Wal-mart

[Robert]

I just watched a documentary about Wal-mart and I found it very interesting. What's your thoughts about Wal-mart? They have more than 1.4 million employees and over $12 billion in profits - a giant company with giant responsibilities.

Wal-Mart has been criticized by many directions. More specifically, by community groups, women's rights groups, grassroots organizations, and labor unions, mostly for foreign product sourcing, low rates of employee health insurance enrollment, resistance to union representation, and also alleged sexism.

Learn more about why Wal-mart is getting a lot of criticism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Wal-Mart).

ATu-WhQ8IsY

[Spudman]

I was able to spend some time with John Walton before he died and have to say that both he and his wife were very good people with values way different than you'd expect. They spent a great deal of time and energy furthering education in the USA. And while having more than enough money to throw around were somewhat more frugal than you might expect.

That said...I don't have much love for the company Walmart. They have a tendency to treat their employees as dispensable. I will give them props for making an effort to green up by changing packaging on some items and other things. While it's a start it's still not enough from the worlds largest retailer. There is a tremendous amount of waste in each of their stores.

[thearabianmage]

Wal-Mart was great when I was growing up and to people like my grandparents who live in small dilapidating towns, Wal-Mart is the staple source for most of their consumerism needs.

For me, Wal-Mart owns a branch of stores in the UK called ASDA who stock my food cupboard at a very low cost. The food ain't bad, either.


Wal-Mart has been criticized. . . mostly for foreign product sourcing, low rates of employee health insurance enrollment, resistance to union representation, and also alleged sexism.

Some of this is a shame, but, in all fairness, most is probably happening in 80% of workplaces across the US anyways, Wal-Mart being brought forward because they are a major chain and 'should know better' or some such thing.

Health insurance? Who applies for a job at Wal-Mart expecting to get health insurance? The two main groups of people who work at Wal-Mart are teenagers and retirees finding ways to spend their newly-found free time.

Resistance to union representation? That's pretty vague, but I'd imagine a company who wants money from people don't want to alienate their customers by partisan thoughts and political stances. If ASDA were to start supporting the Tories tomorrow, I'd never buy from them again.

But as far as foreign product sourcing, there is no shame in that. If America can't produce an item for a cheap enough price, the stores will go somewhere that can. Like China, for example. The same goes for the UK, where just about everything nowadays is foreign. Everything in the world is foreign. Take computers, or cars, or guitars. Pieces of all of these items are sourced from different places all around the world. It's called global integration. I don't see how the masses can use this against Wal-Mart. . . My point? I'd like to see one person who complains of Wal-Marts foreign product sourcing who doesn't own a foreign product themselves. I could start naming the list, but I think that'd over-state my point.

Wal-Mart's a good shop with its downfalls, just like every other. But these are all my opinion on the matter. . . Heck, I haven't been to a Wal-Mart in over 2 years. Though, the last time I went, I found some rawkin deals! :D

Joe

[marnold]

Wal-Mart's a convenient whipping boy more than anything else. They're the 1,000 pound gorilla, so go get 'em. It's the same arguments that were made when malls were first starting to be built in the suburbs and "downtown" was going away. Judging from that brief video clip, I'm guessing that it's not going to be a journalistic expose.

It's like this: everybody wants to make big money and not have to pay for anything. Can't have it both ways. Don't like Wal-Mart? Take your business elsewhere. If enough people agree, the company will collapse.

I love that "70% made in China" thing too. No ****, Sherlock. Go into any electronics store (or clothing store for that matter)--whether Mom and Pop or otherwise--and tell me how much of it is made in the ol' U.S. of A. It's from Japan, Taiwan, China, etc.

[street music]

I wish John Walton was still alive and in control because I think you would still see what he set out to make of it, we have a super store here and it is the main center of traffic and trade in our small town. There are many workers making a living but it isn't great money, they just get by. I do a lot of shopping there and think that Wal Mart has too much control on the economy for this area.

[peachhead]

Wal-Mart's a convenient whipping boy more than anything else. They're the 1,000 pound gorilla, so go get 'em.

I agree. I don't like Wal-mart, don't like going there as a rule, but it's not their business practices but the fact that they have 25 checkouts but only three open at any given time. I've been known to pay more not to be as aggravated when I left the store. I do try to patronize local business in the small town that I live near and hope that WM never comes there simply because I don't want to see the local businesses go down.

That's capitalism, as far as I can tell: they sell it cheaper, and that's been the goal since the start.

