tj....no doubt. I love both the cars--but each definitely have their own strengths and weaknesses......

Ninjadude--nope, no problems at all since I made the switch to imports. Prior to that (in the dark years that I owned GM products) I wasn't nearly as fortunate. Thank God it didn't take too much time to figure out which automakers made the best products........

I feel so informed now that 916 has blessed me with their "infinite" knowledge of cars. Driving a Toyota must be quite the experience, always keeping you in suspense about which part will malfunction next. A stuck throttle? No brakes? No steering? What a ride!

I'll go with you on the reliability of Toyota. I am a performance person myself and dollar for dollar, I'll take a BMW and smoke a Toyota anyday :)

Ninjadude.......Decided to come out and show us a little more of your ignorance when it comes to cars--huh? JD Powers top 10 most reliable cars for 2010--5 of them are Toyota and Lexus models. The Japanese automakers own the domestics when it comes to building reliable cars...........
tj57--BMW cars are overengineered and underbuilt. They are fun to drive, but if I had to go on a cross country trip there is no doubt I would take the Toyota over the BMW........

I grew up in Whitewater, and, my parents and sister still live there. They do drive all the way to Janesville for groceries because the prices at Sentry there are ridiculous. If Walmart is "good" or not, in theory, is pointless. It will save the people that live in Whitewater from driving to Janesville for groceries, which will save them time, and gas expenses.
+
I am with everyone else. There are some things that are good at Loglis, some at Woodmans, and, to me, some at WalMart. The bakery at Wal-Mart is very good, and my children love their shaped cupcakes (which they put together to form a shape and then the kids just pull them apart).

Vatacolo,
I agree that union representation of the USAs largest employer would probably take the sting out of the local distaste for walmart. But thats not going to happen.

Walmart is the Ford motor company of retailing-just as Ford invented the auto assembly factory-Waltmart revolutionized retailing. Walmart for all of their ills must be doint something right. Consumers vote with their pocket books as well. There are a few people that are willing to buy the same priced object for more money elsewhere but for commodity type items-Walmart is a great choice.

I have my favorite stores for different items. Woodmans for basic grocerys. I like logis as they have some very high quality items that I look for. Sentry not bad. Lets see Walmart, mmmmm. Can't remember but I did buy something there a while ago.

I think it's good we're airing this discussion about the various brands of vehicle sold at Walmart.

Consumer reports or actual experience?

It's a good thing there's a photo of the new Walmart with the story, so we know what it looks like.

Toyota's Lexus and Honda's Acura brands. Consistently equal or better quality than beamer or benz. At a lower price.

Toyota as good as BMW and Mercedes? Well...Mr. Toyota, I have driven and owned a BMW and you're no BMW. Not even close. Not even in the same universe. Not even a pimple on....well you get the idea.

ninjadude- I would still buy a Toyota (they build cars in the U.S.) rather than a GM, not because I don't care about America but because I just think they build a more reliable product. Do we cease to fly just because a plane crashes once in a while? In Gm's case, their planes (for ugliness) could never get off the ground period.

This discussion turned into a joke the moment that vatoloco mentioned the words "Toyota" and "quality" in the same sentence.

TCB-The anti Walmart folks would actually like Wally World if it had a massive union that was draining all of its resources to indicate losing money by the billions just like GM. Don't go to Walmart, Don't work at Walmart, just like you switch the channel when you dislike what you see.

Sandman,

If walmart is so bad why is it the largest private employer in the United States? Who is forcing anyone to work at Walmart? Would you like it better if Walmart were a German corporation?

NO.

Wal-Mart is a self-serving blight on this country and small businesses everywhere. The only thing it's good for are the surviving Walton family members and China.

See "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price"

Nothing like a Walmart with only 3 or 4 check out lines open.
At least the local "Ma" and "Pa" stores served people better.

Minan - it isnt the fault or wrong doing of communist china. It is us. We in the USA choose to form labor unions, and demand high salaries and benefits and whatnot. Sure thats awesome. but then we complain because the very stuff we make costs too much for us to buy. So we buy cheaper stuff. Lol... its a bottomless pit.

"Sentry....HAHA ive never seen stuff so expensive."

You would need money constantly growing from a cent tree to buy groceries from this store.

I have like zero patience, I hate walmart, 20 checkouts and 3 open. Woodmans is far cheaper and no matter how busy it is, lines move fast there. Sentry....HAHA ive never seen stuff so expensive.

I work in Whitewater and I have heard from Whitewater residents that I work with that they shop at Sentry for odds&ends but they travel all the way to Janesville to do their weekly shopping because Sentry is to expensive. I agree with some other bloggers more variety will help out Whitewaters community and save them on gas too.

The Walmart in Janesville does have less variety and much higher prices than Woodman's. I won't do any real grocery shopping there. Sentry has some of the highest prices I've seen in town, but they have great produce and you rarely have to wait in line to check out. I'm sure there will be similar differences in Whitewater too. People who value price, will probably try Walmart. People who don't like the crowds and long wait in the checkout line will probably prefer Sentry. There is room for both stores.

They are overweight because they lay around and watch $100 a month tv and eat crap when they have ALL DAY to prepare decent food. They get free decent food. Get some more food vs CIGS!

intreg.
I disagree. How much for a bag of potatoes compared to a bag of potato chips???
LAZY is the word here. Lazy wont get you a job if you are able and lazy wont put decent food on the table.
Bag of carrots WHAT $1. Thing of celery another $1.

LAZY

Vatoloco: You don't have to tell me, I've been driving Toyota's for decades. And I understand that money can be an issue but food stamps can be used at Farmer's Markets these days. I see it as a way of prioritizing your finances. I rarely eat out, have no cable bill and pay very little for one no contract cell phone, no land line. Because I believe food is important, that's where I prioritize my money. And statistics show that poor people have higher rates of obesity and food related health problems than others do. Seems to me that rather than stooping to the lowest common denominator and crowing about cheap food, we should be trying to find ways to get good food in the hands of all people. Might save us a bit on health care costs as well. I wonder just how much extra we pay in health care for our love affair with cheap food.

This news is a huge win for consumers.

I shop at Sentry, Walmart and Woodman's. Woodman's generaly have the lower prices except for contact lens solution, which I get at Walmart. Most of the time we get our groceries at Woodman's and quick pickups at Sentry. We like to mix it up because it is good to get a variety from local and non-local, because you cannot get everything at one store that you want or need .

intrigued-

1. Quality is based on what satisfies you. BMW and Mercedes produce cars that are really expensive but Toyota can build cars just as good or better in quality for a lower price. Price is not a good indicator of quality sometimes. There are some foods high in price that I don't think is of good quality based on my satisfaction.

2. Some people (especially the unemployed) do not not have the luxury of buying locally grown foods that tend to be a bit higher in price.

uw- please explain how to do this then. You give them a great price and they think you are holding onto thousands. Only to go to the next dealer and find out it makes sense and they give you an extra $100 and they take the car from the next dealer.
We do not beat you up here for hours until you take the car home. We do not toss the keys on the roof either. We make it simple and straight forward.

We see it all the time vice verse as well.

The beef steaks at Walmart are GROSS. IF on sale they are brined. If you like your steak to taste and feel like ham go ahead. NEVER again.

Why are people in this country so convinced that the cheapest food you can buy is the way to go? I'm not saying you should get gouged but the fact that the food is cheap should not be your criteria for buying it. I actually spend a lot on food choosing my products by quality and how locally they are produced. I haven't been to any other Walmart grocery store than the one in Jefferson. They have the WORST selection of products. Their large collections of food are mostly products I don't even consider to be food.

Many people are quick to slam Walmart but forget that Walmart does many good things for communities here in the U.S. and worldwide.

http://walmartstores.com/pressroom/facts...

Walmart is not good for anyone or anyplace in my opinion! The new America, $7.00 an hour jobs, who are you kidding. Try paying your rent or mortgage, heating bills, food, on them kinda wages, what a joke! Woodmans offer better prices anyway. Of course I like Logli's also, for some things. This system here in the good ole USA is setup to monopolize large buisness. Corruption at it's finest.

frogger,
If you keep losing business in the same manner over and over again, wouldn't it behoove you to modify your business strategy so that you don't lose those customers over a mere $100? Just curious...

grandy & frogger,
Yes, I understand capitalism, and I understand there may have been other factors that put K-mart out of business in Beloit other than Wal-mart. My point was I found the celebration of another business's demise to be disgusting. Yes, business failure is a fact of life, but I expected Wal-mart to act like they'd been there before.

uwwaln-
Kmart could be going down the tubes because of service NOT Walmart.
Ever try to get your cart through the check out- insane. It hardly fits. I go as little as I need to.

Tater- sounds like the car business. They will come to me first and get all the knowledge,advice and numbers-run to another store with the numbers and don't drive or learn anything and sell you out for $100. Will that dealer ever care about you again? NO. Then they still come to the better dealer(local) to service their car because the other dealer that beat us by $100 (only because you showed them the number to beat) cannot be trusted to service your car.

