Sure it does.  I won't set foot in a Wal-Mart, and I shop often at Costco.    I try to shop at Lowe's by preference (also because Home Depot is involved in some extremely shady stock manipulations...)

It definitely matters.  If I have a choice, I will not spend my money in a store that will forward some of it to causes that mean me harm.

 

I try to do that as well.  Nothing like having to spend money every election to combat the money you spent at some store 6 months earlier.

Ouch, I feel the same, but..........I shamefully admit while on vacation I shopped at Wal-Mart.  It was a complete compromise of my convictionsl, and the reason I had to shop there is one of the reasons I don't shop at Wal-Mart.  A small town devoid of any place else to shop because Wal-Mart came in and ran out all the small town competition!  I'm ready for my lashing now.  I deserve it!

You'd better believe it does. I pay close attention to things like that. Like RF, I won't shop at sprawlmart, and I love Costco. There's nothing like the feeling of saving money when you spend $150. ; ) Seriously though, their generic drugs at the pharmacy are about 80% cheaper than places like BeerAid (RiteAid) or Longs. I also try to avoid stores like Albertsons and Vons, but sometimes I don't have much other choice if I need a specialty item.
I haven't really noticed a difference between Lowes and HomeDepot, except the colors of their uniforms and packaging. Actually Lowes seems to have more employees, but neither place has a very knowledgable staff. Why is it that they sell the same crap at HD, Lowes, and OSH? It seems like the more big corporate stores move in, the less choice we really have.

A little off topic, but speaking of big corporate whatevers taking away choice:
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Now that the telecom companies are buying each other up (thereby putting Humpty-Dumpty back together again in the form of Ma Bell (oops, AT&T)), have you noticed how all the low-cost cell phone plans are disappearing?

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Used to be that Sprint, Cingular, Verizon all had $19.95/mo plans.  Now the one behemoth that used to be all three doesn't offer anything less than $39.95/mo.

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Take back control of your life.  Vote Democrat this November.

I read at least a book a month and my wife reads more but we always avoid Russos' , becasuse we don't like their politics. Sometimes I go to used book stores rather than shop Russos', that is not much loss for this republikan propaganda outlet and that is OK.

Any business that advertizes its religious affiliation gets no money from me.

Aye, but there's a whole other side to that.  Some of us will patronize a business because it's closed on Sunday for God and Family.

I can see that side of it.  I could, in principle, admire Urner's for closing on Mother's Day and Father's Day.
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Urner's got on my bad side, though, when they ran a Californian ad criticizing competitors for not closing on those days.

Years ago, Buck Owens had an annual rodeo for cancer, held every year on Mother's Day weekend.  It was not my idea nor my mother or my mother-in-laws idea of how we wanted to spend Mother's Day.  Yet, my former husband thought the idea was dandy.  As did many other husbands in Bakersfield.  I've always wondered if it was pressure from Mothers that caused Mr. Owens to reconsider the idea.

Absolutely. See buyblue.org. Sadly, what also affects me is the political affiliation of the people in my life. When I find out they are Republican, I can't help but feel absolute disgust for them over their ignorance concerning what the hell they were voting for.

If only Randomfactor knew about the GOP candidates funded by Lowe's. Home Depot is much more politically correct than Lowe's.

Pete is right about less choice.  All the stuff in BLowe's, Homo Depot, OSH is the same.  Of course that should not bother today's generation that is equally cookie-cutter.  


That is the one socialist thing about me, I really hate the silly chasing after "style."  Upton Sinclair, a giant socialist, in his novel "The Jungle" rants about the waste in making so many styles and colors of shoes.  He wrote the book 100 years ago and would have a stroke today if he could see the waste in people changing cell phones every 3 months and having dozens of pairs of shoes.  And for you enviros, think of all the junk going to the dump.  Everytime I see a liberal in a coffeehouse, I am tempted to ask "If you are so concerned about things, why are you spending so much money on the latest in everything?  Why don't you hang onto something long enough to get some use out of it, instead of just dooming things prematurely to the scrapheap? Why, you're as materialistic as those you profess to hate.  And why are you here at a corporate coffee shop anyway?"  I have genuine respect for the committed and sincere; even if I believe they are playing for the wrong team.  I have nothing but disdain and pity for the sheep of today.

And just what would you have a home improvement store carry that's different from all the rest?

Nancy, you opened up a whole can of worms now.  I get my lumber from the box stores and that's about it.  Try going to Home Depot to install a gas line or any plumbing.  They generally have about 75% of the parts you need, minus the right wye or bushing.  And if you're running a cast iron line, forget about it.  Their electrical section is fine unless you're really doing electrical.  Then half of the stuff you need, like a bell hanger bits or breakers are kept behind a desk that no one staffs or if they do, they can't ever find what you're looking for, even when you're pointing right at it.  Before I started going to smaller shops, I used to have to run to two HoD'Pos and I still might not get everything I'd need.

Lowes is a little better, they have a higher customer satisfaction ratio, so they order more quickly.  Part of the Home Depot's "low low prices" is that they send about 5% percent of their customers away empty handed.  Lowes works at about 2%.

Ahhh..but that wasn't the question.  What would you have them stock that separates one from the other? 

The big box stores are a lot like the dreaded WM that everyone loves to hate.  They carry a little bit of a whole lot but not a whole lot of specialty items.  They're convenient more than anything.   If you want electrical items it's best to go to an electical supply house.  Ditto for most any specialty item.

