Wal-Mart

[Sombeech]

A little Monday morning controversy.

What's your opinion of Wal-Mart? Do you love 'em? Do you see them as the next great evil? Let's talk about it...

Post your vote in the poll.

[derstuka]

I like Target better, primarily because they seem to be not as crowded, and have similar prices. Wal-Mart is ok, but they need to pay their employees more, and stop buying from sweatshops like so many others...

[live2ride]

I have a love hate relationship with them being that I currently have the Walmart account, so I see a side that most people don't see, dealing with buyers, vp's and so on. From the business aspect they are amazing; however, I have to agree with others, they need to take care of thier employees more.

[Sombeech]

they need to take care of thier employees more.

I'm hearing a lot about that, but I don't hear specifics. Do they not have good benefits, pay, hours, etc?

I know that I hate my job, and a lot of people hate their jobs. Can you expand on what Wal-Mart doesn't do for their employees? Because I am hearing that a lot from 3rd hand information.

[derstuka]

Based on people that I know that have worked at Wal-Mart, as well as a TV news documentary, they pay their employees a relatively low wage, have smaller raises, not very good benefits, and have a very high turn-over rate. They claim they are getting better, but that remains to be seen. Basically, the employees who work there deserve better in my opinion. Wal-Mart is WAY to obessed with cost!

[Sombeech]

Do you know what position they held?

I wonder if it's the checkers, or a certain "level" of employees who are treated poorly.

I wonder how store managers and upper management do with their salaries and benefits...

What do you guys think about what they are doing to the competition?

[derstuka]

I think it is lower level employees mostly that are compensated poorly. The people that I was talking about were stockers, clerks, and the like. I think that upper-level would would get compensated fairly well for them to want to stay around. As far as a regular manager, I don't know, but I wouldn't guess it would be that great. I'm just guessing on the manager's and upper-level employees keep in mind.

Wal-Mart is also guilty (as are lots of others) of buying from sweatshops, but they claim they don't, and they only buy from workers paid a reasonable local wage, and works normal hours. A dateline exclusive showed some of the places that they bought from in India and the workers made 15-20 cents an hour and work 14 hour day, with no overtime.

[Sombeech]

True, I heard some statistics of how much money they used from out of country, but I also heard the other side of the story where most of their purchases came from the USA.

Keep in mind, Wal-Mart is not the manufacturer who chooses to outsource to other countries.

Although, Wal-Mart CAN have the choice to buy only AMERICAN MADE products.

But then, would I shop there as much because the price doubled?

There's good and bad. This is a good discussion, let's keep it going.

Where do you think Wal-Mart could improve? Where are they doing great?

[derstuka]

Well, Wal-Mart (as well as others) do buy clothing and material directly from overseas manufacturers who have sweatshop like conditions. Yes, I would rather them all buy American products, but the main point that I would like to make is buy requesting such a low low low price from it's vendors, Wal-Mart is forcing people to do business overseas, and from unethical businesses sometimes. They may look clean and pretty when the auditor comes, but behind the scenes, it is a different story.

In the same story, it talked about how vendors told Wal-Mart personnel that they cannot produce product for the prices that they are asking, so the Wal-mart personnel told them to "go elsewhere overseas" if need be to meet the price.

Think if they paid those ladies working in a sweatshop 1 dollar and hour instead of 15 cents, and didn't force them to work 14 hours? They would be able to live a much better life, and I for one would not mind paying another 5 bucks for a shirts.

[live2ride]

Well A department manager generally makes about 12 bucks an hour and that can be after 10 years of working with the company. Benefits suck and you can start making decent money when you get in the managers program. They typically work the assistant managers into the ground and aren't compenstated very well either. Store Managers do OK, but when you get in the District Manager positions they can start making good money. I deal with 52 walmarts from Souther Idaho to Vegas on a daily basis so I get my fair share of Walmart, typically I am in the Hardware Dept and working with the store managers daily. They don't make good money and they always change things such as bonuses, raises etc on a yearly basis.

[Sombeech]

In the same story, it talked about how vendors told Wal-Mart personnel that they cannot produce product for the prices that they are asking, so the Wal-mart personnel told them to "go elsewhere overseas" if need be to meet the price.

Yeah, I heard that too from the same report. To be honest, I think it's a bunch of bull. If I was a vendor trying to sell to Wal-Mart, I'd blame it on them too if I chose to go overseas.

