Save a buck - Cost your neighbor his job - Walmart!

Save money, get lots of cheap stuff made and sold by underpaid/exploited workers, and when Walmart gets a better tax break in the next zip code, they'll leave you a big pretty box of a building no one can use!

Is that really the American Dream?!

Here's to neighborhood businesses everywhere! If I can afford to live without Walmart, anyone can.

Wow... I'm surprised someone has such affections for a company slogan. A little brain-washed are we?

did they say whole foods?yeah they'll brow beat the small mom and pop farm supplier till they put them out of business. watch out old mcdonald, they are going to screw you over with their low, low , prices.good luck your going to need it with that slimy company.i'd avoid them at all cost.

While you are beating on Walmart, let's not forget Lowes, Home Depot, Office Depot, and all the the super stores that have forced the small shops to close. I don't like shopping at Walmart and I don't like large stores. But all the big boys have run the small retailers out of business. You all know how to stop it, don't buy from them.

right on Gene!bingo.

Gene & Gloria - Far better to have little mom&pop shops who don't have what you want or need - but they'll be glad to order it for you... you don't really need that wierd little pipe fitting anyway, right? Or that particular ink cartidge or printer? You don't minding having to wait a week or two, right?

Tell me - you got a hate-on for Amazon also? What they've done to small bookstores is a crime for the bookstore owners - but now you can get pretty much everything in print in short order, even a lot of out-of-print stuff. You gonna argue it'd be better if Amazon wasn't around?

The Walmart near here has carried fresh (local) produce for a long time. It's always good and has a fast turn-over so it tastes better than some grocery stores. Of course the prices are very competitive. You can't fault their marketing plans.

He was right. In the grocery section of the Raynham supercenter, 45 minutes south of Boston, I had trouble believing I was in a Walmart. The very reasonable-looking produce, most of it loose and nicely organized, was in black plastic bins (as in British supermarkets, where the look is common; the idea is to make the colors pop).

Don't judge a book by it's cover. Walmart's still Walmart and they always will be all about Walmart.

Our Walmart has VERY little local or organic foods which is quite a disappointment. And most of the veggies/fruits they do have are not that fresh looking. I have to drive 120 mi round drip to go to the local organic/natural grocer. There's a Whole Foods not a half mile from the store I shop at but I won't go there. They are so outrageously overpriced. I get better deals from the smaller local store even if they don't have the mega-variety of WF.

I'm re-designing my landscape this spring and will include a large greenhouse and a few large raised beds for an organic garden. I'd really rather raise my own fruits/veggies.

I don't like the dirty dealings that have come w/the expansion of WalMart and WholeFoods. These companies are not ethically or socially responsible enough for me.

Good match..why? BECAUSE they both suck. Wal-mart gal of milk..$4.98 unless you buy "their" brand which gives you the runs..their food is old..and their vegtables are more expensive then at a Grocery store..and as for Whole foods..give me a break...EXPENSIVE..I walked out with 3 "small" bags and spent $110! And don't bother with the buffet.. one plate of nasty food and it was $17 sold by the pound. Yeah Wal-mart listen to the people...keep buying foreign products and put all Americans out of business. Read post below mine..WESTERN hit the Nail on the head!

kflann

Save money, live better, Walmart!

Yeah lol. Being exposed to toys full of lead, poisoned dog food, fire hazzard dvd players...... um yeah, more like "Save money, live shorter, Walmart!"

JLawson. i don't shop on Amazon. any piggy company that puts mom and pop out of business is just that.

A BIG FAT GREEDY PIG

there's plenty of business to go around for everybody.you don't have to take the food out of everybodies mouth, because your a big fat greedy pig . you get my drift? it is selfish and it's bullying on these companies part.so i don't shop at places like that..

gloria fabiaschi - I buy my textbooks on Amazon.com (usually through other sellers that are selling on Amazon.com) - it's the only thing I buy from them. Considering my books typically run $3000+/year at the bookstore and $800/year from Amazon - I have to buy them that way. That said, I understand your complaint.

There has not been a mom and pop grocer since the supermarkets ate them up years before Walmart came along. It hits my funny bone when I hear someone say that.

Whole generations have never seen a mom and pop grocer so they think the supermarkets that ate them need protection now from the big meany.

We may want to rethink trying to end competition by protecting a bigger guy from a bigger guy - lol

Give me a break on my monthly expenses and you will be the next big business. That is how it works. We are not really that deep...or stupid.

Hadenough, so you think faulty products are only recalled in Walmart and they leave the same products in all other stores? You do know most stores carry the same products don't you? The question is only where you purchase them, Walmart or Kmart or Sears or where ever.

Come on now...the market is global now and export and import is not just to one source.

I'd rather shop among the "People of Whole Foods" than the "People of Walmart."

For a collection of amusing photos of "People of Walmart," go to the website and look at the pictures.

but walmart and get mexican produce wrapped in plactic, the same for the meat. I have never seen "fresh" anyfood in the WalMart. However, WalMArt did a great job writting this article for themselves. Any time I go into Wallyworld (and that is few and far between) I do not see people that give service or the Quality food. Where is this fictious location? buy Wallyworld and support the enemy of America. I buy at local grocery stores and in my area we support the local and not Wallyworld. Our population of 400,000 only are cursed with 2 Wallyworld.

The biggest problem I have with WalMart produce is that it seems like the merchandise is always about 2 weeks 2 ripe or completely green.

Long term cost benefits shopping at Wal marts still does not make sense to me with a manufacturing base they destroyed. Buy local clothing items and others I would shop there. To me maybe it helps the local farmers but rather see the whole package. No to Wal Marts for me. I suggest more and more people start their own organic garden in the front or backyard and stop watching TV as much and create a Gross National Happiness.

I will never shop at Walmart - it's a matter of principle. When they stop importing so many of their goods from China, perhaps. But until then Walmart is a huge contributor of the national trade deficit. People will shop anywhere it's cheap. Shame on you - you get what you pay for.

All the walmarts around here look like a swap meet, hundreds of low income people swarming around the parking lot and store, most of the time I get hit up for money not just once but several times.

I would starve before I buy food from walmart.

This is just another stupid ploy from wal-mart to bring in more suckers!

