Is Wal-Mart good for America?

[tsluver247]

I watched a special on CNBC today about Wal-Mart called "The Age of Wal-Mart: Inside America's Most Powerful Company". I know the liberals outnumber the conservative on this board, but I want to hear the poster's opinions.

[tslvrnyc]

It's sort of difficult to reduce this issue to a yes no question.....

[tsluver247]

It's sort of difficult to reduce this issue to a yes no question.....

I agree, but I was hoping posters would articulate their opinion why they think Wal-Mart is good or bad for America.

[Legend]

How the heck could walmart be a bad thing?

[GroobySteven]

How the heck could walmart be a bad thing?

I think this would more than support any comments I'd put up as to why Walmart is not good for the US.
Welcome to Alabama.
seanchai

[Legend]

How the heck could walmart be a bad thing?

I think this would more than support any comments I'd put up as to why Walmart is not good for the US.
Welcome to Alabama.
seanchai

Walmart provides jobs for millions, low prices. Why do people hate walmart so much oh yeah they have a monopoly and are geniuses at marketing! Dude you are a genius of promoting your site at www.grooby.com or simple type grooby in google!

Welcome,im trying to **king exit it!

[GroobySteven]

I'd like to see the numbers on fulltime jobs provided to US citizens (including full health care, pensions and benifits) in relation to the amount of money they make. Almost all their manufacturing is done outside the US for cheap, which isn't necessarily their fault but they compound the fact by offering goods cheaper and cheaper to outprice local competition and Mom and Pop type stores which provide more income and jobs in a neighbourhood.

There simply is no need for many of these goods to be so cheap. A television is a luxury that most can afford but upgrading to the newest high-def, flat screen blah blah or having to have a TV in every bedroom, kitchen and bathroom is something people see as needing - when they don't.

American has a culture of expectation, based on the American Dream - the white picket fence, the kitchen with the mod-cons and the 2.5 children (yeh midgets!) but these things should come through hardwork and saving. However, people now see these things as their "right" to have regardless of whether they work hard (or at all). Walmart capitalises on that need - or greed.
Now, I'd be the first to argue as an individual, the ends justify the means and like to get my stuff for as cheap as possible, so I can see why people are so enamoured with Walmart but what happens when the money in the US dries out (obviously not America going broke but the American people). You shop at Walmart to buy stuff made abroad for the cheapest possible price - this puts local/US manufacturers out of business and local stores meaning less jobs in the area, less jobs means less income, you go back to Walmart but you're money doesn't seem to go as far as it used to. Meanwhile, other countries doing the manufacturing are getting richer, their workers want more money and better living, and Walmart looks to the next country who will work cheaper...

I'd have to say this isn't all Walmart's fault - when health insurance is so crazy high and the benefits above are punitive it's no wonder companies are looking abroad, look at the car manufacturers going to Canada to save on not paying health insurance. So where does that leave America? With a bigger than ever gap between the richer...who's economy improves and the poor who will also want more.
seanchai

[hondarobot]

News Flash!

Ex pat Brit porn capitalist throws bricks from Hawaii!

Come on now. How many girls have you been "employing" from the U.S. work pool lately? I mean really? I'm not pouring fuel on a fire, but it's a pretty silly topic here. And the health benefits you provide to them and whatnot. . .Oh, right, Independent Contractors, or Models, or whatever. Call 'em "temps".

I hate Walmart, but you're not exactly a main street Mom-And-Pop storefront operation yourself.

I agree with Seanchai on many topics, but this is just. . .

:roll:

[kennbo]

Walmart provides jobs? More like Walmart destroys good paying manufacturing jobs and replaces them with low wage service jobs. Guess where a huge percentage of Walmart's merchandise originates.....China.Chinese workers are making cheap tv sets which used to be made here, in the US. If that's too "liberal" a view, then you might be interested in knowing that American companies which supply Walmart hate dealing with the behemoth because they leverage them to such a degree on price that it becomes practically impossible to deal with them. What does that mean? Basically, Walmart isn't interested in their vendors making a profit, a very Republican concept. If profit margins become non existent, then profit becomes unavailable to turn back into research and manufacturing improvments, leading to the eventual death of the vendor. Why? Because Walmart behaves like an infection with a voracious apetite and no checks on its spread. Remember the very Republican concept of the free market? How free is a market dominated by a monolithic retailer which dictates all aspects of the market? Check out my comments in the "I saw something weird" post by Johnny Walker. In that post I refer to the socio-economic implications of the current state of our economy of which Walmart is a major contributing factor.

