More Walmarts in Canada: good or bad?

Well, we can AFFORD the "crap" made in China. Let me start by saying, I don't think alot of items Walmart sells is "crap"...and if someone will make products in Canada, that are as valuable/wanted at a reasonable price, I'm positive that we Canadians would all be quite willing to buy those products too.
I say, GREAT, Walmart is creating jobs AND giving me more places to shop that I can afford!
Thanks Walmart!

Take a good look next time you do go into a Walmart. Not everything is made in China and if you look at most other retail store ie Zellers, same items.
Many elderly people are able to find a job there and not be discriminated against because of age.
The Walmart in Plattsburgh has a special cash to enable the disabled cashier to perform her job.
Next time you go, actually look at the people that work there!
I shop everywhere depending on what I need but I know when I buy a book or whatever, I am getting a better price!

I think that is great...I do all my shopping there as I save alot more tha a few pennies. I understand the mom and pop store theory but I am still a mom and pop ourselves and we are trying to save money everywhere. Unfortunately big business charges an arm and a leg so they can give their execs a big bonus every year instead of passing the saving on to the consumer. If more companies followed wal mart models they would sell more stuff from more locations cheaper while employing more people. How much money a year does a bank make by charging a few pennies to everyone for imaginary administration fees? How many pennies did it take to bail out car manufacturers and banks and mortgage companies? How many penies does it take to pay our government to be on vacation and unreachaable for at least 6 months every year? Go Walmart!

@Lisa: "Walmart is creating jobs AND giving me more places to shop"

Are you nuts. The only jobs Walmart is creating are dead end low paying ones, which are not sustainable in the long run.

Walmart moves in, and you'll have 5 to 10 local stores close due to the fact that simply cant compete with the outsourced 3 cents an hour pay for 3rd world manufacturing (which are jobs that should be here in north america).

To see how these big box stores look at their employees simply google "dead peasant" policies and life insurance and you'll think twice about buying from these crap peddlers.

Well where to start, you think walmart is a place that is cheaply priced, the answer to that would be NO because you can find it cheaper else. Dont assume that walmart is the cheapest when you go shopping. You can find the same crap at other stores for less all it takes is time to go through your flyers. Okay so when all the other stores die off and walmart remains do you think that they will be the cheapest around?????

It's not really appropriate to spew all this spite towards Walmart specifically. Really, if this is your stance, you should be railing against the people who buy cheap crap, not the company that panders it.
I think the greater issue here is that too many people still feel the need to overload themselves with cheap crap, just because it's cheap (which usually overshadows the crap part). Just because they sell it doesn't mean you should buy it. Consumerism in the 21 century has become a past-time for so many who have forgotten or never learned how to entertain themselves.
Then again, there are also people with low incomes and/or families to take care of, that may choose to purchase a plastic lunch box at Walmart for half the price of a comparable one available at, say, Canadian Tire. In such a case, it's awfully hard to blame them when they are trying to stretch their dollars, why should the be essentially "donating" extra money to another company? Especially if they could use that money elsewhere (buying a house, recreational activities).
I shop at Walmart as well as many other places, that doesn't mean I sacrifice quality for price, I just know what I am looking for before I go out and any given store will get my business. If I require customer service to help me make a decision that usually trumps price.

Mark: I DID read up on WHY some people are saying don't shop at Walmart.
Yes, they ARE LOW paying jobs. To that I will say, at least they are SOMETHING. In North America, I would guess you would only be an employee at Walmart IF you are trying to "makes ends meet," for whatever reason...AND there are PLENTY of north americans out there that DO need something!
The bottom line in today's day is this: We ARE competing on a "world stage," aren't we?
SOMETHING is going to happen in the future, and I have a feeling North Americans AREN'T going to like it. That's life! North americans WILL lower their standard of living (which MY family has already done, by the way). Actually, it would be nice if India and China RAISE their standards of living a bit too. That just COULD happen. Have you ever thought of that??
Oh by the way...I agree that Walmart is not necessarily the lowest prices. That is their advertisement. They are trying to sell like every other retailer out there. I realize that.
I like Walmart because I consider them "quality" goods at a fair price. I also like "Target" in the states and consider them of about equal value.

The claim that wal mart creates new jobs is false. it destroys small business and forces the families that owned them to work at the wal mart that destroyed ther livelyhood. where once they made a living, now there is minimum wage and corporate slavery. this doesnt matter because on the other hand wal mart gives the wealthy social elite a place to send thier kids to work in a hope that they dont smoke so much crack. remembering that in democracy the rich hold all the power, we are undoubtedly faced with a bleak future of wal mart dependance. we may as well all fly the stars and stripes from 50 foot poles outside our homes.

