Stop buying things from Wal-Mart

Still no convenient grocery store, and still no big bank account, but I’m still taking a pass on shopping at Wal-Mart.

Seems a small but vocal minority are causing this company to reevaluate and maybe even change the way they operate. They’d have to do a heck of a lot more before I’d reconsider my opinion of them. And I don’t think they could ever do enough to make up for the damage they’ve already done and get me to spend my money with them.

As I said in my previous post, I have long been uncomfortable with this company’s business practices and as well loathe their shopping environment. I seldom shopped there but every once in a while I would just grit my teeth and do it because it was more convenient.

No mas!

I almost never shop at Wal-Mart. I want to change that to “NEVER.”

Places to shop are limited in my immediate vicinity. If I do shop at Wal-Mart I grit my teeth through the whole experience and feel mentally and emotionally drained when I leave there. So yes, there is a personal component to this goal. But even more importantly, Wal-Mart takes a horrible toll socially in so many ways that I can’t go there and give them so much as a cent in good conscience.

I know there are fans of Wal-Mart. I am related to a couple of them, and work with a couple more. They think people who refuse to contribute to Wal-Mart’s coffers are idealistic, communistic, left-wing, bleeding-heart liberals who aren’t living in reality. Sure they’re cheap at the register. But look into their business practices yourself and see if the impact of Wal-Mart on your community, your state, the nation and people in its factories overseas don’t exact a cost greater than your savings at the register.

Even if you’re only looking out for #1 and you don’t care about your community or the factory worker in China who works seven days a week for .18 per hour, how about taking a look at what you’re paying in taxes because you’re paying for government health care for Wal-Mart employees because Wal-Mart won’t. Or how about not having enough police officers or fire fighters in your community because they say they can’t afford more, although they somehow managed to give Wal-Mart hundreds of thousands or even millions in subsidies to bring them to the community?

Do not take my word for it. Do not swallow what I’m saying without questioning. If you think Wal-Mart is so great then check around, do some research, start looking into the charges against them and decide for yourself.

I last shopped at Wal-Mart a week ago when I had been so busy that I didn’t get out to buy groceries until it was so late all the other stores were closed, and when I needed a few things for my home that I wouldn’t normally be able to buy in the same place I bought my groceries. Before that it had been a few months. Going forward I want to just suck it up. If I let it go so far that I have no milk for my cereal in the morning then I need to do without until I can shop somewhere that is more socially responsible than Wal-Mart.