[GroobySteven]

News Flash!

Ex pat Brit porn capitalist throws bricks from Hawaii!

Come on now. How many girls have you been "employing" from the U.S. work pool lately? I mean really? I'm not pouring fuel on a fire, but it's a pretty silly topic here. And the health benefits you provide to them and whatnot. . .Oh, right, Independent Contractors, or Models, or whatever. Call 'em "temps".

I hate Walmart, but you're not exactly a main street Mom-And-Pop storefront operation yourself.

I agree with Seanchai on many topics, but this is just. . .

:roll:

What a stupid, ignorant comeback.
I keep 24 people employed in the state of Hawaii all with health and pensions FYI. I also pay close to $500k to other Americans who are self-employed or freelance contractors. Add to this the fed and state tax the company pays, I think I'm doing more for the US than you're paranoia - fueled brain, HR?
Of course, we're a Mom and Pop type operation. We're certainly not a mega-corporation.

I didn't see this topic being open to US citizens only? Or non-porn workers?
Go read a book instead of getting on defense.
seanchai

[hondarobot]

Well, that was a pretty violent comeback. I didn't know the details, and made some common assumptions.

No harm no foul. If I was wrong, then I was wrong in this case.

Oh, and I've read lots of books. . .just in case you were wondering

8)

[chefmike]

How the heck could walmart be a bad thing?

I think this would more than support any comments I'd put up as to why Walmart is not good for the US.
Welcome to Alabama.
seanchai

hehe...some info on Wally World

www.WakeUpWalMart.com

http://walmartwatch.com

[GroobySteven]

Well, that was a pretty violent comeback. I didn't know the details, and made some common assumptions.

No harm no foul. If I was wrong, then I was wrong in this case.

Oh, and I've read lots of books. . .just in case you were wondering

8)

Violence?
You mean assertiveness?

Current reading - A Tale of Two Cities - first time I'm reading.
seanchai

[Trogdor]

Wal-Mart: Always low wages, always! :P

I hate big stores like that, I prefer small shops.

The only "big store" i like is target.

[tsluver247]

While Wal-Mart employs the most people in America, their pay is sub-par as well as their health insurance. That is good to keep their price down. But the problem is that the employees pay much of their health care costs with their sub-par pay. This could be a reason why bankruptcies are accelerating in the U.S. We end up pay the cost somehow.

They unionized their China stores, but fail to unionize their American stores. They just got busted for illegal immigrants. (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051119/ap_on_re_us/wal_mart_illegal_workers_9)

Kenneth E. Stone (http://www.econ.iastate.edu/faculty/stone/) has studied how Wal-Mart affects small businesses.

[Quinn]

Look, I could give an in-depth macroeconomic explanation as to why Walmart is bad for America, but I’m just too tired to do it today. That said, the bottom line is that wages in the U.S. have not risen as fast as the cost of living over the last 25 years. Walmart contributes to this problem and serves as a major indicator of how globalization benefits major corporations – and their largest shareholders – but not working class Americans. Here’s a very simplified explanation as to how this actually works:

1.Walmart employees, on average, are paid an hourly wage of $8.50 (some studies cite higher or lower numbers, but this is the generally accepted figure). A standard unionized supermarket pays its employees an average wage of $13.00 an hour. Walmart competitors like Cosco pay their employees an average wage of $16.00 an hour.

2.By combining bulk imports from low-cost foreign producers (China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Mexico, etc.) with paltry employee wages/benefits, Walmart is able to run its better paying competitors out of business.

3.The competitors that Walmart drives out of business lay off their employees, who then must go and find new jobs – jobs that rarely pay them anything close to what their former work paid.

Today, it takes two salaries to support the same standard of living that one salary supported in the year 1980. The working class is taking a beating, forcing it to rely upon every increasing levels of debt to maintain a workable standard of living. Corporations like Walmart are major contributors to this phenomenon.

-Quinn

[tsluver247]

I forgot to mention that Wal-Mart brings in $25 billion imports from China based on our $200 billion trade deficit with China. Not to mention the pricing pressure manufacturers receive to make their product overseas to compete for Wal-Mart's volume.

[TrueBeauty TS]

I think Lou Dobbs should do a report on this thread....

"HOW THE TRANNY COMMUNITY HAS IT RIGHT ABOUT WAL-MART"

Seriously, the majority of the people posting on this thread "get it" about Wal-Mart (IMO). How come the rest of the country doesn't?

