# Despite the negative views about Walmart, it's still a good place to shop **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 10, 2019, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/despite-the-negative-views-about-walmart-its-still-a-good-place-to-shop/835285 "2019-06-10T07:06:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![EarlGrayHot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e480ec/32.png) [@EarlGrayHot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EarlGrayHot)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2019, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/despite-the-negative-views-about-walmart-its-still-a-good-place-to-shop/835285/61 "2019-06-12T14:53:35Z")
They are not known for treating their workers right, they don’t train them very well, and their prices are not anything special. Target has prices almost the same as Walmart-within a couple of cents usually. So, no, I don’t consider it a great place to shop at all. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2019, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/despite-the-negative-views-about-walmart-its-still-a-good-place-to-shop/835285/62 "2019-06-12T15:43:58Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Why not just buy the stuff in bulk from Costco or Walmart and use the larger containers to refill the smaller ones you already have? Because they made these weird sealed pump type containers. And spray bottles. On the normal ones you can unscrew the whole pump mechanism from the bottle but not on theirs. And then there’s the items where you can be the caps off at all. Somewhere, I have a big bottle of Aloe Vera lotion that I could never open because the push and turn cap broke. I cut a hole in the side of the bottle, ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2019, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/despite-the-negative-views-about-walmart-its-still-a-good-place-to-shop/835285/63 "2019-06-12T15:55:22Z")
At least around here, Walmart tends to have fresher produce than Publix. Sprouts is the best compromise between price and quality (for produce), but usually not worth the extra 15 minutes drive to get there and back. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2019, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/despite-the-negative-views-about-walmart-its-still-a-good-place-to-shop/835285/64 "2019-06-12T15:59:54Z")
> [@GESancMan](#): > > Huh. At the two Costcos near me, they just glance at the receipt, glance at the cart, and mark the receipt. It’s totally painless. I suspect it depends on the individual store. > > I signed an agreement with Costco that I will stop and get my receipt checked. I have signed no such agreement with Walmart. On the rare occasions I go into a “real” Walmart, I just blow right by the receipt checkers. Fuck them. same at my costco , they just glance at the receipt , no big deal at all., ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2019, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/despite-the-negative-views-about-walmart-its-still-a-good-place-to-shop/835285/65 "2019-06-12T17:35:55Z")
It used to be you could rely on the brand name stuff at Walmart. Not anymore. And the no-name ones should be considered nearly disposable. Just looking at the produce at our local Walmarts is almost enough to cause intestinal distress. Used to prefer going shopping at big Targets. But they closed all the ones anywhere near us and a long haul just to get to a couple of small ones. ☹ With Amazon (and 1 day delivery rolling out) there’s less and less reason to be forced to go to Walmart. ---
**Author:** ![TimfromNapa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d26b3c/32.png) [@TimfromNapa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimfromNapa)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2019, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/despite-the-negative-views-about-walmart-its-still-a-good-place-to-shop/835285/66 "2019-06-12T19:48:33Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Boy howdy would I love to not shop at Walmart. I could, of course, do my (food) shopping at the nearest [farmer’s market](http://www.soulardmarket.com/), wherein I could get locally-sourced, organic, cruelty-free goods, but it’s 100 miles away. OR, I could shop at the nearest mom & pop grocery and pay a solid 50 percent more than what I pay at Walmart, but they let their employees smoke on the job and that disgusts me beyond all reason and sanity, especially at a fucking grocery store. > > So Walmart it is. Grocery store employees smoke on the job? Reminds me of that old show “That’s Incredible!” ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2019, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/despite-the-negative-views-about-walmart-its-still-a-good-place-to-shop/835285/67 "2019-06-12T21:17:16Z")
I live in suburban DC and the only Walmart in the entire county is about 25 minutes away. I have two Targets much closer, including one practically across the street, and probably 20+ grocery stores that are easier to get to. I disapprove of Walmart on principle, so I’m glad their efforts to expand in this area have been unsuccessful, but it’s not such a difficult stand to take when it’s so inconvenient to get to. I’m not sure I’ve ever set foot in _that_ Walmart. The area around it is frequently in the police blotter. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2019, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/despite-the-negative-views-about-walmart-its-still-a-good-place-to-shop/835285/68 "2019-06-12T21:32:49Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > The stuff at Target is nice? It seems to me that it’s the same stuff that’s sold at Walmart or Meijer. Yes. I shop at all 3 (and K-mart when they still had stores locally). All are perfectly fine place with similar if not identical wares. Pretty much the same people shop at them all, too, depending on location, anyway. There is one Walmart we’ve nicknamed the “ghetto Walmart” that seems a little run down, and it’s in a worse area but it used to be the same way back a few decades ago when there was a K-mart in the same location. So we just go to a different Walmart (or Target or Meijer) instead. ---
