[quote name='sarausagi']Ugh. Wal-Mart bashers are a bunch of idiots. I don't want to get into a "mom and pop" debate, but, here are some key points...
1. Wal-Mart doesn't ridiculously overprice merchandise. New release DVD's are $14 the first days. Cell phone batteries [if they have them in stock] cost at the most $20, not the $60 that Best Buy and Radio Shack charge. Over the counter medicines are cheap, not blown up like at Walgreen's. Socks don't cost $10 a pair.
2. Wal-Mart may have a reputation but I've been to several Wal-Marts and frequently buy unrated DVD's, and notice that there are lots of M rated games and hip hop/metal CD's all in their unedited forms [by the way, why are these usually the only CD's that require editing...hmm? = )]
3. Wal-Mart will happily price match if someone beats them, they won't mind honoring coupons or mail in rebates, they'll try to help you as much as possible with returns even after the warranty period or what not [for example, when PS2 had disc read errors, if the serial on your receipt matched up with the serial on your box and the serial on your console, you'd get a replacement no questions ask..or store credit if you desired it]
4. Target caters to a certain demographic only. And I'll prove this through a few examples.
My Target has an entire aisle of TV on DVD [Sex and the City, Gilmore Girls, CSI, etc] but got rid of their anime section [like all Targets] and cut their action and family section in half, but made their baby/preschool section twice as large Yet at Wal-Mart, I'm able to buy every new volume of Fullmetal Alchemist and Ah My Goddess, there's a number of Jackie Chan films new, and if I want anything animated in the US, their kid's section is ample enough.
My Target has a huge clothing section, much bigger than Wal-Mart's. Mind you, I don't buy clothes at Wal-Mart that often, but if I'm in an emergency and need a pair of jeans, Wal-Mart will have sizes above a 14. Target has sizes above 14, but guess where? In the kid's section, girls 14-18, not plus sizes. And according to my boyfriend, he can fit an XL polo in any brand and look good, but at Target, even a 2X sticks to his body and is way too short. Yet they have tons of "vintage" tees [read: cheap T-Shirts a five year old girl could rip apart]
My Target has a whole section of MLB 06, a whole aisle of Gamecube, and 10 copies of We Love Katamari. But they never even got Grandia III [got it at Wal-Mart] or Tales of Eternia, didn't get anything Xenosaga until it went greatest hits, and didn't even bother to stock up on Street Fighter Alpha 3 for PSP. Oh, and their 20 copies of Nintendogs but not even one copy of Super Princess Peach..
But what annoys me more is half an aisle of soda, but two aisles of coffee and wine..if you can't figure out what demographic Target's trying to cater to...I'll tell you later.
Then there's the truth of it all, Target and Walmart have two things in common: horrible customer service, there's only one difference though. As horrible as Wal-Mart's service is, it's helpful.
Scenario one: you're looking for a game, guy never heard of it: Target you get brushed off with a dumb response. Walmart "let me ask the stocker or get the manager for you"
Scenario two: you accidently bought a DVD fullscreen, you opened it unknowingly: Target, "you already opened it, unless it's defective, go away." Walmart, "okay, get the widescreen from electronics, come back here, and we'll swap it out"
Scenario three: you bought something last night, but it results you don't need it, but you lost the receipt: Target, "sorry, we don't take returns without a receipt". Walmart,"okay, let me see your ID, but only for store credit, okay?"
Really, people, there's a reason Wal-Mart is so huge, it's a good store if you can get past a few things. Besides, haven't you all ever noticed how eerily quiet Target is? No background noise, no people shopping happily, a drone white floored white walled white light empty space with pale lifeless people moving slowly contemplating the end of their existence while listening to
their iPod and drinking Starbucks.[/QUOTE]
This is all opinions. Let me translate *in a redneck voice* Target be to gosh danr fancy for me. *spit tobacco*
[quote name='zionoverfire']In a sense I sort of like Wal-Mart, it give
the Hicks a place they can afford to shop which tends to keep them out of stores I frequent.
That and for some reason they have the best selection of frozen hamburgers and cheese in town.[/QUOTE]
Does anyone else see the correlation between these two posts.
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