Fact Sheets

The Employee Free Choice Act Legislation that will truly make a difference for Wal-Mart workers

Wage & Hour Issues Read how Wal-Mart continually fails to pay every worker for every hour worked

Health Care Wal-Mart's still insures barely over half its employees on the company plan

Always Low Wages Poverty-level wages make life extremely difficult for Wal-Mart's 1.4 million workers

The Environment How Wal-Mart's business model is detrimental for our planet

Customers Weigh in on Wal-Mart’s Marketside Stores

This video from the Financial Times takes a look at Wal-Mart’s new small-format Marketside stores, and their close competitor Tesco’s Fresh & Easy. The analysis of the two stores is interesting: Marketside looks more polished, whereas Fresh & Easy focuses on house-brand bargains. But the most interesting - and perhaps saddest - part of the video is hearing customers’ explanations of why they like the new small format stores:

“It’s kinda like a small grocery store,” one man says. “I kinda like the idea of the local markets instead of great big stores you’ve got eight million people in.”

That is, customers are attracted to these markets because they’re like the local grocery stores Wal-Mart so frequently puts out of business. After years of flocking to Supercenters, these consumers have realized the value of shopping close to home, though still seem unwilling to support real locally-owned businesses. Marketside has all the appeal of a local store with none of the benefits: money spent there doesn’t stay in the community and its owners have no incentive to treat employees well. Wal-Mart seems to be capitalizing on the very holes its own business model has left in the retail landscape.

Big box stores go small [Financial Times]

Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Click Here for a Printer-Friendly Version

COMMENTS

Broght forth from a past thread:

Screwedby,

“This is mainly for your benefit RDS:

You recently used the word speculation in another post.  I found that to be very telling.  This is descriptive of your mindset.  You’ve got speculation down to a science.

So let’s do some basic fact checking here.  Two basic rules for you to follow.  One:  Check your sources.  Two: When this fails, check your sources.

1) Either you’ve been working your Google search engine overtime, or someone has been feeding you dated information.
2) You need to learn the difference between a mailing address and a place of residence.
3) You don’t know where I live.  (not really)
4) You don’t know my level of education or where I attended school.
5) You don’t know my profession, or the hours I put in.
6) You don’t know who I support. (besides myself)
7) You don’t know my girlfriend… sorry to disappoint you, but I’m still with the same one… the same one who BTW, has come to hate WalMart almost as much as I.

Instead, like the half-assed amateur you are, you’ve speculated about the information I’ve shared about myself on this blog, and cobbled this together with some information that in some cases is at least 3 years old, to come up with your “theories.””

You didn’t seem to mind that, when YOU DID IT and got people here all ‘fired’ up about mistruths about me!!  Now, you are all upset, when the ‘shoe is on the other foot’!!  And, you are right, I don’t know the specifics of your life, but, you won’t even share the basics, then, you pretend to know ALL about me, based on YOUR speculations, right?  And, your idiot buddies here (ddrb, Ken V., JOE and Fred) play ‘follow the leader’ to you!!  But, ddrb is the worst, because she mixes up everything and makes it seem like something not even close to the truth, just to put me down!!

If you want people to stop telling mistruths, it would be good if you stopped doing it yourself!!

BTW: I’m still waiting for your explanation about the DOI & Constitution!!

RDS in
Tuesday, October 07 at 10:32 AM

Your ego is showing, RDS.

What’s good for Wal-Mart is BAD for America!

Ken V in Texas
Tuesday, October 07 at 03:03 PM

Your ego is showing, RDS.

It’s about time—after all, egos make up about 95% of the content, here…

bbrd in
Tuesday, October 07 at 03:48 PM

Wal-Mart will go to any lengths to get business. And if this means they have to open smaller stores then that’s what they do. THEY WANT IT ALL--NOT JUST THEIR SHARE OF BUSINESS. Unfortunately, some who shop at these Marketside stores may not realize it is actually Wal-Mart. After all who would associate a small store with Wal-Mart who typically builds foot ball fields?
The other problem obviously is folks may think the money they spend there is supporting the LOCAL ECONOMY. But unfortunately--it ALL GOES BACK TO BENTONVILLE.
Yes, Ken, What’s good for Wal-Mart is bad for America!!

Jane in N.Y. in
Tuesday, October 07 at 03:58 PM

weigh in on this!

Lieberman Calls Obama ‘Naïve,’ May Bolt Party in Future

Tuesday, October 7, 2008 3:23 PM

By: Tim Collie and David Patten

Sen. Barack Obama’s “naïve” world view could embolden America’s enemies during one of the most dangerous periods for America since the 1930s, U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman told Newsmax in an exclusive television sit-down interview Tuesday.

Lieberman, visiting Fort Lauderdale, Fla., also told Newsmax that he is so disappointed with the Democratic Party, he will consider whether to bolt the Democratic Senate caucus next session.

“I believe he’s naïve to think that people like [Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad and Tehran will somehow become America’s friends by talking to them — a warm embrace and a cup of tea. It’s not going to work that way,” said Lieberman.

The very fact that the American people clearly trust John McCain more in a national security crisis is exactly the reason why they should have more confidence in him in an economic security crisis than Senator Obama,” said Lieberman.

In a wide-ranging interview, Lieberman also said:

• It’s important for the political process to question Obama’s ties to former Weather Underground bomber Bill Ayers: “I think these are very fair questions and it’s now up to Senator Obama to answer them.”

• Barack Obama is clearly ‘not ready’ yet to be commander in chief, and the country’s adversaries, including Iran “will not fear him” if he were to become president.

• McCain needs to persuade voters that “based on his record, that he really is the one who will change Washington, and Washington truly needs to be changed.”

• McCain should tout his economic plan that will emphasize tax cuts and job creation — exactly what a troubled economy needs. He said it would be foolhardy to raise taxes in a recession, as Obama has promised.

• The Republicans must emphasize that his plan for energy independence will create “hundreds of thousands, I think millions of new jobs.”

Asked if he may leave his party and join with Senate Republicans, Lieberman said he had no immediate plans to make that move, but said he would consider it at a later date.

“The Democratic Party of today is not the Democratic Party that I joined in the ‘60s under my hero President Kennedy, and it’s not the Democratic Party of my dear friend Bill Clinton,” Lieberman said.

Still, Lieberman insists his main focus today is to get McCain elected president and has spent the past several months traveling the campaign trail on McCain’s behalf. On Monday night, he introduced McCain’s vice presidential running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, to a Boca Raton audience at an event that raised more than $1 million.

Larry in USN WWII (Ret)
Tuesday, October 07 at 05:41 PM

Now We Know Where You Get Your Extremist Views, Larry

No wonder your posts come across so frenetic.  There seems to be a lot of that going around within the McCain Campaign lately too.

NewsMax was founded by Christopher Ruddy and is run with money from right-wing financier Richard Mellon Scaife.  Richard Mellon Scaife is the grand nephew of the notorious Andrew Mellon. A billionaire contributor to the Republican Party and right-wing think-tanks.

NewsMax is a conservative publication with an “unabashedly right-wing bias in its selection and presentation of news.”

If you want us to take you serious Larry, find yourself some new reading material.

ScrewedbyWalMart in Anytown, America
Tuesday, October 07 at 08:23 PM

Larry,

Yeah, don’t you know that ONLY “unabashedly left-wing bias in its selection and presentation of news.” publications are the truth and you can’t believe ANYTHING from the ‘right wing’ press!!  As you know, Conservatives are flat out liars and Liberals (Progressives) can do nothing but tell the truth!!

RDS in
Tuesday, October 07 at 10:35 PM

...he will consider whether to bolt the Democratic Senate caucus next session.

Don’t let the door hit you in the ass, Joe! You’re a loser no matter which side of the aisle you’re on.

Both candidates have sworn eternal loyalty to Isreal, as well as continued financial aid. What more do you want, Joe?

Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that. ~ George Carlin

Ken V in Texas
Wednesday, October 08 at 05:28 AM

There’s The Answer You’ve Been Waiting For, RDS...

not that I haven’t tried to tell you essentially the same thing for a long time.

I’m referring to last night’s debate and the question of health care. There couldn’t have been a more fundamental difference between the two candidates.

If you were listening, you heard John McCain say that healthcare was “a responsibility.” (Gee, where have we heard those words before?)

Barack Obama on the other hand, stated his position that healthcare is “a right.” This position, is much more in keeping with the intent and meaning of the DOI and the U.S. Constitution.

This is just one of the reasons why John McCain is going to get trounced on November 4th.  As more and more independents and fence straddlers are beginning to see, Obama more accurately represents the feelings of the stressed out “middle class” today.

Like yourself RDS, John McCain doesn’t get it! Instead of taking a position of true and bold leadership, McCain brings up people like Ronald Reagan.  Incidently, it was during the Reagan administrations that I believe much of the capitalistic seeds of corporate and government greed were sewn.  We are now reaping that harvest.  We can also thank the Reagan years for hijacking “Christian values,” and aligning them with the Republican Party. 

