Supermarket strikes seen as lose-lose but backlash unlikely.

We asked one group of shoppers what they thought and how they felt about the strikes by employees at major supermarket chains; we asked a second group whether they thought the strikes were related to Wal-Mart's increasing share of the supermarket/grocery marketplace. No respondent in the first group connected the strikes with Wal-Mart on their own.

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Most seemed to see the strikes as lose-lose situations and an inevitable result of the continuing increase of health care costs in a difficult market. At the same time, many blamed the greed that runs through society these days more than they specifically blamed management or employees.

* "In order to compete in this economy, management has to cut somewhere. But I understand that looking from the employee's point, if this has to be done then they should start with not giving higher salaries to management, cut down on leased vehicles, high dollar dinners, trips, etc."

* "I think the cost of medical insurance is going up all the time, and for the unions to expect employers to cover all the increases and still stay competitive is insane. It's bad enough for a glorified clerk to get $20.00 an hour but then to complain about this fee! I pay $100.00 a week for 3 people to be added. I think it is time for the unions to come into the real world."

* "The last thing a corporation should mess with is the health of their employees. How sad for all of us. What next? If you're rich, you live, if you're poor, you die."

* "It's a monopoly out there. Everyone wants to make a fast buck, and no one wants to pay for benefits anymore."

* "Reducing benefits would help keep some off unemployment, and who knows if all the big corporations did this maybe there would be more employment and less unemployment."

* "I personally think most large companies have greed at the top."

* "I don't know of any company that didn't raise employee health care contributions considerably in the last couple of years because of the rising cost of health care. The problem with the striking now is that they can be so easily replaced because of the high rate of unemployment. It's a lose-lose situation either way for the employees."

* "I think management shouldn't cut back on benefits, and the employees are wrong for striking, because they should be happy they have a job."

The second group was split down the middle on the Wal-Mart connection. Half said yes and half said no. Those who saw a Wal-Mart connection blamed themselves as much as anyone else. "My friends and I talk about Wal-Mart guilt when we cave in and shop there. We are seeing what happens when we put on blinders to everything but the lowest price."