Wal Mart Crime

[jerryhawkins]

Getting a couple of hours sleep at Walmarts has been a lifesaver for us several times when we wanted to drive a few extra hours we normally stay in cgs but they are not staffed at midnight. Thank you Walmart for providing us a place where we have never felt threatened to rest for a while. Campgrounds better be careful or Walmart will put in power and water dumping stations and charge less than half price for people only wanting a quick stopover.

[mikensallyt]

Me thinks it's all propaganda. Folks need to go to another site if they want to do some bashing. We actually have one Wal Mart in our town that has actually installed a dumping station for RV'ers. And they don't charge for it either. /Mikey

[Boostable]

Originally Posted by Firebug5

Well, I guess the wifey and I are part of the WM "cesspool", did not know we were considered a class of ignorant folks, though. Oh well, as Forrest Gump said, "You have to do the best with what God gave you."

Like Jay (Old Car Nut) said, it just depends on the neighborhood the WM is located in. Maybe you (Boostable) happen to shop near a cesspool. . .

Bruce

OK, maybe cesspool was a bit strong. Perhaps I should of said its not my favorite store and I do try to avoid giving them my money. Certainly not intended to offend anyone who does shop there or likes the store. More directed at the thug/wannabe criminal/slug of a character we all try to avoid.

Walmart has its place, its just not one of mine.

[Firebug5]

Originally Posted by Boostable

OK, maybe cesspool was a bit strong. Perhaps I should of said its not my favorite store and I do try to avoid giving them my money. Certainly not intended to offend anyone who does shop there or likes the store. More directed at the thug/wannabe criminal/slug of a character we all try to avoid.

Walmart has its place, its just not one of mine.

Thank you for the clarification, I appreciate it. After reviewing your original post, I see you own retail stores that might very well compete with WM. I cannot pretend to know what that is like, but you are obviously passionate about your businesses, and rightfully so.

We live in a small community, and there is room for the locals (hardware, ranch supply, auto supply, health food, small grocers, etc.) as well as the WM. We do business with all of them, and do tend to support the locals as much as possible. We are very, very fortunate to live in a nearly crime free community, and I think posts such as yours make us feel even more fortunate to live where we do.

Good luck with your businesses, we wish you the best.

Bruce and Judy

[JFXG]

Originally Posted by datrbone8

Walmart Linked To Higher Crime Rates: Study
Wal-Mart Parking Lots Are A Virtual Magnet For Crime

You could spend hours and find case after case of crime related to WalMArt locations

I think this is just one more assault in the well recognized war on Walmart by those who.... I guess by those who like to feel superior.

As to the research used to bolster the OP's point:

1) Published in Huffington Post, it is immediately suspect. HuffPost has been engaged in a jihad against Walmart for a long time.

Huffington chooses the headline "Walmart Linked To Higher Crime Rates". If you choose to actually read the paper you find that Huffington has lied. The research does not show any increase in crime. The research suggests that during a lengthy period when the country as a whole was seeing a general reduction in crime, the areas where some Walmarts are located showed a slightly slower reduction in crime. My key words: "some Walmarts", "slightly slower reduction". The only place on earth where a slightly slower reduction is considered an increase is the US Congress.

2) J R Roberts Security.
JR Roberts touts all his titles and certifications and his consultant relationships with businesses, governments, military, that he's a widely sought speaker, and has served as an expert witness many times, etc., etc.

He does have a long and gritty background, a few years as a PI in southern CA followed by about 20 years in the security guard business. His present incarnation was started in 2007, has sporadically employed 1-4 persons, and has shown revenues of less than $500K.

This article is clearly part of Roberts' sales pitch. It is published in his own newsletter, and focuses on the crime spree of one set of actors, with implied references to others. It has all the high-school innuendo and breathless overblown melodrama of a bad National Enquirer piece.

Roberts' objective is clear: he wants to raise a large stink over Walmart parking lot security, inducing them to spend money. They've already run a successful pilot program estimated to cost about $45K per annum per store. With over 4000 outlets in the US, Walmart may be poised to spend upwards of $180 million p/a on parking lot security guards, and Mr. J.R. Roberts wants a big bite of that. Good for him, and God Bless! But readers should recognize the article for what it is.

None of the articles I've found compare crime in Walmart lots to crime in other discount store lots. Until people start comparing apples to apples, I'll go with my own personal experience which mirrors that of many many dozens of other RVers, which is that Walmart generally provides a convenient, reasonable, and safe spot to overnight.

[LadyFitz...]

Originally Posted by qchair62

You must live near Jackson or Hattiesburg? Walmart is just like any other major retailer, some good locations and some not so good. No one makes me shop there, or anywhere for that matter. If the have something I need at the best price I go get it. If a local merchant is competitive I use them, especially if the service is higher. No one HAS to work for Walmart. The "they don't treat workers fair" is bunk. My first job was washing windsheils, pumping gas and checking oil. If you don't like working there find another job you like better!

Seriously? What planet have you been living on? Jobs aren't always that easy to find, especially now when the only jobs readily available are ones that require already having specific training (and who can take time and pay to get that training when they need to put food on the table right now?). People work at lousy jobs because that is all they can get, especially in smaller towns. And Wal-Mart IS a lousy employer that treats employees unfairly. Try reading the news; I see articles about Wal-Mart's poor labor practices fairly frequently.

[LadyFitz...]

Originally Posted by TeJay

I just finished reading this thread. My response is simply this. I don't remember the exact bible verse or quote but it was said by Jesus and went something like this: "The poor will always be with us and we will be measured by how we treated them." ...

There is a huge difference between being poor and being poor because one is too lazy to earn an honest living. Most homeless (not all) are that way because they want to be or made poor life choices they have no intention of changing. I used to work in a convenience store and could sit here for hours telling tales about these so-called "poor".

[spsm]

If you people would please excuse me, I've got to look for my SNAP card so we can eat next month.

[LadyFitz...]

Originally Posted by Boostable

Walmart is a cesspool for crime, I refuse to shop there and would not even consider letting my wife or daughters going there without escort. They never have what I need "hard to believe I know" and the class of people and ignorance it attracts is beneath what I consider acceptable. Feel free to flame me, but I personally own retail stores and try to operate at a higher level of standards then what Walmart considers its norm!!!

Originally Posted by Cat320

This absurd comment in bold print destroys any credibility to this post.

Why? I rarely shop at Wally World because they are frequently out of stock on items I need (and take as much as a month or more to restock), they frequently change up their products, checkout lines are long (my back doesn't appreciate that) and the parking lot is usually a battle zone of people fighting over parking spaces and have inadequate handicap parking. I get my prescriptions from Wally World's pharmacy because I can get them refilled anywhere if I should need to (that came in handy recently when I was out of state for two months longer than expected helping out some friends). I have to give them at least a week's lead time when ordering refills because they are frequently out of one or more of my prescriptions, even though they are the same ones I've been use for several years.

Wally World does attract more trashy looking shoppers than most retailers.

[monkey]

Walmart is so bad,,,,,, Or Not.....

[Kurtsara]

Originally Posted by monkey

Walmart is so bad,,,,,, Or Not.....

So that alone makes them good?

[twinboat]

You Wal-Mart bashers, do you ever go into Kmart. The clientele are the same, just an older , run down looking store.

I would name some more, stand alone discount department stores, but their gone.

[stuhly]

Walmart bashers are amusing. I'll bet they are at the front of the line when the doors open.

[mrt_1111]

Thank you walmart in Trinidad Colorado for allowing my family and me to stay overnight during a bad snow storm, and all the rest of the times I stopped because I was tired.