is walmart evil?

[ocnbrze]

hey guys,
so i just read this, Is Wal-Mart Evil? 20 Shocking Facts | EconMatters

and i was curious on what you guys think? do you guys shop at walmart? do you or have you ever worked there?

i have never been in one and never really plan to. i'm curious if there are others like me?

 

[XplosiV]

Ok, well first off, all supermarkets are evil. Simply because of their business practices of bulk buy as low as possible and make the biggest profit you can all while attempting to make the public believe they are doing you a favor. All this putting out of business small local retailers (butchers, bakers, delis, farms etc etc) because they cant afford to compete and buy in such bulk. As shops close, trades die off, become rarer etc. How long before it's all lost? And what if we run out of sustainable power to keep us all in the life we have become accustomed? Then when we need these old trade skills, very few people will be about to teach them.

Have I worked at Walmart? No, but I worked for ASDA (UK) right about the time it got taken over by Walmart and became ASDA * Walmart or whatever metamorphosis it took. Evan under ASDA they were just authorised slave drivers, pure and simple. Always upping the 'specs' and 'figures' of how many pallets on your dept should be worked in X time etc. Always pushing to get more work out of its employees, no matter how old/young/inexperienced etc they were, and skimping on proper training.

So yeah, IMO, all supermarkets are evil.

 

[ocnbrze]

well i used to shop at albertson's but ever since a walmart opened up nearby, albertson's was getting less and less busy. it got to a point where albertson's closed down.

i really liked shopping there. they had one of the better produce selection in my area. the store was really clean and was one of the bigger albertson's i have been in. i mean they had a starbucks inside!!!

now i have to find another place to get most of my groceries. and so far nothing i have found came close to te albertson's that was near me.

 

[XplosiV]

It's a catch 22 the way I see it.

If I could I'd love to be able to get everything I need from local farm shops, but they have to hike their prices to compensate costs, not everyone can afford to buy at these prices so you're pretty much indirectly forced to buy at supermarkets for the prices and convenience, not to mention enticing offers, plus fuel savings as it's all in one place.

 

[ocnbrze]

It's a catch 22 the way I see it.

If I could I'd love to be able to get everything I need from local farm shops, but they have to hike their prices to compensate costs, not everyone can afford to buy at these prices so you're pretty much indirectly forced to buy at supermarkets for the prices and convenience, not to mention enticing offers, plus fuel savings as it's all in one place.

yeah this is true, but for me quality far exceeds the need for price. i'm willing to pay for something that is better then what other places like walmart is offering. i mean i love to shop at wholefoods when i can, but there aren't any where i live. they have the best produce section. i also try and buy things from the farmer's markets as well.

now i'm not saying that the albertson's ner me closed down due to walmart opening up as they closed down a bunch more all over the US. maybe indirectly in the bigger picture this is true.

for me though i would rather shop at target.......not sure why to be honest with you. maybe it is the view i have of walmart.

 

[Mikestony]

It's a catch 22 the way I see it.

If I could I'd love to be able to get everything I need from local farm shops, but they have to hike their prices to compensate costs, not everyone can afford to buy at these prices so you're pretty much indirectly forced to buy at supermarkets for the prices and convenience, not to mention enticing offers, plus fuel savings as it's all in one place.

When one can go to WalMart for their family and spend $350.00 for 3 weeks worth of food vs. going to a local store and have to spend an additional $150.00 for the same amount of food, what do you think will happen?
I'm not saying that in a snarky way, but just saying, saving at least $150.00 a month just for food is a no brainer.
Yes it's sad to see what goes on behind the scenes of WalMart or any other big corporation. But what can you do? Nothing. Unless we get enough people together to do something. But you know as well as I, that is not going to happen.

People come into my shop and want American made tires. Good luck! Very few made in America.

 

[XplosiV]

When one can go to WalMart for their family and spend $350.00 for 3 weeks worth of food vs. going to a local store and have to spend an additional $150.00 for the same amount of food, what do you think will happen?
I'm not saying that in a snarky way, but just saying, saving at least $150.00 a month just for food is a no brainer.
Yes it's sad to see what goes on behind the scenes of WalMart or any other big corporation. But what can you do? Nothing. Unless we get enough people together to do something. But you know as well as I, that is not going to happen.

People come into my shop and want American made tires. Good luck! Very few made in America.

