It looks like I'm going to have to go to Walmart

[Nikia]

My answering machine is picking up but my phone, a cordless, is not turning on even though it sat on the charger all night. My husband went to visit a friend who lives a distance away and has not come home (I had told him not to come home if the roads were too bad). Even if I could shovel the foot or so of snow from my driveway, my car rides lower to the ground than most cars and has gotten stuck in shallower snow. Walmart is approximately 200m from my house.

[DainBramaged]

1. Staples, Office Max, Target

I order lots from Staples on line, DON'T GO TO THE PIT OF SATAN THAT IS WAL-MART.

[Nikia]

4. Can't walk that far, need phone now (or soon)

I want to make sure my husband is alright and can find out when he is coming home. With the continued snow and blowing wind, I am not shoveling until he is within an hour of coming home. I suppose that I always could walk a little further to the gas station, buy a phone card, and call from their pay phone.

[DainBramaged]

5. Leave a message about your broken phone on answering machine

so he knows, or include neighbor's phone to let you know.

I am helpless except for suggestions.

[tuvor]

10. Staples is still advertising on Clear Channel, you know. n/t

[DainBramaged]

13. Yeah, and they just switched 4 more stations to Air America

Wal-Mart considers their employees 'economic units'. Fuck 'em, shop elsewhere.

[Vincardog]

2. Don't do it. Don't feed the beast.

[DainBramaged]

3. $30 2.4 ATT cordless

http://www.staples.com/

Free shipping over $50!

[yankeedem]

6. Buy it now

Return it when the snow clears. Dilemma solved.

[ooglymoogly]

8. this is by far the best advice

you have 30 days to return it. in the mean time go on ebay and you will find one real cheap and its fun to bid and win.

[1monster]

Needs must when the devil drives. Go and don't feel guilty. Your

situation qualifies as an emergency.

[ooglymoogly]

9. then you can return it

[1monster]

14. That is dishonest.

[ooglymoogly]

19. and wm has treated the american people with fairnes and honesty?

shuuuur...is it your motto, dems turn the other cheek, repubs knock the sh*t out of em? who is going to win this battle for the survival of democracy on these terms?

[1monster]

22. No, but you never win a campaign worth winning if you fall to the levels

of those you are fighting. You only change one corrupt method for another, and, thus the pernicious evil wins. We just change one
noxious group for another.

There are better ways, but as long as people follow the advice of those who advocate using the oppositions' crooked modus operandi, then the battle is never won...

[FormerDittoHead]

7. I say go ahead and shop!

I know they're "evil" but I simply don't think this rag-tag "boycott" of Walmart will have ANY material effect compared to the economics of the situation.

I am simply unaware of any kind of boycott motivated *indirect* economic effects EVER resulting in changing anything.

The only boycotts I'm aware of changing anything has involved
race and/or religion and/or corporate support & endorsement (Dixie Chicks off of Clearchannel stations & their support of boycotting French products)

Without Corporate endorsement in the media (ie: BALANCED COVERAGE) It just won't work. For every answering machine YOU don't buy, there are THOUSANDS who will be hearing about much Walmart helps communities on (brace yourself) *N*P*R*, as I did yesterday, as Walmart reduces its taxes by supporting shows on that radio network.

What this means is that, if we want to change Walmart's behavior, we have to change the LAW, which mean tarriffs, trade agreements with countries employing workers under slave-like conditions, and (how about this one:) SUPPORING UNIONS...

That's on the national level. I would also encourage local communities getting more 'proactive' by passing laws which would limit the potential size of businesses, % of goods made in America, etc. etc.

[ooglymoogly]

11. that is nonsense of course boycotts work

and have worked for centuries, besides it is the only means left to us. half the country is dem. at least 20% of them don't believe the election legit and will be glad to follow a boycott. all boycotts start out rag tag. then they catch on. remember anita briant...gays brought down the florida orange growers with this boycott of orange juice.

[FormerDittoHead]

16. Thanks for putting words in my mouth!

"that is nonsense of course boycotts work"

As IF I said otherwise.

The question is WHAT KIND of boycott?

If you want to add gays to the list of race and religion, OK, add gays. (btw: feel free to add anti-gay as well)

With those additions, my msg spelled it out. I invite you to read it again and try (harder this time) to think of another exception.

IF the MSM WOULD start covering a Walmart boycott, then YES, it WOULD HAVE A MEANINFUL EFFECT - but that was EXACTLY MY POINT in my original msg.

[ooglymoogly]

21. well gee most gays are dems, most blacks are dems most women are dems

most hispanics are dems, most american indians are dems, this is a dem boycott, even if only a small percentage of these boycott...gee does it have a chance of success....duuu

[DainBramaged]

15. rag-tag my ass

My American Express statement for 2004 says $1165 for Target, $943 for Staples, ZERO for Wal-Mart.

I will not set foot in one of their stores for the rest of my life.

[ooglymoogly]

20. me thinks formerushfan

has not fallen far from the lim-bough tree

[Bertha Venation]

12. Go to Wal-Mart and get your phone, and don't feel guilty!

NEED overrides politics, IMO.

[amazona]

17. your safety comes first

In those circumstances I too would walk over to WalMart rather than taking the risk of an accident in the snow.

On Edit -- I see you cannot walk at all in the snow. I'm not sure I would want to drive in the circumstances you describe. Not even 200 meters. Car accidents can occur near the home and often do on the snow and ice. My mom was in a serious auto accident in our own neighborhood because of ice.

I think I might sit tight and assume that my husband is OK and doing the same. In similar situations, I have waited it out and all turned out well. But getting out in the snow and running around like a chicken with head cut off...that never works for me.

Of course you probably drive better in snow/ice than we do, since almost everyone does!

But of course you must do what you think best.

Let us know when you are sure that both you and hubby are safe.

The conservation movement is a breeding ground of communists
and other subversives. We intend to clean them out,
even if it means rounding up every birdwatcher in the country.
--John Mitchell, US Attorney General 1969-72

[Aiptasia]

18. Just remember to return it when the snow eases up

When the blizzards pass, go get the phone you want from another retailer and immediately return the wally world phone. Save all the packaging and just take it back.

[Rabrrrrrr]

23. I agree with those who say buy it now, return it later

It will cost WalMart some extra bucks in wasted time, too.

I don't think it's dishonest at all. And if you want to make yourself feel better about it - by a phone you DON'T like so that when you return it, you can say "I don't like this phone. It isn't what I wanted."

It's civil disobedience, baby.

I don't see anything immoral in doing this at all, especially considering WalMart does the same thing when they go into a community: "We'll be prividing jobs!" Yeah, they're providing jobs alright - they're hiring all the people who lost their jobs at the other department stores, and paying them less they were earning before, AND give nothing back to the community.

Use their own tactics against them.