Wal-mart's making me confused here lately
I hate going to Wal-mart. I mean, I really hate it. Most times I have to go, I would seriously pay someone to go for me.
When we first bought our house back in 1999, it was on a side of town that didn’t have much stuff there. We had to drive pretty far to get to Wal-mart, and it made more sense to go to closer grocery stores.
Then they opened one almost across the street. I’m not kidding. It’s probably a quarter mile away from my driveway. There’s no way I can not go there now.
Wal-mart’s always been cheaper for stuff than the other places, and there is something to be said for being able to buy tires, DVDs, new wife beaters, and orange juice all in the same place and all for less than you’d pay if you drove around to different places. That’s how Wal-mart gets you. Unfortunately, this attracts everybody in a 20 miles radius there to buy the same things. Add a nasty reputation for killing companies and undepaying and generally treating it’s employees like shit (thereby ensuring you’ll get crappy service) have always made me want to avoid that place like the plague. One good thing about living in a place where there’s a lot of churchin’ going on is that I can usually go get my shopping done on Sunday mornings, even though there’s only like, two cashiers working. Even the gas pumps there are crowded by maniacs who will form a line a mile long to save $.03 a gallon in their cars that get 9 MPG anyway. I hate going to Wal-mart. I don’t like the company. Something weird’s going on there lately, though.
It’s like someone died and left the company to their kid who went to grad school at Berkley or something.
First was the story a couple weeks ago about Wal-mart wanting to sell the swirly fluorescent light bulbs to each one of its 100 million customers. That threw me off. I read about it in Fast Company magazine and was shocked at Wal-mart’s weird environmental commitment. I shrugged it off to a ploy to get 100 million people to buy a more expensive light bulb at Wal-mart (tree-hugger that I am, I already have these in my house – and have for two years now). Call me a cynic.
Today, I saw an article today where Wal-mart wants to sell generic drugs for $4. The cynic in me thinks that they’re doing this for a couple reasons. First is to cut costs for their own healthcare plan (which seriously needs to be expanded upon) by doing their specialty: strongarming their suppliers. Second, I think they’re positioning themselves as the place to go for prescription drugs in the eyes of the baby boomers, who will be loading up on drugs as they reach the age of senior citizens. Not that there’s really anything wrong with that, I suppose (maybe there won’t be a CVS/Eckerd/Walgreens on every single corner lot here in TN – why do they do that, anyway?) – but I have a hard time thinking they’re doing it to be socially responsible. I admit that the two don’t have to be mutually exclusive, though. That’s another one that’s hard for folks on my side of the political fence to concede.
I guess I’m finding it weird not to think of Wal-mart as the devil, but maybe some manner of lesser imp or demon.
This post is tagged walmart, Wal Mart, Wal-mart, evil, fluorescent light bulb, cheap drugs and Fast Company
Related posts:
Yes, I do agree that Wal-Mart is the devil on several different levels. But it's like you said, since you can't go anywhere else and buy CD's, Clothes, doe piss, and groceries and eatin some McDonalds while you walk around getting the stuff, you can't help but shop there. Don't know about the drug thing, but don't talk bad about those swirley lights cause they are great. As you know I am an avid offroader and make sure I do my part to destroy the environment when I get the chance (or at least that seems to be the opinion everyone has about offroaders), but I still like those light bulbs.
Not badmouthing the lights at all. I have four in my living room. Matter of fact, that's one of the weird things that's making me second-guess my opinion of Wal-mart in general.