BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now

Subject: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: GUEST,sorefingers
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 12:44 PM

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=568&ncid=749&e=1&u=/nm/20040201/
It appears that all the flak is finally beginning to hit home!

Not only is Maul Wart ( Kinfisher Oklahoma USA ) family the Waltons - and their cronies OSU ( Oklahoma State University ) bimbos busy trying to rebuff the true stories of cheating and stealing from customers,they are hiring a generic low cost ( can you believe how mean these people are! ) Public Relations Company to help create yet more lies about how nice Maul Wart really is.

Yeah right. Pity they would not pay their clerks a living wage - so that the clerks would not have to short change - steal from - every customer who makes the mistake of paying with a 20 / 50 or really stupid - 100 dollar bill.

Doing that in Maul Wart is like wearing new Nike shoes in Liberia- Talk about blood suckers ... no not now, but later.

The monster store began cheatin illiterate and often half blind Arkansaw Hillbilly Farmers in the 1960's. Getting away with that they simply moved up and on, Oh employing a fleet of like minded trash out of Oklahoma State University as the money started rolling in.

Typical early Sam-scams - underweighing consumables / Washing Powder Coffe Animal Feeds/ etc they moved up and on later with the label switch routine. Here products made in China were relabeled with
'Made In USA' and sold- removing OC the 'Made In China' label.
Latest reports I have these days concern perishables such as watered down Milk.

Talk about falling prices, naw lets talk about rising water content in the danged Milk!

Later more elaborate scams included selling pirated Micrsoft Windows CDs as US made goods. I have one of these complete with counterfiet Book and License. Talk about crooks ! They make the Mob look like a religious order!

If you work at Maul Wart. Leave and get a real job with the FBI or the
fraud squad because this Oky Hoky outfit is about to be impailed by the good people of the USA.

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 01:21 PM

Here's the story

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 01:54 PM

I love my local Wallmart, and will shop there as longas they are standing...

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: GUEST,Martin Gibson
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 01:57 PM

I also like to shop at Wal-Mart and I don't read any of this shit about the company. They have good prices and I save money. If you have a problem with them, don't spend your money there. I'm sure they will hardly notice or care about a couple of whiners.

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: Walking Eagle
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 02:25 PM

I don't hate Wal-Mart. I just don't shop there.

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 02:38 PM

I despise Walmart and it is a store of last resort only if I have tried everywhere else I can think of first. They're driving local mom and pop and medium-sized businesses out of business and forcing their suppliers into horrible situations. They pay shit, they treat their employees like shit, and when you drive into the parking lot you can feel your IQ drop 20 points just for being there. You can find low prices in other stores, but it takes a little more work. I am willing to do that work.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 03:06 PM

"They're driving local mom and pop and medium-sized businesses out of business "

Aww wwaaaah... that's the food chain for ya... And since when were these M&P stores ever supposed to be this great thing? Every M&P store I've ever been in had sucky selection, high prices, and lousy service...

"They pay shit, they treat their employees like shit"

O.k.. Pay?? How much SHOULD they get to do a job that basically a trained monkey would be bored at??? It's not rocket science... it's restocking shelves and running a check-out machine that is mostly capable of running itself...

Treatment? I know and have known all kinds of people who work, or have worked at Wal-Mart... none of them ever complained... In fact, most of the folks I've known there really kinda dug the job... It was easy money...

Maybe my experience is different because of the border? That in the US it's different? I donno...

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 03:29 PM

Can't say I'm surprised by the thread so far.

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: Peg
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 05:33 PM

I agree whole-heartedly with Stilly River Sage.

When the mom and pop stores get forced to close, ther goes any choice you may have had of where to shop in yoru community. The small shops close, the downtown dies, because then everyone has to drive to the damn mall or, increasingly, the stretch of highway that is nothing but one long strip mall. They didn't have these everywhere twenty years ago; now they are inevitable even in small communities.

I remember in my neighborhood, a couple miles from the business district "downtown", there were corner stores. General stuff, butcher shops, a fish store, a liquor store. Close by there'd be small "shopping plazas" with 3 or 4 shops: hardware, a restaurant, pharmacy, shoes or clothing.

Most of these   places are sloed. A shopping mall opened in the 1970s and   kept   getting bigger. Peopel only gradually began going there instead of downtown to shop. Then, the strip malls near the mall started going up. Walmart opened. The downtown clothing, sewing, pharmacy, garden and electronics shops closed. Sam's Club opened. The   little groceries   started struggling a nd   several closed. Home Depot opened. The local lumber yards and hardware   stores closed up shop. The mall then got a multiplex. The downtown cinemas closed.

This insidious equation has repeated itself in millions of towns and cities across America, mainly because people are too lazy to shop around and compare prices, and too short-sighted to realize what   such practices are doing to their communities. Oh, and too   self-centered to understand that the choices they make in life affect other people, and that this in turn just might affect everyone's quality of life just about equally, in the end. They lend a hand in destroying a way of life and little by little that way of life is disappearing.

People now habitually buy much more crap than they need just because it's all under one roof and oh, the prices are so low!

Now, even if these same people who helped destroy their towns thought better of shopping at Walmart (or Home Depot) it wouldn't matter, because they no longer have a choice.

America is done for. Walmart has its sights set on England next.

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: GUEST,"Wover"
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 05:40 PM

"Maul Wart"

Now I don't care who you are, that there is funny!

People on this forum are a hoot.

Good one sorefingers

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: Peace
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 05:53 PM

Hey, Martin Gibson, someone started a thread with your name on it. They want to know if you've gone mad. Well?

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 05:54 PM

Peg... I don't wanna start a 'fight' with you... So please, don't take this as baiting you...

"They lend a hand in destroying a way of life and little by little that way of life is disappearing."

A way of life? Doesn't that imply that what is 'past' is automatically 'better'? I just don't see how that is the case... I mean, if these M&P stores were better, then wouldn't they have survived in sorta the economic equivalent to 'natural selection'?

When I hear people talking about 'saving the downtown' core around here, their reason seems to be, at least to me, "Because it's always been there"... but it hasn't 'always' been there... Someone a long time ago changed what it was then into what it used to be not too long ago... and not too long after that changed into what it is now...

Seems to me that 'ways of life' are always coming into being, existing for a while and then changing into something else... and that abides for a while and then changes too... and so on... and so on...

So, what am I not understanding about 'the other side'?

----------------------------------------------

"America is done for"
You may very well be right... but if you are, I don't think ALL the blame can be laid at the feet of WalMart...

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 05:54 PM

"Walmart has its sights set on England next" True enough, they've bought up a big supermarker chain, ASDA, and are expanding it. Recently opened up a big store in Harlow.

But at least here they have to operate in a context where they can't stop workers getting unionised. They probably would if they could, and Tony Blair probably wouldn't mind, but there are still some things he can't get away with.

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: Mudlark
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 05:57 PM

Unfortunately, the dumb old Arkies in the 60's thot Wal-mart was the best thing since store-bought milk...and most of them still do, just like the rest of the country. I don't like the stores either, don't like the smells, the lighting, the fake "greeter" camaraderie, or much of the stock they carry. But then, I'm not trying to feed/clothe and supply a family of 4,5,6 on substandard wages (like Wal-mart's) either. I haven't been in the local Walmart for over 3 years, but maybe everybody doesn't have that option. I'm glad I'm able to make it mine.

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: MMario
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 06:29 PM

well - in my neck of the woods virtually every "Mom and Pop" store was out of business long before we got a Wal-Mart. For shoppers in our region it means not having to drive two hours to a city to get basics.

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 08:03 PM

I look at the advertising fliers on Wednesday to see what is on sale, if I need to go grocery shopping. I can find good prices at the local grocery stores that way, and I always plan to stop by when I'm in the area so I don't make an extra trip. I drive a pickup because I need the space, but I in turn drive it as little as possible to avoid using a lot of gas. The trick with shopping for sale stuff at the grocery chains is to not get sucked into buying the "regular priced" stuff that is so inflated in price.

I shop at stores that have their own obscure brands. There's a great little store in the Dallas-Fort Worth area called Save-A-Lot that has excellent products for 40-50% of the cost of Albertson's, Kroger, etc. The difference? They have unusual brand names. Get over the big brand names, and you save a lot of money.

