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[Mr.Swag]

But again that is not Walmart's fault; the onus does not fall on them to promote them.

I really hate corporations.

It might not be strictly their fault, but I feel that they could do something to help, and sure I know that their goal is profit, but wouldn't it be better for society if such an important pillar of civilization (retail) cared about the citizens well being?

 

[Aurongel]

I really hate corporations.

It might not be strictly their fault, but I feel that they could do something to help, and sure I know that their goal is profit, but wouldn't it be better for society if such an important pillar of civilization (retail) cared about the citizens well being?

They can lead a horse to water but won't get it to drink. Their selection is that small because that's likely the perfect size given the small pool of people who'd buy them.

Supply and demand guys, it works both ways.

 

[strobogo]

Not all Walmarts are the same. Ones in college towns often have pretty large book selections.

 

[dream]

But what books should be stocked in Walmart, Mr.Swag?

 

[Mr.Swag]

But what books should be stocked in Walmart, Mr.Swag?

any books more than the ones they have now.
Some Vonnegut, some classics.
I like that little "Summer Reading" section they have at Barnes and Nobles. A lot of great literature on one table. Maybe if they had just that id be happy

 

[Winterfang]

I really hate corporations.

It might not be strictly their fault, but I feel that they could do something to help, and sure I know that their goal is profit, but wouldn't it be better for society if such an important pillar of civilization (retail) cared about the citizens well being?

Say what? Walmart is not a library. It's like complaining that the supermarket doesn't have enough books.

You can get Books at the supermarket, Walgreens, the Library, a Bookstore, online and I assume other places. If you want a book, you can get it. It's not like people just won't buy a book if Walmart doesn't have it.

You are hating the place for problems it doesn't really have.

 

[gutter_trash]

support your local book store, fuck Wal-Mart

 

[The Culture Vulture]

Last time I checked the Walmart book section (while I was waiting on an oil change) they had three different Duck Dynasty books.

 

[Shig]

Having a broad selection of any specific thing just isn't Walmart's purpose. Their movie section is larger than their book section, sure, but they both offer anemic selections based on the larger picture of what's out there. They're the very definition of "jack of all trades, master of none." On the macro level, they carry everything, but on the micro level, there's a way more everything than they can possibly offer. Logistically, they can only offer the Cliff's Notes selection of each phylum they represent.

Somewhat related, as someone who's worked at Walmart recently, the amount of people that blithely walk into their local Walmart under the assumption that everything they see on Walmart's website is just sitting there waiting for them in their local store, and rarin' to argue when informed that it's not now nor has it ever been carried in that store, is astounding.

 

[Preble]

Loll, That was my jam back in the day.

 

[Trin]

Walmart doesn't want to educate kids, it wants to make profit. The few books on its shelves (that aren't coloring books) probably sit a long time before they sell, which they can barely set at a competitive price - not a great product for the reputation of a company that markets itself on low prices.

 

[Valnen]

support your local book store, fuck Wal-Mart

By local book store you mean Barnes & Noble right? Because that's the only worthwhile retail type store to buy books these days.

 

[DarkFlow]

Probably someone who would brag about a meal from Red Lobster.

Is there some problem with red lobster I'm not aware of now?

 

[UFRA]

Is there some problem with red lobster I'm not aware of now?

No, but there was a guy that made a thread about having his first ever four course meal, and it happened to be at a Red Lobster of all places.

 

[Mr.Swag]

Is there some problem with red lobster I'm not aware of now?

I made a thread because I was really full after eating ReD Lobster, and the Red Lobster hate force came out

 

[Valnen]

I made a thread because I was really full after eating ReD Lobster, and the Red Lobster hate force came out

Yeah apparently GAF only eats at super high class restaurants that us chain restaurant peasants can't afford.

 

[SpectreFire]

I think OP is just out of touch with reality.

If the only source of books in a town is Wal-mart, then something is horrible horribly wrong, and it's not Wal-mart.

 

[DarkFlow]

No, but there was a guy that made a thread about having his first ever four course meal, and it happened to be at a Red Lobster of all places.

I made a thread because I was really full after eating ReD Lobster, and the Red Lobster hate force came out

Oh lol. I was gonna say, don't be hating on some cheddar biscuits now.

 

[mj1108]

Because poors and conservatives don't read.

Which is ironic since the books Walmart typically sells are those aimed towards conservatives (Glenn Beck, biblical books, etc..)

 

[Joni]

I don't see the problem.
- 'Poor people' don't need WalMart to buy books, they have these library things where you can borrow books. That will be the better option to start.
- People that enjoy reading, wouldn't buy books at something like WalMart due to limited choices compared to book stores, Amazon, library.
- People that start reading books, would start with more well known books, things that are typically available WalMart.

 

[Trent Strong]

support your local book store, fuck Wal-Mart

I'll support my local Amazon and keep buying Kindle books. Physical books are for cavemen.

 

[hey_monkey]

And we also have grocery stores,and make up stores, and furniture stores, and electronics stores, and sporting goods stores.
Yet Walmart dedicated large sections of its stores to all of those. Why not books?


I'm saying that Walmart is part of the problem.
Many of you here on GAF were born into well off families, as I have noticed from all the replies in my threads, but not everyone has the same luxuries.
There's some kids that only get bonding time with their family during the weekly or biweekly trip to the Walmart.
Everything their household needs canbe found there.
Except books.
And that's what I'm trying to say. They grow up without a book section. To them, books are not important.
And that's bad in my opinion.

I live in a place that has no bookstore for miles.
The closest barnes and nobles or borders is in the next city, which is 20 minutes away. Coincidentally, that city is of higher income.

I figured joke thread but opened it anyway, and you seem kinda sincere here, so I'll try to approach with the same level of sincerity (note: I have not read past the first long page):
Have you considered volunteering? If you live in a low-income area in which learning and reading are not given much attention or are not considered important, I'd suggest doing what you can, even if it's only a little, to counteract that idea. Sadly, I have to agree with many of the other posters who say Wal-Mart isn't going to sell what doesn't make a profit for them, but you're right: people who depend on Wal-Mart for all their needs miss a lot of things, and books are one of them. So what can you do to help your community?

 

[Mr.Swag]

So what can you do to help your community?

I truly don't know.

My city is really fucked, and it's very racially divide, and I don't think there are any volunteer programs in place.
I'm going to look into it, because I truly would like to help this city.

 

[Derwind]

One aisle.
That's all that books have dedicated to at my local Walmart.
What the fuck?
I know it's a low income area, and a store that caters to low income people, but, couldn't this be part of the problem?

These poor people grow up in a society that brushes off intellectualism. It doesn't matter how smart you are, it just matters how much you stuff your face with fast food.

I seriously believe Walmart should, for the good of society, have a large book section.
I don't care if its a bunch of Glenn Beck books, which coincidentally is most of what they had, but they need to start pushing literature more.

Maybe I'm old fashioned but why not just go to a library? Walmart is a department store, not a bookstore. It doesn't cater to avid readers, nor is it invested/responsible for the illiteracy of society.

Lobby for more libraries in your community. Promote used book donations to your local schools and youth. That'll work towards curbing issues over the apathy of intellectualism.

Don't expect more books at Walmart to be a real solution.

 

[hey_monkey]

I truly don't know.

My city is really fucked, and it's very racially divide, and I don't think there are any volunteer programs in place.
I'm going to look into it, because I truly would like to help this city.

I'm sure they exist, but they might not be very well promoted or supported. If you really can't find anything, start searching literacy and reading promotion programs in other cities. Use whatever resources you can to find like-minded individuals, too.

Good luck, man.

 

[iamaustrian]

who reads books?

I have a TV. I need no book

 

[XiaNaphryz]

Yeah apparently GAF only eats at super high class restaurants that us chain restaurant peasants can't afford.

OP brought it upon himself for bringing up fine dining in that thread when Red Lobster is a casual dining restaurant. Relative definition or not, the restaurant group that runs RL operates it as a casual restaurant. Someone from a very poor upbringing may think McDonald's is luxury food, but it doesn't change the fact the McD operates as a fast food chain.

 

[SlickShoesRUCrazy]

http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/

 

[peaceiscloser]

Interestingly enough my local walmart has a huge section for books. There's like 7 aisles.

Of course, this is Utah and 2 of the sections are LDS books.

 

[UltimaPooh]

Dude it's Walmart... All of their sections are streamlined and small only selling the major stuff. Even their grocery side is very specific in what it offers.

You want books go to a book store. You want more abundance of electronics go to an electronic store. You want more tools? Go to a hardware store.

 

[YoungHav]

because "goddamn Libtards and their reading!"

 

[Gr1mLock]

Because its fucking Wallmart.

 

[soundscream]

Is there some problem with red lobster I'm not aware of now?

No but dont make a thread about it being a culinary treat http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=643327&highlight=

By car.

Where do you live?

 

[GusBus]

This might have been an issue pre-21st century. With the advent of the internet, the OP's point is moot. The internet has enabled people from any area or socio-economic class to have access to almost all of humanity's collective knowledge. If you want to learn about anything (including how to get in to school and better you life), that information is found on the web. Pushing Glen Beck books at Wall Mart, is not the answer imho.

 

[NervousXtian]

So let me get this straight. OP is trying to imply that it's somehow Wal-Mart's fault for keeping the poor simpletons who shop there down because they don't stock more books?

...that somehow, Wal-Mart should dedicate substantial square footage to something that more than likely WON'T sell.

That's quite a leap in logic to place the blame on WM in this scenario.

There's these wonderful things called libraries.. and they'll lend you the books for free... also pretty much every school has one as well.

Which is where I got all my books as a kid..not home.. and not the store.

 

[daycru]

Dear God

 

[Eljay]

Wal-Mart does very little "for the good of society," unless you think society == WMT shareholders. See: employee policies, zoning fights, bribery, etc.

 

[meltingparappa]

There's these wonderful things called libraries.. and they'll lend you the books for free... also pretty much every school has one as well.

Which is where I got all my books as a kid..not home.. and not the store.

Especially the aforementioned classics which every library has three dozen copies.

The city of Atlanta has a charity that will put these large birdhouse-type structures in low income neighborhoods that residents can take a book or leave a book at will. It leans heavily on cookbooks, but the last time I walked by they had a copy of Red Badge of Courage.

Getting a child in a low income household to voluntarily read a classic given away for free is a hard enough challenge as is, much less a penguin reprint for $12 while buying the cheapest groceries possible.

I would like to think that competitive prices for prescription drugs coincidentally does more direct good.

 

[Redford]

Because Amazon.

SImply enough, it's just more convenient for the average customer to buy direct from their warehouse. Better choice, better prices, and better experience overall. The only books that sell at Walmart are the ones appealing to an audience too out-of-touch to utilize the internet.

First post etc.

 

[PFD]

Who goes to Walmart to buy books?

.

 

[IISANDERII]

One aisle? That's plenty! How many books can one person read anyway?

 

[JABEE]

Because we have these places called book stores and libraries that caters exclusively to that sort of thing?

Sadly, more and more, libraries are getting shut down in cities due to lack of funding. Kids in shitty neighborhoods can't just go to the library as some in this thread suggest. It's also a problem because the library is the way a lot of lower-income families gain access to the internet. Camden has shut down basically every library in the city. Rutgers is sharing their library with the city of Camden. Not everyone can just go to the library.

I guess that wouldn't impact Walmart which usually sets up its shops in rural/suburban areas of the country. I think Walmart's situation is just a matter of devoting shelf-space to something that just isn't going to sell enough volume to justify carrying a product. They will only order the blockbuster, made-for-film books, books by authors with huge embedded audiences that have crossover demographics with Walmart's customer base, and mega franchises.

 

[Herne]

Why would you go to a supermarket-alike (which is what I understand Walmart is) to buy books? What a weird complaint. I mean, I'm surprised they sell books at all, and wouldn't trust their selection even if my bored eye did rove over that section.