Is Wal-Mart good for America?

[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

[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

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.

Kenneth E. 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

Violence?
You mean assertiveness?

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