Wal-Mart Watch

Walmart is evil?

 

That's a radical statement. Why?

 

Walmart Watch??? Being a Christian man, I'll refrain from using profanity. Let's just say the word I'm thinking of is something that is ejected from the rear of Baalam's talking animal sidekick. That reminds me. I need to run by Walmart for my copy of Star Wars: Episode III.

 

Envy gone to extremes. Wal Mart is one of America's most successful companies ever, and there will always be not only envious people tossing rocks but good old market forces that will continue to shape not only Wal Mart, but all successful companies. Wal Mart has an eye constantly on their rear view mirror and Costco is coming, and they have a better consumer friendly business plan.

That report is what I'd expect from a Congressional committee, that was dominated by the new Democrats, trying to pin something on the Bush administration. Simply junk.

 

Walmart Watch??? Being a Christian man, I'll refrain from using profanity. Let's just say the word I'm thinking of is something that is ejected from the rear of Baalam's talking animal sidekick. That reminds me. I need to run by Walmart for my copy of Star Wars: Episode III. [/QUOTE]

Maybe there is a line from Star Wars that applies to Capatalist Based companies?

"There is always a bigger fish".

What happens when the larger say a chinese owned group overtakes Walmart, and simply resells their own product?

Wont ever happen? Well that is Globalisation comming to a store near you

 

Maybe coming from another country I am to naive but I think Walmart is a good thing. For US and the other countreis too. 1) Consumer gets to shop for the lowest price. He is not force to shop Walmart, only does so for price and selection. 2) Provides many jobs for community, and competetive wages and incentives, more that a small, individual owned shop can. There is a Super Walmart just outside of Sao Paulo, the wages they pay there are much higher than the minimum wage in Brasil, they provide benefits, which most places in Brasil do not. It is much better than not having a job, or a bad job. Globalisation is getting an undeserved bad rap. It is helping 3rd world countries despite what is being said here. When the alternative is poverty, I welcome Walmart and the other US/ Foreign companies.

 

Having worked for Wal-Mart, there is some truth in this document, as well as some exaggeration and innuendo.

For the most part, I am in agreement with this. I've seen too many mom and pop businesses go by the wayside because of Wal-Mart and its ilk.

Actually, in many communities, by shopping at Wal-Mart you are doing the same thing as the companies (you used to work for)that are shipping their work forces overseas. You shop for the lowest price, so does the company that has closed the plant.

Also, Wal-Mart has no trust in its employees. You are a commodity. Yes, there is some feel of family, but that depends on the local store. Store managers, in general, no longer have the means and ability to stock stores with local goods that many customers want - local foods, music groups, etc.

I did not have an awful experience working for them, but my eyes were opened. Wal-Mart does bully its suppliers with threats of not carrying any of their products if a price is not met. I do not view refusing to carry certain recorded, print and video materials as censorship, but the policy is very unevenly applied. Some R rated movies call for an ID check, others do not. Personally, I'm offended by wrestling and hunting videos, the biggest sellers in the area I worked.

As I began my post there is some truth. There is more concern for doing things the right way (company policy) than doing the right things.

Wal-mart is a good company. I shop there on a limited basis, though I would prefer not. I think it has become too big and wants to gobble up more and more.

Wal-Mart is by no means evil, possibly just misguided and greedy.

Tim

 

Bon apetit. No one seems too concerned when Ford bought Aston Martin and Jaguar. Or when Chrysler merged with Mercedes Benz. I guess it's only a concern when asian firms get involved.

 

Just a few thoughts:

We made Walmart what it is today. It couldn't drive Mom and Pop business out of service if we didn't shop there.

No company that pays minimum wage or near minimum wage to its employees can offer those employees a good insurance plan in the United States. When I was an accountant our senior partner wanted to provide better insurance to all of the staff as a part of the company bonus. Even with him paying the $500 a month/per employee premium, we had very large deductibles because the insurance companies that were willing to offer afforable rates only worked with clients in certain ranges regarding payroll, number of employees and salaries.

We finally managed to form a cooperative of accountanting agencies and obtain decent insurance under that umbrella.