Lawson - I too hate WalMart, can't stand it. I would rather support a local business and wait a few days for a shipment (order before you run out is the best way!) and they can get pretty much anything you need and most do carry a large variety of items, just not many of them due to unfortunate low volume. Are they higher? Yep, a little on some things but it is worth it to me to pay a little extra and buy local then to go into the city and buy from a "retail giant" and save a few bucks. I earn my money the hard way, I work for it and I can therefore spend it as I see fit - I would rather spend it on items from a local shop instead of sending it to the government in the form of more taxes -which they usually say they are going to turn around and give some back to the small business anyway by giving them some kind of break that really amounts to nothing.

Besides, our large volume stores here cater to a specific local population. Want ten types of tortilla, a pig's head or cactus? Got it. Looking for lamb chops and mint jelly, maybe even just a salad dressing that doesn't start with "ranch"? forget it. Have you ever not been able to read the labeling on the grocery items at your local store? A very bizarre feeling. I expect to see that when I travel, but to pick up a shampoo bottle and not be able to tell if it was for dry hair for example because the entire label (yes, entire!) was in a foreign language? Felt like I had walked into the Twilight Zone, but now I'm used to it - I just look at the pictures on the labels.

I don't shop at walmart. I'm glad they are bringing produce to the food deserts maybe this will help with the obesity epidemic, but I shop at a supermarket that is closer to me and I shop at a local market that has been there, on that corner, since 1933! So, I have no reason to ever shop at walmart.

Bingo Bob!

Wal-mart has done more to help poor people stretch their dollars than any of the ideas put forward by the socialists in this country and world combined. If Wal-mart was as bad as all of you union loving freedom haters suggest people wouldn't shop there. They are not a charity 1st (however they donate more to charitable causes than most other crony capitalist companies) their responsibility is to their customers and shareholders hence low low prices they dont help anyone by losing money. I am amazed that the union promoters who have killed other industries and driven them overseas get any support for their attempts to unionize another company and suck it dry. If you want your job outsourced join a union!

Oh please with the commercial how is wal mart going to help the small farmer when they sell imported produce like carrots from Canada. Now I point out Canada because the summer is shorter up there. I needed carrots and was nearer to one went in found the carrots Product of Canada stamped on it.

Save money Make Money for just the Waltons, live better turning are country in to communism, Walmart China!

WALMART stinks! There produce comes from outside the country. Enough said.

Truth of the matter is, I don't care if Walmart is suddenly selling local produce. I can get local produce at the Farmers' Market.

Do I mind spending more at a store that pays its employees more? Spend a few pennies more per pound at a store whose employees don't have to resort to Medicaid?

Nahhhh....

Walmart, or China-mart as I prefer to call it, is the last place I'd go to buy anything. They do carry "PG versions" of popular teen music, so I'll go there to buy that for my teen.

In mentioning this to my father (early 70's) he pointed out to me that the decline of the mom and pops began in earnest with the indoor shopping malls with lots of free parking. (Ohio/Midwest anyway.) He remembered, as a child, going into a the bigger town (maybe 5k people instead of less than 1k), on a Saturday afternoon, and he would go shopping with his mother, and the men gathered and talked about whatever. (Dad was first generation off the farm, but plenty of the older folk still were farming, or working jobs like dairy, railroad, etc., and around.) He remembered the the malls being the place to go to get everything, no walking outside in the elements, and it became (and still is for teens at least) a social place.

This made me sad, because while I like the cute towns that have been refurbished with like antique stores and trendy cute restaurants, the mall would be hard to give up - cannot think of a small town that still has everything available like the old days.

We have a farmers market here, top quality produce. low prices, and helps the neighbor. I haven't stepped foot in a wal-mart in five years. I'm not missing anything, you get what you pay for there.. crap. I'd rather spend a little more and have quality over fal-ap-art crap.. suck it wal-fart. You will NEVER EVER get another dollar of mine.

Save a buck - Cost your neighbor his job - Walmart!

You must be truly myopic to assume that only Wally World puts people out of business!

What about Target Super-centers, Home Depot, Lowe's, Dick's Sporting Goods, Sportsmart, Staples, Petco , etc?

Ever heard of capitalism? That's how it works in case you were wondering...

Gene:

Ever heard of competition?

Should we all be making our own "goods"; growing a sustainable Green House for all our veggies, fruits, and owning our own livestock. What a about weather conditions?

Get real. This is America today. Progress. If you don't like Walmart or Whole Foods, shop at Costco.

We can't go back to living in the 1800's.

The problem I have found at Walmart, is that their green groceries are not ready for eating. We have to keep them, hoping they will ripen on our shelves and then eat them on the one or two days of their ripe existence or throw them away. I believe it might be because of the chemicals and molecularly changed atoms in much of the food.

But we've solved the problem. We might pay more, but we get fresh, edible fruits and vegetables at farmers markets and green grocers. And we don't waste our time and money buying food that we will have to throw in the trash.

Since way back when, we stopped buying our meat from Walmart when they fired all their butchers.

Seems they also changed the quality and chemical free standards that fresh meat used to have there and sell only second grade, chemically or atomically altered meats now.

Sorry, Wally-World, no more of your meat for our table.

I'm a farmer. Are you a writer or an advirtising agency. I have nothing against Walmart, but you sound like an salesperson.

Whth God knows what in their soil and eco-systems. Remember they have NO CONTROLS like we have in the USA. If you all want the US to compete again then we need to do the following:

1.get rid of the IRS

2. get rid of the Dept of Education/Dept of Labor/Dept Transportation/Dept of Energy and others.. All of those US departments are worthless and not worth the money spent on them!

Get Government out of everything except the military and this country would exploded with jobs and high salaries and we would compete!

I noticed that the writer is a Liberal Snob, could tell from his snide remarks. Like the snobs I see posting here. But, it appears he did write a fair and pretty much unbiased article. Don't buy groceries at Walmart, but at least I am not a snob and don't ridicule those who do shop there.

The walmarts in my area (all 3) are disgusting when it comes to the meat & produce departments....I couldn't even believe this was a major topic on MSN. Anything beats Wal-Mart when it comes to groceries. I always shop at local chain supermarkets, they carry the best fruits and veggies and their organic selections are always greater than walmart. I bought a bag of mandarin oranges one time at walmart, got them home, peeled one and quickly regretted my decision. All of the oranges looked good on the outside but the insides were dry! It was just dry pulp on the inside...no juice or anything. I was very angry and disgusted to say the least...now I don't even bother getting my groceries there. Also the store I visited wanted me to take a survey & the cashier even brought it to my attention to take it and I sure did take it once I realized I'd bought garbage....good for the compost pile I guess....