[la2bkk]

Respectfully, I disagree. I don't shop at Walmart, however the fact is that we are a free market economy driven by consumers who cast their votes via the dollar. Walmart would not exist but for the fact that the vast majority of people want (out of choice or economic necessity) a wide variety of low priced products available from one source. Hence Walmart. It is the consumers who drove out the small drug stores, mom and pop convenience stores, etc., that were prevalent just 20 years ago. While we may have concerns about the monster we have created, it is our creation. Perhaps those of you who disagree with what such stores represent should have given more thought to the issue in the beginning, instead of complaining now. A little personal accountability please.

[speck]

Still kinda lame argument. Of course Walmart:

#1 Provides the benefits and salaries you describe to its management and administrative employees....uh much like you do.

#2 Actually offers the option of health benefits to its employees. Single floor employees(cashiers, stockers, etc) earning the average Walmart salary of $8 or so an hour can afford to pay their portion of benefits, and in particular make enough money to live on in most of the locations throughout the country that there are Walmarts. It doesn't cost much more than $200-400 for a decent apartment in much of the United States.

Now if you are a single parent....yeah then your life sorta sucks if you make the decision and choice to work for WalMart. But thats an entirely different argument, and one in which I would argue that Walmart has no obligation to its employee whatsoever.



Well, that was a pretty violent comeback. I didn't know the details, and made some common assumptions.

No harm no foul. If I was wrong, then I was wrong in this case.

Oh, and I've read lots of books. . .just in case you were wondering

8)

Violence?
You mean assertiveness?

Current reading - A Tale of Two Cities - first time I'm reading.
seanchai

[BeardedOne]

It doesn't cost much more than $200-400 for a decent apartment in much of the United States.

Where?!? Damn! If that's the rental rates the land must be a fucking bargain! I gotta get me some of that! :shock:

[chefmike]

WTF? 200-400 dollars? For a decent apartment? You're lucky if you can find ANY apt. for 400 bucks...and 200 bucks, where is this...some coal-mining town in Appalachia? Get real...

[yourdaddy]

I own a duplex on some commercial property in Central Florida, 45 minutes from Disney, 7 minutes from I-4, 50 miles from Tampa. One side rents for 325.00, the other side for 375.00, on a one year lease. Appalachia probably has 10,000 rental units for under that. chefmike, who has never been in a union in his 20 years of existence, and who diatribes against all things American, needs to move out of his blue state, and see how the rest of the world lives. I am still a union member. I was forced to join, even though I live in a right-to-work state. Unions are more anti-American than even you mike. They eliminate ambitious input, invest your money without your permission, and are some of the biggest crooks in America. When G.M. declares bankruptcy, Wal Mart will still be doing theit thing.

[BeardedOne]

I own a duplex on some commercial property in Central Florida, 45 minutes from Disney, 7 minutes from I-4, 50 miles from Tampa. One side rents for 325.00, the other side for 375.00, on a one year lease. Appalachia probably has 10,000 rental units for under that.

Zoiks! I do recall a friend saying that he had sold his late mother's FL condo for $5k. Unbelievable. I consider myself to be in a low-rent area, but the rents start at $600+ and that's not for what one might consider 'decent' (Most have hot and cold running roaches and/or drug dealers). On a minimum-wage take-home of $1k a month (Allowing for withholdings, etc.) that doesn't leave a lot for things like heat, food, insurance, etc. I do know of houses downstate that rent for $4-500, but they are in the boonies, sometimes lack basics (Stove, etc.), and you end up spending another $200+/month for gas getting to and from work, store, etc. Average rents in the area, for a nice, clean apartment in a not-bad neighborhood, start at about $800 and a small house can rent for about $1200. This is ramping up, though, as a local building boom has doubled and tripled real estate values in just the past four years.

Oh, and re: Unions. I have mixed feelings about them as I've been in/dealt with UAW, ATU/UTU, ABEW, APWU, and Teamsters (Among others) and have experienced both good and bad. I see them as a necessary evil.

[fishman33]

Current reading - A Tale of Two Cities - first time I'm reading.
seanchai


ughh, you actually like Dickens, or just Broadening your horizons? I can't really talk, cuz I'm a huge Melville fan, but Dickens just draagggsssss for me.

oh, and I don't think Wal Mart's so bad, I guess.

[GroobySteven]

I realised that I'd never read a Dickens apart from A Christmas Carol at school so thought I'd read a few and enjoying a lot. "Moby Dick" dragged for me.
seanchai

[Realgirls4me]

Not good.