It's funny, the vendors are so desperate to "get in" with WM, that they'd sell at any price they had to, and then they end up hating WM for it.

These guys want to sell to WM SO BAD, that when WM says, "OK, we'll buy them for $50 each instead of $75", the vendor goes OK, it's a deal, instead of saying, "we'll go to Target instead".

I think the vendors are the ones that need to start resisting WM's demands, and they need to quit blaming their biggest customer.

I know exactly how they feel. With the plumbing wholesale business, we have our very large, low profit, high maintenance customers. We hate it! But every day we CHOOSE to sell to them, because we "need" them. We aren't disciplined enough to go after the smaller guys, with more profit potential. We, as a company, are too lazy to expand our customer base, so we'll just keep putting up with the big customers' demands.

But, WM is so big right now, that they can pick and choose where they want to buy from, and what price they want. It's just those guys that are so desperate to get in the "big time" that they'll do anything to meet the demands of this potential huge customer.

[derstuka]

I know what you are saying about the vendors going to Wal-Mart then bitching about it, but, as you stated, they are SO BIG that getting in with them is a foot in the door for many people, and too irresistible. People don't go to others, because, they are the biggest, and baddest of them all. I am not saying that Target, or Kmart is perfect, they all could be better, but it is the way much of the world is these days. Everybody wants everything for next to nothing, and your company just about has to take a loss to get the contract.

I also don't like the way that so many large corporations are putting smaller ones (in small towns for instance) out of business as well.

Ok, lets' talk about happy things now. Anybody seen the new Batman Begins movie? I did, and I thought it

[Sombeech]

I'm not putting any opinions down. Sorry if I'm coming across as a Troll.

I just hear so much "Wal-Mart hatred" that I want to see if it's all media or not.

What else do you guys think about WM? Do you think they take away business when they move in? Or do they bring more business when they come to town?

[Sombeech]

Anybody seen the new Batman Begins movie? I did, and I thought it

Likewise. My summer pick.

[derstuka]

Well, I don't really HATE Wal-Mart, I just wish that they would be a more ethical company and treat their vendors & employees better, and gave them a little more maybe, not to mention check up on their vendor's manufacturer's better as well. You could say the same thing for Mcdonald's, BK, and a million other places also.

Hey, if you haven't already, try reading "Fastfood Nation" sometime. Very interesting book...scary too!

[Sombeech]

You could say the same thing for Mcdonald's, BK, and a million other places also.

Hey, if you haven't already, try reading "Fastfood Nation" sometime. Very interesting book...scary too!

Yeah, I saw "Super Size Me". I haven't been back to McD's since. They were my favorite place to eat, too.

Other places are just as bad, but one step at a time.

[derstuka]

If you read Fastfood Nation, you'd be amazed at the ways that Mcdonalds and others have changed this nation, and the power that they exert over their vendors.

[live2ride]

Not to jump around with the post but being a vendor for Walmart I have some insight on how it is. I work with the KILZ brand of primers and paint. Vendors like to b*tch, I have it great and it depends on the parameters that are set when the vendors get in the door, the company I work for (same as BEHR paint) changed the painting industry with Home Depot so we actually don't get bullied around and do most of the bullying when it comes down to it. Vendors in the produce and the food industry have a complete different story and are the ones that generally b*tch. All of the complaining usually stems from the fact that walmart as a whole treats vendors like crap and if the company that they work for isn't big they usually can't hack it. But yet a large part of the vendors actually working on the sales floor get paid squat and are just there to face and stock product so it is just a fill in job. Walmart is huge, but yet they are in the midst of having a paradigm shift.... Soon look for walmart to be carrying Nike and other name products they are moving away from the cheapest, that is why the you see a lot of name brand products being launched in the stores recently and that will continue to grow.

[derstuka]

Thank you for your insight sir! I guess we are gonna start seeing Intense, Foes, and Specialized bikes on the racks shortly after the nikes hit the shelves, eh?

[live2ride]

Why would you want that when you can buy a kick ass Next!!! I am so sick of Walmart it isn't even funny, and personally Walmart sucks ass but I think I can get over it. I don't care what brands Walmart brings in, they are still going to be WALMART....Guaranteed everyday LOW PRICES... Pieces of sh*t!!!