I am so sad

[chachi]

Not to mention they sell stuff made in sweatshops.

[BamaFan121s]

Originally Posted by Darlin Beauxs

The Walton family donated only 4k to charities last year. Target is far more involved in the community.

I guess that depends on how you look at it and where you live. If you are stictly speaking about the corporate office writing a check and mailing it off for a charitable cause, that may be the case. If you are talking about being invovled in the community, I guess that is a matter of what you consider "involved" and which community you live in.
I can honestly say this...the Target near us SUCKS! They don't do ANYTHING for the community. Wal-Mart on the other hand does stuff for the communities here all the time. There are ways to be invovled in a community that are beneficial that extend beyond just donating money.

[Erin]

I doubt Target is going anywhere. I won't set foot in a Walmart and I don't think I ever get out of Target without spending $50. If anything, they will just stop building them on every corner. Our housing growth has stalled and our community was hoping to get a Target but that won't happen now because there is one in every surrounding community. I have 3 Targets within 20 minutes of me. We just all have to be careful to support small businesses. Yes I buy my paper towels and TP and Ziplock bags at Target but I try to visit the local stores as much as I can for whatever they offer rather than shopping at the big box stores. I try to go to the local quilt shop rather than Jo-Ann's. I try to go to independent restaurants rather than corporate chains. That sort of thing. If everyone made an effort to do that we would have stronger communities rather than a bunch of big box stores paying $9/hr.

As far as Mervyn's, I think that in a down economy companies that were barely getting by are going to be weeded out. Target already dumped Marshall Field's. I'm not a fan of department stores to begin with and around here we have what they call "lifestyle centers" which are basically outdoor malls without department stores as anchors. They have the mall stores like Gap and Crate & Barrel mixed in with some independents and some restaurants. You park in front of the store you want to go to and save HOURS you would otherwise spend going to the mall. I get overwhelmed by the big stores. It's sad that they are closing and I'm sure it's due to the economy but it's also due to a change in shopping habits. If more people become conscious of where they shop (and where their products come from) things will improve. Sometimes people only care about saving a buck and not what impact their money has. When times are tight it's important to cut back but it's just as important to spend what money you do have at your local small businesses. If we don't, all that will be left is WalMart.

[BamaFan121s]

Originally Posted by Darlin Beauxs

I think it was on TLC-last month. There were big-wigs actually saying that wal-mart justifies paying its employees lower wages, by saying the lower income will allow them to qualify for government assistance. They then posted the amount of wal-mart employees who received Medicaid or foodstamps-by state--it was staggering.

Not to justify it one way or the other, but what do you think would happen if they were paid more and didn't qualify for government assistance? Do you think they would even bother to get out and get a job at all?

Originally Posted by Darlin Beauxs

The Walton family donated only 4k to charities last year.

I am not sure where this information is coming from, but it is certainly not correct....either that or not correctly worded. Do you mean to say the actual FAMILY only donated $4K to charities, or that the Wal-Mart Corporation only donated $4K to charites? (Because the latter of the two is certainly not correct.)

[Darlin Beauxs]

Originally Posted by BamaFan121s

I guess that depends on how you look at it and where you live. If you are stictly speaking about the corporate office writing a check and mailing it off for a charitable cause, that may be the case. If you are talking about being invovled in the community, I guess that is a matter of what you consider "involved" and which community you live in.
I can honestly say this...the Target near us SUCKS! They don't do ANYTHING for the community. Wal-Mart on the other hand does stuff for the communities here all the time. There are ways to be invovled in a community that are beneficial that extend beyond just donating money.

Point taken. But the bottom line is that, while you may be saving .25 on your paper towels, America's tax dollars are making up for the low wages they pay their own employees, via government and state assistance. If there is a mere rumor that employees are trying to organize a union, the employees are dismissed.

The donation reference is what the actual Walton family contributed to charities, not the corporate office.

Don't get me wrong, I am a Sam's junkie. All of our sodas, bread, chicken strips for the dogs, and paper products come from there. But because of that documentary, we now buy the things that we need for our home from a local hardware store, and have started buying most of our produce from the Farmer's Market, and groceries (except what was mentioned) from a Mom and Pop store.