**Author:** ![Wilson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@Wilson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wilson)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2019, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/despite-the-negative-views-about-walmart-its-still-a-good-place-to-shop/835285/69 "2019-06-12T21:54:32Z")
Huh. Sometimes I bemoan the lack of food shopping choices near me, compared to other more densely populated suburban areas… Then I read threads like this and remember how good I have it compared to parts of rural America where Walmart or Dollar General are literally the only choices… Walmart is the closest store to me, although there’s a Target, Stop and Shop and Shoprite just a little further away (all within four miles). I won’t shop at Walmart on general principles, plus the one near me has all the awfulness that others have remarked on (messy store, always long lines, obviously low quality clothes). My girlfriend used to drag me there cause she liked their prices, but after she passed away I don’t think I’ve been in there more than once or twice in the last five years. For food for me it’s Stop & Shop (or an occasional trip way out of my way to the nearest Trader Joe’s); general merchandise Target; clothing Kohl’s or on-line. Never Amazon of course, another company I don’t patronize. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2019, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/despite-the-negative-views-about-walmart-its-still-a-good-place-to-shop/835285/70 "2019-06-12T23:12:40Z")
I like to one-stop shop - more precisely if I’m going to go to all the trouble and bother of going to a store I’d like to look at fun things too, not just food. As far as I know Walmart and Fred Meyer are the only places in Boise that are ‘superstores’ - where I can browse DVDs, toys, and food at the same store. And Fred Meyer is way further away from my stomping grounds and closes earlier (I shop at midnight a lot). Plus its selection is worse - most of its toys are months or years old, which makes it not a great place to go for new releases. I’ll sometimes swing by Target if I want a bit more variety in my toy shopping, or Alberstons if I want perishables, but if I’m going to go to just one store, it’ll be a Walmart. ---
**Author:** ![xnylder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/bbce88/32.png) [@xnylder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xnylder)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2019, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/despite-the-negative-views-about-walmart-its-still-a-good-place-to-shop/835285/71 "2019-06-13T14:28:13Z")
Up here in Canada, most of our other department store options are gone. K-mart, Zellers, and Sears are closed. We briefly had Target but mismanagement doomed that venture. We still have Giant Tiger, which is full of cheap off-brand goods, and The Bay, which is generally far higher-end and often overpriced. Winners (a branch of TJ Maxx) stocks various clearance items, and while their clothes are reasonable their home goods are often niche and expensive. Canadian Tire has home goods (and of course automotive stuff) but almost no clothing or groceries. While Walmart Canada are no angels (they probably contributed to the closing of most of the stores above), they do pay their employees fairly, they maintain a varied and useful inventory, and the stores are clean and well-stocked. ---
**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2019, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/despite-the-negative-views-about-walmart-its-still-a-good-place-to-shop/835285/72 "2019-06-13T18:33:45Z")
For a very disparate list of items that would mean 4 or 5 stores, it’s Wal-Mart for me. Never ever on the weekend or first of the month, you’d need to leave a bread crumb trail. But sometimes. What I do wish is that they would at least try to monitor the usage of the drivable carts. Mom is 94 and we can’t go to Wal-Mart, although she likes it (she doesn’t buy anything) because only Christ knows where the handi-carts have gotten to. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2019, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/despite-the-negative-views-about-walmart-its-still-a-good-place-to-shop/835285/73 "2019-06-13T19:10:12Z")
The small town where our second house is has a Walmart, which is good because there’s nothing else in the town. It’s the regional Walmart, nothing else within 50 miles. But at home, we have a Target and Walmart close to each other, and in the other direction a Shopko. Shopko is based out of Green Bay but is now going through liquidation, which is a shame because it was well stocked and never really crowded. We never shop at the local Walmart because it’s always crowded (especially the parking lot) and seems grimy. So, it’ll be Target from now on for us. We get our groceries from a grocery store (HyVee), partly because I hate checking out at Target with my groceries before or after someone who’s buying clothes and household goods. ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2019, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/despite-the-negative-views-about-walmart-its-still-a-good-place-to-shop/835285/74 "2019-06-13T20:43:26Z")
