Posted on 06/17/2005 9:17:36 AM PDT by Tumbleweed_Connection
So, capitalism does work!
I'm not a member of the anti-Walmart jihad either, but I greatly prefer Target. I don't even find the two comparable.
Red states versus Blue states
tap water versus Perrier
I see a pattern here. Recently I sat in the Nevada State senate. Behind me some men were talking about the best place to get breakfast at four AM [The Nugget]. About fifteen feet away a woman with a press badge, began a fascinating monologue.
"Egad, yesterday I was forced to go to Walmart. I needed plastic shoe boxes, Target didn't have any. Egad, I shouldn't have gone to Walmart at 4:30. It's such a disgusting place ... grossly fat women wearing stretch tops and sweat pants, and greasy-haired men covered with tattoos. Egad, the clerks are awful. There must be an ugly requirement to work there. Egad, I don't understand it! Especially, since there's a Target just three minutes down the road. Why would anyone want to shop at Walmart, when there is a Target down the road? The aisles at Target are uncrowded, the clerks are far nicer looking, and it not like a typical greedy corporation.
At the store yesterday I stopped to chat with an 84 year old acquaintance. She is a self-proclaimed atheist, liberal, women's libber. She is a hoot to talk to. She commented that there were no good places to buy nice clothes. She and a granddaughter were going on a cruise. I told her I bought most my professional clothes at Macys, and most of my casual clothes at Gottchalks.
She scornfully replied, "Only an idjit would shop at snobby, over-priced places like that."
When next I suggested Walmart she did a fake spit, and wiped her arm across her face.
Then her face suddenly brightened. "Target! I love to shop at Target. Only thing, they don't have fancy clothes. I need a spiffy dress for the cruise."
I asked her if she'd tried the upscale consignment store downtown.
And she replied, "Hah, I wouldn't be caught dead wearing some rich Republican B----'s dress."
They seem to have a line in each of their categories that appeal to American tastes - something a little less European looking - but it is a very small percentage of their products.
Mervyn's and Target are related, which can be handy sometimes. The wife and I found this really nice set of nicknacks we dug for decoration at Target, old world style really cool. Well we'd gotten everything we liked from Target but still had some corners we wanted to fill, swing by Mervyn's and they've got more stuff in the same line, totally different selection perfectly matching the theme.
Ahh married life, that time for a man when home decorating no longer begins or ends with heavy metal posters... sad but true.
Define savings for me. Because by strict national measurements for the purposes of number crunching, savings is having claims on the debt of someone else (i.e. holding a debt instrument like a bond). Because home and stock equity is not considered savings when national number crunching, too much attention, in my not so humble opinion, is placed on our national savings rate. The truth of the matter is that the "economic health picture" is understated in regards to the savings rate. So, what's your take?
Disclaimer: there are some really big concerns, however, in future obligations and how they get financed.
We've had Ikea for years. The small stuff is good, but a lot of the furniture becomes wobbly very quickly, and doesn't stand up to much use. I had a friend who, when we were younger, would go buy almost a whole new apartment's worth of Ikea furniture every time she moved, and just toss the old stuff.
As much as I hate to shop at Wal-Mart, some things are just too good to pass up. That being said, incursions have to be planned like a military operation to avoid 'Wal-Martitis' ie clientele, monster lines, etc. Here's a couple of examples of what Wal-Mart is good for:
1. My 6 y/o son became interested in my expensive HP calculator; solution: I picked up a really nice Casio for $2.97 (which, after a few days, ended up in the bottom his toy chest).
2. Good quality sunscreen can cost $10-15/bottle at a regular drug store. We live by the beach, so we go thru a lot - Wal-mart sells the same stuff for around $5-7. At that price, we just gob it on with no regard to economy.
3. We going on a small trip where we're going to need some 'reef walkers'. The local sporting goods store had them for $17/pair - Wally had them for $4.
4. The local beach store sells sea-shells for $1.50/pop; I picked up a small basket filled with 20+ for .97 cents.
Wally exceeds at the weird stuff - I would never go there to buy anything else, such as clothes, food, etc.
Target doesn't seem to think that our area is a good place for one of their stores and when I have made the 45 minute trip they are often out of whatever I have gone for.
If our local Wal-Mart is out of something, check back tomorrow - they get deliveries every day.
Neither place qualifies as a place to buy upscale clothing though - for that old fashioned department stores (or outlet stores) seem much better.
Wal-Marts don't look junky because of their displays of impulse items; Targets have impulse-buy displays too. Wal-Marts look junky because they are junky. Brand-new Wal-Marts look grungy and cheap the day they open; they're built out of cinder blocks on the outside and cheap materials on the inside, then filled with horrible design "features" and brash flourescent lighting. It's as if Wal-Mart is afraid their average customer will walk away unless the interior feels like a giant mobile home.
The first time I ever said "I don't think that really goes with the color scheme" I felt like some alien had taken over my body.
It works great except the Wallyworld business model is more akin to old style Soviet Socialism where one entity controls all production and distribution.
Moving is when you really find out about the quality of your furniture, no matter how careful you are cheap furniture dies when transported. The last big upgrade in our furniture was caused by that.
I agree. Kohl's is a good alternative to both Target and Walmart for clothing.
LOL! Sounds like my husband all right. It's so funny that's he's more of a decorator than I am.
No, the local Wal Mart didn't start out being 45 minute lines.. it started out with wide isles, lots of staff, and you could easily get in and out... then as the years have gone on.. the isles are crowded more and more POS displays making it next to impossible to navigate... the store had gotten slowly dirtier and dirtier.. and the staffing continue to decline.. then they added groceries just to compound the problems....
This story plays out every time they open a store.. its clean and bright and open and well staffed.. then it slowly degrades into Kmart circa 1989.
Other than that, I love the place.
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