I could go on and on. My sister in law worked there for 15 years, before she died suddenly from blood poisoning. I won't go in to the details concerning that, but sometime afterward, my Mother in Law received a letter from an attorney, asking her to be part of a class action lawsuit. It seems as if Wal-Mart insured the lives of its employees, and made themselves the beneficiaries of the policies. The same company that paid its employees peanuts, making it hard for them to afford health insurance, somehow found the money to insure the lives of their workers--for more financial gain.

A quick google search can bring it all up.

[Erin]

Originally Posted by BamaFan121s

I guess that depends on how you look at it and where you live. If you are stictly speaking about the corporate office writing a check and mailing it off for a charitable cause, that may be the case. If you are talking about being invovled in the community, I guess that is a matter of what you consider "involved" and which community you live in.
I can honestly say this...the Target near us SUCKS! They don't do ANYTHING for the community. Wal-Mart on the other hand does stuff for the communities here all the time. There are ways to be invovled in a community that are beneficial that extend beyond just donating money.

That's true but the school I used to work for received thousands of dollars from Target and we were just one school in a large district. People who used their Target cards could designate a school to get a percentage of their purchase and without fail we received a check every few months. They did not have to do that!

You have to be careful because WalMart has very shady business practices. They will pressure vendors to sell them products at extremely low prices or threaten not to carry their products at all. Those vendors don't want their customers to switch brands, so they comply until it completely hurts their business. When you are making 5 cents on a $3 item you can't really make it up in volume, there is a certain breaking point. They will also threaten to bring in copies of the product if the vendors don't comply.

As far as workers, they keep everyone just below full time so they don't get benefits. They would rather hire another part timer than give someone with 32 hours 40 hours. Their pay is so low that a lot of the employees also get gov't assistance. You and I pay to support the low wages of their employees.

The worst part is that they will undercut local businesses and then when those businesses go out they raise their prices or eliminate that department. I've seen it happen! For example, I just heard from someone the other day who said their WalMart had put the local fabric store out of business and then removed their fabric department. Same with their fish department. So not only did people lose their businesses but customers no longer have access to those products. But sadly people don't think about the consequences...

[chachi]

Originally Posted by Erin

I doubt Target is going anywhere. I won't set foot in a Walmart and I don't think I ever get out of Target without spending $50. If anything, they will just stop building them on every corner. Our housing growth has stalled and our community was hoping to get a Target but that won't happen now because there is one in every surrounding community. I have 3 Targets within 20 minutes of me. We just all have to be careful to support small businesses. Yes I buy my paper towels and TP and Ziplock bags at Target but I try to visit the local stores as much as I can for whatever they offer rather than shopping at the big box stores. I try to go to the local quilt shop rather than Jo-Ann's. I try to go to independent restaurants rather than corporate chains. That sort of thing. If everyone made an effort to do that we would have stronger communities rather than a bunch of big box stores paying $9/hr.

As far as Mervyn's, I think that in a down economy companies that were barely getting by are going to be weeded out. Target already dumped Marshall Field's. I'm not a fan of department stores to begin with and around here we have what they call "lifestyle centers" which are basically outdoor malls without department stores as anchors. They have the mall stores like Gap and Crate & Barrel mixed in with some independents and some restaurants. You park in front of the store you want to go to and save HOURS you would otherwise spend going to the mall. I get overwhelmed by the big stores. It's sad that they are closing and I'm sure it's due to the economy but it's also due to a change in shopping habits. If more people become conscious of where they shop (and where their products come from) things will improve. Sometimes people only care about saving a buck and not what impact their money has. When times are tight it's important to cut back but it's just as important to spend what money you do have at your local small businesses. If we don't, all that will be left is WalMart.

You are so right! We do give alot of our business to small businesses but I know I could do more. I get caught in the convenience of the chains

[Darlin Beauxs]

Erin--lovely post.

[Erin]

Originally Posted by BamaFan121s

Not to justify it one way or the other, but what do you think would happen if they were paid more and didn't qualify for government assistance? Do you think they would even bother to get out and get a job at all?

Personally I think we need to fix the whole system. I don't disagree with you completely because I have a cousin who works at WalMart and he could get a better job but he won't. But I don't think it's fair to generalize, especially for people in communities where they don't have a choice. You might have someone who worked for the local drug store that went out of business and all that is left is WalMart. I've seen it happen.

[BamaFan121s]

Originally Posted by Darlin Beauxs

The donation reference is what the actual Walton family contributed to charities, not the corporate office.

