SpraWal-Mart

[Unkle_John]

Well, I got off the phone with my parent's lastnight and during the conversation they said that they just got back from SpraWal-Mart.
What irritates me is that not just 15 minutes up the road in three different directions are SpraWal-Mart stores. Great not only do the kids in my old home town have a choice to work at the steel or cement factories, they can work for SpraWal-Mart.

Honestly I hate going into those stores. I feel dirty, violated, sick, perverted and demoralized. I'd rather support mom & pop stores or thrift stores. SpraWal-Mart is depressing to me. It shows America's gluttony for junk. The real food there is very meager in choice. Their organic section (if there is one) is not true orgainc, but "loop hole oragainc". In fact I went to one where they were consolidating the fresh food section to expand the McDonalds (don't get me started on that crap). The place is full of depressed looking people. I've even heard it's not great to work for them. the automotive section is crap and service for getting your car done is an all day ordeal. I'd rather give it to "oily Joe" down the road who has been working on cars since the 50's or something. That is if he's still in business and not run out due to SpraWal-Mart.

The sad thing is that Julie and I had to search for certain items in other stores that SpraWal-Mart carried. Plus fabric stores where getting harder to find b/c SpraWal-Mart ran them out of business. On that note I read that they where going to reduce the fabric department and only sell minimal items and craft stuff. Bull crap if you tell me. Most kids today don't know how to sew or cook a real meal. Everything is pre-made and offered to them at an "everyday low price".

Eff you SpraWal-Mart, Eff you in the corporate a$$.

I will leave you all with some humor on this subject:
http://www.jibjab.com/originals/big_box_mart

[Unkle_John]

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y294/unklejohn/Sprawl-Mart01.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y294/unklejohn/Sprawl-Mart02.jpg

[Hippie Staff]

What would we do without the Simpsons. Honestly.


Joanns.com sells some cool fabrics/sewing stuff..and they have free shipping w orders over $35. My favorite way to shop. :)

[Unkle_John]

Yeah Joann's has an awesome selection of fabric. Hancock's (giggle) was a great place, but they are getting very scarce in this state. Joann's and Hancock's (tee-hee) do pretty good here in the West where the Mennonites are. Yes they are out here, friendly folk too.. not shifty looking and craps throwing like in the Simpsons. "Roll them bones."

Did you like big box mart?

[Kookie_Baron]

ummm...isnt this the recall section? Not the, "I live in a capitolist country but Im going to whine about capitolism" forum?

[NCW_Woodnymph]

LOL! I was just missing the troublemaking. I feel better now. :D

BTW did Tomen disappear or did finally piss off the wrong people?

[Kookie_Baron]

haha, thanks for ruining all my fun Nymph! :p
lol

[CowboyHippy]

i worked at wal mart for about 7 years on and off, one day it just kinda clicked and i got a job waiting tables, made more money, the customers were far happier to see me and i could do something to better the situation should a problem arise.

greasy gary's is a bit closer to me than oily joes. rumor has it that one time his skin caught fire because it's so saturated with bad things.

my long standing hope in this is that wal mart will expand too much to support itself and start to fall apart (even more) and then some mom and poppers will be there to fill the voids. my little town has a downtown maybe 3 sity blocks long, and by city blocks i mean 100 feet or so on a side. the whole thing is tall connected buildings, storefront on the bottom, appartments on the top. we have a hardware, video store party store and a pizza place. the majority of them are empty or leased by non storish type places, for example the heating and cooling guy . some of them are rented for storage even, many are just empty. we used to have a pharmacy greeting card trinket place with a soda shoppe bar where you could get a chocolate malt right out of an old 50's sitcom but they folded 5 years ago after being in business for a long itme.

[Unkle_John]

ummm...isnt this the recall section? Not the, "I live in a capitolist country but Im going to whine about capitolism" forum?

Consumer Advocacy & Recall section.

Consumer Advocacy: the actions of individuals or groups in which their cause is pleaded or supported before a government tribunal or board, a judicial court, or in public forums. I think we qualify as a public forum.

:cheers: :heff2:

[Unkle_John]

my little town has a downtown maybe 3 sity blocks long, and by city blocks i mean 100 feet or so on a side. the whole thing is tall connected buildings, storefront on the bottom, appartments on the top. we have a hardware, video store party store and a pizza place. the majority of them are empty or leased by non storish type places, for example the heating and cooling guy . some of them are rented for storage even, many are just empty. we used to have a pharmacy greeting card trinket place with a soda shoppe bar where you could get a chocolate malt right out of an old 50's sitcom but they folded 5 years ago after being in business for a long itme.

