Most the other supermarkets pay health benefits to both full time and part time help, whereas... Wal Mart makes them pay themselves, most the time it is more than they make.

Really? Do you have evidence? I only worked there for a couple of months, and as a seasonal employee I recieved no benefits, but I was shown the package I would recieve if I was hired on for real, and it was okay. On the other hand I don't know that the part-timers at my local store get anything better.

Yes, they have cut part-time benefits for new part-time employees, but existing part-timers are not having their benefits cut. And "more than they make"? You need to back that up or retract it.

[soopaman2]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

Really? Do you have evidence? I only worked there for a couple of months, and as a seasonal employee I recieved no benefits, but I was shown the package I would recieve if I was hired on for real, and it was okay. On the other hand I don't know that the part-timers at my local store get anything better.

Yes, they have cut part-time benefits for new part-time employees, but existing part-timers are not having their benefits cut. And "more than they make"? You need to back that up or retract it.

My wife is a manager with Shopright supermarkets. I also worked 10 years ago as overnight stock in a Shopright. It's kinda how we met.


6 months on the job and your are in a UFCW union, If you are with meat or deli you get a different union, but same bennies. Meat guys were the top dogs with pay and benefits.

Maybe your place was family run or non union?

[Sailor Steve]

Okay, but my real question was about Walmart.

[soopaman2]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

Okay, but my real question was about Walmart.

Depressing wages, and unaffordable health care (once again, not Wally Worlds fault,bu unregulated health insurance companies)
http://reclaimdemocracy.org/walmart/...ce_program.php
http://www.hel-mart.com/docs/georgem...martreport.pdf
http://www.campusprogress.org/articl...nt_you_to_know
http://www.longviewinstitute.org/pro...mart/10.23.03/
http://www.kxii.com/home/headlines/46974857.html
http://www.dsausa.org/lowwage/walmart/health.html

It is a start. I can go on and on smearing Wal Mart and their treatment of employees (for eons). I can't make you stop shopping there. I am sure a big business advocate (not you particular Mr Steve, who Is my favorite poster here) will call all the sites I mentioned written by Obamas teleprompter maiden and try to discount it.

But that is fine. I am used to being smashed here.

Or even call me unpatriotic.
The working man needs help nowadays. Even from lunatics with bad spelling like me.

[AVGWarhawk]

Walmart has many issues concerning workers wages and healthcare. Healthcare was a big issue a few years ago.