Thursday, June 05, 2008

Sticking it to


Walmart is featuring a new TV ad where they offer to cash your tax rebate check for free. They'll even waive the fee of a pre-paid Walmart cash card you can get with your rebate check.
Gee, how generous of them to facilitate turning your rebate check into funds you can immediately squander in their stores, buying cheap Chinese imports.
My friends Susan and Elaine and I pondered this last weekend as we were chowing down on baby back ribs at my house.
We thought it would be a good idea to go to Walmart, cash our checks, then deposit the cash into our savings or checking accounts without spending one red cent at Walmart.
Sure, it won't cost them much more than the time it takes to cash our checks, but it will deprive them of $1,800 cash on-hand and it won't make them any money.
If thousands of us were to do that, I imagine they'll stop using that ploy to lure people into their scummy stores.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm so torn. On the one hand WM's a horrible employer. On the other, where would the invisible poor buy stuff? Target's gotten too expensive. And finally, WalMart is quick to send victims of crime $1000 whenever they're asked to help out, no press hype ever required.

Anonymous said...

I think it is GROSS that the Walmart made an ad campaign to get the ignorant masses to spend their REfund at their stores, when they should be putting that money into a medical bill, a mortgage payment or other debt, or even into savings...not buying more crap.

Julien

dguzman said...

I've been boycotting WM for six years. Have you ever seen WalMart: The High Cost of Low Prices? They're ASSHOLES. Don't give 'em even a penny! Especially when the money spent there just goes to China and the Waltons' bank accounts!

Anonymous said...

I think they exploit their workers and import far too much from China.
Plus the couple of stores I've been to are ratholes.

Anonymous said...

WMT, XOM, CVX, GM, COP, GE, F, C, BA, T.
These are the top ten corporations in the US. Three are big oil, two car companies, two banks, one conglomerate, one telecommunications company and one retailer. I agree with bigsis on this one.
Zip, this is the United States of America, land of Capitalism, you can't pick on a companies success just because they are successful.
I agree with you that the people who they are targeting are the invisible poor and should be putting that rebate towards paying bills, savings, etc. But it's THEIR decision and this IS the land of the free...and free will.
Rowdy
No I don't own WalMart stock.

Anonymous said...

Rowdy, babycakes, when a corporation makes its bones by preying on people who cannot defend themselves (Walmart employees, gasoline consumers) we can and should stand up to them.
When we see price gouging or mistreatment of fellow Americans, we as American citizens should do our parts to act or speak out.
I cut up my Exxon/Mobil card years ago. I only use Valero and Citgo gas because they don't use OPEC oil.
And, like I'm pretty sure with you, I do not shop at Walmart unless I'm with someone who absolutely must go there for something they need.
Because of Bush, we already are deep in hock to Communist Red China. I won't patronize a store that imports most of their inventory from China.
Nyah, nyah.
Are you going to the Cancer party this year? I need a wingman.

Anonymous said...

Zip, are you aware of what country owns Citgo? Venezuala.
You can blame high oil prices on China, our record trade deficit, greenhouse gasses, blah, blah. I'm not defending WalMart, I dislike them because of all the Mom & Pop small businesses they take out each year. I try and shop at small locally owned places instead of the big "BOX" stores, ie. Bass Pro, Cabelas, I end up paying more, except I don't have to drive so dang far!
Rowdy

Anonymous said...

As far as Banana Republic dictators go, I kinda like Hugo Chavez for two reasons:
He gives the poorest of the poor in New England free heating oil during the winter months, and when he spoke at the UN right after Bush had spoken, he said it smelled like sulphur at the podium because the devil had just been there.
He may be a crazy bastard but he knows the devil when he sees him.
I don't consider Chavez one scintilla worse than the Saudi royal family. At least his country didn't spawn most of the 9/11 terrorists.

Anonymous said...

40% of all US imports come from China and all that crap isn't sold exclusively at Walmart. Dell laptops, Ethan Allen furniture, human and pet food, you name it...most stores in the US sell items with Chinese fingerprints on them.

And who hasn't been burned by a bad employer?US employers are for the most part a bunch of greedy bastards.

Poor people can't afford luxuries like health care,insurance and savings/investments, hell most of them don't have enough food to eat. So big deal if they take their stimulus check and find some little bit of joy in buying a shitty, but new, blouse at the only place they can afford - Walmart.

Distributorcap said...

kz

i am so glad there is no walmart in NYC....

many other companies are reaching out to grab that $600 -- which inevitably will end up with Exxon these days

libhom said...

Thanks for giving hell to Mall Wart.