See, we live in a small town like that. But over time people have moved or would rather go out of town to shop (particularly Sprawl-mart) because "hey I can get it all under one roof". I honestly don't think people care about small town shops anymore. That's why we have the JamFest, to help bring people back to our town and start businesses. I have a whole list of businesses I think would do well here if someone was interested in opening shop here. Not saying you guys in particular, I mean anyone who wants to open a storefront. And not another Mexican food restaurant... this part of Texas is saturated with them. I love Mexican food, but not every time I want to sit down and pay for a meal.

As for other storefronts, we no longer have a malt shop (though there is one suppose to open soon after renovation), hardware/lumber store, video/book/music store or antique store. WE do have a curiosity shop that has a few antiques and art pieces (she's a great lady and wants change in our town), two family owned restaurants (Mexican/American food), a Dairy Queen (whooptie-doo), family dollar, tv repair shop (ex-radio shack), a few back yard beauty salons, a shitty grocery store with a very poor selection of fresh produce and no organics (but they are the only place in the county to buy fresh pizza), and that's it! We are missing one major thing this town needs entertainment. We have no one screen movie theater, no mini golf, no nothing. That's why the girls get pregnant (there is a 11 or 12 year old pregnant in our school right now, JuJu works there and can confirm that), no rec center (to speak of the 3:30 club only lasts an hour). There is nothing in this town. There are at least a dozen empty store fronts waiting for new businesses, a lumber/hardware store sitting empty, possibilities for a steak house, loft apartments in down town and so much more I would have to start a new topic about it.

I feel it's time for small town revival. I'm going back to my home town (who now has a Sprawl-mart) and I'm going to look at all the businesses that have gone under and shake my head in disbelief. I think our town would be perfect for young (and old) hippies to come out and start shops, galleries, theaters, farmers markets, and what not. There are people here who want change, but don't know where to start. I just wish I knew how to convince people that this place is ripe for the pickin'.

[CowboyHippy]

you should see if the tv repair has a tube tester with manuals they'd part with (i fix up old 1940's adios)

[Unkle_John]

I'll look into that after the holiday. I have an old b/w tv from the 60's i'd like to get working again.

[CowboyHippy]

thought you folks might get a kick out of this. i needed some staples for the staple gun and the guys at the hardware store knocked off at noon so i had to go to the only other option...sprawl mart

one good thing, sometime they had installed those u scan /never have to look at the depressed cashier and make idle chit chat things

the funny thing. they had these bags hanging all over for $1
said "Paper or plastic" in nice typing
then NEITHER in this green script,

promoting using reuseable bags that they sell i figure. ok, the thing here is they are probably made in some foreign country by kids in a sweat shop, they are probably a lot worse for the environment than they let on. they are not as big as the standard big box plastic bag, andwalmart doesn't have paper sacks anymore, but they do have a bid in the front of the store to drop off your tons of wally world bags for recycling.

personally i like the paper bags. they are nice for holding non seasonal clothers in the basement, and they are quite reuseable if you give them some car, and newspapers fit so well inside them , especially when laid on their side next to the back door, read the paper and slide them right in.

[Unkle_John]

Paper bags are also good for putting hot fresh chocolate cookies on. :heff2:

[Kookie_Baron]

So that post was advocating the shut down of walmart, GREAT! We can send all of the poor people (thats me too, poor as hell), who ONLY EAT because walmart has low prices, to your house for dinner. Also, Im sure you have several million jobs just laying around to give to all the ousted employees of your gloriously shut down walmart. Oh yeah, did you forget healthcare? Lets send those billions of bills from employees and their children recieving healthcare through their insurance, to your mailbox.

I'm not sure what your advocating, the downfall of millions of underprivalged families? Perhaps the end to affordable drugs and food for the poor?

And lets face the truth of the American economy, mom and pop stores were on the way out anyways.

So whine about capitolism all you like, walmarts not going anywhere, at least not as fast as your mouths are.

[Unkle_John]

I would have to say, start a trade and make a lifestyle off of it. Stop suckling on the corporate tit b/c you refuse to grow food out of your garden to sell or get a better education to get a job to fit your lifestyle better all because you are lazy. Jobs at wal-mart are glorified dead end jobs for teens and people who are too lazy to advance themselves in society. People who sit around and talk, but no nothing. If you think people should just give up and be another drone to this new world, then friend, you envision a sad life for us all. I for one would not work there and I pity the ones who have to work there. Not for having to choose, but for what society has dealt them make them choose to work there. Such as the elderly having to go out of retirement because what the government set up to take care of them in their golden years has failed or when wal-mart moves into a town, it's citizens think it's the best thing since the wheel, until they relize their family run businesses that have to close because everyone decided to patron wal-mart for the low prices. I know wal-mart is not going anywhere for a long time, so I would like to ask you not to talk condescending to me. I have the right to shop there and I have the right to tell others why I think they should.