I love Whole Foods! The produce is s fresh and doesn't rot the very next day you take it home. This is a problem I have had in the past when I bought my food from Wal Mart ( my personal experience). I really love the meat at Whole Foods because it is not wrapped in plastic that is leaching in to the meat. The meat doesn't have steroids, antibiotics or hormones which for me is essential since I have a serious disease and these cause me to react. I love Whole Foods and the fact that I am supporting local and independent farmers and will continue to do so because it is healthy for my body, the environment and our economy! Plus, it just tastes better in my opinion!

The only fruit that our local wal-mart has is from Central America. The same for our local kroger. When America's farmers are out of business then we will be up the proverbial creek with nothing to eat. You may think that that will never happen but only a few years ago America's cotton production industry was holding it's own and now it's all but defunct. All gone south of the border or overseas. Why? Because consumers want cheaper priced clothing. It doesn't matter that American farmers have to adhere to government regulations concerning farm labor safety(which they should)that cost them money whereas most foreign producers are not require by their government to provide safe working conditions for their labor force. Talk about an uneven playing field!!!

Walmart supercenter Mukwonago, Wisconsin rocks!! They carry organic chicken, organic produce, fresh breads of all kinds, and a deli that is high-end. I have done my grocery shopping there for the last 3 years (except for seafood and wines). They are by far 10 cents to 20 cents less per item for same brand name item than our local grocery food chain store. Oh by the way, they do carry local farmers produce!! Whole Foods?...don't even know if one exists in a 20 mile radius within the suburbs of Milwaukee.

Just who is being "targeted" by WalMart? Big chain grocery stores and more importantly the unions who work for them are at the core of the push against WalMart.

The "mom and pop" hardware stores are gone. Replaced by Home Depot and Lowes as others have pointed out. In every commercial sales fields one can find the analogy for Walmart/grocery store situation.

Save money, live better, shop anywhere but wal-mart!

Anyone buying produce or meats from walmart must be really desperate folks because it has the worst produce sections and meat sections I have seen. Literally disgusting to shop at walmart. But hey, those of you that do - The Chinese just love you guys !!!

I've never seen these bad things at any local WalMarts and there are roughly 5.

landon put some glasses on.

I agree, Walmart has some of the worst produce. Bruised fruits, vegetables with scars and dents... and the better produce is often dry, dry, dry. Once in a blue moon, the quality is decent, but most days, you really have to dig for something good. It just isn't worth it. I'd rather go to Food Lion... at least MOST days, I can count on something looking halfway good.

It must depend on the store, because the varieties of fresh (not pre-packaged) lettuce at the Wal-Mart I occasionally go to, for example, outnumber any chain supermarket or Whole Foods down here, and are much fresher and greener. I am able to stock up on 3-4 lettuce heads and they last for WEEKS. They have 3-4 different lettuce varieties to select from, at least, and their mushrooms are fresh, in a bin, that you can pick from, rather than the pre-packaged crap at Winn-Dixie or other chains in which they stick some spoiled mushrooms on the bottom of the package. I don't care about Wal-Mart's milk, seafood or meats and won't shop for those as the freshness and quality is questionable, but whenever I need fresh, cheap produce, I head over there and stock up. Their peppers, for example, are less than half the price of what you pay in Whole Foods or at a chain supermarket, so I alternate depending on what products I need.

I will not buy Mexican produce............of any kind.

westernPA - I think you must be confused. That sounds a lot like K-mart.

westernPA - Sounds like the Wal-Mart where I live. I live in Erie, PA - maybe it's a western PA Wal-Mart thing. I don't shop at Wal-Mart very often - and I never buy groceries there because of things like that.

"Rain beats a leopard's skin, but it does not wash out the spots"

Ashanti Proverb

Hot-in-Miami

That alone explains a lot for your support of Walmart.

If you have to buy at a Super Center... I recommend TARGET. They have a HUGE range of organic meats, produce and dry goods under brand names and their own Archer Farms brand. Really good quality stuff. I've never been disappointed and their prices are really reasonable. The stores are classy, clean and attractive. I enjoy shopping there when I can.

No Fisherman WESTERN is right. I can totally agree with him. Not to mention..their Milk gives me the terrible diahrea...the vegetables..are old and only last a day..lunch meat goes bad in one day..bread moldy and stale...its nasty.

I have shopped at Walmart and their food products are clean and well presented. They sell at a high volume so it is also quite fresh. The cost can be very cheap or about the same as any store. I tend to shop at another store but only because they also have good prices but they have more produce products.

I have never seen a dirty produce section in any Walmart so I suspect you have a bad manager and Walmart should have been notified about it. Their quality control tells me they would respond as that is not the norm.

I have only found that they do not have enough items in our area, like many other grocers.

because the varieties of fresh (not pre-packaged) lettuce at the Wal-Mart I occasionally go to, for example, outnumber any chain supermarket or Whole Foods down here, and are much fresher and greener. I am able to stock up on 3-4 lettuce heads and they last for WEEKS

Real food is not supposed to last for WEEKS without going bad.

You folks that said all those crazy weird things about Walmarts food being outdated and the store a mess must apparently live in the ozarks and must not be to civilized. I travel all the time and have been to Walmart in the states and other countries and I have yet to encounter what you have mentioned. Its not that I am a Walmart lover as I shop in many different stores, but please it seems like you are just haters. Why don't you complain about all the stores Walmart included that bring fruits, flowers,and other edible things from other countries. I am so sick of trying to eat a good avocado or getting fresh local flowers as a lot of these things are now coming from Chili or Peru lets buy our own things.

yeah like i said ours or i should say theirs looks like aa prison commissary.ugliest store on the planet. these idiots were so cheap that when they sent flyers out in the sunday paper, they had their own help modeling their crappy clothes and i'm not making this up.

now they've improved with their advertising. i still won't go near their store.

Excuse me - I live in the Ozarks! And, actually, the Walmarts here are just as you described. I do appreciate what others are saying, and am glad they can afford to shop at more expensive stores, but with my husband stricken with Cancer, and me being the only one working, supporting 4 children, Walmart is the only place I can afford to shop. I buy clothing mostly from thrift stores and I do buy some other products at places like Dollar General. They prey on people like us - but what else would you have me do? I've tried getting a second job, but it's tough out there right now. So perhaps before any of you stand in judgment, you should consider that not everyone is in the same position as you are. I wish I didn't have to shop there, but there aren't really any viable alternatives - and, frankly, the quality of the food at the Walmarts in my area is very good.

