Comments on: Ladies, 1. Wal-Mart, 0. (So Far)

By: Queen_George

Queen_George — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 07:47:29 +0000

I think the other important point about the Trader Joe’s discussion is that again, as with CostCo, even if the store is better and more affordable all-around, it’s another one of those things that just isn’t available to everyone. As baraqiel says, there are many cities in which the TJ’s is difficult to access from certain parts of town. AND, TJ’s isn’t even close to being a nationwide phenomenon. When I lived in Southern Cal I LOVED Trader Joe’s. Now that I’m back in the South, there’s nothing even remotely similar.

By: annimal

annimal — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 03:14:40 +0000

Yeah, the combination of no public transportation + membership fees/requirements make Costco impossible for many.
I once got into a huge argument with a coworker who thought it would be easy to live on the food stamp allotment of ca. $4 a day, since he was used to shopping at Costco, getting free lunch at work, etc. I had to point out that not everyone can just go to Costco and get the giant bags of rice, etc, and even rice is pretty pricy at the regular grocery stores, not to mention having the time to shop, cook, etc.

By: baraqiel

baraqiel — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 03:05:50 +0000

@BeckySharper – I just looked on their website and couldn’t find anything, but maybe if you asked? The other thing is that at CostCo you have to pay with a check, cash, or AmEx, which, again, is geared towards people with a certain income structure. No money orders, I think, although they do have their own “cash card”.

By: BeckySharper

BeckySharper — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 02:40:58 +0000

@baraqiel: You’re definitely right about CostCo not being accessible to public transportation, at least, that’s the case at the ones I’ve been to in VA and NYC. But given that they sell everything in giant monster sizes, it would be damn near impossible to schlep all that stuff onto the bus anyway. I wonder if CostCo or BJs have some kind of scaled membership fee…some buying clubs or co-ops will drop their membership fee for people on public assistance.

By: baraqiel

baraqiel — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 02:28:39 +0000

@annimal – Right, which is why TJ’s + CostCo is such a killer combination — but again, CostCo has a high charge up-front which demands that you have that amount of money available to spend at one time, so that’s another access issue (plus the fact that I’ve never seen a CostCo that you could get to easily on public transportation…).

By: annimal

annimal — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 02:04:35 +0000

@baraquiel: I think it depends on the area. Near my house, there was a Trader Joe’s and a discount supermarket right across the street. Both are served by a bus line. I used to stop off at both, and saw many people doing the same. Although TJ’s was cheaper than the chain supermarkets, it was pricier on some things, especially bulk stuff.
However, both stores had chosen to locate in the pricier side of town, where there is a surfeit of grocery stores, rather than the less expensive side. So there’s still the issue of non-equal convenience.

By: BeckySharper

BeckySharper — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 01:53:28 +0000

I take your point, Charlemagne, but being liberal and being working class are not mutually exclusive. Liberals have plenty of first-hand knowledge of working blue-collar or minimum-wage jobs. Liberals come from working-class backgrounds. The most ferocious liberals I know are union organizers and community activists from working-class communities, particularly non-white ones. You’re assuming that latte-sipping limousine liberals constitute the entire liberal community, which just isn’t the case.

And who said anything about the working class needing to be saved from themselves? Not me.

By: baraqiel

baraqiel — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 01:40:26 +0000

@charlemagneinsweats – But that’s just the thing — as much as I might rail against Wal-Mart, I’d never seriously try to convince someone away from shopping there. This is something the government needs to fix by making the sort of business practices that Wal-Mart engages in unfavorable through tax and tariff structures (Wal-Mart imports a LOT of stuff from China).

By: charlemagneinsweats

charlemagneinsweats — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 01:27:35 +0000

Becky- personally I think the planet would be better without Walmarts. I think they are monstrosities and would love to get back to the old fashioned mom and pop stores which fostered a real sense of community.

I’m just always fascinated by the dialogue when it comes to the pros and cons of Walmarts. When a person of means tries to convince a person who shops or works at Walmart that the place is evil it sounds incredibly arrogant. This disconnect is something that liberals need to work on before they can save the working class from themselves.

By: SarahMC

SarahMC — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 01:14:48 +0000

I see where you’re coming from, charlemagneinsweats, but I think there are two types of anti-WalMart groups. The elitists who look down on WalMart’s customer base (and employees) probably couldn’t care less about labor issues or environmental issues.