Walmart exposes capitalism’s warts. Marx has to be turning cartwheels in his grave right now.Wal-Mart – the new barometer of this country’s economy -- attained its ubiquity and girth by exploiting economies, cheap labor – both abroad and at home, and leveraging that size to arm twist many vendors to their knees for what in many cases is cheap shoddy merchandise, among other things. You guys who defend its practices should pour this into your soup: a myriad of class action lawsuits in everything from sex discrimination to underpaying or not paying employees for work performed; the hiring of hundreds of illegal aliens; the destruction of small businesses,livelihoods, and communities; low depressing wages with little or no health benefits to its employees, thereby placing the load on government aid agencies; Sam Walton proclaiming his chain would only sell American made products; Adam Smith’s warning of monopolies(The invisible hand should have a moral component in place iow). Four of the top ten richest people on this planet are Waltons.

Speck: Care to show us a picture of a $200.00 place ? Yeah, sure, you’d live in one, right ?

Yourdaddy: Are you that stupid, or do you just play that up here for our entertainment ? What a blind ingrate. Here’s some of the things the labor movement not only did for you, but also for the country’s citizens who were never members of a union. Many people sacrificed a great deal (their lives) in the labor movement’s nascent years so clowns like you would be treated with dignity and thus lead a better life.

The 40 hour work week
The concept of retirement/pensions
Healthcare
Overtime pay
A Safe Work place
Better wages than non-union shops
Sick leave
Training of its employees
Premium pay
Supported Civil Rights legislation
Supported the idea of Social Security
Paid Vacations
The concept of – Ta-da! – the weekend.

Now tell us which of the listed you would gladly relinquish ? GM’s problems stem from a myriad of problems from numerous sources and factors (global economy, downsizing, producing cars people don’t want, etc) which go far beyond their pension, worker-to-retiree issues. You can opt out on where your dues go as far as political contributions go, can’t you ? I would think you could in a right-to-work state. I love how guys like you are so quick to color union leaders in bed with crime bosses, but go out of your way to ignore the Ken Lays of the corporate world. Unions would never get a chance to flourish if companies would treat their workers with dignity, respect, and an honest day’s pay for an honest day’s work.


I would never shop at a Wal-Mart. Never.

[BlackAdder]

"It doesn't cost much more than $200-400 for a decent apartment in much of the United States"

Pass that shit your smokin man........Section 8 here STARTS at 400$ and goes up from there. You want to live in a section 8 house with all that entails??

Thought not, now STFU.

[TrueBeauty TS]

If GM declares bankruptcy it might be because it's CEO is still making close to 5 million a year (2004 stats), even though he lacked the vision to dump the big SUV's that people were shying away from and refused to start making cars that were:
a. Good gas milage
b. Safe
c. Attractive

or even Hybrid.

It seems criminal to me to lay off thousands of workers and still be making close to 5 million. It's easy to blame the unions for everything, but truth is, nowadays they don't have nearly the power they used to.




G Richard Wagoner Jr
CEO/Chairman of the Board/Director at
General Motors Corporation
US
CONSUMER GOODS / AUTO MANUFACTURERS - MAJOR
Officer since June 1989
Director since October 1998

52 years old


Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, General Motors Corporation, since May 1, 2003; held offices of President and Chief Executive Officer (2000-2003), President and Chief Operating Officer (1998-2000); joined General Motors Corporation in 1977. Member of The Business Council and The Business Roundtable, the Board of Directors of Catalyst, and the Boards of Trustees of Duke University and Detroit Country Day School; Chairman, the Detroit Renaissance Executive Committee. Other Directorships: General Motors Acceptance Corporation, subsidiary of GM
Cash Compensation (FY December 2004)
Salary $2,200,000

Bonus $2,460,000

Latest FY other short-term comp. $77,962

Latest FY other long-term comp. $79,058

Latest FY long-term incentive payout $0
Total $4,817,020

[TrueBeauty TS]

It doesn't cost much more than $200-400 for a decent apartment in much of the United States.


This is from the US Census Bureau.... from 2001 !!!!!!!!!!!!!! (I going to take a wild guess and say that rent has increased since then.)


7. Q. How much does it cost to live in the average rental unit?
A. In 2001, the median monthly housing costs (rent, utilities, and garbage and trash collection) for renter occupied homes was $633.

