Wal To Wal Bargains On Wal To Wal Damn Shoddy Workmanship

Growing up in a world where the minimum wage was $4.50 an hour, there are two things that I learned to buy the best quality of that I could afford: shoes, and a wristwatch. I learned this lesson by finding myself back at Payless Shoes every month to replace the pair I'd bought there the previous month which already had seams with holes and flappy soles. And also by that same day stopping at K-Mart for another Timex because the one I'd had for only a few weeks was telling me the time on the planet Crapwatch.. So, eventually I figured out that If I went to the Army/Navy store and spent my shoe budget for the next 4 months on a pair of Officer's shoes, I wouldn't have to replace them for two to five years. And if I bought a mid-priced Swatch (Their quality line, not those candy-colored vomit things they got famous for back in the day) for the price of 8 Timexes, I could count the dollars saved on the additional 20 Timexes I eventually didn't have to buy.

It's a lesson that really only needed to apply to those two items for most of my life. Other items that applied to my life in such an intimate way never seemed to be an issue. Clothing lasted a good long time, whatever you paid for it, books came only in hardcover or paperback, and Mom & Dad supplied the rest until I moved out, and then I was really happy I already had a good watch and good shoes because then I could barely afford food, but that's another story.

But I'm finding that, after my burning re-entry into the atmosphere of the planet United States, this is a lesson that needs to be re-learned about many other things, and after a few anecdotes and some preliminary research, I've discovered the cause to be Wal-Mart. Here's the thing; Like McDonald's and other fast food, Wal-Mart tastes great to me. I like going to one hugeongous warehouse store and getting everything I need at one go, and getting the hell out, because I actually hate shopping. My feet get tired and my brain begins to swim when I have to make choices between things like strawberry, or blueberry, or whitening, or breath-freshening, or anti-plaque toothpastes! So I say, get in, get out, and enjoy the extra time you've gained in your life from it by locking yourself in your room with your computer and  your bloodshot eyes.

But, also like fast food, there is shit in Wal-Mart's meat! The anecdote that I first heard was from my friend Stephanie; she related that she (or a friend of hers, I can't remember) had bought an HP laptop computer there for a couple of hundred dollars cheaper than the same model at Circuit City. In a matter of weeks, the hard drive crashed. She sent it back in for repairs, got it back, and a few weeks later, System Failure 2, at your local box office! So they brought it in and had it replaced with a new one, same model. System Failure 3: Joke's On You, Sucka! Intrigued as to why this should be, when HP is a respected manufacturer of fine computers, she did a little research and discovered that Wal-Mart, in their quest to bring loyal Wal-Mart shoppers lower prices, actually dictates to their manufacturers what prices they are willing to pay to stock their shelves with stuff. So, what companies like HP wind up having to do, in order to continue making any sort of a profit at all, is to manufacture a line of computers with their name on it, using inferior materials and cheaper production costs in Mexican child slave factories*, solely to be shipped to Wal-Mart stores!

If it's not obvious to you why this might be a bad thing, here's the breakdown: Johnny Dipshit wants to buy a computer. At Circuit City, he sees one for $1200, but at Wal-Mart, he sees the same one for $800. So, obviously he buys it at Wal-Mart. Well, there are 10,000 Johnny Dipshits in the world out there buying laptops right now. When Circuit City, or any other retailer, doesn't sell their $1200 model, they stop selling them and all that you can find, anywhere, is the crappy fall-apart in 3 weeks $800 model. Do the math, it's not good.

Well, I didn't really buy this anecdote, (seriously, I didn't. I'm not just saying that to sound like a reasonable crank with an educated conversion to Wal-Mart haters R us) but I started noticing little things. My Dad's wife Erin bought me a few car accessories at Wal-Mart for Christmas that I had asked for. The very solid-looking extendable snow brush and ice-scraper snapped in two the first time I tried to use it on my icy windshield. A pillow that I bought there for my room started off nice and fluffy but within two weeks you wouldn't have been blamed for mistaking it for a table place mat. ALL of the clothing I've purchased there has either shrunk, lost it's color, or frayed to an unacceptable degree after just a few washes.

Not everything I've bought there has caused me problems. Those blank DVD's for instance. The toothpaste seems to work just fine. So far my beanbag chair is ok... I'll keep you updated on that if anything happens there. But... it's all a part of the general degradation of US standards that I've been seeing everywhere. Mike Judge is a genius for his film Idiocracy, because the more I look around, the more prophetic it looks. It also reminds me of the bit in the novel 1984 by George Orwell about how everybody is eating substandard food and drinking crap Gin that makes your stomach into a big fat churning ulcer, because of the devolution of standards, or something. It's been a long time since I read it. Feel free to fill in the blank there, for me.

Anyway, I did some of my own internet based research, and with a preliminary article scan, here are two links that are quite troubling and eye-opening that I've found. The Wal-Mart You Don't Know, and The Man Who Said No To Wal-Mart. I'm sure some of you who like to comment when I talk about stuff you already know all about will have already looked into all this, or had your own experiences... send me anecdotes, send me links! I'd like to read further. I'm already considering boycotting Wal-Mart, as I have done with fast food; In both cases more for my own benefit than for any gung-ho anti-establishment reasons. I have already decided to limit at the very least the types of things I'll buy there. No electronics, no clothes, and no crap. Toothepaste, milk, other things that I don't see any degradation of the product on... for now. But you're in my crosshairs, Wal-Mart! Bow down before me and tremble! MUAHH HAHAHAHA!!!

Right. Anyway. The point of all this is, I think you'll find that in the long run, whatever your budget may be, that you're better off buying your laptops from quality retailers, and your clothing from the non-budget stores... granted, it's harder to find those sorts of things at decent prices outside of Wal-Mart these days because they've put so many lesser entities out of business, but it's still possible... FOR NOW!

 

*This was an attempt at humor, not a statement of fact. Although it's my opinion that Wal-Mart probably uses Mexican child slave labor as a bargaining tool with their manufacturers to make a cheaper product, I have no facts to back it up. It's also my opinion that they should not be allowed to dictate the manufacturer's pricing, but what do I know?

Comments

[Gary]

I totally boycott Wal-Mart. I haven't been to one in around 2 years. It's a lot easier now that I don't live near it anymore. I do go to Target though so I still suck.

Just being in a Wal-Mart makes me feel bad. I think it's the constant "boop!" sound of the scanners that makes me feel mental. That and all the fat and ugly people riding around in electric shopping carts. Buyin stuff!

[messiestobjects]

Where do you buy clothes? I need to know, because I'll be damned if I'm going to pay $60 for a pair of shorts, or $100 for a pair of pants!

[Gary]

At Target. I usually get the stuff on clearance if I can. At my last job I could wear jeans (not beat up ones) and collared shirts. So I bought a bunch of short sleeved button down shirts. They're like 10 bucks or less. Usually I just wear t-shirts. I'm not a really a khaki or slacks kind of guy. I tried it but I hated myself. I fully expect to be 60 years old and wearing jeans. Oh and I wear Timberland boots. They tend to last me 10+ years. I have a pair of doc martin shoes that will probably last forever. I do need some grown up clothing, but I just never get any.

[Heather]

Target is the thinking man's Wal-Mart.

[Gary]

Target is closer to my house and less depressing for me. Those are the only reasons I go there.

Oh and I thought this was wrong:
http://reclaimdemocracy.org/walmart/workers_locked_in.html

I'm not sure why I'm boycotting wal-mart. I just remember the last few times I went I was so annoyed and I kept saying "I'm not going to wal-mart anymore, you can't make me." And it built up and I refused to go. Every so often I put my foot down about something and this was one of those times. The other time was with weddings. I don't go to weddings.

[Heather]

I went to Wal-Mart after work yesterday to get cleaning supplies. I've got a Ty-D-Bowl now, so that's good. But I hate myself, so that's bad. Bowl vs. Self = age-old dilemma.

[Rob]

Walmart Retreats from NYC

[messiestobjects]

Sweet! Go NYC! Nice to see you here, Uncle Rob!

I have a pair of Doc Martins that I bought in Russia... steel toe. I will have them for many years to come. But, if Wal-Mart ever starts selling Doc Martins, and I were to buy them there, chances are they'd last about three months.

I like khakis. Not those gayy preppie boy kind though. I haven't worn jeans in a very long time. Thanks to that one article, I now know not to buy levis any more.

[Gary]

I meant the kind of slacks guys are allowed to wear with a polo shirt in "business casual" type situations. You're supposed to dress like this if you're an adult male.

[Heather]

CAUTION: Short-sleeved button down shirts are standard-issue husband uniforms; I used to dress mine in them, mostly because it said to other women, "Nothing to see here. Move along." They're the opposite of hot. So I would point out to anyone thinking of wearing those shirts that you're taking your dating life into your own hands. And sadly, Target doesn't sell flightsuits.

[Gary]

If only that were true...

[Heather]

You deleted your blog! Welcome to the dark side.

[Heather]

It will be missed.

[messiestobjects]

Gary! I'm shocked! What threats? And why would the FCC care about your views on religion and politics? And who is going to find laughing yogis & rappin' MC Rove videos from now on?

It's a sad sad day. George Washington is sobbing in the girls bathroom because of you.

[Heather]

The FCC would care mostly that he ran a radio station on the down low.

[Heather]

"He'll save stations, but not the British stations."

[messiestobjects]

Wait a minnit.... duh! It's April fools day.

[Heather]

Oh, yeah. DUH. Good one, G! Ha ha ha ha.

[Heather]

I was all, "OMG. I can't believe it. What's he gonna do all day now?" Ha ha ha ha ha. Man, I wish I were around to put sugar in a salt shaker. DANG!