For clothes, we start at the thrift store. I have taught the kids to go down the aisles looking for the color, size, and brands they want. We always come away with plenty of good quality clothes. The most I've ever spent in there at one time is $60, and I came away with a dozen pairs of long pants for all of us, several shirts, and a couple of sweaters. This is called "reuse" and it's a time honored tradition in many parts of the world. From there, we visit the stores like Ross, and check out clearance stuff before moving to the regular aisles. The department stores have caught onto the success of Ross and TJ Max and you can go to very good stores like Foleys, Dillards, and Nordstrom and find their deeply discounted stuff off in their own section of the store. We start there, and only after we've exhausted that, do we go into sale and full-price. We rarely ever end up in the full-price stuff. The clothes that are sold at the department store are generally of a much better quality that the stuff Walmart sells.

We can live without Walmart.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: GUEST,pdc
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 08:25 PM

Clinton Hammond seems to be Canadian, so I'm posting to let you know that some Canadians don't like WalMart either. The company lies -- about its product sources, about its employee practices, about its intentions. When WalMart opened a store in Vancouver several years ago, they wanted to sell guns. It took a lot of people writing letters, picketing, etc. to put a stop to that.

WalMart was recently convicted of locking its employees inside their stores at night, in several locations in the US. The store would close, but employees were required to put in several hours after closing -- unpaid hours -- to clean up stock and ready the store for morning. They were locked in by a manager, left with a supervisor who had no keys, and when the store was clean, the supervisor would have to call the manager, who would come and unlock the store, freeing the employees.

This all came to light when an accident occurred in which an employee's leg was broken. The manager wasn't home when the supervisor called to have the locks opened; the man had to wait several hours in severe pain before the manager arrived to open the doors. Then, and only then, was an ambulance called.

WalMart has also been charged for having illegals working as cleaning people in their stores all across the US. They are paid practically nothing, and receive no time off at all -- not even Christmas. These people work 365 days a year, for very little money, under threat of being reported to the INS if they complain.

Buy American and support the Waltons? I don't think so. Google Walton and charges or scandals to learn more.

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: GUEST,Wover
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 08:48 PM

But Paul Harvey says Walmart is great, so it must be so.

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: Midchuck
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 08:59 PM

Wal-Mart has never destroyed a "Mom and Pop" store.

The customers who chose to shop at Wal-Mart destroyed those stores, if anyone did.

It's up to the consumer to decide whether somewhat lower prices are more important than personal service, a pleasant shopping environment, etc., etc. But sometimes personal service isn't all it's cracked up to be.

I recently bought a TV and DVD player from Wal-Mart. I tried Sears, and the salesman drove me crazy by insisting that I wouldn't be happy with the relatively small TV and the fairly basic DVD player I was looking for; I needed bigger ones with more features. What he meant was that he needed a bigger commission.

I went back to Wal-Mart, picked the items I wanted off the stack of cartons, put 'em in the cart myself, and went through the checkout line, just like I was buying socks and underwear. But I got what I wanted with no hassles.

FWIW.

Peter.

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: DougR
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 09:01 PM

My son has been employed at Wal-Mart for about twelve years. He makes good money, has a good 401k retirement program which has company participation, a health care plan, etc. I think 90% of the negative things said and printed about Wal-Mart is pure horse pucky, and most of the critics haven't got a clue about how the company operates, or how it treats its employees. There are folks who hate ANY big business, and Wal-Mart is one of the biggest.

DougR

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: Mooh
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 09:14 PM

Don't shop there personally, but it's likely the only place to get some things in this small town since the competition was reduced.

One guy I know complained about the shabby treatment and low wages he received and then went out and played music for cheap in local watering holes undercutting the competition. He didn't make the connection.

I laugh at the local politicians who are all worried about the downtown dying when I see them pulling out of the mall parking lots as I'm out walking the dog. Two-faced.

Thank goodness there are better places to buy fishing tackle, music, tools, groceries, and clothing, about the only things I buy, in my fair town. I bet the local MallWart hasn't figured out there are a lot of folks like me or they'd be killing my favourite shops.

