don't buy your christmas ornaments at walmart!

[Zen]

It's not just Walmart.

[mimitabby]

you're right, Zen, it isn't; but they are the biggest in the USA and most notorious for these practices. We haven't even started talking about American employees.

[Triskeliongirl]

Another NON WALMART shopper here. Thanks for sharing this Mimi. We either make our ornaments (and its something to do with the kids, stringing popcorn and cranberries, etc.), or have a collection of ornaments we have built up over the years that we have purchased from local craftspeople when we have visited other countries.

[Kitsune06]

you're right, Zen, it isn't; but they are the biggest in the USA and most notorious for these practices. We haven't even started talking about American employees.

No kidding. I'm still in disbelief over how X was training on very busy 8-hour days, then was told that without a break, she'd do her 2-16 hour weekend shifts (8 hours between the two) . So it was get home at 7, get up at 5, be there by 6, get home at 10:30... repeat... and then again when she moved to her week shift, another 32 hour weekend and up at 6 to get there on time in the morning. Not counting day shifts and night-time on call where people actually have gone 24+ hours without sleep (work all day, on call and called in all night, then staying over all their regularly scheduled shift) but what're we going to do- boycott the healthcare industry? Who puts people in charge of this sh!t?

[mimitabby]

yeah, Kit, I agree; healthcare... That's another can of worms. I have a friend who is a doctor. He got out of ER for that very reason. They were so overworked that he was afraid he'd lose a patient while giving someone else a prescription for cold meds...

[Brandi]

I am with you on this one as well. I hate shopping at wal-mart. it gives me a headache! maybe cause their stuff is made in china? I will not slam anybody for wanting to stick up for human rights. There is already enough of that going around you know?

[bmccasland]

Any of you remember when Sam Waldon (Walton?) - the founder - was alive and Walmart advertised that much of their merchandise was "Proudly made in the USA"? Many of the changes were made after he died. I try to avoid Wally World as much as humanly possible.

[Running Mommy]

Yes BMC, I do. I worked for the company back then. It was a source of pride with Sam that he was giving so many Americans jobs.
And then Sam died.... Unf the company is a sad shell of what Sam had founded and what he stood for..

I do shop at wal mart, so I guess I'm the spawn of evil. But Wal Mart is just the big fish sticking out of the pond. Target, K Mart, and all of the other large chains- clothing stores included- are just as bad. They just put a nice wrapping on everything. Just like politics- it's all about the spin.

FWIW I do try to shop at the smaller shops whenever possible. I prefer the local ace or tru value hardware over Lowes or the Depot anyday.
And I shop at the locally owned natural grocer, but sometimes I do shop at wal mart.
As a soon to be bike shop owner I cringe when I walk by the 49.99 bikes... OY. And in the same vein I try to give the mom and pop places my business whenever I can. Esp. the restaurants. Around here we have so many chains that it's hard for them to compete.

[smilingcat]

NON walmart shopper.

I do go to the local farmers market for my gorceries. small farm organics mostly. Okay so the fruit doesn't look perfect but its not coated with wax to make it look pretty. Okay so the tomato is slightly bruised but its vine ripened.

smilingcat

[Trek420]

Any of you remember when Sam Waldon (Walton?) - the founder - was alive and Walmart advertised that much of their merchandise was "Proudly made in the USA"? Many of the changes were made after he died.

Yes, if you listen carefully the whirring sound in the background is his rapidly rolling in his grave.

It's hard to be politically (whichever that means to you) correct. I sometimes am stopped in my tracks looking blankly at the shelves for hours trying to decide:
this coffee is in a biodegradable paper bag
but that one's organic
ooh, ooh, shade grown (happy migratory birds ) but it's not....
fair trade.

but wait, here's fair trade, organic shade grown, happy birdies STARBUCKS do I get the Peets next to it that's not shade grown?

groan.

I agree we should keep this positive. How do you find alternatives? And it's really not that hard or more expensive.

Today on the way home I stopped for gift wrap, tape, wrapping paper, paper plates, and a new birdfeeder ....all made in the USA. The feeder it took some looking through the shelves. The stuff is out there.

I do go to the local farmers market for my gorceries. small farm organics mostly. Okay so the fruit doesn't look perfect but its not coated with wax to make it look pretty. Okay so the tomato is slightly bruised but its vine ripened.

smilingcat

My Dad, a small family farmer used to say "If the bugs won't eat it neither will I"

And I think we can all agree that as well as the juicy tomato tasting better, local farms protect rural areas and rural areas are great places to ride! I'm sure overseas farmers are great (no offense to any Chileans etc on the board) but I .... ride .... here. And I breath here too.

Really no reason to fly stuff in from wherever when it can be grown here. We need our farmers for many reasons, green space, protecting wetlands, strengthening rural communities.

I read somewhere it only takes 8 families to support a small family farm. Can you imagine if more people bought local?

[Starfish]

what're we going to do- boycott the healthcare industry? Who puts people in charge of this sh!t?

I talked once to a friend of my mine who is a physician. She totally defended these types of hours, saying that it really culled out the weakest links, so that the ones who made it through were the best. (I'm not saying I agree with her, just that she was defending it.)

She's an OB/GYN. She said, do you really want someone delivering your baby in the middle of the night, after delivering a bunch of others that week, who wasn't good at thinking and working under zero sleep conditions? (Again, just passing along what I was told.)

[bmccasland]

I talked once to a friend of my mine who is a physician. She totally defended these types of hours, saying that it really culled out the weakest links, so that the ones who made it through were the best. (I'm not saying I agree with her, just that she was defending it.)

She's an OB/GYN. She said, do you really want someone delivering your baby in the middle of the night, after delivering a bunch of others that week, who wasn't good at thinking and working under zero sleep conditions? (Again, just passing along what I was told.)

Obviously this Doc doesn't have much experience working weird hours for months on end. Statistically more night shift workers have more on the job injuries than any other shift. The main problem, they're chronically sleep deprived. I know I was when I worked nights. Oy don't even get me started.