Legal Blog: Is Wal-Mart stealing money meant to help low-income women and their children?

How about WalMart charging MORE for groceries in low income neighnorhoods whose demographics indicate increased food stamp usage? To wit:~~~~~~~"Prices at its Smith Road-Stapleton store, where more food-stamp customers shopped, tended to be higher than its Centennial store.

On a shopping trip on Jan. 11, The Post found that prices on six items at the Smith Road Wal-Mart near the Stapleton development were more expensive than at the Wal-Mart in Centennial — and 10 items at the Smith Road store had increased in price from a previous visit there.

Over all four shopping trips, items at the Smith Road store were more expensive 23 times than the same products at the Centennial-based Wal-Mart, where items were more expensive than the Smith Road store eight times."~~~~~~Denver Post,April 2008

How about WalMart charging MORE for groceries in low income neighnorhoods whose demographics indicate increased food stamp usage? To wit:~~~~~~~"Prices at its Smith Road-Stapleton store, where more food-stamp customers shopped, tended to be higher than its Centennial store.

On a shopping trip on Jan. 11, The Post found that prices on six items at the Smith Road Wal-Mart near the Stapleton development were more expensive than at the Wal-Mart in Centennial — and 10 items at the Smith Road store had increased in price from a previous visit there.

Over all four shopping trips, items at the Smith Road store were more expensive 23 times than the same products at the Centennial-based Wal-Mart, where items were more expensive than the Smith Road store eight times."~~~~~~Denver Post,April 2008

Wow now if ddrb can only present THE WHOLE STORY and not just a tidbit of information trying to discredit Walmart.  Try these two on for size…

1) Out of all of of the 4 chains shopped (8 stores total) Walmart had THE LOWEST PRICES for the “basket” of goods used for the study.  They beat Safeway, King Soopers and KMart.  As a matter of fact KMart and King Soopers were charging as much as 46% MORE for the same basket of goods than Walmart.  46%!!!!

2) Walmart’s next closest competitor, a Safeway store, still charged 16% MORE than the Walmart store… and that’s even on Safeway’s best day of pricing!

Everyone please read the story for yourself.

http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_8818445

^5, Mary!

ddrb,

It may also be noted, that ‘theft loss’ tends to be higher in low income neighnorhoods and therefore, prices may be higher to cover those losses!!

Wal-Mart claims to save people money. That would appear to be a lie. This arresting article from the Denver Post asserts that Wal-Mart charges more for groceries in low-income neighborhoods than in affluent neighborhoods. Despite the company’s claim as a resource for the working class, Wal-Mart’s pricing strategies appears to be anything but. If this article’s assertions are true, Wal-Mart’s pricing strategies are dishonest and shameful.

Much of this undoubtedly has to do with competition. Once Wal-Mart has driven out local competitors (and left a local economy depressed), the company is free to charge more for its products without fear of being undersold. This cycle of poverty and lack of access to resources is what makes Wal-Mart such an insidious neighbor. Working class communities should read this as a cautionary tale when considering a Wal-Mart, and be wary of the company’s promises of low prices.

Price disparity in groceries [Denver Post] ~~~~~~~~~WMW_April,2007~~~~~We’ve had this discussion before. Type in Denver Post into the search engine here. THE HEADLINE OF THE THREAD SAYS WALMART CHARGES MORE IN POORER NEIGHBORHOODS.THE COMPARISON OF PRICES WITHIN DIFFERENT LOCATIONS OF ONLY WALMART STORES SHOWS THAT WALMART CHARGES MORE IN POORER NEIGHBORHOODS WHEN COMPARING WALMART TO WALMART PRICES ONLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BTW: FOR THE PRO WALMART CROWD, WHOM I ASSUME WOULD PREFER THAT ALL SHOPPERS SHOP AT WALMART,THIS ARTICLE ILLUSTRATES THAT SHOPPING ONLY AT WALMART IS NOT AN ASSURANCE OF THE LOWEST PRICE,ALWAYS!

ddrb,

“FOR THE PRO WALMART CROWD, WHOM I ASSUME WOULD PREFER THAT ALL SHOPPERS SHOP AT WALMART”

What a bunch of crap, I and many others, like mary for instance, have said many times that we shop at other stores and have advocated that people shop wherever they can get a better deal!!  So, don’t say we would prefer that all shoppers shop at Wal-Mart, because that isn’t true!!  We only want to see competition remain intact!!