[CowboyHippy]

as a former cart pusher/sales associate/night recieving/department manager/assistant manager, john i can fully agree with the dead end job. all said and done at the peak of my employment (1997) i made about 18k a year. not bad for a single guy but not good for supporting a family. and kookie as far as my health insurance, the wal mart stuf took about 20 bucks a week out of the paycheck but it was absolute shit. i mean real absolute shit, i had to go 30 miles to find a doctor to take it, and then the doctors had a less than resonable reputation. most employees opted for the emergency room doctor plan, go to emergency room for everything, cause rushed bad care is just as good as slow long distance bad care. I upgraded to blue cross blue shield health care which was 45 bucks a week, not the greatest of their plans but i could see better doctors. i couldnt afford to keep going to college, ended up dropping out and after all the failures and disapointments in life i'd classify myself as you do, "poor as hell"

I have to side with mr pink in Reservoir Dogs, if they don't like it get a better job. my first job when i left wal mart was washing dishes in a mom and pop resturant. paid 1.29 less per hour that being a department manager, and although the financial crunch nicked almost 1/7th of my wal mart pay. I went home happy every night. sacrifice and hard work got me here today and thankfully i have a choice where to shop, my experience at wal mart left me bitter so i try my damdest not to shop there. if i need a dozen cans of green beans and i buy it at kroger rather than wal mart i dont see that as an attack on capitalism, as a matter of fact it probably costs 25% more. my kids need shoes no matter where they come from. I dont whine about it either. i do whine about the fact that i was shit on and guilt ridden over 7.29 and hour, and of that 7.29 i spent half of that per week at wal mart via my 10% discount on groceries and supplies.

[LIBRA]

So that post was advocating the shut down of walmart, GREAT! We can send all of the poor people (thats me too, poor as hell), who ONLY EAT because walmart has low prices, to your house for dinner. Also, Im sure you have several million jobs just laying around to give to all the ousted employees of your gloriously shut down walmart. Oh yeah, did you forget healthcare? Lets send those billions of bills from employees and their children recieving healthcare through their insurance, to your mailbox.

I'm not sure what your advocating, the downfall of millions of underprivalged families? Perhaps the end to affordable drugs and food for the poor?

And lets face the truth of the American economy, mom and pop stores were on the way out anyways.

So whine about capitolism all you like, walmarts not going anywhere, at least not as fast as your mouths are.


Way to see the big picture.

[Kookie_Baron]

^^^
I begin to think your big picture is some sort of utopia with unicorns and fairy princesses.

___

Also, the world needs dead end jobs, sorry not everyone is as successful as you. For some people, walmart is the best they can do, but it will feed their families. I dont understand, to me that sounds like you saying the people who arent motivated enough to "do more" dont deserve to live a life, with a job, and some security.

I think that a lot of what I read on this forum comes from people who have full tummies and a warm bed, its easy to stand on a soap box when you have shoes. But thats just me trying to "look at the big picture."

Im tired of people who sit in their little bubbles and tell the rest of the world how it should be. That doesnt help anyone, and its definetly not "doing" anything.

I chat on here because I find it amusing.....but its more frightening than funny.

[Unkle_John]

I am not in the mood to argue about this without saying something I will regret. So I will leave this be.

[LIBRA]

Its called being optimistic. I see the potential in people in the world. I would like to know that when I leave this earth that it will be here for a long long long time to come. Im hopefull of that.

I am not rich, dont claim to be rich. I dont have health care, Im a single mom yada yada yada. I spend my money wisely.

Im not telling how I think it should be I actuall do what I say, live how I say and I blow bubbles for all, so we can dance with fairies and ride our unicorns off into the purple sunset of happiness. Give me a break.

[Kookie_Baron]

that wasnt meant as anything personal against your character. I was speaking in general terms of what I have read from various people on various topics since I started reading this forum. As far as my remarks about what you had posted, I was trying to state how I had felt when reading what was posted.

In the pursuit of honest discourse, I am often very blatent and I just say what I think without much buffer, I didnt mean to offend you.

------

Libra, I think that is great. Its good to be hopeful. However, I do not think that hopefulness is an exscuse to be unrealistic. I feel that in order for our hope to mean anything, it should be a hope that is at least achievable in this reality. If we allow ourselves to hope with rose tinted glasses on, I think that the world is worse off. I guess I shoulda just said that instead. Sorry, I was stoned=flippant. :D

[LIBRA]

No apologies needed, I like your honesty, I like how blatent you are. Makes things interesting :)

I was not offended, and I hope you werent either. I dig people like you, really.

