My, Fillings about Wal-Mart is that it is not what it could be for an example: Most Wal-Marts are in low in com communties thats fine how ever there is a catch to this, even though they swear by there always low pirce signs, but really they are not always low pirces if you buy a regular note book at wal- mart it will cost you $5.99 for just one but lets say you go to Office Depo you buy the same binder at Office Depo it will cost you $2.99, So really not everything you get or find at Wal-Mart is low pirces.

Wal-Mart leaders have forgotten how to listen to it's employees as Mr. Sam Walton required in the past. There is no structure way for Associates to be able to give feedback where their comments are listened too. Store Managers don't want negative feedback coming from their store.

If Wal-Mart wants to keep unions out of their store, then take care of it's employees. The biggest retailer in the world should be the very best employer of the world. How sad that other, smaller, companies can offer better pay and benefits than Wal-Mart can. That is the shame of Wal-Mart.

How pathetic that King 5 would air such a ridiculous story. What company has donated OVER $17Million to the victims of Hurricane Katrina? What company is always there to donate to any fund raising event that comes our way? What company saves the American people thousands and thousands of dollars every year?

Just because the company is successful, it continually gets smeared and everyone tries to "dis" the company. Wal-Mart will not go away, they do not discriminate against female associates and YES I would work at Wal-Mart because they are a SOUND company that no matter who tries to knock them down, they will be strong and stand tall! Talk about job security!!!!

Unions are HORRIBLE anyway!

Ashamed of King 5, Respectfully
T.

Just watched your segment. Gotta love the way they avoid treating their employees like human beings, while claiming that it allows them to have lower prices. Perhaps they do sometimes, but the cost is too much for me. I do not darken their door.

I'm a capitalist all the way and oppose all attempts to limit the choice of consumers and employees. I resent the fact that my dollar vote is overshadowed by the vocal minority. The government OR the unions don't speak for me.

I shop at Walmart because I choose to, and the associates work at Walmart because they choose to. Let retain choice.

I am on vacation this weekend in Seattle from Nashville and as popular as Walmart is in the south I refuse to shop there. Every time I have visited one the traffic is a nightmare, the lines enormous, and employees are incompetent. Sure, I might save a buck or two on a grocery item but I am willing to pay a higher price at my local Kroger down the road that provides much better customer service.

How come you don't talk about how WalMart goes about getting their goods. Look what they did to some companies after telling them to retool and make special things for them they told them they would not pay the going price anymore and started factories in China to make the same things and put the businesses out of business. Also, that means taking work away from us in the US and giving it to China. That is one thing that to me is the worst about WalMart. They might end up paying one cent for something and sell it for $10 over here. That's one reason they are making so much money.

So many people complain about Wal-Mart and yet everyone keeps shopping there. If people want Wal-Mart's low prices out of their community, then they need to go to the local corner store and support the small business owners. People are not willing to do this because Wal-Mart (or any of the big chains for that matter) are convenient and cost effective for the consumer. The politicians and executives that speak out against Wal-Mart have options that middle-class and lower-class shoppers do not have.

With over 80% of it's goods coming from China, the benefits low prices are quickly surpassed by the loss of jobs in this country. In addition, with $10 Billion in profits and low pay and low benefits offered to employees, it is clear that Wal-Mart is taking advantage of it's workforce. There is no shame from this greedy, self-indulgant, profitier ... and there should be.
I don't believe that Jesus would shop Wal-Mart.

I choose not to shop at Walmart. Other large store have found ways to do business and pay their employees better wages.
I assume it is a small minority of people who are complaining constantly about Walmart since they do such a profitable business. This is America you can speak with your wallet or purse.

I see Wal-Mart as reflecting retail stores in general. I used to be a manager with TJ Maxx. Most of our employees were paid minimum wage and given only partttime hours. My brother-in-law went to work at Mervyns and was paid just slightly above minimum wage and offereed only parttime hours. He too, qualified for medicaid for his famly. In stead of picking on one retailer, a balanced program would compare Wal-Mart to similar retail outlets. What does K-Mart pay? What does Target and Mervyn's pay it's workers. Wal-Mart gets picked on because they are the BIG guys, but let's take a look at the entire industry of discount retailers. Burlington Coat Factory? Ross Dress for Less?

We haven't shopped at any Wal-Mart for over three years...since we became aware of their employment and benefits policies. Unfortunately, they seem to be able to take advantage of two of the most blatant problems of our society...thirst for excessive profits and blatant consumerism.

There was a gentleman on this morning that made comments about how people at wal-mart depend on the state and that the state should not make health benefits available so easily. Well, let me just tell you first hand about that. I do not work at Wal-Mart. I work at another major employer here in pierce county. I am a single mother of three children, 9, 5, and 18months from divorce. I work 35-40 hours a week at 12.00 per hour and only get $355 per month in child support most months. I do qualify for insurance through my employer, and for me it is free (minus deductible and copays). In order to add my children, it would cost me $350 per month. I only take home approx $1700. my expenses come to $1500 for bare minimum, not including food. My jeep is old but paid off. I am a licensed pharmacy technician, and still cannot afford the insurance costs for my children. I have to rely on the state to help with daycare expenses, and for medical insurance for my children. I think I am lucky. Can you imagine what it must be like to work on minimum wage and be slapped in the face by this man saying that you should be finding your own insurance rather than living on the state? I believe that Walmart should be doing more for their employees, DEFINITELY. Those people endure customers yelling at them, people leave that place a mess, they have a hard job working there. But do not blame the employess because they need to go to the state for help. Walmart does need to step up to the plate.

I live in south hill Puyallup, & I'm outraged that Pierce County residents in this area would allow a new Walmart to go up on Meridian. There is a super Walmart only 5 miles away. This will bring down the quality of life in our area. Retail is everywhere up here!! Traffic is already a nightmare!! It just means more low paying jobs!! We have enough retail up here. We need to grow the tech businesses up here. A business park in that area to provide a broader opportunity for the people who make residence here.

After listening to Mr. Guppy of the Policy center in Washington DC, and for his support and rationale for Wal-Mart; particularly as far as the Basic Health program being a policy (State Government) decision only. The Basic Health program was put in place to offer health care at a reduced cost to those people who fall below a standard of living that is set against the Federal Poverty level. This standard is adjusted for the Standard of Living for areas within the state of Washington.

