don't buy your christmas ornaments at walmart!

[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.

[Trek420]

On the calendar of S.F. Bike Coalition

Night Ride: Holiday Lights Ride
Put on your finest blinky lights and join us for our annual tour of holiday light displays around the city. Bring snacks to share or a thermos with something warm to drink!

They also have a Holiday Lights Walk

Both much better ways to see the lights. I hear that many clubs do this.

[teigyr]

I remember reading about something called a "100 mile diet" or maybe 300 miles or 50 miles or something. Anyway, you can eat/drink whatever is locally made and grown. It's not as easy as it sounds!

Ok, 100 miles. Here it is:

http://100milediet.org/

If I ever decided to do this, I'm for sure glad that we have wineries around here

[Trek420]

I remember reading about something called a "100 mile diet" or maybe 300 miles or 50 miles or something. Anyway, you can eat/drink whatever is locally made and grown. It's not as easy as it sounds!

Ok, 100 miles. Here it is:

http://100milediet.org/

If I ever decided to do this, I'm for sure glad that we have wineries around here

That's relatively easy to do here. But I recall a funny encounter overheard at a farmer market in Winter.

shopper "where are the strawberries?"
farmer "they are out of season"
shopper "but Safeway has them "
farmer "they don't grow at this time of year "
shopper "but Safeway ...."
farmer "they fly them in"
shopper "so why don't you have them? "

I really like feeling in touch with the season (wooooo, new age'y music in the background), the first cherries, peaches, winter squash ....

www.slowfoodusa.org

[smilingcat]

That's relatively easy to do here. But I recall a funny encounter overheard at a farmer market in Winter.

shopper "where are the strawberries?"
farmer "they are out of season"
shopper "but Safeway has them "
farmer "they don't grow at this time of year "
shopper "but Safeway ...."
farmer "they fly them in"
shopper "so why don't you have them? "

I really like feeling in touch with the season (wooooo, new age'y music in the background), the first cherries, peaches, winter squash ....

www.slowfoodusa.org

LOL!!! totally clueless.

Nope we eat seasonally. tis the season for cabbage, root vegetable, squash and the like. No corn, no strawberries... no peach... but you know what, when they are in season, you really appreciate the wonderful flavor and the wonderful smell. Year round and I think it loses the excitement of first crop of the season.

oh we also avoid malls and big box store with exception of COSTCO. I go there to supply my cookie business. Sometimes its cheaper than wholesale place.

smilingcat

[crazycanuck]

Do you guys have an Oxfam shop near you???

All of the items are fair trade..

Have a look.

C

[teigyr]

Zen, that's an interesting perspective. I suppose it's easy to say we'd never go there (and I don't for many reasons) but I guess we have the option for other recourse. I can shop where I want, within reason of course, and stand firm on principles just because I want to. Probably your situation is more common than we'd like to think. There are a lot of markets up here that have "good" and "fresh" and "PC" types of food. Those markets are far more expensive than the ones that sell canned stuff near its shelf-life. I can see why that is but I guess it's still messed up all the same.

I guess this all makes me realize that I am lucky to have the choice.

[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?

[mimitabby]

I'll take it one step further. They are harassing a lady in a Seattle neighborhood because she won't decorate her lawn. They have a "tradition" of 3 weeks of LASVEGAS Lights in their neighborhood for the last 25 years (it's called Candy Cane Lane). Hundreds of cars slowly drive through every night for 3 weeks, polluting the air while the home owners burn hundreds of kilowatts of energy to celebrate Christmas.
I'm pretty grinchy. I begrudge myself idle car trips. I turn off lights constantly.
Solutions? Do your best I guess.