Sam's club is owned by the "parent company" of Walmart. Although they are "owned" by the same company, they are run MUCH differently. I have done my research. Under the "parent company" there are many stores all with different subdivisions...Sam's is a completely different division. Sam's doesn't screw over their employees!!!!! At WM in my town and for sure in two or three other towns around here people are very mad because WM won't give ANY of their employees a "full time week" they FORCE people to work less than 40 hours...but they still want them to get the 39 1/2 hours in! The only reason they do that is so they don't have to offer "benifits" like insurance and things like that. And yes, the actual pay is minimum wage, but forcing people to not work a full 40 hours really screws the employees, because I feel that benifits like insurance are just as important as a pay check.
Other reasons why WM is different from Sam's...
although it's owned by the same parent company, Sam's is RUN differently and it's RUN by different people. The Sam's that I go to (and I am sure many others are the same) has energy efficiant lighting, uses a lot of recycled materials to run their store and because their packaging is so large- it actually saves money. It's more environmentally friendly to make one big box than 4 smaller ones. Our Sam's club is doing a "Reach the Goal" fundraiser for habitat for humanity so the Habitat homes can run ENERGY Efficiant and I don't see walmart doing anything like that!
Last time I checked WM doesn't use energy efficiant or recycled products in their stores. THEY sell some of those products, but using them is an entirely different story. ALSO, Walmart in many states was "charging an extra penny or two" on sales, because it wasn't noticable to the consumer, BUT it WAS noticable to Walmart when they brought in over $10,000 in THREE DAYS just because they "overcharged by un-noticable pennies" as they put it! When they were caught in the act, they were charged a PATHETIC fee of $1,000 because that was the FINE for doing "petty consumer theft" is how it was put. Lets just say THEY STILL do it...what's a pathetic 1,000 fine compared to all of the money they RAKE IN!
I know that Sam's and Walmart are owned by the same parent company- I get that. THEY ARE RUN TOTALLY DIFFERENT!!!! And It is the way WALMART is run that I can't stand!

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One happy wife and mommy!!!

I may be mistaken but I think Walmart owns Sam's Clubs.
Does anyone know this forsure?
If so you can get a membership at Costco's, I know alot of people like that one better than Sam's. Just a thought.

**oops read your later post after I replied to this one!**

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Jenifer M

not that i'm gonna jump up a defend walmart here but ours does use sky lights and they keep the lights off at all times possible heck sometimes i think they need the lights on. i also have to say i know people who work at our newer walmart and they both work full time and get benefits my neighbor also works overnights as a cashier there and gets full time and benefits so don't think we can judge on everyone that works there you either like your job or you don't and you also have the choice to work somewhere else. so that is my final 2 cents on walmart if you don't want to shop of give them your money then don't.

with (very) few exceptions, I've felt like all off the walmart stores I've been in have been fire traps. --- the aisles and walk ways are always filled with displays, and often have pallets or carts of stock to be put out blocking the ways. Even at peak hours! And, while it might be the areas I've been into walmart, I've almost always felt that the type of people who shop there were very trashy & ghetto compared to the Target 2 miles away. I mean, just rude people in general! And don't get me started about their cashiers. Even in the nicer walmarts, the cashiers are as dumb as rocks... and sllllooooow! In fact, I've left a cart full of stuff at walmart and driven to Target to get the same things! It just isn't worth the headache of shopping there!

The main reason I try to avoid Walmart is because the people working there are so so so rude ( the one in our town )

And like a pp said, it takes forever to be checked out. My ice cream and frozen stuff is all melted by the time I pay. Plus I am not so sure about their "deals"... I think Target is great!

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married 8 years to a crazy Brit, mommy to a banana, she is 4 and a pineapple who is 1 year, mommy to 3 ~angel~ babies

Let's get back on topic from the original poster. She wanted tips for shopping elsewhere, on where to find good deals on cleaning items, etc. This has turned into a bashing of a certain store and those people who shop or work there.


Super Target has similar prices on their cleaning items, etc.

good point deemom

How to not shop at Walmart - don't go there, then not shopping their is easy as pie. I haven't shopped at a Walmart since 2004, it's really easy to not even consider it as an option.

Paperproducts & cleaning products - hands down Walgreems, Rite Aid or CVs, as a gneral rule. But have found the occasion great deal at a grocery store, but normally it's at a drug store type place.

Good luck and it's really not that hard to avoid shopping at Walmart.

I don't shop at Wal-Mart anymore either. For several of the reasons listed above. I buy cleaning supplies and/or paper supplies, usually at Kroger or the dollar store. I might spend a little more at Kroger, but I don't have to deal with rude cashiers, slow lines, and the temptation to spend more money!!

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~*~ Angie~*~
Wife to Brian
SAHM to Sarah & Andy 2/11/2000

Here in SCentral PA the best places for paper goods and cleaning supplies is either Aldi or the many "dollar" stores.

Best of luck to you! I am in love witht Target and have to force myself not to go
Barbie