I just HAVE to shop at Wal-Mart, their prices are so cheap..

[DuaneBidoux]

Listen, I don't but my friend does, and we came up with a great idea (which she has now carried out twice).

Essentially for every thing you buy, you leave twice as much in a cart that you leave behind. For poor people with integrity this is an ideal solution--you can get their cheap prices, but you make sure they make no profit on you. I don't shop at Wal-Mart at all, but this sounds like a great thing to salve the conscious of people on budgets who have no choice. I remember some people saying on DU that they HAD to shop at Wal-Mart...here is your solution!

[Bridget Burke]

1. Your plan places the burden on WalMart employees....

And they have enough problems as it is.

[purduejake]

3. Not necessarily... they will have work to be done anyway...

and walking around the store looking where to put something is a hell of a lot easier than lifting big boxes, bringing in carts, etc.

[LeftyMom]

20. Ever worked retail?

There's always more work to be done than there is time to do it. Having to take time out of your shift to restock a full cart is just going to make your day harder, it isn't going to cause a manager to schedule more hours or authorize overtime.

My best friend works at WalMart. Her job sucks enough as it is, she doesn't need someone to make busywork for her just to show thier displeasure without having to inconvenience themselves.

[trogdor]

41. I second that.

Retail drones' lives suck already. There's no sense in making it worse.

[Deja Q]

13. I was hoping someone'd say this:

Every time I post something similar, I get that response. And I'm starting to respond to those statements:

It is impossible to make any statement or attempt at positive change or revolution without causing interference or burden. That is a simple fact of life.

[Enquiringkitty]

23. If I can't find what I need at my local employee owned food store, I go to

K-Mart. The Walmart here has been trying to run the K-Mart out of business for years. For Walmart being based here in Arkansas, there are a surprisingly large number of people who will not go to Walmart. Most of them have worked for they in the past and after getting cheated on their pay checks, fired due to who their relatives are or they quit because they just wouldn't go along with the 8 hour pay for 10 hours of work policy. They pay so low that their employees have to get food stamps and other assistance in some cases.

[OneMoreDemocrat]

35. Then go and interfere with and/or burden the people........

who deserve it.

Why fuck with the little people?

I guess it will make for a nifty thread about the 'heroic' anti-Walmart stance you took.

[Rush1184]

30. Think of the cost of shoping elsewhere...

as an investment in fair business practices.

[purduejake]

2. Or buy stuff you don't really need and return it.

Electronics and other high-ticket items would be most effective.

[coloradodem2005]

5. As Long as it doesn't hurt the employees.

Most of them are there because there is no other choice.

[purduejake]

9. I know... but isn't boycotting Wal-Mart hurting the employees?

The company is in a pinch, and it's well known that they demand more out of employees and suppliers to maintain their profit margins. Hence we have allegations of having to punch out and remain at work (not even covered by worker's comp or Wal-Mart's insurance if hurt on the job while being off the clock)

[EVDebs]

4. ....as long as the price of oil remains low. Then watch those prices

go up as the globalized distribution network's true cost becomes apparent.

[applegrove]

6. The employees are purposely given more work to do than is possible.

Try just not shopping there.

[DuaneBidoux]

17. Absolutely...and I don't

But there really are some people who feel they have no choice but feel tainted by doing so. I just hoped there would be a way to help these progressives out by giving them a positive step they could take. I'm a writer with six digit income, for me it's not a problem, but like most writers I hang around with a pretty eclectic bunch of artist types who are really struggling. We had brainstormed to offer them a solution and came up with this.

[readmoreoften]

25. Actually, I like this idea.

Because if Walmarts were always known as disorganized messes, then shoppers might stop going. Or they'd have to hire more workers and that would cut into their profit margin.

I don't buy that they would make their employees work harder. I'm sure they already push their employees to their maximum.

I think that even more than leaving objects in carts. Leave them in wrong sections, aisles, etc.

Totally legal. If everyone did it, it would have them on their knees.

[applegrove]

31. Yes - that is the hard part about Wal Mart. The harder the economy

gets the more dependant the working poor are on it. Especially families. I look around and I see Canadian companies (& now grocery stores) going down the tubes because of WalMart type competition. And I was guilty of shopping there too - when I didn't have much in the way of money and was out of the loop politically speaking. I now have a little more choice. And quite frankly even if you work and shop at high end stores - much of their stuff is made in China - they just are better to their staff.

If they manage to ruin all but the smallest of food stores ... what choice will we all have.

[DuaneBidoux]

34. Are you Canadian? I just bought a suit made in Canada tonight.

It cost me 230 American, assembled in Canada, with material tailored in Italy. I was proud. It was right next to a dozen suits made in Mexico and China and Indonesia and they were all about the same price. My wife said, well, nobody in Canada got rich on your suit. And I said, BS, somebody did get rich, they just didn't get OBSCENELY rich, and in exchange their workers got to make a decent living. It just shows that workers CAN be paid living wages, products can cost a reasonable amount, and instead of getting obscenely rich the rich just get regular rich. That I don't mind.

