I just went into walmart for the first time in months... I feel physically ill

[Verto]

Originally posted by Provost Harrison


Well ever increasing levels of automation make that the case. We can have higher output than ever but without people having to take care of the minutiae of the job.

Exactly. And this is blamed on Bush.

[Jac de Molay]

Originally posted by Azazel
[

but I am sorry, you care more for open spaces than for people.

What a crock of sh*t. There's plenty of space for redevelopment in existing, older cities, but developers and wal-marts can't be bothered to go the extra mile and become actual parts of the community that contribute to quality-of-life, as opposed to a monolithic, soul-sucking tumor that gobbles up cheap farmland and puts concrete in its place.

People protest != bad. People want army bases in their town, does it mean they're good?

I'm sorry, but this is completely devoid of sense.
Try not to address the original question in monosyllabic doublespeak. My argument is that the benefits of wal-mart you espoused are outweighed by the negatives, which why many people are so vehemently opposed to having one set up in their towns...

[Gangerolf]

is this what they call irony?

[asleepathewheel]

thats what they call google ads. Seems to be triggered by words in the thread or MarkG is particularly naughty. And I commeneted on this 3 posts ago

[Ned]

I find this desire to shop at higher priced stores because they pay their employees a greater wage just a bit bizarre. I would suggest that the people who actually believe this buy nothing but handmade shoes, clothes and cars, and eat at only the finest restaurants were the employees are paid the greatest wages. If you are truly wealthy you may be able to do this. But the common folk cannot.

[Gangerolf]

i never read more than page 1

[General Ludd]

Originally posted by Ned
But the common folk cannot.

Because they're all working for minimum wage at wall-mart.

[GhengisFarbâ„¢]

Originally posted by General Ludd
At all of the locally owned buisness that've gone out of buisness in favour of the junk shops.

If they've gone out of business how are we supposed to do business with them?

[asleepathewheel]

where I've lived, the local shops have been the junk shops. Walmart at the very least is consistent in quality. cheap goods cheap quality mostly, you get what you pay for.

And as I said before, since wal-mart owns basically every team I root for, gooooo Wal-mart

[Az]

A ponce is another term for a homosexual.

not so.

http://www.yourdictionary.net/ponce.html

I just prefer to buy shoes in a shoe shop, where I get my feet measured, and the assistant talks to me about what looks good, and we have a chat, and she offers me 5% off...

The one doesn't exclude the other. ( Though I, myself, find people that buy shoes in supermarkets wierd.

Or to buy books in a bookshop, and if they don't have the one I want, I can order it, and I can ask the assistant if author X has written anymore books about Y...

Same as above.

Or to buy cheese from the cheese store, and know its going to taste great, because the man let me taste it first.

In supermarkets here, they often allow this.

Or to by wine from the wine store and ask the man there what's good with bacon, and he'll tell me X, and I say that's too expensive, and he says "how about this one" and I say, that looks good, and he offers me a taste, and we agree it is good.

Wine shops? pfft. niche.

Or I can run around in a warehouse with a wheeled steel basket and fill it with all the branded products I can find

yes you can.

[Jac de Molay]

Originally posted by Ned
I find this desire to shop at higher priced stores because they pay their employees a greater wage just a bit bizarre. .

If you compared the prices at a union-run grocery store vs. Wal-Mart, there's not that much difference except where you're buying in HUGE bulk, and the quality and variety of foods is far better at the smaller store.

I'm not buying the argument that grocery shoppers are paying any premium for shopping at smaller, higher paying markets. Most of these also offer discount club cards to save even more.

[Urban Ranger]

I don't know about the United States, but here in Hong Kong, buying stuff from large supermarket chains doesn't mean you pay less. On the other hand, the supermarket chains consistently charge you more, from toilet paper to fluorescent bulbs.

[Datajack Franit]

I did read a book about a chick working in a Walmart and almost getting disabled.. "Nickel and dimed" of Barbra Ehrenreich or sth like that

[Vesayen]

Nickel and dimed is a book I read rescently.... everyone here should read it, its not that long.

[Fake Boris]

Originally posted by Ned
I find this desire to shop at higher priced stores because they pay their employees a greater wage just a bit bizarre. I would suggest that the people who actually believe this buy nothing but handmade shoes, clothes and cars, and eat at only the finest restaurants were the employees are paid the greatest wages. If you are truly wealthy you may be able to do this. But the common folk cannot.

The problem are large stores that put a huge emphasis on raw consumption at the expense of environment and quality of life. Just a small example: in Europe, many shops just don't give you plastic bags.

Large corporations with shareholders to justify artificially inflate the economy with useless, resource-unefficient stuff.