Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

snakeweasel

abacomike said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

He needs to spend more time in Walmart to understand the demographic.

Admit it you want it.

I cannot imagine any sane, sober person in possession of their faculties would find that anything but repulsive.

Remember we are a nation that salivates over reality stars.



K-Mart or Sears - not Walmart!  Everyone shops at Walmart at one time or another.  Even I shop at Walmart for OTC meds, vitamins, shaving products, tooth paste, shampoo, and even cheeses and dry goods.  

I compared prices at Publix and Winn Dixie with Walmart - Walmart was 15-20% less on most products I buy.  That's significant!  

I am not so sure about that, I know a few people who refuse to shop at wally world. As a matter of fact the only times I am in a wally world is when I get a wally world gift card that my tax service boss gives us every year. If it wasn't for that I would likely never set foot in a wally world.

stickguy

I go to Walmart for select things. Dog biscuits, cereal, and a few others. Mostly we shop Target though for that type of store.

but, one thing we do use is the Wally World pharmacy now. For my dog. He recently went on insulin. The vet knew the, and asked what we used normally for pharmacy (CVS, part of our medical plan). They told us that WW or target would likely be cheaper, and said they would make some calls.

well, turns out (as they already knew!) that they were right. For the same exact name brand insulin (identical, and same stuff humans use), CVS was ~$125. WW was ~$25. Yes, 1/5th the price. Needless to say, I get it at WW, and that pharmacy is always jumping.

berri

I've found that Walmart is much better about returns than Target.

abacomike

@snakeweasel:

I will not shop in just any Walmart - there are several within 6-7 miles of me that I would not enter for any reason.  I shop at one that is about a 15 minute drive from where I live.  The store is clean, well organized and very customer friendly.

I shop at Publix for things like "2-fers", fresh bagels, fruits, vegetables and when I rarely buy meats and poultry.  But frozen dinners and other frozen foods, Publix is way over-priced.  I spend about $100.00 a month at Publix and about $250.00 a month at Walmart.

stickguy

I have never had a problem at target. helps that we have a Target red card that we use (5% off the bill is nice), so easy to find what we bought even without a receipt. Walmart return lines near me are always long and slow.

abacomike

stickguy said:

I have never had a problem at target. helps that we have a Target red card that we use (5% off the bill is nice), so easy to find what we bought even without a receipt. Walmart return lines near me are always long and slow.

I have never had to return anything at Walmart or Target.  I do find Target to be much brighter, cleaner and better organized that most Walmarts.  I really should try shopping at Super Target the next time I go shopping for food.  Worth a shot and they have more parking.

venture

fezo said:

Oh, yesterday I go to the eye doctor, an appointment that was well overdue. Most everything is OK considering my eyes other than the cost of replacing lenses (they are so damn expensive I'm just using the old frames) and a confirmation that indeed I'm turning 65 in 10 days - moderate cataracts. Lots of things make sense now knowing that and the doctor said under normal circumstances he's go after them now but I only have the one good eye and while cataract surgery these days is easy and virtually foolproof it's that virtually that is the rub. Says at one point we'll have to do it but to hang on until I decide it's interfering with life.

Some of you guys have had cataract surgery. Do tell.....

I had cataract surgery when I was about 52 (don't remember exactly). I spend a lot of time in the sun.

The Dr. said for someone that young there is a possibility of scarring since it may heal too quickly and they may have to go back in with a laser to remove the scar tissue. (I didn't "get it", but that's what he said). I didn't have any problems with either eye.

Anyway...they did one and then the other a few weeks later. I went from 20-400 in the first eye to 20-15 20 minutes later. No regrets.

graphicguy

I enjoy a good bourbon. One of my favorite trips was following the bourbon trail with a final stop at the Corvette plant and Museum.

Right now, Basil Hayden and Jefferson Reserve are two Christmas gifts I am currently enjoying!

abacomike

graphicguy said:

I enjoy a good bourbon. One of my favorite trips was following the bourbon trail with a final stop at the Corvette plant and Museum. Right now, Basil Hayden and Jefferson Reserve are two Christmas gifts I am currently enjoying!

GG, I must be psychic!!!  I went to the cabinet and poured 2 fingers of bourbon "neat" and just sat down in my recliner and began to "sip" when I saw your post.

