Have you heard any of the horror stories about working at Wal-Mart? I shop there all the time but always feel a bit guilty. You see, I have a granddaughter who worked for Wal-Mart until a few weeks ago. She says the company just doesn’t treat its workers well at all. When she left, they had her working in a cash room from 10:00 PM till 6:00 AM. And they never gave her 40 hour weeks, so she was never a full-time employee, even after nearly three years.

So, if you shop at Wal-Mart, do you feel at all guilty?

Frugal Doug

Up until about a year ago I used to shop there all the time. I've cut way back on the trips I make there.

I too dont shop there as often as I used to.

No more so than all of the Big Boxes w/o unions. I try to shop at the local places when I can which is more often than not.

I don't feel guilty...but I'd rather shop at a local place. I get mad at myself. Usually when I go they are alway out of something. It reminds me why I shouldn't shop there.

Nope not a bit. I have a friend that has worked there 10 years in the store and can't say a bad thing about them. She loves it. I have another friends who is a truck driver for them and loves it. I have a client who works for their distibution center for 15 years and loves it.

My grandparents worked there. They loved it. My grandparents had a hardware for over 30 years. Working at walmart allowed them to still share their knowledge without having to maintain a whole store. I have had another friend when her husband lost his job she worked there for the health benefits, at least they offered them. This was recently.

No, not guilty, but I don't like the size and the crowds. Every trip is an expedition. I don't shop there as often as I used to, partly because I have other good grocery choices close to me since I've moved.

I don't feel guilty going in there but hate going in there. I can't get in and out of that place very quickly. Thier parking lot is huge. THey need more places to store the carts. I"m always losing my car.

I don't feel guilty either.. I worked for the company for three years awhile back and I have nothing bad to say about them.

I hate going there and lately I'm sick of their having a sign saying a certain price then they charge 50 cents more.
Now all I will buy there is dog and cat food.
Other than that I'll give my business to local stores and Kmart
I did have family that worked there. they liked it

I don't feel guilty, but I hate going there. This past year, it's been crazy busy, the shelves aren't well stocked, and they don't have enough checkouts open. The cynical side of me thinks they know it's not managed well, but since they're the big cheese around here, they don't care. I've drastically reduced the amount of time and money I spend there.

I stopped shopping at Walmart a month ago and won't ever go back! Just a personal choice of mine.......I do read often about other Walmarts that are nice with nice employees........mine stinks! Very rude employees and no customer service at all!

I quit going there this year. Before I loved the convenience of the one-stop shopping, but not at the expense of my family's health (I prefer locally grown/organic whenever possible) and my finances! I can buy higher quality food, and I've actually saved money because we aren't buying a bunch of stuff we don't need.

I prefer to shop local, but on some things I just can't beat Wal Mart's prices. I used to shop there once a week (or more), but now I only go in there once a month - if at all.

We just got a brand new Wal Mart super center in town last Thanksgiving ('06) and I have to say, we have really noticed a change in teh demographics around town ever since.....its kind of strange. We aren't sure if the two are related, or if it has more to do with the downturn in the housing market and more rentals.....but our town is not as "nice" and "safe" as it used to be.

I don't shop there much, because it is out of my way really. The closest one is about 12 miles, and the grocery and dollar store is only 3 blocks away. I do just as well using my coupons at the grocery store.

It's very very rare that I shop there but when I have I've always felt guilty.

I don't feel guilty shopping where I can get the best price and stretch my food money. I can't afford to be choosy where I shop at this time.

I can get 2 weeks worth of food at the stores in my town, if I went to Walmart I could have gotten 3 weeks worth

I don't feel quilty it is the cheapest place around.

Eileen

I dont feel the guilt. I have to watch what is spent and if Wal-Mart has a product that I need less expensive than Kroger or Food Lion then that's where I buy. However.....the trips to Wal-Mart are usually few and far between.

I use to work for WM too and cried when I had to quit. I was hired part time and with in just a few months was full time. I really don't have anything bad to say as for working for the organization. I shop there but there isn't much else to shop. I enjoyed my job and got along with all the managers. I think they are finally getting it with some of their employees b/c now when I run my debit card the little machine ask "was your cashier friendly today?"

I don't grocery shop at Walmart so that helps.... I live within 1 mile of an Aldi's, Save-A-Lot, Dollar Tree and three other major grocery stores so that's where I spend my grocery money.

We shop there very infrequently, mainly because they aren't located conveniently for us to shop there. KMart, Target and Meijer is closer and more convenient. Plus when we do go there I feel guilty because we buy stuff we really don't need.

I only know of one person that has worked there. She didn't like it, but I think it was more her than the store's management.

I never feel guilty shopping at any store..Whether it be Walmart or Aldi's or even Old Navy Stores..Why.. because I know I'm getting the best deals I can get and saving more money for my family by getting what I need(mostly stockpiling items I need) at rock bottom prices..Walmart is the biggest shopping center in my area(soon to be bigger when they build the SuperCenter Walmart this year)I only shop there when I can't find what I need from other stores..I price match when one of the other stores has a limit on the sale items and use that to my advantage because I normally have my brother w/me also(he lives w/me) so he can to price match to doubling the items..killing two birds w/one stone so to speak.

I don't feel guilty for shopping there, I don't really go there too often anymore, just because it takes so long to get through the store and the lines. I don't understand why the workers complain so much about working there, no one is forcing them to work there. I'm sorry but a lot of them do not have the education or knowledge to do a different job. I know the greeters here make 9 an hour which is way more than minimum wage. If they can't survive on the part time they give them then it's time to get a second part time job. They complain about the lack of insurance, etc. I have worked minimum wage jobs before without insurance, vacation, etc. so they are not the only ones.

Don't, won't, nope.

I don't, I work there and I am very happy with my job. I have been part time, full time, part time while still 'officially' full time (because my manager knew I was in school and wanted me to stay full time, so he scheduled me for full time them approved my absences when I was gone) and now I am part time in school with no problems. So of course I don't feel guilty shopping there, I see all my friends when I shop there, I know those people. I don't like shopping at some other walmarts in the area though, because the associates are not as friendly. But that is why I love my store, it's awesome.

I dont feel guilty. I go once a month and stock up on toilet paper, detergents, and any bathroom essentials we need. I also go there for school supplies in August. Cheapest for those things in my town. I have cut back, not for feeling guilty just for saving money. LOL

My MIL has been there a LONG time, and she's got nothing but good things to say. The negative she does have to say, is more about the staff, they feel they are entitled to a paycheck to merely show up for work, who cares about lifting a finger. They talk on the phone, go on extended breaks, etc. No one works but expects the world. Sad state of affairs, this is not only Walmart though, it's everywhere and anywhere right not. Dh's work is like that as well. Dh works hard, but most of his co-workers spedn their time on the phone, eating, visiting, smoking, etc.

not atall i worked there for 2 years and can honestly say they never short changed me at all their prices are good and they fill a need for many people

I only go there when I need certain things, that I can't get elsewhere..I don't shop much anymore anywhere...

I don't feel guilty at all. I have worked for retail stores in the past that was what I did. I worked for both union based and non union based. I shop where the prices are the best if that happens to be Walmart then that's where I go. And for the record if I had to I would work at Walmart, wouldn't bother me at all. All jobs have downfalls and seems to me that if you work there you are aware of them and deal with it.

The only time I feel gulity about is when I over spend! I don't shop at walmart often as I can do much better by following the sales and I would rather spread my money around.

I don't feel guilty when I pay $1 or $2 less for the exact same item as in my local grocery, but I personally avoid the store like the plague. It seems the "customers" are so RUDE. I've been hit with someone else's cart EVERY time I've been there and not once has anyone applogized! The people that work there seem fine, haven't had any bad experiences with the employees, but then I can count the times I've been to walmart in the past year on one hand...

My husband works at Wal-Mart and gets treated wonderfully. He works hard and gets rewarded. It's a great company with some bad managers, just about like every other company. Don't feel guilty, not all associates are miserable here.

No guilt. I just shop loss leaders at box stores and everything else I try to buy locally (including our health co-op). My goal is to cut down on what I buy at big stores any way and simply as much as possible.

I don't have much of a choice to shop where I can't save money. I think it all depends who's in charge at the stores. Good and bad managers happen everywhere.

I don't feel guilty at all--it's a free-market economy, and we don't have slave labor. No one is forced to work or shop there.

I don't feel guilty at all. Especially when I go to Safeway or City Market and pay twice as much for something. The "local" stores/non-chain stores are even worse.

I don't feel guilty because I do not shop there. But I think Papa-San Walton is brilliant. There will always be a market for cheap and inferior goods.And willing consumers to purchase them. It has made him very rich.Ah-so!

No, I don't feel guilty, but I'm always saying to myself "why do I keep coming here when they don't have what I need!!"

I don't shop there, I went once last year to look at their garden supply section and I was not impressed. The prices are usually more than the grocery store I regularly shop at.

I used to love the store for the one stop shop factor and then they made the super walmart with the grocery dept's here in Canada.

Now....since I dont have the urge to shop, its a trip with a list and once all the items are in my cart, I can waddle and browse leisurely until I am ready to leave. I only go when I'm out of something - usually cleaning supplies and now I'm well stocked. Most of the stuff I can pick up at the grocery store for the same as Walmart price. No biggie really.

No I do not guilty for buying exactly what I want for less then other stores. Why feel bad about saving my hard earned money?

I don't feel guilty, but I do shop less often than I used to there.
They price match about anything. But I try to go to our local stores to support them.

I don't feel guilty at all (saves me the most money).....but I just hate to shop there. Never enough check-out lines open and always crowded. :angry:

I don't. The people I know who work at my local one have no complaints.
I don't do much grocery shopping there though, because I just don't like the setup and the busy-ness.

no, I don't feel guilty. My dd has worked at three retail stores now who also would give her up to 39 hours so they didn't have to pay benefits. I think that's somewhat common in the retail business. Walmart obviously provides a decent product for a decent price, they know and fill a market or they would be out of business.

Do I feel guilty for shopping there? Nope, not a bit. I don't feel guilty about anyplace that I shop at...I have enough real things going on in my life that I can feel guilty about should I choose to :doh2:

I never feel guilty about shopping at Wal-Mart, but I am getting a little sick of the crowded parking lot and store as well as the rude and unknowledgeable employees that work in the stores in my area. Almost not worth the savings!

I used to but not anymore. I was an assistant manager of a small grocery store/pharmacy and when they built the walmart up the road, my store went under, I lost my job. I was very bitter about that. But now, walmart is the cheapest around so i go there once in a while simply because everything is too expensive not too.

I'm from the land of Wal-Mart. I believe the store in my town is #7. No, I don't feel guilty at all.

Regarding how they treat their employees, do you check into every business you deal with to make sure their employees have benefits? I know lots of mom and pops that don't provide it because they don't have to. I know lots of other businesses that work folks part-time to avoid it. This is not exclusive to Wal-Mart.

I don't feel guilty shopping there. I have a niece who works for Wal-Mart and several close friends work there too. In my area, there is a Wal-mart and 1 grocery store to choose from. I also have a CVS and a Walgreens. If I want to shop at a discount store, I have to shop at Wal-Mart.

No, not at all. At this time a job is a job. I would work there if I didn't have my current job. If the employees are unhappy, they can find somewhere else to work. I'm facing losing lots of hours at my job so I may just go there!

No, not at all. At this time a job is a job. I would work there if I didn't have my current job. If the employees are unhappy, they can find somewhere else to work. I'm facing losing lots of hours at my job so I may just go there!

I just re-read my last post and it seemed angry to me. I wasn't trying to go that way.
I totally understand if someone is unhappy working for Walmart, I just meant to say they should leave. {finding something they are happy with} I know several people boycotting Walmart, but I find the best deals there and with my hours being reduced at work I need to save all of the money I can. I may actually apply there if I don't find another job!

Ok, I feel better now.

Nope. We all have choices in life. Just as people can choose to shop or not to shop at Walmart, people also can choose to work for or not to work for Walmart.

I don't shop at Walmart because I prefer to support local businesses, but I also don't look down on people who do shop there. I believe in voting with your dollars, and everyone is entitled to shop where they want to.

I haven't been in a Walmart in about 6 months, and I've never been a regular shopper there. They aren't conveniently located to us. Also, I've only ever found one thing that is cheaper at Walmart than anywhere else (Oxiclean). So there just isn't the savings factor there for me.

DH and I watched the Walmart documentary (High Cost of Low Prices) and it amazed me how faulty some of the logic was. I mean, I already agree that it's a big greedy corporation that's bad for America, but some of the arguments just weren't logical - like if it happens to one person or in one store, that doesn't make them all bad or guilty of the same thing.

I never feel quilty about going to our Walmart. The staff is very friendly, the store is clean and well organized and we have learned what we can and cannot get at the lowest price. We mostly buy our meat at another grocery store. We don't like to 'price match', takes too much time and we only have 2 other stores so not worth the hassel but it can be done. Customer Service has never been anything but helpful. If we did have a complaint I wouldn't hestitate to let them know. Best thing I like about it is not having to have one of those stupid 'discount' cards to prove I shop at their store and am eligible to get their 'on sale' discount. I absolutely loathe having to use those cards at Albertson's and Smith's.

I've asked Walmart employee's how they like working there and they do like it. We don't have many opportunities in our town. The only other stores in town are Dollar General (which is a total mess all the time and rarely has products I need) and Walgreen's which is on a corner that is impossible to get out of their parking lot based on the direction you need to go so I have been there a total of 2 times in 2 years.

I hate our Albertson's. I have gone and complained the last 3 times I was in there to Customer Service. I won't go back!

No i never feel guilty, but of course when walmart came into our town it was during a time of extreme need. They paid Excellent pay starting $5.50 for day time stocking when you could only get $5.15 jobs in town because there were to many people out of jobs because of several plants closing with in a few years of each other. People were stuck there because they couldn't get people to buy their homes so they could move somewhere else, those who did sell sold cheap and ran.

I worked there for a year and a half night shift cashier making $6.50 ,however ended up moving to another walmart here bad part i never got a pay increase from moving in although around here $6.50 is starting pay at any fast food place ( although at the moment i am making less then that .. blargh).

I was a student and i always had a full time schedual even during school. I worked hard when i had switched from working at BFS( a gas station ) to working at walmart i spent 2 weeks working both jobs. The last week of that i also worked my usual summer center job and didn't sleep hardly for the week, thankfully they didn't mind i fell to sleep on the school bus on a long trip *lol*.


However i do not like the Walmart here .. i shop at night as much as i can because it is so busy but they cut the cash checking and customer service to the day time hours only you can't even cash a check at a register now. Which makes me very unhappy. When i moved down here from MD they jerked me around about work and school which is why i left walmart.

I guess it all depends on where your walmart is located.

Nope, not a bit. It's about the only place I can afford to shop these days, since employers are starting to cut back and not give raises, OT, raise deductibles for Medical/Dental etc etc.

I don't shop there - like Telephus44, I try and support local businesses whenever possible. It costs a little more, sure, but I guess the reason I don't like Wal-Mart is that I see them as the most obvious example of the homogenization of American society, the loss of local color and local economy, and I'm willing to pay more to try and preserve local business. In a way, that's kind of irrational since Wal-Mart is hardly the only business that's been guilty of that, however - I just can't bring myself to do it. If DH and I have to go someplace like that, we go to Meijer.

Yes. NOT a good company to support.

I have found a good coupon system that allows me to be able to afford to shop at other grocery stores. I do like walmart for affordable organics though.

My husband works at Wal-mart part time to supplement his teacher's salary. It has been 4 years now and he has always been treated fairly. They are always willing to work around his schedule. I never feel guilty about shopping somewhere I can save money for my family.

I prefer not to shop SuperWalmart just because I hate the layout and the lines!

Some things are cheaper there ... and some things are cheaper elsewhere.

Plus I don't trust that air-pack meat system thingie. I've heard stories. I'll stick to my plastic wrapped stuff.

I don't shop at Walmart and don't have to since we have plenty of competition in my area.

I don't feel guilty there either. it's what i can afford. :)

i shop at walmart for cheap fabric/remnants, other accessories that are way cheaper here than at a fabric shop.

also, some things are cheaper and since it's close by, i'll stop in about twice a month. sometimes, i'll buy clothes there (on clearance).

otherwise, i don't shop often anyway.
i have gift cards i need to use, and that's how i get my clothing.

i dont shop at walmart for food, i dont trust it and their prices are way more than where i usually shop.

guilty?
no.
because i'd have to feel guilty about shopping ANYwhere.
no place is perfect.

absolutely not...I love Walmart. I can afford to buy things I need there.

Now..I sometimes feel guilty coming out of there. LOL I always buy something I don't need.

I don't feel guilty. I need to stretch my dollars as far as they'll go. I go to a Super Walmart that I finally figured out the layout of the store. I have my own 'route' that I take through the store when shopping so it doesn't take too long and if I go during the week it's not as crowded.

I used to work there. I was there for 2 years and I couldn't take it anymore and I walked out on them. My mom on the other hand was with the company for 16 years, and as of last week the fired her because she refused to step down as being a department manager. She felt she wasn't being treated fairly but they let her go anyway. I hate it there but I can't help but shop there. I don't go there nearly as much as I used to. But if I know I can get something cheaper and I have to go there I will. It's just sad that they are doing what they are doing to there employees.

I don't shop at Wal-Mart, last time I was in one was Thanksgiving Day 2004.

now that i think more about it,
i SHOULD feel guilty for shopping at walmart OR any place LIKE walmart.

there are NO 'mom&pop' owned stores in our area... NONE!

i'd have to drive a minimum of 1 hour just to visit a self-owned store.

i understand what Capitalism is, what America was built on... but I miss the GOOD days.

I want good days again.

not plastic from timbuktu.

absolutely not...I love Walmart. I can afford to buy things I need there.

Now..I sometimes feel guilty coming out of there. LOL I always buy something I don't need.


Very funny....me too!:crackup: