I don't know how people shop at Walmart

[samplegirl]

I was in there for a total of 20 minutes and left.
So depressed. All you see there is poverty and lots of it!
I’m glad I don’t have to shop there.
Ohio is getting poorer and poorer.
I don’t know why people voted for more Republicans.

[Mosby]

1. People shop there because they have good prices.

[SheltieLover]

11. Not here. Walmart is more expensive than Kroger

But it's a matter of lack of competition. Not everyone has access to an Aldi or Kroger.

[RussBLib]

32. Here, Walmart's produce is the worst

Goes bad quickly, bruised and battered. Thank goodness we have an HEB close by.

[SheltieLover]

35. Kroger is even worse with literally rotten produce, meat & milk.

Several times I've seen hamburger so old that it was dark gray. I almost barfed. So gross!

Walmart selks out of everything very quickly.

Tough to get even a head of cabbage most days.

Land for a REAL loaf of bread that doesn't taste like a fking biscuit, you need to line up at Aldi before the store opens.

Not joking.

3rd workd of red hellhole TN.

[roamer65]

61. ..

Yuk. Sounds like a bad Kroger.

Ours up here are of much better quality.

[SheltieLover]

70. Many of them are better.

[BlackSkimmer]

118. The Walmart in my area is generally pretty good.

Their produce is actually fresher than our local Food Lion.

[wnylib]

175. I don't shop at Wal-Mart for groceries

unless I have to pick up something else there and I don't have time for a second stop at a supermarket.

I do not buy any Wal-Mart produce or meats. The only food items I buy there are packaged brand names.

The only time I shop at Wal-Mart is when I need something that no other store on the area carries.

[Hortensis]

72. Huh. Different model here. We shop both, but also Publix, Aldis, etc.

So basics I know are both comparable in quality (pretty much excludes deli and bakery, don't even bother with those) and cheapest are from Walmart (the bulk of my groceries). Specials I do want and items not available or not as good at Walmart from others.

I don't know what's happened to Kroger's produce, but it's bad here too, old and limp. Shocking. Would never have believed that'd happen. Walmart's produce may lack a few items, but quality's generally fine. I guess it moves fast.

[PatSeg]

33. A lot of time it is merely the illusion

of "good prices". People believe they are getting great deals, but often Walmart's prices are no better than any other discount store.

Of course, there are places where Walmart came in and put a lot of stores out of business. Then the locals had no choice but to shop at Walmart for the most part.

[walkingman]

2. People shop at Walmart because the prices tend to be lower.

Those people you see are good people that are trying to do the best with what they got - inequality seems to be getting worse.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

3. I occasionally shop there when I make a delivery,

it's convenient and the prices are lower, also, if I run out of hours whlie making my delivery, most Walmart's will let me spend the night there and use their facilities to freshen up.

[Kaleva]

4. You see people beneath you. I see folks stretching their dollar

People like me

[samplegirl]

58. I do see people beneath me.

One woman’s said she didn’t own a coat when I asked her.
How sad is that? I’m glad I’m not that poor. What my question is….where are these people at the voting polls?
How many of them voted for trump and every Republican on the ballot?
Heartbreaking to see the poverty so bad here now!

[ripcord]

65. I'm pretty sure considering your comments that you are beneath many poor people

[samplegirl]

67. I doubt that!

I’ve helped more people than you could imagine!

[Kaleva]

68. I have heard that Ohio is going downhill

[samplegirl]

71. Very bad

I hate to even go out and look at my town how bad it’s fallen.
Trump was the final nail in Ohio’s coffin.
Hard to believe that J.D. Vance won.

[muriel_volestrangler]

73. All categories with income below $100,000 voted more for Biden than Trump

less than 30k: 54%-46% Biden-Trump.
30k-50k: 56-43
50k-100k: 57-42
100k-200k: 41-58
200k+: 44-44

https://edition.cnn.com/election/2020/exit-polls/president/national-results

That's national, if you want the Ohio figures, they're here: https://edition.cnn.com/election/2020/exit-polls/president/ohio

under 30k, and 30-50k, voted more Biden than Trump. So it's not being poor that makes people vote Republican.

I suggest you rethink your language - "beneath me" can mean "worse than me".

And I suggest you rethink your reasoning - trying to cut yourself off from poverty by never having to view it is no way to improve things.

[ProfessorGAC]

80. While The Data Are What They Are....

...are those numbers auto-correlated to age demographics, at least to a degree?
Young people do tend to have lower income, even in educated professional roles.
Again, not disputing anything just wondering if it's JUST an income thing, or more complicated.

[treestar]

108. it was a different poster that brought that term up

and jumped on the chance to call someone else a snob. Why do people do that? Take something at the worst possible way in order to feel superior?

[DemocratSinceBirth]

112. I always go with the most charitable explanation

I always go with the most charitable explanation and I took it to mean the poster said some people are in worse circumstances than her.

[iemanja]

92. How do you know they didn't vote Democratic?

You don't. It doesn't seem very Democratic to look down on the poor. That's what Republicans do.

[BlackSkimmer]

119. You actually asked someone if they owned a coat?

I'm trying to wrap my mind around what I would say if a complete stranger asked me that.

Coats can be purchased at thrift stores very cheaply, or even provided by some organizations. Are thrift stores depressing, poverty places in your opinion too? You might be surprised who shops there.

[Lurker Deluxe]

162. Not sure either

However, if the person asking was at all rude or condescending it would most likely be something of the:

"I left it at your mom's house"

type of response.

[BlackSkimmer]

163. Lol!

OK, I'm dying here.

[samplegirl]

169. You people in here are ridiculous

No I asked her if she was freezing!
Honest to God you people assume anything in here to join a bandwagon of out on context crap!

[MarineCombatEngineer]

171. You brought this on yourself.

Why would you start the same thread as you did in January?
Once wasn't enough?
You pretty much got the same results.

My advice to you, take it or leave it, is to self delete the thread.

[Karma13612]

103. 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[Croney]

5. If, in Walmart, everybody is poor but you, try shopping at Whole Foods,

where I swear everybody is rich but me.

I think it's a mistake to stereotype people based on their looks. I look like a bag lady half the time but you'd be surprised.

[samplegirl]

59. It's true you can tell by their shoes

and no coats and no teeth. N.E. Ohio is a hotbed mess of poverty.
Yet even every county seat was filled by a Republican.
So your losing my point of what I’m seeing!

[former9thward]

82. I am sure if you saw how I am dressed while shopping

you would declare I was in poverty. I am not.

[BlackSkimmer]

121. How the hell do you see people's teeth while in a store for 20 minutes?

You asked a woman if she had a coat, and she said no...did you help her out? Usually some inexpensive ones in there.

Did you ask her to let you look at her teeth too, or was that some other unfortunate soul? I cannot imagine looking at someone's mouth in a store, or anywhere for that matter.

And shoes? I frequently stop in at stores after walking my dogs. Depending on the weather, I'm frequently wearing my beat-up dog walking shoes.

[70sEraVet]

6. Just wait a few months, when you see throngs of poor parents trying to buy school supplies....

and a few new clothes for their kids before the new school year.
It brings back memories of that struggle.

[BannonsLiver]

7. Kind of a snobby, elitist OP

[inthewind21]

10. Kind of?

It most definitely is.

[CTyankee]

15. I think the OP was just expressing an observation. I don't see any malice behind it.

We need to be focused sharply on the inequality that results in our having such poverty and inequality of good paying jobs to begin with.

[jimfields33]

23. I don't understand how the poster gets poverty from just going to Walmart

I go to Walmart occasionally in a pair of shorts, T-shirt and flip flops looking like a bum and I’m middle class if not higher at least compared to the average in my county. It’s ridiculous to over generalize.

[newdayneeded]

39. You bet, yesterday I stopped at

a gas station mini mart, wearing sweatpants with cat hair on them, non washed hair, and an old winter jacket because I just got done snowblowing the driveway. I am FAR from poor, but I'm sure some in there probably made that assumption. lol

Oh well!

[jimfields33]

40. Good for you! I love it.

[ProfessorGAC]

81. I Went To Walmart Today!

I went for cat food during the lunch break from a substitute job, the money from which I don't need.
I wonder if the OP would have seen me as a poor old man!
No, probably not because of the dress slacks & leather jacket.
But, the OP suggests it is NOT a superficial judgment.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

8. What the fuck is this shit right here.

[JustAnotherGen]

9. Not my personal choice

But if that's where you can afford to GET TO and feed your family.. . you do what you gotta do.

[sarcasmo]

12. That's reality, you earn less than x, you can only shop at certain stores.

[sarisataka]

13. I am reminded of a story

Of a woman who stopped by her fiancée place of work and saw him with a janitor cart going into the bathroom. Later that day she called him and broke off the engagement because he had such a menial job.

A few years later they cross paths and she asks if he ever managed to make anything of himself. She is shocked when he says he is a Senior Vice President.

He tells her that when she broke off the engagement he tried to tell her he was actually an executive. The company had a policy where the office maintenance is done by all of the employees, no one is excused. She had come by on a day it was his turn to clean the bathrooms.

He goes on to thank her. After the break up, he says, he met a wonderful woman who didn't care if he was the company President or the janitor. They are married with a second child on the way. Her breaking off the engagement kept him from making a huge mistake.

[iemanja]

96. I like that story.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

14. Gee, there was a thread just like this one back in January.

Thu Jan 12, 2023: I still can't understand why people shop at Walmart

samplegirl (10,038 posts)

I still can't understand why people shop at Walmart
then complain about it on social media.
I don’t care if they have lower prices. They are not the only option people have. Don’t complain if your shopping because of the price. It’s the price you pay!
I hate Walmart always have and therefore I just don’t shop at a hell hole full of self checkouts!

Who's forcing you to go to Walmart?

[chowder66]

17. Weird.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

19. At DU? Not anymore. Thanks for writing. NT

[samplegirl]

66. You sound like a

trouble maker!

[sl8]

26. Well, there's some progress, of sorts.

The earler thread expressed a lack of understanding of why people would shop at Walmart and then complain about the experience on social media.

Now that they've shopped at Walmart and complained about the experience on social media, presumably they have a better understanding of their first issue

[chowder66]

36. +1

[BlackSkimmer]

122. Very well done.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

27. Lol Jesus

[Tree-Hugger]

41. Interesting

Very interesting.

[Doc Sportello]

53. Burn!

Thought I had seen a similar post from the same poster awhile back and for once my depleted memory was correct. Good post.

[BlackSkimmer]

87. Fascinating.

I remember that now.

[leftstreet]

16. Is this satire?

I'm never sure

[Hortensis]

18. We shop at Walmart, started during the pandemic, and we're not poor,

but we have friends who won't go near it because people like them don't shop there; though clean, it may also strike them as depressing compared to Publix, etc. I mean, they WON'T. I'd describe shoppers as generally low income, not middle class, but yours may serve an area of more pervasive poverty. Some store-brand items are quite decent with notably good prices; I miss a few that became favorites until presumably supply problems "disappeared" them. I don't do the deli and bakery.

Btw, "poor" reminds me that we were doing an RV trip when the tRump admin was hunting immigrants and sending them to camps. Sometimes on the road we'd park overnight at one with other RVers (almost all Walmarts allow RVs to stay overnight), and I'd say thank you before leaving in the morning by walking up to the store and purchasing something. That's when we found notably large numbers of immigrant-looking people were shopping early on weekend mornings, Sunday especially -- apparently come out of hiding to get groceries early on days they didn't have to be at work. As you'll recall, there were posts here about businesses that were notifying the INS, and we were touring white NE states then, so I watched the staffs during my brief visits. Walmart scheduled enough cashiers to handle the volume, and these crowds were treated with the same courtesy as regular shoppers.

[XanaDUer2]

20. I shop there because I'm poor nt

[BlackSkimmer]

123. And yet somehow have never felt the need to sneer at others who shop there.

[XanaDUer2]

139. Cheap house products

Free delivery. I'm there

[BlackSkimmer]

147. No shit! Walmart saved my life back in Covid.

That pick up grocery thing was great. And now they carry mealworms for chickens and that is chicken CRACK, let me tell you. They love mealworms.

Funny story, not long after lockdown I had ordered a basketball for the local kids who were out of school when all that started. A neighbor and I went in on a basketball goal we had put up for them over at their house. When I got home I found not one, but SEVEN basketballs. I didn't see them load it because we weren't supposed to get out of the car.

When I got home I cracked up with all the basketballs in the back of my Subaru. So I called Walmart and asked if they wanted me to return them. I had not even been charged for the one I ordered. Unbelievably nice woman just said, "keep them, don't worry about it."

So all the kids got their own ball that day lol. One of my favorite story of Covid days, and one of two stories that endeared me to Walmart.

You know what's also funny? When I went to the Walmart pickup, most cars were late model like mine, and being a small town I recognized many well-off folks there. Go figure.

[LeftInTX]

156. I don't know if I'm "poor", but heck it's close

Why bother with the mall? I hate the mall. I generally don't buy stuff that they sell at the mall, except for dresses.

[leftyladyfrommo]

21. All kinds of people shop Walmart. It's not just low income.

I know people who refuse to shop there for political reasons but it's not because it's low class.

The alternative is Target but it's a lot more expensive. Or Dollar Tree stores. Or Aldis for groceries.

I don't but many groceries at Walmart but they have great frozen veg for about $1 a package. I stock up.

[milestogo]

22. You're supposed to be looking at the food, not judging everyone around you.

Lots of DUers shop at Walmart. Some are poor.

[samplegirl]

64. I was making a point of

I’m glad I have a choice. Someday I may not. It’s a sad sad place to see all the poverty. That was my point.
I feel are area should be Blue!!!!
Not Red!

[BlackSkimmer]

106. Why did you go in?

So you could post about how sad people in Walmart might be? Did you go just to look at people's dental health, judge their clothing?

And I think you meant "our".

What did you buy?

[MarineCombatEngineer]

24. ....

I don't know how people shop at Walmart

It's pretty easy, you walk through the doors, grab a basket and pick up the items you want.

Seems pretty straightforward.

[Doc Sportello]

54. Ha!

Good one sir!

[hunter]

120. Walmart is the nearest big box store to my home.

They've got solar panels on their roof and electric car chargers in their parking lot. They are an equal opportunity employer to the extreme, transgender people, people with prison tattoos on their faces, a full rainbow spectrum of humanity. And they pay fairly good wages for retail work here. Their major fault is they are anti-union. My wife's sister doesn't shop there because she's a union rep, same reason as my dad, a hard core union guy with a good union pension.

Our Walmart is the most cosmopolitan place in town, maybe 35% of the shoppers speaking English, 40% speaking Spanish, and the rest representing all of humanity.

[Emile]

25. Great value brands are usually very good. Their horseradish

tastes exactly like Arby's.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

29. Walmart now carries Arby's Horsey Sauce,

which I love.

[JCMach1]

161. Chipotle's sauces

.

[mcar]

28. How nice for you that you have a choice

[samplegirl]

62. Yes I am lucky

I think if wore people were aware of others around them they would make sure they vote! And not for one single Republican!

[inthewind21]

133. Rule # 1

of public proclamations on how an entire store full of people are "beneath you." Make sure you use coherent sentences using the correct words.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

134. Yeah, that's what I'm going to do,

walk up to entire strangers and make sure they vote and also tell them they must vote for Dems.

Do you have any clue how dumb your post sounds?

Mind you, I'm not calling you dumb, far from it, I'm pointing just how dumb your post is.

[maxsolomon]

30. Poverty is everywhere.

Walmarts are everywhere in the US. If I were you, I'd stay out of Dollar Generals and Goodwills.

I find seeing poverty keeps me grounded and grateful.

[Sneederbunk]

31. Next they will be condemning dollar stores.

[Lancero]

56. DG has their own issues, bad enough to warrant lawsuits.

https://www.daytondailynews.com/local/yost-seeks-order-to-force-dollar-general-to-fix-pricing-during-lawsuit/CFAAKIE3VRH3JEXQ7BASKIUESE

idk about you, but I'd say scammy behavior like this deserves condemnation.

[Polybius]

34. How many threads are you gonna post about it?

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100217552961

You don't like it, yet you went again?

[BlackSkimmer]

124. You're not the first to notice that.

Kind of interesting, eh? I actually remembered the other thread once someone pointed it out.

[hippywife]

37. We didn't for many years...

due to their treatment and less than stellar reimbursement of their employees, even when we were struggling financially worse than we are now, but not because of the kind of shoppers they attract. Heck, we shopped in less nice places where they get end of run, bruised produce and the places looked really dingy overall. We just denied ourselves any sort of luxuries (like butter) at the time.

We started shopping at WalMart with the advent of the pandemic because the closest grocery to us (small local) refused to make anyone, employee or customer, wear a mask. The only other ones are a local which is waaaaay expensive, WF which is also out of our budget and an Aldi's. I refuse to go to Aldi's since the pandemic: too small to allow social distancing and likely not as well ventilated.


Additionally, my experience as a load planner and dispatcher for reefer units hauling in frozen and refrigerated foods from CA to the rest of the country told me that WalMart gets top priority over many other groceries, mostly because they demand it. Plus we could order online and pick it up without going inside. That was the most important part, tho, we hate it for the essential employees who still have to work and be exposed. But we do make sure tip well the loaders who take care with packing our groceries into the car.

[Tree-Hugger]

38. Because that's all I can afford, kid

Wal-mart is pretty bougie to me, but it has more things than Grocery Outlet and Aldi and it's easier to have a one stop shop for food, cleaning supplies, and cat food. Many people shop there because that is their only choice. Their prices are consistently lower. I'm feeding a preteen and a teenager and they are constantly hungry. My Walmart has a decent produce section and most - not all - prices for the healthy stuff are better than other stores. Because I'm one of those depressing poor people that you were sooooooo heartbroken (?) to see, I am extremely familiar with the prices in all of the grocery stores around me and I am able to make comparisons. Most of the time, Walmart is going to come out cheaper. They are also one of the few places that poor losers like me were able to get grocery pick up service even with SNAP during the pandemic. Most stores around here didn't allow it at the time - some still don't or they require instacart - and us pathetic looking poors were stuck putting our health at risk by shopping in person. Walmart has a very easy online ordering system with SNAP as well. Same others who know allow it still have an utter shit system. So, Walmart allows us a little luxury there.

My heart is with you, sample girl. I'm so sorry you had to see poor people and be depressed. You like samples? Here's one: you may think it's depressing having to see poor people when you were forced to go to Walmart. Try living my life - try knowing that you need new pants/shirts and that the fucking $14 dollar Time and Tru pants at Walmart are too expensive. Try needing new underwear, but the cotton ones are all multipacks and you just can't afford the $8 for a pack of Fruit of the Loom, so you and up buying a single $3 pair. Sure, the multipack is more economically sound, but you can't afford that up front, so you buy the single pair knowing you'll re-wear that a little too much and it'll fall apart by next month. Maybe try having kids who are thankfully healthy and growing, but that growth means new clothes and shoes are needed and that means $$$$$$$. And then add the fact that your kids, especially the teen, are bullied because there are people out there who can tell they are poor just by looking at them. 👀

Just do what everyone else does, put your head down and walk out, thankful that you don't have to shop there.

And I don't vote for Republicans. We can discuss the evils of the Walton family and capitalism all we want. In the end, beggars can't be choosers, and your judgment is not needed or helpful.

[Raftergirl]

42. I am not poor. I am upper middle class

and I do almost all my marketing at Walmart. Their online grocery and pickup is much better than instacart from the other markets in my area.

Meat and poultry is very good, imo - though I get most of that at the butcher. Produce is also very good - and no more spoilage than produce from other markets. 6 months of the year I do have a CSA for produce and no produce in any market is as good as that.

[cilla4progress]

43. Wow - sticking up for samplegirl here...

Why not give her the benefit of the doubt? That her observation arose from empathy for her fellow Ohioans and the increasing income inequality in our country, rather than a snobby elitist bougie condemnation of other shoppers?

[Polybius]

47. Because she just posted this on January 12

I still can't understand why people shop at Walmart

[samplegirl]

117. The nasty snark patrol

If I didn’t know better I’d think many of you fit right in with the maga’s.
I don’t want to effing shop there because it’s sad and disturbing how my county voted Red!
Glad I have choice! Many don’t I get that!

[MarineCombatEngineer]

125. You don't want to shop there?

Then don't, see how simple that is?

What's the purpose of starting 2 threads in 2 months with the same theme?

[BlackSkimmer]

126. Then why did you go in?

Were you going shopping? In need of an OP subject? Bored?

You've never said why you went in. I occasionally shop at Walmart for treats for my chickens (much cheaper there than anywhere), and I'll pick up anything else needed while there. Our Walmart is well run and usually has whatever I need.

I'm not poor and I have voted Democratic since I was 18.

Imo your generalization is what people are objecting to because you assume anyone there is a republican.

Of course here you call us all "magas" so there ya go.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

129. WTF does Walmart have to do with your county voting red?

[iemanja]

152. like people who frequent other stores don't vote red.

[inthewind21]

135. Well

You NO better huh? Freudian slip?

[PlanetBev]

140. Snark Patrol is a good way of putting it

I hate DU pile-ons. I’ve been the subject of a few of them myself. Makes you feel like crap.
We don’t need to treat each other that way.

That said, I’ve only been to a Walmart once, because there’s none around here where I live.
I remember driving through a small town in California 25 years ago and all the small stores were boarded up. My friend told me it was because a Walmart had come in. I know there was a campaign years ago to keep a Walmart out of a particular middle class area in Los Angeles, because it threatened to kill all the small business in the neighborhood.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

142. Well, maybe she shouldn't have started an thread like this,

exactly like the one she started in Jan.

[samplegirl]

76. That's how it was meant

But D.U. Has a large number of people who love to just interpret things their way and start trouble!

[Polybius]

85. How about posting the same thing twice already this year?

Care to explain why you returned to Walmart if you hate it as much as you did in January?

