doing away with the big chain stores...

[freemotion]

If I can get something from a locally-owned business, I buy from them. Only if they can't get an item for me to I go to TSC or rarely, WalMart or Target. We produce more and more of what we need that we purchase less and less outside stuff. We do go to the grocery chain stores, but choose the farmstands when they are open. Many of the farmstands buy some produce so they can offer one-stop shopping, so I ask them what they grew or purchased from a local farmer to sell. That is what I buy. Until my garden comes in! (I don't grow sweet corn, pumpkins, and much fruit, and sometimes I want or need more of a veg that didn't do well for me that year...then I buy it by the 1/2 bushel, usually.)

 

[miss_thenorth]

The only big chain stores I go to are my grocery store, No Frills. that is where I get my staples. Seasonal produce is either bought down the road, or I pick it myslef at their u-pick farm.

my feed stores ( and I use two) are family owned family run businesses, and yes, they order stuff in just for me, too, I think it is great. i do probably go to TSC maybe 2x a year, for super sales.

As far as walmart and places like that--I have absolutely no need or desire to go there.

 

[AL]

I will actually spend a little more at smaller stores. What ALWAYS happened to me at Walmart was I would go in for a $4 item and leave with $50 worth. If I go where there is less choice and more expensive items, it is a lot easier to rein in my lack of self control. So for that same $4 item I might spend $5-$6, but I still save $45!!!

 

[Crusty McPottydoodle]

I have to say, I love how many are making the effort to buy locally.


I am fortunate, I live where most of what I want is within walking distance - my local grocery store is locally owned and their prices generally pretty good. I do shop at a chain drug store (which also carries appliances and electronics among other things), but the chain is Canadian owned and only has stores in Western Canada. Between my grocery and this store, I can get almost everything I need for day to day use.

I have organic produce delivered by a local company who purchase locally as much as possible.

Also, I have just bought a share for 20kg of wheat - which I will get later in the year (I can hardly wait)


I think I have shopped in Walmart twice ever. I am quite happy not to do it again.

 

[SKR8PN]

I like our local TSC store. They have had the same employees(for the most part) for quite awhile, so I know who to ask for when I need something. I also get our chicken supplies there. WalMart Sucks. The ONLY thing we ever buy from them is the 10lb bags of chicken leg quarters for like $.59 per lb. We only buy that when we need to make more chicken patties. We do get a few things in bulk from Sam's Club, plus we get a fuel discount that makes up for the membership fee.
My prescriptions we get filled at Target because the pharmacy is so darn friendly, but I HATE the store itself! It is so stinking HUGE!! It is great to have nice w i d e isles, but they do it with a building that is 1 mile long and a mile deep! You can literally drive your car down the isles!

 

[theegghunter]

I can't stand Wal-Mart!! However, it is mostly the monopoly in the biggest town I live to!! I have a sil that works in the store itself, and middle DD that works in the optical lab as well as another SIL. I can assure you that they treat their employees TERRIBLE!! No wonder the workers you ask to help don't know where anything is. They are paid so little that their minds are on how the bills are going to get paid!! We don't buy groceries there!! NO MEAT! It is quite scary!! When I was looking for things to make my own laundry soap, I was just told they didn't have it, period! Went across the street to a hardware that has been there forever, ask them, they didn't have it, but ordered it in the next week! I went in the other day for something and the lady I talked to about the laundry things was in there and told me that since I had requested the stuff, they had started selling a bunch of it!! I am so glad that I did that now!! I can't stand to see all the small places that remind me so much of what America is supposed to stand for, going under due to lack of business!! I live on a very limited budget as well, but for the most part, I try and save gas by NOT going to town very often and that way I can justify going to the "small guy" for my goods that I know, even though might be the same brand as what Wal-Mart carries, has kind of a loving attention paid to it!! I feel really bad the my two SIL's and DD might have to pay the price with their jobs if people stop shopping there, but I don't think it will ever come to that! Too many people "swear" by Wal-mart!!
I really don't think that what has become of Wal-mart today is what Sam Waldon had in mind when he started Wal-Mart!! **disclaimer** this statement above is just MHO...in no way does it reflect that I think people should stop shopping there if that is what they want to do!!

 

[tortoise]

I moved from a city of approx 60,000 to a town of 2,000.

So now I am stuck driving 15 miles to WalMart for most things. Not groceries - there is a good local grocery store and if I stick to sales it is good quality for decent prices. They carry some local food choices too. But the grocery store tends to carry brands with more food additives than WalMart's. There are some things I have to get at WalMart.

There is a dollar store (ick!) and a hardware store right in town. They have pretty good variety, but the prices are really high.

I end up at WalMart about once a week.

 

[Lady Henevere]

Interesting discussion. I have been able to stop going to Petco, because my locally-owned feed store has everything I need. I shop a lot at the farmers' market or at Trader Joes, which is unfortunately no longer locally owned, but they have great food options (no GMO ingredients in their store-label foods, for example). I go to Armstrong garden centers, which is California-based and "employee-owned," whatever that means. The one I have trouble getting away from is Home Depot/Lowes/OSH, since there aren't a lot of other options and DH is doing construction on the house. (But this discussion just made me remember that there's a locally-owned hardware store across town that I had forgotten about. Thanks!)

 

[hwillm1977]

Unfortunately I can't afford not to shop at the chain stores...

I do buy what I can each week at the farmer's market, and produce and meat ends up being cheaper there a lot of the time (produce especially)... but for basic household stuff still comes from chain stores.

It's easy for me to stick on budget, since if I go in for a $5 thing chances are that I only have that $5... we've stopped carrying bank and credit cards, we take our budgeted money out for the week, and if you run out before the end of the week you can't take out more.

Our nearest town has only about 4400 people, but we have a Walmart... and the distinction of having the smallest Walmart in Canada I say nearest town, but it's still a 40 mile drive to get there.

 

[Ldychef2k]

I wish I could afford WalMart. Most things, if I don't already have them, I don't need them. But if I need them, I go to WalMart first.