I know no one would believe me if I said I "don't drink hard liquor," but it's true.  I rarely drink wine or beer.  But this Christmas gift of JD Sinatra 100 has got me hooked.  A little bit here and there won't hurt me, but it tastes so good!!!  

abacomike

What truly frustrates me is that I have extended cable TV with HDTV and HBO and Encore as well as On Demand, but there is absolutely NOTHING watchable on cable tonight.  I feel like an idiot watching Animal Planet with Vets treating ducks, hedgehogs, chinchillas, and wild sheep.  Thank goodness for the bourbon!  

Michaell

abacomike said:

What truly frustrates me is that I have extended cable TV with HDTV and HBO and Encore as well as On Demand, but there is absolutely NOTHING watchable on cable tonight.  I feel like an idiot watching Animal Planet with Vets treating ducks, hedgehogs, chinchillas, and wild sheep.  Thank goodness for the bourbon!  

Nothing on velocity?

abacomike

Michaell said:

abacomike said:

What truly frustrates me is that I have extended cable TV with HDTV and HBO and Encore as well as On Demand, but there is absolutely NOTHING watchable on cable tonight.  I feel like an idiot watching Animal Planet with Vets treating ducks, hedgehogs, chinchillas, and wild sheep.  Thank goodness for the bourbon!  

Nothing on velocity?

Zilch, all repeats!

Michaell

abacomike said:

Michaell said:

abacomike said:

What truly frustrates me is that I have extended cable TV with HDTV and HBO and Encore as well as On Demand, but there is absolutely NOTHING watchable on cable tonight.  I feel like an idiot watching Animal Planet with Vets treating ducks, hedgehogs, chinchillas, and wild sheep.  Thank goodness for the bourbon!  

Nothing on velocity?

Zilch, all repeats!

 If you have on demand, I suggest you begin watching the series Rectify on the Sundance Channel 

abacomike

Michaell said:

abacomike said:

Michaell said:

abacomike said:

What truly frustrates me is that I have extended cable TV with HDTV and HBO and Encore as well as On Demand, but there is absolutely NOTHING watchable on cable tonight.  I feel like an idiot watching Animal Planet with Vets treating ducks, hedgehogs, chinchillas, and wild sheep.  Thank goodness for the bourbon!  

Nothing on velocity?

Zilch, all repeats!

 If you have on demand, I suggest you begin watching the series Rectify on the Sundance Channel 

I am 10 minutes from meeting my REM sleep pattern.  Good evening all!  

fezo

venture - thanks. I feel less worried about it. I'm going to hold off due to the one eye bit but there are a host of issues that I'd been attributing to needing new glasses that are clearly due to the cataracts. I can manage pretty well now with it. Have had to make some adjustments in driving that I'll probably reverse once I do end up getting it done.

Tonight they had a new year's night event down the road. Food trucks, local music and fireworks at 6. Unfortunately they had too few trucks which resulted in long lines which wouldn't have been awful but it's finally decided to be winter here. Then the fireworks turned out to be the JV team but a good time anyway.

graphicguy

Actually enjoying an Amazon Prime series....Mozart in the Jungle with some Jefferson Reserve

oldfarmer50

Mr_Shiftright said:

Not likely from fracking, but the more "normal" method of extracting large volumes of water from non-fracked wells and then injecting this water into deep sedimentary formations can cause quakes of significant size. So says the USGS science page.

Probably right. There are earthquakes in the plains from farmers pumping irrigation water from ancient deep aquifers. Frackers are moving away from water injection towards using propane to "frack" the rock.

A lot of the media reports have a distinct bias. One I saw reported a claim that Fracking caused syphilis.

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/latest-anti-drilling-claims-laughing-gas-article-1.1165244

ab348

abacomike said:

What truly frustrates me is that I have extended cable TV with HDTV and HBO and Encore as well as On Demand, but there is absolutely NOTHING watchable on cable tonight.  I feel like an idiot watching Animal Planet with Vets treating ducks, hedgehogs, chinchillas, and wild sheep.  Thank goodness for the bourbon!  

I discovered last night that my On Demand assortment includes a number of Velocity programs even though I don't get Velocity, so I spent the night binge-watching Chasing Classic Cars with Wayne Carini.

ab348

abacomike said:

I have never had to return anything at Walmart or Target.  I do find Target to be much brighter, cleaner and better organized that most Walmarts.  I really should try shopping at Super Target the next time I go shopping for food.  Worth a shot and they have more parking.

I would guess a lot of the experience you receive depends on the individual store or regional manager. Up here, I have started going to Walmart over the last year or so for certain things where they are much less expensive than the other retailers in town. You have to limit yourself to those things because they are not cheaper on everything nor is the quality always the same. At the store I use, I've returned things a couple of times and they were great, quick and easy, no questions asked.

Target made an ill-advised incursion into the Canadian market a few years ago and it was a total disaster from day one. People familiar with both said that while the stores physically looked similar to their US stores, the products and pricing were very different. Poor assortment, high prices, and lots of supply chain issues leading to empty shelves. It was as if they had never run a retail store chain before and did not have a clue. After losing billions they pulled out after less than 2 years. Unreal.

carnaught

Walmart grocery store prices are hard to beat on most, not all, things. Target Super Duper Store prices on the groceries are not as favorable, and we've noticed that their expiration dates are a lot sooner than comparable products at Wally World.

I agree, though, that one has to be selective on which Wally World they go to, related to the sleaze factor.

cdnpinhead

In cities, or even large towns, WalMart can come in without completely obliterating the existing retail establishment. Small towns are different. WalMart comes in, most of the local merchants go broke, then to add to the indignity, sometimes WalMart decides there isn't enough business there after all and pulls out.

It's an open quesiton as to whether the pricing advantage WalMart has offers more value to an area than the existence of local merchants, but I come down on the side of the local merchants. I buy lots of stuff at the more-or-less local Ace Hardware in Heber and the little IGA grocery store, even though I'm sure I could get better prices down in the Phoenix metro area, or even in Payson.

In my life I've been inside two WalMarts; looking to keep it that way.

BTW, Happy 2016 everyone!

carnaught

cdnpinhead said:

In cities, or even large towns, WalMart can come in without completely obliterating the existing retail establishment. Small towns are different. WalMart comes in, most of the local merchants go broke, then to add to the indignity, sometimes WalMart decides there isn't enough business there after all and pulls out.

It's an open quesiton as to whether the pricing advantage WalMart has offers more value to an area than the existence of local merchants, but I come down on the side of the local merchants. I buy lots of stuff at the more-or-less local Ace Hardware in Heber and the little IGA grocery store, even though I'm sure I could get better prices down in the Phoenix metro area, or even in Payson.

In my life I've been inside two WalMarts; looking to keep it that way.

BTW, Happy 2016 everyone!

Your's is a nobel approach, but also a matter of practicality, as the metro Phoenix area is quite a hike from your location, mitigating any savings. Any large-box chain tend to bury the mom-and-pop merchants, something my personal shopping habits won't unfortunately change.

snakeweasel

cdnpinhead said:

In cities, or even large towns, WalMart can come in without completely obliterating the existing retail establishment. Small towns are different. WalMart comes in, most of the local merchants go broke, then to add to the indignity, sometimes WalMart decides there isn't enough business there after all and pulls out.

In cities and large towns WalMart faces competition from large national corporations who have the buying power to keep their costs down and play WalMarts game. In little towns it's all mom and pop establishments that don't have those advantages and WalMart can easily bury them.

suydam

Not a Walmart fan. I never find the prices cheaper and their labor practices are awful.

houdini1

I have always given Walmart credit for their huge success in spite of local merchants in many places trying to keep them out of their area. Seems the nail standing tallest always gets pounded on. Once, when they were being picketed because of low wages, someone interviewed one of the guys being paid to picket. Turns out he was making much less per hour than Walmart employees. I have always taken advantage of their low prices on certain items.

oldfarmer50

houdini1 said:

I have always given Walmart credit for their huge success in spite of local merchants in many places trying to keep them out of their area. Seems the nail standing tallest always gets pounded on. Once, when they were being picketed because of low wages, someone interviewed one of the guys being paid to picket. Turns out he was making much less per hour than Walmart employees. I have always taken advantage of their low prices on certain items.

Some of the negative things said about Walmart are true but the most vocal are usually from those with an agenda or those who oppose Capitalism in any form. These folks know how to use the media to paint Walmart in the worst possible light.

stever

The big box stores won me over due to their "easy" return policies. I still shop True Value and my local lumberyard and the specialty grocer here, but I'll shop 'em all. The Walmarts here are pretty good as is the Target. Not a big fan of Albertson's. Would rather have a Publix. We're too small for Trader Joes but have the Lowes and most of the chain stores. One of the bigger disappoints has been the nearest Costco down in El Paso. It's not worth the drive.

graphicguy

snakeweasel said:

cdnpinhead said:

In cities, or even large towns, WalMart can come in without completely obliterating the existing retail establishment. Small towns are different. WalMart comes in, most of the local merchants go broke, then to add to the indignity, sometimes WalMart decides there isn't enough business there after all and pulls out.

In cities and large towns WalMart faces competition from large national corporations who have the buying power to keep their costs down and play WalMarts game. In little towns it's all mom and pop establishments that don't have those advantages and WalMart can easily bury them.

I have heard this WalMart argument for years....WalMart moves in and shuts down the smaller competition because people prefer to shop at WalMart. At the end of the day, it's the customers who decide they'd rather buy from WalMart than from their hometown stores they've been supporting for years. Don't want a WalMart? Don't shop there and continue supporting the local stores.

Don't rail on the Waltons because you won't suppor your local merchants. WalMart is just practicing capitalism!

stever

Or they try to - one store got shut out by planning and zoning in Boise because of politics by the "ins".

Or maybe it was a Fred Meyers.

snakeweasel

graphicguy said:

snakeweasel said:

cdnpinhead said:

In cities, or even large towns, WalMart can come in without completely obliterating the existing retail establishment. Small towns are different. WalMart comes in, most of the local merchants go broke, then to add to the indignity, sometimes WalMart decides there isn't enough business there after all and pulls out.

In cities and large towns WalMart faces competition from large national corporations who have the buying power to keep their costs down and play WalMarts game. In little towns it's all mom and pop establishments that don't have those advantages and WalMart can easily bury them.

I have heard this WalMart argument for years....WalMart moves in and shuts down the smaller competition because people prefer to shop at WalMart. At the end of the day, it's the customers who decide they'd rather buy from WalMart than from their hometown stores they've been supporting for years. Don't want a WalMart? Don't shop there and continue supporting the local stores.

Don't rail on the Waltons because you won't suppor your local merchants. WalMart is just practicing capitalism!

I am not railing on anyone, just stating why Walmarts competition suffers in small rural areas and not in larger population centers. Small rural towns are serviced mostly by mom and pop shops that cannot match Walmarts prices. In larger population centers where national chains are at they face competition that can match their prices hence they can survive, be it good bad or indifferent that is the economic reality.

tjc78

The American consumer is to blame for all the giant big box stores.  Everyone wants "more for less" and larger stores (especially Walmart) have the ability to buy in huge quantities, import anything they want and basically set the prices where things will sell.  

Doing business with Walmart takes huge infrastructure (I have first hand experience) and they make their vendors do everything to make their own operation (warehouse, shipping, etc) as efficient as possible.  All of this is done to minimize overhead and keep prices as low as possible for us.  

I don't especially like shopping at Walmart, but they carry almost everything and are priced right so at times it's the best place to get what you need.  I much prefer our local grocery store (Shop Rite) and BJs. 

snakeweasel

tjc78 said:

The American consumer is to blame for all the giant big box stores.  Everyone wants "more for less" and larger stores (especially Walmart) have the ability to buy in huge quantities, import anything they want and basically set the prices where things will sell.

There is nothing wrong with trying to get more for less, or at least getting what you get now for less.

Speaking of getting more for less I was shopping with the wife yesterday and we stopped at the pet department to get snacks for the real boss of the house and I noticed they had bags for Fidos (Phydoughs?) little droppings. One package of 90 for $7.99 and one package of 180 for $16.99.

tjc78 said:

I don't especially like shopping at Walmart, but they carry almost everything and are priced right so at times it's the best place to get what you need.  I much prefer our local grocery store (Shop Rite) and BJs. 