[Christy]

Target products bother me. Everything is generic and generally lacking in character of any sort. They make monochromatic toys for children that will match the decor of the hip martini slurping neo yuppie freak shows that gave birth to them. Babies and toddlers like loud horrid looking toys - not shit that matches your boring livingroom. Ugh, I think I just defended babies.

[Christy]

I'm surprised you're surprised about WalMart - it was here before you left.

[messiestobjects]

Yeah it was, but only barely... and I of course heard rumors about it's evilness, but it never really interested me. Honestly, it still doesn't really interest me all that much, but I have so little material to blog about these days that it gave me a chance to spout off a little bit. When I think about the stuff that was outraging me a year ago, such as exploited and dead Iraqis in Bush's highly evil Iraq campaign, it pales in comparison.

But the main thing about Wal-Mart that surprised me is how they can basically force respected companies that were well known for making quality products to drastically lower their production costs, forcing them to drastically reduce the quality. If you buy a pair of Levis jeans today, you're not getting what the previous 80 years of their existence promised.

I'm all for lower prices on things, but such dramatic reduction in quality seems to be self-destructive to me.

[Heather]

WHOA. It's one thing to remove "Little Boxes". But where's the rest of the musical goodness? Waah!

[Heather]

What kind of rabbit hole is this today? Cheezus.

[Heather]

The next thing you know I'll have to be "entertaining myself" and "stalking other people." Pfft. Whatever.

[messiestobjects]

Bunchball discontinued their widget service about two weeks ago... so no music! Oh well. Some people seem to think my blog was too "busy" anyway, so, fine then.

[Heather]

"Hell is other people." - Jean-Paul Sartre

[wolfboy]

"Hell is other people." - Jean-Paul Sartre

Wow. That perfectly sums up how I'm feeling right this exact instant. Spookily timed, Heather. Thank you.

[Heather]

I'm spooky as all get-out; ask anyone. I hope the hell you're in isn't that I said I would fight you over Leni Riefenstahl. That was the coffee talking. I am deeply, deeply sorry.

[spanky]

walmart gives me chest pains. as soon as i enter i am immediatly panicked by the amount of excited people who clearly see this as their social outing for the day. also, they dont seem to have alot of teeth.

i stick with target...or the safer option is just to buy online. sure you risk things not fitting, but in the end you avoid morons, crowds of morons, and smelly morons.

I dont like to shop to begin with so ill pay 60 for jeans if i know they will last. the 20 paid never do. and if i know the brand fits well ill stick with it forever.

Im always up for buying the 3.99 t-shirt because "hey its a tshirt dang it" but for all other things i try to avoid generic. because that is usually what it is.

[Christy]

I bet you used Mexican child slave labor to write this blog entry. Your record with children is abominable first the Rwandan children - now this. You're a sick sick person Michael.

[Heather]

"He'll use children, but not the British children."

[spanky]

i thought i smelled mexican slave trade. i didnt wanna say anything because i thought maybe it was just my feet.

[messiestobjects]

Now now, I treat them well, so don't get any ideas. I only hit them if they call me gringo.

[spanky]

he he, gringo.

[SaranneFosselmanMiller]

Slave trade - feet - LOL! I am no match here. I don't shop. Ever. Well, not ever. I frequent Rite Aid, a block from my house where all my needs are met. I go to the mall once a year to see Santa. Everything else comes off the internet for me, chicos y chicas. Lo siento, Gringo.

[spanky]

where is everyone today>

[Heather]

I'm here! I'm here!

[Heather]

I'm everyone!

[spanky]

You sure are Kiddo...you are everyone to me atleast!

[Heather]

You're the bestest!

[Miss Luongo]

Sorry about the demise of Bunchball. I have it from two good sources that Finetune is where it's at for free music and blog player widgets:

http://www.finetune.com/

[spanky]

slow day at the blog eh mikey?

[messiestobjects]

That's okay... as much as I like having you guys around, I prefer to keep the chatter about lesbians & alliterative cursing over on Julie's blog, leaving mine free for higher pursuits.

(This is not sour grapes!)

[spanky]

Ouch! K then ill be seeing ya

[messiestobjects]

Man o man I'm striking out all over the place... Spanky that was a joke. I was being bitter and trying to be stoic about it. Sour grapes.

[messiestobjects]

Sarcasm. They really need a sarcasm or an irony font.

[spanky]

Oh. well. ok then. I will unhurt my lesbian, foul mouthed feelings and resume my tasteless commenting.

[messiestobjects]

Yes, please do!

[jessica]

it is so nice Michael, that you are up nice and early to talk with me. usually the am hours are torture for me here at work. no comments, no peeps. but today on good friday you have come thru...PRAISE JESUS
HAHAHAHAHAAHAH

IM GOING TO WALMART AFTER WORK TO BUY A NEW EASTER WARDROBE

kidding