So a family, who has worked hard their whole lives to build and maintain a major corporation, chould be criticized because they didn't take 'enough' of THEIR hard earned money and donate it to someone else? Should that same logic be applied to EVERY American family?

IMO, the problem with government assistance shouldn't be blamed on Wal-Mart! Blame it on the government for not having stricter regulations to govern who is being granted assistance!

BTW my daughter LOVES Libby Lu and was wanting to have her next b'day party there. She will be crushed! That's the only type store "like that" that I know of.

[ellie81]

these are tough times... time to hold on to our jobs and save save save....

[BamaFan121s]

Originally Posted by Erin

That's true but the school I used to work for received thousands of dollars from Target and we were just one school in a large district.
You have to be careful because WalMart has very shady business practices.

Our local WalMart does the same for our schools. The recently donated 1000's to my daughter's elementary school. Again, I guess it's just differs case by case.
As far as "shady practices"...similar situations to those you have described happen every single day with all companies. It's part of surviving as a 'business'--to try to attract and win your competition's customers, to try to get the lowest price from your vendors.

Originally Posted by Erin

Personally I think we need to fix the whole system. I don't disagree with you completely because I have a cousin who works at WalMart and he could get a better job but he won't. But I don't think it's fair to generalize, especially for people in communities where they don't have a choice. You might have someone who worked for the local drug store that went out of business and all that is left is WalMart. I've seen it happen.

I completely agree with you! I did not mean to generalize and or imply that it was the situation in all cases. (I guess I should have stated that, but I figured it would be a given.) And yes, there are some major "system errors" at fault--instead of trying to weed out the problems, everyone is just given the benefit of the doubt.

[Darlin Beauxs]

Yes, a family who made millions on the backs of Americans, by paying them small wages, and who ran off other businesses who could have provided better employment opportunities, does have a responsibility to "give back".

We all have a responsibility to do what we can, when we can.

It doesn't matter though, because their taxes will be raised. I truly believe our country is great, and is headed for postive change.

I am not one of those families that make over 250k, but Husband and I are faring far better than our parents have. I still remember what it was like to live from paycheck to paycheck though, and I haven't forgotten.

[Erin]

Originally Posted by BamaFan121s

So a family, who has worked hard their whole lives to build and maintain a major corporation, chould be criticized because they didn't take 'enough' of THEIR hard earned money and donate it to someone else? Should that same logic be applied to EVERY American family?

IMO, the problem with government assistance shouldn't be blamed on Wal-Mart! Blame it on the government for not having stricter regulations to govern who is being granted assistance!

BTW my daughter LOVES Libby Lu and was wanting to have her next b'day party there. She will be crushed! That's the only type store "like that" that I know of.

We have one in a nearby town.

It's A Girl Thing!

I bet a lot of towns have something like this!

The criticism of Wal-Mart is just because they are SO huge that whether or not they carry a product can make or break a company. Like, say they stopped carrying an entire line like Proctor and Gamble or Nestle or one of the big companies. Take a look at how many different products they make. WalMart probably accounts for a HUGE percentage of their sales. Yes they should be diversified, but that's just how it is. If WalMart suddenly wanted them to lower their prices and they said no and WalMart dropped them, what would the consequences be? Those companies employ thousands of people. WalMart just has too much power to make or break businesses and they use it in a sneaky way. If the local convenience store wants to stock Tide they can pay what P&G charges or not carry the product. WalMart gets to set their own prices even if they are unreasonable. I think WalMart is just greedy beyond reason. And I choose not to shop there. I just wish that more people put that much thought into it is all I'm saying.

As far as club Libby Lu - the article I read yesterday said that birthday parties can cost as much as $600?? I'm sure that had something to do with it. Parents are going to have to go back to cake and ice cream I think I had most of my birthday parties growing up at the local roller rink!

[Erin]

Originally Posted by BamaFan121s

Our local WalMart does the same for our schools. The recently donated 1000's to my daughter's elementary school. Again, I guess it's just differs case by case.
As far as "shady practices"...similar situations to those you have described happen every single day with all companies. It's part of surviving as a 'business'--to try to attract and win your competition's customers, to try to get the lowest price from your vendors.

I think WalMart is just the biggest example of this because there is one (or more) in every community. My entire point is that everyone should think before they shop. It's so easy to google *anything* just take 5 minutes and do some research. It seems everyone was on a credit line shopping spree and now everyone needs to stop, breathe and think.