I usually don't shop at wally world for a few reasons. First and foremost there are perfectly good places to shop that are closer to me than the nearest wally world where the prices are comparable to wally world. Secondly the few wally worlds I have been to seem to be filthy and seem to be cramped (as if they are trying to get as much merchandise into the store as they can.

sb55

We have a local mom and pop hardware/lumberyard here in our little town. I love the fact that I can drive there without a wallet and buy a few things and then get billed monthly. They are only a little more expensive on most things. Pretty much screws and regular "hardware" is the same price almost everywhere because those things don't get discounted and there are few suppliers. Is the local lumber more? Yes, but the quality is so much better. Try to get a straight 2x4 as Lowes or Home Depot. It takes a lot of picking through the pile to find them. The nearest Lowes (and almost any large store) is 20 miles away and it doesn't make sense to drive there unless it is a big shop.

abacomike

tjc78 said:

The American consumer is to blame for all the giant big box stores.  Everyone wants "more for less" and larger stores (especially Walmart) have the ability to buy in huge quantities, import anything they want and basically set the prices where things will sell.  

Doing business with Walmart takes huge infrastructure (I have first hand experience) and they make their vendors do everything to make their own operation (warehouse, shipping, etc) as efficient as possible.  All of this is done to minimize overhead and keep prices as low as possible for us.  

I don't especially like shopping at Walmart, but they carry almost everything and are priced right so at times it's the best place to get what you need.  I much prefer our local grocery store (Shop Rite) and BJs. 

Walmart operates similar to large grocery chains like Publix, Winn Dixie, etc., with certain suppliers.  As an example, Coke and Pepsi stock their goods themselves in Walmart - Walmart merely contracts with large suppliers to stock their own products on specified shelves.  The same is true with snacks like Snyders Pretzels, Lays, Doritos, Kellogg's Cereals, Nabisco, etc.  in other words, the suppliers are issued shelving space and it is the responsibility of the supplier to stock those assigned shelves at agreed upon pricing.

Walmart branded items are different.  The house label is GREAT VALUE.  Great Value items are supplied by jobbers who use the brand label but use their generic products.

So, Walmart, in some cases, operates like large grocery store conglamorates because they require suppliers to maintain their product supplies on designated shelving - like Kraft, Hebrew National, Sorrento Cheeses, etc,  Walmart negotiated the wholesale pricing agreements with the suppliers.

tjc78

I'm not 100% sure but most if not all chains allow the soft drink and chip companies to manage their space.  Believe this or not there is an art to how to fill up the shelves in the chip aisle to make them most appealing to the customer and make the bags look super full.  

Yes Great Value is the house brand as is Mainstays and a few other propriety lines.  Target has Archer Farms as their house brand.  In retail today you have to have margin increasing proprietary brands.  

tjc78

@snakeweasel, funny thing about the dog treats. Have to wonder how that happens as usually the larger bag is a lower unit cost.  

I have several Walmarts to choose from.  They range from shoppable to disgusting.   

abacomike

tjc78 said:

@snakeweasel, funny thing about the dog treats. Have to wonder how that happens as usually the larger bag is a lower unit cost.  

I have several Walmarts to choose from.  They range from shoppable to disgusting.   

I buy frozen White Castle Hamburgers and HungryMan Dinners.

Publix sells a pkg. of 6 White Castles for $4.79 each - Walmart is $4.35.  

Publix sells HungryMan Chicken Tenders for $3.89 each - Walmart is $2.79.

Diamond Natural Almonds are $4.29 at Publix, $3.79 at Walmart.

Those are big savings.  Florida's Natural Grapefruit Juice is $3.69 at Publix, $2.97 at Walmart.

Same products for an average of 15%-30% less at Walmart.  No, I don't buy everything at Walmart - but 2/3 of my foodstuffs are purchased there.  

stever

Now imagine if Walmart could sell cars.

And imagine if you could return them when they quit working.

driver100

We only go to Walmart when we need items that would require us to make 3 separate stops.....say some food items, light bulbs, an ink cartridge, plant fertilizer, car wax, envelopes, tennis balls etc.

If I could get it all at Wynne Dixie I would gladly pay the extra $15 to $20 a week it would cost me to avoid Wally Mart.

At the closest one there aren't stations for the buggies, and people leave them right next to where they parked. I doubt if the people would bother returning them anyway -they make no effort to do so.

abacomike

driver100 said:

We only go to Walmart when we need items that would require us to make 3 separate stops.....say some food items, light bulbs, an ink cartridge, plant fertilizer, car wax, envelopes, tennis balls etc. If I could get it all at Wynne Dixie I would gladly pay the extra $15 to $20 a week it would cost me to avoid Wally Mart. At the closest one there aren't stations for the buggies, and people leave them right next to where they parked. I doubt if the people would bother returning them anyway -they make no effort to do so.

I have a handicapped parking placard that the doctor approved because of walking distances for my knee and my heart.  So now I don't have to worry about getting ping dents in my doors.

At Walmart, I usually can get a handicapped spot close to one of the entrances.  At the Publix closest to me, it is impossible to get a handicapped spot because the older people mostly have handicapped placards or license plates in my community and they all shop at Publix.

I don't mind shopping at Walmart and I am going to try Super Target which is only a couple of blocks from the Walmart I shop at.  I would love to shop at Costco, but as I mentioned before, I can never get a parking space and there are not enough parking spaces for such a big store.

stickguy

Funny thing to me about people that won't go to WW because of what they did to mom and pops, is they love their favorite supermarkets. Which at some point in the past, did the same thing when they came to town (wiped out the local M&P grocers by upping selection and lowering prices). Happened in many areas.

abacomike

stickguy said:

Funny thing to me about people that won't go to WW because of what they did to mom and pops, is they love their favorite supermarkets. Which at some point in the past, did the same thing when they came to town (wiped out the local M&P grocers by upping selection and lowering prices). Happened in many areas.

My AMEX gives me 3% cash back on all grocery purchases at retail super markets, but not at Costco, Walmart, Sam's Club, etc.  But 3% still is not parity - I save much more at Walmart.  I estimate that I save $1000 a year doing most of my food and OTC items at Walmart as opposed to a supermarket.  That is significant savings.

suydam

You seem to be the customer they are looking for.

abacomike

suydam said:

You seem to be the customer they are looking for.

I'm the customer every business is looking for - Mercedes-Benz, Walmart, Bloomingdale's, Macy's, Banks, Toshiba. Hewlet-Packard, to name a few.  

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

We only go to Walmart when we need items that would require us to make 3 separate stops.....say some food items, light bulbs, an ink cartridge, plant fertilizer, car wax, envelopes, tennis balls etc.

If I could get it all at Wynne Dixie I would gladly pay the extra $15 to $20 a week it would cost me to avoid Wally Mart.

At the closest one there aren't stations for the buggies, and people leave them right next to where they parked. I doubt if the people would bother returning them anyway -they make no effort to do so.

The worst offenders are young people. Boy, I just heard my grandfather talking.

stickguy

I maybe should look closer, but at the walmart near me that has a supermarket part, I have never been impressed by the prices or some quality on the "real" food (meat, fruits and veggies, bakery). I do buy cereal there. And try to stay away from canned processed stuff (like beefaroni) that I assume they are low on!

They are cheap for pet meds. Though BJs is even better I think, and no one near me comes close to their price on milk!

stickguy

One positive about Walmart though, especially if you go late at night. Good chance you will get quite the ego boost realizing you are the 1%'er in the place!

Michaell

oldfarmer50 said:

We only go to Walmart when we need items that would require us to make 3 separate stops.....say some food items, light bulbs, an ink cartridge, plant fertilizer, car wax, envelopes, tennis balls etc. If I could get it all at Wynne Dixie I would gladly pay the extra $15 to $20 a week it would cost me to avoid Wally Mart. At the closest one there aren't stations for the buggies, and people leave them right next to where they parked. I doubt if the people would bother returning them anyway -they make no effort to do so.

The worst offenders are young people. Boy, I just heard my grandfather talking.

So, what do you say now - "you kids get off my internet!"

stickguy

don't get me started on shopping carts. I will avoid some stores simply because of the layout (slope) of the parking lot. And drive the family nuts circling around evaluating spots, and finally parking in the far reaches.

they are at least trained that when they get out of the car, to go get any cars near the car and remove them. Yes, I take carts back to the store or cart corral that I did not even use.

I can't believe where some people park, and what they do with the carts. range between crazy and flat out rude.

abacomike

Again I am relegated to watching animal planet tonight.  They have back-to-back "The Incredible Dr. Pol", a reality series about a veterinarian who has over 70,000+ patients in central Michigan.  Tonight, they must have shown 6 cases of gelding horses and alpacas and neutering pigs and dogs.  They showed all the procedures.

It was not easy to watch considering I am a male being forced to watch testicular removal because I'm tired of watching newscasts.