But then again, I don't hate Microsoft either. They got the product, they can do what they want as long as people keep buying it. Nobody forced us to use Windows. I'll shut up though, cos that's another story.

[sunvalleylaw]

I agree. I don't like Wal-mart, don't like going there as a rule, . . .

But then again, I don't hate Microsoft either. They got the product, they can do what they want as long as people keep buying it. Nobody forced us to use Windows. I'll shut up though, cos that's another story. Yep. Nobody forced me to use Windows, and I don't. I feel sorry for the people that feel like they are locked into using it.

I don't go to Walmart much myself. I don't like what I hear about their business practices, but have no concrete knowledge of those. I would prefer more independent businesses to thrive, esp. in small towns, and think Walmarts can help kill those. But I don't think they caused the trade deficit or so much buying from asia. Look at a lot of the guitars we buy here, including my Hagstrom.

[Tone2TheBone]

Where've you been Rob that news is 2 years old! There's a "new" Walmart these days.

[oldguy]

If Wally-werld agreed to bargaining talks, let the workers form/join a union, began paying their workers $25 per hour, they'd be the darling of the news media overnight...............until they raised their prices to compensate for the wage increases, even if it were only, say, a 5% price increase.
Then everyone would start b!tching and moaning, complaining how much everything in the store cost.
Then Wal-mark would end up asking the gub'ment for a bailout, and the "overpaid" workers would be the fall guy, not the 7 billion dollar a year CEO''s working under the golden parachutes.
Bottom line..............

They don't pay a lot.
They don't charge a lot.
They cater to the disease of mass consumer feeding frenzy at the lowest common denominater.

Walk through a Wal-Mart and see how many people are checking the competitor's ads and buying their weekly groceries, as opposed to how many are filling carts with all the latest plastic trash "must haves" advertised on the boob-tube 24/7 , in order to convince Mr. & Mrs Paycheck-to-paycheck that they need this crap worse than their children need braces on their teeth, or a college fund started early on in life to further Johnny's education.

But Sam's Club.............aahhhh, there's a store you can love.
:rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao:

[Algonquin]

I watched a very good episode of Penn and Tellers 'BS' about Wal-Mart, and they had a very surprising take of the store. I've read and heard the stories about them, but I work for a major US company (yup, here in Canada), and they have their own stories too.

[tunghaichuan]

Every time I've purchased something from Wal-Mart, I've felt dirty. So consequently I try to avoid the place.

I do have a membership to Costco. From what I understand the CEO only makes $80k a year and the employees make at least $15/hr. and have health benefits. I'm sure a lot of their merchandise is asian import, thought. One thing I do like about Costco over Wal-Mart is the Costco carries organic foods.

The one thing I don't like about Costco is that I never seem to be able to get out of there without spending at least $50, usually more like $200.

tung

[sunvalleylaw]

I have met the CEO when he has come on ski vacations here (he is friends with some of my ski clients.) He seems a nice guy, and when I have asked local employees, they respect and like him, seem to enjoy their treatment there. I think the place can lead to over buying and I wonder about waste, but if you shop well, I think you can get very good values on quality stuff. Like anywhere, I am sure a bunch is from the far east.
Every time I've purchased something from Wal-Mart, I've felt dirty. So consequently I try to avoid the place.

I do have a membership to Costco. From what I understand the CEO only makes $80k a year and the employees make at least $15/hr. and have health benefits. I'm sure a lot of their merchandise is asian import, thought. One thing I do like about Costco over Wal-Mart is the Costco carries organic foods.

The one thing I don't like about Costco is that I never seem to be able to get out of there without spending at least $50, usually more like $200.

tung

[sumitomo]

Hey dont knock WalMart I'll probably be working there as a greeter when I'm old You want a smiley face sonny.Sumi:D

[peachhead]

Hey dont knock WalMart I'll probably be working there as a greeter when I'm old You want a smiley face sonny.Sumi:D

:rotflmao: :rotflmao:

[Dreadman]

Wal-Mart is a blight on society. They squeeze everybody from manufacturers to employees to small business to the environment to TAXPAYERS. The poster child for insatiable greed at any cost.

[Geraint Jones]

Costco`s a blight on my wallet every trip seems to cost £200 , I picked up one of the cheap Yamaha acoustics there the other day until the wife clipped me round the ear and told my to put it back , fantastic value and I`m quite paranoid about dinging my Martin .

[R_of_G]

Wal-Mart is a blight on society. They squeeze everybody from manufacturers to employees to small business to the environment to TAXPAYERS. The poster child for insatiable greed at any cost.