If workers at Wal-Mart are eligible for the Basic Health Plan, it means that the wages they are being paid place them well below a livable wage. At best they are a step above the poverty level, at worst, they are making cuts to just the items Mr. Guppy mentioned; food, clothes, housing, utilities in order to survive.

What's worse, is that the question; who is shopping at Wal-Mart; was never asked. Could it be that the people who are making these survival wages are spending them at places like Wal-Mart?

One last thought, is it just Wal-Mart? Have we as a society made a turn towards acceptance of low wages, non-existent cost of living allowances, raises to meet inflation? Are we ready to embrace low cost for low quality? Have we forgotten that you get what you pay for?

I recently spent some time shopping in what most Americans consider a 3rd world nation. What I saw was just these ideals. Poor quality items, for low prices, and people purchasing simply on the basis of price. In the end, they were buying the same items 3 or 4 times over in the timeframe that one quality item would last. The cost difference, was such that they were paying %25 percent more for the poor quality items over the lifespan of the superior quality item. Why would they do this? Because their wages were such that they couldn't afford the better quality now. They also couldn't save money as they were using nearly every penny just to keep a roof over their head, put food on the table, clothe themselves, and give their children and education.

Just the things that Mr. Guppy alluded to, different country, different language, same ideals. We in this world are not so different, because in the end, Wal-Mart and it's kind aren't about low prices as much as they are about widening the class gap. The Middle class is disappearing, while the rich get richer and the poor...are kept down.

Is the Wal-Mart way the American way? Maybe in this time of lost values, lost ideals, and individuals first thinking. But this is not my vision for America. This is not the America in which I was raised.

Will I shop at Wal-Mart? No.

Mr. Mak: Excellent Job! Gave both sides a chance to air their positions and opinions and asked challenging questions of both sides. As a life long Republican, I confess I find WalMart's representative to be disingenuous to the point of being deceitful. However, as a union member, I find some of what the union leader said as being incredibly naive.
Bottom Line: WalMart appears to be earning not only customer appeal, but also its reputation as rabidly anti-union. Like so many issues under discussion in America, the spokespersons are representative of extreme opinions and ideologies and there seems to be a lack of effort to find a middle ground. km

There's no question that Walmart is in fact a quality American retailer with the cheapest prices around on lots of issues. The question is what is the true cost of getting those low prices for quality items for you and your community? The answer is simple, it's startling. Literally every dollar you spend at Walmart deconstructs your local community's wage base and brings it down to Walmart levels of salary and health care benefits.

This is due simply to the fact that other retailers will not be able to compete with Walmart's much lower labor costs in the much lower wages and medical benefits that they provide for their employees. At which point they either have to drop their wages and benefits the same level that Walmart is paying their employees, or they go out of business. The only way this will not affect you is if you or your family members don't plan to work in that community.

There is one other interesting aspect to Walmart and that is as the vast majority of everything they import comes from China, when you buy products that are manufactured and imported from China, you are in essence financing the creation of Chinese manufacturing jobs, which means you are no longer financing the creation of American manufacturing jobs for people in our communities and neighboring states right across the country. Now you might ask is it really that simple, the truth is yes it really is that simple. Everytime you make a purchase you either finance job creation that pays a living wage and benefits in your community and in the United States by buying American made, or you're financing job creation in this case in China by buying Chinese made. So therefore when we see the price tag on a product at Walmart we must look beyond that pricetag to see the true cost of shopping at Walmart for us, for our communities, for our children and for our future. With each purchase at Walmart you're making a decision and casting a vote about the kind of America that you want to live in and the kind of America that you want to pass on to American kids. So you see your shopping dollar casts the vote on the ultimate economic ballot box, which is your retailer's cash register.

There's no question that Walmart is in fact a quality American retailer with the cheapest prices around on lots of issues. The question is what is the true cost of getting those low prices for quality items for you and your community? The answer is simple, it's startling. Literally every dollar you spend at Walmart deconstructs your local community's wage base and brings it down to Walmart levels of salary and health care benefits.

This is due simply to the fact that other retailers will not be able to compete with Walmart's much lower labor costs in the much lower wages and medical benefits that they provide for their employees. At which point they either have to drop their wages and benefits the same level that Walmart is paying their employees, or they go out of business. The only way this will not affect you is if you or your family members don't plan to work in that community.

There is one other interesting aspect to Walmart and that is as the vast majority of everything they import comes from China, when you buy products that are manufactured and imported from China, you are in essence financing the creation of Chinese manufacturing jobs, which means you are no longer financing the creation of American manufacturing jobs for people in our communities and neighboring states right across the country. Now you might ask is it really that simple, the truth is yes it really is that simple. Everytime you make a purchase you either finance job creation that pays a living wage and benefits in your community and in the United States by buying American made, or you're financing job creation in this case in China by buying Chinese made. So therefore when we see the price tag on a product at Walmart we must look beyond that pricetag to see the true cost of shopping at Walmart for us, for our communities, for our children and for our future. With each purchase at Walmart you're making a decision and casting a vote about the kind of America that you want to live in and the kind of America that you want to pass on to American kids. So you see your shopping dollar casts the vote on the ultimate economic ballot box, which is your retailer's cash register.

With WalMart's entry into the small town of Sequim last year, we are beginning to see the end of our life style and our natural environment. As Sequim First, (the group that fought against Big Box stores coming into the Olympic Peninsula) predicted, we are beginning to see the unfunded expenses WalMart has created with our infrastructure - such as new roads to carry the excess traffic, new fire truck to fight taller buildings, and pollution of our river and ground water from stormwater run off.

Sure, WalMart services our 30% below poverty level population, but at what terrible expense to America. Locally, if we saved our farmland for food, if we attracted clean industry with living wages, and if we built our wealth with something other than buying and selling real estate, we could save this country and the Olympic Peninsula from the disaster WalMart leaves in its wake.

I use to work for Wal-Mart four years ago in Coos Bay, OR. I was hired as a part-time cashier at $7.83 a hour. I worked for that store for a year and half, and had to be on State Medical since Wal-Mart doesn't provide medical insurance until you have been with the company for two years for part-time, which is unusual when every other company I have worked for I had insurance after 90 days. I worked every schedule I could get so I could cover my bills and one day when I was at the front end working I lifted a bag for a customer and ended up injuring my knee, and was in a leg brace from my foot to my mid thigh. No one from management called or even stopped by to see how I was doing. I ended up having to fight Wal-Mart for my disability benefits because they swore I had injured myself at home and not on the job! I am not longer allowed to apply for work with any Wal-Mart or Sam's Club now and have a permenant injured knee that still has not had the proper surgry to repair it. I enjoy the "lower prices" but Wal-Mart has severly declined in caring for their employee's ever since Walt passed away.

Being formally employed at Sam's Club the sister company to Wal-Mart, I've seen first hand how the company works. In commercials you always see people who are "happy" to work there, and since it is the biggest company in America, one can't simply weed out all of the employees that love or hate their jobs. However, it is true that they may have competitve wages and low cost insurance for the employees that work there, but what they don't tell you is that the insurance they offer is only catastrophic.
Meaning that if something horrible happens to you that's when your insurance will kick in. Isn't that what disability is for? Many Americans are on a prescription of one form or another. Only after a year of being signed up with Walmarts insurance plan will you get prescriptions covered as a bonus for your loyalty to the insurance company. What's the point of that? There are so many of us out here that need daily prescriptions just to live a normal life that won't be covered for a year if covered on Walmart's plan.
Also, they talk about not being union because they listen to their associates to solve problems within the stores. This includes an "Open Door Policy" which allows associates to go straight to their manager or above their manager to talk about issues they might have. There is also "Grass-Roots" meetings that the company holds every 6 months to a year (depending on the outcome of the first meeting of the year) wich enables associates to openly talk to the General Manager about issues they are having.
I was employed with Sam's Club for almost 3 years and never once did I see any actions taken against any issues anyone had unless it was a safety concern with equipment. Other than that, we heard the same thing over and over again, "We'll look into that." Empty promises across the board.
The reason Walmart is as profitable as it is, is because yes, the prices are low, but they can get away with paying the associates as little as possible and pile on the work for those that are already there so they won't have to hire new faces. If 10 people can do the work of 30, why bother?
I've seen this too. This is the fastest way the associates get burned out and morale is always low. I worked with a gal who was a single mother, she told her apartment complex she worked for Walmart and they gave her a discount on rent for that single reason.
The American people aren't stupid, if they can save a few bucks they will, but they also know a corrupt company when they see one.
So is Walmart good for the community? Perhaps, is it good for the associates? Not at all.

Samantha Newlands

The idea of a free market economy is just that an idea. It does not exist.
What we have is a country on one hand, the USA that has established some mininum protections for a)workers...wage rates, minimum age requirements, worker safety ect..ect b)the environment...clean air, water..the handling of toxic substances...ect ect...and c)socialism in that we take money in the form of taxes from those that have more adn provide social services like education...protection of the environment..defense of liberty throughout the world...ect ect.
On the other hand we have China a country where a) manufacturers can pollute as much as the want as long as they bribe the right government officals, b)don't have ohsa or a legal system to protect workers rights and health c) no minimum wage d) they manipulate international money markets to make their goods and services cheap.
In the middle is Walmart and all the other mutilnational corporations. Their jobs are simply to make the most money for there investors. They do that by not caring about the environment, the people that work for them, or even just cleaning up their mess when they are done. By amassing the great sums of money they can, for a while undercut their competion.. force them out and create a monopoly. In the long turn prices will go up from a lack of competion. But if you study business and economics you know that monopoly's are the true, ultimate evolution of a business..In that way they can do what they are designed to do...provide the least while charging the most.
It's just business.

The idea of a free market economy is just that an idea. It does not exist.
What we have is a country on one hand, the USA that has established some mininum protections for a)workers...wage rates, minimum age requirements, worker safety ect..ect b)the environment...clean air, water..the handling of toxic substances...ect ect...and c)socialism in that we take money in the form of taxes from those that have more adn provide social services like education...protection of the environment..defense of liberty throughout the world...ect ect.
On the other hand we have China a country where a) manufacturers can pollute as much as the want as long as they bribe the right government officals, b)don't have ohsa or a legal system to protect workers rights and health c) no minimum wage d) they manipulate international money markets to make their goods and services cheap.
In the middle is Walmart and all the other mutilnational corporations. Their jobs are simply to make the most money for there investors. They do that by not caring about the environment, the people that work for them, or even just cleaning up their mess when they are done. By amassing the great sums of money they can, for a while undercut their competion.. force them out and create a monopoly. In the long turn prices will go up from a lack of competion. But if you study business and economics you know that monopoly's are the true, ultimate evolution of a business..In that way they can do what they are designed to do...provide the least while charging the most.
It's just business.

You need to look at all retail stores! Having managed two stores in a typical retail shopping mall, I know we (stores) all started employees out at minimum wage and offered only partime hours to the vast majority of our employees. Very few employees could ever qualify for fulltime work, or be offered enough hours to qualify for our medical benefits program. Even as a manager in the retail environment I found wages to be significantly lower than in industrial or even other service related environments. At the same time, retail employees are asked to work nights and holidays, when industrial workers are out BBQing with friends and relatives. I agree that these wages are market driven. As long as people want the lowest prices for the things they buy, and as long as employees are lined up at the door to accept these low paying jobs, they will continue to exist. It's what we call "free enterprise" and "The American Way". Vote with your feet if you don't like it!

Thank you for an informative show. Following "T.", I'm stunned by that level of ignorance. Comanies and unions are not generally or inately "horrible" or good. A few (unions and companies), however, have indeed earned the "horrible" label. Walmart operations hark back to the '30s with the company town mentality which was a primary catalyst for unions to form. Like drug comanies which spend more on public relations and advertising than research, Walmart could have used its current PR campaign money to actually improve the conditions of its empoyees which, in turn, may have done more to improve its image. As it is, all of my family agrees that we will not shop at Walmart nor own its stock.