[applegrove]

38. Montreal is the big "garmet industry place" but there are many designers

in Toronto. I think they did like all the US garmet industry did and learned how to specialize and stay away from the cheap stuff (where you cannot compete). I just hope that things don't get any worse. Yes - nobody deserves less than a decent wage (& social programs).

[jdj]

7. $218 billion dollars in imports from China last year.

Sorry, I just can't do it.

I actually do save alot, but the way I have to do it is going around to all the little dollar stores in the area where I live. I try to go on my way home from school so I don't drive. I live in a poor section so there is a day old Merita bread store, and everything. I am going to start gardening this spring, because produce is the most expensive thing I buy since I don't eat meat.

I conserve the hell out of everything too.

I don't think I would shop at Walmart were it not about money anyway, because it one of the most loathesome human experiences ever.
It depresses the hell out of me to think that this is the american dream, bonus packs of chips and cheap plastic shit in 15 colors.

[Lorien]

11. Me either

I would be funding the GOP, hurting the community,the environment, our economy and encouraging the abuse of American workers. Sounds pretty expensive to me.

[Richard Steele]

16. Kudos to jdj for gardening!

Hey, try googling "square foot gardening".

It's amazing how much you can yeild from small plots if you just arrange them properly.

Also, think about what costs you the most, and grow that.

We realized that we spent much more for SPICES than produce, so our tiny garden is mostly herbs and hot peppers...5x5' area of fresh oregano worth $3/oz saves us more money than planting potatos worth 20 cents/pound.

[readmoreoften]

28. So let's not shop there! Let's go in and disorganize

their systems. It's not illegal and it will suck money out of them.

[applegrove]

8. "Bye bye mon cowboy - bye bye mon rodeo"

As always - in honour of the store they closed in Quebec because of a Union.

[Logiola]

10. At Mcdonalds

the happy meals are a loss leader, they lose money every time you purchase one but expect that adults will buy the normal food.. so just keep buying happy meals and bring them down..

[DuaneBidoux]

18. Didn't know that tidbit. Thanks.

My 11 year old has kind of finally tired of McDonalds just in time for me to avert my gag reflex. I'm not sure I could stomach the Happy Meal any more than some of the posters could stomach shopping at Walmart.

[Zinfandel]

12. I wanted to buy a book online today...Up pops Amazon and Walmart...

as the two inexpensive stores for the HST book I was looking for.

Amazon gives most of their donations to the republicans, so I could not even consider them...

Walmart is just the shinny example of American corporate greed and worker slavery, which 90% of corporations are striving for.

And then there was Barnes and Noble, (who gave 100% of their donations to Blue-democratic candidates)...

I paid $1.86 more at B&N than the Walmart price, and feel better about it.

[AllegroRondo]

About returns

One thing I noticed locally-

Here in Missouri, each county and city sets its own sales tax rates. A couple months ago, my wife bought an item at a Wal-Mart out of town, but returned it at the local store. The tax rate where we live is higher than where she bought it, but Wal-Mart paid her refund as if it was purchased at the higher tax rate. She made about 50cents on the deal.

Not much, but it could add up if you took it to the extreme.

[DuaneBidoux]

19. Cool. Kind of like that Seinfeld episode with the bottle deposits

only better. Of course there you are making the state that has the highest sales tax rate subsidize the state with the low tax rate, which I guess isn't all bad since sales tax is so regressive and sucks as a means of raising revenue anyway.

[warrens]

14. Try dollar stores or Costco

Their prices are about as good. And keep in mind, often you are not getting what you think you are at WM. Target's tshirts and towels cost a bit more than WM's do, for instance, but they are far better-made. WM will engineer down anything it can figure a way to do so. Their stuff breaks or wears out a lot faster than stuff from their competitors.

If you're talking about food, be aware that WM only sells "select" grade beef. Most of their competitors are selling "choice" grade beef which is FAR better. WM's beef is needled and injected with liquids to make it more tender, and it is pretty much crap.

[readmoreoften]

26. Target also donates Red (unfortunately!) n/t

[phylny]

15. We're in the position where we can choose where we buy

and I *realize* that not every one is. Since we can, we've started to patrionize our local businesses instead of biggies whenever we can. We make certain to tell the store owners how much we enjoy the personalized service, the lack of lines, and their pleasant natures.

I will never set foot in WalMart again.

[Demonaut]

37. hear, hear!...never again....I need nothing from Walmart

that I can't find at another store even if that store donated more to repugs than dems...its more than donations to political parties, its how they treat their employees and their predatory policies in the market they set foot in.

[karlrschneider]

21. I was confused by your post for a while...I thought you meant to leave

stuff in the cart outside in the parking lot! But you're saying to...put items in a cart and park it somewhere in the store and just let it sit there? I'm not smart, but I'm dumb...what exactly does that accomplish?
:eyes:

[DuaneBidoux]

22. What it accomplishes is it adds cost to doing business...so that whatever

they made on you because you bought from them, they lost paying someone to put the stuff back. So you can legitimately say you didn't help WalMart contribute to the continuing domination of the Rethuglican party and you still got your stuff cheap (I think about 2% of everything you spend there ultimately ends up in Rethuglican Party Coffers). And don't worry about the poor employee putting the stuff back, I've worked doing it and it's actually kind of fun compared to what they usually have you do, because you can do a lot of wandering compared to actual work as "you search and search" for that correct shelf, and kind of visit with other employees while doing so. Beats the hell out of unloading on the dock.

