Where to Shop?

Hey Denise,I shop at Melaleuca for my everyday necessity products.It is a company that focuses on quality products at reasonable prices.They share the revenues of the company with the people that shop there,not the shareholders,so they are a privately owned company that continues to grow year after year.They are similar to a wholesale shopping club,feel free to contact me for more information.You have to be careful about shopping at any dollar store type places.You never know what country some of their products have come from,there is likely ingredients in things that are not allowed in the US.
If you would like to shop at home,saving time and money,help the environment,and practice greener living,Melaleuca may be for you.
www.SwitchStoresForHealthyLiving.com
S.

Personally, not a fan of Wal-Mart, either. For kid's clothes on a budget, I love Target...their Circo line is great, t shirts, shorts, knit pants, perfect for daycare and usually under $10...I buy most of my son's clothes there. For special occassions or dress up, I head to Kohl's...they have nice clothes, very reasonable...good things for me too! I have done great at both stores. With food shopping, I usually go to Giant Eagle...if for nothing else, the fuel perks. We also go to GFS for big items. Good Luck!

I have been shopping at Melaleuca for 9 years and wouldn't shop anywhere else. The products are safe for our kids & the environment! You can shop online or by phone and the prices are great plus everything is concentrated so it lasts longer. Call or email me for more information. The website is: www.melaleuca.com - click on the TOUR button to see what they are about.
My email is ____@____.com
L.
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shopsimple.net
click on shop partners....
drugstore.com has great deals and alot of them green.
you earn drugstore $'s to spend later and for every dollar you spend as a prefered customer
you earn 1-2 points for free products thru shopsimple.net.

I have trouble with the target and kmart clothes. The hems seem to fall out, rips etc. They just don't seem durable enough for kids. Kohl's has great sales and i do not run into that issue as often.

I really HATE walmart! My choices are also Target or Kmart. Go with Target. Kmart has lousy customer service! and never have what your looking for. Target workers are all friendly and helpful. and they have a pretty good selection of stuff. The only complaint I have is no craft stuff. So I just go to Michael's for that.

I've heard they're making Super Targets now with groceries and everything else.

I haven't read that book, but I stopped shopping at Wal-Mart a few years ago, I just didn't like it...Anyway, I shop at our local CVS and Rite Aid for our shampoo, soap, paper products and so on...I just shop with their weekly ads. I find things on sale and stock up, even laundry detergent (sometimes its Buy O. get O.). You need the shoppers card at CVS, but not at Rite Aid. You can look at the weekly ads on their websites.
For clothes I shop the department store clearance racks, I also try to use the coupons they send in the mail or that you can find in the local Sunday paper sometimes.
Hope it helps!

Hi, I avoid WalMart for the most part. I have found that they are cheaper for bulk items like Paper towels and toilet paper etc, but that is about it. I can get the same deals with in store sales and coupons at my local grocery stores like Giant, Weis and Shurfine and Aldi's. We also belong to a warehouse sale club, but you have to be careful, they aren't always cheaper. I took a notebook with me and jotted down prices at different stores for awhile until I knew which stores had the lowest price for which items. It takes more time and effort but I just look at it as a challenge (:
Good luck....

While I agree that Wal-Mart does not always do what is best for its employees, very few large chains do. What you need to do is look for NON-BIASED information on Wal-Mart and other chains. The book that you read does not give all the facts, just the ones that they want you to see. I have no affiliation with Wal-Mart, nor do I shop there consistently, but if you want to rebuke it, you need to see that all similar stores use similar practices (although some are better than others), and you should read information from the opposite side of the spectrum before making a decision. (I have done a lot of research on Wal-Mart, and it is usually a few poorly run stores that create the bad publicity, most are actually run quite well!) If you are dead set on not using Wal-Mart, I suggest going to TJ Max, Ross, or somthing similar for clothes, and Target for toiletries. Good luck!

Don't forget about regular grocery stores. You can get better deals on many items when they are on sale at the grocery store. Coupons are very helpful too. Shoprite in Mount Pocono is great. So are the few Mr. Z's stores in the area. The trick is to shop using the sale circular. If you bring your own cloth bags, you get a discount per bag used. I need to look into shopping at Aldi. I do know that they are NOT owned by Wal*Mart and have nothing to do with Wal*Mart. Aldi is a German company. I have actually been to O. of the stores in Germany.

For clothes and such, Target has some fun stuff. But, I do reccomend shopping the clearance racks at Gap, Old Navy, Kohl's and The Children's Place (for kid clothes). And don't forget about thrift stores. You can find some brand new stuff at amazing deals. Even if it is not new, there is some good stuff at prices very far below retail. Another thought for items you want...look into your local freecycle group.

Oh a fantastic question!

My family doesn't shop at Walmart either! We own a small business and witness first hand the negative impact of Walmart in our world... If only everyone would read this book!

First of all, we do all of our grocery shopping at local grocery stores. Weis or Lingle's (Watsontown).

Then we do all of our supply shopping at the Dollar Store and/or CVS. If you have a member card at CVS you can really save money, and the dollar store has perfectly good items for cheaper than Walmart.

There are a few things that I annoyingly have to travel for to get rather than going to Walmart (like Target near the Lycoming Mall)... but its worth the hassle.