I totally agree with you!

If I am replying to Jules 1227, no one is debating your situation.

No reason for you to get all worked up about this discussion. No one will take your Walmart away! The discussion centers between those who have access to Walmart, Whole Foods (another dragon of Big Business) and possibly Local Markets.

Choose Local, Those of you who have access to those, those that Walmart and Whole Foods have not eaten up! Eat healthy and support your local economy! That's what counts.

Bying Cheaper Potato Chips is not good for you, nor for the economy!

Mars. Are you from Mars? Here on earth whether snobby liberals like it or not there are rules of economics that are followed by rational consumers. Jules is spending her dollars wisely. I would assume that she lives on a budget and is a responsible member of this society. I get sick and tired of the arrogance of people like you.

They have amateurs running the departments and minimum wage food handlers. A deadly combination in business.

hi Jules 1227, sorry about your situation.if your backs against the wall then you do what you have to do.i shop at the 1.00 store too. best Franks ketchup on the planet. anyway let me put this,this way if you have a choice and don't like to shop walmart there then you can go somewhere else.

in your case, yours are exstenuating circumstances. do what you have to do to survrive and the hell with everythings else. good luck to you and your family.hope your husband feels better,again best of luck.

If you poked around enough neighborhood stores and eateries, you will find disgusting stuff EVERYWHERE you look.

The only answer to those who complain about Walmart's rotten veggies, produce, is to buy vegetables and produce in all of the regular grocery stores. They don't move off the displays, because no one wants to get ripped off from their extensive high prices!

Grocery stores now have big competition with the above mentioned. Talk about getting taken for a financial ride. Overpriced and the stuff just sits there. It's rotten, too.

John Ford:

Just read your statement. Exactly!

Jules.....Please check out www.cancerfungus.com and www.PhoenixTears.com for some hopeful information about cancer cures for your sick hubby. There are also other web sites with in-depth information about do-it-yourself cancer cures that work. If you can afford it, though, you should send him to see Dr. Simoncini in Rome. Relatively inexpensive but near miraculous 90% cure rate.

I am a single man and I eat simply and healthfully. I shopped more at WalMart until they started to go up drastically on their prices here in north Texas. Some few things I buy can still be a bargain at WalMart, but Kroger's prices are now often lower and they offer senior citizens a big discount on store brands. I purchase cleaning supplies and paper goods at one of the Dollar or Family or Big Lot stores where they are significantly less expensive.

I am not a union man, but I buy American as often as I can because we must begin to strengthen and support our own manufacturing capability. Absent that, we will eventually become a third world nation or worse, and that will be tragic for all of us. Read Patrick Buchanan on this issue unless you have a weak heart.

Um, er, "Summer-1597193", do you really think anything in Pennsylvania is in the "West?"

Here's some geography for you. Look up Santa Fe, N.M. That's the west.

Catmoves: Um, er, no - re-read my post I said Western PA - you know the western side of PA. btw - I grew up in the west - in Park City, UT.

logdump
They have amateurs running the departments and minimum wage food handlers. A deadly combination in business.

Not to mention buying the produce that is grown in fields that double as toilets for the illegal aliens who Walmart and it's suppliers most likely support. But yeah, I know it's only Obama and his Democrats who supposedly would like to grant amnesty to the illegals. Not that I'm a supporter of illegal immigration but I'm sure the unbridled opportunists who'd like to blame everyone else for everything that impinges on their profits aren't to keen on the idea of having all of their workers documented so they'd have to pay and treat them fairly.

I don't buy walmarts meats but their produce and canned goods where I live have always been fresh and priced low. I guess it depends on the store from the way it sounds on here. As far as the mom and pop stores go, most people are looking for the best price and will buy from whoever gives them the best deal. and that is the big box stores because of their buying power. I don't know about the rest of you people but I don't have money to throw away paying 20-30% more from a mom and pop store.

The meat department uses artificial lighting that makes the meat look fresh and appealing, but as soon as you get it home it looks different. Walmart has had many meat recalls in the past, and I will never buy meat at Walmart.

Maybe Walmart can do anything they want to- except make Americans want better food. Those americans who are into better, fresher food will never go to Wlamart -so this experiment will be short lived- when regulars refuse to buy the stuff- Walmart will stop trying to sell it.

Unbelievable Dave..you must work for them..I bought a tv from walmart a few years ago...and the Manager insulted me when I brought it back because it had NO REMOTE. He then told me a universal remote would work..which it didn't. Then did NOT want to refund or replace it and continuted to tell me that I was just looking for a New TV. It was a display model..but it had all the warranty of a new in Box one..but with no remote..I got nothin. Yeah he paid..because I went to corporate. And that is what anyone with a complaint needs to do..bypass the management and go right to corporate. Oh one more thing..your wrong..they can't do anything they want. People are catching on...just like their clothes..last ONE SEASON. Because they are all made in Japan, China, Veitnam, and Mexica. Nothing in Wal-mart seems to come from the US.

You really need to complain to our government about this they have to buy from the companies the US tells them they will deal with, tell government we want factories back in our country that we dont want to buy from other countries, then you get all the idiots here who demonstrate because they don't want pollution here anymore if we did'nt have so many cry babies here, perhaps we could get our power back.

i wouldn't worry too much about crappy walmart. what goes up sooner later must come down.if china ever fails which i'm really hoping it does bye bye walmart.

Just being inquisitive, but I want to know if anyone of you all remember Walmart's old slogan? The one they had when Sam Walton was alive and in charge? It was simple.

MADE IN AMERICA

It does tend to be either the wealthy or desperately poor that shop at Wal-Mart. Same with GoodWill, you see Lexus parked next to old beater cars.

It's the middle class that whole foods and other stores are striving to serve.

I don't drive a Lexus. I don't drive a "beater." I am the epitomy of Middle Class America. I shop at Wal-mart and I shop at Goodwill.

Global Scaring

INcome is not an indicator of taste as most people know.

Sop at Trader Joe's. Now there's a store with wonderful produce.

