My wife's friend Ann worked at Wal Mart. She became eligible for health insurance and went to personnel to apply for it as she was having a health problem that needed treatment. She was informed that better care would be available via the medical system which is state sponsored at her income level. They filled out all the paperwork for her and got her treatment without providing it themselves. So, yes, they did help their employee. But at the cost of the tax payer, rather than at their cost. It is my understanding that this is common practice and it is not uncommon to see a significant drain on local health care systems when a Wal Mart opens in your town. I have no facts or figures other than hearsay to support that opinion. I was told there was a ban on Wal Mart in Denver due to a study they commissioned that showed Wal Marts actually hurt the local economy, but I found nothing about that on the net. I personally doubt it. I think the overall effect is probably economically positive. But cost and economy are NOT the only factors that control where I shop. I want a QUALITY product, and I'm willing to pay more for it, because I think I come out ahead in the end. And I don't buy at Wal Mart because even if the product is NORMALLY a quality product, knowing what Wal Mart squeezed the mfgr down to with the promise of quantity purchases, and knowing how the mfgr will push themselves to the limit to fill the order... Well, a widget may be good, but a Wal Mart widget is less good. This is a good read that explains what I mean: http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/102/open_snapper.html But that isn't the main reason why I don't shop at Wal Mart. Another reason is the people. Not the employees, the other shoppers. My impression is that Wal Mart shoppers tend to be poor white trash. Costco, Trader Joes, Jimbos, have a different class of shopper. I see a lot of people shopping for their businesses; at Wal Mart, people are shopping for their whining kids. I see people wearing classy outfits like jeans and a sweater or simple dresses; at Wal Mart, people are wearing loud cotton/poly prints. I hear people using full and correctly formed sentences and having informative conversations with their kids; at Wal Mart I hear people yelling at their kids and buying them candy to shut them up. I feel better when I avoid Wal Mart. Now, we have purchased one thing from Wal Mart: Plastic miniblinds. Can't have drapes (cats) and can't afford wood right now. We can't find the sizes we need anywhere else, so we go to Wal Mart. In the last few years, we have replaced them 3 times. They break very easily. If I could have afforded better quality at the beginning, I would be ahead of the game in a few years. And I haven't always been happy with things purchased at other stores. Costco seems to have some of the same effect on product quality that I blame Wal Mart for. I usually buy my tires at Costco. I always buy the top quality and I've had problems with them that consumer reports would tend to indicate are unusual for the brands. Without fail, the kids who put them on screw up. Usually, they forget to put the little "hub caps" back on my Honda Civic. Once, they cross threaded a nut and tried to say it was a pre-existing problem. I knew better because I had just changed the tire by hand. The manager saw it my way and they paid for the repair. I friend of mine just returned from China. He was very impressed with the economic gains he saw. People were driving nice cars, sipping on Star Bucks and living in modern, comfortable, even elegant houses. But when he tried to look up some information on the city he was in, he found Wikipedia was blocked. The local newspaper has a government employee who "corrects" articles before they are published. He heard a man on a bull horn outside and thought he would be witness to a protest, but no, it was an announcement of the opening of a new computer store. The Chinese people seem genuinely happy, living in a state controlled society without freedom of speech. Why? I think sheeple are distracted by shiny objects; I don't want to be a sheeple. That is the real reason I don't shop at Wal Mart. --- James. > -----Original Message----- > From: piclist-bounces@mit.edu > [mailto:piclist-bounces@mit.edu] On Behalf Of Bob Axtell > Sent: 2006 Dec 17, Sun 05:40 > To: Microcontroller discussion list - Public. > Subject: Re: [OT] I wonder what company would let such > aproduct outthedoor.Naw, it couldn't be ... > > Golly, I have NEVER had a bad experience at WalMart, and I > don't have any neighbors or friends that ever did. > > Can somebody document a bad experience at WalMart so I can > get understand this? > > --Bob > -- http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist