WalMart, The High Cost of Low Prices

[Dave_Schuldt]

Rented the DVD last night, good movie.

WalMart and Sam's Club, owned by WalMart.

Don't shop there!

[ZimZam]

Here's something else to watch

 

http://www.jibjab.com and then clck on BIGBOX MART.

 

I hate WalMart

[Dave_Schuldt]

That's some funny shit!

[JoshK]

The fact that a political party that claims to hate welfare (Republicans) throws so much support behind a company that costs us all tax $$s to support their underpaid and underinsured employees is hypocracy at its finest. WalMart is one of the worst things to happen to America.

[TREETOAD]

Didn't these parasites just loose a lawsuit to employees that worked lunch hours for years for no pay?

I fucking hate everything to do with that scumbucket corporation

[whidbey]

You did TreeToad... I will not enter this piece of shit store... I have one in my community and will always go elsewhere. I guess to me the difference is that even if I shop at a costco... they make twice what a whoremart associate makes and they have healthcare coverage that doesn't require my tax dollars. Fuk'n republicans!

[ZimZam]

"Oh, but I was a crack whore and BoxMart gave me a new life.

[sk]

so i went to JibJab to watch the vidio about the evils of big company's and had to sit through a fucking GMC comercial to see the video... LAME

[ZimZam]

so i went to JibJab to watch the vidio about the evils of big company's and had to sit through a fucking GMC comercial to see the video... LAME

 

Use the mute.

[sk]

so i went to JibJab to watch the vidio about the evils of big company's and had to sit through a fucking GMC comercial to see the video... LAME

 

Use the mute.

the point is that they have no right to be anti big business and for big buiness at the same time. pick a fucking side.

[whidbey]

This reminds me of last weekend... I went into promountain sports.. Asked for some antibots for my crampons... was told that we don't have any in stock at this time. Was also told that I could barrow some till they became available. I was heading to Mount Hood so... I really did appreciate this local and personal service. Kinda like shopping at second ascents... Support your community... it is a community after all!

[TREETOAD]

For a good time go into a Walmart with a tshirt that has just about any union logo on it. walk around for a while until you notice someone following you (and they will)

then go through the teller and strike up a converstation with the them for a minute or so. It drives managers nuts. If you do this enough times they will actually watch for you and follow you every time you go in there.

We had on store here unionize and the mother fuckers shut it down.

[JayB]

I think it's worth considering whether or not the workers in question would have any wages at without their job at Walmart, and what effect that would have on their standard of living.

 

I also think it's also reasonable to compare the wages that Walmart pays to the aggregate retail average for a given job-category, and the benefits that normally come along with jobs in the same category. Are the people manning the till at Walgreens really making $18/hour with full benefits?

 

I think the differential is highest between people who are essentially grocery-workers at Walmart and the people who are performing the same jobs at grocery stores. The fact that such a gap can exist for a couple of decades suggests that there's a gap between what the folks stocking the shelves are paid and what their skills are worth on the market, and even if Walmart were to magically dissapear there'd be someone there who would be more than happy to exploit that differential, and consumers, especially those who have limited incomes themselves, who would be happy to save the money.

 

For those interested in doing some reading, there's a 64 page PDF on "The Economic Impact of Walmart" here:

 

http://www.globalinsight.com/publicDownload/genericContent/11-03-05_walmart.pdf

 

And there's a discussion of the paper and other papers presented at a conference with the same theme here:

 

http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/oct2005/nf20051026_8916_db016.htm