Oh well...Mooh.

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: GUEST,Martin Gibson
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 10:32 PM

Brucie (with a lisp),

No that thread isn't about me. Actually I own three Gibsons and zero Martins, so I must be sane.

I have seen many downtowns forced to re-invent themselves successfully because of the Wal-Mart on the outstkirts. I have also seen other chain stores as well as restaurants and hotels come in around the Wal-Mart to become the new shopping center of town, with new jobs and a boost to the local economy. One particular favorite town I know in southwest Michigan started with a Wal-Mart off the Interstate, then came 2 restaurants and three motels, a business park, and then a community college. The downtown rediscovered it's history and is thriving, also.

Someone here said the problem some people have with Wal-Mart are the ones who have a problem with big business in general. Please stop whining. Wal-Mart is here to stay. Go spend your money elsewhere if you want to. I'll pay $2.50 for a box of cereal. You can pay $3.75 if you want to, that's your problem, not mine.

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: GUEST,pdc
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 10:38 PM

DougR: what position does your son hold with WalMart?

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 10:40 PM

" WalMart was recently convicted of locking its employees inside their stores at night,....freeing the employees."

No... no they weren't... somone else recently quoted that at me, and it later came to light it was ONE isolated event, that had extenuating circumstances attached... (Something about a mis-communication)

When I dig up the info again, I'll post it...

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: Little Hawk
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 11:10 PM

Couldn't agree with you more, Peg and Stilly. I went to the local Maul-Wart twice, just to see what it was like. It's a lot like a casino. The only place you can find more bad vibes (but less phoniness) is at the local penitentiary...of course, that's a whole different style of bad vibes.

People who are totally materialistic (in their consciousness, I mean, if not in their philosophy) don't even notice stuff like that, I imagine...it slides off 'em like water off a duck...so it doesn't bother them in the least to go shopping at WalMart. Same deal with casinos...which are like a slice of hell. Same deal with a lot of bars. It's a low mentality.

I have never bought anything from Walmart and never will, nor did I return after checking the place out. If I had a dive bombing squadron available, I would send them to our local WalMart and obliterate it, after, of course, giving them 24 hours notice to clear out so that no one got hurt. (This is obviously sheer fantasy, so don't get all worked up reacting to it, Walmart lovers, cos it ain't gonna happen, and I know it. I enjoy my fantasies just as much as the rest of you enjoy yours.)

Once again I am gazing at Clinton across the front lines of life, like Jackson looking across the Rapahannock at the endless resources of the Big Blue Machine in 1862. In this system, like then, BIG MONEY and vapid convenience rule the roost...just like Capone did in Chicago. A lot of people loved Capone too. People are easily bought, easily fooled, and most of them line right up with the status quo and never analyse it at all as long as "number one" isn't hurting.

Every day I watch the cars pouring into Maul-Wart as I go by, just like they do into the casino. Shit attracts a lot of flies.

- LH

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 11:30 PM

Martin, you're nuts to pay $2.50 to Walmart for that cereal. We get a comparable quality cereal, same size box but without Post or Kellogg on it, anywhere from 99 cents to $1.50 at our little Save-A-Lot grocery and at a couple of "Grocey Outlet" stores in the area. The trick for this grocery store is that it carries the staples and doesn't have specialized stuff sitting on the shelves until it expires. Lots of good dry goods and canned goods, but not every flavor under the sun. They have specials on things when they can get them for less, and you learn to shop according to season. We buy the staples here, and go to the big name grocery stores for those flavors or more exotic items not available at our store. Works out just fine. I do try to take advantage of some of the big store giveaways--over Thanksgiving I totalled enough things on my shopping list to score a free turkey at the end of my shopping. My little store will never be running a special like that.

One of my best friends had a horrible experience working for Walmart. They reward competence with overwork. She had to leave because her health was suffering from the long hours. And the pay sucks. Barely over minimum wage.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: GUEST,pdc
Date: 02 Feb 04 - 12:00 AM

Here is the article about the worker whose leg was crushed while he was locked in at WalMart at night. The article is from the New York Times, but I can't get the whole thing because it is now archived, and I would have to buy it. Note the capitalized words -- I added the caps, but the words are original to the article.

Workers Assail Night Lock-Ins by Wal-Mart

Looking back to that night, Michael Rodriguez still has trouble believing the situation he faced when he was stocking shelves on the overnight shift at the Sam's Club in Corpus Christi, Tex.

It was 3 a.m., Mr. Rodriguez recalled, some heavy machinery had just smashed into his ankle, and he had no idea how he would get to the hospital.

The Sam's Club, a Wal-Mart subsidiary, had locked its overnight workers in, AS IT ALWAYS DID, to keep robbers out and, as some managers say, to prevent employee theft. AS USUAL, there was no manager with a key to let Mr. Rodriguez out. The fire exit, he said, was hardly an option — management had drummed into the overnight workers that if they ever used that exit for anything but a fire, they would lose their jobs.

"My ankle was crushed," Mr. Rodriguez said, explaining he had been struck by an electronic cart driven by an employee moving stacks of merchandise. "I was yelling and running around like a hurt dog that had been hit by a car. Another worker made some phone calls to reach a manager, and it took an hour for someone to get there and unlock the door."

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: Donuel
Date: 02 Feb 04 - 09:14 AM

Night time lock ins have been around for decades before Walmart.

Walmart has but one store in the Wash. DC area. They tried to expand by trying to build on George Washington's childhood home and farm land but were defeated twice.

Maybe 3 times will be the charm.

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: GUEST,James
Date: 02 Feb 04 - 09:41 AM

I tend not to shop at big box stores because there are none of them where I live and when I go into the city I try to support local book, music, craft and other types of locally owned business. Many of these small shops offer unique service and hard to find items that would never be on offer at the big stores. If we lose our small shopes, we hurt our neighbours, cut down on our choices and send money out of the community. I am not a wealthy person but it is worth it to me to spend a wee bit more to support my local community and economy.

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: Peg
Date: 02 Feb 04 - 09:52 AM

Clinton;I do see your point about the 'nostalgia' thing, but it is not really about that. Older is not necessarily better in all things.

But, communities based on smaller businesses, that treat people as individuals, that know their customers by name, that generate customer loyalty because they are able to treat people well and keep them coming back, that do not have toabide by corporate policies towarsd employees and thus generate employee loyalty, too.I mean,does anyone disagree that poor retail service is at least partially a result of poor employee morale, and that high turnover in these jobs is much less likely in smaller businesses?), all this is more desirable than what Wal-mart hasto offer, in my book, and well, this is what is disappearing.

Peter;
interesting story about Sears. But they are a big corporate chain, too--and have a more aggressive sales policy (they go after you on the sales floor).

Little Hawk;
I know what you mean about that vibe.I get a headache in these places, and feel strangely drained of energy after being in them for a while.I have never been to a casino but I have a feeling I would hate that, too.

Why shouldn't shopping be a pleasant experience? I don't like big groecery stores,either. I prefer the European model: stop at the butcher, the bakery, the greengrocers each day for supplies for that evening's meal...

I get 95% of my clothing used at thrift shops. Saves tons of money (a $65 wool sweater for $5) and I get much better quality than buying cheap discount brands. And finding items that are hardly used or even new is not difficult.

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: GUEST,pdc
Date: 02 Feb 04 - 10:48 AM

Guest James was spot on: shopping at big chains sends money out of the community; shopping at local merchants keeps it in the community.
Frankly, I don't like WalMart because they represent corporate greed at its worst -- they seem to hold members of the buying public in the same contempt they show for their employees. Yuck.

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: Little Hawk
Date: 02 Feb 04 - 11:10 AM