Walmart is good for America and free enterprise. The Unions only fear they are no longer needed; and truly they are not! Unions destroy free trade and defeat the golden rule of "Supply and Demand". Unions promote seniority and stupidity, not creativity or promotion through hard work and employee dedication. Unions demand overpay for non educated labor who receive higher wages than many men and women who have dedicated their lives to achieving higher levels of education. What arrogance! Unions are simply bad for America. They are violently supported by their members only because they benefit from the "free ride factor", and they want to continue to receive far more benefit than they deserve or actually earned. The more companies that grow across America like Walmart, the sooner our country will prosper and enjoy the true rewards of a supply and demand based free enterprise. The “let's remain uneducated”, join a union, and wallow in complacency the rest of our life mentality is a blithe to our nation. If union members want to earn higher pay, then let them also earn a college degree and “truly” earn it! The union mentality is nothing more than an ignorant bully who is long overdue for a butt kicking. I will do my part and continue to support non-union produced products and services. If you want a lower cost of living, you will do the same. I refuse to encourage bullies.

I have worked for Wal-Mart for 5 Years, and have never been treated unfairly. Wal mart has medical for those who want it it is up to us. This is all about unions who want their cut of the pie. They just want to cash in and get their share of the money, and for what? My ex-husband worked for a union for many years, went on strike and they still couldn't keep their job.

The unions are rich and only want to be richer. No thank you! I don't see the unions giving millions to the hurricane victims. Wal-Mart has and will continue to.

Without my Wal-Mart medical I wouldn't be alive today, or would have lost everything my husband and I have worked so hard for. In April I had to have a 5 way heart by-pass. The hospital bill alone was over 123,000. With my medical I only had to pay 250.00, and 5 months later I still had my job to come back to. Very few employers would have done that.

I am proud to be a Wal-Mart employee and will be as long as I am alive and able. I really think there is always someone who wants to find fault in any company that is successful and is as big as walmart.

The union just does'nt like it because we the employees don't want them, not our employer. They just don't want to accept the fact that we are happy the way we are.

I found it interesting to see that people who have identified themselves as Walmart employees would be responding here, in posts that sound very similar to commercial advertising purchased by Walmart in touting its healthcare plan.

It is a fact that Walmart tries assiduously to keep its employees out of unions. Is this good for America? Let's consider this, first of all the United States already has the lowest rate of unionization of any major industrialized country in the world. This had led to legislation that has made it possible for full time working men and women not to be covered by medical insurance. In fact the United States is the only major industrialized nation in the world that doesn't have universal medical access for its citizens, which can be seen as a direct result of its low rate of unionization. Yet another outgrowth of the low rate of unionization in the United States is the fact that we are the only major industrialized nation in the world that doesn't offer paid maternity leave by law to our working mothers. Therefore should we ask as Walmart is the largest company in America that isn't unionized, is this good for America?

Finally for the union bashing people out there, I think we would do well to remember that American unions stopped child labor, offered equal opportunity for women, created a break during the work week called the weekend, and pushed for stronger laws to make our work places safer for employees and our communities. As for working men and women, they are definitely entitled to their fair share of the wealth that they themselves have helped create. That's called the American way! As such couldn't Walmart benefit from having its workforce unionized?

Wal-mart is great for their cheap prices, if you can stand the long lines to the check out lane, & the bad customer service. Wal-mart is open twenty four hours a day, seven days a week.
Wal-mart is working it's staff for too little pay. That can't be good for America.

wal mart is a blight on the landscape. wal mart is a parasite living off of the corpse of the american dream. the are the iligitamate children of a con man and a harpy. anyone stupid enough to let them into there town will soon see there friends buisnesses close and there children begin working for half the wages they deserve.

I never shop at walmart.I would rather pay the xtra cost for something at another store that will pay their employees better wages and provide them with health care. I really never understood why people shop there some things are cheaper but not everything there is better priced then at another store. If people would stop shopping there walmart might just start paying their employees better wages/benefits. I am sure most of the people that are working there need that job to survive and to be hit with healthcare costs and not making ends meet is hard.

My husband an I moved out here from Ohio last year. I worked at Wal-mart in Ohio for over three years. I was a part time worker and did not received benefits because my husband received them for us at his place of work. I was the norm. The women who needed benefits worked full time to receive them. Those of us who did not, didn't. We had a very good work force. Wal-Mart did not come out on the street and drag me in to work for them. I ask them for a job. I did the best job I knew how for them. Wal-Mart is not the place to go if you have a family to support. It is a place for young people to start out in and for older people to work to supplement income. It is not the place, Like the old factories where you spend the rest of your working like in, like your father before you. What is wrong with saving money. We need more places out here that can help us do that. Wal-mart is non-union for the simple fact that it is not necessary to have one. We knew our job and what it took to do it. What is needed more than that. We did not need someone taking dues from our checks to tell us what we already knew about our jobs. Thank you Wal-Mart for over three good years with you. I still shop at them out here. I have to go quite a few miles to get to them but the savings make it worthwhile.

I am a consumer. I buy at a store that sells a product for less. If the protesting retailers can sell the same products for less than that of Walmart, and if I know about it, I will buy in their stores. I would not go to Walmart. Are the local retailers willing to sell for less?

How Walmart treats their employees is absolutely a separate subject from it's expansion. It is ridiculous for King5 to bring this subject in the context of the company's growth, and the protest by the local retailers.

I feel sorry the local retailers as they are going to face a tough time. But that's how it goes in business. Play the game or bail out!

Robert, talking about health benefits from Walmart, I am a teacher is the great state of Washington. My kids are on state medical because I don't get paid enough, for family health benefits, I have to pay out of my check over $500.00 per month. Stop whinning about Walmart.

In response to the Upfront program tonight regarding WalMart, I will gladly give our opinion on how they do business and treat their employees. First of all on the health insurance issue, our son worked there for almost five years and he is a diabetic. They have a pre-existing condition clause so he was unable to get any health insurance coverage through them. We were forced to take out insurance through the Washington State Health Insurance Pool and it is very expensive. Also, once an employee has been there for any length of time, it is our belief that they find ways to get rid of them so they can hire someone else at a cheaper pay.

Our son was terminated because of harassment by another employee who made fun of him and his friends and family. It was after store hours but our son punched him in the arm and because of this he lost his job. Everyone at the store knew about this other employee who was quite racist but management did nothing about it and as a result out son paid the price. We wrote to the headquarters in Arkansas but nothing became of it and we could not financially pursue the issue.

The bottom line is we have no good words to say about WalMart and the way they treat their employees. I feel the insurance issue alone should be considered prejudice and not legal.