[meleaky]

I'd like to see the numbers on fulltime jobs provided to US citizens (including full health care, pensions and benifits) in relation to the amount of money they make. Almost all their manufacturing is done outside the US for cheap, which isn't necessarily their fault but they compound the fact by offering goods cheaper and cheaper to outprice local competition and Mom and Pop type stores which provide more income and jobs in a neighbourhood.

There simply is no need for many of these goods to be so cheap. A television is a luxury that most can afford but upgrading to the newest high-def, flat screen blah blah or having to have a TV in every bedroom, kitchen and bathroom is something people see as needing - when they don't.

American has a culture of expectation, based on the American Dream - the white picket fence, the kitchen with the mod-cons and the 2.5 children (yeh midgets!) but these things should come through hardwork and saving. However, people now see these things as their "right" to have regardless of whether they work hard (or at all). Walmart capitalises on that need - or greed.
Now, I'd be the first to argue as an individual, the ends justify the means and like to get my stuff for as cheap as possible, so I can see why people are so enamoured with Walmart but what happens when the money in the US dries out (obviously not America going broke but the American people). You shop at Walmart to buy stuff made abroad for the cheapest possible price - this puts local/US manufacturers out of business and local stores meaning less jobs in the area, less jobs means less income, you go back to Walmart but you're money doesn't seem to go as far as it used to. Meanwhile, other countries doing the manufacturing are getting richer, their workers want more money and better living, and Walmart looks to the next country who will work cheaper...

I'd have to say this isn't all Walmart's fault - when health insurance is so crazy high and the benefits above are punitive it's no wonder companies are looking abroad, look at the car manufacturers going to Canada to save on not paying health insurance. So where does that leave America? With a bigger than ever gap between the richer...who's economy improves and the poor who will also want more.
seanchai

[chefmike]

Yourdaddy: Are you that stupid, or do you just play that up here for our entertainment ? What a blind ingrate. Here’s some of the things the labor movement not only did for you, but also for the country’s citizens who were never members of a union. Many people sacrificed a great deal (their lives) in the labor movement’s nascent years so clowns like you would be treated with dignity and thus lead a better life.

The 40 hour work week
The concept of retirement/pensions
Healthcare
Overtime pay
A Safe Work place
Better wages than non-union shops
Sick leave
Training of its employees
Premium pay
Supported Civil Rights legislation
Supported the idea of Social Security
Paid Vacations
The concept of – Ta-da! – the weekend.

Now tell us which of the listed you would gladly relinquish ? GM’s problems stem from a myriad of problems from numerous sources and factors (global economy, downsizing, producing cars people don’t want, etc) which go far beyond their pension, worker-to-retiree issues. You can opt out on where your dues go as far as political contributions go, can’t you ? I would think you could in a right-to-work state. I love how guys like you are so quick to color union leaders in bed with crime bosses, but go out of your way to ignore the Ken Lays of the corporate world. Unions would never get a chance to flourish if companies would treat their workers with dignity, respect, and an honest day’s pay for an honest day’s work.


I would never shop at a Wal-Mart. Never.

LOL, no doubt about it, yourdaddy really is that stupid.

[yourdaddy]

chefmike, you are really such a negative, naive, elitist. You believe that only people of your ilk are smart enough to know what is best for the masses. Individual creativity and thought, would be stifled by your outdated concepts, and are the things that have brought most of the positive changes in the world. No, I can't opt out of my dues contributions, without losing my voting rights. Prop. 75 in California is trying to accomplish this.

[yourdaddy]

chef, while walking my dogs, I had a truly creative idea. Since your avatar proclaims you as the"Certified Tranny Expert", and since you know everything about unions.......Organize the girls. You can give them a safe work place, overtime pay, healthcare, sick leave, premium pay, PAID VACATIONS, and best of all, "Ta-Da".....weekends off. Of course, they can get kicked out of your union if they take a "job" on the weekends with a non-union client. By the way, I said "unions are crooked". You said they were in bed with "crime bosses". There you go again....1930's-speak.

[chefmike]

No, dumbass, realgirls4me said that you reactionaries are eager to PORTRAY unions as such. Read the quote slower, even if you have to move your lips while doing so. FYI, I live in a red state, not that it matters. I have lived in both red and blue states, and bushisyourdaddy, judging by the chimps approval ratings (and the recent elections), America is turning blue. And I love it how you reactionaries portray anyone who doesn't tow the right-wing bible-bangin party line as "someone who is against all things American". From rush(the junkie's) lips to your ears, eh.

And since you reality-challenged right-wingers are so fond of my visual aids, here's a few more, pilgram...

America is turning blue...