Here's a casino, Peg: Picture a gigantic, garishly lit and decorated room, filled with a horde of people consumed by a single emotion: greed for cash. Thousands and thousands of little bells, gongs, bongs, and tweets are sounding frenetically from the one-armed bandits (slot machines), filling the air with an endless babble of noise. The people's eyes are fixed hypnotically on the machines. Some of those people have been there for hours...some all night...but you can't tell what time it is, because there are (deliberately) no windows in the place at all. The outside world does not exist when you're in a casino. You will notice that a great many of those people are old, worn, retired people, probably not people with very much money in the first place. The same people you will see in a bingo hall. A lot of old women. You will also probably see a lot of Orientals, young and old, because they seem to like gambling a lot in those cultures. You will see the "high rollers"...guys in gold chains and flamboyant clothing...guys who imagine themselves in a James Bond novel and laugh loudly with bravado as they lose their money. The house almost always wins.   One time when I was driving taxi I picked up one such fellow. He boasted to me that he had won $20,000 that day and later lost $55,000. He was $35,000 in the hole and seemingly proud of it. He intended to go back and play again "tomorrow". They have kindly people there on staff who will "finance" your house or car if you run out of money while playing. They have people who are so unwilling to leave the machine they are playing on even to go to the washroom that they wear something under their clothes so they can pee in their pants and not leave the slot machine (rare, but it does happen). On the sides you will see the other games...poker, blackjack, roulette, and so on. You will find plenty of good entertainment in the theater, cos those places make enough money to hire the best. You will find lots of alcohol...it encourages bad judgement.

And, saddest thing of all in my opinion, you may find that the place is run by the descendants of such fine people as Crazy Horse or Tecumseh or Chief Joseph. It's the triumph of banality and nihilism. I went to see it because I wanted to see the face of my enemy in order to know him better. That's why I went to WalMart too.

I also went to the casino once to see Buffy Sainte-Marie do a show in the theatre. Great show. Their little stratagem didn't work too well, though, cos the only money I spent that night was my concert ticket, and I haven't been back since.

- LH

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: GUEST,sorefingers
Date: 02 Feb 04 - 12:19 PM

Several people I talked to about this say that Maul-Wart sells stuff for less than anyother store.

Well folks you are being lied to.

Maul-Wart DOES not undersell these days. Mostly when you compare by shopping around Maul-Wart tends to be higher

For example, Car Battery at Maul-Wart on sale 39.99 same product at a local farm-supply store 19.99. The clerk there told me that every year ALL stores clear their shelves of old batteries, something about the warranty, and they have to discount the product to get rid of old stock.

What is instructive here is how Maul-Wart pawns you off with defective goods at the regular price all the while telling you that their prices are falling. More like rising, and what makes me feel for the people who shop there, Maul-Wart also schleps em a pig in a poke every time, ie the goods are factory reject, underweight, watered down, conterfeit- try calling MS about yer Wally CD! - and so on.

Shopping at Maul-Wart for groceries is a death sentence, put it this way your colon would thank you for shopping someplace else.

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: Little Hawk
Date: 02 Feb 04 - 12:45 PM

Right on. Furthermore, Walmart tantalizes people with a few advertised "loss leaders" while sucking them into buying a ton of other stuff at higher prices than they might find elsewhere. It's marketing...lies and false representation...just like what you get from the political parties when they are seeking your vote.

- LH

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: Don Firth
Date: 02 Feb 04 - 02:06 PM

Pour yourself a cup of coffee or tea or pop open a beer and prop your feet up. Here's a bunch of reading material:

The scoop on Wal-Mart.

An opinion from the heartland

For Californians (and others):— Anyone who doesn't like what's on this website will undoubtedly claim that these people are just a bunch of New-Age twig-eaters, so their opinion accounts for nothing, but HERE is what many people who value their health say about the relationship between Wal-Mart and the California grocery strike.

A few years back, my wife, Barbara, and I were in Fairbury, Nebraska where Barbara was born. The only store in the area where you could buy a whole variety of things was Wal-Mart, just east of town. Most of the other stores had folded up because they couldn't compete with Wal-Mart's prices. But once the competition had been driven out of business, Wal-Mart's prices started creeping back up. That, folks, is the way it works. It's called "monopoly."

Here's another little tidbit :— Wal-Mart strikes back.

By the way, GUEST,Martin Gibson, having crossed blades with you on another thread, I just wanted to mention that I didn't really spend a lot of time this morning researching the above, because I gleaned most of this information weeks ago. Don't be concerned about my having too much time on my hands and wasting it on things that are inconsequential. I keep up on this sort of thing because I'm a bit of an idealist, and I think that this could be a better world if we are willing to try to make it so. And part of it is to call certain things to the attention of other people who actually are concerned for their fellow human beings. I note that you say above that you "don't read any of this shit about the company." This, of course, is a great way to bury your head in the sand, not think about an issue, and avoid any ethical dilemmas. Then you go on to call those who do have a problem with Wal-Mart's ethics "whiners." Then, in another post further down, you address one of our fellow 'Catters as "Brucie (with a lisp)."

