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. . .

[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. . .

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