[McRen]

Wallmart is definately bad. It is for people with no money, and no hope of ever having any substantial amount of money. The products are cheap, and not built to last. Anything you 'save money' on at wallmart will fall apart quickly and end up needing to be replaced, where if you had bought a quality item for more money, it should last. Wallmart perpetuates poverty. Sure they provide jobs, but its jobs to people who cant get a better/real job. They are not actually seeking skilled employees, just ones who will show up for minimum wage or close to it.

That being said, I'd probly rather work at wallmart than a gas station, and I have friends who dont agree with anything I just said, and buy everything at wallmart. Of course their excuse is that they cant afford to shop anywhere else.

Personally, money is not an issue for me, and I dont think i'll spend 1 more penny at wallmart for the rest of my life. (when i was 20 and broke, i did used to appreciate wallmart tho)

[lmw222001]

The products are cheap, and not built to last.

Panasonic, GE, Black And Decker and Samsung are all the same no matter where you buy them.
Retail Companies in general have horrible wages and benefits. Wal Mart
is just a huge corporate bulldozer that runs over peoples rights and laws, offers crummy benefits and wages and if they want to plant themselves in your city they will.
If you are an average consumer who can save $30 on a TV or a Computer
chances are you will.
Understand something: They are the largest employer in America and that gives them tremendous clout in buying, real estate and politics.
Personally I think they-and the other big box stores-suck. But, they aren't going anywhere.

[chefmike]

chefmike, you are really such a negative, naive, elitist. You believe that only people of your ilk are smart enough to know what is best for the masses. Individual creativity and thought, would be stifled by your outdated concepts, and are the things that have brought most of the positive changes in the world.

Aww, shucks... :oops: :oops: you flatter me bushisyourdaddy...here's some individual creativity and thought, regarding your outdated concepts, and your idea of positive changes...




whose your daddy?-------->http://photobucket.com/albums/a78/chefmike_/th_bush_finger.gif

[BeardedOne]

Why we gotta talk about walmart?Can we talk about which brazilian tranny has the biggest dick.

Then you need to start a Which Brazilian Tranny Has The Biggest Dick thread, darlin'.

Right now we're talkin' about the big dicks at Wally-Mart. Pay attention.

[Felicia Katt]

an unmarried Wal-Mart employee earning between $7.50 and $8.50 an hour for a “full-time” 34-hour workweek and choosing the least expensive coverage available might have to spend $6,396.50—some 45 percent of his or her annual wages—on health care. The plan also carries a $350-per-family-member annual deductible before coverage can begin.

Wal-Mart makes new hourly workers wait six months to sign up for its benefits plan and doesn't cover retirees at all." It won't pay for flu shots, child vaccinations, or contraception, which many other firms cover. By keeping deductibles high, Wal-Mart manages to spend 30 percent less per employee on health care than its competitors

Wal-Mart’s full-time pay rate is about 37 percent lower than the national average wage of $15.35 for production and non-supervisory workers. As a result of Wal-Mart’s low wages, many employees of the world’s largest company must rely on government healthcare, food, housing and other aid

46 percent of the children of Wal-Mart's 1.33 million United States employees are uninsured or on Medicaid

The average Wal-Mart costs taxpayers an estimated $108,000 a year for its workers’ children who are enrolled in state children’s health insurance programs. As of Jan. 31, 2004, Wal-Mart has 1,478 Wal-Mart stores and 1,471 Supercenters.

Over the past 20 years, taxpayers have contributed at least $1 billion in subsidies to Wal-Mart stores and distribution centers, as well as to developers of shopping centers anchored by Wal-Mart stores

WalMart's Net income in 2004 $10.27 billion With $256 billion in sales, Wal-Mart again heads up Fortune Magazine's list of the 500 largest U.S. companies

Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott raked in almost $23 million in total 871 times as high as its average worker's salary

Of course Walmart is bad for America. If it were a good corporate citizen and a true capitalist, it would pay a living wage and basic benefits, not suck at the government tit so much, and would still be hugely profitable.

FK

[hwbs]

i have a friend that is a manager for walmart....everything felicia says is dead on.....the rich getting richer....people just assume that they have great benefits for the employee......alot of the other big home chains like it , have excellent benefits...not walmart :anon

[la2bkk]

I laugh when I read about those who complain about corporate executive salaries...