I seriously doubt that companies like McDonalds or Dominoes Pizza or any other group really treats their staff much better. The fact is, when you work for minimum wage you are working in a place where the employers do not expect you to be supporting families.

China could already repossess the U.S.A. if they ever called in our debt to them.

I would love to see an end to outsourcing work, but don't blame the results of outsourcing on one company.

 

As a former McD's order taker in high school and college (the fastest drive-true window in the west, woohoo!!!), I can attest to that. But you want to know what? I didn't complain, becacuse I wasn't brainwashed with the "all big companies are evil" mentality. I made just above minimim, worked long hard hours, and had no benefits whatsoever. But I worked an honest day, and got honest pay, and was happy with it (In fact, looking back on it, it was one of the most fun jobs I had). I'm trying to figure out when benefits and the like became an entitlement to entery-level and unskilled labor.

Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for my benefits, but there's a reason they're called benefits and not entitlements.

 

Yes, you are exactly right. The town I lived in used to have a Ben Franklins, Howards Discount Center, Gibsons Discount Center, and MANY other privately owned businesses.

Wal-mart did its typical strategy, came into town, lowered its prices below cost (which is not legal, but they do it anyway), when every other business is gone, then they raise their prices.

They prevent K-Mart from entering the market by cutting a deal with the city to limit sewer access across their leased property and they pay to have the state keep the main highway from having controlled access (at the cost of many, many lives where truckers run over little old ladies when they cross the busiest highway in the state at a red-light.

Yeah, GO WALLY WORLD. Small town America's number one money drain!

Now that Wal-Mart has 16% of the gross national product, I wonder when they will start selling cars?

 

Bon apetit. No one seems too concerned when Ford bought Aston Martin and Jaguar. Or when Chrysler merged with Mercedes Benz. I guess it's only a concern when asian firms get involved. </font>[/QUOTE]...nor does anybody seem concerned with the fact there is practically only one single huge DOD contractor left after they have bought out all of the other contractors. You go from "lowest" bid to "only" bid.

 

Amen Johnv!

When I worked for an accounting firm I helped the partners deal with staff issues. More or less the "go between" between the "owners" and the "employees."

One girl in particular was always complaining about something. One day I stopped her and said, "I appreciate that you want things to change, and I respect that, but I know what you were told when you were hired. You are not being asked to give anything more than that to the company. You agreed to those terms when you were hired. Why do you feel, at this time, that you have a right to more than you agreed to? If you want those things, ask the partners. If they give it, be grateful. If they don't give it, and you feel strongly about it, go work for a company that promises it to you up front. This firm gives you everything you were promised, and more. I don't know why you think you are entitled to even more than that."

 

I think Wal-Mart gets a bad rap on a lot of this. Those mom-and-pop operations everyone talks so fondly about, and the discount stores that have gone out of business or are bordering on bankruptcy, they were not paying much more than minimum wage to their employees either. Health insurance was unheard of in a lot of those operations too. The owners took the risk, and reap the profits when they were made. Many years ago I was a manager at a ROSES store...we started employees at 10cents an hour over minimum wage. Over 300 stores from Indiana to Lousiana and we certainly weren't making the employees rich.

I know a few years ago I was looking at new door handles to go throughout a house I had bought. Wal-Mart: $7.87. Local Hardware store: $26.99
Same door handle, same brand, same packaging, and both from China. And the local hardware store was only paying there employees minimum wage too.

The service industry is not where you make money, unless you're in management or a stockholder.

 

With the remark about Walmart being taken over and run from China, let me qualify it a little.

The amount of manufacturing in China is booming at never seen before levels in the world. Major car companies are going in there, Toyota has set up a massive plant there as have many others.

Chinese companies are particurly aggressive in the global market and are increasing their shares in western companies as are arabic companies.

If Chinese companies can get a hook into the ownership of walmart which they will eventually, this will prove to be lucrative as they will be direct selling their own products.

That is great for China, but will end manufacturing in other nations. Germany has an unemployment rate of nearly 18% and these are all Cabinetmakers, Carpenters and other trades people that once worked in the Furniture industry which is now imported from countries where there are no unions and third world rates of pay.

The bigger fish like Walmart swallow the smaller fish, yet there are significantly bigger fish than Walmart such as the Chinese Government.