We Did It!

[ncscgirl2005]

I gave up on WalMart in December 2002 when my Dad died and my aunt came to town and told me a story. To make this story short.. my cousin is mentally and somewhat physically handicapped from a Drunk Driver.. she works for Walmart (slavemart) putting their brand of mens belt buckels, suspenders, and something else together and gets paid .25 cents an hour. They say the benefit of them getting to do this is better for them. It makes them feel good and it gives them Physical Therapy. My aunt wants her to leave from this job however because of her mental state she loves it and my aunt does not want to hurt her feelings.
Anyway it's not about the money- I agree that it is good for them however Walmart makes millions and as far as I am concerned they take advantage of these people SO for this reason I will NEVER SHOP AT WALMART AGAIN!!

OMG, what a horrible story. I'm glad your cousin has something to do that she loves and I know thats really important to her. I have a mentally handicapped friend that goes to a local business to volunteer every day of the week just because she loves it and it's something she's good at . But good grief Wal-Mart!
I couldn't stand the thought of pumping more of my money into that monster who makes billions but can't even have a decent restroom. The last time they tried to fix up their bathrooms, it looked like they gave a bunch of 4 year olds a paint brush and a ladder and told them to be "creative".

[FlaTinkRAMESAM]

My daughter has a $25 gift card from Wal-Mart that we have been trying to figure out how to get rid of without spending it. I could give it as a gift but it has the Bratz characters on it so adults are out of the question. I may eventually trade it for the cash and give her the loot. She'll like that better anyway since she like to brag that she has more money than her parents (and sometimes she's right! )

sell it on ebay for like 22.50 buy it now... people will buy it quick. i got a victoria secret gift card one year and i am not the smallest of girls and have an, um, well endowed chest... so nothin fits me in there. had to sell it and i sold a $20 card for $18 w/ free shipping and it sold in the first hour.

[PAYROLL PRINCESS]

I went to Walmart on Black Friday to pick up a couple of things. They had to have a cop in the parking lot to keep the mob organized! I grabbed what I needed and left within 15 minutes. I then went to Target to grab something when they opened. What a difference in the customers!!! Much more sane group of people. I walked in and went over to the camera dept and a sales associate approached me and asked me what I was looking for, got it and handed it to me! It took me all of 3 minutes!
The only thing I go to Walmart for is cleaning supplies and deoderant and shampoo type stuff.
Our local store reorganized/moved everything. I personally think it was because of people like me who went in, went to exactly what they needed, got it and left. Now they make us search for what we used to be able to find right away in the hopes that we will buy more.

[conorsmom2000]

sell it on ebay for like 22.50 buy it now... people will buy it quick. i got a victoria secret gift card one year and i am not the smallest of girls and have an, um, well endowed chest... so nothin fits me in there. had to sell it and i sold a $20 card for $18 w/ free shipping and it sold in the first hour.

I was going to sugget the same thing! I've sold gift cards that we couldn't use on ebay before - just put the buy it now $1 or $2 less, offer free shipping and they go fast!

[DisneyDudet]

We go to Wal Mart for groceries and thats about it. Around us, it is growing so much that no matter what store you go to, you will have a mob. So, we decide on the cheapest, since it will be the same no matter where.

Now, for other things, we shop at Target. We find that Target's grocery selection isn't enough, and the other stores have to raise their prices b/c of Wal Mart.

We love Target! They are building a new Wal Mart near our house, and it is designed like the ritzy part of the metroplex's one, with actual wood floors and such. We'll visit it, until it turns gross like all the others.

So good for you to keep your ground and not to go!

LCPZA, is this person working for walmart?? If so, I would report them the the Dept Of Labor, as they are not being paid minimum wage, which is required in this country. I sure hope that Wal Mart gets in trouble for what they are doing to that young person.

[jillluvsdisney]

My father is very anti Wal Mart. I'm kind of surprised to read so may others share his opinion. I agree with everything said here. Wal Mart does not pay their workers fairly or give them affordable health insurance. Almost all of their merchandise is from China also. That's why my Father refused to spend money there. I like Target. The Wal Mart here in Kenosha is kind of nasty

[magicofdisney]

I went to Walmart on Black Friday to pick up a couple of things. They had to have a cop in the parking lot to keep the mob organized!

The use of police patrols was not limited to your Wal-Mart on Black Friday. Where I live, they had them at Best Buy and Target as well. Possibly other stores but I didn't visit them all. What I can tell you is Black Friday was unbelievable in my neck of the woods. It almost had to be seen to be believed.

[ncscgirl2005]

I was going to sugget the same thing! I've sold gift cards that we couldn't use on ebay before - just put the buy it now $1 or $2 less, offer free shipping and they go fast!

sell it on ebay for like 22.50 buy it now... people will buy it quick. i got a victoria secret gift card one year and i am not the smallest of girls and have an, um, well endowed chest... so nothin fits me in there. had to sell it and i sold a $20 card for $18 w/ free shipping and it sold in the first hour.

Good Idea. Thanks!

[DrivingSideways]

I've worked for Target since I was 16 years old (8 years now), and y'all are making me blush! It's really nice to work for a company that so many people from various backgrounds feel good about.

Interesting Target Tidbit: All of our customers are "guests." We freely admit that we picked this up from Disney.

[BronxTigger]

I've worked for Target since I was 16 years old (8 years now), and y'all are making me blush! It's really nice to work for a company that so many people from various backgrounds feel good about.

Interesting Target Tidbit: All of our customers are "guests." We freely admit that we picked this up from Disney.

I've worked for Target before...twice. Once in high school, when I worked at Food Avenue. I was trying to move out of that area and into cashiering when my family moved so I had to resign. Then again during college I worked at Target, but I was a cashier and then they moved me over to Guest Services (returns, etc). I would have stayed there a while longer but I moved so I had to resign (again)!

[tinksmom02]

I despise Walmart for all of the reasons mentioned--it's filthy, the aisles are always a mess, employees are rude, lines are always ridiculous, and their bathrooms are always disgusting. Plus, it seems that the customers that frequent Walmart regularly are...less than polite (why IS that)?

I LOVE Target, and I find that their products are a higher quality, as well (just picked up new dishes there today, as a matter of fact LOL).

DD got some duplicate Xmas gifts that came from Walmart, so we did the return line Thursday (over two weeks after Christmas). The cashier was nice enough, but we were in line for twenty minutes! I can only imagine what the lines were like immediately after Christmas!

Today, returned something at Target. Took all of 45 seconds.

BUT, like others have said, it's WAY too easy to overspend at Target. I try to limit my visits, because I know I'm going to drop at least $100 each time. And I don't generally shop for food there.

Not a big fan of KMart, either. Would probably rank it well below Walmart, actually, in terms of cleaniness and customer service.

[ncscgirl2005]

I've worked for Target since I was 16 years old (8 years now), and y'all are making me blush! It's really nice to work for a company that so many people from various backgrounds feel good about.

Interesting Target Tidbit: All of our customers are "guests." We freely admit that we picked this up from Disney.

How wonderful. I love how Target will not allow their lines to get backed up (at least my Target didn't). I don't know Target's exactly policy for that but during the Christmas season, I always saw a manager at the back of the lines watching to see if the lines were moving fast enough. They did not hesitate to pull employees from other areas and put them on the registers to get the crowds moving. I never spent more than 10 minutes in any line at Target over the Christmas season!!!

[Dixie Springs]

I guess I'm sort of neutral regarding the discount stores thing. I must be out of it or something. My loyalty is with price, not a particular retailer. I'm thankful for all of America's retail competition.

Maybe it's a guy thing - I find the best price, run in, buy it, then run out. I don't really 'like' any stores (okay - maybe WDW shops ).

[katzctkpt]

Glad to see I'm not the only one who wants to ban Walmart. I only go there as a last resort. I swore them off when they stopped the layaway program. I used it during Christmas so, I didn't have to charge and it did help. This yr most items were purchased elsewhere and very little from Walmart. Next yr I hope to avoid them all together. I like Target, just wish they'd let the Salvation Army set up the buckets during the holiday season.

[ncscgirl2005]

I swore them off when they stopped the layaway program. I used it during Christmas so, I didn't have to charge and it did help.

My aunts and cousins were so angry when they stopped the layaway program.
I used the layaway program for back-to-school supplies. When they first put back-to-school supplies out on the shelves in late June/early July I would put the supplies my kids needed along with their uniforms on layaway so that I didn't have to fight the crowds during the normal back-to-school crowds. All I had to do was go to the layaway dept and pick up my box. And that kept me from having to find a place to store the supplies for over a month until school started. The layaway program came in handy during those times.

[minnie1956]

1) WalMart pays minimum wage like McDonalds, BK & others. It's a service industry folks! Not meant to be a 40 hour paycheck to support an entire family. That so many people here have decided for WHATEVER reason not to further their education, doesn't leave many employment options.
2) I blame the customers for the mess. I can't tell you how many times I will watch "loving Mommies & Daddies" let junior & his sister tear the place apart "playing" so they can get the shopping done. Let's not even talk about the parents who feel it's acceptable to eat a meal while walking around and ditch the wrappers. I digress. You have no idea how hard it is to clean up after these slobs. I will NEVER work retail again because of this. I can't tell you how many I pick up after other shoppers because they can't be bothered to bend over and pick up something THEY knocked over.
I digress again.
3) I do not like the so much of WalMart's stuff comes from China. So, I am making conscious decisions to choose more expensive shrimp from Louisiana instead of cheaper shrimp from
Vietman or China.
If I can buy butter for $1.89 from WalMart or Aldi's instead of $2.59 from Jewel, I will buy from Walmart or Aldi & put what I can save aside for my Disney vacations. Hubby's industry has been hurting for several years. Raises to our bottom line have been minimal for him. I like our Super WalMart, I don't buy everything there, but I do buy there. Our's is a Super Walmart and one of the cleanest in the area. Even the bathrooms. I also teach my daughter that to be fair, you have to stop by the Mom & Pops too or they will be gone. We try to spread the wealth, so to speak. Off my soap box.

[DrivingSideways]

How wonderful. I love how Target will not allow their lines to get backed up (at least my Target didn't). I don't know Target's exactly policy for that but during the Christmas season, I always saw a manager at the back of the lines watching to see if the lines were moving fast enough. They did not hesitate to pull employees from other areas and put them on the registers to get the crowds moving. I never spent more than 10 minutes in any line at Target over the Christmas season!!!

That's our policy. If there are more than 2 guests in line waiting, we open more registers. Of course, it varies a lot. If the backup cashiers (i.e. the salesfloor team) is with a guest, they can't come up to help. We definitely do our absolute best though! Thanks for the props!