Is Wal-Mart good for America? NO
Is it the free market at its best or at its worst? WORST
Do I shop there? NO

Walmart is a wolf in sheep's clothing, and people that shop there don't even realize they are contributing to the exportation of U.S. jobs.

Unionism is a secondary issue, but people need to be wary of any large company that refuses to allow their employees to unionize. Unions are the only means for employees to unite together and stand up for what is fair and right.

The Wal-mart issue has within itself many issues that must be resolved and understood before we can make any decisions on it. Foreign policy, living wages,health benifits,the free-market and how these apply to micro-economics on a community level. Not only that, but people need to save money and low-prices walk when at this moment, alternatives only talk. It is quite complicated

First off the reason why Wal-mart has such low prices is because they import products from counties such as China and Mexico where the workers at these factories get payed extremely low wages, much less lower than our poverty level, of which Wal-mart doesn't even pay its U.S. workers. We need to think about whether we want to support in any way a company that buys and sells products that come from slave-wages to bring those products to American consumers.

How about the free-market? We have to decide whether the rules that govern what a company can do are what promotes a safe realm for businesses within our society. When a wall-mart comes into a town offering prices much lower than any 'ma and pa' business, the effect is that many local and authentic independant businesses go bankrupt. The money therefore gets taken out of circulation within the community into the pockets of wal-mart's executives. Is this something that any of us want to happen to our community at the expense of lower prices?

Lastly how Wal-mart treats its workers is highly against what most people will consider a company practicing any sort of humanistic morals. Countless examples of how Wal-mart shafts its workers are all over the place, not just at some random website out there in cyber space, but within the highly professional realm of journalism.

At this time wall-mart is not being forced to be responsible for the lack of social justice that it practices. It is up to the people to keep these in check because there seems to be that we can only rely on oursleves for these kinds of matters. As we have seen on television communities within our state have been able to combat against this massive giant with coordinated community action.

I don't suggest that you take anybody's face value word for any of this information. Neither ONLY the mass media (King 5 etc.), not just alternative media, nor without actual education about matters concerning social justice and economics. The more opinions the better able we are to formulate a realistic picture on any issue and these days only with a click on the mouse this information will appear faster than a 'porche 911'.

Education!

What about the millions of people employed by Wal-Mart suppliers? These are people receiving good benefits and pay because of Wal-Mart and Wal-Mart customers. Being from the northwest you often hear about the trickle down effect of Microsoft or Boeing. Well guess what folks, the trickle down effect of Wal-Mart is huge and nationwide.

I work for a Wal-Mart supplier and I am grateful everyday for my job which enables our family to own a home, cars, buy food and clothing, and pay our medical bills and taxes right here in Washington state.

My wife wife worked at the Auburn Walmart up untill a few weeks ago when she was called into the managers office and sitting in there was the district loss prevention manager and asked her to sit.
He started off nice and plesant and asked fake friendly questions and things like that.
Then it got around to him saying she stole $100 dollors 2 weeks prior from her own till.
Claiming he had video of her not putting the money in the till and then making a motion that she had put it in her pocket.

When she was $100 short it was never found even after hours of research on the computer and looking under things where her register was located.

The store had been missing alot of money,so much so that they were taking drawers out of the registers and lifting them up and moving things looking for all the lost money.
During her 3 hour interogation she was told she could not leave even after asking many times and even when the store manager told the loss prevention person “Can’t we let her go home. and not waste any more of her time?” he was then swooshed away like a fly.
After 3 hours of him trying to play mind games and saying things like “so..you have a new baby at home?” and when asking if her address was correct asking where exactly our house was.. and “how would someone get there” and other private questions intended to scare her to sign a paper stating her guilt.

Half way through she was escorted to get water and was told “I don’t think you will run” by the district loss prevevtion manager. When she asked if she could call home and she called me and told me what they were doing and and then was told she had to go back.

They told her if she signed saying to stole it that they would not say anything to anyone so she could get another job and that she could shop in the store and nothing would ever become of it.
Of course she did not sign it. and after the 3 hours of being held against her will and forced to stay in the building they called a police officer in (against the wishes of the store manager) and when he came they went in the hallway and he came in and the officer said if she didn't sign the paper he was taking her to jail for the weekend and let the judge sort it out on monday and that they would most likely find her guilty and send her to prison for a year.

She gave them a speech that she did not do it and that she was only signing it because she could not goto prison for a year being she had a newborn baby to care for.

It's very sad that people in such a "family store" would treat someone who has worked there for 4 year like this and then allow some police officer to make up lies about going to prsion to scare her into signing a paper saying that she did something she did not do.

We have tried to find a lawyer but they are all afraid to take on Walmart due to the fact that they have tried and can't spend years trying to fight such a giant company and thier building full of lawyers.

So as i sit here trying to figure out how i am going to pay rent,food,bills,car payment, and get baby items.. with $535.00.

Thank you for your time

For the person who wants us to watch the trickle down effect to Walmart suppliers, I say good for them. They're obviously interested in what's good for them, as opposed to what's good for the rest of us and what's good for America. I say don't be distracted by the trickle down effect to some profiteering Walmart suppliers. Instead watch not the trickle, but the flood of American manufacturing jobs being moved to China, because most Walmart goods do not come from American suppliers. They come from Chinese manufacturing companies, where the average worker gets paid right around approx 33 cents an hour.

I work for Walmart and when I went to apply for foodstamps I was told I made $10 a month to much to recive any help.
The caseworker then told me that "This is a normal thing for Walmart workers, Right on the poverty level".
Real nice.
And it's very hard to find another job due to other companies not wanting to hire due to thier low sales being they are surrounded by 4 Walmarts all within a 15 mile area.
At my store nobody is ever talking about how to beat Target or Freddys, They talk about how to beat the other Walmarts around us to get our sales back up.

But as the Manager will tell you.
If you have one store pulling in 10 million a year and you build one down the street and your store loses 4 million a year and the new store makes 8 million a year thats 14 million a year total now.
They don't mention that they lay off 1/4 of the stores workers and reduce hours from 40 hours to 16 a week,run people so hard into the ground by forcing them to work in 3 to 5 differint areas instead of the one they where hired for,they end up quiting or getting fired for calling in due to being sick from being overworked.

How can someone be expected to live on a 16 hour work week when they where hired on as full time and started off with 40 hours a week.
They can't!

