KrisPistofferson

The initial post was talking about how wonderful and cheap their clothing is, if some of us want to point out that it ain't so wonderful and that the cheapness comes with a caveat, that's not being self righteous, it just isn't part of your tunnel vision. Go find an internet forum where everyone agrees with you, if you think that's possible. (If you DO think that's possible, I've got a bridge you might be interested in...) Just trying to inform people, because I think that's why these places stay in business in the first place, is because people are either unaware or don't want to be aware of how they do business. If you don't like people throwin' in their 2 cents, turn off the computer and watch TV! I've said all I need to and won't post again on this thread, so everybody can go back to talking about how great Walmart is!

ChAnMaN

look, the way you view things would be perfectly fine if you where the only one who thought that way...but reality check there are a million other people out there that think the same way. Even if you yourself dont make a impact of the ecomomy its people like you in general that are screwing the small business.
Even if shopping at local business cost more at least those local shops put money back into the local economy, EBay sure as hell doesnt put any money back into it. A Wal-Mart might put a little money back in by paying its workers but most of the money is sucked out of what ever town its in and shipped off somewhere to buy supplies from places that have no affect on you, therefore hurting the local economy

HereNT

Ebay may not keep money in your local economy, but it does a lot to keep money out of big corporation's hands. If I buy a frame from someone in California, the money will be spent in their twn, not going into the pocket of some big-wig...

And, yeah, superstores are evil.

cryogenic

Well, perhaps.. unless the person in question goes and buys winter gear at Wal-mart.

Spocher

If there wasn't Wal-Marts then yes. Think that each department in Wal-Mart represent a single indie store...

thechrisproject

How is talking about the companies at hand not helpful? I think it's right on topic. If someone posts something like "Check out this bike" is it off topic to submit criticism to the thread? Hardly.

mtessmer

Hmmmmm... it's a nice fantasy, but the reality is most americans want as much as they can get for as little as possible and they are not concerned where they get it.

thechrisproject

We should just steal stuff then!

dobber

Somebody needs to repeat Economics 101

KrisPistofferson

One fine day, George W. Bush, found himself confounded. So he called in three of his most trusted scientific advisors.
"What is 2 plus 2?" He asked the mathemetician of the three.
"Well, Mr. President, In my estimation, most assuredly the answer is a number in betwixt 3 and 5."
Next he calls in the statistician.
"What is 2 plus 2?" He said, still flummoxed.
"In a recent poll, handed out to first graders across this great land, the answer seems to be somewhere above three, and somewhere below 5, with only a tiny margin of error."
Stymied yet again, at last he turned turned to the economist,
"What is 2 plus 2?"
The economist raced over to the window, immediately drawing the curtains closed, beads of sweat beginning to stand out on his forehead,
"Why, Mr. President, what would you LIKE it to be?"

dobber

So you've just managed to refute your previous argument, wait it wasn't an argument, it was a regurgitation of the same old Wally-World whine.

Wulfheir

Okay, I laid out reasons why I don't support Wal-mart and Target. Links have been provided for further research if you're interested. I understand it's not a popular topic with most people. I also understand that most people aren't aware of the negative impacts a big box store like Wal-mart can make. I'm better off for having learned it because I care about who/what I support, and I don't support the actions and attitudes displayed in this thread. I don't buy into the "you aren't going to make a difference" argument, because I do make a difference. Buy taking my money, whether it's $5 or $5000, to a store that is not associated with Wal-mart, I am affecting their bottom line. That is money that is not going into their till. It's money going into the till of someone or some business who's actions I approve, because of what I believe in. I get told everyday that being a vegetarian doesn't make a difference and everyone around me is always going to eat meat. Fine, I'm satified knowing that I've saved the lives of hundreds of animals over the last 8 years being a vegetarian. I don't want to you to be a vegetarian, I don't want you to boycott Wal-mart. I want you to be informed of the situation so you can make a decision that is best for you. I'm thankful to whoever it was, who first educated me about the practices of big box stores. I'm thankful to whoever it was, who first showed me how factory farms operate. I doubt I'm going to convince anybody with the back-and-forth arguments, typical of online forums, to change. That why I laid out the facts to let people soak it in. It's not a matter of self-righteousness, it's not a matter of taking a higher moral ground, it's a matter of personal choice.

Thanks to everyone for posting.

edit: grammatical error

KrisPistofferson

Oops. You're right! I just saw the mention of economics and wanted to share a joke, forgetting I'd already posted on this forum. I'll let dobber resume dropping his little pearls of wisdom, if he doesn't have a heart attack first! (Calm down, it's just the internet. You don't have to defend them if they don't pay you for it.)

dobber

And you're welcome to piss away your cash supporting the local merchant

Dinstee

It's trickle-down at its finest:

My boss pays me as little as he possibly can and still retain me.

I, in turn, pay as little as possible to local/national/global merchants for as much value as possible.

I understand this argument as a quality vs quantity and I admit that in an ideal world that quality should win every time. The 150 USD Italian loafers will last me 5 times as long as my 50 USD Chinese loafers. But this ain't an ideal world. It's a capitalist world- where profit margins are the fuel to the machine that keeps this world spinning.

sad but true.

Portis

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Spocher

Such defeatism, that's what's sad. Believe that you can make a change and you will. It's taken a lot of work to make the world what it is today, it will take a lot to make it what it will be in the future. Don't let em roll over on ya.

Steele-Bike

At least Target doesn't build at the base of ancient Aztec pyramids.

John Ridley

Be sure to never shop at your LBS either then. They're obviously just bastards out to rip you off if they're selling anything at > eBay / grey market price.

dobber

When he sells me DA hubs on OpenPro rims for $200, he's the one getting my money. When he sells me BlackBottom bibs for $40, he's getting my money. When the cost + shipping + waiting exceeds the convience of paying a bit more for something I need right away, he gets my money. He's getting my money cause he's the best price in town and/or he's the only one carrying said item.