[2cld]

Wal-Mart has filed a federal lawsuit over a warped version of its logo appearing on T-shirts with the word "Wal-ocaust" in blue over an Iron Eagle clutching a yellow smiley face.

More story here:
http://www.clickondetroit.com/money/8653675/detail.html

 

[CoolHandLuke]

I like it! #$%^ Mal-Wart!

 

[johnsmith]

Walmarts are taking over there are 10, yes 10 Walmarts within 30 minutes from my home.

 

[monkeylantern]

And they bought out the UK chain ASDA, and are slowly rebranding them....oh the tragedy.

 

[skulltshirts]

Wal-Mart = saving money! Lets face it, I went to wal mart the other day and every single item i purchased was cheaper than at the other stores in town. What I dont like is how big the stores are and having to go all the way thru to get what you want.
Thomas

 

[monkeylantern]

The reason they are so cheap is because they crush manufacturers and virtually decimate the profit margins of their suppliers.


Search for "walmart" and "pickles"

 

[DickTees.net]

I never go to Walmart unless I am traveling through some sad little town and need some shoe laces or something and there is no other place to shop. I loath them. We tried to do our grocery shopping there a few times... but when families decide to bring 4 generations along on shopping excursions, blocking the aisles with 10-20 relatives, it tends to get extremely counter productive for the rest of us.

Contrary to what skullshirts1 says, I have seen merchandise priced higher at Walmarts than at Target. Sure Walmart price matches, but you actually have to be able to read in order to determine if a competitor has a lower price advertised. I think Walmart is gambling that the type of patron that they tend to cater to is not capable of that or can't pry themselves away from Court TV long enough to check. It's like a fleecing of America's lowest common denominator.

 

[Cassidy]

Walmart ran everyone out of our town and then jacked there prices up.

 

[EmiBeans]

I'm not a fan of WM either. They've run out many, many small mom and pop shops and I can't even remember the last time I went inside one.

I did recently read a fairly unscientific, but interesting article that compared a list of random items to see if WM or Target was cheaper. On most things WM was cheaper...but by pennies, rather than dollars, and overall they were almost even. I don't know if Target is that much better, but it seems to have a better public image.

Eh...there's my 2 cents.

Jenn

 

[skulltshirts]

We don't have a target within 80 miles of where I live... I myself usually go to K-Mart around my area. Its smaller and prices are somewhat comparable. Actually I don't even care about prices, I like the fact the store is smaller and less busy.
I can get in and out in less time. How many people go to Wal Mart to get prescriptions filled? Man that takes over an hour, I think they do that to force you to walk around the store and buy their stuff. At K-Mart, they fill your stuff right then and there while you wait, usually takes them like less than 5 minutes.
Thomas

 

[Solmu]

Sure Walmart price matches, but you actually have to be able to read in order to determine if a competitor has a lower price advertised. I think Walmart is gambling that the type of patron that they tend to cater to is not capable of that or can't pry themselves away from Court TV long enough to check.

Haha, that deserved to be read twice.

 

[Quickne$$]

He's only getting sued because he ignored their cease & desist request and he sued Walmart first. Yeah, Walmart is an evil, predatory company that treats their workers badly. But I buy very little there because their prices aren't that great and their selection is really lousy compared to specialty stores. Walmart reminds me of the 99 cent stores with their poor quality merchandise. The internet is where I go to save money. I'm planning on buying a whole bunch of spices off the internet because the spices at the supermarket are a massive rip-off. I also like Smart & Final (a warehouse grocery store). They have some things for about half the normal price, but you have to buy a large amount.

Now as for K-Mart, I like them. That store is nostalgic for me. I remember going there as a kid and getting Icees. I hope they survive. Even now I still like shopping there once in a while. I like the atmosphere there.

 

[Natitown]

I agree w/Emibeans...the local WM in my area is cheaper only by pennies, not dollars. I love a bargin but nothing can drag me into a WM. Remember the old saying "the bigger they are, they harder they fall."

 

[Rodney]

I don't want to turn this into a big bash Walmart thread

This site is about t-shirts, so let's try to keep the discussion related to that topic. We don't allow company bashing on the forum.

Bringing it back to the topic

I think the original post is more about WalMart trying to protect the Wal Mart trademark. We've seen other cases like this posted to the forums (companies trying to establish or protect a trademark). What do you think makes this case different (if it is at all)?

 

[Solmu]

I think the original post is more about WalMart trying to protect the Wal Mart trademark. We've seen other cases like this posted to the forums (companies trying to establish or protect a trademark). What do you think makes this case different (if it is at all)?

I think the only real difference is how much most people seem to hate Walmart.

In general as a business owner getting likened to the Third Reich is really not what you're after. The parody is pretty extreme, and if that happened to a small business owner (i.e. most of the people on these forums) the owner (and even some bystanders) would be extremely hurt and couldn't dial a lawyer fast enough to sue the guy out of existence.

So while company bashing may not be particularly appropriate here... I think that really is the only difference when it comes down to it. We could argue for free expression through t-shirts etc. and may well support someone's right to free speech if they applied the same concept to a different company - but the only reason so many people are actively cheering it on is... we don't like Walmart.

I certainly don't blame them for trying to protect their trademark in this instance (I would if I was them). Still hope they lose though.