I’ve said this in the past, but it’s worth repeating at this time.  When America won the so called “Miracle on Ice” against Russia in the 1980 Winter Olympics, the cheer “USA,” USA, “USA” was ubiquitous. It was during the election of 1980, that we first heard that cheer at the Republican National Convention.  That cheer is still a staple and favorite of Republican drones today.  If anyone has a recollection of, or has a source which shows this cheer was used prior to that time, please let me know.

ScrewedbyWalMart in Anytown, America
Wednesday, October 08 at 06:38 AM

If you want us to take you serious Larry, find yourself some new reading material.

Only when “Google Gal” does the same…

bbrd in
Wednesday, October 08 at 08:36 AM

bbrd: I thought you might start using John MCCain’s phrase,"That One”.

ddrb in
Wednesday, October 08 at 01:59 PM

BTW: I don’t think the phrase “That One” is trademarked,either....YET.

ddrb in
Wednesday, October 08 at 03:02 PM

Screwedby,

“Barack Obama on the other hand, stated his position that healthcare is “a right.” This position, is much more in keeping with the intent and meaning of the DOI and the U.S. Constitution.”

Guess, if Barack says it’s so, then that must PROVE your point, right?

Wonder then, why the government and employers DIDN’T provide healthcare benefits BEFORE the early 1900’s, if it was mandated and the intent of the DOI and Constitution?  As for it and the other things you mentioned, being a RIGHT, that is up to the states and only to people who meet the requirements set by the state, not everybody!!  No employer is required by LAW, to provide any of the things you mentioned as a RIGHT, otherwise, ALL employers would have to provide it!!

I know, that many people would LIKE it to be a RIGHT, but what people would like and what is ‘reality’, can sometimes differ!!  Think about it, if healthcare was ‘already’ a RIGHT, why are they now trying to push Universal Healthcare?  Just because your view says things should be a certain way, doesn’t make them true, unless by some chance, YOU are the Creator!!  But, then again, maybe YOU think Obama is!!

RDS in
Wednesday, October 08 at 09:20 PM

bbrd,

Isn’t it strange that from the whole ‘debate’ most Liberals came out of it with only the phrase “That One”?

RDS in
Wednesday, October 08 at 09:23 PM

I wonder if the liberals will come out of “this one”

ACORN Office Raided in Voter-Fraud Probe

Tuesday, October 7, 2008.

LAS VEGAS — Nevada state authorities are raiding the Las Vegas headquarters of an organization that works to get low-income people to vote.

A Nevada secretary of state’s office spokesman said Tuesday that investigators are looking for evidence of voter fraud at the office of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, also called ACORN.

No one was at the ACORN office when state agents arrived with a search warrant and began carting records and documents away.

Secretary of State spokesman Bob Walsh says ACORN is accused of submitting multiple voter registrations with false and duplicate names.

The raid comes two months after state and federal authorities formed a task force to pursue election-fraud allegations in Nevada.

Larry in USN WWII (Ret)
Wednesday, October 08 at 09:49 PM

Come on, Larry, quit cluttering up the thread with re-posts ‘cause when you do you force me to re-counterpost. It was bad enough when we had duplicate pages. Quit being such a Republican all the time. Instead of degrading your surroundings why not try to improve them?
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Several other factors raise the specter of massive balloting snafus and widespread allegations of voter fraud:

Gee, that would be a first. . .NOT! Surely you can remember 2000 with it’s dangling chads. Larry. And did anyone ever figure out what happened in Ohio in ‘04?

We “Liberal Democrats” may be a little slow on the uptake but we catch on eventually. Do you blame us for borrowing a page or two from Karl Rove’s Politonomicon?

Besides, the sound of Right Wingnut Republicans squealing like stuck pigs is music to ‘our’ ears.

Live Better In Cheap Underwear

Ken V in Texas
Thursday, October 09 at 05:30 AM

Nobody Can “Degrade” and “Clutter” His Surroundings Better Than RDS

Hey ddrb you may be onto something.  We should jump right on it and trademark or copyright phrases like “That one,” before all the good ones get taken.

Now, thanks to the inspiration of John McCain, we can refer to RDS, Larry, bbrd and all the rest, as “dem guys” or “doze guys.”

