Question

[aaronhaus]

Why does everyone always bitch and complain about Wal-mart? I say if you don't want it around, don't shop there and don't give them buisness.

[Guest apsham]

You tell 'em.

[Prometheon]

Because when they go to small communities, a lot of businesses are shut down because not everyone will follow your mentality, and those that do will be forced to shop there, as all the other options will be gone.

Edited March 11, 2006 by Prometheon

[guitarchick]

I complain about it and I don't shop there.

But you are right, you can't complain about the store and then go in a shop there.

[Jarrod]

Because when they go to small communities, a lot of businesses are shut down because not everyone will follow your mentality, and those that do will be forced to shop there, as all the other options will be gone.

that's not ALWAYS the case...only in stupid assed sheep towns that are stupid and don't know what they're doing.

 

anyway, i don't complain about walmart because i think it of this: a)it brings a tax base to the communities. walmart gives millions of dollars to a community through taxes. it's true. more then those small stores down on main street. b)it gives people on welfare jobs. it may not pay the greatest, but it's better then nothing. c)it brings people into your town. i'll use the city of courtenay as an example purly because i know it better then other places with them. okay, courtenay has a population of around 20,000. There is a regionaly population of somewhere between 100,000-150,000 with in a 3hr drive of there. It is the only walmart that far up in the north island (campbell river is trying their hardest to fight them off). now, people up further island (port mcneil, port hardy) have dick all for shopping, so they have to travel to courtenay. in this process, they decide to go downtown into the small shops, to other big-box realitors, and eat at local resturants. they go to courtenay so they don't have to go to nanaimo. if you go to downtown courtenay (most notably 5th Street), it's just bussling with small, local places (resturants and stores. i think the only chain persay is Scotiabank).

 

but no matter what, you'll always get the people bitching about the box stores. and as they bitch about it, you ask them where they go their food, or where they got there clothes, and then they'll go "we got a great deal at costco," or, "we got a great deal at walmart." and then bitch about those places. you know, they could shop at the small stores downtown, but they're not because of the price.

 

ALSO! if people don't like them, don't shop there. there is a huge price difference and quality difference there too. you're going to get better quality at the smaller shops, but the price is going to be higher. AND! walmart doesn't carry everything. you do need to go other places for some stuff. like, you're not going to find good quality biking stuff at walmart, you're going to find it at a small, sporting goods store.

 

there. that's my argument on walmart/box stores.

[HoboFactory]

They wanted to build a Wal-Mart pretty close to my house. The community did manage to prevent it. I'm glad, mostly because having a Wal-Mart at that particular location would create a traffic nightmare. All of the cities in this state have urban growth boundaries, outside of which, no development is allowed with the exception of farmland or preserved nature sites. So it's really a pain when they try to sqeeze in as much crap into the available land as possible.

[Dan #2]

I am not a huge fan of walmart, but i do shop there.

 

Things like q-tips and shampoo and soap, i can buy at shoppers or wal-mart, and they're cheaper at wal-mart, so problem solved!

[ecnarf]

The problem with Wal-Mart is that they're socially irresponsible.

 

Move into community, put prices lower than mom and pop stores will, wait 'till they go out of business, bring prices back up.

 

That, and Wal-Mart is simply the poster child for everything North American. I don't buy anything from there.

 

EDIT: They've also been recently pressured to sell the Plan B pill in the U.S. Before that, they would refuse to sell it for fear of massive boycotts. There's something just not right with a corporation moving into a town, gaining a monopoly on the pharmaceutical business, and then refusing to sell products that were previously available. Products that are a necessity for victims of sexual assault, for example.

Edited March 12, 2006 by ecnarf

[saturnine]

plus, they limit what cds and videos one could buy.

[Ravenous itchy]

I've never heard of a Walmart raising prices after chasing stores out of business. I am actually pretty sure you made that up.

[Crusader]

Don't they beep out the swears in your music?

[Guest apsham]

Anyone buying their CDs from Wal-Mart isn't all that into music anyways.

[ecnarf]

I've never heard of a Walmart raising prices after chasing stores out of business. I am actually pretty sure you made that up.

Actually, neither have I. It was entirely hearsay someone once told me in conversation and I was stupid enough to repeat it.

[Jarrod]

^Zellers has...well, actually, prices differ from Zellers to Zellers. I used to live in Prince Rupert, and there is a Zellers there. And then there is Zellers in Terrace, the next closest city. Anyway, you could look at a CD in Rupert, and it would be $18.99. You go up to Terrace, and the same cd is $13.99...

 

And that was before Wal-Mart moved into town (Terrace). I don't know what it's like there anymore because I don't live up there anyymore.

[Prometheon]

Whoa! You live in Terrace? I have a good buddy who's up there. Bizarre, as he tells me it's relatively small town.

[little miss sunshine]

I'm not a huge Wal-Mart fan. I go in occasionally but it makes my feel twitchy.

[ecnarf]

That's just the fluorescent lights.

[Jarrod]

Whoa! You live in Terrace? I have a good buddy who's up there. Bizarre, as he tells me it's relatively small town.

no no no no no no no no no...

 

i used to live in Prince Rupert, about an hour and a half away. there are NO towns between rupert and terrace. i went to terrace all the time..

 

i live in victoria right now

[Prometheon]

Well damn.