As far as groceries, Woodman's generally has better prices and better products, in my opinion. Whether it's good for Whitewater or not, I don't think it makes much difference. It's already there. I'm not necessarily against buying foreign made goods, I think free trade is the only way we can grow, BUT it's almost all junk at Walmart.
FYI, Walmart imports more foreign made products into the US than the entire country of Great Britain. We're lazy and want the cheapest stuff possible. Great job America.

Correction: Pamida and the Coors Light Party Ball Rule...

Palmida Rules?

I made the mistake of working for wal-mart for a number of years while I was in college. Walmart does not care about small locally owned businesses. In fact, Walmart really doesn't acknowledge the existence of small business as competition. A couple of larger chain stores went out of business with walmart's help while I worked there (Sentry and K-Mart). On the days that those stores closed for good, the walmart management bought pizza for the entire store staff. It was then that I realized I was working for a twisted company. The desire to succeed is one thing. The celebration of another business's failure is another.

another controversy created by the media. Walmarts been there... who cares. I hope it puts the price gouging smaller grocers out of business.

Tater and others of the same opinion,
I am glad Wal-mart sells junk to the general population. The last thing I as a local business person would need is if walmart offered the kind of quality and service I can provide. As walmart pursues the price portion of the market, they leave open service and quality. Fine by me. I love walking through their aisles seeing trash that will not last one year. They set me up to look like a hero once the customer gets fed up enough to walk through my doors. Because I live in this community and never would want to have my products repeatedly go bad because then word gets around. No I may not make hundreds of thousands in profit and get the private jet, but I will make a living and people will remember the products they bought from me lasted and when they did not I made it right with them. Please, by all means, carry on Walmart!

I agree with others that Woodman’s has better prices yet. So why aren’t you all shopping at Wisconsin owned Woodman’s rather than at Wal-Mart?? Why do you even care if Wal-Mart will price match? Give your money to the local stores!!

I don’t know about True-Value, but I can tell you that I’d rather buy anything at Ace than at Wal-Mart. If I need some help with how to apply a certain paint, or which caulk to use for a home repair, the information that I can get from their staff is very well worth the couple of dollars extra that their product may cost (and it’s probably better quality as well). I suspect the same may be true of Tru-Value.

I grew up in Rockford. When I was young, I remember going with my parents to a shoe store and being fit for shoes by professionals. Later, when I became interested in photography, I was able to visit our local camera store and get educated on what makes a good camera, and I bought one there. Over Christmas, I was telling my kids about the cool toy store that we used to go to when we were young: one where the staff would know about and demonstrate the latest toys, and were willing to give you plenty of advice (in my case it was model trains). Soon after I married and we moved to Janesville, the last butcher shop (Russ’ on Milwaukee St.) closed their doors. There we were always able to talk recipes with the butchers and we always felt we were getting quality food (we now go to Sorg’s in Darien). I mention all these businesses because to those people that operated those stores, the shopping experience was not just about price, but about helping their customer find the proper item, making sure that it was a good fit for that customer and that it was quality. If it wasn’t the business owner was sure to hear from his customer!

While I cannot claim that Wal-Mart is directly responsible for the demise of all these businesses, what I can say is that Wal-Mart and other stores like them have driven to extinction the vast majority of those small retailers who delighted in educating their customers and providing the proper, if not always the cheapest, product for their customers. Staff at these superstores rarely know more than their customers about the products they are selling. Wal-Mart is leading the race to the retail bottom, a place where the only thing that matters is price, and nothing else. And, when you complain to the Superstores about the lack of quality on their products, those comments fall on deaf ears. After all what did you expect for so cheap a price? Just throw it away and buy another!

It is the loss of these small mom and pop stores that many of us mourn and it is Wal-Mart that is leading the charge to kill them!

BostonBill, I beg to differ with you. Unless it is an "advertised" price, they won't touch it. I have complained about their Pepsi and Mountain Dew prices till I am blue in the face. I have brought it to their attention and they told me it had to be a written advertised price. I comp price everyday and I know what prices are and how Walmart tries to fool you.

RetiredArmySFC, if you truly comp shop then you must be aware that Walmart will match the price of the same item sold by their competition.

Opinionsforfree, you wrote, "I haven't been here for awhile…”.
Would it be possible for you to make the next ‘awhile’ a little longer?
That’s MY opinion for free. :)

Woodman's is always less expensive and better quality than Wal Mart.

Can't beat Woodman's. Better prices than Walmart AND they actually give their employees good wages and benefits, something Walmart knows nothing about.

Most the tools here don't have the brain power to understand the depth of though and understanding as what I was trying to point out. Go back to bed america Go back to bed american your government has it all under control -Bill Hicks

Go back to watching american idol, american chopper,football, dancing with the stars o whatever keep you focused on real world issues

I comp shop all over Janesville and I can tell you for a fact that Woodman's beats Walmart's prices hands down. A case of 24 oz pepsi or Mountain Dew is $14.57 at Sams, $17.92 at Walmart and only $11.00 at Woodmans. Walmart puts up these "fake" signs that say: Was $2.48 and now only $1.96, When it has been a $1.96 for months. They try to fool you into thinking they lowered the price when it has been that price for months. Like I said, I have to comp shop all over and I see what they do. Don't be stupid. Woodman's definitely beat Walmarts prices...

"Shop and support local businesses and American made items."

Ever been to True Value? What an oxymoron! Truthfully, their prices are high.

Back before Walmart opened the new store in Janesville, I used to shop at Pick N Save. Shortly before WM's opening, PNS did remodeling and raised their prices. I compared the prices on items I bought on a regular basis at Walmart, Pick N Save and Woodman's. Woodman's is the cheapest and Pick N Save is the most expensive. I don't see that Walmart came in, undercut the existing to put them out of business and then raised prices. One store is undercutting them and the other raised their prices. Walmart's business model here doesn't appear to be the least expensive, just the most convenient. "A one stop shop." You can get your groceries and your Christmas gifts while waiting to get your tires changed.

gonefishin: I've never worked at WalMart. I have more self respect than to work for that company.

Shopping at Pick n Save my average weekly grocery bill was $180. At Walmart, it is around $140. I don't just think I'm saving money at Walmart, I KNOW I'm saving money.

http://www.aflcio.org/corporatewatch/wal...

http://www.forandagainst.com/Wallmart_Ki...

http://www.forandagainst.com/Wallmart_Ki...

http://www.forandagainst.com/Wallmart_Ki...

http://www.minyanville.com/businessmarke...

I haven't been here for awhile but the editer of the gazrtte said " wal-mart is not bad for a commuity today on the radio"

This guys is a tool of the best kind cause if he spoke out againt wal-mart people in high places would be gunning for him. Wal-mart is not good for any community country etc.

The ones who shop or are loyal to wal-mart are buying cheap junk that does not last.

They are supporting sweat shops

their money is being sent out of the coumuntuty

They are supporting a company that takes advantage of the welfare system in america

Wal-mart is evil and I feel bad for the brainwashed folks that are thinking they are saving money shopping there. You are victims of marketing and advertising I would go as far as saying people who shop at wal-mart are unamerican

I find it hypocritical of the gazette to on am 1230 to say here are a list of local biz and buying local supports good paying jobs and a strong economy.

When there ae enough topic to report on in this community that deserve attention buy the drama gazette loves wal-mart

Right Sid?

A new Walmart expansion would help the other business all along Main street out there. Maybe even help lonely Taco Bell out there at the edge of town.
Sadly, more people going to Walmart will delay me from reaching Culver's.

Sentry has been the only store in town for too long. It's about time they had competition. Now it's up to them to adjust. Their prices are ridiculous and it isn't just on high end items. We've done our homework and we can drive to Janesville have a much better selection and save more than enough to cover the cost of the trip.

Walmart is always good, for China.

Yeah - that new Wal-Mart really ruined Janesville....

cynicaleye: Just FYI, once upon a time I did my research. Walmart does in fact have the cheapest pharmacy in town (Janesville). So if by chance you are unlucky enough to require a prescription your insurance will not cover, Walmart can help. Of course that was a while ago. Things could have changed by now.

Its a free country. Walmart is just a business, a successful American business. Don't hate them because someone came up with the concept and it worked. If you don't like their business, don't go there. Like I said, its a free country. Sentry will be fine. I like a higher end grocery on things and I like a lower end grocery on others. No one says people have to shop at only one place.

Why do people think there are no more jobs in America? Because people shop at walmart for cheap prices. In order to get cheap prices, everything needs to be made over seas. Shop and support local businesses and American made items.

Grocery prices in Whitewater are sky high, a little competition in that area will help a lot.

In addition, they will lower prices to begin with and when other businesses are driven out of town, they will raise prices. They are certainly not the cheapest place around. Do your homework idiot WalMart shoppers.

Walmart is already IN the community, and has been for over 20 years. I think Whitewater has survived OK since then.

No. WalMart is NEVER good for a community.

Sentry will last about 3 years then close down. :( sad I remember when they built it back in the day too. They had a nice Deli. Prices were sorta high tho.

As a former Whitewater resident, I'd say some grocery competition would be a good thing.

Was there an "old" Walmart??
Is Walmart new?