I like their nurseries and I enjoy just wandering around seeing if there's anything I can buy that I don't need, or anything I can't find that I do need..

NOW..we'll address customer service.  Skip Home Depot..they don't have any.  The commercial about the guy wandering for years..until his children are gorwn, not seeing another person...  that's not a huge exageration as far as employees go.  Lousy, lousy, lousy.  I go there when I know what I want and where it is in the store.  Lowes is a lot better for being able to get help, but they are a tad higher.  They also have a lot bigger variety of "stuff."  OSH is the best for customer service but they are a lot smaller with fewer selections.  
One of the best places to go for help, service, and odd ball stuff is Floyds.  I tend to forget them since there isn't one nearby and the big boys are the ones who send out the flyers.   But if you want an ice cream freezer off season..Floyds is your place.  Canning jars off season..Floyds.  Guns and ammo..Floyds.  Wattenbargers in Oildale used to be like that but I haven't been there in centuries.

Ahhh...home improvement stores bring out the tomboy in me.

Politics, ethics, and religion matter when I shop. 

Nancy, I guess what I'm saying is that they stock most of what you need, they just don't stock it all the time.  Breakers and pipe fittings aren't really speciality.  And I hate the light fixtures.  I don't like the "fresh from the Home Depot" look.

Nancy, it is that they all have the exact same brands.  In the old days, one had Colony Paint, another had Benjamin Moore.  Now not only do they have the same brands, but they have the same selections.  A few years ago, they got rid of 7/16 nuts and bolts at Lowe's.  I noticed a couple of months later, they disappeared at Home Depot. They are all so formulaic.  You can still get 7/16 nuts and bolts at your local hardware.  They may cost a couple of cents more, but you don't have to park a mile away.  Unless I am spending 50$ or more, I go to a little store.  Floyd's is good and corny in a good way.

Why is Wal-Mart evil? I thought they payed better and have better employee benefits than the mom and pop type of stores,  I don't shop there other than to get my oil changed [20.00 cheaper] but it seems that they provide products at cheaper prices to a segment of society that can really use the savings.  Why should they have to pay more at a smaller store?  Is Target as bad?  I know about some of the labor violations but it is the second [?] largest business in the world so I would think some mistakes will be made occasionally.

For what it's worth, I have found that OSH has a much wider selection than either Lowe's or Home Despot.

Many of the products Wal-Mart supplies aren't the same quality found elsewhere.  Their "partners" are contracted to lower prices every year.  This means sending jobs out of the country and even using inferior materials in manufacturing.  While at the mom and pop store, you're buying the quality brand you're used to.  Of course, Wal-Mart doesn't advertise inferior quality, just lower prices.

When one evaluates the larger picture, Wal-Mart is clearly the better corporate citizen.  But I wouldn't expect the masses to agree as they are too busy exercising their right to be mindless spoon-fed consumers (of items they do not need; rather than saving for a raining day) to see the larger picture (much less evaluate it).

My apologies to Wal-Mart as I know they would not approve of my contempt of the mindless masses.

Wal-Mart, some of us appreciate the values you embrace & share with others.  It makes you an exceptional employer.  Thank you.

As an ex WM employee I can tell you that in THOSE times, WM was a great place for employee benefits.  Even now, I pay about the same for about the same inusurance so that's not an issue.  The pay was decent tor retail and the raises were every six months if you count the merit raise.  (which I always got thanks to a great dept manager.)  We had paid holidays (except for Easter).  The store I worked in got yearly bonuses the years I worked there and it was always around 900 bucks.  We got a 10% discount all the time and an extra 10 In Nov which gave us 20% off a single item at Christmas.  We accrued vacation time, sick leave, and personal leave time.  WM contirbuted to a 401 K plan in my name that I never put a dime in but they cashed me out when I quit.  They also offered stock with no commision and I took advantage of that too.  I had no complaints about WM as an employee and defended them all the time.  Sadly, Mom and Pop stores can't offer those kinds of benefits.

NOW..having said that.  I'm told that they no longer hire full time associates.  Each dept has a different cap on the amount they can earn which does away with a lot of the incentive to keep shrink down.  I'm told the bonuses are a thing of the past but can't vouch for that.  Part time employees used to be eligible for all benefits after so many hours (about two years I think) but I don't know about that now either.

As for the quality..DG is right..they force suppliers to cut their price and to do that, the suppliers have to cut their quality.  The Levis you get there now don't compare to the Levis you used to buy.
Honestly...that doesn't bother me much because I don't care if I keep them for 10 years or not.   I paid 60 bucks for a pair of dress pants that I'll probably still be wearing when I'm 90 but the catch is..I could have had TWO pair at a WM type store.
On the other hand..they have a particular TP that is exclusive to their store and I really like it.  I can't see that Joy dishwashing soap is any different there than at Costco or that Pedigree dog food is any different anywhere else.

I buy in different stores for two reasons.  Convenience and price.  A side reason would be availability.

Sorry to all who use politics to determine thier buying habits but I'm on a limited income and 100% self supporting.  I can't afford to throw money away because a store has liberal leanings.    If you can afford to support Mom and Pop, or the big guy who is a Liberal them more power to you.  If you can afford to shun stores who have a too conservative base..then good for you.

My consumerism comes before my politicism.

Everyone rants about Wal Mart and their Chinese junk, but no one says anything about Target's Chinese junk.

"Target; the same crap, but at 20% higher prices.  And wider aisles."

How's that for a new jingle?