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Another problem with Walmart is that when they come into town they put mom and pop places out of business. When they moved into a small Indiana town where I lived in 1996 the local butcher shop which had been a family owned and operated business for sixty years closed down. Likewise a hardware and garden store that had been operated by a family for five generations.
Everyone complained that the meat at Walmart wasn't as good as the butcher shop, and that they didn't get the good customer service at Walmart that they received at the hardware store. Yet they shop at Walmart because of the low prices.
Now towns and cities are fighting back, and have refused to allow Walmart to open locations in their towns. I know of one town in Illinois where the residents fought against a Meijer locating there and won, and several Indiana towns that have fought against Walmart.
Personally I do not give a r*** a** about Mom and Pop stores....I avoid like the plauge. Many are dirty and very much overpriced.
Personally I do not give a r*** a** about Mom and Pop stores....I avoid like the plauge. Many are dirty and very much overpriced.
I don't know where you live but Mom and Pop stores around here give excellent customer service. They actually care about their customers and remember the ones who come in frequently.
Our local hardware and garden store will sell you a tablespoon of several different varieties of bean seeds, and special order seeds that they don't stock. When you return, they will remember, and ask how your garden is doing, and which seeds produced the best yield.
I use suet to mix in with bird seed, and our local butcher shop will give suet to you free. The grocery store charges $1.19 per pound for suet. The butcher shop also gives free soup bones. I'll bet you can't get that at Walmart.
Another problem with Walmart is that when they come into town they put mom and pop places out of business. When they moved into a small Indiana town where I lived in 1996 the local butcher shop which had been a family owned and operated business for sixty years closed down. Likewise a hardware and garden store that had been operated by a family for five generations.
Ah, the BIG LIE. Repeat it often enough and people believe it.
In the towns I lived in, the overwhelming majority of the butchers, bakers, florists, and the like were out of business years BEFORE Walmart opened a store.
The large supermarkets (Kroger's, SuperValu, and Safeway) added departments. First, a full butcher shop where they could undercut the price of the independents. Then, an in-store bakery. Sure, the pastries were not as good as the local bakery BUT they could draw just enough business away from the local shop to make it unprofitable. Then, add a floral department. The floral department would NOT offer ALL of the services that the florist would offer. However, they would offer a few loss-leaders that would ensure that they would get all of the drop-in business.
My own grandfather would not sell me his florist shop and told me to go to college instead. He said that by the Eighties that the ONLY business that would be around are weddings and funerals. The drop-in business would not be available as the local Kroger floral guy would drop his prices below his cost.
Now that Walmart can undercut the traditional union supermarkets. it has become a big issue. And if you look at the moves against Walmart in MOST communities, you will find that the overwhelming majority of the groups are funded by the large unions.
I don't even shop very often at the local Walmart - generally because Aldi has better store brands and prices. However, the day that Walmart opened, the local Jewel (Supervalu) had to drop their prices to the same prices as they charged in the local towns where there was competition.
Another problem with Walmart is that when they come into town they put mom and pop places out of business. When they moved into a small Indiana town where I lived in 1996 the local butcher shop which had been a family owned and operated business for sixty years closed down. Likewise a hardware and garden store that had been operated by a family for five generations.
Everyone complained that the meat at Walmart wasn't as good as the butcher shop, and that they didn't get the good customer service at Walmart that they received at the hardware store. Yet they shop at Walmart because of the low prices.
Now towns and cities are fighting back, and have refused to allow Walmart to open locations in their towns. I know of one town in Illinois where the residents fought against a Meijer locating there and won, and several Indiana towns that have fought against Walmart.
Yes, in many cases they do put mom and pops out of business and that is probably the biggest negative I can see about them. We all can tell stories about this happening, and yet, we have to remember, they aren't the only ones that do this: what about Lowe's, Home Depot, Targets, etc? this is the facts of life. For many, depending on the size of the town, they will continue to support the mom and pop, some will not.In fact, we are facing this right here in our little town right now. WalMart wants to build a neighborhood grocery store, it will hurt our existing independent store, and it is a huge battle. On the other hand, how do you explain the little mom and pop business that does manage to stay open and make a profit? This is like saying major chain restaurants put small ones out of business. If managed correctly and the little town isn't too little, there is room for both.
I do not shop Wal Mart much as I have said, but tomorrow will be the perfect example of why I am glad we have them: I only need a couple of things, pancake mix, a few paper products, etc. but I also need to pick up wrapping paper for a baby shower, a card and some rolls. Why would I go to 2 or 3 places when I can pop in and out of WalMart is 15 minutes?
Wow, my favorite is not on here and I agree with the survey on the ones with which I am familiar.
Not sure why Food Lion made the list. There is one about 2 miles down the road from me that I shop at weekly. Always clean, EXCELLENT customer service. plus in the area I live they have been opening up stores left and right the last 2 years.
I can't believe that Stop & Shop made the list. I've been to 4 or 5 Stop & Shops and all have spotless and always have a wide variety of very fresh foods. They are popular, so the turnover of foods is fast. I'm very happy with the one near me.
The A&P in my area is clean, but I know of others that are not so great. It depends on the location.
The Walmarts near us is exceptionally clean. I get some stuff there including tuna steaks (not their brand) and they're good. And, Tyson organic chicken--produce is high and never looks that great. You can buy healthy stuff anywhere now cuz it's so mainstream--brown rice, organic stuff, etc..Wegman's is okay, locals rave and rave about it. It's just okay to me. I think a lot of stuff in life is plain hype. Whatever. Coming from Fry's it's hard to compare any of them. I miss Fry's and Kroeger brands were pretty good. Specialty/organic brands good, too. And, of course, without Trader Joe's, well life isn't the same for now.
Last edited by Nanny Goat; 10-09-2012 at 04:57 AM..
I have always wondered how come all the Walmart's I've been to smell the same? They don't sell anything different that any other store but there's a smell to them.
It may be the Subway franchise. They stink up a good portion of the store.
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