It’s a given that in the SDMB, and any other bulletin board, there will be plenty of Wal-Mart bashing, some of which noting the clientele that dominates the aisles. You know … even far from the heart of Dixie, you’ll see white working-class blue-collar folks with a rural Confederate cultural orientation.
Go to Target, OTOH, and the clientele is completely different. The mullets and feathered hair disappear. No crying babies. No obese moms beating their kids for no reason. No Dale Earnhardt shrines in the parking lot. The clientele has a more Northern middle-class outlook. I’ve been in Targets in the deep South, and still mullets are rare.
We bash Wal-Mart all the time but … the Wal-Mart shoppers that are an object of our ridicule, the “rednecks” for lack of a politically correct substitute - what do they think of Target, Meijer, Fred Meyer or any similar chains? Do they see it as a high falutin’ upscale boutique filled with and the pretty people of society, the way a middle class person might think of Neiman-Marcus?
what do the Wal-Mart fans that we
Well, count me as a redneck who hates Wal-Mart, but don’t be ridiculous. No, of course I don’t wander into Target with stars in my eyes. I just choose the cleaner store, and am willing to pay the difference. And when I go to the city, and venture into a Nieman-Marcus (although I prefer Macys), I don’t look in awe at all the “pretty people” either.
Oooh, rich people! I must be soo outclassed! I wonder if my drooling, inarticulate self even belongs in the shining temple that is Target?
Well, here in Minneapolis, home of Target Corp., I can think of at least 2 Target stores whose clientelle leaves something to be desired. Both are in depressed urban areas, so It’s more likely just a product of the environment. But I’ll agree with you for the most part. There are two suburban Target’s that I frequent that have Wal-Marts nearby, and I will agree the redneck factor is far less at the target stores.
Wal-Mart rocks! 24 hours + McDonald’s + haircut + oil change + eyeglasses + Walmartians + bank + grocery store + 48 checkout lanes* + cheap ass shit + florist + full on pet department + full on home improvement + nursery = Kick ass!
People are people and who cares if they are trying to save a buck or two. I see all types of people in BOTH stores, I see all types of people at the mall, I see all types of people everywhere I go. I don’t think “rednecks” frequent Wal-mart more than Target. Just what constitutes a “redneck” anyway? Is it the way they dress or talk?
I’m closer to a Target but I do go to both. Personally, I’m tired of labels in general. I don’t care how a person dresses or talks unless they’re trying to do me harm.
In MY neck of the woods (desert actually), people who shop at either Wal-mart or Target are seen as “trailer trash” or “snow birds” (the old folks who come to enjoy our mild Arizona winters for a few months and then leave), which is stupid. They have some deals occasionally, why shouldn’t people care how they spend their hard-earned cash?
If I can save a dollar or two on my brand of saline or shampoo, then call me a redneck, as if I even care. Call me trailer trash even though I live in a nice suburb near a mall and a sports arena.
I don’t think Elmwood is singling out the rednecks of the SDMB for ridicule, he is simply asking for an opinion on his observation. Since he is not a member of the Red Neck Elite, he did the right thing and asked.
My guess is that since Wal-Mart is generally the lowest price retailer in an area, the “rednecks” that go there are the people who are most concerned with lowest prices. Target isn’t quite trying to compete with Wal-Mart on price- they’re differentiating themselves by having somewhat nicer stuff for a higher, but still relatively low price.
I also think that the grunginess of the stores correlates directly with the socioeconomic class of most of the clientele. Take Kroger stores- the one by my parents is smack in the middle of a low socioeconomic area, and is one of the nastiest, most unsanitary places I’ve been (once a kid took a shit on the floor and they didn’t clean it up until someone complained!) On the other hand, the Kroger by me is in a middle/upper middle class area and is immaculate, well kept, clean and no poop on the floor.
I will admit that I go to Wal-Mart regularly- there are lots of things I won’t pay more for- oil filters, oil, contact lens solution, soap, etc…
Yes, NurseCarmen, and I answered his question as well as I could, if somewhat sarcastically.
I consider myself a redneck, but apparently not the derogatory version that is used to describe Wal-Mart clientele. As a redneck, no, I don’t look up to Target. Can’t answer for the mullet-wearing, Nascar-worshipping, child-beating crowd.
Julie
Target and Wal-Mart are the same store, one is red, the other is blue. Only difference. Okay, maybe Target is a little more classy, but not by much. I’m not saying I wouldn’t go to either store. In fact, I have been to both. Moreso Target, as there are more of them in my area than Wal-Marts.
Personally, this proud Mullet-American prefers Kmart over Walmart for clothes (love them cheap Wranglers), but prefers Target over both for everything else.