[readmoreoften]

27. I would like to add to this...

If you have to go to Walmart or Target, leave clothes in computers, records in Office Supplies, Office Supplies in Toys, Toys in Housewares, etc. Imagine if every customer did this.

I'm going to make this a routine and I won't buy anything at all.

[DuaneBidoux]

33. Did you see the CNBC special on WalMart?

I recorded it. It was great. They showed this sales convention with all the managers from all over the country and there were thousands and thousands of managers (it was almost cult like) and they were showing films to these managers in this big auditorium that had been apparently taken from those hidden camaeras at the stores and the CEO was saying "Now we're starting to see this from time to time: here is an abandoned shopping cart full of items: we need to figure out why this customer got so frustrated that he abandoned his full shopping cart. This is were I think our service isn't up to snuff-obviously the customer was frustrated" (I'm paraphrasing this last part).

They were CLUELESS.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

24. .

[independentchristian]

29. I don't like your signature line Pic

Peak oil mentality says that there are too many people on the planet right now.

Oil executives are running the White House.

I think Mike Ruppert talked about the governments of the world deciding that the earth's population needs to be reduced to about 2 or 3 billion people to offset the coming oil crisis.

Abortion is too efficient and cheap of a population control method for the Republicans to ever ban it.

Peak oil mentality says "less people" need to be on the planet, not more, which outlawing aboritons would do.

Abortions are up per capita under Bush for a reason.

[DuaneBidoux]

32. Ah but I worked so hard on it....It seems to have done it's job

You should see what happens when you wear it on a t-shirt in the mall. Abortions are up per capita under Bush for a very good reason: women without health insurance choose not to have babies but abort them. My point is simply that there will always be abortions and the method to which I point is the one Republicans ultimately have in mind.

[BiggJawn]

47. The Republicans have a BETTER population control plan...

It's called "Never-ending WAR".

1492 and counting, so far. And that's just the Murkan lives lost....

[Lone_Wolf]

36. Shopping at Walmart is not cheap...

when you factor in how they extract the wealth from a community, drive down wages in the US, close local stores, break unions, and ultimately drive maunfacturing jobs overseas to countries with lax labor laws.

http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/77/walmart.html

When you shop at Walmart you are essentially saying "I approve of the way you do business."

[rman]

39. Makes no sense. You'd still buy as much as you would

anyway. So it has no effect on Walmart.

Following your logic:
"For every cart of stuff that you buy, there's an entire store of stuff that you don't buy."
How's that a boycot? It isn't.

[Lone_Wolf]

40. It does make some sense...

Remember the old saying that "Time is money."

Here's a hypothetical example...

If the typical Walmart employee is paid $7/hr, then every minute wasted by an employee costs Walmart about $0.11. So if the employee wastes 5 minutes putting away 2 items, then it just cost Walmart $0.55. If the store earns less than $0.55 on the item you bought, then you just cost the store money.

Obviously, there are many variables in this. Their profit margin on an item might be larger than we think. Also, Walmart probably can write wages off as a business expense, which would make their actual loss less than $0.55 (I'm not an accountant so, I'm not sure about this).

Basically, it boils down to making Walmart employees waste time. This can be accomplished a number of ways by asking for a price checks at the register, asking an associate endless questions about a product, rearranging items throughout the store, paying for items in pennies, etc.

If the goal is to cost Walmart money then this has merits. If the goal is to create better working conditions for workers, drive wages up, keep manufacturing jobs here in the US, then I am not sure how effective this would be.

[Bridget Burke]

42. Or they could order sushi & not pay!

Far out radical stuff to do!

[Igel]

43. My wife loves Walmart, it's one of the closest places

to buy fabric for sewing. The next closest place has no fabric under $50/yard, and has some up to $130/yard. (shudder)

On the other, we avoid funding the Chinese military-industrial complex to the greatest extent possible.

Your suggest would do two things:

--it would make it harder for people to find what they want, since much of the merchandise would be off the shelves

--Walmart would, if they haven't already, just set up restocking shelves in the back. Anybody going in the back would just be expected to grab all of a certain item and replace it. Lots of items, it would throw a kink in their inventory system, but wouldn't be fatal.

[Bridget Burke]

44. Has your wife tried Hancock fabrics?

They've got stores all around the Houston area, with a big selection. Pretty reasonable prices, too.

[Igel]

46. No, but we made a run to some store on, I think it was,

Louisiana. Fashion Fabric Center? Dunno.

The really spendy one was in Rice Village, next to some theater. (But really ... $129/yard? ... even if it *was* wool)

I'll look up Hancock. I collect guitar music and CDs, she collects fabric.

[IrateCitizen]

45. A better suggestion -- wear a "Union YES!" T-shirt...

... or something similar expressing a pro-union POV, if you HAVE to shop at Wal-Mart.

I don't shop there, but I have a choice where I live. For some people, it's the only store around within 30-40 miles, so I can understand why some might have little choice.