Big retail companies do not pay their people well unless they are in upper management. It does not matter what large retailer you are speaking of. This also seems to apply to investment firms, banks...any of the large companies so why do we keep buying into tis whole idea that "bigger must be better" If we could get over this myth we would all be so much better off and maybe some of these guys wouldnt be getting millions of dollars a year in salaries and bonuses. Think how many people could be employed by some executives 8 millon dollar bonus.

great, walmart hiring 6500 people at a whopping $8/h..way to get an economy thriving again with low wage jobs, walmart does nobody a favour but itself..anyone applauding walmart for creating low end jobs needs a serious lesson in basic economics on what low paying jobs do to economies...Lisa, yes, you are spoken to

So, I'm told, am I "jojo?"
Let me see...if you're down to your last dollar and need some money...doesn't that logically tell you that you need a job somewhere, anywhere?? There are people like that. I was one of those years ago. Let me give you some advice though...if you honestly want out of a "low-end" paying job...figure out what you really want to do, go to college/and or university, work your way through (yes, it's tough) and get a GOOD job with benefits. O.K? And no...they AREN'T always easy to find, but at least TRY!! Until you DO get that GOOD job, work at Walmart with a smile on your face...and be thankful that someone "at the top" is willing to give you that job...when noone else does.
Cheers to everyone!

Walmart is paying no less than all the other mom and pop stores ... they're all paying minimum wage. What's the difference? and Walmart is supplying what people want. If they didn't want it, they wouldn't be buying it. Mom and Pop stores are often charging way too much for a much smaller selection. And then, some small businesses are using their "disadvantage" of being small, to take their employees' rights from them, for instance, saying that they can't afford to give them breaks, vacations, etc. I have been there, done that. Not all small stores do that to their employees of course, but seriously, I've seen it more than once. And if you need to keep that job, you don't dare protest.

I hate to see them put out of business, but it is supply and demand. You have to please your customers to have them shop your store.

I'll tell you one thing about working at Walmart that would put me off, and that is their cheer and song session before the shift begins. i was there at opening time one morning, and it was embarrassing just to witness it, let alone if I had to participate in it. yikes..

Hello,,, I do not go to Walmart very much... I can get the same and even cheaper many times at Zellers or Army and Navy... I think we have ENOUGH Walmarts around, and have heard that they are noit that good to their staff, But that is just hearsay, WHO KNOWS??? They are scattered around Vancouver quite well, so think it is enough and also seems to be a hangout for many young people and sometimes cause trouble....

I like shopping at Walmart so it is good is there are more Walmart stores in Canada. Thanks for sharing this.

I'm glad that there are going to be more Walmarts. I've watched the rise in prices from the CANADIAN retailers and seen how so many of them have raised their prices over the years. F*** Zellers, Superstore, and the like.Even with the dity it's still cheaper to do cross-border shopping. It's still sad that we have to pay that duty though. Of course, Canada is always doing things that should be illegal like making you pay these assholes anyway or be charged. I'm FORCED to protect canadian businesses who rip me off. foreign businesses are cheaper so it's just common since. Canadians are real sneaky and decietful but the rest of the world doen'st really know about it because they don't actually live here. Oh, and I'm a Canadian, but ashamed to be one. If the US gets medicare and the like structured like us they will be completely superior to us. I was born canadian but didn't have a choice in the matter. |I'm leaving in a few years. I'm canadian by technicality but american in my heart.

I hope the US gets the gold in hockey.

F*** canadian goofs.

For every job Walmart 'creates'; 1.5 jobs is destroyed / lost in the local market.
Walmart does not descriminate if their suppliers / manufacturers uses child labour or pollutes the environment.
When Walmart enters a market, product selection drops and use of lower quality products means that consumers replace products 2 to 3 times faster than comparable but 'more expensive' products available from other stores.
On average, if you buy 10 things at Walmart, you wll pay more than if you shopped at other stores.
In markets outside of the USA, more than 90% of Walmart's profits are removed from the local ecomony.
Walmart destroys economies; it does not add to them.

This is directed at."imaguesst"...... Your IQ must be in the 50s..... do some researche and try not to make a fool of yourself in the futre...ok? Its pretty imbarasing to come accross your rambling ... as a canadian, i say by all means get the F*** out of my country you miserable ungratfull little american wanta be..... and bring wall mart with you......... you goof!

PS: Im actualy gona think about this post when "CANADA' sticks it to the USA in Hockey.
Chears......
c how im not afraid to actualy post my name unlike the rest of these "anonimous" spineless big mouths.

Oh "Imaguest"...I love you and I don't even know you!
I'm also born and raised Canadian because one parent (american) who was stupid enough to fall in love with a damn Canadian. Geez! Now I'm STUCK in this f--king country! (Too old to move now.)
And yes...I am also THRILLED the USA WON over Canada in hockey. Go USA!!! I'm also hoping they take the gold!!
Don't worry about their health care...it's actually pretty good the way it is. My family (Americans) is dirt poor and has better health care than me! Go figure!
Again, THANKS for your comment...maybe you can take ME in your suitcase. ;)

Lisa: You are never to old to move. Many retire in the states...maybe you should consider doing the same

Thanks Don. Great idea...great retirement option. :)