I still can't understand why people shop at Walmart

[iemanja]

94. I would have

If she didn't explicitly say the poor were "beneath me" in one of her responses to someone's post.

[treestar]

110. go back and read it

someone else brought up that phrase.

Then she repeated it meaning they have less money, not that she's better than they are.

Ironic, since people are claiming they are better than she is since they are so much more compassionate, or so they think.

[iemanja]

113. I've read enough of her posts here to understand her meaning

[BlackSkimmer]

127. Check out post 117.

Quite clear indeed.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

131. Very weird,

OP seems to be blaming Walmart for the county voting red.

[BlackSkimmer]

144. It is a bit odd. DU will jump all over a "I hate Walmart" thread, but not for the reasons she seems

to have.

I never notice other people when I'm out and about anyway, so these threads about store interactions are always fascinating.

I always try to imagine the interaction happening: "Hello, do you own a coat?" I can only imagine how most would answer lol.

[treestar]

167. then you are making it personal

about "her" not the subject.

[iemanja]

172. What are you even talking about?

The purpose of writing posts is to communicate a point, to present one's meaning. Noting that sampleGIRL is female is hardly making it personal. You claim to be the only person in this entire thread who divines a meaning that differs from what she has written herself. I don't agree precisely because of the words she herself chose, not just once but repeatedly.

[treestar]

109. +1

seems like people love to jump at the chance to virtue signal. They take everything the worst way possible in order to have a reason to do it.

[LakeArenal]

44. People shop at Walmart because in a small town it may be the biggest employer.

People shop at Walmart because they might have to drive miles to go someplace else: and, like any franchise, they are not all the same.

I liked my Walmart in central WI.

[womanofthehills]

98. Agree - Rural person here driving miles for food

I shop once a month or month and a half at Whole Foods - 90 miles one way — Once or twice a month at Walmart because it’s closer - 45 miles one way. - lots of Organics too. There is a small grocery store in the nearest tiny town (under 900 people) - 11 miles one way - it has some organic food but way more expensive. I’m pretty screwed when it comes to shopping but I live in a wonderful place. I try to only eat organic and our Walmart has an organic fruit & veg section plus lots of Organics throughout the store now.

Yea, the people at Whole Foods are thinner but I know lots of rich people who shop at Walmart. The saddest shoppers are the ones at the Dollar store because most of the food is so processed with a gazillion additives.

[dembotoz]

45. truth is i dunno anymore

boycotted walmart for years due to minimum wage and such
They seem to have cleaned up their act a bit

What i do know

during the cat food covid shortage ....yes that was a thing...
walmart usually had enough cans on the shelf to continue to feed the little monster. She has her favorite brand and type and she will only eat that...so i had to go to walmart on occasion

In my white community they had more employees of color than ANYONE
and a number are in positions of management.
My best friend has a special needs daughter and she has worked at the walmart near her for some time now. She has held that job longer than she has held any job. I give wally world lots of credit for that.

Will walmart become my store of choice? Probably not. i have a number of other option including a costco which are actually closer, but i do not actively hate them anymore

[MineralMan]

46. Probably you shouldn't go there, then.

It seems like poor people bother you, and you don't like to see them.

What a pity...

[samplegirl]

60. It does bother me

I’m by no means rich. Seeing it is so disturbing that I’d like to know what the hell other people look at around them when they vote.
It made me terribly sad. I don’t have a coat for everyone without one or shoes for people walking on paper thin shoes.
But I know this state is suffering. I know how the hell to vote!

[Texasgal]

90. Some people don't have the ability

to shop where their political needs are met. Some are lucky to provide food on the table. These kinds of posts just reinforce the whole latte' liberal meme.

[iemanja]

93. Most liberals don't speak about the poor that way

She is somewhat unique in that regard, despite the liberal latte image--which isn't altogether false.

What's sad is that people see consumption as a sign of how good they are. That's an effect of capitalism, and it's disconcerting to see Democrats echo it.

[Texasgal]

97. This is true...but it does happen

as evidenced here.

I completely agree with your premise. It's just upsetting to read this here on DU.

[treestar]

111. True, I would bet DU has had posts

about boycotting Walmart for reasons du jour.

That's the company has employees who qualify for food stamps.

[iemanja]

173. I must have missed her point about labor relations

Considering she never mentioned it. She is talking about Walmart CUSTOMERS.

[iemanja]

174. You still haven't said how you KNOW those customers vote Republican

Did you conduct a poll of the store, or are you making the same assumptions about them that anyone unfamiliar with your activity on DU could make about you, since you live in Ohio? You're sure you know how to vote but they don't, only you have no information to base that on.

[BlackSkimmer]

145. ...

Well put.

[MineralMan]

146. LOL!

Well, it was a pretty weird post, wasn't it? I'm kind of never prepared for things like that. Not here, anyhow.

[BlackSkimmer]

148. You're being very modest lol.

Usually you're very prepared to meet with "things like that" and you do it well.

Hope you and yours are feeling better, btw.

[MineralMan]

149. Doing well. No more COVID symptoms.

Back to what passes for normal at my advanced age.

[BlackSkimmer]

154. I had in August '20. Just awful. Never been that sick. Long before the vax.

No lung problems despite my childhood asthma, which terrified me at that time.

Had the shots and one booster. All made me as sick, if not worse, than August 2020. Fever, etc. Sick for only 48 hours, but no.

So I drew the line at the last booster.

Glad y'all are better. It's a scary virus.

[MineralMan]

164. I took Paxlovid as soon as I had symptoms and a positive test.

I think that helped keep the symptoms mild. It still made me feel pretty crummy for three or four days.

And yet, here I still am...

[BlackSkimmer]

165. Of course you are.

Because you are a rock.

Sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic. I've never decided which one I might be.

But Paul Simon had it right. ya know?

[Runningdawg]

48. We must be worse off than I thought, we haven't been able to afford Walmart since pre-covid.

We buy what we can at the Always Save, $ store and still have to use the food bank, fish and grow a few veggies. I cooked a turkey last week. A friend thought we were living high on the hog. Nope. That 12$ turkey we were lucky to find, will feed us for 2 weeks.

[Torchlight]

49. That place ain't my cuppa tea.

I pass by the place on the way to where we shop for groceries and the lots always seem far too busy to outweigh any gains in time we might make going there instead.

And if my neighbors' tales of coupon clipping there are any indication, we're not really paying any more for our stuff at the mom and pop grocery store where we go.

So yeah, some of those big box stores are just wholly unappealing to us, and Wal-Mart is one of 'em., if not the number one.

[samplegirl]

74. And then all the self checkouts!

I’m sure those will be everywhere soon.
It’s very very sad to see people struggling was my point.
More than ever now.

[Karma13612]

104. In some stores, especially during high numbers of

COVID cases in the height of the Pandemic, self-check outs (SCO’s) helped with the lack of staff in regular checkout lines.

Self checkouts are a huge plus in most places. From a customer standpoint anyway, from my experience. WalMart has assistants to help if you have problems while navigating the whole process. In our local WalMart which is 17 miles away, (yes, I’m too poor for Publix 6 miles away ), there are both regular conveyer belt SCO’s AND the large pods of many SCO’s registers with no conveyor belts).

We can even self check out in Dollar General - they are a mile from us so I can walk to it for exercise and get the items I need as well. “Have backpack, will walk.”

I know you mean well and probably feel bad about this firestorm.

WalMart is both a blessing and a curse. And that is the reality of it. 🤷?♀️

Have a peaceful day!

[Torchlight]

150. I get you.

I read your post as genuine, and your point sincere. It could just be one of those weeks where a lot of people are simply deconstructing what others say to its worst possible form. Bad mornings can last all week for many individuals.

In comparing poverty in the U.S. to these OECD countries, we find that American poverty is both more prevalent and more extreme than the "well, poor people have better here than being poor anywhere else" routines. The United States again leads all nations in having the highest rates of child poverty at 20.9 percent, while the overall average stands at 11.7 percent.

To summarize, when analyzing poverty as the number of persons who fall below 50 percent of a country’s median income, we find that the United States has far and away the highest overall poverty rate in this group of 26 developed nations. Furthermore, the distance of the poor from the overall median income is extreme in the U.S. At the same time the United States is arguably the wealthiest nation in the world.

Source: OECD Data, 2019.

[Caliman73]

50. I think that your OP would be better received if you started with the last line first.

You answered your own question about why people shop at Walmart. For some, it is what they can afford.

Your last statement, "I don't know why people voted for more Republicans" is more apt and complex. It would have created a different discussion.

People vote, a lot of the time, based on affiliation and tradition. The Conservative movement and Republicans portray themselves as a party that wants to take people back to, a "simpler time" a "better time", although that time does not exist except in people's minds and memories. AND if that time ever existed, it did so BECAUSE of Progressive policies not because of Conservative values.

Conservatives have been very good at propaganda, blaming "society's ills" on immigrants, LGBTQ people, feminism, etc... A lot of people who vote Conservative, have the very mistaken idea that the poorest, most vulnerable people have the power to cause problems rather than the wealthiest and most connected, who set the rules to heavily benefit themselves.

You see it now with all the talk about "wokeism". How it caused the train derailment, rather than there only being 2 over worked employees on the 2 mile long train, and the train lacking the necessary fire suppression equipment, and lacking the electronic breaking that might have mitigated the damage. No, to those "Ohio Walmart" shoppers who tend to vote Republican, the "companies going woke" seems to be the actual problem. That and the "Federal government doesn't care" despite the governor having to actually ask for help and not doing it.

[iemanja]

95. But why assume they voted Republican?

That's quite a leap.

[Caliman73]

143. I think the OP assumes that because Ohio is currently run by Republicans.

They voted for Trump in 2020 and the legislature and executive branches are in Republican hands.

The OP had some flaws in the way it was constructed and presented. When you have to interpret and give the "benefit of the doubt" to someone, that is a sign that the information was not very clear.

We know that there are Democrats in every state, but there are some areas where people keep electing Republicans. Those areas tend to be some of the poorest and worst places to live but they keep sending Conservatives/Republicans to leadership because of social issues.

[iemanja]

151. Well, Samplegirl lives there too

Someone who doesn't know of her activity on DU could also assume she voted Republican, but that wouldn't be right, would it?

[Caliman73]

158. Like I said...

I tend to write rather long responses or posts. You need more words to clarify ideas for either what you are asking or how you are responding.

More information tends to lead to less assumption, but that is just me.

[snowybirdie]

51. Some of us

shop there because we don't want to spend over inflated prices like some do in the Whole Foods type stores proliferating in some places. Were not poor to be pitied by our "betters". We are just careful with our funds. But thanks for your concern, bless your heart.

[Ferrets are Cool]

52. They shop at Walmart because the $$ only goes so far.

And Walmart branded products can cost 50% of what name brand does. I don't like shopping there either, but I am not rich.

[bif]

55. Why do so many threads descend into name calling and infighting?

Sheesh!

[brooklynite]

57. I can't evaluate your situation without knowing WHERE the Walmart is...

I've seen Walmarts AND Targets in both middle class and lower class communities.

[LeftInTX]

159. Walmarts especially because here, they have one every few miles

We have much fewer Targets, so they draw from a larger area. But Walmart is almost neighborhood. One 2 miles from me is middle class. One 5 miles from me is higher income. One 7 miles from is lower income. Another one 7 miles is middle income. Another one 7 miles is middle income, with a large Middle East/Indian population of shoppers. Immigrants like to shop at Walmart. Walmarts reflect their neighborhoods.

[roamer65]

63. People that shop there generally need to make their money last longer.

If I go there it’s to get canned or packaged goods for less.

Most often I shop at Kroger.

[Sympthsical]

69. It's why I only shop at Entire Foods

It’s like Whole Foods but with diamond elite membership.

I’m mainly there for $30 lentils and the truffle bar.

[BlackSkimmer]

130. Bwahaha!

[MarineCombatEngineer]

132. LOL, I see what you did there.

Very nice.

[inthewind21]

137. lol

[liberal_mama]

75. After reading Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich, I didn't shop at Walmart for years due to the

way employees were treated and the dead peasant insurance they took out on employees. I even wrote a paper about the horrors of Walmart for a college class and my college professor said it really opened her eyes.

Sadly, I do have to shop at Walmart now due to inflation, lower wages, and crazy grocery prices. It is the cheapest place to buy food in my area. Times are really tough and I can't afford the better supermarkets like Wegmans and Tops anymore.

[Karma13612]

105. When we are on vacation, we squeal when

We see a Wegmans. We “treat” ourselves and get a fancy prepared takeout sushi because it’s fresh and costs less than a regular Japanese restaurant.

Couldn’t afford to shop there normally, even if we did have one in our area!

We do most of our shopping at Aldi and Lidl. WalMart for fill-in-the-blanks and undies, socks, etc. With no decent affordable clothing stores, I rely on WalMart, dollar stores, and thrift stores. JC Pennys, etc pulled up stakes years ago.

[Xolodno]

77. Seldom do.

Every once if awhile I do the grocery pick up thing when we are pressed for time during a busy week.

However, in some places, it can be literally the only place you can go. Wife and I went on vacation, we were doing a hiking trip and then going to her niece's wedding. She got her dress, nice shoes, etc. into the rental vehicle....but forgot her main luggage with expensive hiking gear at home. Top it off, she realize she forgot venue address and we turned around to go get it and she literally walked by the suit case.

When she realized she forgot it all, we were six hours into the drive and coming up on our hotel in the small town on the way. All they had was a Wal Mart, so spent about $150 in clothes (thankfully she was wearing her hiking boots, unlike another hiking trip she was wearing her hiking sandals and forgot the boots...and there was still snow on the ground), but it served a purpose and sure, the clothes didn't last long. But we had no alternative.

[elocs]

78. Well I'm a poor retiree & I shop where I need to shop.

I have United Health Care as my Medicare Advantage insurance company which provides $200/month for healthy food and it's only good at our local Woodmans or Walmart, less than a half mile apart. So I shop at each to get the best deal and price at each store.
You gotta do what you gotta do to survive.
Oh, and I live in Wisconsin which as it turns out has become a very important battleground state.

[SYFROYH]

79. Wealthier people shouldn't have to see the poor.

How rude.

[AZSunDevil]

83. Cheap

You can walk into one and get everything you ever needed. Tires, Milk, Guns.

[LakeArenal]

138. Haha. The staff of life.

[BlackSkimmer]

86. Why were you there?

20 minutes?

What? Just to walk around and judge others?

[Happy Hoosier]

88. Whenever possible, I don't.

Honeslty, 90% of my non-grocery shopping is on Amazon.

But when I do have to shop a brick and mortar, it's usually Meijer or Target. Target is on the other side of time, so that's often.

[Scottie Mom]

89. I use Walmart grocery delivery all the time.

It’s the only one that has really nice delivery people. Some of the young ones bring in all the sacks of groceries and help me with the heavy things.

I need a hip replacement and these Walmart employees really help me out.

BTW: My gentleman friend has a home at the beach, place in the mountains, 3 expensive cars, and no debts. He shops at Walmart grocery stores also.

Don’t you wish...

[iemanja]

91. Because they are poor

You don't like seeing poor people. They are poor, and they see people like themselves in their own neighborhoods. Count yourself lucky.

As for their labor relations, which you didn't mention but are often a topic of discussion, Walmart actually pays college tuition for their employees. I'm not sure what percentage receives that benefit, but it exists.

[JI7]

99. People like cheap stuff . People don't want to pay much for many things

it's not all poor people that shop there.

Dollar Tree is another place where people go there to buy things for crafts and parties. This is why Party City went Bankrupt .

And many of these people will also line up for the new cookie or cupcake or other place and pay a lot for a cookie or cupcake or some designer label shoes, belt, bag and of course the electronics .

[Raine]

100. Even after posting this same type of thing in January no answers have satisfied

you yet, geeesh!

[xmas74]

101. Because for many Americans it's the only game in town.

Everyone, rich or poor, shops at the Walmart in rural America.
And some of those that look the poorest, in shoddy clothes and scrimping pennies are sometimes the richest people in a small town.
Don't judge a book by its cover.

[eShirl]

102. JFC

[akbacchus_BC]

107. Is this the first time you went to Walmart? If not, why did you go back?

I cannot imagine you could see poverty in your fellow human beings. Is it because of how they were dressed? Never judge a book by it's cover. It's hard times for a lot of people and even if you don't like Walmart, it provides a place for our low income people to shop and get bargains to feed themselves and their families. I am low income as I am retired.

All my knowledge of Walmart were from DU as we did not have Walmarts here in Canada until all Zellers closed down. Took a long time for those spaces to be occupied by Target, Target left as Canada's population was too small. Then Walmart took over those spaces but I never went into their stores until about three years ago when I visited Seattle and could not believe how well run, clean and stocked as it was. I go occasionally to the Walmart in my area as the eye drops I use is about $5.00 cheaper than where I used to get it before. You mean well in your post, however, we are not all equal when it comes to spending and trying to get the most for your buck. On the few occasions I visited Walmart, not one shopper looked impoverished to me. Be well.

[BlackSkimmer]

128. I asked twice why she went in.

Crickets.

[Pete Ross Junior]

115. I shop there.

It's not a marvelous experience, but it's relatively cheap groceries.
You can get in and out real quick too. That's a plus.

Dunno about Ohio, but there is lots of poverty here in Illinois, and not just the big city.

I've no use for Republicans, but the poverty is in the system not a particular political party.

[spinbaby]

116. I tend not to shop at our local Walmart

For a number of reasons, none of them involving poor people, I tend not to shop at the Walmart about a mile from my house. Reason number one is that it’s too big. I don’t like to trek half a mile if I forgot something at the far side of the store. Our particular Walmart also has chronic stocking issues and is often out of that one thing you really needed.

I much prefer Aldi, which is a smaller store with better prices where I can get most of what I need. My usual grocery plan is to get most things at Aldi, supplemented with minor trips to Whole Foods, the Mexican grocery, and the Asian grocery. A few food items come in bulk from Costco—particularly large blocks of cheese, frozen fruit, and frozen proteins.

That said, my usual shopping plan isn’t in operation right now because of an ankle injury and my son is doing the grocery shopping where it’s most convenient for him. For him, that’s Walmart.

[Zeitghost]

136. Who knew

The very sight of poor people would make a DU'er cringe and run away.

I thought we were better than that...

[onenote]

141. Where do you think people who shop at Walmart should be shopping?

Your post might have made sense if you had said you don't know how people who shop at Walmart vote repub. But you said you don't know how people shop at Walmart. Which is an odd way to express concern about poverty and how . people vote. Where do you think people who shop at Walmart should shop?

[LeftInTX]

153. I shop there. As a matter of fact, they seem to have upped their game

Don't buy groceries much, but I buy alot of housewares. We're doing remodeling and I'm always needing cheap throw rugs, runners and tarps. They also have cheap drapes and hardware. They also have lots of containers etc. I've always bought alot of clothes from them too: Cami's, tee shirts, tank tops, bras, undies, swim suits etc. Recently bought a workout mat etc.

In December 2019, we traveled from San Antonio to Colorado. When I got the Amarillo, I realized that I had forgotten my winter coat. Ran into Walmart and bought a great jacket for $10! I love that jacket. It's more comfortable than the North Face jacket my kids bought me.

Their customer service has improved. I'm seeing more associates in the aisles and I can actually ask them, "Where is such and such". Check out lines have improved also. I think they are noticing what cost cutting did and are making improvements. I don't know if it's because of this that I'm shopping there more? However, I do seem to notice that Walmart has become a more pleasant experience and maybe that is why I'm shopping there more frequently. Their website has also improved with "in store" options. Hence the party bags I needed weren't sold at one store, but were sold at another.

ETA: Walmart customers reflect their neighborhoods. I live about 2 miles from a middle class Walmart. (Customers look "average" to me) There is a Walmart in a more well to do area (mostly white customers and they don't look poor at all) and there is a Walmart in a lower income area, where there are more minorities shopping and more people who appear to be struggling a bit.

[mvd]

155. Surprisingly the nearest Walmart to me is in Pottstown, PA

I may go there sometimes because of my budget if it was closer. But we have a Target nearby and I go there if the price is ok. I noticed Walmart is now on my Instacart. I will check it out but the tip would have to be good to get the driver to go 7 miles, and I am trying to cut down on Instacart.

[LAS14]

157. This is an odd post. I visited your profile, and see nothing...

... amiss, but I would think that the DU perspective would give us a feeling of solidarity with poor people. No?

[JCMach1]

160. People shop there for a balance of price point and quality

[BlackSkimmer]

166. Trying to figure this out.

You hate Walmart and the people who shop there, as evidenced from your January post. I think there were more.

At any rate, then you go back in March? For 20 minutes? And ask people if they own coats?

This is so beyond anything.

[betsuni]

168. +1

[betsuni]

170. This is a stereotype of Democrats-are-elites-who-hate-the-working-class.

[gldstwmn]

176. I recently started shopping there. Kroger is trying to merge with Safeway and they have

absolutely gone down the tubes here. They are ridiculously overpriced. I don't like the way they treated their employees during the pandemic. I hate the fact that one of the family members who owns them is a MAGA and election denier IIRC.
Meanwhile Walmart has increased their starting wages to $14 - $19. They always get my prescription right and on time without hassle. They are less than Kroger in my area. I am done with Walgreens and pretty sure there have been no issues with Walmart filling certain medications.
Also, I got to go to Trader Joe's the other day while I was out running errands. I don't have one close by. They are so reasonably priced that I realized we are getting jacked by Kroger. We're going to go again, even though it is out of our way.
I can spend $150 at Costco and that lasts for a while too. I also like Target. And the prices between Kroger and Whole Foods aren't that different anymore with Whole Foods actually being less sometimes.
If you find the store at Walmart aesthetically displeasing, I highly recommend their delivery. It's relatively quick and reasonably priced.

[SheltieLover]

178. Depending upon where one lives, that's good cause for fear due to antivax covidiots