Why the hell do Dem.s shop at Target but not Walmart?

[Tektonik]

[Chan790]

1. Other.

I've never been given a reason why as a liberal I should not support Target with my business. I have many reasons not to support Wal-mart.

[Tektonik]

2. Their CEO donates primarily to the GOP

Reasons to not shop at Target:

-shitty wages for their employees
-lack of unions
-lackadaisical response to pulling offensive merchandise off of their shelves http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/2002/08/26/daily26.html
-allowing their pharmacists to deny birth control based on religious beliefs
-being Minnesotan :P

They do many of the things Walmart does, but since they're a much smaller corporation, they're in the forefront of everyone's minds for criticism.

[Chan790]

5. sufficient.

No more Target.

[KitchenWitch]

18. Hey, I am a Minnesotan!

:P

[quip]

3. Look, ya gotta buy your shit SOMEWHERE....

Where do you suggest? :shrug:

[Tektonik]

7. Oh I have the same problem, I shop at both admittedly

I just don't understand people who shun Walmart and not Target. :shrug:

[quip]

9. Gotcha. Walmart has the penchant of building in small towns and wreaking havoc on

ma and pa businesses. And they are flat out bastards when it comes to negotiating with suppliers. And pretty much everything LeftyMom said.

I've been a Target shopper for over 33 years....

[Tektonik]

10. I've only began shopping at Target (and Walmart) again

I don't think I bought anything at a Target (also Walmart) for about two years when their pharmacists were allowed to turn down emergency contraceptives to women.

I think they're both evil, one is Hitler and one is Stalin. Maybe one is less evil than the other, but at a certain point who cares.

I shop at both again for convenience sake, but I do have a Costco card and stop there whenever I can venture there.

[asteroid2003QQ47]

27. More often than not...

those "ma and pa businesses" are REPUBLICAN in my experience.
That said, they both suck! (No Target near me)

[harmonicon]

11. do you have Meijer in your area?

I sort of hate Meijer.... I had a job there one summer in college for all of a week - I wouldn't even go into one for over a year afterwards. They have a lot of the same shitty business practices as Walmart, but they are unionized, and that's good enough for me. They're also all open 24 hours, which helps when you're an insomniac or work odd hours.

[quip]

13. No. In fact, I am in Minnesota, the birthplace of Target, and they just finished upgrading

the one closest to me (and one of the original stores) to a SuperTarget (with groceries)

[harmonicon]

14. hmmm.... I don't think I like that

I know there have been problems with Targets and Walmarts setting up grocery departments in places where grocers would otherwise be unionized. I don't like it.

[FunkyLeprechaun]

26. It's not bad

In fact the bread and produce is better than our Hyvee. Our Target is close to Sam's Club (I never go into Wal-Mart though) and Sam's Club has better salmon and even salads and veg than Hyvee and Target.

Only when we can't find anything that we need from Target or Sam's Club do we venture into Hyvee. It used to be so much better when it was Barlow Foods. I initially hoped that Byerly's would replace Barlow's and to this day I still hope Hyvee gets replaced by Byerly's.

Byerly's is quite a treat though.

Can you tell I'm a Minnesotan through and through?

[geardaddy]

34. Ahh, but what about Lund's?

lol

[geardaddy]

44. Hyvee?

You must be from outstate. The only Hyvee I've been to is in Neu Ulm.

[FunkyLeprechaun]

59. Rochester has lots of Hyvee's

At my last count I know of 2 (near the Mayo Clinic at the Barlow Plaza and near Apache Mall). I know there's one in North Rochester but I almost never venture over there as I was more SW Rochester.

[hippywife]

58. Just checking here but

you do know that Sam's Club is WalMart, right? Just their warehouse type store.

[FunkyLeprechaun]

60. Yes I do.

I don't like going into Wal-Mart (the store not the company) but Sam's Club actually has better food than Hyvee. I got some smoked salmon there and it's better than Hyvee's smoked Salmon.

Now that I'm in the UK, I've had smoked Salmon from Scotland. Deeeelicious.

[geardaddy]

36. Costco

It's a very BLUE company and treats their workers well.

[quip]

42. Coincidentally, I just came from there. It is great for many things, but not nearly the

variety, and convenience of Target. Little things=>Target. Big ticket items=>Costco

:hi:

[geardaddy]

43. I agree with you on selection.

You can get almost anything at Targhetto, but we buy our TP and other essentials at Costco.

:hi:

[KeepItReal]

54. Might I add: Gas => COSTCO

Talk about some savings!

[LeftyMom]

4. Target doesn't have the overwhelming miasma of dispair.

The stores are clean. The employees don't have that ground-down quality that WalMart's do. They move a little faster, the lines aren't so damned long. I've never spent an hour comforting an employee as she weeps, an experience I did have at the 24 hour WalMart once, on an emergency baby wipe run in the middle of the night almost seven years ago.

The children's clothes aren't tissue thin, and the things for girls' are mostly reasonable. The WalMart girl's section is a visual illustration of Why I'm Glad I Have a Boy.

I'm sure they're not much better in many respects, but their merchandise is often better than the utter shit WalMart sells. They have more sheets that are all cotton, and high thread counts, and sometimes organic even. Last time I was in a WalMart (admittedly some time ago) it was almost impossible to find sheets with no polyester. Let alone something of quality, like a Britax car seat for a baby shower gift, or some accessories for my KitchenAid mixer, things that Target has in plenty.

[Tektonik]

6. Ever shopped at an older, smaller Target?

The one in Northridge, CA on Corbin is a small, messy joint, and so was the one close to me here in SD before it closed down.

I've shopped at Targets dirtier than Walmarts and vice versa.

The lines at both seem to be pretty similar to me :shrug:.

I have never shopped at a 24 hr Target (I don't know if they exist), but I have gone to the nearest 24 hr Walmart near here and Jesus the employees seemed tired and down-trodden BUT that's the same shit one experiences at any 24 hr store such as CVS and Ralph's (Kroger's).

Walmart carries some decent Springmaid bedding, but neither store carries stuff of the quality one could find at BB&B, LNT or Macy's. Also Walmart has recently began carrying eco-friendly products (such as the ones presented on their vomit inducing commercials).

Target does carry more specialty items than Walmart does, but why not go to BB&B or Costco(which are blue) at that point?

[LeftyMom]

8. All the Targets here are recently remodeled.

Even the very new WalMarts that I've been in are already dingy. I guess they just don't give the employees time to clean up well, or pay them enough that they care about dirt in the corners.

[harmonicon]

12. all of the mexicans escaped that they had been keeping locked in at night...

... now they have no one to clean at all :( poor guys

[Manifestor_of_Light]

15. Tuesday Morning.

You can get high quality sheets, and pots and pans and household stuff at Tuesday Morning.

Really good stuff.

[ashling]

50. The last time I was in Tuesday Morning

I couldn't find any thing not made in China. We were trying to find something for my 5 yr old niece. All of the stuffed animals and other things were made in China. And a perusal of other items (like kitchen stuff) was all made in China

[driver8]

37. There is one in Eagle Rock that is pretty run down.

My wife likes the one in Pasadena so that is the one we usually go to.

[GRLMGC]

51. The one on Corbin isn't THAT bad

It's just that they've remodeled the ones on Balboa. They're probably going to remodel the Corbin one at some point, too.

[Tektonik]

56. Sucks compared to the Walmart in Porter Ranch or West Hills

Hell I'd almost rather go to the Walmart in Panorama.

[emilyg]

16. I shop at both. Both beat grocery store prices on cleaning supplies

and produce.

[IronLionZion]

17. liberals don't hate corporations who make things we like

so that includes Ikea, Toyota, and Apple too.

Full disclosure, I often shop at Walmart. There is a Target 4 miles from me but I often still drive 8 miles (wasting the extra gas) to shop at Wal-Mart because they have things I want that are better than Target's or Target doesn't carry it. I prefer Wal-Mart's "Equate" store brand products to Target's. Wal-mart's Aloe Vera Gel is way better than the shit Target sells and Target doesn't carry any brand of men's shaving oil.

Another thing I noticed is that Target is in the more affluent part of town and Wal-Mart is in the lower-income part of town. The people who shop at Wal-Mart are more culturally diverse than the shoppers at Target. There are more expensive cars in the Target parking lot. The drivers in the Target parking lot are assholes, but the Wal-Mart drivers seem to be a little more polite.

My GF is a hardcore Minnesotan Target loyalist so we debate this often. She claims Target is better quality and has cleaner stores. I can tell you from first-hand experience that working at Target's corporate office SUCKS!!! They have a strict formal dress code and don't care about their IT contractors.

Good Night

[1]

19. but is walmart really the "bad guy" here?

*just so you know, i have never set foot in a walmart in my life*


but if a walmart shows up in a town, and all of the mom-and-pops are already in town doing their business, apparently successfully...

why would the mom-and-pops go out of business?

why wouldn't locals support locals? and tell the out-of-town interlopers to go to hell.

is the lure of saving a penny or two here or there more important than the community you live in? the people in your community who own the mom-and-pops?

why would you abandon you neighbors, your friends, your fellow church goers, your children's classmates parents?


i understand that we all hate walmart, yeah, yeah... but i don't see walmart as the problem.

walmart could not overpower a community unless a community allows it.

so. who is the "bad guy" here? walmart? or the community?

[crispini]

24. One word: $$$$

If an individual can save a hundred bucks a month by shopping at Wallyworld you think they're not going to do it? Besides, it's only been recently that people have learned a bit more about Wal Mart's business practices and how it affects small towns.

[China_cat]

25. Charleston, SC super wal marts

1231 Folly Rd, Charleston, SC
2245A Ashley Crossing Drive,
1294 Yeamans Hall Rd
3000 Proprietors Pl
Market Street, downtown (middle of the historic district)
7400 Rivers Ave

I couldn't find an address for it but there's also one in Summerville (about a 15 minute ride), one in Mt. Pleasant (about the same distance as the one in Summerville) and one in Monck's Corner (about a 30 minute ride) And a Sam's in the same compound at Proprietor's Place.

The people on John's Island are fighting the building of yet ANOTHER super center because the company wants to remove all the old live oaks (some thought to be over 500 years old) and fill in the wetlands there for a parking lot.

The communities have tried very hard to stop all but 2 of these...and we had a Sam's long before Wal Mart existed. They come in with their battery of lawyers to comb every inch of local zoning ordinances and find ways to steamroll over them.

I hope John's Island can stop them. Apart from destroying the trees and wetlands, the island is a farming community. Our local produce comes from there. Pick it yourself farms, the very best in farmer's markets and CSA farms. Those of us who really don't want to lose those options in favor of contaminated shit brought in from China don't have much of a say in what happens since we don't live there. From the looks of what they are doing, the people who live there and earn their living there aren't going to get much of a say, either.

[grace0418]

20. Well, for starters they actually clean the Targets near me. The only time I step foot

in Walmart is when I must for work (some of the products I design are carried at Walmart and I get sent there to check out the competition). And every time I do it makes me want to run screaming from the store to the nearest shower. The store is always filthy, merchandise is all over the place, often the floor, open and trampled by shopping carts. The employees all look like they want to kill themselves and the shoppers behave like feral animals– screaming at each other and their kids, opening products then dropping them on the floor, eating food they haven't purchased (and leaving the empty packages on shelves), alternating between parking their asses and carts in the middle of the aisle in everyone's way and jamming their carts into you like you're not even there. It makes me want to hurl. I've never seen people behave as trashy as they do at my local Walmart. Maybe it's different elsewhere.

[CreekDog]

21. we don't have WalMarts here

and where am I gonna buy Tide and Contacts solution? Safeway? :wow:

that would bankrupt me.

[quakerboy]

22. Some of them sell Pierogies.

just sayin. Gotta get them somewhere, and they ain't easy to find here. That and I get free gift cards for there.

[and-justice-for-all]

23. I hate them, but I do not have much of choice...

I goto Satan(Wal-)Mart. But I also do goto an independent grocer too, but I can not buy all the things I need there and at their prices.

I love Target, but we do not have one. We do have 2 Wal-Marts..

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

28. Because you can say "Target"

as tar-ZHEY' with a Democratic, elitist, faux-French accent.

Try THAT with "Walmart"!!! The best you can do is a Republican, right-wing, faux-Colonel-Klink "VAHL'-macht".

:hi:

[FunkyLeprechaun]

29. Target is one thing I miss now that I've moved to the UK

I initially decided to try to avoid ASDA (the UK version of Wal-Mart). My fiance took me there just so I could see what it was like. It was lovely and quite cheap but the produce isn't as bad as Wal-Mart in the US. We bought our TV at ASDA about 4 years ago and it's still running strong.

I'd have to say ASDA and Tesco are quite like Hyvee on an upscale stage.

Then we have Sainsbury's and Morrisons... Sorta like Target.

Then we have Waitrose. Which is absolutely lovely. The last time I went there there were Porsches and Ferraris in the parking lot and all we wanted to get a nice container of olives and olive oil. I haven't seen the other produce and I'm scared to multiply by 2 whenever I see the foods. Sainsbury's is nice too.

We mostly shop at Aldi and Morrisons as they're nearby but our treats are usually Sainsbury's and Waitrose. Marks and Spencer is nice too but Waitrose tops it!

[JCMach1]

30. Carrefour is cool... also in the UAE we have HYPERPANDA and LuLu

I just love to say Hyperpanda!

[SPKrazy]

31. because of the ignorant belief

that walmart is somehow inherently evil and target is not would be my guess

[distantearlywarning]

32. Other. The Wal-Mart in my area is full of Jerry Springer rejects.

And their multiple screaming children hanging off their carts blocking the aisles.

Conversely, the Target tends to be populated by more normal, quieter people. It's a much more pleasant experience to go there.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

33. Target stores are cleaner and more attractive

Walmart Stores tend to be dark and depressing, IMHO.

[Inchworm]

35. I try not to shop at either..but

sometimes I just HAVE to.

I also wonder why I go to CVS :P

:hi:

[shaniqua6392]

38. I used to work for Target and I loved it!

They were an awesome company to work for. I was in a car accident and had to stop working. I still see people that I used to work with 13 years ago that are still there and they love it. They have a pension plan, insurance, clean working conditions, discounts, etc. They always promote people to higher level positions quickly. I thought it was great. That is where I do all my shopping for household goods and clothing. I never step foot in a Walmart. Ever.

[1gobluedem]

39. Maybe because when I Google Target + watch I get a site for wristwatches

And when I Google Wal Mart + watch I get this: http://walmartwatch.com/

[LeftinOH]

40. WalMart is of Southern origin; Target is Northern.. (could be a contributing

factor to the mind-set; not that it matters one whit).

[eyepaddle]

41. What I never hear about is Walgreen's

I live a block and a half away from a Walgreen's, so that's where I get all of my toothpaste and stuff--in addition to prescriptions. I've wondered what kind of business practices Walgreen's has. I do know their pharmacists are unionized--not that I am sure that counts for much.

I don't go to Target much--but I don't go to WalMart ever if I have a choice. The ones around here are just...cluttered.

Target's kitchen furishings certainly seem to be a bit fancier than WalMart's; I did look around when I finally bailed on the roommate thing and had to have ALL of my own shit. Call me a sucker, but I knida like shiny objects!

[CreekDog]

45. the bullseye makes it easier to find

:shrug:

[LSK]

46. because they sell Kashi Products that is hard to find anywhere else

without having to drive 20 miles to Whole Foods.

Also I did not know Meijers was better for employees than Target so maybe I will hit up Meijers more often.

[Tektonik]

47. No Trader Joe's near you?

[LSK]

48. 20 miles the other way

[WCGreen]

49. I go there because of the catchy way they do the Beatles songs...

Truth...

I hate all box stores, except for my COSTCO...

I try not to shop in any of them...

[tammywammy]

52. My choice is Target or Walmart

I prefer Target. The stores are cleaner and the employees are helpful if you have a question.

I go to Walmart about twice a year, when invariably I need something at 11pm and Target's already closed.

[nytemare]

53. Cleanliness, crime, and lack of cashiers

http://209.85.207.104/search?q=cache:3y7nGXa4tPoJ:walmartcrimereport.com/report.pdf+crime+at+walmart+compared+to+target&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=us

A big reason I stopped shopping at a local Walmart was that when I worked nights, I would go shopping early in the morning for my groceries. They would only have 2 10 item or less aisles, and the self check aisles open. I heard "please place item in bag" about 50 too many times. A cashier's hourly salary could be covered by 1/10th of my purchases, let alone everyone elses, yet they didn't have a cashier in a regular aisle working. After about a month of that, I started going to a Target that opened within about 3 miles of there.

The shelves are kept stocked, items aren't tossed all about and are easy to find.

Oh, and a local Walmart within a 24 hour period last week had a carjacking/kidnapping/rape and a dead body.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

55. It depends on the product to see if they are shit.

Apparently Target's baby stuff is ranked very highly in quality and durability according to some baby book my best friend has been reading. Also, We find their store brand of food is EXCELLENT. Walmart is crap all around.
Duckie

[femmocrat]

57. I don't shop at either one.

I loathe Walmart, and I dislike Target. So there. ;)

The layout of Target is hard to get accustomed to, they never have their advertised specials, and it's too far to drive.

Walmart is closer, but I get a headache in there from all the junk piled up to the ceiling, the tight aisles, and the usual scuzzy- looking shoppers.