I'm not disputing the numbers, but if you could buy from independent stores for the same price, would you? (not trying to be argumentative, just hypothetical) of course I would, hense why I said "if I could afford to" and also how we are "indirectly forced to buy at supermarkets" because they know they can play on the fact that we (generalising) can't afford NOT to shop there.

It is indeed, a sad, sad reality. But we all make do and do what we must. I never said there was anything wrong with that. My point is simply that supermarkets in general, wreck much more than just the odd local business.

 

[MoodyBlues]

is walmart evil?

In a word: YES.

I haven't read the article you linked to, so I'm basing my opinion on prior knowledge about their business practices. You couldn't pay me to shop there.

The reason their prices are so low is because they're paying slave labor wages in third world countries. You know, where people work 14 hour days, 6 days a week and make pennies producing clothing Walmart sells for much less than their competitors can sell similar products.

Also, they've cheated their employees out of things like insurance and other full-time benefits by keeping their hours just below the number that qualifies as full-time.

Scumbags all around. And I stay away.

 

[Mikestony]

I'm not disputing the numbers, but if you could buy from independent stores for the same price, would you? (not trying to be argumentative, just hypothetical) of course I would, hense why I said "if I could afford to" and also how we are "indirectly forced to buy at supermarkets" because they know they can play on the fact that we (generalising) can't afford NOT to shop there.

It is indeed, a sad, sad reality. But we all make do and do what we must. I never said there was anything wrong with that. My point is simply that supermarkets in general, wreck much more than just the odd local business.

I totally agree sir

Knowing what I know now about WalMart, would I shop at a local store for the same prices? Most assuredly.

We kinda feel the pinch of big corporations at our shop. Like from NTB, or PepBoys, or even Walmart as far as tires. I work at a family owned, small independant tire shop. We cannot possibly compete with big stores like that as far as tires are concerned.
But ya know what we can offer, is the personalized, friendly "get to know you" attitude. And we are poking along just fine.

 

[LilBit]

Yes, Wallmart is evil. (personal opinion)

 

[Mikestony]

And let me add something...do I enjoy shopping there? No, I do not.
It's too busy (unless I go early in the morning or late, late at night), most customers-- yes shoppers, are rude, filthy, inconsiderate. etc etc......

 

[XplosiV]

And let me add something...do I enjoy shopping there? No, I do not.
It's too busy (unless I go early in the morning or late, late at night), most customers-- yes shoppers, are rude, filthy, inconsiderate. etc etc......

Agreed.

 

[mikedt]

Wal-Mart just wants to get products as cheaply as they possibly can, and most of the time that means getting them from China.

Buy cheap products and they come from China, buy expensive products they still come from China.

Myself, I nearly always buy products that were not made overseas. Although I had a nice Toblerone last night, made in Switzerland apparently.

 

[XplosiV]

It's not just clothes, here in the UK, (as I'm sure mike already knows) farmers can't afford to sell to big chain supermarkets because they demand a lower price, therefore a lot of the fresh fruit / veg comes from abroad. To me something is seriously wrong with that picture.

 

[Mikestony]

Ok, well first off, all supermarkets are evil. Simply because of their business practices of bulk buy as low as possible and make the biggest profit you can all while attempting to make the public believe they are doing you a favor. All this putting out of business small local retailers (butchers, bakers, delis, farms etc etc) because they cant afford to compete and buy in such bulk. As shops close, trades die off, become rarer etc. How long before it's all lost? And what if we run out of sustainable power to keep us all in the life we have become accustomed? Then when we need these old trade skills, very few people will be about to teach them.

I think you have a scary point here...when and how will it end?

Edit: on to TOW

 

[mikedt]

In a word: YES.

I haven't read the article you linked to, so I'm basing my opinion on prior knowledge about their business practices. You couldn't pay me to shop there.

The reason their prices are so low is because they're paying slave labor wages in third world countries. You know, where people work 14 hour days, 6 days a week and make pennies producing clothing Walmart sells for much less than their competitors can sell similar products.

Thing is, I think many people in first world countries, like the US and UK really do not want to work 14 hours a day, 6 days a week, in a very noisy factory with a machine that can easily poke holes in fingers, doing mind numbing repetitive piece-work, for minimum or piece-wage these days, sewing T-shirts or jeans or sneakers or something.

Just because some garments are expensive, doesn't necessarily mean that they're not made under such conditions, e.g. Ralph Lauren, Nike, GAP, Banana Republic, and pretty much most other designer brands. Sweat-shops can exist anywhere, even the USA, but using cheap migrant Mexican labour. Pay $5 for a Wal*Mart polo shirt, made in China. Pay $50 for a Ralph Lauren polo shirt, made in China.

AFAIK apparel production has always been a crap job, wherever it takes place. The actual business of mass producing clothing has not really changed much ever since it started. Basically large factories with thousands of busy hands and a lot of sewing machines. Very labour intensive and little in the way of modern technology.

BTW before I came to China, I often bought George at Asda(Wal*Mart) clothing because I thought it was good value, rather than paying a premium for some designer name. I still wear a couple of George shirts now, they seem to be well made and will last a few more years.

EDIT:-

You can still find Made in USA clothing, but much of it does NOT come from huge multinational corporations like GAP, Wal*Mart, Ralph Lauren, Levi or Nike.
http://www.americansworking.com/clothing.html
Probably still made in sweat-shops though, by low-wage migrant foreign labour.

 

[ParishL31]

Also, they've cheated their employees out of things like insurance and other full-time benefits by keeping their hours just below the number that qualifies as full-time.

Is this based of off articles or personal experience? I worked there full/part time for about three years while in undergrad college. They often offered the benefits to me regardless of my hours, yes I had to pay for benefits when I was part-time but that was only fair.

The only thing I got yelled at and "disciplined" when it came to hours was for working over 40 hours a week. And talking to many other friends in retail/low end jobs that is very common for chains to keep employees from getting into the overtime hours.

The management was solid, maybe I was lucky with my store. Of course there was the occasional jerk manager, but that will happen anywhere. The overall company was extremely fair and was more than flexible with my school work.

I got a $1 raise every year-end review and bonuses, which doesn't happen at many other lower end jobs. They'd often give out cash rewards to outstanding employees. We got 10% off non-food merchandise all the time and they even extended the 10% off for food and groceries during holidays as a "gift". We got multiple discounts through T-Moble and many other of Walmart's partners. We got special free meals and catering when having to work holidays or black Friday.

In my experience while working there it was more than fair with benefits, pay, hours, and treatment. Of course there will be the occasional person I didn't get along with, but that will happen at every job unless you're extremely lucky or work in a tiny office.

The most frustrating part about the job was hands down the customers and the typical "People of Walmart" type customers. Just absolutely terrible rude people who blow your mind on how someone could act in such a terrible way. Those awful people are really what made the job sucked. Most people were very kind or just neutral, however unfortunately the only ones you remember are those bad eggs.

But that comes in with working in retail. I did almost every job possible there. The job itself sucked, the overall management and the way that corporate's decisions trickled down was just fine. Most of the issues I had with management were pinned on a single person doing their job poorly, rather than the Walmart company itself.

But anyways, for my personal views on the company as a whole. As a few have already mentioned, Walmart is cheaper than local businesses. Do I like to support local business? Of course. Am I willing to pay upwards of $100 extra at trips to the grocery store to buy the same exact products? No way. Not to mention, the convenience of Walmart and having a one stop shop. I save money and time from not having to go to multiple small businesses in order to get everything I need.

 

[mikedt]

It's not just clothes, here in the UK, (as I'm sure mike already knows) farmers can't afford to sell to big chain supermarkets because they demand a lower price, therefore a lot of the fresh fruit / veg comes from abroad. To me something is seriously wrong with that picture.

Yup, I think most supermarkets are evil, it happens everywhere, always driving down for the lowest prices from the people who actually grow the produce. I'm sure Wal*Mart(Asda in the UK) gets most notoriety world-wide because they're the largest. It was always Tesco in the UK, with them been the largest UK supermarket. Meat is also sourced at the cheapest possible price and comes from anywhere....Oops!......Sorry it's not beef, it's horse!!

 

[Gmash]

Wal-Mart is pure evil. I refuse to shop there. They are extremely heavy handed in their business practices, but they are so huge, companies must comply with them to get their products in Wal-Mart stores or else go out of business. They have totally perverted the retail system by dictating ridiculously low prices on their suppliers, forcing them to move production to China in order to comply. But like I said, they have no choice. Getting dropped from Wal-Mart is fatal for most businesses. So they cost jobs on both ends. First they force manufacturing overseas to save 20 cents on a hammer or whatever, then they put all the smaller competition out of business because they don't have the volume and power to throw their weight around like Wal-Mart does. Anyone who says Wal-Mart creates jobs is sorely mistaken.

edit- so I just read the article, it pretty much backs up what I posted, this part stood out;

Walmart’s market power is so immense that the even the largest suppliers
must comply with its demands for lower and lower prices because they
cannot afford to have their goods taken off its shelves. Companies that
used to manufacture products in the United States, from Levi’s jeans to
lock maker Master Lock, were pressured to shut their U.S. factories and
moved manufacturing abroad to meet Walmart’s demand for low prices.