I also work at the store where the girl was fired and falsly accused of stealing $100. It was a real travesty and all comes from management being too powerful and using grudges to get rid of people that they consider make too much. A lawyer once said that Wal-Mart was notoriously bad to its workers. People have no recourse when they are treated unfairly. The lawyers don't want to take on corporate lawyers who will run them around chasing paperwork and run up the clock on some poor underpaid worker that doesn't have the financial means to persue their legal rights. Add this to all the other things brought up here about Wal-Mart and I say I will drive farther, spend more and NEVER shop Wal-Mart.

I am ashamed to say I work for WalMart. I didn't used to feel this way...I loved my job when I first started 7 yrs ago. But over the years I have seen too many good people fired unfairly, more work pressed upon too few associates, lack of communication between upper and middle management, morale hit rock bottom numerous times, to name a few, all because the companies number one belief...Respect for the Individual...has been tossed out the window to make way for the almighty dollar. Yes, I agree that unions are an unneccesary blight on our society...why should we pay hard-earned union dues to a high mucky muck who sits there and tells us how to do our jobs, when all you have to do is listen to your boss...he IS your boss, after all, and yes, unions did outlaw child labor and the likes years ago, but with the legal system we have today, those issues are no longer "issues". The stores are a mess because there aren't enough associates to clean up after ignorant and rude customers, which in turn keeps customers away...I wouldn't want to shop in a dirty store, either...so it's a nasty catch-22 situation that those associates who are still here try and turn a blind eye to each and every day. We struggle to make ends meet, to make the workplace as fun and upbeat as possible, all the while watching the hypocrisy and lack of respect send the good workers packing and morale even lower. I would never recommend that anyone apply for a job at WalMart, unless you know it is strictly a short term position while you look for something greater. We must have retail in our lives, and I do know that WalMart does carry a lot of good quality items, but blame government for pushing the retail need to go overseas for merchandise, and not the companies themselves. I, like so many other long-term associates fear the day I might be fired because I make too much $$ an hour, and could easily be replaced by a minimum wage. I keep my nose clean, do my job, and silently curse Sam Walton's family for NOT following thru on HIS beliefs.

I worked for Wal-Mart for a grand total of 2 years. Started as an unloaded in the back room and became a department manager in 1 year. A few things bothered me but I kept my peace and thought that the problems that others had were partly their own fault.

However I saw one associate get fired for taking a candy bar from the break room vending machine that had been left in the deposit bin. A bit extreme. Another associate got fired for supposedly leaving a case unlocked. Again, a bit extreme. There came a time when all of the department managers were expected to follow a schedule each morning without exception in doing daily responsibilities. Even if no one else was available to cover your department and service the customers. Some expectations came down from regional management who it was clear had no concept of how some departments operated.

The store manager is looking to cover his butt, the disrict manager is looking to cover her butt, so the brunt of any problems rests on the associates whether the are department managers or not. As far as respect for the associates, I think this only applies to those that don't make waves and are in general so afraid of losing this job that they will "yes man" the bosses regardless of how ludicrous the request may have been. Couple this with the frustration of dealing with unappreciative customers (usually these are people that have never worked a retail setting) and you have employees that ARE NOT PAID ENOUGH. My hat is off in respect to those who work retail.

However the real question is, Is WAL-Mart the enemy? Consider this, if Wal-Mart does business with a manufacturer and this manufacture also supplies Target, Fred Meyers and whomever else with the same product do these other retailers also benefit from the lower negoiated prices by Wal-Mart's hard nosed barginning? If this manufacturer is forced off-shore to produce product to meet the cost demands of Wal-Mart do the other retailers benefit from the price breaks? You bet the answer is YES. But do they pass on the savings to you the customer? Do you as the customer refuse to buy the same off-shore produced product from the other retailers. The answer is NO. Though it is easy to point a finger at someone else remember that for every finger you point at someone else there are 3 pointing back at you. Though the issue is very complex, economics, supply in demand, free market, jobs, wages, health care, etc. Wal-Mart is not the enemy. Igorance is the enemy. If you choose to bash one retailer for faults then you should look at the others and fault them for being the quite accomplices to the problem and beneficiaries of the results.

You as a consumer have the right to shop or not to shop where you want, however you also have the obligation to seek information and make valid choices based on the information. If you choose to not shop at Wal-Mart because they force manufactures off-shore then why would you buy the same product from a different retailer? If you choose to not shop at Wal-Mart because of low wages or work conditions than ask about the situation at other retailers. Ask employees if they know what the turnover rate is for their store or company. Ask why it is that rate. You will find that many employees are as dissatisfied with their current job for about the same reasons. When all things are equalled out you need to be more informed and respond accordingly.

Yes I still shop at Wal-Mart. I do so fully realizing that I am in someway supporting the current conditions and inequalties. My goal is to reduce, not eliminate, my overall need to rely on retailers. Therefore saving more for me and my family, buy more American (though more costly but preserving jobs), and reduce the dependency on off-shore production. A lofty goal but ...

It's very simple! Wal-Mart is China's retail division in the US. At any rate it is capitalism but at the same time if a city,town,county or whichever wants to ban them then I believe they the people have the right to have them banned. Remember the rights we have as people. If you don't excercise them than you can't complain. Besides Target,Fred Meyer really are not whole lot more in price for the same things.

I also worked at two different Wal-Marts in the past, both in Michigan. I think specific locational management plays a major role in how people are treated at each store. My experience was good in both Benton Harbor and Niles, MI. The management was both caring and kind. It was an awesome place to work while going to college. They worked around my schedule, not me working around theirs. They treated me with respect and dignity.

The stores I worked for also were trashed by customers. I think the area the Wal-Mart is located in makes a big difference on that. I lived close to 3 stores, and the one in the wealthier area was always nice, and wasn't staffed more than the one in the low income area of Benton Harbor MI. The B.H. MI store was trashed because the customers threw things everywhere like animals. No matter how much or hard you worked, you can't keep up with people like that.

And for all of you that take stuff to the register and say you don't want it....STOP THAT!!