Tom Cruise (about $65 million on Mission: Impossible)
Bruce Willis ($50 million for The Sixth Sense)
Adam Sandler ($30 million for Little Nicky)
Julia Roberts ($25-30 million for Erin Brockovich)
Mel Gibson ($25 million for The Patriot)

Despite the numbers above, most Screen Actors Guild members earn less than $7,500 per year from SAG jobs and 25% of SAG members did not receive any earnings under SAG contracts. This is just one of many examples of the results of a market driven economy.

Stop whining about corporate executive salaries. They are no different than actors, athletes and entertainers. The market determines value. If you don't like it, try a different path or move to a country where the goverment will tell you what you will do, how long you will work and what (little) you will make.

[yourdaddy]

Felicia, great statistics, Maybe you should quote the same for McDonalds, Arby's, Burger King, Wendy's, Dominoe's, your local restaurant, etc. These places aren't an end-all for most people, unless they show some work skills and a desire to succeed. At that point, they can advance to management, or try another employer. Publix Supermarkets, one of the most succesful food chains, starts almost all their employees out as baggers. Nothing is handed to you, or guaranteed today. Honest labor is looked down on by too many people with their hands out.

[TrueBeauty TS]

Honest labor is looked down on by too many people with their hands out.

I haven't seen anyone here looking down on honest labor or the wal mart employees. In fact, the people that have a problem with wal mart are the one's sticking up for the workers.

Honest labor is not looked down on, dishonest management is.

[McRen]

I know a few people who work at the Futureshop here (i'm Canadian, i guess it'd be Bestbuy for you guys), and one of them is a mid 30's guy with 3 children. When I asked him why he works there, his answer was 'the benefits, they pay my dental, and with 3 young girls... i need it."

Also, to the person who said brands like Samsung are the same wherever you buy them, that is true, if you know what you are buying. Chains like futureshop also like to get 'exclusive' items, like ultra cheap LCD's that still have a brand name on them, but arent of the quality of anything else available from that same brand in the distribution channel.

What I find most disturbing about Wallmart is just how much food they sell.

[hwbs]

i just dont shop there cause the parking lot is a car accident waiting to happen anywhere in the lot.... doesnt matter what day or time of day.....crazy thing is that here it seems there is a wal-mart in every city...

[Felicia Katt]

Felicia, great statistics, Maybe you should quote the same for McDonalds, Arby's, Burger King, Wendy's, Dominoe's, your local restaurant, etc. These places aren't an end-all for most people, unless they show some work skills and a desire to succeed. At that point, they can advance to management, or try another employer. Publix Supermarkets, one of the most succesful food chains, starts almost all their employees out as baggers. Nothing is handed to you, or guaranteed today. Honest labor is looked down on by too many people with their hands out.

Fast food restaurants don't replace all other restaurants, the way Walmart takes over an entire area's retail base. McDonalds is a job, not a career. The people who lose their jobs when Walmart moves in are not hourly workers making money for their first car or college. They are the the shopkeepers and store owners and other small business people who are the heart and soul of a local economy.

as far as your example, Publix, its the nations largest employee owned supermarket chain. It has managed to be profitable and be listed as one of the top 100 companies at which to work. It offers its employees good salaries and full medical and dental and vision coverage.

Publix CEO Charles Jenkins received 2004 compensation of just $713,931.

Publix is as much like Walmart as wine is like vinegar.

FK

There simply is no need for many of these goods to be so cheap.

Shit, tell that to poor people. For a bunch of people who claim to be advocates of the working poor, language like "no need for many of these goods to be so cheap" sounds like typical limosuine liberalism to me.
A television is a luxury that most can afford but upgrading to the newest high-def, flat screen blah blah or having to have a TV in every bedroom, kitchen and bathroom is something people see as needing - when they don't.

You're a genius! You're so good, you're even good at telling people what they need and don't need.

When may I expect my grain rations, Mussolini?


American has a culture of expectation, based on the American Dream - the white picket fence, the kitchen with the mod-cons and the 2.5 children (yeh midgets!) but these things should come through hardwork and saving. However, people now see these things as their "right" to have regardless of whether they work hard (or at all). Walmart capitalises on that need - or greed.
Now, I'd be the first to argue as an individual, the ends justify the means and like to get my stuff for as cheap as possible, so I can see why people are so enamoured with Walmart but what happens when the money in the US dries out

Yikes! Do you walk around in life wondering what's going to happen "when the money runs out?"

With that kind of nail-biting I need to ask you a question.

Do you call yourself a man?


American expectations of nice living go hand in hand with the American expectation that you get out there and earn your living.