You, sir, are a real piece of work.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: Don Firth
Date: 02 Feb 04 - 02:11 PM

Sorry, sorefingers. My last link seems to have duplicated your effort. But what the hell, it's worth reading twice.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: GUEST,Martin Gibson
Date: 02 Feb 04 - 02:25 PM

And you Don Firth are a moron who pounds his chest as a flaming know-it all. I'm sure you piss what little money you earn away as foolishly in the name of your silly causes that no one cares about. Like I said, don't like Wal-Mart, don't shop there. Your little rant is having NO effect on people who like to save money practicing the fine art of consumerism.

You spend way too much time "gleaning" while others are living, geeko.

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: Little Hawk
Date: 02 Feb 04 - 02:31 PM

Where did you get your keen sense of rational debate, Martin?

People practicing the fine art of consumerism are "pissing away" the whole world at this point...and for nothing. No matter how many toys you take home, it won't make you a better or happier person in the long run. It might make you feel good for an hour or a day though, I suppose. (I enjoy my toys too.) What is your life actually about, ultimately? What would you say?

- LH

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: GUEST,pdc
Date: 02 Feb 04 - 02:40 PM

Martin Gibson sounds like a WalMart wannabe -- can't you imagine him having vast power and throwing it around like the biggest guy in the bar? And isn't it fortunate that forums provide anonymity?

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Feb 04 - 02:54 PM

Touché, LH. MartinGibson is a fool, to be insulting one of the kindest and wisest of men, and on top of that, one of the best folksingers I've ever had the pleasure to know! When I discussed the IQ drain being about 20 points on Walmart property, that was an average. Clearly mileages may vary.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: Kim C
Date: 02 Feb 04 - 02:55 PM

I have to go with MMario on this one - many of Nashville's little businesses closed a long time before we had Big Box stores. Sometimes people just want to retire.

Here in Nashville, independent stores are generally a LOT more expensive than the big boxes - that could be because most of the independent shops are in the wealthy neighborhoods, catering to a wealthy clientele who want to buy exclusive clothes, home decorations, etc. Levy's is a good example - this menswear store has been around since the 1850s. That's right, I said 1850s. A few years ago they expanded to carry some women's things. They're right across from the mall, and their parking lot is always packed.

The influx of immigrants in Tennessee has spawned a slew of Mexican, Asian, and Middle-Eastern groceries - specialty shops that sell what you can't find at Wal-Mart or Kroger or Publix.

I guess is just depends on supply and demand in any particular area.

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 02 Feb 04 - 03:12 PM

" People practicing the fine art of consumerism are "pissing away" the whole world at this point."

What an absolutely inane thing to say... just like...

"People who are totally materialistic"

With out getting into a stupid "Did Jesus OWN the clothing he wore" debate, ALL people are materialistic... we need to buy the STUFF we don't know how to make/grow/assemble ourselves... Or did you whittle that computer you're sitting at from your own recycled skin-cells? Those books on your bookshelf? You wrote them all yourself, by hand, on paper made from reclaimed snot I suppose eh...

Oh no... wait... that's right... yer sitting in a cave somewhere 'in tune' with 'nature', posting to Mudcat by the power of focusing your 'aura' though crystals thanks in part to your high fibre diet and your overall One-ness with the 'cosmos'... taking only pictures and leaving only footprints...   Go hug a rainbow, LH!

------------------------------------------------------

Peg...
"all this is more desirable than what Wal-mart hasto offer, in my book, and well, this is what is disappearing"

I can see where yer coming from... I don't necessarily agree, but I grock ya...

See, me on the other hand... I like the 'mall' and the bigger the better... I like a place where I can get a book, a haircut, some new socks, a bag of 'pickle' flavour popcorn, flights for my darts, flowers for my Herself, and 2 tins of cat food... All without having to run around the downtown core to go to 5 different stores that don't have parking of their own...