I'm tired of hearing all the negatives about Wal-Mart. Unless you have actually worked for them you would know differently. I work for them and have for the past 4+ years. In my community of Grays Harbor where I live I needed a job and when I applied no one else (not even the competitors) were hiring. I went to Wal-Mart and in a week I had a job with good pay and in a year I had GOOD benefits. What company offers stock in their company the first day you start there? I love my job and would reccommend them to anyone who is looking for work. I use to work for a company (not retail) that was union and when I left I haven't missed the union. The one problem with union jobs is when the contracts expire the company would always use scare tactics on their employees to sign for a new one. At Wal-Mart we don't have that problem. You come to work, do your job you are told to do and you help the customer to your best knowledge and if you don't have what they are looking for you send them to another business who may what they need. We can't please everyone, but we try to do our best and when we do we get awarded for what we do by having a job to come back to the next day. And to answer the one persons question about if Jesus would shop at our store I think he would. Also, I've shopped at other stores and they too have inferior products made in China, Thailand, Indonesia etc. and not made in America.

I worked for Wal-Mart for over 3 years and it was a great opportunity for me. I was able to transfer to a store in another state with no problems, and was encouraged to do better and progress through the ranks and was given the resources to do so.
However, some of the management people need more education on how to manage their employees. Wal-Mart says that no matter what, no overtime will be paid, period. But some managers will make the employees work well over 40 hours in a work week, forcing many employees to 'clock-out', and not get paid for their work. Granted, some employees don't deserve to get paid to pretend they're working, but others do work and work very hard. I wish all the hard workers could be recognized for the job done.
I will never stop going to Wal-Mart as long as they're around. In fact they are my first choice for a lot of things used in my house everyday. I just have to wonder, how many blue-vested employees am I seeing that are not being paid for their work due to bad management?

I was asked to work off the clock and didn't think it was right to be forced to work without being paid for it.
So one time I complained and got in trouble for not doing this and was told it "Was for the betterment of the store" and that I "should want to do it".
After telling them I knew it was against the law
making me do this it was dropped.

I have been with WalMart for 4+ years and I have
seen and heard alot of stuff happen (good or bad).
It's not about where the items are made and it's not about politics it's about the people. We the
associates work for a living and the management works for the money(how much they are going to get as a bonus). Don't get me wrong I love my job but I hate the company I work for!!! If I could go out and find another job tomorrow I would but it's not that simple. I support my family (5) on a WalMart income and yes I rely on the state for help if my husband went to work the kids would have to go to daycare (there goes the paycheck) so he stays at home.

who cares, how come we never here about the way those animals in the Gaza strip are tearing apart the greenhouses generously donated to those people to work for a living? Why in the heck doesnt the media show thoses pictures and stories? These animals need to be exposed for who they really are and their true intentions.

For one this page is about Walmart's wrong doings
not about people in another country.
Is it about people trying to expose Walmart for not taking care of thier workers.

With my wife being accused of stealing $100 from her till at Walmart and being fireed last month and her not being able to find a job.

And with my hours being cut and my check is now
being garnished for medical bills for the 99% that walmarts medical does not cover.

Our heat is off and we have no phone and our cable was turned off the other day for being past due and they are supposed to turn off my cable internet anyday now.

Our rent is a week pastdue and i found out tonight my check is only $479.55 and our rent is $639.00 a month..So her and i and the baby will be living in our truck or hopfully on the couch of a friend.

Welfare will not help us in anyway besides foodstamps that have been allowing us to buy baby food and for us to eat something beside the out of date foodbank food for the past month.

They have a system that gives upto $1,500 to pay off bills and pay your rent to help you out until you get back on your feet.. but they said we can't get that being i gross about $100 more than thier program allows for a family of 3.

So i guess if i quit we could live comfortably for a couple months.

It's really sad when i am driving up to he welfare office to BEG for help and then you see people drive up in a brand new lexus and get treated like kings and queens and given money and foodstamps.. it's a very sad country indeed.

So in regards to your gaza comment.. Yes i agree more should be done to expose them.. but i think america should take care of thier own first.

To all of those who are struggling here in WA, move!! This part of the country has an extremely high cost of living. You can make the same amount of money, even at a Wal-Mart, and actually be able to afford to pay your bills. I've lived in a small town of about 8K people in MI, and nice apartments go for about 400 a month. We pay 1280 a month here...I can't wait to move in a few months!

!
My wife and I do not shop at wal-mart, in my opinion re-arming China at the expense of the American people is not in our best interest.The 11 million they gave is only a fraction of what the C.E.O get yearly. Why don't they just pay their employees a livable wage and cover there medical if they want to do something worth what Sam Walton was all about.

www.walmartassociatescentral.com

Copyright Julie pierce all rights reserved 2001/2005
“The Walmart Way” Not Sam’s Way (Subject to change)

I do believe The Walmart Addiction is worse than I originally thought it was.
Seriously, there is a huge portion of Walmart no one knows about. The cult, the culture and the corporate offices. The lies, the associates and "the necessary evil," as Sam Walton called it.
The seven years our family has worked for the company has brought to my attention so many things that it is difficult, to say the least, to write this book based on true experience and catch someone’s attention doing it.
There are many good things amongst the bad.
I could change it. Totally anti Walmart and the UFCW union was interested in that. The agent I had at that juncture said they would look at it and possibly pre order 50,000 copies. Using me as a speaker at rallys and meetings and the poster child for organizing a union at Walmart.
But the story would not be entirely real.
I am still in constant communication with Walmart Corporate Offices and it has become a true fight for me not to go back to work with them.
There are associates across the United States that are reading a rough draft version of the book. By request.
The feedback leads me to continue trying.
Walmart will not be unionized, partially because of what culture still exists and partially due to the fear factor associates feel. If the current trends at Walmart continue the dedicated associate base will leave or retire and what will be left will not sustain the profits the company needs to survive.
Synopsis
Not pro or anti Walmart, but Walmart as it really is inside the stores.
A true to life insider’s look at Walmart the Culture, Cult, Executive and Corporate offices as told by a Walmart associate, not a corporate officer or reporter.
A journey through four states in numerous positions with Walmart, issues that rear their ugly heads from time to time as I progress from hourly associate to salaried management and beyond.
Working with, and assisting associates with problems in ten stores, that Walmart Human Resource departments neglect to find answers to or ignore, and filled with a consistent flow of communication that brings to light “The Walmart Way” as it is seen by the average associate and includes quotes by H. Lee Scott; Walmart CEO when he is presented with a possible misappropriation of funds. The lies, the truths
Gender discrimination issues within the stores that include promotion and salary issues reported, but not changed and not a thing of the past even with a historic class action lawsuit pending against the company and on appeal.
This story includes every issue brought to my attention by “my Walmart family”. This includes associates, more than four thousand I have worked with and the associates in our own family, six of which four have left the company in various forms and for a variety reasons.
Of interest to all Walmart associates and their families, associates alone number in the millions. (associates across the nation are reading a draft of the book currently) Consumers, 100 million shop at Walmart weekly. Retailers in search of retail concepts and human resource information, and stockholders interested in the company and it’s future. This is a story that will interest, and or inspire, anyone with any sort of, Walmart, Addiction.

The book starts with the question of what has happened to the culture Sam Walton started when he founded Walmart and the way the associates became so dedicated to the company.
It continues with our family being introduced to Walmart in 1990 and the experience of being a consumer in stores located in Oklahoma.
It then looks at the impact Walmart had on a small business owned by our family in Florida.
The good effect Walmart stores had on her business while still a division one store and the negatives that came along as Walmart repeatedly relocated stores and reopened them as super centers.
It continues as the family becomes attached to the Walmart culture and becomes a part of the cult working in Florida.
The chapters then go on to explain, the cult, gender discrimination and the family’s acceptance of “The Walmart Way” as life.
The story continues in Alabama and a continuous battle coming from within as far as the fairness of the company’s employment tactics and hiring procedures. Steady promotions occur as connections are made and the founder’s culture continues to live within these stores and the good continues to out weigh the bad.
The move into salaried management takes the family to New Hampshire where as an assistant manager, Julie and her family find a completely different Walmart culture and what at times seems to be no culture at all.
All six adults in the family become Walmart associates in this state and numerous situations occur during which Julie becomes deeply associated with associates who use the “open door policy” but fear retaliation more than what they may or may not be asked to do daily.
Three of the family are terminated or quit for various reasons and the situations take Julie out of her district to the corporate offices and executive ranks, while arguing the accusations that the family found unsubstantiated and bogus.
Constant recurrence of issues concerning company policy and the culture were prominent, within each store issues brought to her by large numbers of associates she worked with took her into many different situations where the use of company policy was being neglected or abused. All issues presented to her were brought to corporate and executive management with he hope of resolution in the most confidential manner possible.
The stories contained are real and the accounts are true. Many of the communications can be documented and become more complex as the family attempts to avoid problems that there seems to be no resolution to.
The open door policy of the company continues to have barriers and the corporate officers run the company strictly by paper.
The final move to Louisiana is approved and the family suffers from a botched relocation and the corporate and executive officers assist Julie in resolving issues that hinge on issues resembling a misappropriation of funds during reimbursement for relocation expenses, open door issues gone sour and a litany of associates who have no way to communicate issues they feel are of importance to higher management.
Presently fifteen chapters the last of which is being written Walmart: Addiction, Withdrawal and Recovery.

They are as follows:
1 Where Is Sam?
2 A Customer, Small Business Owner & Walmart Associate
3 The Cult
5 New Hampshire
6 The Culture
7 Unanswered Questions
8 Gender Discrimination
9 Open Door Communications
10 Propaganda
11 Office Politics
12 Ethics
13 Fluff
14 Louisiana
15 Addiction, Withdrawal and Recovery
Author:
Julie Pierce has been in retail for over thirty years in supermarkets, general merchandise and franchise retail establishments.

As a Walmart associate she has worked as an hourly associate, department manager of many departments and as a field manager for Walmart in four states.
She has had many meetings and different forms of communication with more than thirty-five Walmart executive and corporate officers over seven years, including H. Lee Scott; CEO and Tom Coughlin.
She has personally worked and assisted in the operations of fifteen Walmart stores with more than four thousand Walmart associates.
Her family has worked in a total of more than twenty different Walmart stores.

Relationship to other titles

I have not found a book written on Walmart by a Walmart Associate.
There are a number of books: all of which are written through research alone.
Liza Featherstone writes from information gathered on the class action lawsuit and from interviews.
Robert Slater writes on Walton’s Culture and on interviews.
Don Soderquist’s book is inspirational, but again is a view from the corporate offices.
Other books published about Walmart, have been corporate accounts or are written with the assistance of the Walmart public relations department.

I believe people work at Wal-Mart because there are not many places left in this country to work. Good jobs just keep disappearing and no one cares. Not everyone has an I.Q of 120 so the average person has no recourse but to seek low-income jobs at places like Wal-Mart. Nine out of ten work harder that those with the higher I.Q. that know how to get out of work.

The last hurrah is happening.
Walmart is now cutting down on district managers.
Not only are there no longer any sales associates available for the customers. The stores are understaffed and now the district managers are being slowly cut out.
A regular supercenter used to have five hundred to seven hundred associates now it is two hundred fifty or three hundred fifty for a 24/7 operation that is over 200,000 square feet.
Going the way of Kmart. The stock is going up for a bit again but will not hold out long and the 401k plans are 60% wmt so the associates will lose there too.
Walmart...Kmart.
Remember and the bigger they are the harder they fall. bye bye...

I agree with you the way you view the issue. I remember Jack London once said everything positive has a negative side; everything negative has positive side. It is also interesting to see different viewpoints & learn useful things in the discussion.

Wal Mart is family friendly as they say the are.
Two weeks before Christmas I was at Wal Mart 2539 in Spokane. The District Manager Mr. Windhorn on the sale floor made a comment using the word that starts with an "F" which in return my child repeated. I sent a letter to Lee Scott of Wal Mart who gave it to Mike Moore who made a promise he couldn't and in fact lied to me stating he would make sure this never happened again. As Wal Mart doesn't allow that in their Company. Bull Mr. Windhorn is still at Wal Mart and still making rude remarks. I made sure I followed through on it. Wal Mart cares nothing about anything but $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ not there customers or employees whom I assume get to hear there District Manager foul mouth regularly.

Mrs. Shane Ragario

He said that the direction of oil prices and the developing story regarding Iran will also play a role in trade, although the earnings news is likely to dominate. If the Iran issue fades, ourdelaware us stocks can continue to move up in the week ahead, said Ghriskey

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