I've been searching for the last couple of months for some 0w20 oil so I could change my oil. I didn't want to get it from the dealership because if I am going to pay $6 a quart, it's at least going to be synthetic (ie: Mobil One). The only place I can find it is Walmart, and they obviously only get in a very small amount based on the amount of space dedicated to it (and the fact that they are always sold out).

Last week I took the kids to Walmart to get a Christmas present for their mother, and went back to the automotive aisle and they had just finished unloading their two case allotment. I bought all 12 quarts. Sorry to the rest of the Hybrid 'do it yourselfers' in Northern Virginia. I should be good now for the next 1.5 years.

Now I just need to get replacements for the two undercarraige fasteners I broke trying to get to the oil drain plug and I'll be set.

 

If anyone ever needs any Mobile 1 Ow20, let me know. Both of the Walmarts in my town always have several quarts available. I'd be happy to pick them up for you and send them if you don't mind covering the shipping.

 

i have had my eye out for 0w20 for a while, but i refuse to get it from wal-mart. All of the local auto-parts stores have assured me they can order it when i need it.

I guess that my hatred of wal-mart runs deeper than the average hybrid driver though.

my recommendation is that you find a locally owned auto-parts store and have them order it as the money you spend will at least stay in your town.

stepping off soap box now... sorry but i cant let a wal*mart shopper go without adding my .02

 

These still exist?

 

there is a shop in my town called speedway auto parts, they deliver parts to your house or business and are defiantly local.

 

In my town, your only option is to choose between several large chains of auto shops, all of which have contributed to putting the "mom and pop's" out of business. I shop at Walmart for my oil because they're the cheapest of the large chains.

I saw an interesting quantitative research study once that suggested that people who claim to be fundamentally against Wal-mart actually shop there more than the average person. I believe the study was conducted by a Chicago University. Maybe it's different in Indianapolis.

 

I have not purchased anything from wal-mart in over 5 years.

i am not fundamentally against wal-mart, but thier labor practices, the forcing of manufacturing over seas to a country that still murders people for believing the wrong way, the destruction of small town economies etc.

they assist their employees in filling out welfare paperwork to make up for the lack of benefits walmart can easily afford to provide but chooses not to. if they werent doggedly on a one track course of being beholden to unlrealistic growth expectations by shareholder this would be a very easy problem to fix.

They keep artifically pushing and pushing manufacturers to establish overseas (chineese) manufacturing facilities. there is no consumer outcry to lower prices of goods. Infact they often do not lower the price of goods when the cost is decreased by sometimes 99 percent. For example if a shoe costs you 50 dollars for a made in America version, walmart may pay 35 bucks, they get that same shoe in china for 1.25 and still sell it to you for 50 dollars. The problem is that the manufacturing capital has now been shifted to china and is no longer supporting Americas economy in anyway. Trade with china is a one way street. They cannot afford our products so we ship them raw materials and they ship us finished product.

as for the labor you can simply google walmart lawsuit and see settlements for 100's of millions for mistreating workers, everything from forcing them to clock out and keep working to locking people in stores at night. They claim about 85 percent full time employees, which means they are eligable for the walmart health care plan. They dont tell you that they consider full time a megar 24 hours a week. at 6 bucks and hour thats 144 dollars for a weeks work. after taxes how on earth are these people supposed to pay for healthcare? Look at the quarterly earnings statements (http://finance.google.com/finance?q=WMT) and tell me they cant afford health care.

There are many good books out about the problems with the wal-mart economy. I highly recommend the PBS Frontline episode "Is Wal*Mart Good for America". You can watch it online here: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/walmart/

If you do some reading about what they are doing to the economy you will probably be startled. But you have to be willing to listen. I mean with an open mind. If you already have your mind made up about how you feel you will never learn anything.

This problem isnt just walmart and i dont want you to believe that i think that. If walmart goes away someone else will fill the void. There is too much money to be made with the trade model they have established. Walmart is however by far the largest part of the problem and its a good place to start correcting the problem. We cant wait around for a solution that fixes it over night.

vote with your dollars, I implore you to start thinking about what your money is doing when you spend it.

if you would like more sources of material to help explain more of the problems, as i have only scratched the surface and not done a great job backing it up, please let me know. I assure you that there are more issues here than you would believe.

 

http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/news/20051117-adh.html
good reference if your willing to read

http://www.walmartmovie.com/
the high cost of low price does a good job exposing some of the issues, but inst as objective as the frontline episode.

http://www.nupge.ca/news_2005/n19oc05a.htm
this is coming from a country that got a walmart shut down by unionizing the workers. This is something walmart corporate will spend a great deal of money to keep from happening in the states. They have a response team to deal with labor issues at local stores. Part of the response is to survail the employees to find the "ring leaders" and dismiss them.

http://edworkforce.house.gov/democra.../rel21604.html
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articl...5/ai_108538942
http://www.americaneconomicalert.org...sp?Prod_ID=933
http://news.yahoo.com/s/bloomberg/20...g/a6jovd6gbk0g

i am sure most people wont bother to learn, but if your truly interested the above is a small start.

 

My WMs in Lake county, IL never seemed to have it either. They initially told me it was a "low demand" item and they would stock it intermittently. Finally, almost all the WMs I've been in as of late are regularly stocking at least 10-12 qts.

 

Question:
How many quarts does the HCH-1 take, including a filter change?