Was it Tim Leary who said, "It's all at the mall!" maybe?

Tangentally...

I'll be very curious to see what happens when my local Walmart picks up on my local Zhers (big box grocery store) idea of automated check-outs... they're getting to the point where all they need is a manager to solve software crashes, and a security guard to solve hard and meat ware crashes... and I suppose some kind of robotic trained monkey to restock shelves...

-----------------------------------------
"And isn't it fortunate that forums provide anonymity?"

And what the hell then is a pdc???

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: GUEST,pdc
Date: 02 Feb 04 - 03:35 PM

pdc means pretty darned cute, pretty darned clever, or perniciously devilish cretin, depending on mood. (Actually, just my initials -- I'm not particularly creative.) My point was that some people who are swaggering bullies online are actually timid pussycats in real life.

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: Don Firth
Date: 02 Feb 04 - 03:42 PM

Descended to abuse, I see. The mark of the true intellectual.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: GUEST
Date: 02 Feb 04 - 03:44 PM

Please tell us you are kidding about the "pickle flavour popcorn." It can't exist.........can it? Please don't let it be exported.

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: Little Hawk
Date: 02 Feb 04 - 04:20 PM

You always put a glow in my heart, Clinton. :-) Why hug a rainbow when I can go to Windsor and hug you instead?

Of course all people are materialistic...but how materialistic? That's the question. I bet I'm just as practical as you are in most respects, and I really don't like malls all that much...but I patronize them to a certain extent. Just not Walmart. Interestingly enough my favorite specialty store...the really good hobby shop...can no longer be found in malls for some reason. Nor can the really good music shop. Not around here anyway. They're always independent stores out on the street somewhere. I get to breathe some fresh air while walking to them, and that's enjoyable (although it can also be cold or wet). The air is usually not too good inside malls.

- LH

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 02 Feb 04 - 04:38 PM

"It can't exist.........can it?"

Yes... yes it does... and I eat it like there's no tomorrow!

:-P~~~~~~~~ hehehe
-----------------------------
"The air is usually not too good inside malls."
LOL!

The air in the malls in Windsor is infinitely better than what passes for it outside! I have actually heard people in this town say, "Let's get inside for a breath of fresh air!"

--------------------------------------
"some people who are swaggering bullies online are actually timid pussycats"

And I hear that a lot of the supposedly 18 year old chatroom, cyber-sex 'sluts' are really 40ish lonely men and or convicts!

LOL

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: Little Hawk
Date: 02 Feb 04 - 04:43 PM

In other words...Windsor is best avoided?

- LH

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 02 Feb 04 - 04:49 PM

Have I ever lead you to believe otherwise LH??????

LOL

Subject: RE: BS: Maul Wart sucks even more now
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Feb 04 - 04:56 PM

There are certainly pros and cons to malls. Anything you buy there seems to be more expensive, because of the cost of the overhead. But what is the cost of a free-standing brick-and-mortar store? A price difference may not be the case any more, maybe it never was. But in a human cultural sense, going to the mall is today what going to a fair or going out on market day might have been when such things existed for purchasing goods, offering services, etc. Not exactly the souk, but certainly entertaining.

In the city where I lived when I was first old enough to go downtown by myself, the variety of small stores, the bookstore with all of it's great stationary items, the import store, the sewing and jewelry stores, drug stores, sporting goods stores, and J.C. Penney with it's wonderful candy counter and the old movie theaters were all part of what made walking through downtown interesting. The mall sucked the life out of downtown. It's trying to come back now, but it is a changed place and doesn't have the same kind of commercial activity.

Walmart sucks the life out of anything nearby because of the way it forces its suppliers to drop every other account to fill Walmart orders, and in the process loses them that other business. Then they're really screwed if Walmart comes back and asks for even lower prices (they can't say no, and just sell more to everyone else--other customers are long gone). And sometimes they sacrifice those companies, forcing them out of business, to decrease competition and allow them to raise prices on other stuff. I don't have a citation on this, but picked it up over the years on programs like Frontline. Ever see the movie The Solid Gold Cadillac?

SRS