That pretty much said everything I wanted to say. I have watched the documentary Robert brought up, as well as several others, as well as reading a litany of investigative journalism on the subject. In my eyes, Wal Mart is quite deserving of its whipping boy status. It's practices are despicable.

[hubberjub]

I am an Employment Specialist for individuals with disabilities. I have spoken with numerous people who work in both low level and upper level management (never Sam Walton). I have helped many people fill out online applications for employment and I can honestly say that the application process at Walmart borders on illegal. Some of the questions they ask and the way they are phrased is just boggles the mind. Seeing the innerworkings of the store has made me refuse to shop there. You're going to get cheap chinese crap anywhere you go these days. I just don't approve of the way they treat their employees.

[Robert]

This is interesting reading...



Wal-Mart is closing a tire-and-lube garage in Gatineau where workers won a major victory last August when a Quebec arbitrator imposed a collective agreement on the company.

The precedent-setting contract was the first ever forced on the Arkansas-based retailer by an outside agency.

The agreement affected eight workers at the garage on Maloney Boulevard in Gatineau, across the river from Ottawa.

Now there are just five mechanics and a manager at the garage, and Wal-Mart said Thursday they will all be offered jobs at other Wal-Mart locations.

The workers are represented by the United Food and Commercial Workers Canada.

Wal-Mart said meeting the workers' demands would have forced the company to raise prices at the garage by 30 per cent.

In 2005, Wal-Mart closed an entire store in Jonquière, Que., on the same day Quebec announced an arbitrator would impose a collective agreement there.

Wal-Mart said the decision to close the Jonquière store was unrelated to the announcement, but the precedent led to the union's speculation that the Gatineau Wal-Mart garage would close in the wake of the arbitrator's ruling in August.

Wal-Mart is the biggest company in the world, according to the Fortune 500 rankings, and recorded nearly $13 billion US in profits in 2007. Yet its front-line employees make less than $20,000 US a year, on average, and the company has been cited at least a dozen times for union-busting tactics by government agencies and independent watchdogs.

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2008/10/16/walmart-garage.html?ref=rss

[t_ross33]

Wal-mart is the spawn of Satan.

But I still shop there cuz I'm cheap :thwap:

:crazyguy:

[evenkeel]

My sentiments are pretty much in line with R_G, Dreadman, et'al.

But even putting the labor practices aside, the stores are just miserable. Dirty, confusing, shoddy merchandise. Mr's Keel and I used to shop at WalMart. Couple of years ago we said enough.

Something I've noticed at most if not all the Wal Marts I've been in. You enter the store via a automatic door, followed by a "greeter" who says welcome to WalMart. On the way out you have to push open the door yourself and no one says "thanks for shopping at WalMart". Pretty much sums up the WalMart experience. Phony welcome, got your money, now get your A** out.

[Ch0jin]

......Some of the questions they ask and the way they are phrased is just boggles the mind....

Not to discount what your saying, but whilst in the context of whats considered acceptable in places like the USA Walmart's hiring policies might be borderline unacceptable, I've seen some really dodgy questions listed as mandatory on job application (and status change paperwork etc) forms for some Malaysian companies. Freedom of religion? Sure, you can believe whatever you like, just make sure you pick one that's considered appropriate for the job your applying for. The caste system prevalent in India isn't accepted amongst Malaysian Indians, but with three main ethnic groups in the country, you better believe there exists thinly veiled racism in hiring policies.

My first point is to keep things in perspective for the sake of your own blood pressure :) As bad as it gets, billions of people have it worse.

The second thing I wanted to mention is that even though here in Oz we don't have Walmart, we definitely have some mega-chains that serve as a point of comparison, and I've actually seen a couple of US made doc's on Walmart too.

Rather than get into what they, and their ilk are doing to small business and society, I just wanted to point out that it's not companies like Walmart that we the people should be fighting. It's ourselves, the consumers, that we need to target.

Doing all your shopping in one easy location is convenient, and given the business model of places like Walmart, consumers typically enjoy better prices and a wider selection of goods. So you've got a convenient, one-stop-shop thats cheaper too? No wonder so many people shop there. Local made Vs Imported is another hot topic for me here in Oz too, but the underlying fact remains that the economy (maybe not the right word) is built on supply and demand.

Very simply put, if people stopped buying imported products and stopped shopping at mega chain stores, they would either disappear or evolve into something else. There is little point attacking them directly. It's us, the consumer that builds or destroys a business by voting with our dollars and it's crystal clear to me that the reason these giant mega stores exist and thrive is because we the people, collectively speaking, shop there.

