Why is Walmart bad?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wal-Mart is a satanic pile of steaming shit. It refuses to pay its workers a living wage. It refuses to allow them to get union representation as is a worker's right by law and instead is one of the most egregious union busters.
http://www.workdayminnesota.org/index.php?news_6_3828
http://www.thenation.com/blog/171418/josh-eidelson-walmart-pioneer-union-busting
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2007/may/01/usnews.supermarkets
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/02/wal-marts-union-busting-p_n_633942.html
http://www.prwatch.org/node/6007

It gets sued for forcing workers to work overtime unpaid because it is so greedy for profits it can't stand to pay time-and-a-half.
http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/10/29/walmart-unpaid-overtime-lawsuit-strikes/
http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-201_162-533818.html

Defend this horrid corporation all you want. It represents everything that is wrong with America and capitalism itself. Low-paying service sector slave wage jobs where the worker has no leverage and is constantly shit upon in the name of higher profits for the already-overprivileged shareholders. Fuck Wal-Mart and fuck capitalism.

This. Believe two of the founder's children are billionaires, in the top 50? richest people in the world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wal-Mart is a satanic pile of steaming shit. It refuses to pay its workers a living wage. It refuses to allow them to get union representation as is a worker's right by law and instead is one of the most egregious union busters.
http://www.workdayminnesota.org/index.php?news_6_3828
http://www.thenation.com/blog/171418/josh-eidelson-walmart-pioneer-union-busting
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2007/may/01/usnews.supermarkets
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/02/wal-marts-union-busting-p_n_633942.html
http://www.prwatch.org/node/6007

It gets sued for forcing workers to work overtime unpaid because it is so greedy for profits it can't stand to pay time-and-a-half.
http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/10/29/walmart-unpaid-overtime-lawsuit-strikes/
http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-201_162-533818.html

Defend this horrid corporation all you want. It represents everything that is wrong with America and capitalism itself. Low-paying service sector slave wage jobs where the worker has no leverage and is constantly shit upon in the name of higher profits for the already-overprivileged shareholders. Fuck Wal-Mart and fuck capitalism.

What is your beef that you feel the need to excavate a two year old thread to spout off like this?

[Anonymous]

Perhaps because it is in the news that many are striking on Black Friday (today)?

WalMart is a double edge sword, IMO. Many people have been able to afford to continue to eat and buy stuff when there has been no real wage growth in the US for years. Then there are all the other problems PP listed. I live in DC so WalMart isn't a choice, not that I would chose it anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wal-Mart is a satanic pile of steaming shit. It refuses to pay its workers a living wage. It refuses to allow them to get union representation as is a worker's right by law and instead is one of the most egregious union busters.
http://www.workdayminnesota.org/index.php?news_6_3828
http://www.thenation.com/blog/171418/josh-eidelson-walmart-pioneer-union-busting
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2007/may/01/usnews.supermarkets
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/02/wal-marts-union-busting-p_n_633942.html
http://www.prwatch.org/node/6007

It gets sued for forcing workers to work overtime unpaid because it is so greedy for profits it can't stand to pay time-and-a-half.
http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/10/29/walmart-unpaid-overtime-lawsuit-strikes/
http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-201_162-533818.html

Defend this horrid corporation all you want. It represents everything that is wrong with America and capitalism itself. Low-paying service sector slave wage jobs where the worker has no leverage and is constantly shit upon in the name of higher profits for the already-overprivileged shareholders. Fuck Wal-Mart and fuck capitalism.

This. Believe two of the founder's children are billionaires, in the top 50? richest people in the world.

Both of you are idiots. Why not spend a few minutes looking into the philithranpic (sic) of those heirs. Seriously, if we lived in your world, the Walton family would be testing chemicals and pigments on children, rather than the otherwise cute and useful mouse.

And this "Walmart gets sued". Big deal, the unions sue every major company in the country, you would think in your world that getting sue is analogous to getting convicted. You're missing a couple of key steps.

Happy shopping.

[Anonymous]

I love all of those Microsoft products made in California......

[Anonymous]

Aside from the other stuff, I was skeeved out by the dead peasant insurance policy thing at WM. Don't know if they still do that tho.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Why Wal-Mart is bad for America:

1. Wal-Mart destroys more jobs than it creates. A new Wal-Mart destroys jobs by putting local merchants out of business. The jobs Wal-Mart creates are fewer, lower-paying and mostly part-time. (Good Jobs First)

2. Wal-Mart burdens public health care programs. Most jobs at Wal-Mart have little or no health benefits. Wal-Mart encourages its workers to seek public assistance for their health care. In Georgia, 10,000 children of Wal-Mart employees were enrolled in the public health insurance program. (NOW with Bill Moyers, AFL-CIO)

3. Wal-Mart exploits workers. The average hourly worker makes just $18,000 dollars a year. Meanwhile, in 2002, the corporation raked in $6.6 billion in profits. Wal-Mart has known for years that many of its stores violate child labor laws and state regulations requiring work breaks - but has done little, if anything, to stop it. (Mother Jones, New York Times)

4. Wal-Mart degrades the environment. The federal government charged Wal-Mart with violating the Clean Water Act in 17 locations across the country. Run-off from Wal-Mart construction sites polluted drinking water, streams and lakes. To settle the charges Wal-Mart agreed to pay a $1 million dollar fine. (EPA)


Proponents of Wal-Mart tout their low prices - and the positive impact they have on the purchasing power of consumers. But Wal-Mart is able to provide low prices because they are heavily subsidized by taxpayers. In addition to relying on public health care for their employees, Wal-Mart has benefited from over $1 billion in economic development subsidies. (Good Jobs First)

A Better Idea:

Make corporations like Wal-Mart help pay for public assistance programs from which they benefit. Instead of providing taxpayer subsidies to Wal-Mart, invest in businesses that provide stable jobs with adequate wages and health benefits.

