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Dirty Hypocrite

My daughter made me feel like a dirty hypocrite the other day, and rightly so.
I’ll condense the back story for you guys, but basically, we’re not fans of Wal-Mart. Haven’t been for awhile.
At the begining of 2009, we decided we were going to avoid Wal-Mart for the bulk of our purchases. We still purchased a few things, but for the most part, we did good. We visited them very little.
In September, we watched “Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices” and decided that we were not going to shop at Wal-Mart. Period.

Miss Question, used to us running into the store for diapers about once a month, wanted to know why we didn’t do that anymore. “But, Wal-Mart has toys! Can’t we please go to Wal-Mart?” And I kept telling her no, and eventually, she threw her hands up in the air and said, “WHY can’t we go to Wal-Mart??”
“Mommy and Daddy don’t like some of the things that Wal-Mart does.”
“What do they do?”
Not wanting to try and explain some of the things, like poor benefits, shady practices, their effect on communities, etc. I settled for telling her that we didn’t think they paid their workers enough.

Saturday, she was at my mom’s. Mom says that a Wal-Mart commercial came on, and Miss Question explained to her aunties, that we don’t shop there, because they don’t pay people enough that work there. I’m so proud of her for getting this, but it bit me in the ass the next day.

See, our tv broke, yet again, Saturday night. This was incredibly frustrating, because we’re broke constantly, and most of our entertainment (movies, games, documentaries, etc) centers around the TV. So we looked around at various stores(all of which were so expensive), and decided that, for the sake of sanity, we’d violate our principles, and go to Wal-Mart to purchase a smaller tv.
We were already feeling guilty about it, and wrestled with it most of the day. But in the end, sanity and boredom won out over our desire to make a stand.

The icing on the guilt cake came as we left the store, and Miss Question looked up at me with those beautiful eyes, and anxiously asked, “Do we still not like Wal-Mart? I thought we didn’t shop here.”

With that guilt arrow, my heart cracked a little bit.
I reached down to pick her up and gave her a great big hug. I told her that she was right, we shouldn’t be at Wal-Mart. I thanked her for reminding her, and I promised her that, no matter how much mommy and daddy want something, we wouldn’t go back to Wal-Mart.
I looked over her head and said, “Right, daddy?”
He nodded, with an equally shamed look on his face.

Being four, she was all, “Okay, great, can we go to Pizza Hut and use my BookIt slip now?”

I feel so guilty and dirty now, when I look at that stupid tv.

So this is my public acknowledgment of that promise I made to Miss Question.
From now on, no matter how great the sale, no matter how badly we want/need the item, we will not go to Wal-Mart to purchase it.
We will continue to stand by our principles, and we will, from hereon out, try harder to show our kids how important it is to do so.

Thank you, baby girl, for that heaping side of guilt. Momma needed it.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 15th, 2009 at 8:26 AM and is filed under Parental. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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  • http://ijonc.blogspot.com magda

    It is wonderful that you are raising conscientious children who are learning to be empathetic and aware and forgiving …and the confidence and ability to stand up and question when something does not feel right. That experience was a powerful gift to her even if your are burdened by the sight of the TV and the reminder of the evil Walmart ways.
    .-= magda´s last blog ..If I can do it… =-.

  • http://thebearandroo.wordpress.com Cara

    I could not agree more with this. My husband works for Wal-Mart right now but will be quitting soon. Their practices, wages, benefits, lies, asking people to work off the clock (yes, this is still happening & he was asked to do this a week ago) & tens of other things are disgusting. We've made the pledge that we're going to stop shopping there unless it is an emergency & the only reason we would shop there in an emergency is because of a lack of options in town. And to us an emergency is only if one of us were to become sick & need medicine in the middle of the night.

  • http://www.smalltownmommy.com Anne

    I don’t shop at Wal-Mart either. For a long time, we didn’t have Wal-Mart in my area, and when they built it I was so excited. I then discovered how they treat their employees and realized I would rather they charge a little more and take better care of their people.

    That said, I can totally understand your wanting to get an affordable television and if Wal-Mart was the only place to find it, your one purchase will not go far towards keeping Wal-Mart in business.

  • http://www.duckandwheelwithstring.blogspot.com Lin

    While I admire your stand, I’m not sure that many other places are any better to work–or to shop either. I hate unionized places as well–including our schools where the teachers are taking us all for a ride.

  • http://supermommytotherescue.com Stacie

    I think my husband watch that movie and he said the same thing he wasn’t going to shop at Walmart and well he does. I admire that you want to stand your principles. I thought it was cute how your daughter brought up the not shopping at Walmart and how she remembered.

  • ThePsychobabble

    @magda, some days I wonder where she came from, she’s just so perceptive some days

    @cara we’re also in a town that shuts down by 9pm most of the week(6pm on Sundays), which kind of stinks sometimes. I’m slowly catching on to stocking up on basic meds, lol

    @Anne I remember when I was in my late teens, and the only things open in the area past 9pm were the bowling lanes and the wal-mart.

    @Lin, we’re in a small town with a lot of local shops. But they are more spendy!

    @Stacie sometimes she remembers more than is good for me! :)

  • http://lifeisnotamovie.net Robin

    I “avoid” Walmart but sometimes I run in to get one thing but if I can not go there I choose elsewhere.
    .-= Robin´s last blog ..Jewish Hell =-.

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