To offer an interesting anecdote that provides a bit of an insight into what I'm on about, I attended a presentation by the guy that launched McDonald's in Australia. I've forgotten his name at the moment, but he was the guy the US guys selected to kick it all off over here. He told the group in a very open and frank manner about the pressure the business faced during the "health food craze" a few years back. Movies like "Supersize me" and the increasing number of reports that Aussies were getting fatter and fatter drew incessant cries from the media and concerned groups that fast food restaurants were to blame. So in a move that most people saw immediately as pandering to media pressure, Macca's started their "Healthy Choice" menu. One of the guys in the group presentation asked something like "but wasn't doing that an admission that your food is unhealthy, and also, isn't it little more than a PR stunt designed to offset the negative publicity?" His reply was along the lines of "No, and Of Course". He went on to explain that even after the launch of the healthy options, nobody buys the stuff. People come in thinking "O I'll get a salad" and end up buying cheeseburgers and fries.

The point there is that no amount of media pressure and public outcry was ever going to hurt them and they knew (from experience in the US actually) that all they had to do was offer an option to appease the alarmist media and they could go on slinging burgers and fries to millions of customers every day.

The moral of my caffeine fueled extended post is simply that the only way to effect change is at the grass roots level.

Don't shop in these stores, tell your friends and family not to, and explain why. Buy locally made and support locally owned businesses that offer good service and don't complain that it costs a little more. Last but not least, don't do your product selection in a small local business and then go and buy the product online or from a chain store to save a few bucks. I know plenty of people who do this, and in my opinion if you do that, you waive all rights to comment on these subjects.

[Ch0jin]

Something I've noticed at most if not all the Wal Marts I've been in. You enter the store via a automatic door, followed by a "greeter" who says welcome to WalMart. On the way out you have to push open the door yourself and no one says "thanks for shopping at WalMart". Pretty much sums up the WalMart experience. Phony welcome, got your money, now get your A** out.

Wow good point man. We have a massive hardware chain called Bunnings that's put local hardware stores out of business and they have greeters too (maybe they are a US company..dunno), but on the few occasions I've been forced to shop there (because my local hardware store's closed down) they greeters did do the "thanks for shopping have a great day" kind of thing on the way out.

[sumitomo]

I thought I'd practice for that Wal-Mart greeter job.

A very loud,unattractive,mean-acting woman walked into Wal-Mart with her two kids,yelling obscenities at them all the way through the entrance.

The Wal-Mart greeter said pleasantly,"Good morning,and welcome to Wal-Mart Nice children you have there.Are they twins?"

The ugly woman stopped yelling long enough to say,"Hell no,they aren't.The oldest one's 9,and the other is 7.Why the hell would you think they're twins?Are you blind,or just stupid?"

"I'm neither blind nor stupid,Ma'am," replier the greeter."I just couldn't believe you got laid twice.Have a good day and thank you for shopping at Wal-Mart."



Sumi:D

[luvmyshiner]

I thought I'd practice for that Wal-Mart greeter job.

A very loud,unattractive,mean-acting woman walked into Wal-Mart with her two kids,yelling obscenities at them all the way through the entrance.

The Wal-Mart greeter said pleasantly,"Good morning,and welcome to Wal-Mart Nice children you have there.Are they twins?"

The ugly woman stopped yelling long enough to say,"Hell no,they aren't.The oldest one's 9,and the other is 7.Why the hell would you think they're twins?Are you blind,or just stupid?"

"I'm neither blind nor stupid,Ma'am," replier the greeter."I just couldn't believe you got laid twice.Have a good day and thank you for shopping at Wal-Mart."

Sumi:D

:rotflmao: :rotflmao:

I try to avoid all of the big box chains. But it's mostly because I hate people.:messedup:

[just strum]

:rotflmao: :rotflmao:

I try to avoid all of the big box chains. But it's mostly because I hate people.:messedup:


Ditto, from the standpoint of crowds and lines.

I don't know about the Wal-mart's around the rest of you, but here they seem to be a place for family reunions of families that practice incest.

[Spudman]

Walmart has what I call "isle blockers." Those are the couples that when walking two abreast fill up a whole isle and there is no getting around them.

I finally made a trip to our new Costco yesterday. My first ever trip to a Costco. Frankly I couldn't find anything in there that I couldn't beat the price on where I regularly shop...but they did have nice wide isles.:)

[sumitomo]

A 'heads ups'warning for all men who may be regular Home Depot customers.