May I invite you to dinner for writing this? And the sad thing is that if Wal Mart paid their workers more, the economy would grow faster because these people would have more purchasing power - the Henry Ford 1914 pay employees $5/day theory.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
How many of the products on the shelves of WalMart are manufactured in the US versus in China?

PP again -- I found the answer -- it's something like 70%!!!

I don't have anything against China or the Chinese, but I can't help feeling like we are taking advantage of their lax environmental regulations, and their poor employment conditions, to get our stuff at a very cheap (to us) cost.
THe fact that if you ask the Chinese rank and file workers, they seem to like this situation, isn't exactly relevant.

If you had a slave and beat him to work 18 hours a day... then gave him better working conditions and said he only had to work 12 hours a day, he'd say he was doing better, wouldn't he? So you could say it was an improvement over the former situation -- but it still wouldn't make it right to benefit from slavery.

Make your own apple sauce and apple juice, it's easy, I do it all the time. It is a global economy and most of America's manufacturing jobs are out-sourced. What do you buy that is made in the USA? Many of the parts for American automobiles are made in Mexico. Toyota has become more of an American product made in the US than GM. Ford, whatever. If you don't want to shop at Wal-Mart, fine, but stop acting as though this is because you want to buy American products, manufactured by American companies that are hiring American citizens because this is not the case.

We have been sold out by the ruling elite. They are so short-sighted that they do not realize that outsourcing to third wourld countries with no pollution controls is contributing to global warming, which also affects them, no matter what the gated community.

And you are right about Toyota, GM, and Ford. The GM bailout, which will cost the American taxpayer billions in losses, was a sham. How does a GM car designed in Korea, made in Korea, and sold in the US help the American economy? Someone please explain.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here, after all this talk I still can't understand what's the "demographics" of Walmart and why the "mommies" around think of me as a lower human being for being a WM shopper.

OP this is why some people think less of walmart shoppers. http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/

But once again, why do you care what they think? You will obviously disagree.

As someone once posted, "everyone is bangable, just look at the couples in Wal Mart".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
How many of the products on the shelves of WalMart are manufactured in the US versus in China?

PP again -- I found the answer -- it's something like 70%!!!

I don't have anything against China or the Chinese, but I can't help feeling like we are taking advantage of their lax environmental regulations, and their poor employment conditions, to get our stuff at a very cheap (to us) cost.
THe fact that if you ask the Chinese rank and file workers, they seem to like this situation, isn't exactly relevant.

If you had a slave and beat him to work 18 hours a day... then gave him better working conditions and said he only had to work 12 hours a day, he'd say he was doing better, wouldn't he? So you could say it was an improvement over the former situation -- but it still wouldn't make it right to benefit from slavery.

Make your own apple sauce and apple juice, it's easy, I do it all the time. It is a global economy and most of America's manufacturing jobs are out-sourced. What do you buy that is made in the USA? Many of the parts for American automobiles are made in Mexico. Toyota has become more of an American product made in the US than GM. Ford, whatever. If you don't want to shop at Wal-Mart, fine, but stop acting as though this is because you want to buy American products, manufactured by American companies that are hiring American citizens because this is not the case.

We have been sold out by the ruling elite. They are so short-sighted that they do not realize that outsourcing to third wourld countries with no pollution controls is contributing to global warming, which also affects them, no matter what the gated community.

And you are right about Toyota, GM, and Ford. The GM bailout, which will cost the American taxpayer billions in losses, was a sham. How does a GM car designed in Korea, made in Korea, and sold in the US help the American economy? Someone please explain.

AMEN! Our greed is ruining the environment. We all live on one planet. I feel sorry for the world our kids' are inheriting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps because it is in the news that many are striking on Black Friday (today)?

WalMart is a double edge sword, IMO. Many people have been able to afford to continue to eat and buy stuff when there has been no real wage growth in the US for years. Then there are all the other problems PP listed. I live in DC so WalMart isn't a choice, not that I would chose it anyway.

Walmart is big enough and ruthless enough that it artificially depresses all kinds of wages. In effect, they are creating their own customers.

Plus, Walmart isn't appreciably cheaper across the board. It's a myth. Plus, in small towns (so basically irrelevant locally), once they've driven all the other options out of business, they raise their prices.

And to the PP talking about the charity of the Waltons: gag me. They have made billions by wrecking America. They ought to give away their billions outright.