I have probably been in a Walmart once in the past 10 years. There are none close to me. But I live near and work near a Target, so I’ll go there occasionally. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2019, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/despite-the-negative-views-about-walmart-its-still-a-good-place-to-shop/835285/75 "2019-06-14T00:15:44Z")
> [@xnylder](#): > > Canadian Tire has home goods (and of course automotive stuff) but almost no clothing or groceries. I wish we had Canadian Tire here. We literally have no American equivalent that I’m aware of. I’ll trade you all of our Walmarts for 5% of your Canadian Tire stores. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2019, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/despite-the-negative-views-about-walmart-its-still-a-good-place-to-shop/835285/76 "2019-06-14T02:14:13Z")
We’ve been doing pickup grocery orders lately. We’ve gotten used to shopping online and when you show up, they bring the whole order out bagged and put it in your car. Painless and easy. We build up a list during the week and tweak it as we go. Sale prices are identical to the store and pickup is completely free. In May, delivery was free the entire month and we did that as well. I would recommend Walmart make delivery free if your grocery order is over $100. It’s not and costs something like $10 or so. Not worth it. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2019, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/despite-the-negative-views-about-walmart-its-still-a-good-place-to-shop/835285/77 "2019-06-14T05:48:15Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > It’s sad how their presence has holllowed out Main Street of small town America, but there’s nothing much I can do about that. I think “Main Street of small town America” was already dead, in many places, when Walmart arrived. Walmart may have accelerated it in some communities, but shopping started moving from downtown to big-box discount stores when Walmart was just a local concern in Arkansas. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2019, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/despite-the-negative-views-about-walmart-its-still-a-good-place-to-shop/835285/78 "2019-06-14T13:04:30Z")
I live five minutes from a Walmart, and I will never set foot in that place ever again. That place is such a fucking dump. The customers completely trash the place. It’s a complete shitshow in there and the employees couldn’t possibly care less. Even if it were the only store in town I’d happily drive a hundred miles out of my way to not go in there. Seeing that it’s _not_ the only store in town, frankly I’m baffled why _anyone_ shops there, but whatever. It ain’t gonna be me. ---
**Author:** ![RingsOfPylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3da27b/32.png) [@RingsOfPylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RingsOfPylon)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2019, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/despite-the-negative-views-about-walmart-its-still-a-good-place-to-shop/835285/79 "2019-06-15T12:02:28Z")
I have nothing against Walmart. We buy many of our household supplies there - things such as spray cleaners, swiffer pads, and other cleaning supplies. Also, personal hygiene products such as body wash, mouthwash, toothpaste, and the like. These products are consistently priced lower than most other stores and there is often a larger selection of products, product sizes, and different fragrances. [I can’t be the only person who spends 20 minutes smelling body washes to pick a fragrance I like. There is a greater variety of fragrances at Wally World, so it takes time to pick one.] Need a new bath mat or a few new bath towels? The ones from Walmart are quite serviceable and the price is reasonable. Plus, Walmart has 2 day shipping or you can pick up your order at a local store. I use these options more and more. We don’t get groceries there simply because we like to support our local supermarket, but Walmart has a couple of grocery items that we purchase because of a big difference in price and because we like the product. In general, though, I can’t comment on the quality of their groceries. There are several Walmart stores around and they appear very clean. They also tend to be very busy, especially on Saturdays, so I imagine that they might look a bit disheveled by Saturday evening. By Sunday they’re clean again and much quieter. ---
**Author:** ![sta3535](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/da6949/32.png) [@sta3535](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sta3535)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2019, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/despite-the-negative-views-about-walmart-its-still-a-good-place-to-shop/835285/80 "2019-06-25T01:48:37Z")
The way any store handles its employees & overall daily management, especially on busy days, is the biggest thing when it comes to customer reviews. Since we can’t control when people shop, it’s the store’s job to make sure that everything runs smoothly, even if every cashier lane has a line or if they somehow run out of a certain product. On an extra note, this is why some people avoid shopping on busy days: they don’t want to deal with all of the craziness & drama that comes with shopping on a busy day, like Black Friday, or any holiday/weekend in general. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/despite-the-negative-views-about-walmart-its-still-a-good-place-to-shop/835285.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/despite-the-negative-views-about-walmart-its-still-a-good-place-to-shop/835285.md?page=5)