ScrewedbyWalMart in Anytown, America
Thursday, October 09 at 08:01 AM

Surely you can remember 2000

Are you kidding, Ken?  Larry probably has a hard time remembering what he had for breakfast this morning.

Somewhere out there, there is a Jamaican nurse wiping the oatmeal off Larry’s chin, as she wheels him into the day room at the nursing home to play on the computer.

ScrewedbyWalMart in Anytown, America
Thursday, October 09 at 08:15 AM

Screwed: Larry certainly does not have trouble with his memory when it comes to remembering his rascist bigotry or his misogyny toward American women.There seems to be TOTAL recall on those two subjects.

ddrb in
Thursday, October 09 at 10:34 AM

“Live Better In Cheap Underwear”

Amen.

Robert J. Trenwick in Dothan, AL
Thursday, October 09 at 10:51 AM

Ken V,

“Surely you can remember 2000 with it’s dangling chads.”

If the ‘dangling chads’, were the reason the Democrats say they LOST the election, logicly, wouldn’t that indicate that it was the Democrat ‘voters’ that weren’t intelligent enough to figure out how to punch their ballot correctly?  Seems the Republican ‘voters’ figured it out, because they WON!!  The Liberals always seem to cry FOUL, even when they are the ones who ‘screwed up’!!

Screwedby,

“Now, thanks to the inspiration of John McCain, we can refer to RDS, Larry, bbrd and all the rest, as “dem guys” or “doze guys.””

I don’t care if you call us “doze guys”, I don’t think we are that ‘thin skinned’, but, don’t call us “dem guys”, because people might take that as being DEMocrats and that would really be an ‘insult’!!

“Somewhere out there, there is a Jamaican nurse wiping the oatmeal off Larry’s chin, as she wheels him into the day room at the nursing home to play on the computer.”

I sure hope you NEVER get old, because I don’t think you could handle people insulting your age!!  Oh wait, you WILL get old and someday the youngsters will be saying YOU are ‘spitting up oatmeal’ and being wheeled around in a wheelchair, not much different though than what you do today, letting others care of you and talking like an babbling idiot!!

“2) You need to learn the difference between a mailing address and a place of residence.”

Why would a person NEED to have their mail sent to somewhere they DIDN’T reside?  Unless they were afraid to let people know where they lived or wanted their mail to be sent to the people who paid the bills!!

“5) You don’t know my profession, or the hours I put in.”

Maybe that’s because you refuse to tell what you do for a living and how often you work!!

RDS in
Thursday, October 09 at 11:12 AM

I don’t care if you call us “doze guys”...

Same here, RDS—but then again, I could care less about their opinions, to begin with.

...not much different though than what you do today, letting others care of you and talking like an babbling idiot!!

You’re right—there is NO difference!

Why would a person NEED to have their mail sent to somewhere they DIDN’T reside?

Lots of “mobile people” are out there—military and retired couples who travel around the USA in their RVs come to mind. 

Maybe that’s because you refuse to tell what you do for a living and how often you work!!

I thought he was in the movie biz—or is that just his hobby?

bbrd in
Thursday, October 09 at 11:51 AM

...spitting up oatmeal’...

At Larry’s supposed age he couldn’t take real oatmeal. He’d be eating Pablum; easier on the constitution.

You pro wackos “invented” Larry just so RDS wouldn’t be the oldest codger who comments here.

Irish Alzheimers: forget everything but the grudges.

Live Better In Cheap Underwear

Ken V in Texas
Thursday, October 09 at 12:02 PM

The only “squealer” on here is the “stuck pig"- COLON-KISSING-KEN- the has been liberal bartender, who served minors and drunks and with his liberal whining views, blamed the patron for asking to be served.

As for screwed- The village idiot- Mamma’s bitch- sums it up to a tee! You still nursing Screwed? Or you got one of those wierd Liberal Democrat Relationships with your Mamma? She your girlfriend too?

ddrb- a has been old hag full of B/S & hot air, the only credit she has to her miserabe life is her insignificant stent on here, her femi-NAZI treatment of her husband, and her hairy arms & legs- ugh! No wonder her husbands a full time alcoholic!

“AND THATS THE WAY IT IS” - Walter C.

Larry in USN WWII (Ret)
Thursday, October 09 at 12:54 PM

Why would a person NEED to have their mail sent to somewhere they DIDN’T reside?  Unless they were afraid to let people know where they lived or wanted their mail to be sent to the people who paid the bills!! ~~~~~~~~~~~NOTE: Lots of people use P.O. boxes to secure their Social Security checks, and pension payments,too,if they don’t use the Direct Deposit method.

ddrb in
Thursday, October 09 at 02:05 PM

You pro wackos “invented” Larry...

Why would they do that?  I seem to recall Larry being rather vocal against Wal-Mart…

...I guess you people just chose to ignore that part, huh?

As for ‘Lar, I expect his little description of you-know-who to get him banned from here, pretty quickly (much like that keyword did for Nick—remember?).

bbrd in
Thursday, October 09 at 02:22 PM

Lots of people use P.O. boxes to secure their Social Security checks, and pension payments,too,if they don’t use the Direct Deposit method.

I believe RDS was speaking of another town—not the local post office, doofus!

bbrd in
Thursday, October 09 at 02:25 PM

blog boil: SOME of those people have a second, vacation or part-time residence that is NOT in the same zip code,and don’t want their mail sitting in the mailbox for vandals to steal,IF they are gone for extended periods. They can put a hold on their mail also.

ddrb in
Thursday, October 09 at 02:51 PM

You pro wackos “invented” Larry…

Why would THEY do that?  I seem to recall Larry being rather vocal against Wal-Mart…

...I guess you people just chose to ignore that part, huh?~bbrd

NOTE~~~ “Sib”: A sophisticated deception which reverses normal perceptions. The victim, whether actual or imagined, is the perpetrator. Beware of those who protest too much, in this context~~~~~~~THEY?

ddrb in
Thursday, October 09 at 04:03 PM

We should jump right on it and trademark or copyright phrases like “That one...

Too late, Screwed.

http://www.thatone08.com/

I want a t-shirt.

Like I said when you started posting here, Larry, you give World War II, the U.S. Navy, and retirement all a bad name.

What’s good for Wal-Mart is BAD for America!

Ken V in Texas
Thursday, October 09 at 04:10 PM

Strawman sockpuppet
A strawman sockpuppet is a false flag pseudonym created by a user with one point of view, but acts as though the puppet has an opposing point of view, in order to make that point of view look bad and generate negative sentiment towards that view. Such sockpuppets will typically advance foolish straw man arguments that their puppeteers can then easily refute. They often act in an unintelligent, uninformed, or bigoted manner. The effect is to discredit more rational arguments for the same side.

Mock puppet
A mock puppet is an account created to impersonate or humiliate another person on the forum or discussion board, using a similar name, and posting as if the sock puppeteer was the person being mocked, either in an attempt to make them look foolish, or to actually impersonate the person. Often, the imposter account contains obscenity or leet in the name to make the mockery deliberately obvious, while at other times, the names are made to deliberately be nearly indistinguishable.

ddrb in
Thursday, October 09 at 04:27 PM

bbrd,

“Lots of “mobile people” are out there—military and retired couples who travel around the USA in their RVs come to mind.”

Do any of those come to mind when you are talking about Screwedby?  He’s never been in the military and isn’t retired!!

ddrb,

“Lots of people use P.O. boxes to secure their Social Security checks, and pension payments,too,if they don’t use the Direct Deposit method.”

“SOME of those people have a second, vacation or part-time residence that is NOT in the same zip code,and don’t want their mail sitting in the mailbox for vandals to steal,IF they are gone for extended periods. They can put a hold on their mail also.”

I don’t think Screwedby, is receiving SS or ‘pension’ checks, nor does he sound like someone with a second or vacation residence!! He may be living with his girlfriend, but why would he then have his mail sent to his mother’s house (not a P.O. box), unless he lives in an unsavory neighborhood and is worried about someone stealing his mail?  But, like I said, his mother may be paying his bills and that’s why he has them sent there!!

RDS in
Thursday, October 09 at 10:24 PM

“Lots of “mobile people” are out there—military and retired couples who travel around the USA in their RVs come to mind.”

It would be interesting to know what sort of default rate there is on RV loans.

“I can live with losing the good fight, but I can’t live with not fighting it.” ~ Leslie Bair

Ken V in Texas
Sunday, October 12 at 10:19 AM

Ken V: It will be interesting to see if , in addition to overnight RV’ ers ,the homeless will be pitching tents,or sleeping in their cars overnite in WalMart parking lots as the economy worsens.

ddrb in
Sunday, October 12 at 11:26 AM

Commenting is not available in this content entry.

Comment Policy

WalmartWatch.com reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to remove or refuse to post blog comments.

SEARCH WAL-MART WATCH

Enter your search terms below:

MAKE A DIFFERENCE