Wal-Mart and Me

I have a number of friends who won’t shop at Wal-Mart. They boycott the retail behemoth because they don’t like its business practices. Particular issues include the way Wal-Mart treats its suppliers, competitors, and employees; the negative effect Wal-Mart has on local communities and retailers; the company’s stance on selling emergency birth control pills and on insurance coverage of birth control pills for its employees; and the company’s effect on world trade and globalization.

While I find these issues troubling, I have to admit that I shop at Wal-Mart anyway. I feel guilty doing it, but I still go to Wal-Mart to buy my personal care items, as well as socks, underwear, and t-shirts. I’ve even purchased small electronics there, such as a CD player and an MP3 player. Some items I won’t buy at Wal-Mart. I won’t buy small appliances there because I think the company stocks inferior products. I won’t buy CDs at Wal-Mart because the company does not carry albums with the RIAA's Parental Advisory Label.

The reason I shop at Wal-Mart is that it offers lower prices on many items. Does this mean I’m putting saving a few bucks ahead of my ideals? I guess so, but it really isn’t that simple. I made a lot of poor financial decisions when I was younger, and I am literally paying for them now. My debts have a huge influence on my life, and I’m trying to pay them off so I can eliminate that pressure. I try to save money where I can to help me get out from under that mountain.

Aside from my own personal financial pressures, I am also not convinced that Wal-Mart’s competitors are significantly better in terms of corporate behavior. I know one person who will not shop at Wal-Mart, but instead shops at Target. Target, however, engages in many of the same practices that Wal-Mart does. The CNN/Money article “Just Call It ‘Teflon’ Target” points out several of these practices:

• Both chains are non-union establishments.


• Both use a big box store format that some criticize as being eyesores.


• Both are expanding into more urban neighborhoods.


• Both have similar pay and health benefit policies.

In addition, Target allows employees to refuse to dispense medication based on religious beliefs. For example:

A 26-year-old Missouri woman was refused emergency contraception when she handed her prescription to a pharmacist at a Target store in Fenton, MO, on September 30, 2005. The woman was told by the pharmacist, “I won’t fill it. It’s my right not to fill it.” She was told that she could go to a local Walgreen’s instead. (see “Target Corporation” article from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Then there are my observations based on my mom’s retail experience. My mom worked for several years for Kohl’s, in the jewelry department, and I can tell you, her pay and working conditions were far from ideal. In fact, when she queried a Wal-Mart employee with a similar position, she found that Wal-Mart actually paid more (although it still wasn’t a great wage). In fact, I don’t know anyone who has ever worked retail who was pleased with their wages or working conditions.

So why not shop at local retailers? I used to shop at a local chain – Marc’s – for the types of items I now buy at Wal-Mart. I stopped because I couldn’t stand the atmosphere: Marc’s stores are dirty and do not consistently stock the items I want to buy. Furthermore, the chain still uses older cash registers, on which the cashier must manually enter the price. Not only does this make check out take a long time, but it also allows mistakes to happen frequently. Plus, Marc’s takes only cash or checks, which is inconvenient for me.

Nevertheless, I’m still left wondering what to do about the issues that concern me. Am I just making up excuses for myself? How am I supposed to manage my own financial situation and live up to my ideals? Does it really matter if I boycott this retailer or that one? Can I make a difference? I don’t know.