The other thing I wanted to add is people don't really save as much as they think by shopping at Wal-Mart. Really pay attention, they are not THAT cheap.

 

[AntimonyER]

I'm in the pro-walmart camp. Walmart got its start in the heart of America. And their prices for the majority of items are unbeatable. I shop there for the bulk of my items because I can't afford to stick to the local shops for everything. I go to the local grocery store for produce and meat, as those are sourced locally, but everything else comes from the same places anyways, so I go to whoever has the cheapest. Walmart's pay is competitive in my town with most other retail stores in the area as well.

Sure it's a hassle shopping there, I always go early in the day, both to avoid the crowds and to get there before the shelves are empty. But it's like that for a reason. It's prices are always competitive, it has a huge selection, and it's convenient. And even people who hate it and boycott the store still get advantages from it, because it keeps prices lower at the competition where they do shop. Just my 2 bits.

 

[huh]

Evilness aside...I avoid Walmart or "Wally World" as my friend calls it at all costs. The minute I step into the door of that place ,I am suddenly filled with anxiety, crabby, annoyed, feel like I'm going to faint,it's too hot too bright and just too much!!!ahhhhh.. I literally want to tear someone's.. anyone's.. head off ...

I prefer Local and try to shop at the farmers market in season, but of course can't always shop exclusively at small local businesses for everything. Target is not so bad..doesn't give me hives like Wally World..
I also like Trader Joe's

 

[A.Nonymous]

I love Wal-mart. They recently put in one of their neighborhood stores literally right across the street from me. I love it and find myself there 2-3 times a week it seems. It is convenient to be able to find the common stuff I need at low prices within walking distance. Could I shop locally? Sure. But why pay more? Paying more has never made sense to me and likely never will.

I guess I have a hard time believing that any company is "evil" necessarily. Companies, IMO, are amoral and push the envelope as much as they possibly can get away with in the market. I see nothing wrong with this. I don't think Wal-mart is any more "evil" than any other big box retailer, nor do I think some mom and pop store is necessarily "good" either.

 

[ocnbrze]

when i lived in Santa Barbara, there were talks about putting a Walmart there, and you should have seen the uproar it caused. We had a town meeting to discuss it and i read the paper that the turn out for it was overwhelming and they filled the city hall to capacity. those who could not make it in gathered outside with picket signs all against walmart from coming in.

sb peeps just have a hard time with any large retail chains like that. they did the same thing with Target as well. though there was not much of a crowd for that one.

 

[ExtremeNerd]

Shouldn't being Wall-Mart be the goal of all companies? There is a reason they are so huge. Mc D's, Starbucks, Wall-Mart are all at the top of the game for a reason: they provide products and services more efficiently than their competitors. They all started otu as one store and grew into the giants they are today because they are good at what they do. IMO, this is something to be praised.

A business is a for profit entity designed to maximize owner wealth. That is it. I don't feel like they should be held to a (unrealistically high) standard more than individuals. They have no purpose other than to make money. This is the power of capitalism.

Your right as a consumer is to vote with your wallet. If you don't like their services, products, beliefs, or policies, simply don't shop there.

For the record, I worked at the Mart for 2 years. It is not as bad as the news reports. Yes, the job sucks, but no more than any other unskilled minimum wage job. You are easily replaced, so management doesn't care if you leave. However, they did provide all benefits and breaks required by law.

 

[Bob Maxey]

yeah this is true, but for me quality far exceeds the need for price. i'm willing to pay for something that is better then what other places like walmart is offering. i mean i love to shop at wholefoods when i can, but there aren't any where i live. they have the best produce section. i also try and buy things from the farmer's markets as well.

Where I live, Whole Foods charges much more for the same items found at Smith's and Harmons. I can count on spending 20.00 more for groceries at WF compared to Smiths and Harmons.

Wally Mart is not evil. They are simply a a large concern doing what it is supposed to do: earn a profit.

I recall a local Mom and Pop store quite angry that a Wally Mart was soon to arrive. They were upset because they could no longer charge the high prices they were charging.

I am a consumer and if I have a chance to save money, I'll take it, thank you very much. Some so called Mom and Pop Stores would object if ANY completion arrives to disrupt their cash flow.