The pinnacle of the liberal entitlement culture ain't the expectation of unlimited porn and mobile DVD systems, it's the belief that EVERYONE is entitled to a nice place to live, free healthcare, government mandated "living wages" and marketplace protections for those who are afraid to compete.

Welcome to America! Free lunch not included.

[chefmike]

Sweet Fancy Moses!

You can't even make this shit up!

Now the bible-bangers(who own the GOminorityP) are turning on the right's favorite sweatshop because of their "radical homosexual agenda..."


Conservative plan to protest Wal-Mart

NEW YORK - Long under fire from the left, Wal-Mart is now a target of Christian conservatives urging shoppers to boycott the huge retailer's post-Thanksgiving sales because of its low-key outreach to some gay-rights organizations.

One group, the American Family Association, is asking supporters to stay away from Wal-Mart on Friday and Saturday — two of the busiest shopping days of the year. Another group, Operation Save America, plans prayer-and-preaching rallies outside many Wal-Mart stores on Friday.

The corporate actions that triggered the protests were little different from those taken by scores of major companies in recent years — Wal-Mart paid $25,000 this summer to become a member of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce and donated $60,000 to Out and Equal, which promotes gay-rights advances in the workplace.

Conservative leaders viewed these actions as a betrayal of Wal-Mart's traditions, which have included efforts to weed out magazines with racy covers and CDs with explicit lyrics.

"This has been Christian families' favorite store — and now they're giving in, sliding down the slippery slope so many other corporations have gone down," said the Rev. Flip Benham of Operation Save America. "They're all being extorted by the radical homosexual agenda."

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. spokesman David Tovar said the company's outreach to the gay-rights groups was part of a broader effort to best serve its diverse customer base.

"We take pride that we treat every customer, every supplier, every member of our communities fairly and equally," Tovar said Tuesday. "We do not have a position on same-sex marriage. ... What we do have is a strong commitment to diversity. We're against discrimination everywhere."

Justin Nelson, president of the Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, said conservative activists had misrepresented his business-oriented group as a leading advocate of gay marriage in order to tarnish Wal-Mart.

"Their campaign has not been to educate, but to mislead," he said.

Wal-Mart ranks in the middle among companies rated by the Human Rights Campaign, a major gay-rights group, for workplace policies toward gays. Scores of companies now have a perfect 100 rating, while Wal-Mart's rating has risen from 14 in 2002 to 65 this year as it added sexual orientation to its nondiscrimination code and offered some domestic-partner benefits.

Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solmonese said he spoke with a Wal-Mart executive Tuesday and came away confident the company would continue efforts to promote workplace equality for gays.

Tim Wildmon, the American Family Association's president, said he and his allies had not ruled out extending the boycott against Wal-Mart, depending on how the company responded to the weekend protests.

"They are so gigantic, it's hard to make a dent," he said. "We're just trying to see if there's some measurable effect this weekend, see if we can get their attention."

Wildmon said Wal-Mart had been responsive to conservative pressure on a different issue, approving use of the word "Christmas" in advertising and employee greetings this season after shifting to a "happy holidays" phrasing last year.

That campaign was one of the first times Wal-Mart came under sustained criticism from the right. Far more often, it has been a target of left-of-center groups, such as WakeUpWalMart.com, complaining that the company pays low wages, skimps on employee benefits and outsources too many jobs.

The company has responded by adding low-cost health care plans, launching environmental programs and increasing diversity among employees and suppliers.

Paul Blank, campaign director for WakeUpWalMart.com, sent a letter Tuesday to Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott urging the company not to cede to the boycott.

"We not only look forward to Wal-Mart remaining steadfast in its support for equal rights, but to the coming day when Wal-Mart will do what is truly right — become a better employer," Blank wrote.

Gary Chaison, an industrial relations professor at Clark University in Worcester, Mass., said the conflicting pressures on Wal-Mart are "the price of being big and having many constituencies."

"Everyone expects Wal-Mart, because it has so many stores, to set the moral tone for America," he said. "The company has been trying to find a middle road, and it's had a great deal of difficulty doing that."

Another major corporation, Ford Motor Co., already is the target of an American Family Association boycott because it advertises in gay publications and supports gay-rights groups.

The Tupelo, Miss.-based AFA says 550,000 people have signed a pledge to boycott Ford and it takes partial credit for the company's financial problems. Ford spokesman Oscar Suris declined comment; an industry analyst, University of Detroit professor Michael Bernacchi, was doubtful the boycott was having much impact.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061121/ap_on_re_us/wal_mart_protests

[chefmike]

:lol: