I detest Wal-Mart also and have a similar geographic situation with the proximity of Wal-Mart and Target. Fortunately Target is only about 5-10 minutes further than WM so I generally go there. But I have used WM’s curb pick up for some things and it is very efficient and convenient.

Your reaction sounds like a systemic allergic reaction. It could be from anything that is in Walmart, such as air freshener, cleaning products etc. But in reality it could be anything. I would not chance another trip. A systemic reaction is a medical emergency. I developed systemic reactions to several things over the age of 45 and can tell you it only gets worse with each exposure and can become anaphylactic.

Jet.com is owned by Walmart. I don't know how prices compare online vs. in store (I'm not a customer).

I heard years ago that f. lighting isn't good for us, but I didn't know why. After I did this topic I googled "Fluorescent lighting makes me sick." Goodness, there are a lot of websites on the subject.

There's a smaller grocery store down the street, but I can't get what I want there, but it makes my eye's water. I'm fine in other stores.

This is interesting. A couple of years ago the lady at the cash register gave me the receipt and said to go to their online website and try to win $1,000, and if I did win, she'd receive something because her name was on the receipt. At WM's page, I had to answer a questionnaire about the store. One of the questions asked what I thought about the lighting in the store.

The lighting is awful, especially in the grocery section, and I let them know. So obviously they had a reason to ask about the lighting.

I'd rather not fight traffic in the city to go to Target, along with their large parking lot. Our WM in the next town over is a mini-super center, built for the surrounding rural towns. It's not in a large city, so I get to park pretty close to the entrance, even when they're busy. Get in and get OUT. lol

I'll definitely be reading more about this phenom. online.

I'd guess that you are allergic to something inside the Walmart. Either a cleaning product they use on-site, or something they sell there. Possibly a Walmart-brand cleaning product, since it seems to only bother you in Walmart and not Target?

Shop online.

Interesting. I've been in different WM stores and have found the lighting varies dramatically from store to store. I have not had the reaction you've experienced but maybe it really is the lighting in that particular store. I do shop at WM only on weekday mornings. It seems to be a completely different store than later in the day or weekends. I also shop at this store because they have for years employed people with various physical handicaps in nearly every department and I appreciate that. I've never seen Target do that. These folks do a good job and are very helpful.

I agree it sounds more like something you are inhaling there rather than the lighting (fluorescent light is in many places, and I've never heard of it causing a respiratory reaction). I would definitely think about making the trip to Target instead, especially if you can do bigger shopping trips less often.

I would think if it were the lighting you'd have more of a neurological reaction, like headache, dizziness, etc. It sounds like an allergen to me. I agree with the others...order pet supplies online. Your reaction seems very severe, and your health is too important.

As far as Wal-Mart...I actually LIKE Wal-Mart! My friends think it is funny, bc no one I know shops there really, but my goodness...the prices are soo much cheaper than Target, plus they literally have everything. Target has a much smaller inventory. Granted...there are things I will buy at Target that I wouldn't consider buying at Wal-Mart (towels, bathing suits for dd) but for basics...I'm a WalMart gal! :) Lightbulbs, Rubbermaid totes, toothpaste....everything is significantly cheaper. I buy the six pack of little cartons of Tropicana OJ for the kids lunches. At our local grocery it is $5.15. At WM it is $3.85. That's real $$!! And everything is like that. I'm sorry, but I don't consider myself too whatever to shop there. :) And actually, I think Target has a weird smell...I think it might be those plastic carts or something.

I, too, love Walmart because they keep prices low for poor people and generally have good stuff, esp for the money. Their house brand and name brands are quite decent, imo. I also appreciate that they employ people who might not otherwise have jobs. And, f course, the handicapped. There are no walmarts close to where I am but if I can pop in, I will do so. Not that they need my business. I just kinda like to see what's going on there. And they build stores in challenging neighborhoods.

The Wal-Marts I’m accustomed to are newer construction and use a lot of natural light (skylights) during the day. Sometimes the electric lighting isn’t on at all if it’s a bright enough day outside. But, I noticed a few years ago there was some sort of cleaning product that was being used “backstage” in the meat area that, frankly, gave me nausea and a headache. The smell permeated that end of the store, and walking past the opening to the back are in the meat department was something I avoided at all costs. DH does most of the grocery shopping now, so I haven’t been exposed to it lately. But you could be experiencing something similar.

I usually get a runny nose at the mall. Some of it is due to their HVAC system, but I also noticed that they must spray the clothing with something scented. I shop at Macy's once in a while and noticed when I get home that the clothes are very perfumed. The odor goes away when the clothes are washed. So I'm not sure if they spray the clothes or they have some room fresheners tied into their HVAC and the scent just gets on everything.

oakley, maybe you can try wearing a surgical mask while shopping to see if it helps not to breathe in whatever is there. If the mask helps, then you will know it isn't the lights.

Walmart has a great CHEAP delivery option. A Bff of mine is in a wheel chair and finds it near impossible to be out shopping. She has everything and anything they sell delivered for free!! Dog food is her favorite as it is sooo heavy.

What if you tried some lightly tinted sunglasses, if nothing else, to eliminate the fluorescent lighting possibility?

Have you tried taking a Benadryl or some other allergy medication before you go there? It could even be a mold issue? I used to always get this nasty taste in my mouth every time I went to Sam's Club which was caused by the tire department. As soon as I would smell the rubber, I would taste rubber in my mouth. It doesn't happen anymore for some reason although the tire department is still right by the front door.

I'd guess that it's most likely some cleaners they are using like to sanitize their floors. That would be enough to keep me out of the store. Have you tried Dollar General or Family Dollar for these items? Often times they have the same thing as Walmart for about the same price and they are normally in every small town these days. When I used to live in Arkansas, Family Dollar became my new best friend so I didn't have to drive 45 minutes to the closest town that had stores.

Chispa, sorry about your nose but OTOH I'm thrilled someone else is experiencing this! lol. I don't think it's a scent problem because I'd start coughing like I do around cosmetic/perfume counters in department stores.

Sandplum, the glasses are a good idea except our WM is already too dark in in the grocery section. Which I don't get, because this WM is relatively new.

Did you all know that headquarters in AR control heat and air temps in all the stores? Ridiculous.

I stopped ordering dog food online when two cases of canned food were mostly dented. What I also don't like about buying pet food online is I have no idea how old it is. At WM, it's probably the #1 product sold, so I know they get fresh shipments all the time.

Arkansas girl, I never thought about taking an antihistimine. A Benadryl would knock me out, but a Zyrtec would be a great idea!

There's a small DG in town but I doubt they sell large bags and cases of food. I have to buy for 3 cats too, dry and canned food.

One cool thing did happen at WM yesterday. A week ago an ad on facebook had a Christmas tree with wrapped presents underneath it. The wrapping paper was black with some gold design. Black was the main color. I flipped out because I wanted it so bad! I googled and googled and could only find a few rolls that were either too expensive or not what I wanted.

When leaving the pet section to go to the grocery section of WM, I strolled through their Christmas aisles to pick up some fairy lights. Guess what they had? Yep! They only had a few rolls left. I like to do themed gift wrapping if I have decent paper.

Much nicer than the picture shows. The roll of paper on the right doesn't have those colored sparkles on it, my camera added those. All the Reindeer are glittery. :)

Try Jet.com for household items and Chewy.com for pet supplies. I've used both for some time and am very pleased.

I've heard great things about chewy but have not ordered from them myself but a friend does. I'm pretty sure their customer service is outstanding (I've heard) so if you did get dented cans, you could just contact them and they would send new ones out. Also, try asking the manager if they could get you some cases of dog and cat food at Dollar General...I bet they will!

We order our 30 pound bags of dog food from Chewy.com. They have ever size. Free shipping if you order $49 worth. Since pet food and supplies are their entire business, they must be getting new stock at least as often as Walmart. Never had a problem, but I doubt that age of what you order is a problem and if the cans are damaged, you could always return them or if they look damaged from the outside, refuse to take delivery. Not difficult.

I have never shopped at Walmart, but if it made me physically ill, I would drive the extra miles or order online.

I'll take a look at Chewy. I did something this morning that made me think it could be the cause of the runny nose. I walked up the hill to DS's house to get his dogs that I watch during the day. But first I went inside the "barn" which isn't a barn but a big metal building, to get some containers of Christmas decor.

I did my usual fast walk, got what I needed, got the dogs, then fast walked back down the hill. It was a good workout. When I came inside my nose was running just like it was at WM's, and I was hot because I had my jacket on.

WM still causes watery eyes though. Not sure why this is happening after I do a lot of walking at a fast pace because I do it all the time. And I always get hot at WM, even in short sleeves. Could it be the workout?

I have been using Petco delivery -- no fees -- for 30lb bags of cat litter, canned pet food, dry food, food bowls, toys, treats, whatever is wanted. And Amazon for nearly everything -- but Target delivers, too, they used to send me what I needed way up in the mountains of Colorado in a tiny town. The UPS guy learned something from bringing me deliveries! Good luck.

Arkansas Girl - you are so right about the customer service at Chewy! I have a friend who uses them and she had a pet die before a recurring order she had shipped. She emailed them to end the deliveries and they send her a small bouquet for the loss of her dog! I had to send something back, I believe a bag of dry food that had a sooner than I liked expiration date (takes a while for a little dog to eat a bag of food) and they replaced it and sent a free treat or toy (I can't remember what), and followed up via email. Very good customer service. As with Jet also.

I never go there because I get a rash almost immediately..get all itchy and red. I'm sensitive though, lots of allergies, Benadryl's always with me.

What's interesting is when we went to Nicaragua I got rush in their chain of local groceries so had to step out..later we learned this chain belongs to WalMart. Lol

maybe dust or something they clean dust with..? some product they use daily?

But I'm honestly alergic to whatever there

At least it's not as embarrasing..sometimes I can get bad cough when many people, dusty environment..and say it's some sort of gathering..there were couple times when I had to excuse myself and leave since I can't cough through whole thing and bother others. Felt awful.

Yes, please do watch that PBS/Frontline documentary!!! It was over 10 years ago, but very well done.

"A race to the bottom" is how the "wm effect" is sometimes described by some vendors, retail economists, & retailers. It's like a black hole. In some areas, they just suck the life out of a region, and/or a brand.

I may have said this b4 about wm..... I wouldn't go there unless they had the last pills on Earth that would keep me alive. Even then.......

Faron

So many replies to this I had to skip down because I'm short on time right now, but I also hate spending time in Walmart - esp. the megalomart-sized supercenters, so I order & pay for things online & pick them up @ the service desk. Walmart offers discounts on many items using the free pickup and you can filter your search results to reflect that. The process is also pretty smooth compared to some other sites & I believe you can order groceries as well as household goods.

Walmart has actually cleaned up its act quite a bit since the bad old days of yesteryear, so I don't boycott it like I used to, tho the premises still give off that same depressing vibe I've always felt when I'm there.

Apologies if this has already been said...

I love WM, never get a rash, order a lot of stuff there online but go to the store for fresh food.

But I sympathize with anyone who has suffered physical symptoms.

oakley, don't discount the online. Many of my friends are big into getting their groceries on line now and they all seem to agree that they get the freshest and best pick of what's in store b/c it comes from the bins in back - not what's picked over and put out front.

I thought of you today, Oakley, when I was sneezing in WalMart. :)

LOL, littlebug! I'm wondering if my WM does pickup with groceries. The only downside is I like to browse the aisles for something new. I get groceries once a week so you can imagine how many things I have to pick up, including pet food.

I'll do some searching online to see if they participate and if so, I might give it a shot. Thanks!

Earlier Oakley mentioned that the temps in Walmart stores are controlled from their headquarters in AR. Target's temps are controlled from their headquarters in Minnesota. The stores could save tons of bucks on climate control if they allowed the stores to set their own temps. Everyone here complains how cold the stores are both summer and winter..

Ive been getting sick from Walmart too! I have had diarrhea since i went to the store yesterday, its something in the air, fragrance type crap and now sanitizer mixed with it, ive been getting sick every time I have gone recently.

I fail to see why ANYONE goes to those horrendous, "Race to the bottom" stores.

I wouldn't go into a wm unless it had the last bottle of medicine ON EARTH that would keep me alive.....

Faron

Any company that takes out peasant insurance on people with whom they have NO insurable interest is a giant NOPE from me. They probably made millions of tax-free $$ off of these people, whose families could not even afford to bury them. I am with Faron....

I'm another who doesn't do Walmart. Ever. Whatever they are selling I can get somewhere else even if it's not rock bottom cost. And I'm ok with it to avoid sustaining that particular corporate entity.

I have never understood the 'I hate it but I have to go there' mindset. Especially after a pandemic year of stores-and customer-honing their delivery/virtual/online service skills, there isn't anything at a local Walmart that is an exclusive commodity unavailable in any other mercantile establishment.

@runninginplace I’m with you! I never shop Walmart. Never.

I had to look up the meaning of peasant insurance. Strange. Walmart ended the practice in 2000.

If you look on Walmart's website, it lays out their employee benefits. I can't tell whether they are up to industry standards or not - medical, dental, 401K. But the devil is in the details.

Benefits

I like Wal Mart but we have a nice one and it's very convenient for me. No Target here. I typically go during the day and it's rarely crowded. Price does mater to me and so does convenience.

Price, convenience, conditioning ... there are any number of reasons that people shop at Walmart. In our previous neighborhood, we were surrounded by low income communities and a food desert. We had the relative luxury of getting in the car and driving a number of miles away to shop at Target, but many around us did not. I saw many individuals waiting to take the bus to and from Walmart, and that is probably not an uncommon scenario.

We live in a small town in a rural area. We have one grocery store and a Walmart. It is a 60 mile drive in any direction for any other store. Yes, I could do delivery but I prefer to occasionally shop myself. When we do drive the 60 miles for doctor appointments we stock up on essentials. Given my options, it is usually Walmart for me.

I dislike the idea that only poor people shop at Walmart, I think smart people shop at Walmart and I see my dentist and doctors and other members of the professional business community shopping at the Walmart here all the time

That's a true and valid point, Bumblebeez -- but it's also true that for many people, there is simply no other viable shopping option.

This thread reminded me of my daughter‘s reaction to Robinson’s dept store in Santa Barbara. This was many years ago when she was about 3-6 months old. It was in an open air mall and she was very happy to be strolled about. But the second I went into that store she would literally start screaming. Every. Single. Time. And every time I would turn around and wheel her out. So, while I don’t know what is causing your reaction, I know that it is real and could be peculiar only to you.

I once walked past the candle aisle at walmart and had an immediate, terrible allergic reaction. Whatever brand they sell, it's awful. (Candles at other stores offend me but don't make me suffer like these ones do.) If you're really sensitive, maybe the candle scent fumes are reaching across the whole store?

I despise walmart and only try it if I can't find something anywhere else.

My trips to our Walmart will be ending immediately. I become very lightheaded and dizzy accompanied by tunnel vision like a migraine headache. Takes about 30 minutes after I leave the store to get my senses back.

I hate going inside all of those big box stores, especially Walmart. I did mention it here 5 years ago, but that was pre-pandemic.

Now I use Walmart's curbside pickup and free shipping, so I don't ever have to go in at all. When you place an order over a certain amount, items that aren't available in-store can be delivered free of charge.

I use the app and also place orders on the web.

Why is this thread jumbled up? I've seen most of the posts at least twice, and some that are five years old show up after ones that are new or two years old.

I've never been inside a Walmart - there aren't any close to me in L.A. I do occasionally shop at Target, but only once every couple of years or so, and the smell there does offend me.

I also hated the fluorescent lights I used to have in my office and was so glad when I could retire and not have to put up with them. They seemed to sap my energy, and they also affected my mood.

There have been a bunch of older posts getting commented on out of nowhere lately.

Often but not always, the one who brings it back up goes back later on to add some spammy link. Not always but that seems to explain it often.

Sometimes it's a good stroll down memory lane.

I have a post on St John knits that keeps coming back. I’ve tried to delete the entire post to stop that, but I had no luck deleting it.