I’ve said that “redneck” is one of the ten words you can’t say on the SDMB without the thread deteriorating into a flame war. (The others include Nazi, fat, Clinton, and so on.)
I don’t like the term “redneck” myself, but I haven’t found a substitute to describe that socioeconomic class. Occasionally, I’ll use “white working-class blue-collar folks with a rural Confederate cultural orientation.”
Even then, I know there’s very few white working-class blue-collar folks with a rural Confederate cultural orientation on the SDMB, and it’s not my intend to pick on SDMB users here who are from the South, who may be blue-collar, and so on; I’m just making an observation about the folks I see dominating the aisles at Wal-Mart. I don’t see 'em at Dopefests, BTW.
I’m wondering if anybody happend to know how white working-class blue-collar folks with a rural Confederate cultural orientation view Target. We’ve heard what Target shopper types think of Wal-Mart. What do Wal-Mart shopper types think of Target – not those who can’t go to Target because there isn’t one nearby, but those who DON’T go there for some reason or another.
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tping, kid-beating types on SDMB; I was hoping that maybe someone here knows
rshi too many
NASCAr-wo
I’ve said that “redneck” is one of the ten words you can’t say on the SDMB without the thread deteriorating into a flame war. (The others include Nazi, fat, Clinton, and so on.)
I don’t like the term “redneck” myself, but I haven’t found a substitute to describe that socioeconomic class. Occasionally, I’ll use “white working-class blue-collar folks with a rural Confederate cultural orientation.”
Even then, I know there’s very few white working-class blue-collar folks with a rural Confederate cultural orientation on the SDMB, and it’s not my intend to pick on SDMB users here who are from the South, who may be blue-collar, and so on; I’m just making an observation about the folks I see dominating the aisles at Wal-Mart. I don’t see 'em at Dopefests, BTW.
I’m wondering if anybody happened to know how white working-class blue-collar folks with a rural Confederate cultural orientation view Target. We’ve heard what middle-class Target shopper types think of Wal-Mart. What do stereotypical Wal-Mart shopper types think of Target – not those who can’t go to Target because there isn’t one nearby, but those who DON’T go there, or givin one of the two prefer Wal-Mart, for some reason or another.
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tping, kid-beating types on SDMB; I was hoping that maybe someone here knows
rshi too many
NASCAr-wo
Well, I’m a white middle-class blue collar worker from rural Kentucky living in North Carolina, living about halfway between a Target and a Walmart. Does that put me close enough to answer for you?
I go to Walmart or Target either one, depending on what I need and where else I need to go. If I’m going to Petsmart or to get my hair cut and just need a few items, I’ll go to Target, but more usually I’ll go to Wallie World.
How do I view Target? Well, some of their stuff is somewhat nicer than the stuff at WalMart, but a lot more of their stuff is just more expensive than WalMart. Their toilet paper, dog food, ibuprofen, light bulbs, etc. is usally the same brands they have at Walmart for a higher price. Frankly, I just don’t see the benefit of driving the same distance to spend more money on the exact same stuff.
Everybody’s staying sensible, civil and on-topic!
Forgive a little moderaterly light-headedness. ::breathes into a paper bag:: Cecil, getcher misanthropic ass in here! It’s finally WORKING!
Hypervenilating with pride,
Veb
P.S. Can redneck rightfully extend to those with geographically non-Confederate but comparably rural and/or socio-economically differing cultural orientations?
I am neither a redneck nor a blue-collar worker, but I shop at both Wal-Mart and Target, depending on what I’m looking for.
I go to Wal-Mart for household necessities, like paper towels and dish soap, and I go to Target for “fun” stuff, like gifts, picture frames, shelves, pillows, etc…and I don’t go there very often, because I can blow $80 in Target in less than 15 minutes. (Yes, it’s happened.)
I do think they appeal to a slightly different clientele, and no, I never go to Target for necessities unless I’m already there getting something else…but I’ve seen some ahem colorful people in Target, too.
Perhaps a lot of people shop at both, and a few select people only shop at one or the other? I don’t know anybody who refuses to shop at Wal-Mart b/c they might encounter a mullet, but I know a lot of people who, like me, only shop at Target when they’re looking for something specific.
I dunno Veb. That’s how I’ve been using it anyway. I am geographically (and politically, I guess) non-Confederate, and redneck is generally how I describe myself. I kind of push the blue-collar barrier too, since I have a degree and a job that crosses the office/construction line. My family and friends are blue-collar though, and I choose to identify myself with them.
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I guess I can’t answer Elmwood’s question at all, since I’m not a stereotypical Wally World shopper. I’ll go there if I have to, but I don’t choose to exclusively go there. I couldn’t tell if the OP was aimed at me or not - with further clarification, I see that it wasn’t. But I may be closer to the target (heh) than many people on the SDMB.