Streams of Consciousness & Thoughts~~~

[kennethcadwell]

I agree with you on this that all stores sell pretty much the same things, and if some one wants to be against a store be against Target. It is neither a U.S. favorable store nor does its owners favor America, they have even came out publically and bad mouth U.S. veterans. The other thing is that Wal-mart does sell American made products to, and the other thing is Sam Walton who started the franchise was a small time American business man who started out with small 5 and dime stores before he opened his first Wal-mart.

He had a dream to always provide good products at a low cost, so that people could afford to have good things with out being price gouged as most malls and other stores do. Falsely convincing people that just because a certain name is on a product it is made better, tacking on higher costs on products just because of the name.

Example: plain t-shirt at Wal-mart $10.....put a Nike swoosh on that same t-shirt and another store sells it for $30

What I find interesting is how a lot of people point out how wal-mart sells all this stuff made in china when in fact its the same stuff that target and kmart sell, only wal-mart sells it for a little less.

 

[just_monicat]

anybody seen the "bears" disneynature movie?

i reeeeeaaaalllly want to see it.

 

[zeroturbulence]

They are just as evil, China-Mart is biggest and pretty much everywhere when kmart and target are not.

Buying anything Made-In-China is evil. Just remember if you buy made in china you defacto support slavery.

But what if I'm chinese?

 

[kennethcadwell]

The thing is K-mart priced themselves out of business almost by selling the same stuff as Wal-mart at higher prices. They only got saved by letting Sears ( another high priced company ) buy them out but keep the name. Target is not wide spread because of how unsporting of U.S. they are and people do not welcome that. Wal-mart is still ran by the Walton family, Sam's brother now runs the company.

Yes they have treated employee's badly, but how one is paid is a matter of that persons opinion. Here were I live the Wal-marts have always paid a fair rate to employees based on the average pay rate in area, and if you had previous experience they paid you any where from 25 cents an hour more to $1.50 more an hour depending on experience. If you had to help a customer when you were off the clock all you had to do was mention it to management and you would get paid for that time to.

They are just as evil, China-Mart is biggest and pretty much everywhere when kmart and target are not.

Buying anything Made-In-China is evil. Just remember if you buy made in china you defacto support slavery.

 

[ArtsieSteph]

I can do the one handed clap. Anyone else have any random talents?

 

[Pipp]

I love you Pipp, you're one of most favorite people but you. are. trying. my. patience with this going to walmart. WBM is right - old Sam Walton has already rolled over in his grave so many times he's drilled himself down to China for a more direct route. WalMart has underpaid their people ever since old Sam croaked and now depending on the U.S. government to provide their employees the benefits program. And when they go into a town and bum out every business in it, they can afford turn a former respected hardware store owner who worked hard carving his piece pie into an underpaid blue apron greeter. I'm compelled to care for the poor and it breaks my heart to see so many there working to achieve just that.

ok I'm done...

sorry.

I didn't know all of this... forgive me everyone. I didn't know I was doing anything wrong/ offensive.

 

[NewEagle]

I didn't know all of this... forgive me everyone. I didn't know I was doing anything wrong/ offensive.

You didn't do anything offensive. It is not against CC rules to buy at Wal-Mart.

And by the way, Wal-Mart is often the least expensive place to go to get food (at the very least) and other products. Many folks are not in a position to be politically correct and choose another store because they are trying to provide for their family on a limited budget.

 

[Fenner]

I'd like to know we're to shop that has EVERYTHING made in America. I'm not a huge Wal-Mart fan because I don't like huge stores, but my Husband was an assistant manager there for a few years and we had insurance and he received profit sharing checks every year.

 

[lil_christian]

‘Hobbit’ Movie Renamed: Third & Final Film Is Now ‘Battle Of The Five Armies’ | Variety

Alright...I think I'm gonna grab some people and some pitchforks and torches. I can't believe they're doing this!

 

[Fenner]

I love Kmart, they have a great rewards program. I save money there all the time.

 

[Pipp]

Sorry guys I wasn't trying to come off as whiny and offended...

