Wal Mart's impact

[hank moon]

Excerpt:

Such stories illustrate a few dimensions of

[blueeyes]

Wal-Mart is the spawn of the devil. I hate that place and avoid at all costs.

[Deathcricket]

The Berkeley researchers calculated that in 2000, the downward pressure on wages from Wal-Mart was costing retail workers nationally about $4.5 billion a year. Simply the threat that Wal-Mart Supercenters were coming to Southern California led unionized grocery chain managers in 2003 to unite in a lockout -- imposed in response to a strike against one chain -- against the United Food and Commercial Workers union. The conflict ended with concessions from workers, such as a two-tier wage schedule and provisions reducing insurance coverage. Three years later, only 54 percent of union grocery workers, down from 94 percent, had health insurance.

Haa! I was actually part of the union busters when this happened. I got paid $25 an hour to stack apples. It was sweet. Me and a buddy actually took 2 weeks vacation from our "normal jobs" to take advantage of it. Friggin unions.

[accadacca]

43792

[Wasatch]

I like shopping at WalMart. Excellent prices, they also carry stuff that other stores do not carry by me.

[Scott Card]

I go there only when I have to. I hate having to pack a lunch just to hike to the back of the store to find milk. I once tried leaving a trail of M&M's behind me to find my way out but they had them swept up or some kid ate them. I was temporarily misplaced for a while. Now I just have the milk section locked in my GPS and I mark my car before leaving it in the asphalt wilderness. I also find that my 5.10's blend right in with the other "high" fashion statements walking around.

[Rented mule]

didja know....Wal*Mart gives so so much back to the community? Fact: United Way of Dixie serving 120,000 citizens of So. Utah was founded
in 1994 after Wal*Mart arrived and was instrumental in its development. They have an active role in United Way.

Gee, what did the citizens have if no United Way before 1994? They had to crawl to ol man Potter for a handout....
Go to their website
and look up grants and good works. If everyone hates Wal*Mart, why then are there three stores in our one county? Seems people WANT Wal*Mart.

[Scott Card]

I don't hate Walmart. I just hate taking 30 min. to buy a gallon of milk. There is no denying it is a very large store and not the place where one would generally want to go to pick up a few items. I like my little Allens or Reams Grocery Stores near my home where I can park a few feet from the door, run in, grab the items I need and be back in the car in 5 minutes tops. Good luck with that at Walmart.

[Sombeech]

Ask yourself which is better:

Letting a few community businesses have a higher profit margin?
Or letting the majority of the community save money on shopping?

[Scott P]

Letting a few community businesses have a higher profit margin?
Or letting the majority of the community save money on shopping?


Good question. Before Walmart came to town, the price of several grocery items was ridiculous (there were only two stores in town to shop at and they both fixed the same prices). When Walmart came to town, the two grocery stores magically lowered their price on a gallon of milk by over a dollar. Maybe Walmart is evil, but so is charging someone $5-6 for a gallon of milk.

Besides, my mom worked (actually still does) at Walmart (as soon as it came to Utah) and it was our only income for a while when growing up. My brother works there too and has for several years. He has a learning disability and can't read and no one else would (or likely will) hire him. At least they take in people that can't find jobs other places. A job at an "evil" place is still better than no job at all, at least for people that want to work. Out of five kids, I'm the only one that hasn't worked at Walmart. 29% of my family still does.

[RedMan]

This is the same kind of reasoning and justification that was being made to prevent railroads from replacing canal boats. Its a ridiculous argument posed by a person trying to support a predisposed opinion.

I think it would have been good for the country if we had outlawed railroads and simply built canals all over the country. Think of the employment that would have generated, holy cow!!