Its amazing how people are manipulated by Walmart. Their prices aren't really all that much lower... and on some items they're higher. They don't guarantee anything they sell, and they're always selling out of items.

Good luck!

We love Target. K-Mart just seems junky and annoys me. Target always seems to be clean and higher quality.

.

Hi Denise,
I would defintiely say TARGET!!!!!!!! I shopped at WalMart for several years and I never shopped at Target then gradually I started to go there. I found Walmart to be too crowded and the people there not the best. The more I shopped at Target, the more I liked it and found prices to be similar or the same as Walmart. I totally stopped shopping at Walmart for about 2 years now. I am at Target almost every weekend. I love that place!

In reference to Kmart, they used to be cheap at once time but I dont find them to be very competative anymore. I would say they are the highest of the 3!

Good luck!
K.

I have to agree that I dislike WalMart these days. I've heard too many horror stories of how they treat their employees. I have a K-Mart, Target, Gabriel Brothers and all the Dollar Generals, Dollar Trees, those types of things around. I have to agree that I think Giant Food Stores is great! They always have buy O. get ones and things cheaper with your member card that you can get for free, and often have daily specials that are cheaper. I'm sure many of the grocery stores have something like this. I used to like Burlington Coat Factory too, but haven't been there since we moved to PA, so not sure how they're doing now. Don't know if you have a Gordman's around, but they're pretty good too!

What a great topic! My husband and I have too been trying to avoid Wal-Mart for sometime. You're definately a savy shopper- Aldi, K-mart and Target have all been wonderful. We've tried to support businesses that give something back to the community as well. We seem to find all we need at Target and Lowe's. The real key is buying less as opposed to finding cheap prices. We noticed huge savings when we just buy what we need right now rather than stocking up on things. Your pocket book will thank you and you'll find more space around your house! I hope it helps.

Hi Denise,

K-mart prices in general are better than Targets. I only shop at Target when I absolutely need to (I used to work by O. and it was more convenient to shop there than go to another store). You could also try Dollar General, Dollar tree or Deals if you have O. close by. They all have a vaiety of things they sell for much less than other store but you have to watch what you buy so it isn't "junk".

L.

I love Target. It's more trendy and not that expensive.Not to be snooty, but Walmart usually seems dirty disheveled. But I wish it were possible to shop at small local bussineses again. Stores like Walmart and Lowes and Kmart and even Target have changed the landscape of this country and put out to many local bussineses. It bothers me that no matter where you are in our country, driving by you see Walmart, Home Depot, cell phone store, nail place... Big bussines has taken away the individuality of each state in our Country.Anyway, sorry to rant!
~S.

I am single/widowed, mom of three with a limited budget. If I can manage without Walmart I strongly believe most people can.
I have been in a Wal-mart about 5 times since 2001. I just stopped as I saw what they are doing to the mom and pops.
watch if you want or bypass the link. http://www.walmartmovie.com/

I try not to shop the other box stores as well. I stick with Sears, The local grocery store (Community market) on Milltown Rd. I shop the farmers market and suppliment from the Delmost Organic Crop Share Farm. I can items in the fall, and stock a freezer & dry storage area when things are on sale. I REALLY like not having to run to the store much. I bake and cook from home. I personally avoid Whole Foods as it is pricey in my opinion and belong to the EEFC which is more suited to my needs, and I can manage to feed my children Organic Dairy for years now.

think about what you would do and where you would go if Wal-Mart was not in your community. And just DO IT. You might be surprised at how easy it really it.

After reading the other posts I wanted to add that I too like Kohl's. And Boscov's as it is fairly local owned company out of Ohio with a family feel.

i shop at both depending on what I am looking for. I usually find that clothing more to my liking at kmart.

Not to be snarky, but Aldi is owned by Walmart. That O. of the reasons you find them in close proximity to Walmart and Sams clubs. I distest Walmart for the same reasons also; low quality products, 2nd quality produce, affordable clothes made by young women in foreign countries that work in "company factories" and almost never get to leave to spend their 20 cent paychecks. I shop at local stores when grocery shopping, I shop at Target and K-mart. I buy from companys that do not produce clothing lines sold at Wal-mart. I shop at outlets also.

I typically do the bulk of my shopping between Aldi's, Walmart Supercenter, and Giant Eagle's sale circular. While Target can be competitive with Walmart, especially on health and beauty items, I don't feel it can be O. stop shopping.

While I have not read the book you refer to, I have seen PBS (Frontline?) specials about Walmart etc. I am not sure what you specifically do not like about Walmart but you have to remember that they provide millions of jobs and make food and commodities more affordable to America's working class.

As it is everywhere, employment is at will and if their working conditions are that unfavorable then they could not retain employees. Where I shop most of the employees have been there many, many years. That has to be worth something.

I know many people feel the same as you so I thought I would share my point of view.

Sam's Club is great for the bulk stuff. But be in the know that they are no longer connected like they once were with walmart they are now separate stores. Although walmart does still carry some members mark stuff. They have pretty much gone over to their own brands. I love Salvation Army for clothes especially for my teenage dd. Some people may balk at the idea but she love finding trendy clothes for only $1-$2