Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Suck It, Wal-Mart!


Everyone who knows me well knows that I can't stand Wal-Mart. People love to torment me by arguing why Wal-Mart is beneficial and necessary for people who have kids or don't make a lot of money. Well this is precisely why I DON'T like Wal-mart. I don't like bratty kids and I don't like grungy obnoxious people who have no clue on social norms (which does not mean all people who are low income are obnoxious and grungy, but we all know Wal-Mart attracts a certain type of customer you may not find elsewhere). My cousin Erika wrote about her distaste for Wal-Mart a couple of months ago and I couldn't agree more.

Coeur d'Alene had no Wal-Mart when I moved here and I not-so-secretly loved that. I was thrilled that Target was 2 miles from my house and Wal-Mart was nowhere to be found. Well a piece of my love for Coeur d'Alene died today. Wal-Mart came to town. Now Wal-Mart is only 1.5 miles from my house, which means I have to pass the large eye-sore every time I drive to my go-to store, Target.

Now, for those who are going to get defensive, I know Target is flawed. I know it's sometimes necessary to get items at 11 pm. When I was living in Sioux Falls I needed to get an air mattress repair kit at 11 pm and it was the only option. I was very appreciative of Wal-Mart that night when I was able to sleep on air instead of the floor. But I don't like how once Wal-Mart is available in a community, it becomes the most convenient store and people use it to buy EVERYTHING. Other businesses suffer, including small businesses who can't compete. While the Coeur d'Alene/Hayden Wal-Mart adds 350 jobs, how many will the store eventually take away? How well are they paying compared to other stores? How much of the economy is just being concentrated and transferred to Wal-Mart instead of having it add to the economy? I guess this is capitalism.

Anyway, Wal-Mart is dumb and I'm already aware that it's there even though I'm avoiding it as the amount of traffic has increased within a two mile radius.

Bottom line ... I'm ok with Wal-Mart being an option, but I don't like it being the only option some people consider.

4 comments:

  1. You should watch that documentary about Wal-Mart (looking up what it's called right now........) ok, it's called "Wal-Mart: the high cost of low price." Maybe you've seen it already. If not, it will make you never go there again. SJ and I have sworn it off for good even though it's super cheap. It's heard to support someplace that treats their employees so terribly. And plus, the crowd that goes there is a little nutty!

    Target does get a bad rap about supporting that candidate (we heard all about it, since it's headquartered downtown MPLS), but they do a lot of great stuff too. I think they supported him because it would be good for business - at least I hope so.

    Yes - BOO WAL-MART!

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  2. I agree Shannon. It totally sucks that your community resisted Walmart so long and now it's there anyway.

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  3. Paul - I have that doc. on my Netflix list - I'll put it on the top of the list so I get it soon!

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  4. I agree about disliking Walmart! I would rather drive an extra few miles, possibly spend a few extra dollars, and go to Target than Walmart any day!

    Dawn

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