 

[rachelsedge]

Holding my soft, warm cat and hearing/feeling her purr as she snuggles with me is a great way to end the day. She is very special to me and is my little shadow. She follows me around everywhere and if she isn't sleeping by me at night she is sleeping somewhere in my room or at the bottom of the stairs waiting for me to get up.

I better stop talking about her before I sound too crazy.

 

[iTOREtheSKY]

I will throw it out there because frankly I don't care who likes me & who doesn't...who agrees with me & who doesn't...
I will shop pretty much anywhere that has what I want for a good price. Period. I personally,rarely shop @ Wal-Mart,not for any political or moral reason,but because I detest seeing people shop in pajamas & uggz without wearing a bra,that clearly haven't bathed in a week. Not to mention the set up the store like an endless maze,the employees are rarely helpful & the prices are usually no more cheaper than any other store.

I worked for L.L. Bean for nearly 8 yrs. I took at least 10-15 calls a month with customers whining about how come our products weren't made in the USA & how dare we being an iconic American company outsource our stuff to China,Mexico,Indonesia,and Vietnam??? Once & a while I'd explain it,but most of the time I'd just send them on through to the presidents office & they could speak to someone in customer relations.I used to laugh at times because these people are complaining about the country of origin on the tag but they love the quality of our products. A few people asked"How come yer' stuff is so good if made in China?" I told them,"Because we have our people over there in the factories monitoring the workmanship to meet our standards.It's not left unattended by some random person." The fact is,nearly every big country in the USA that does well for themselves outsources jobs overseas because they don't have to pay them what they would have to pay one of us. I find it funny how the poorest American won't do a job for $7 an hour & complain about it,but heaven forbid that same job is offered & taken by someone else who's not a citizen. To me this is insanity. Apparently ever year in Maine for 3 months the have hundreds of Mexicans come up to harvest blueberries because no one locally wants to do the job for the wage they are paying. One of the poorest states where like everyone is on welfare,no jobs...and they have to bring up people from another country to work because Mainers don't wanna do labor like that for under $10 an hour.

I would love to "support" America. I would love to buy "organic". I would love to do lots of things,but our system isn't set up to succeed or live healthy or be "fair". It's set up based on greed,selfishness,pride and vanity. It's easy to tell people not to shop @ Wal-Mart or don't buy this or that because that company supports this or that group or politician,but the reality for most people is that they just either don't care or they can't afford to care because of the situation they are in financially.

Not to sound all doom & gloom or apathetic,but until this country turns to Jesus,the least of our worries are products made in China!

 

[kenthomas27]

You didn't do anything offensive. It is not against CC rules to buy at Wal-Mart.

And by the way, Wal-Mart is often the least expensive place to go to get food (at the very least) and other products. Many folks are not in a position to be politically correct and choose another store because they are trying to provide for their family on a limited budget.

I would counter that I don't consider being on a very limited budget (which I am) is excuse for me to give up my values. Just in the last 30 years the U.S. has experienced an every deepening chasm of financial security between the working class and the rich - that's right, the middle class and the rich - with some 95% of financial gains going to the top 1% of earners. These kind of numbers are just in the last few years! The working class and of course, the poor, are totally left out of the equation because less than half of working people own appreciable stock where most corporate dollars are flowing. Middle class wages have shrunk from more than 50% of gdp in the 70's to about 42% today. Most jobs available now are low paying part time work - anything to get out of providing any kind of benefit - which might explain why job participation is only about 63%, the lowest in US it's ever been.

I'm not blaming Walmart for all this but they are a shining example when you see a backwoods distribution center down an old dusty road that has buildings expanding about 60 ACRES of space like I have and who gained that land by a government issuing eminent domain warrants on any homes in their way. But I am blaming a corporate/government structure that's not even allowing us working class to sit down at the table to eat. Heck, they don't even pass the salt.

 

[gee22]

Tonight, i just thought about God's plan for me. Well, i just graduated and i believe He has great plans for me with regards to my career. However, i also thought about what might be His plan for me when it comes to my love life. ))


i thank God for all the blessings i've been receiving. Hoping for a great career and for finding a partner. Never been inlove but i believe God has his plans. i thank God in advance for i know that i'll get a job and fall in love very soon!

 

[Loveneverfails]

It just occurred to me that I am leaving for Taiwan in a week. ONE WEEK. This feels unreal!

*passes out from excitement*

 

[wisebeardman]

The thing is K-mart priced themselves out of business almost by selling the same stuff as Wal-mart at higher prices. They only got saved by letting Sears ( another high priced company ) buy them out but keep the name. Target is not wide spread because of how unsporting of U.S. they are and people do not welcome that. Wal-mart is still ran by the Walton family, Sam's brother now runs the company.

Yes they have treated employee's badly, but how one is paid is a matter of that persons opinion. Here were I live the Wal-marts have always paid a fair rate to employees based on the average pay rate in area, and if you had previous experience they paid you any where from 25 cents an hour more to $1.50 more an hour depending on experience. If you had to help a customer when you were off the clock all you had to do was mention it to management and you would get paid for that time to.

wal-mart is a crap company. they have little to do with MADE IN USA matter of fact they are one of the leading causes of the loss of jobs in this country. Sam Walton is dead and has been a long time now. his vision for it no longer matters. they treat manufacturers like crap, they treat employees like crap. they are supporters of the enemy. If more Americans would pull their head out of they bum and realize shopping in china-mart does more harm to the nation then good we would be MUCH better off. But as long as stupid people keep buying the made in china junk we will continue to sink farther into becoming a 3rd world nation. And quite frank in my eyes buying made in china is treason you might as well just give money to Al-Queda

 

[DuchessAimee]

I would counter that I don't consider being on a very limited budget (which I am) is excuse for me to give up my values. Just in the last 30 years the U.S. has experienced an every deepening chasm of financial security between the working class and the rich - that's right, the middle class and the rich - with some 95% of financial gains going to the top 1% of earners. These kind of numbers are just in the last few years! The working class and of course, the poor, are totally left out of the equation because less than half of working people own appreciable stock where most corporate dollars are flowing. Middle class wages have shrunk from more than 50% of gdp in the 70's to about 42% today. Most jobs available now are low paying part time work - anything to get out of providing any kind of benefit - which might explain why job participation is only about 63%, the lowest in US it's ever been.

I'm not blaming Walmart for all this but they are a shining example when you see a backwoods distribution center down an old dusty road that has buildings expanding about 60 ACRES of space like I have and who gained that land by a government issuing eminent domain warrants on any homes in their way. But I am blaming a corporate/government structure that's not even allowing us working class to sit down at the table to eat. Heck, they don't even pass the salt.

Don't give up your values. It's what makes you you.



You should be blaming people because people make up the corporate structure. However, we shouldn't be surprised when the world behaves like the world. Money truly is the root of all evil; it's what makes the world function. Theft, murder, sex trafficking, outsourcing jobs, unions, and 92 million other things that are evil are done for MONEY. There are a few other reasons in the mix, but people do interesting things when they don't have the money they want or need.


We like to blame society for things, but society is made up of individuals. It's made up of worldly people who don't know Jesus. And yet we expect them to behave like Christians. We can't and shouldn't expect people to fall under our paradigm when they know nothing of it.

 

[zeroturbulence]

Walmart's just doing what every other big corporation does - figures out how to increase profits and lower costs. There are very few big companies in the retail industry that actually seem to care about their employees. I can only think of one so far, Chick-fil-a. I'm sure there are others, but my point is that walmart is not really doing anything worse than all the other big retailers out there. If people think that stores like Nordstroms, Macy's, Bloomingdales, etc.. treat their employees better, then they're dreaming. Walmart employees actually get paid vacations, medical insurance (even before obamacare existed), paid sick days and bonuses. Their part-timers are eligible for all those benefits too after a year(and this was even before obamacare)..as long as they average a certain minimum number of hours per week.

 

[iTOREtheSKY]

I'd give every cent to China I had if people would stop referencing Al-Queda all the time. I am sooooooooo over it all! Here's to God coming sooner than later & wiping away all this stupid mess we've made of the world!