Over the last month I became victim of a clever scam while out shopping.Simply going out to get supplies has turned out to be traumatic.Don't be naive enough to think it couldn't happen to you or your friends.


Here's how the scam works:Two very hot 20-21 year-old girls come over to your car as you are packing your shopping into the trunk.They both start wiping your windshield with a rag and Windex,with their breasts almost faling out of their skimpy T-shirts.It is impossible not to look.When you thank them and offer a tip,they say 'No' and instead ask you for a ride to another Home Depot.You agree and they get in the backseat.On the way,they start undressing.Then one of them climbs over into the front seat and starts crawling all over you,while the other one steals your wallet.

I had my wallet stolen Sept.4th,9th,10th,twice on the 15th,17th,20th and 29th.Also several times in Oct.and most likely this weedend.So tell your friends to be careful.

P.S. Wal-Mart has wallets on sale $2.99


Sumi:D

[Dreadman]

BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!

Very good Sumi.

[TS808]

I just watched a documentary about Wal-mart and I found it very interesting. What's your thoughts about Wal-mart? They have more than 1.4 million employees and over $12 billion in profits - a giant company with giant responsibilities.

Wal-Mart has been criticized by many directions. More specifically, by community groups, women's rights groups, grassroots organizations, and labor unions, mostly for foreign product sourcing, low rates of employee health insurance enrollment, resistance to union representation, and also alleged sexism.

Learn more about why Wal-mart is getting a lot of criticism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Wal-Mart).

ATu-WhQ8IsY

Wal-Mart has gotten alot of bad press for a number of reasons, however they do what consumers want them to do: deliver products at a LOW price over their competitors. Wal-Mart has dominated the retail market much like Microsoft has dominated the software world, and look at how companies like Microsoft, AOL, and other industrial innovators have been attacked for making a profit.

Despite what the press puts out there, Wal-Mart DOES provide health insurance to their employees, does provide vacation pay, and even gave my mother in law time off WITH health insurance when she was battling cancer.

Wal-Mart's criticism comes from the fact that they don't have union stores and much of their products (if not most) are manufactured in China. Here's the reality that alot of people don't realize and much of WHY production has gone to China. The United States has the SECOND highest corporate income tax in the world, and in addition, health care costs are high. Health insurance and wages alone account for up to 42% of most company payrolls, and top that off with a 35% corporate tax, and you wonder why American companies are sending jobs to China, Korea, Mexico and India??

Wal-Mart donates HUGE amounts of money to community groups, and non-profit organizations and encourages their employees to do so as well.

I get somewhat irritated when I see companies like Wal-Mart and Microsoft get "strong armed" by the press and the government for being innovative and delivering what consumers want, AND make a profit in doing so.

I'll stop here....don't want to get too political.

[sumitomo]

I was checking out at the local Wal-Mart with just a few items and the lady behind put he things on the belt close to mine.I picked up one of those"dividers" that they keep by the cash register and placed it between our things so they wouldn't get mixed.After the girl had scanned all of my items,she picked up the"divider"looking it all over for the bar code so she could scan it.Not finding the bar code she said to me,'Do you know how much this is?'I said to her;Ive changed my mind,I don't think I'll buy that today.'She said'O.K.'and I paid her for the things and left.She had no clue to what had just happened. Sumi:D

[sunvalleylaw]

I was checking out at the local Wal-Mart with just a few items and the lady behind put he things on the belt close to mine.I picked up one of those"dividers" that they keep by the cash register and placed it between our things so they wouldn't get mixed.After the girl had scanned all of my items,she picked up the"divider"looking it all over for the bar code so she could scan it.Not finding the bar code she said to me,'Do you know how much this is?'I said to her;Ive changed my mind,I don't think I'll buy that today.'She said'O.K.'and I paid her for the things and left.She had no clue to what had just happened. Sumi:D

I know you from your posts well enough to question whether that is a tall tale or not, but what a great story! LOL!!! Cracked me up! :rotflmao: :rotflmao:

[pes_laul]

I was checking out at the local Wal-Mart with just a few items and the lady behind put he things on the belt close to mine.I picked up one of those"dividers" that they keep by the cash register and placed it between our things so they wouldn't get mixed.After the girl had scanned all of my items,she picked up the"divider"looking it all over for the bar code so she could scan it.Not finding the bar code she said to me,'Do you know how much this is?'I said to her;Ive changed my mind,I don't think I'll buy that today.'She said'O.K.'and I paid her for the things and left.She had no clue to what had just happened. Sumi:D
oh man your full of them:rotflmao: