every time this comes up on the boards I frequent, I ask the people the same thing:
Do you shop at Target, Lowes, Home Depot, Fred Meyer, K-Mart, Sears, and other large retailers? Have you ever looked at what's on their shelves? It's the same things Wal Mart sells. It's not all made in China, but China is the world's largest, fastest growing manufacturing economy. It's not like the change happend over-night. The out-sourcing of manufacturing jobs has been going on for decades. It got going pretty well in the 1970's, and has steadily increased. It's not going to stop any time soon. America is no longer driven by making things - we export ideas now. You can't live, day to day, and not use something that was made in part or in whole, overseas. Just can't. You can't even find a 100% American Made vehicle anymore. Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors build all or part of their vehicles outside the US. It's a crap shoot where your car was put together, you've got to read the VIN or look at the door sticker to know where it was "built" - and even then, it doesn't mean that the parts that were bolted together in XXX were made there, or here. Some of it is made in China, some in Mexico, some here, some in Canada, some in Taiwan...
Wal Mart sells exactly the items their customers want. If you demand higher quality merchandise, let them know. Let them know you'll pay more for it too. But the venom that gets directed at this one single company is amazing - they sell the SAME thing that other big box retailers do - but I have yet to hear or read anyone bitching about Target, or Fred Meyer. I don't have a vested interest in Wal Mart - other than being able to save some of the cash I work my ass off to earn by buying some things there, instead of spending the extra coin at Freddies or Target or K Mart. I've got family that works for Target, my wife worked for Ross before having our son. Wal Mart sells the same things they sell - sometimes for less, sometimes for more. A smart person is going to try to get the most out of their dollar, especially given the continued devaluation of the US dollar!
Is a lot of the merchandise Wal Mart sells crap? Yup. But it's equally crappy when the price tag has a red bulls eye on it, or a FM sticker (and FM isn't even local anymore, for those who don't know it's owned by Kroeger, which is from back east).
It's great to support local businesses when I can - but I've got a duty to myself and my family to stretch each dollar I spend on what we need as far as it can go, if that means shopping at Wal Mart, Target, Winco, Albertsons, Ross, or wherever, that's what we do. You just have to be smart about what you're buying, how you take care of it, etc.
Food spoiling in a couple days after you get it? Well, that could've been for a number of factors. you could've bought older produce. Your home could be kept warmer than usual, or more humid. You could've just had bad luck. It happens to all of us. I get picky about the produce I buy, and I put it in the fridge as soon as we get it home to keep it good as long as possible. Some brands of bread need put in the fridge too, to keep spoilage down. Better foods, not loaded with chemical preservatives, will spoil quicker than the cheap garbage that is half chemicals. Pick your poison & read labels is the best advice I can give there. I've had bread from Safeway and Albertsons mold within a couple days of getting it - I should've read the dates a bit closer I guess, and part of it was just what I bought (the good sourdough stuff, or multigrain artisan breads) that happened to be more prone to spoilage.
I can't rail against stores like Wal Mart, when everyone else is hawking the same stuff. Wal Mart is the American success story. They went from a mom & pop shop, to the world's largest retailer. That's what pisses some folks off - they're "too successful" - to the point where they can go to a vendor and say "we want this item, for this price, if you can't fill our needs, we'll take our business elsewhere." and get what they want. That's exactly what other companies strive to be - and not many can do. I can name a few others that can - Intel, Microsoft, Advanced Micro Devices. American Success stories each of them - and their competitors can do little more than complain while they try to compete.
The shops that Wal Mart allegedly puts out of business are not shops that are paying their people living wages, they're paying minimum wage just like Wal Mart starts their people off at. They're not shops giving medical, dental, and vision benefits. They're also shops that have been circling the drain anyway, some slowly, some quickly. Healthy businesses, that have something to offer that the big stores don't, who have owners and managers that know how to adapt and compete, will stay in business and thrive. Those that don't - won't, and Wal Mart will probably be happy to have their employees in the new store. Target, K Mart, Fred Meyer, Lowes, and Home Depot are the same way. I know there was a lot of fear mongering that Home Depot was going to drive Parr Lumber out of business when they started moving in to this area - and it hasn't happened. Parr is doing great. Parr offers something that the others can't or wont. People vote with their wallets. Everyone has a right to shop where they want, and buy what they want. I'd love to buy quality, well built American products, and do when I can afford them - but American Made doesn't automatically mean good quality anymore, but it usually does mean a 20-50% (or more) mark up.
Jobs that may have sold American made products and not cheap Chinese plastic disposable crap that is filling up all our land fills? /end WalMart rant.
I bought some garlic bread there once, it was actually really tasty. As far as fishing stuff, I bought some line there and a Plano container because I was heading out a 4am the next morning and like I said, it's walking distance from my place and open 24/7.
