Is Target an Evil Empire like Wal-Mart?

[dad]

I have read about how W-M is really bad for so many reasons.
Is Target any better? (I need to shop some place!!)

[brainshrub]

1. Yes, Target is evil.

But they are evil with a little "e".

We can only fight one bastard at a time. Once Wal-Mart in unionized, we can start on Target.

Personally, I boycotted all chain stores not based in North Carolina. It's not easy, but it can be done. (And frankly, I have saved a lot of money by simply shopping for the items I need at garage sales or the Internet.)

[YNGW]

2. Where do you buy food?

nc

[Kathy in Cambridge]

6. I buy at stores based in Boston

except for Target, which is based in Minneapolis.

[YNGW]

7. Thank You, but I was specifically asking...

... brainshrub because we live in the same city.

[mlawson]

11. I live there (here), as well, YNGW.

I buy my food all over town. Ingle's for their own products, but watch out for their produce, much of it is covered with pesticides. I really like the two Newbridge produce stands, and of course the big Farmer's Market on Brevard Road. Foreign Affairs (Tunnel Road) for Asian and African (great people there!). The Stall Markets in Grove Arcade have good deals on dried beans and herbs, and occasional local produce. And I do buy 'bargains' at Big Lots and Bargainmax (Sweeten Creek Rd).

Now for the ones I don't like as much: Fresh Market has nothing for vegetarians, and the smell of poultry roasting in there makes me nauseous. Earth Fare has good tofu and bulk stuff, but it's too expensive otherwise. French Broad Co-op is likewise too expensixe, IMO.

I'm not wild about our new Target; the prices are higher than I had expected, and they are constantly out of items. But I can't see how they are underselling very many stores here.

[radwriter0555]

15. the only food these chain stores sell is processed, high fat, all fake

crap that is causing the epidemic obesity in our society.

If people stopped grocery shopping in boxes, and bought fresh, natural and healthy food, instead of frozen carb and trans-fatty fat packed trash, we'd ALL be a lot healthier.

I never buy any in a box anymore.

[jmowreader]

10. Lowe's is evil too

And they're based in North Wilkesboro.

(And I thought Lowe's was evil before I started working at the competition.)

[tinrobot]

16. Home Depot is worse...

Way too much money sent towards Dubya...

[jmowreader]

30. That's the worst thing about them?

Here's my personal experience:

This morning I went from a two-job laborer to a one-job laborer. The job I still had was a part-time one at Home Depot.

Within the hour it was a full-time one at Home Depot. (The only reason it took so long was that I had to drive up there. Once at my boss's office, the PT/FT transition took about two minutes--and 90 seconds of that was trying to find the schedule to write in the added hours.) And in three months, when the next Department Supervisor's class starts, I will be in line to start into management. My name's already enrolled.

You've heard there is a new kind of pressure-treated lumber out there--in fact, you heard it from me. This new lumber is very corrosive to fasteners. Home Depot was the first store in the area to have a full rundown on the material; we in turn informed every other lumber dealer, every contractor, every home inspection company, the code enforcement people at the county and the Fayetteville Association of Retailers on the implications of this stuff. You read correctly: We called the competition and told them what this wood does.

Home Depot was the first home improvement warehouse chain to have the kid's workshop thing--bring your children in once a month and they can make a project from a kit. We are currently the single largest enabler for the Cub Scouts' woodworking patch and the Boy Scouts' woodworking merit badge. Every month our sign-up sheet says "x number of Scouts, Cub pack xxx."

We are the largest employer of Olympians in the United States. We built the new Olympic training center.

Our benefits package is large and far-reaching...and all employees are invited to participate. Pretty much the only people who don't have Home Depot's health insurance are ones who joined the company before the enrollment period began, and those who have other insurances. Specifically, in this area it's almost invariably military insurance.

I can't say this for every department--Hardware is packed with imported merchandise--but my department (lumber/building materials) is about 70-percent US-manufactured goods. If Wal-Mart was running my department, they'd be shipping insulation in from China. Electrical, OTOH, carries a huge amount of imported goods; most of our lighting is imported. Garden has a lot of US content--the stuff they sell is uneconomical to import.

Yes, we fund the village idiot. We also have a PAC that encourages Democratic employees to contribute to Democratic candidates.

It is a good company to work for. They treat us well.

[FDRrocks]

3. Lesser of two evils...

It's a weird world. You could try to find locally owned shops to buy at, it'll give you the warm n fuzzies too!

[corporatewhore]

4. They are an upscale dicount retail evil big box

I used to work there made me stay till 2 am during holiday time when i was sixteen

[loftycity]

5. Go to Costco and Co-ops

Fair Wages and great benefits-- they don't beat up vendors to the point they have to go and hire slave labor. The President of Costco takes home $350,000.00 a year. Not the 20 million like those other Two big boxs are stealing away from the employees.

[Langis]

8. Plus the more you shop at cosco

The more it hurts Sams Club/Walmart!

[loftycity]

9. Oh Yeah hurts them bad

I have had to work with these companies...The W and the trendy T.
They think their trendy...it's just junk.
Both are so.... make it cheaper and cheaper...companies in China have to lay people because they cannot continue making it that products that for that low of a cost! It just drags the whole economy down.

[Deja Q]

12. Where can I find one in MN or western WI?

I'll happily drive there instead.

The President of CostCo is a person I'd love to meet and say thanks to...

[qb]

23. St. Louis Park

This is the closest one I know of.
5801 W 16th St ST LOUIS PK, MN 55416-1446
763-582-9600

Directions:
I-94 West through Minneapolis to I-394 West to Hwy. 100/Park Place exit (don't take 100, continue on to Park Pl.)
Left on Park Place, go about 1 block.
Right on 16th St.
Left at 1st light.

[LTR]

24. Try this

http://www.costco.com/frameset.asp?trg=info%2Fcostconews%2Flocations%2Flocations%2Easp

Two locations in Minnesota (St. Loius Park and Coon Rapids).

Sadly, none in Wisconsin.

But as soon as they expand here, bye-bye Sam's Club card!

[governmentgoodies]

21. Costco Rocks!

O8)
I really feel fortunate living close to a Costco. It's a great feeling being able to drive right past Target, Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, etal. What's really great is that Costco offers good deals on good food, too. You can actually get choices other than "High Fructose Corn Syrup" there at reasonable prices. I love Publix but they kill ya on the "healthy" stuff. I've been in a Sam's Club but their products are simply more of the same cheap plastic stuff you get in a regular Wal-Mart.

Good Suggestion!

[kath]

13. Target is not as evil as Wal-Mart, and Lowe's is not as evil as

Home Despot.

Target gives a certain percentage of its profits to charity. Walmart is notorious for giving very little.

Home Despot is a HUGE GOP supporter.

[dad]

19. .

Thanks for the information on Home Depot! That must explain why Lowe's is BLUE and HD is a shade off from RED. ha ha
Well it'll be easy for me to shop Lowe's for home improvement; they're always built within a half-mile from an HD anyhow.
Target on the other hand I do not think we can give up so easily :)

[veganwitch]

25. thankfully home depot is getting its ass kicked in valparaiso

they built one next to menards (for those outside the plain states, menards is a midwestern chain home improvement center. it does work like one of the major big boxes but at least its not national.) in my home town and it hasnt made a dent at all.

hahaha.

but of course the local local hardware stores are hurting.

[jmowreader]

29. Menard's kicks ass

I don't know how Menard's buys, but they're a good company.

But if you get down to it, the presence of Wal-Mart makes every other big box look good by comparison.

[Gretchen]

32. with Cynthia Rowley and Phillipe Stark on board, Evil looks much more

stylish and savvy.

So your shirt may still be made by 12 year olds, but you'll look a lot better.

No one can be as bad as Wal-mart, (do not forget about Sam's club).

[LTR]

14. Target's not as bad

They have donated to more liberal causes.

Plus Mark Dayton, who may or may not still be directly connected to Target Corp. (formerly Dayton Hudson) but is related to the founders, is the great Democrat senator for Minnesota, helping to equal out the damage done by Mayor Quimby...er, Norm Coleman.

I hear Lowes supports Dems as well.

[blondeatlast]

18. I believe he is still the CEO. The Dayton's are still VERY involved

in the operations. I used to work at a former Dayton-Hudson (I believe they are now Target Corp.) upscale department store. Barely a month would go buy without a visit from someone with the Dayton surname, and they were very friendly. They really cared about how people saw their company even though their name was not on the store.

Then it got sold to Dillard's, and I quit shortly thereafter.

[LTR]

22. I worked at a Dayton's store in the late 80's

in Minneapolis (was known as Dayton-Hudson). Very good company. Back then, the company consisted of the Dayton's stores in the upper midwest (MN, WI, SD) and the Hudson's stores in Michigan. Also owned Target and Mervyn's.

When I worked there, they bought Marshall Field's. Now, the corporate entity is known as Target Corp. and is centered in Minneapolis. All the Dayton's and Hudson's stores now carry the widely-known Marshall Field's name. And Mervyn's (a discounter similar to Kohl's) is struggling but slowly expanding.

Didn't know about the Dillard's connection. Must have been an under-performing store that was sold off.

The Dayton family has always been a big force in Minnesota, and an all-around class act. Didn't know that Mark Dayton was still involved, and thought his situation was similar to Herb Kohl's (not involved with the namesake company, but was at one time).

[noonwitch]

28. When it was the Dayton-Hudson Company, they supported Planned Parenthood

I don't know if that still holds true as the Target Corp. I had catholic coworkers who were boycotting them for that reason and telling me I should do likewise. I told them I was going to shop there even more than I already did (Michigan people were very loyal to "our" Hudson's), but I would continue to boycott Domino's pizza.

Hudson's did have some issues regarding unionization, the way Borders does now. They fought it at every step, and it ended up only a couple of their stores voted for a union.

[blondeatlast]

17. No chain retailer is a fair labor model, but Target is 100% better than

Sprawl-Mart. Plus the CEO is a former very liberal Minnesota senator and big supporter of liberal causes.

If you have to shop at one of them, shop at Target. Let's take 'em down one at a time.

[xxqqqzme]

20. I will not shop @

Malwart but I do know my local Target is not shy about hiring tatoo sporting, body pierced kids. I found that refreshing - plus a percentage of what I spend goes 2 my designated elementary school. Plus I can, & do, walk 2 a Target.

[BigDaddyLove]

26. Yes it is..............

Stay in your house and hide from anything that resembles capitalism.

America is evil I tell you. :eyes:

[DEM FAN]

27. I LOVE Target. In My Area We Got A Super Target Not To Long Ago.

I Really Like It. :-)

[reachout]

31. Choices

For all the talk about "consumer choice" in America, it seems to come down to a choice between a handful of big corporations these days.

Wal-Mart is a place I avoid like the plague, and I do try to buy locally made or fair trade whenever and whereever possible. But, there are things that come up that there's really no way to do either one. For that, it sometimes comes down to a lesser evil choice and Target definitely has a better reputation than Wal-Mart.

As for groceries, I buy much of mine through a co-op buying club that uses Blooming Prarie. http://www.blooming-prairie.com/ They have a great selection of organic foods, and I end up saving a lot of money over purchasing these items retail. There are several distributors out there that will work to help you set up buying clubs.