Sometimes I cant help to be a little unrealistic, it is what gives me hope, keeps me hanging on, sad as it may be. But I also see reality very clear and it scares the shit out of me, maybe thats a weakness? Who knows, but I do enjoy learning from your and anyone elses opinions, no matter how different yet the same they are.

[NCW_Woodnymph]

I don't agree with how you say things Kookie but I do believe that it's not reasonable to say that every employer should pay a "living wage". It's like people thinking that raising the minimum wage will help poor people. Everything is relative. The only affect it has is raising the cost of everything so that people whos wages are not directly tied to the minimum wage make less until things even out. Wal-Mart and places like it are nessisary for people who don't have training. What we need to do is make technical training and colleges more affordable.

[Kookie_Baron]

Im happy with tese last two posts. They show some thought befor posting (which is more than most can say after reading my *passionate postins*). :D

I think I follow through with the same intellectual intent, but boil over in the actual writing. In that I can understand and agree with your dislike of my way of stating things, but find it very difficult to change. I assur eyou I am able to hold my tongue better in person. :)

However, I do try to rectify the situation when I can see that I have obviously offended someone. My intent is not offense, but rather to jump start people into finding information then forming thoughts for themselves.
-----
Back on topic, I think you raise a good point in the educational sector. I live in a state with very high minimum wage, yet our cost of living does not decrease as wages increse. The expenses just increase, such is the cost of living in a free market.

I dont think that companys as large as or like walmart neccisarrily (sorry for the spelling) make a difference in that aspect. But I do think that it is a right step in realizing that we are focusing our energies on the wrong issues.

[gogreengirl]

Hi all, I understand where you are coming from Unkle John. Here in Australia where I live, I personally feel it's becoming more like Amercia all the time. When it comes to chain stores like Wal- Mart and such, we have the sister companies, Kmart and Target. I'm thankful to live in a quiet, sleepy part of the sth- east corner where little thrifts shops are easy to find and markets on the weekend are the norm. Though I do see "the big guys'' gradually slithering over any prime spot to take hold and con people into buying their cheap throw-aways. They are fat, wide, take too much space and the planet needs less of them. :flutter

[Yossarian]

The other day I was in the parking lot of a King Kullen (for Coinstar, its the only place around here that has one) and it was like a glimpse of the apocalypse. The traffic was hectic, cars going this way and that gettting in eachother's way, narcisistic affluent suburbanites, frantic from the last-minute holiday shopping craze, trying desperately to push ahead of everyone else, only to run into another one and hold everybody. Just by the driving, one could see the lack of sincerity. It made me sick to my stomach, actually.

I firmly believe that the manner in which people drive in the parking lots of specific establishments provides good insight into the nature of their patrons.

[PrettyHippy]

Oh Wal-mart...I can't tell you how many times I've hexed them under my breath. I've seen too many people around me brought down by that company. Here where I live you either go to college after high school, go to work on the family farm, or go to work in a factory-like setting. That's just how it works. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to go to college, but so many out here don't. About 5 or 6 years ago one of the largest factories that people worked at was a plant called Thompson. They manufactured television components for made in the USA televisions. Because of Wal-Mart and other stores like them using over seas labor, Thompson closed down. SOOO many people lost their jobs, health care, pensions...for many it was the only job they had ever had. The company was good to their workers. PBS did a special on Wal-Mart and actually used Circleville, Ohio and the Thompson plant as an example. The horribly ironic part if it all....they tore down the plant and built a huge new Wal-Mart on top of where Thompson use to stand. Some of the people managed to get work at Wal-Mart b/c it was their only option. Their wages were horribly cut, they got crap insurance, etc. The rest were just out of work with families they needed to feed. It was just so sad...Personally I don't like Target too much better and I'm REALLY close them because my husband works there as a night-shift manager. He HATES it there. He gets paid crap money, pays a ton of money every two weeks for terrible health insurance, he's always tired, we never see each other due to his sleep schedule, and there really isn't much opportunity for improvement. The reason he stays is because we need some kind of health care because I'm pregnant. He wants to be done with them before the baby comes so he can actually spend time with our first-born. Come this summer we're praying he gets into the Fire Academy. He just has to hang in there a little longer...hopefully then his Hell can come to an end...

Pretty :hippie:

[Unkle_John]

Sending good vibes your way PH. I know (most or all of everyone here) know that sometimes having to take a job you don't like just to make ends meet (or insurance). But believe me, it gets better, a lot better.

[NCW_Woodnymph]

I think Wal-Mart just takes the focus because they are the most rapidly expanding. The other big stores are no better when it comes to pay, insurance and overall moral. I'm trying really hard this year to switch to mom and pop shops but I'm so use to getting everything in one stop that it seems daunting to haul my little ones to three or four places. I'm determined to get use to it though. Wish me luck. :D

:hippie: