Aww, I just love the old Walmart, "heaven or hell" argument. Feelings are so strong it is almost a religious thing.
First off, let me say that I don't work for Walmart, have no stock in Walmart and really couldn't care less about them one way or another. I do shop there quite frequently, and have been treated about the same as any similar store (Target, K-Mart, whatever) and have never had a problem taking something back (which I have done lots of times...especially when buying ladies clothes there).
Greeters: These old geezers/geezerettes serve a function as they (supposedly) tag return merchandise coming in and catching (maybe) shoplifters trying to sneak out merchandise with security tags. As far as them talking to you when you come in...do you say something to the stocker at the grocery store as you pass them? Same thing. Besides, if you are 75 years old, trying to live on Social Security, there aren't a lot of other job prospects.
Management: They are the best you can get for minimum wage, and are on par with most other department stores...some are good, some aren't. The one thing you can be sure of is that if a manager does enough things wrong to cost the store money, they are history.
Putting "Mom and Pop" stores out of business: So? I dare say that Kroger, Albertson's and Ralph's have put a lot of Mom and Pop grocery stores out of business. I would submit that Payless and Famous Footwear has put a lot of Mom and Pop shoe stores out of business. Same thing for Home Depot and Lowes. You have a choice...shop at the big corporate stores or shop at the little shops and potentially pay a lot more for the same product.
Continuing with that same line of reasoning...it was not Wally world that caused manufacturing jobs to move offshore, it is the labor costs of producing something in America vs. a sweat shop in BFE, and the unwillingness of the American public to pay more (sometimes a lot more) for the same thing just because it has a US Flag sticker on the bottom. Sad to say, we don't care who made it as long as the quality is similar and the price is cheaper.
Is Walmart my favorite place? No. Are the the Devil? No. Are they pretty much the same as any other large corporation, be it American, European or elsewhere? Yeah. Do they have some serious problems in how they run the company? Yep, they sure do. Are some of their managers idiots, bigots and TG-UNfriendly? Yes. Then again, I can get treated poorly anywhere or treated amazingly well anywhere...it all depends on who you are dealing with and how you react to them.
As for me, I'm boycotting Kohl's because the only time you don't get ripped off is when you catch an item on sale. I'm also boycotting Ben and Jerry's because they don't deliver like Pizza Hut does. While we're at it, I'm going to boycott my local city water because it doesn't taste as good as Deja Blue. After a few of these type comments, the whole boycott thing seems a little silly...but if you feel strongly about not shopping somewhere, don't.
....Laurie