People hate Wal Mart because they’re an evil corporation, don’t pay their workers enough and suck because they don’t have a good benefits program. Whatever.

I just hate them because they suck. Yet I believe they have every right to rip off anyone who wants to save a buck and shop there. I hear so many people bitching about crappy, poison Chinese products, just as they’re headed to Wal Mart to buy a bunch of junk. And it’s mostly made in China. Hmmm.

I don’t like Wal Mart because it’s junky; if it’s a Super Duper Wal Mart, it’s too damn big and takes too long to find what I need, and the lines are too long. It’s just not a pleasant experience for me. Of course, I really don’t care much for shopping to begin with, but Wal Mart shopping is just a trip to hell as far as I’m concerned. I’ve felt that way since Wal Marts first started taking over.

I also do resent that they drove the mom and pop stores out with artificially low prices, then once the competition was gone, raised prices to a more normal level. (But still cheaper than other stores.) However, that’s how the free market works, and Wal Mart seized the opportunity. Goody for Susie Walmart and the rest of the Walmart clan. Bill Gates is really no different in that respect, but he does a better job of self promotion on what a humanitarian he is.

So from a business standpoint, that’s capitalism. I don’t like a lot of what they do, but they have the right to do it. From a personal standpoint, it’s my choice to spend a little more and buy my toothpaste at the local grocery store. To me, it’s worth the extra dollar. (There has to be a way to claim that as a mental health expense on taxes, right?)

I have a good friend who used to work for Wal Mart (god I do pray she never reads this blog). She says it was all different when the grandpa Walmart was in charge. Then he died and things changed. I have no way of knowing how valid that is because I didn’t know him, and don’t really care to learn the Wal Mart story.

But…this friend sometimes has really wacky ideas (kind of socialist at times, but she’s really not, and she doesn’t think things through on a logical level - it’s maddening sometimes). She believes that the government should:

–force Wal Mart to give all employees good benefits
–force them to increase wages so everyone can buy a house and hybrid car

oh, scratch that, she actually thinks the government should buy us all a hybrid to save the environment

–force Wal Mart to stop importing all their products and only use American made
–force Wal Mart to remain open when these other forced programs run them out of business

It’s a great business model, and I’m not even a business person.

Here’s my list on what the government should do:

–force all American men who are balding to stop the combover or face the gas chamber
–force a ban on the “weekly” (i.e. the weekly hairdo my mother and her generation get)
–force all the bad guys to be good
–and force vegetable growers to stop growing those waxy tomatoes

That’s my rant on Wal Mart. They suck and I’m just glad I live in a country where I’m free enough to NOT have to shop there. God bless America!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 9th, 2008 at 3:42 pm and is filed under Corporation Misery. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.