What Not to Buy at Walmart

(MoneyWatch.com)  This story, by Catherine Holahan, originally appeared on CBS' Moneywatch.com.

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This article is part of a package on consumers and Walmart. To read the other article, on what to buy at Walmart, click here.


While Walmart has recently burnished its reputation among upscale shoppers, there are still some product categories where you'd be better off going elsewhere - either because you're straying beyond Walmart's core competency, or to avoid supporting the giant retailer's < http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ieGUVS78dFCZPSvSa9MXf_WOJuSgD9CBH5P81>bad behavior. Here are three of them.

1. High-End Electronics
Though Walmart has expanded its selection of name-brand electronics, it's still focused on value-oriented products in the sub-$1,000 price range. And its sales staff tend not to be experts in the finer points of multimedia interface. So if you want to splurge on a top-of-the-line television or digital SLR camera - and get the accompanying level of service and accessories - you'll want to visit a specialty electronics store. Best Buy (BBY), for example, has a customer support team (the Geek Squad) capable of explaining why, for instance, you may need a television with several HDMI ports.

2. Books
This year, Walmart slashed prices aggressively to establish itself as the low-price leader for best-selling books. The store cut the cost of popular novels such as Stephen King's Under the Dome by 70 percent to $13.99, sparking a price war with Amazon (AMZN).

The Walmart/Amazon rivalry translates into incredibly low prices for consumers on some of the most popular book titles. But Walmart's prices come at a cost, say local business advocates. In the long-run, such deep discounts can drive independent booksellers out of business. And without these stores, consumers will have difficulty finding all but the most well-known authors, says Stacy Mitchell, senior researcher with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, a non-profit that advocates for local businesses.

3. Wood Furniture
Despite Walmart's increased focus on sustainability, the retailer has a long way to go in the furniture category. In December 2007, an environmental group published a report tracing furniture from Walmart suppliers to wood illegally logged in protected Russian habitats for Siberian tigers and other wildlife. Several months later, Walmart promised to investigate its suppliers and joined the Global Forest & Trade Network, an organization dedicated to eliminating illegal logging. Environmental activists have applauded Walmart's promise to purge environmentally rotten wood, but Walmart could take until a self-imposed deadline of 2013 to phase out the products. Until then, consumers can't be certain that Walmart's wood furniture comes from well-managed forests.

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[only1thatcan]

There are more areas that this person missed, I'm sure by just simple ignorance.
1) Meat.
Meat is frozen from central wherehouses and thawed, then dyed bright red making buyers think it's fresh, when it's not.

2)things in opened/damaged boxes.
When item are returned they put them back on the shelf, they figure someone will take it home, even broken and "give up" on it. (horrible business practice!)

3) Music and Movies
Even though they are "cheap" they sell edited ONLY music and shows.
That is great if you have kids, but if you want the "full version" of that war flick, don't buy it there.



Reasons why not to shop Wal mart.
Low cost comes at the cost of labor. They don't pay their people what they are worth and they keep people "part time' to get out of costs of having them full time.

The "low prices" are made by "if you don't sell it to us at this price we will go to someone else and put you out of business"

Look around your city/town. How many places have gone under because of Walmart? Places you grew up shopping in, enjoyed shopping in that are gone?
Walmart purposefully puts other places out of business.
Not to mention the lack of quality "cheap for cheap"
The phrase "you get what you pay for" should be Wal Mart's slogan.

I have not stepped into a Wal mart in over 2 years (and even then it's because it was the only store where I was visiting or it would have been 5 years!)

American's want the job market back, but shopping Wal Mart is not the way.
I pose this question. How long will it take you to shop before you find something NOT made in China?

[only1thatcan]

There are more areas that this person missed, I'm sure by just simple ignorance.
1) Meat.
Meat is frozen from central wherehouses and thawed, then dyed bright red making buyers think it's fresh, when it's not.

2)things in opened/damaged boxes.
When item are returned they put them back on the shelf, they figure someone will take it home, even broken and "give up" on it. (horrible business practice!)

3) Music and Movies
Even though they are "cheap" they sell edited ONLY music and shows.
That is great if you have kids, but if you want the "full version" of that war flick, don't buy it there.



Reasons why not to shop Wal mart.
Low cost comes at the cost of labor. They don't pay their people what they are worth and they keep people "part time' to get out of costs of having them full time.

The "low prices" are made by "if you don't sell it to us at this price we will go to someone else and put you out of business"

Look around your city/town. How many places have gone under because of Walmart? Places you grew up shopping in, enjoyed shopping in that are gone?
Walmart purposefully puts other places out of business.
Not to mention the lack of quality "cheap for cheap"
The phrase "you get what you pay for" should be Wal Mart's slogan.

I have not stepped into a Wal mart in over 2 years (and even then it's because it was the only store where I was visiting or it would have been 5 years!)

American's want the job market back, but shopping Wal Mart is not the way.
I pose this question. How long will it take you to shop before you find something NOT made in China?

[tralee23]

I also know people who work at Wal-Mart. When they are sick with a cold or flu, Wal-Mart makes it very difficult for them to take sick time. (they get "demerits" and have to take the first day unpaid). Anything over 3 days has serious repercussions. Consequently, they force themselves to go into work sick. If you want to be waited on by people who are contagious and should be home in bed, Wal-Mart is the place to shop.

I make a conscious effort to purchase items that are produced or grown as close to home as possible, or are sold by local merchants. It saves fuel, and it supports local farmers, businesses and artisans. And the money stays in my town.

[cmsell]

Honestly, with almost anything (including electronics, books, music, videos, and so on), your best bet is to just go to Amazon. They almost always have free shipping and if you can be a little bit patient, then you will get the price there cheaper than anywhere else. Its even easier now getting the best price at amazon as there are several amazon price trackers out there, like this one:

http://www.google.com/ig/adde?moduleurl=www.frugalgadgets.com/AmazonPriceTracker/AmazonPriceTracker.xml

Just put in products that interest you and you'll see the price go up and down and just grab it when you like the price.