Your Wal-Mart Horror Stories

[One Sweet World]

Hey all, I'm doing some work with Wakeup Wal-Mart and we have a fun Halloween feature I'd like to tell you all about. We're inviting people to submit their Wal-Mart horror stories to what we're calling "Tales from the Big Box Boneyard." If you're interested, check out the Wakeup Wal-Mart blog.

I imagine there is gonna be some stiff competition for winner: Already, a woman submitted a story about finding a RAT'S HEAD (!) in a bag of green beans that she bought at Wal-Mart ("Ratatouille"???). And someone else has posted the story about chemicals in Wal-Mart flip flops burning through the skin of their feet because they were made in some toxic Chinese factory.

For those of you who are like me and are concerned about Wal-Mart's ugly business practices, this is a fun - and politically smart - feature. Everyone has horror stories about Wal-Mart - maybe it's a friend who got laid off and had no health insurance, or Wal-Mart paving over important environmental tracts, or them drowning the local economy of your town.

My personal story is when my cousin bought a grill there and that was such a piece of crap the paint on it burned off when he cooked on it. This was disgusting but somewhat benign compared to other stories. Check out the stories out and submit one yourself if you have a chance!

Cross-posted at Daily Kos

[cosmik debris]

1. Fun with WalMart

Whenever I have a few minutes to spare and I am near a WalMart, I go inside, get a basket and fill it up with clothing, sporting goods, toys, etc. Then I park it in a place that is sure to cause a traffic jam.

I walk out of the store knowing that it will take WalMart employees at least 2 hours to re-stock the stuff that I spent 15 minutes piling in the basket.

That's one version of civil disobedience.

[youthere]

5. Funny thing about that...

When I used to shop at super wal-mart, I did ALL my shopping there. One morning I was strolling throught the aisles, cart full of groceries and sundries (and I mean heaping full) and my cell rings...my son's had an accident at school (broke his arm) and they have sent him via ambulance to the hospital. I leave my cart there and take off for the hospital. We get my son all taken care of and THE NEXT DAY I go back to get my shopping done and guess what? Big surprise..the cart is still where I left it. Still full, complete with dairy and completely thawed frozen goods. I would have thought the box of ice cream that has melted and dripped out the bottom of the cart would have drawn the attention of an employee but no.

[cosmik debris]

6. I stay away from the groceries

I don't want to poison anyone. I just want to provide jobs for people an cut into profits.

[WGS]

12. Not hardly

:eyes:

[Odin2005]

14. So you punish the employees for the sins of their employer?

Those employees are already being screwed as it is, why the fuck are you screwing them even more?

[walldude]

15. Yeah that'll show em'.

:eyes: Why fuck over some poor employee? How is this "civil disobedience"? You have done nothing to anyone except the employee who gets stuck cleaning up your mess. When did it become a liberal ideal to screw over the employees instead of the corporation?

[JitterbugPerfume]

16. a lot of those wal mart workers

are single moms trying to keep a roof over their head working for low wages and few benefits.


Some of them do not have any choice. Read Nickled and Dimes by Barbara Erinrich(Sp)


Personally I hate WalMart , and I do not shop there.

[Katherine Brengle]

19. Don't you think working there for minimum wage already sucks enough?

[Saphire]

20. I, as an x-overnight worker, was going to chastise you, but I see

that's been taken care of by folks alot more gentle that I had planned. Trust me when I say that didn't hurt anyone but the poor worker that has to "reverse shop" everything that has been moved during the day by thousands of others.

[WinkyDink]

23. You think you're hurting a Walton?? You're making a lowly worker's life MORE MISERABLE

with your STUPID behavior.

[superduperfarleft]

27. What are you, 12?

Do you really think making some wage slave's life even more miserable is striking a blow against "the man?"

[AngryOldDem]

30. Civil disobedience by making more work for the employees?

Who are treated like shit in the first place?

Forgive me if I don't find this laudable, let alone amusing.

ON EDIT: Pick up a copy of Barbara Eherenrich's "Nickel and Dimed" and read the chapter where she writes about working at a Wal Mart and having to pick up after clods like yourself.

[renie408]

35. Martin Luther King would be so proud. n/t

[aikoaiko]

2. One time, at Walmart.....

...I went to the sporting goods section only to find out that they had stopped selling guns. I was so sad.

;(

[Lone_Star_Dem]

3. The rat head had nothing to do with Wal-Mart, to be fair.

It was a can of Allen's green beans which are sold at grocery stores everywhere.

[backscatter712]

13. More and more, companies are dumping their trashiest products on Wal-Mart.

Since Wal-Mart demands those low, low prices by squeezing their suppliers, the suppliers dump their junkiest, cheapest, borderline defective products on Wal-Mart, and sell their higher quality stuff elsewhere where they'll get more money for them.

Case in point, though not as horrid as flip-flops that cause chemical burns, the recent release of Guitar Hero III normally comes with a brand new wireless guitar controller for the PS2, PS3 and Xbox 360. But if you buy the game at Wal-Mart, you're likely to end up with a box with an older guitar controller that was originally sold with Guitar Hero II.

More details: http://arstechnica.com/journals/thumbs.ars/2007/10/29/confusion-abound-as-wal-mart-guitar-hero-3-bundles-include-old-guitars

[Lone_Star_Dem]

17. What does that have to do with the rat head in the Allen's brand green beans?

I don't buy for a minute that Allen's shipped the canned rat with a side of green beans to Wal-Mart because they were dumping their bad stock on them. Why? Because selling canned rat heads have hurt their sales at all retailers.

It was gross and disgusting, that I'll grant you. However, they were the same name brand green beans that are sold in other retailers throughout the United States. That rat head could just as easily have ended up in any other grocery store as Wal-Mart.

[AngryAmish]

4. I bought a cast iron frying pan about 10 years ago at Wal-Mart

It came pre-seasoned. I cost about 7 or 8 dollars.

Best damn pan I ever owned. I now have more money than I used to, own Calphalon and le creuset cookware mostly, but I am going to be handing that pan down to my grandchildren. It is awesome.

[Ishoutandscream2]

26. AA, I think I'm the only one around here who "gets" you

Everytime you make a smart ass remark, I laugh my ass off. God, what does that say about us?

[Blue Diadem]

7. I don't get why the rat head is Walmart's fault. Allen's is the company that canned it.

Allen's sells to many stores, under many names, some very popular names too.
http://www.allencanning.com/


I have used that brand of green beans before..but I've bought them at our local small town grocery store. I've just stopped buying Allen's products since that story broke. Oh..and Allen's response
to that woman was definitely not customer friendly either.

snip:
"There's no way that product could have hurt her," Allen Canning spokesman James Phillips said in a telephone interview. "This rodent was rendered commercially sterile. We cook each can individually at a temperature up to 265 degrees."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=3018045#3019230

[One Sweet World]

8. Walmart Recalls

WalMart imports $18 billion goods each year from China, and China has been the source of many toxic products that have been recalled recently. Wal-Mart is passing on the risk with the savings.

And also, in some states like California, Wal-Mart isn't even responsible for taking recalled products off its shelves. That has to change!

[Blue Diadem]

9. Yes and what does that have to do with a rat head in American canned green beans?

We know the history of Chinese crap in Walmart and elsewhere. It's anything that's cheap whether it kills our pets, poisons our kids or not.

The manufacturer/canner of the green beans is the one who should be held accountable in the case that was presented. I never heard a recall from Allens and it wasn't the first time they'd had a piece of a creature found in one of their canned products. Even the woman didn't go after Walmart, she presented it to Allens who treated it like it was nothing.

I think you're so focused on Walmart, that you're forgetting the animal food was not only Walmart brand, but many store brands and famous brands too. The food was sold elsewhere, under many names, same with the toys. They are not Walmart exclusive.

[One Sweet World]

25. Wal-Mart is the worst offender

I'm focused on WMT because they are responsible for much more than toxic toys from communist China. WMT has plenty of ugly business practices. But environmental degradation and union busting are abstract issues. When people start talking about toxic toys it gets attention.

[XanaDUer]

36. Yum!

Commercially sterile rodents!

[fed-up]

10. Every time I go to Wal-mart I ask the greeters where to find a "Not Another Walmart" sign

Granted I only go a few times a year when I'm with my boyfriend and he is buying dogfood.

I love the responses I get, so far half the clerks have pointed me towards the sign aisle where the small signs are located. Others have said, they are not sure if Walmart carries the signs. Only one greeter actually "got" what I was asking....There is currently a campaign in our town against building another Walmart at the north end of town which is what the signs are for..:)

It has been great therapy for me when I really needed a laugh. It is so hard to ask where the signs are without my doubling over in laughter. Keeping a straight face has been hard.

I really, really, need to get a life...:)

[Johonny]

11. I once went to

Walmart and the Raider cheerleaders were handing out free raider cheerleader calendars and signing them. They were hot and very friendly. But I hate the Raiders.

[SoCalDem]

18. Don't have any.. we don't shop there..ever

:)

[TahitiNut]

22. Ditto. I don't even like driving past them ...

... since I figure ANYONE stupid enoough to shop there has to be a danger on the roads.

:dunce: :silly:

[ileus]

21. Other than their crazy long oil change times, nothing...sorry nothing.

I used to take my company car to wally world because it'd give me an hour to shop for personal stuff on company time. I've never had any issue with any product purchased from wally world at this point and time. Tomorrow that may change.

[WinkyDink]

24. Let's be honest, shall we? WalMart has PLENTY OF REGULAR NAME BRANDS.

[piedmont]

28. One time, I had to stand in line at the checkout for EIGHT WHOLE MINUTES!

Seriously, I don't have any horror stories, but then I don't shop there much.

[nonconformist]

29. I worked at Walmart back in '94/'95

Is that horrifying enough?

[Lisa]

31. a friend of mine who used to tease me about my refusal to shop at Wal-Mart

... even if it meant I had to pay more at the mom-and-pop retailers, is now furious with them. She had her children's Christmas pics taken there, and the Wal-Mart staffer running the photo place had his thumb in front of the camera, so part of the image is blocked by this big pink blur. When my friend asked for a refund, the store said that she would have to pay extra for new prints.

She decided not to pay, and to use the wrecked ones instead ... she included a little note about the incident when she sent out the photos to her friends and relatives, and begged them to consider shopping at another retailer, this holiday season!

[ruiner4u]

32. Ive worked there... eom

[hiphopnation]

33. none

cuz i don't shop in them

[renie408]

34. My WalMart Horror story is...I can no longer afford NOT to shop there.

We boycotted Walmart for the longest time. But my husband has been out of work since July. We have been selling off some stuff and I start a new job on Monday, but I finally went back to Walmart about eight weeks ago to do my grocery shopping. My horror story is that today I bought a new pair of shoes, two pairs of pants (shoes and pants needed for new job) and groceries for my family for a week for $160. I know it is wrong to support them, but I can't support US if I don't shop there. They are closer and less expensive than anywhere else I can go. And with gas here going close to $3 and us being broke, those are two BIG things to consider.