The United States of Walmart
by Adrianne Rodgers on September 16, 2006
Walmart: Worst. Store. Ever. If I was stuck outside, in a blizzard, had somehow lost all of my clothes, and was dropped down at the doorstep of Walmart, and Walmart was the only store around in a 10 mile radius, I'd walk to that other store. I don't like anything about the Walmarts around here. I hate the people who shop there, I hate the people who work there, I hate their business practices...I hate them so much.
1. The people: I don't know if this applies to the Walmarts in anyone else's area, but around here we have almost the bottom of human civilization that shops at Walmart. The true bottom goes to Kmart, but Walmart isn't much better. You've got your mothers with 12 kids who don't know how to control any of them, your stoners who stand in the toy aisle giggling for an hour, your dads who are badgering the electronics workers because they can get their P.O.S. Craptastic Brand Printer at Circuit City for 20 cents cheaper...hate them all.
2. The employees: You're stuck with either bored 16 year olds who would rather talk about who Mindy is dating than offer any assistance, or your overly enthusiastic old people who tackle you in the aisles every 7 seconds. "Can I help you find something!?" Yes, you can help me find your dignity.
3. Business practices: When towns protest you building a store in their town, that's bad. When you realize that the store you're building is ontop of an ancient burial ground and you try to pretend like you didn't notice so you can act all wide eyed and innocent when people come asking you about it, that's really bad. When you have your part timers work 39 hours a week so that they can't qualify for full time and, as such, quality for benefits, that's worse. When your store has some of the most fantastic profits ever but you decide to cut the health insurance of the few full time people who do work there to get even more profits, that's despicable.
I heard a fantastic analogy for Walmart the other day that I must share: Walmart is like a giant sitting on a chair that's too small for it. When the chair breaks, the giant simply gets up, no worse for wear. The chair has considerably fewer options.
And whenever I say this is a social setting, these exact people I just described above act so outraged. I don't know why.
Walmart is full of cheap crap. It's a horrible, horrible company. The only store that it's even marginably better than is Kmart, but that's like saying that being shot in the stomach is better than being shot in the chest - I wouldn't want either one, and I wouldn't want to shop at either store. I've been in Walmart repeatedly, because I know a few people who love the store, and I've hated every second of every visit of every Walmart I've ever been in.
It's not a matter of money, not a matter of the fact that I'm rolling in it while you poor shlubs are scrounging for coins under the sofa to buy a happy meal. Come on over to my place sometime, you'll see that I'm not rich. I live in an apartment that contains a grand total of two (2) rooms - a bedroom and a living room/kitchen.
But you don't have to be rich to not shop at Walmart. Go to Target, Meijers, wherever. The prices are comparable. Sure, it might be like a dollar or something more at Target, but if you're in a position where you can't give up a dollar to avoid supporting a company spawned from pure evil, then you really should consider perhaps not picking up that DVD of American Pie: Band Camp that I know you all are just dying to pick up.
Walmart sucks. The people who shop there (around here) suck, the people who work there suck, the people who run the business suck. I will never give Walmart a cent - not for a piece of furniture, not for a stick of gum. When towns protest your setting up a store in their town, there is a problem with that business.
Walmart sucks.
AdriRant
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