Yeah, and their prices aren't exactly wonderful. I like 'em, but I wouldn't buy produce there. If you're looking for somewhat exotic, preprepared foods, then Trader Joe's is the place. If you're cooking on a budget, it's not the place to get your goodies.

I agree. Trader Joe's is great; it is the primary place I shop. As a veggie for 17 years, it was either Trader Joe's or Whole Foods, which was no contest from a value perspective, especially during the student years. Though I do get most produce from a produce market, which has fresher produce, better variety and better prices. Also, it's family owned and supplied by local farmers during the local growing season.

Celery,

Nice one. How thoughtful of you.

I shop at any store that is reasonable, clean and offers good service so I have no problem shopping at Walmart or any other good store that has the product I need. My husband is a price shopper for any big item we may need so he bases it on the cost of the same product. If Walmart has the same product and warrantee for less we purchase it there. If Sears has it for less, that is where we purchase it.

Momma didn't raise no fool. lol

PS: I love Trader Joes too.

I'm the epitome of "middle class" and I can't afford Whole Foods! What an overpriced, high brow, store that is. I feed a family of 4. No way can I afford to spend several hundred dollars on food each week!! Perhaps it's just at my Whole Foods, but the only people I see in there are DINKS, and young singles. I just don't see people hauling their kids around the store picking out food! They really offer nothing that I can't get elsewhere for much less!

I agree LS. There is a new chain working its way across the country called Winco that is even better than Walmart for family groceries. When I lived in California every income shopped there from well off to struggling. The selection and prices were just too good to pass up when everyone has to feed a family. The store is massive. Hopefully you get one in your area one day.

I just don't see people hauling their kids around the store picking out food!

That's part of the appeal!

sounds like you are a SNOB Stu

Yeah, if you have to shop for groceries for an hour or more (which I admit that my wife does and not I) the experience at Walmart is not fun.

My wife is willing to go to a Safeway that's 10 minutes further away from the closest one because the environment at the other one is nicer.

Heck, I'd be happy if the Walmart near us (in Renton, WA for reference) was at least somewhat clean. It always looks like they haven't tried cleaning it in forever. The word that I think of now whenever I think of Walmart is "dingy".

Troy:

I'm 53 years old. I still have all of my teeth. I speak proper English. I have only one child (because that's what we could afford). I am not on welfare. I work a full time job. I do not buy only unhealthy items. I do care what my family eats. I DO shop at Walmart.

I am not so important that I get my panties in a twist if I have to stand in line for a few minutes and have someone -- your or my neighbor, perhaps? -- wait on me. I'm sure they are as thankful for their job as I am for mine, regardless of the status many people try to attach to folks trying to make ends meet by working at Wal-Mart.

Somewhere, some company has had a huge sale of pedestals as there are certainly a lot of people who have placed themselves upon one here.

Well said, Troy!

Sounds more like Troy lives in a 'bad part of town'...

I don't know what Walmart stores you all seems to visit, but I just don't see the same circus you do! I'm in my 40's have 2 kids, work, and pay my own bills and shop at Walmart. And I have my own teeth!! My Walmart is clean, well taken care of, the management is friendly, there is always service, and I find great items for my house and pantry!! I save money shopping there and will continue to!

I am probably better off than many and I shop where the prices are right no matter what country I may be traveling in. I find it insulting to pretend people just shopping for their family are low class as if you think that is cute. I doubt one would hear anyone with a high income bracket insulting innocent people just trying to buy groceries for their families. That old mantra doesn't work anymore now that all of America is struggling.

If you do not wish to shop there than stay out of Walmart instead of going there and insulting innocent customers forced to stand in line with you. The question becomes: How do those strangers see you? With or without your teeth...

Troy knows even less...

I live in West O and the walmart out here is actually pretty nice on Maple St.

yeh you know the 17% of unemployed Americans out there, who could use some cheap food..

To Foundthegoodlife:

So you are a responsible, hard working, idealistic American? I would suggest that you are shopping at the wrong place. It is not the low prices you should be so focused on but the tactics that get you those low prices. I am much like you in that I am a Mother of one, employed, not on welfare, and as you so tactfully stated, have all my teeth. I, however, will not patronize a corporation that so willingly exploits their employees, imports mainly products (inexpensive, patent infringing, reproductions) from China, and the products and/or companies (and/or corporations) it works with in the United States are so incredibly undercut that in order to do business with the "number one" discount chain they actually lose money. This new exploit into organic foods, trying to lure in a yet another demographic will fail. Why? Because the demographic it is aimed at is a more educated, enlightened demographic. It has nothing to do with pedestals, or teeth. It has everything to do with ethics and moral back-bone. I will gladly pay just a slightly higher price for less personal, personnel and corporate gouging.

Happy Shopping.

Well, at least Found wears panties. Some of those Walmart shopper pics my brother sends around on emails are pretty gruesome - funny, but gruesome.

Yes, because if you work at Wal-Mart you must be incredibly stupid. I hate people who automatically assume that if a person is a cashier/waitress etc etc that they're idiots.

I keep seeing people post about how bad Walmart treats their employees and how little they pay them. I have never worked there but I do know people who do and they love it. Some have been with Walmart for over 15 years and they have no complaints. They get paid the same as any other retail store and have insurance. I think most of the idiots that post on these sites have no clue as to what they are talking about. Walmart didn't get where they are by being a sorry place to work. GET A LIFE PEOPLE, if you don't like the place stay out of it. I'm sure the rest of the world doesn't want to shop with your stuck up asses any how !!!!

I agree with you completely, Steve. As I sit here reading the posts of some who seem to think that they are somehow "superior" to those who shop at Wal Mart.. or wherever they can make their dollar go a little farther disgust me. I have to wonder if these so-called high class markets that they shop at accept their "food stamps". Yes, I know that is a rather rude remark that I just made....but no ruder that saying only low class trash shops at Wal Mart (or any other discount store) or that people who live in the Ozarks are toothless and ignorant. People who slur others for where they shop or what part of this country they live really deserve a little reality check in the form of "hard times"!

"Obama is done ruining the economy" I guess YOU were asleep during the Bush years and all those years before when Republicans de-regulated everything and allowed the greedy to run rampant.

Did you think you'd never have to pay the bill for letting Junior run rampant???

You're just like the Republicans in Orange County who "played" with the county's money and sent the county into bankruptcy. You never think you actually have to PAY THE BILL.

Well, someone eventually has to and that's what Obama is saddled with, YOUR IRRESPONSIBILITY!

Who was the President when Glass -Stengall was repealed?

Cute - you're defending WalMaoart (who buys virtually everything they sell EXCEPT the produce from China) while vilifying OBAMA for ruining the economy. And while your money flows to China to support their Communist government, it's Obama that gets called a socialist and a communist.

WalMaoart gets nothing from me until they start supporting American manufacturing.

I love it DW. These people calling themselves capitalists go around supporting a communist government and then get mad when we get a drop of well needed socialism in this country.

The reason that I'm an independant now is that the Republican party seems to be the party of hypocrisy. For all of the small government talk, we waste more money when Republicans are in charge . . .

Closing your eyes, plugging your ears and shouting "LALALALALA!" doesn't make it less then the truth.

Wal-Mart used to support made in America goods, but people stopped buying them. They stock what people buy. They have very sophisticated inventory management systems and they analyze what consumers purchase, and that is what they stock. Competition for the almighty shelf space at Wal-Mart is fierce and products that don't move because people don't buy them are quickly phased out. Wal-Mart is one of the largest employers in the world, and their executives started out working on the floor in the stores. What other company can you say that about? GM? Chase? Nope.

I have personally met Don Soderquist (who used to be the #2 guy in the company). He is a wonderful individual and his insight into Sam's philosophy of improving the lives of people in small communities by providing a store that offers them much of what they couldn't get locally before, while passing on savings to the consumer (based on economies of scale) is what the company was founded on. I had to admit to never having been to a Wal-Mart before meeting Don, but I made it a point to visit one whenever I was travelling in an area with one after that. (I live downtown in a large city)

If you don't like the store, you don't have to shop there. Personally I think it offers great savings, particularly for commodity items like diapers, wipes, toothpaste, sunscreen, etc.. Our family shops there first whenever we are in an area with one, then we supplement with local items such as fresh tuna from fish markets and any vegetables we didn't get at Wal-Mart we get from the local farmer's market when it's in season, or the local grocery store when it's not.

I do find it shocking to see how many hateful comments there are toward people who shop at Wal-Mart. For many people, that is all they can afford in this economy. Maybe instead of resentment toward them, it would be more productive to be grateful if you can afford places like Whole Foods. I ocassionally shop at Whole Foods. It's a novelty in their new store to have a glass of wine while you shop after work. But that novelty quickly wears off when you get to the check out and pay $3.50 for a Bell Pepper, or you do the math to figure out that the tiny carton of blueberries you purchased for $8 comes out to a price of over $13 a pound.

As for the comments from people who think Obama is improving the economy, instead of further destroying it; I wish you the best of luck.

You know what else is cute, Wage - lots of my uber-liberal friends (I'm much more a centrist, personally) won't set foot in Whole Foods because the owner of Whole Foods supports right-wing causes!

I think Douglas Adams nailed it - "Some scientists believe that if anyone manages to discover the true nature of the Universe, it will immediately vanish and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. Other scientists believe this has already happened at least once."

I make a point of only stepping foot in Wally World as a last resort. I can't stand the store and the lack of fresh produce. I look down on everyone who shops there regularly and I'm not wealthy by any means. Anyone who supports Walmart is destroying our own economy. Walmart buys cheap junk from China instead of supporting manufacturing efforts in the US. Their business model was single-handedly responsible for the downward spiral of of US manufacturing being exported to China due to their incessant drive to lower prices of items (and hence the exporting of jobs). It's disgusting that people would voluntarily support them in their efforts.

I've made a point of joining a local CSA (community supported agriculture) to get my fresh produce and eggs. It comes straight from the farm and doesn't sit in a warehouse or get shipped long-distance on a truck to get to the store. If you really want to support local farmers and your community, a CSA is the way to go.

Global..................They stock what will give them the most profit.

Kyengineer -

"I look down on everyone who shops there regularly"

Yeah, well -- I'm glad you're able to get an ego boost so easily. Of course, you could always buy a stepladder - but that'd be a bit more visible evidence of your disdain, wouldn't it?

JLawson, just to make my disdain for Walmart and their customers even clearer: I was recently laid off from my engineering position, and I still refuse to shop there..even if the prices are cheaper.

For most everyday items, I don't find Wal-Mart to be any cheaper. I don't like shopping there because it's like shopping in a zoo and because I have to drive out of the way to get to the super center Wal-Mart. We have food allergies in our family - serious life threatening food allergies. It already takes me an hour an a half to go grocery shopping due to checking labels all the time (it would amaze you how frequently products change an suddenly are manufactured on the same line as peanuts). The few times I've attempted shopping at Wal-Mart, it's taken me 3 hours to do the same amount of shopping, between the shoppers that walk at a snails pace down the middle of the aisle, kids running into me with their cart, the screaming, etc. Quite honestly, there have been times where I've had to read the same label 4 times because some lady isn't watching her kid as the kid rams me with their cart. Then when she finally notices what her precious angel is doing, she glares at me as if I'm somehow in the wrong for standing to the side reading a label an her kid rams me with the cart.

The items I buy from Wal-Mart I would be buying anyplace else, but paying more without getting any additional value. And I would still be supporting a big chain store.

Here's what I like about Wal-Mart, I use the money I save on commodity items like ziplock bags, paper towels and laundry detergent, to support local businesses. If I can save $30 on a bunch of commodity items I would buy anywhere else, that money can go toward a nice Melissa and Doug wooden toy from my local toy store, or handmade cards from my local stationary store, etc...

Most of California will not permit the building of super-center WalMarts.

Walmart buys cheap junk from China instead of supporting manufacturing efforts in the US.

So, please, enlighten me......which manufacturing has Walmart quit buying from to purchase in China? We are one of the least manufacturing countries in the world, in case you hadn't noticed!

And for all of you who support only those that "buy US", where do you shop?

Most of California will not permit the building of super-center WalMarts.

At least California is doing something right! Wished other states would do the same!

Lets see when Bush took office the debt was 5.8 trillion dollars. When he left it was 11.9 trillion a whopping total of 6.1 trillion dollar in effect more than doubling the amount of debt it to 42 prior presidents to accumulate. But some ninnies post that Obama is ruining the country go figure.

The Walmart business plan has driven manufacturing from the US. How many companies closed shop here because they had to reduce their costs and moved overseas (to compete with Walmart pricing). And yeah, I don't know about you, but I always look at where items are manufactured - and if it says China, 9 times out of 10 I don't buy it. Don't get me wrong, I'm not some 'made in USA' patriotic nut but I also won't buy something that supports a communist regime that suppresses human rights.

Be an informed consumer, not just one that focuses on price. Understand where/what your money is actually going to support. Walmart does nothing to help local economies, and anyone who thinks otherwise should open their eyes and look at the empty shell of stores left behind when a Walmart supercenter opens in a town.

I have to say, Walmart and organics do not mix. Horizon Organics was a normal organic milk company, until they started doing business with Walmart. Then, to cut costs, they started milking the cows more, so that while the cows have access to the pasture, they can't go there because they are hooked up to milking machines.

I support my local farmers whenever possible. If not, I support farmers by buying brands that are owned by the farmers themselves, like Organic Valley, Cabot, Tillamook, etc. The local farmer's market, etc., help. The produce is great. Try Costco and Harris Teeter. The Kirkland brand and the HT trader brand are good organic products and are cheap.

Whole foods sells 2/3 of their products as "natural." They are a scam. You are paying for the aura of shopping there.

As to the watering down of USDA organic standards, you are right on. The USDA organic label only has to be 95% organic. If you can get California or Oregon state certified organics, you are doing better than with USDA organics. Vilsak, the secretary of Agriculture, wants to allow GMO alfalfa to be fed to organically grown cows. As the organic label becomes more corporate, we as organic consumers need to be vigilant about shifting organic standards.

It's thought of as a sin because of their business practices. Not only have they pioneered such wonderful tactics as putting local businesses OUT OF BUSINESS and pushing manufacturers to move jobs off shore, but they are infamous for their poor treatment of their own workers.

Also, the Walton family, of which 5 - 6 are worth over $30 billion each, give less than 5% to charity. The least of any billionaire in the country.

Support that kind of thing if you want to, but when there are no more jobs in America, or you get paid $1.00 an hour and can ONLY buy things at Wal-Mart which break within weeks forcing you to buy them over and over, maybe you'll re-think that strategy.

There's a reason why they call it the "Wal-Mart mentality". It's called "wanting something for nothing". The best is NOT always the cheapest.

Isn't it better to pay $10.00 for something, if it lasts 10 years rather than $2.00 for the same thing if you have to replace it every year? Do the math, and then consider the environmental implications.

I agreed once upon a time but have found all capitalist stores do the same thing!

Silk soy milk is $2.72 1/2 gallon at WalMart but $3.76 at Kroger.

Kroger is the same with employees as is Target.

I did recently get a better deal on Tide 150 oz at Target!

Walmart may be "affordable" but what they sell is the kind of food that is unhealthy to eat. I am on a fixed income that is mighty low but purchase food from Whole Foods anyway. Iwon't shop at Walmart who treats their employees despicably, supports chemical companies like Dow Chemical, and buys everything from China.

If it is really soooooo terrible to work at Walmart, why do they have all those employees? How'd they get 'em? How do they keep 'em? Hmmmmmmmm..........

Do you all realize that "organic" is just a word. Those "organic" apples are processed in the same plant that my "normal" apple is. That "organic" beef, is slaughtered the same way and packaged in the same plant as my "non-organic" beef. And you know what? It's all cheaper! Oh, well, if you want to buy it, fine. But don't dis me because I don't.

You spend your money your way, I'll spend mine, my way!!

i am an ex walmart worker and i dont shop walmart either they havve jack prices up here where i live and remodled stores cut down brand name items and pushing that great value crap they sell that has no taste. they took out seafood counter and all fabric counters and the produce is shipped in from others states and mexico . walmart BLOWS!!!!

and the produce is shipped in from others states and mexico

I've got news for you - any grocery store does the exact same thing. Unless you don't eat any produce that isn't out of season in your area, it came from somewhere else. Good luck with that in wintertime. I personally like being able to eat things like oranges and bananas that won't grow in my area at ANY time of year.

Hey guess what ? You can buy almost ANY product that you can find at Whole Foods or any healthfood store with the exception of meat/dairy/produce ONLINE at Vitacost.com and the prices are FAR FAR cheaper than you can buy them in any grocery store. They also carry over 14000 food items and shipping, no matter how large your order is.... $4.99.

They carry all the popular brands... Eden, Annies, Spectrum, Nutiva, Muir Glen, DeBoles, Nature's Path, Organicville, Maranatha, Braggs, etc. and you never even have to spend a dime for gas.

http://www.vitacost.com

Hodgson's Mills makes a great rye flour.....that I buy at Walmart! And always have.

Really, I've never been to Wal-Mart?

Gee, I guess all those visits to that huge Supercenter building were really just part of a virtual reality shopping experiment, huh?

Wal-Mart might have some bargains, but DON'T count on them for quality. The only reason I would shop there is to get the same name brand product for a lower price.

yeah right! their prices are just as high as some other stores. that slimy company has got people brainwashed.they think they are getting a deal. a raw deal that is.

oh and i've been to walmart, and the one my area looks like a prison commissary.it's really inviting.

What's more important, saving money or eating healthy?

i'll eat healthy. you can always save money, but if you get sick well that's another sad hard story.

carolyn-452703
What's more important, saving money or eating healthy?

That's a trick question and I'm not falling for it.

What's more important, saving money or eating healthy?

So, you're saying that in order to eat healthy I have to spend MORE money?????? That does not even make sense! I do BOTH!! Thank you very much.......

Why would you want to eat healthy now??? Big O has just passed health care... eat all that crap from walmart.. run over to McDucks on the way home and get a supersize combo meal.. what is the big deal we all have unlimited healthcare now 695.00 a year and all the visits you want!!!! Hell before it is all over with we will all be like the illegal aliens lined up at the emergency room... god what a bunch of morons this country has become....

yeah, very neutral site. All big businesses have problems and it is normally more than just a couple bucks that can be saved at Wal-Mart. Local businesses have to adapt their business model, become more specialty stores that can compete based on the service and knowledge they provide. In my area there have been stores from electronics to hardware to clothing that have done this and thrived. Wal-Mart is here to stay, if small business does not adapt they will be gone.

it won't be here to stay if china goes belly up. ya never know.

I hear that. Years ago I had a very nice garden and grew so many different kinds of common and exotic veggies and I also had a great herb garden. There is NOTHING like a fresh tomato/cucumber sandwich for lunch, fresh mint in your iced tea, fresh strawberries on your cornflakes or fresh basil/thyme/rosemary in your spaghetti sauce. I can't wait to get my garden planted this spring.

I hear ya SMC! My first year having fresh herbs was amazing. I accidentally planted my mint into the ground and not in a separate pot though! I got mint coming out my ears. I do love a fresh mojito though! lol.

Nature's Own bread has no HFCS in it. I buy the one made w/Organic flour. It's excellent. Rudy's breads are great too and you can buy them at Food Lion and a few other markets. I bought some Ezekial bread last time I was out because it was on sale...it's THE WORST bread I've ever eaten in my life... BARF.

All these stores die sooner or later and their time will come just like the rest WT grants Gold Circle twinfair korvettes etc all hit the top then died now Kmart who was number 1 is on life support. Wal Mart is big because the competition committed suicide not because they were so great now the chain is not what it used to be. Now they are so big they cannot keep up with the changes in buying patterns and if you look at the new stores what happens is all the little ones die off and then in a year or two start opening back up because no chain can supply all the needs it tries to. This is happening close to me where one of those super stores opened up.

Yeah, folks do that in most cities now, but it is very hard on the growers to have to spend a day away from their farms. They can't do it more than one day a week, in many cases.

I remember roadside stands on the farms. Fresh picked sweet corn in the summer, tomatoes, cukes, etc. And the best part was that the farmers got 100% of the funds. They usually charged less than the stores so we saved, AND we got the best of everything! Nothing like a dinner made of fresh picked corn, with a salad made of onions, tomatoes, and cucumbers, all sliced thick and looking beautiful.

Now we get to go to Swill Mart, where they ship our fresh stuff to California, and they ship the unripe stuff from California to us!

Swill Mart, making life more mediocre for everyone, everywhere!

I quit shopping at Walmart. Tthe store is very noisy, kids ran up and down the aisels, the produce is 2nds, the clerks have a very limited knowledge of their products, the clerks are over worked, the electronics section has products that are about to go-out of warranty, and Walmart gouges its suppliers.

Alex you must have a 3rd grade education.... ELECTRONICS THAT ARE ABOUT TO GO OUT OF WARRANTY ?????? The warranty starts the day you purchase the product... The only way you will not have a warranty is if the company that manufactured the product is out of business.

Please don't confuse them with facts, Steve. I assume that all these people who hate Wal Mart for all their imported goods also hate Sears, Penneys, Kohls, Dillards, Target, Home Depot, Lowes, Macys etc., etc..... they all sell imported goods. Start actually checking the country of manufacture on your expensive clothing, appliances, expensive leather shoes, electronics etc......almost ALL of it is imported.

don''t know about you but I do like chinese food

Not made in china I hope i eat chinese once a week but everything they cook is from the US. I spent 6 months in mainland China and would never eat anything from there.

Walmart has great bananas...much better than Kroger!

You mean the yellow paint?

Gas,

HINT: buy them still GREEN if you want them to last any length of time. I usually buy a green bunch so they won't ripen right away and then I buy one or two already ripe if I AM going to use them right away. It works out better that way.

If Swill Mart wants to emulate the best, They had better buy Wegman's out of Rochester, NY. Fortune 100 company. The only grocery chain ever to make it on that list, and they have done so year after year.

Best employees, best products, best service, best variety. And they were buying local before Sam Walton was dead.

The old man Sam had an idea that he was going to build stores by local when he could and help Ameican businesses. Somwhere along the line money got in the way and now we have an American chain where 75-905 of the stock in the store is from overseas and we wonder why our trade deficit is 46 billion a month. They talk capitalism only when it benefits them. Capitalism is based on selling a product making money so you can expand and then hire more people who will then buy your products. capitalism cannot work when you imort more than you sell. Free markets in order to be free need to be free both ways. Sooner or later the consumer runs out of the money the Chinese end up owning the coutry and a few rich people have all the money while the little people starve.

Old Sam didn't want to deal with the Greed of the Union's and the local suppliers started raising their prices to where Walmart could not compete...So in order to keep people working at Walmart, Sam looked for ways to buy and in turn sell products cheaper than the greed of the American Companies, as a result, China came to the Rescue....

So the good old American Union and Company greed drove Walmart overseas.....

Then add the cost of local Political kickbacks and the Pay to Play...and if you total them all up and they equal = Go to China...and they did...

And now we have the American Whiners out there complaining because they shot themselves in the foot and only have themselves to blame, but like all good Demonrats and following the Demonrat Motto: "Deny everything and make Counter Accusations", they blame Walmart....

So there is no real reason to blame Walmart for anything...The Union Greed and Company Greed drove them away...But I bet that is to hard for the average Socialist brain to comprehend.. I have three friends, two of whom have eached worked at Walmart for over 20 years and another 7 months... They are Anti-Union for sure...The only reason the Union wants in is because of automation and Union Greed at the other stores has lowered the need for Union Clerks, so they their leaders greedily look at all the Paychecks of Walmart employee's...and that's the bottom line, they could care less about the Walmart employees as people,, they just want that money.....and that is what Walmart employee's feel as well and they are tired of the Union shills they send in to create trouble and then the Unions are allegedly behind the created pictures of gross looking people being circulated on the Internet.

So I for one will continue to shop at Walmart.

hell i wouldn't be terrified just avoid it at all cost,

to 8:06 pm answer to your first resonse. kindly refrain with the name calling!your over doing it.answer to your second question yes i would dog them if they turned out like walmart.you expand and make more money fine, but yoyu don't take peoples livelyhoods away because your a greedy pig about it.big difference pal!

i don't think class envy i don't give a crap how much money you have who you are or what you do. i treat you the way you treat me. there are no classes in my book. if anybody tries to classify me watch the hell out because they'll be a reckoning.

socialism never been part of it and never will.your thinking is not america either.yes i want to prosper but in the right way.as far as my money going to people who choose not to prosper, it will anyway because they've been there in the past they're here now and they'll be there in the future. that is agiven. just human nature.

as far as americans who thrive with amibition drive and smarts no i won't slam them if they aren't greedy and stupid and take away from the little guy like walmart does. two differen t animals pal.big fat difference. why don't you get up ff your ass and leave.your way of thinking is the one way thinking the great american dream make money prosper and if means screwing the little guy then go right ahead at all cost. one way stupid greedy thinking. grow up!