Would America be better off without superstores and large retail chains? (credit, vs)

[dreamofmonterey]

As another post mentioned the quality is also very poor- Everything shrinks- clothing from Target is made in Vietnam- it's ridiculous. You are better off going to an upscale retailer and buying things that last 10 years. I did have a laugh when my husband's 8.00 jeans from wal-mart had a broken zipper (after 1 washing).

[WallStreetWarrior]

I swore off chain restaurants when I was in college and got a bad order of wings from Dominos that gave me food poisoning for a week or so. Luckily, my wife's a great cook, and we have sit down dinners at home at least 4 times a week. When we go out to eat, it's usually a family owned restaurant, which we like, because we're both very outgoing and have made many long-time friends out of families who own restaurants.

As for clothing, my suits are from Brooks Brothers which I don't consider large chain, and my casual clothes are mostly track suits I get from a shop in Queens.

As for household...stuff, I'm not really sure where my wife gets it now that we moved; probably Shaw's, but when we were in CT, there was a general store in town that we shopped at. I get a lot of stuff on Amazon too, which might be considered chain online retail. In a nutshell, I try and help the little guy.

[Hatless Wonder]

I only "shop local" when I'm looking for banks.

I don't believe that chains are inherently bad, or that non-chains are somehow superior. Individual branches of a chain can vary widely. I won't eat at Chili's, but I have my own reasons for that. The McDonald's near my job is one of the top 100 in the country. With clean bothrooms and 2 big-screen TVs, it's not a bad place for a quick bite. The Target near my new place is much nicer than the Target near my old apartment.

When I lived in the 'hood and in the boondocks, there were very few chains, and the local retailers were uniformly awful. In the 'hood, the major (non-chain) supermarket was filthy and chaotic. If frozen hot dogs were on sale, they were loaded into a cart and plunked in the middle of an aisle. The board of health shut them down for selling spoiled milk and meat. I lived in a small town without a chain bookstore before the internet. If you weren't looking for a romance novel, you were out of luck.

Competition is a good thing. I don't like Wal*mart, but a return to local monopolies isn't an improvement.

[Padgett2]

I can remember the times BEFORE we had Walmart and Target and stores like that. Nope, I don't think the poor and the living from pay check to pay check crowd had it better. I understand what wearing patched and darned clothing means.

I had one dress for Sunday and just a few things for wearing around the house. The kids had the bare essentials. It was because the small stores had to make a certain profit to stay in business. They didn't have the resources to cut prices or to tide themselves over the bad times such has high unemployment.

Because big places like Walmart and Target can operate at such a low profit margin per sale, they can supply low cost clothes. It's a blessing. It isn't about what the customer wants, it's about what the customer can afford.

A pair of panties for 99 cents wears just as nice as a pair for 5 bucks. And no one but me knows I have them on.

[dreamofmonterey]

Because big places like Walmart and Target can operate at such a low profit margin per sale, they can supply low cost clothes. It's a blessing. It isn't about what the customer wants, it's about what the customer can afford.
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IMO that last sentence is the problem. Everything in Wal-mart is from China. They pay pennies for their labor over there. Also I dont consider a t-shirt that falls apart after 1 washing a 'blessing'. Once it is no longer about quality, and just the bottom line, the consumer loses out. JMO.

[gardener34]

What ticks me off is NOT only are they saving by shipping the labor costs to china where they make peanuts. BUT they are ALSO cutting the material cost to be substandard so the goods we buy are junk. I am sure the labor in china can make quality stuff, it just has to be specced that way by the company who wants it manufactures it.

The bean counters who cook the books, are the culprits.

Are disposable clothes in the near future for the market? I can see the day!

[mrsengle]

I'm wishy-washy about box stores. I like them, but I just don't see how SO MANY within several square miles is really necessary. I prefer to shop local when I can, but there are times that I can't, or it just isn't feasible.

My husband and I eat out quite a bit, and we love to try the new mom-and-pop's whenever we find them. They're usually the best!

[dreamofmonterey]

Exactly. The last time my husband bought a shirt in Wal-mart it fell apart in the washer. Americans aren't stupid, and this isn't a way to "save" money. You get what you pay for.

[Padgett2]

I dare you to look at the clothes and linens in your closet and see where they were made. Even the best stores buy from foriegn sources. Don't forget to check out the underwear lables too

Just because you buy something somewhere besides Walmart does not mean that it is US made.

[berries]

GOt home ...opened em...and could not stop laughing. They are about as thick as two pieces of toilet paper.. Now my shoes are too big!!!. Everything has gone down the crapper and the speed it is doing so is increasing fast. Whenever I think about it I get sad, angry and fearful for my kids..... and I have a BUNCH of kids.

Cheers folks and good luck out there...It's tough