And, according to the Denver Post article, it would be evident, that Wal-Mart hasn’t run everybody out of business, because they name other stores in their comparisons!!

Also, if you look at the chart provided in the article, you will see that Wal-Mart only had a $.20 difference on their 12 item survey (high end), while all the others mentioned, had differences (on their high end) of, King Soopers -$.95; Safeway -$.71; and K-Mart -$2.41, so Wal-Mart still had the smallest difference between their 2 stores and was the lowest in every catagory, compared to the others!!

no worries with ddrb, she still sits in denial when the facts are presented to her and the world.

“Walmart claims to save people money” You bet they do!  Take a look at the chart.  What are those “basket” charges for Walmart compared to Soopers, Safeway and KMart? Walmart BEATS EVERYONE hands down in price.  And you’re relying on a thread heading BY WalmartWatch stating how “Walmart Charges More in Poor Neighborhoods...” You’re kidding me right?  What an ignorant wack job of a comment that is. 

How about talking about how Soopers and KMart charge 46% MORE than Walmart for the same basket of goods?  How about talking about the disparity of pricing between Walmart stores for the same basket is at most .57c whereas with KMart it’s $2.41.  Talk about ripping off poor people at the expense of the company!  Where’s the indigation and the fight for the poor people when it comes to KMart?

Now I see how you ended up living right next to a Walmart when all it takes is simple intelligence to read the facts.... a foreign concept to you ddrb.

Everyone take a look and judge for yourself.  It’s enlightening!

http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_8818445

Mary: And you can revel in having the next Democratic Vice President from your home state of Maryland.

Or is it Delaware,Mary?

Either way, a Democratic Vice President will be YOUR neighbor! And we ALL know how you LOVE Democrats !

“In essence, Wal-Mart has grown so powerful that it can turn even its largest suppliers, and entire oligopolized industries, into extensions of itself. The effects of this practice are most obvious in Wal-Mart’s horizontal competition against other retailers. Retail experts sometimes talk of a “waterbed effect,” which takes place when a supplier insists on collecting from weaker retailers at least some of the rent a more powerful firm refuses to pay. One recent study of how such power plays out within an entire system shows that a small retailer can expect to pay upward of 10 percent more than a powerful firm for the same basket of items. The effect also explains what takes place economically between communities served by Wal-Mart and those served by less powerful firms—the more power Wal-Mart accrues, the more it is able to shift costs from, say, suburb to city. And so every day the competitive landscape tilts just that much more in Wal-Mart’s favor. And so, every year, the landscape is littered with that many more dead or half-dead retailers—including such once-big names as Winn Dixie, Albertsons, K-Mart, Toys R Us, and Sears.

This advantage is simply what can be quantified in price. Many of the benefits Wal-Mart extracts from its suppliers lie in a realm far beyond the market economy. If Wal-Mart’s aim were simply to dictate the price it will pay for a product, then leave up to its suppliers all decisions as to how to get to that price, it would cause far less economic damage than it does now. But that is not Wal-Mart’s way.

Instead, the firm is also one of the world’s most intrusive, jealous, fastidious micromanagers, and its aim is nothing less than to remake entirely how its suppliers do business, not least so that it can shift many of its own costs of doing business onto them. In addition to dictating what price its suppliers must accept, Wal-Mart also dictates how they package their products, how they ship those products, and how they gather and process information on the movement of those products. Such as the case when Wal-Mart recently decided to allow each individual pharmacist in the company to choose whether or not to stock the “morning after” pill. Given the degree to which Wal-Mart has rolled up the pharmaceutical business in many towns and regions across the country, this act amounted, for all intents, to a de facto ban on these pills in many communities. This political decision was made and en-forced by a private monopoly."~~~~~The Case for Breaking Up Wal-Mart,Alternet,2006...Note: Not to mention indoctrinating their employees to sway the votes on the upcoming Presidential race.

Some of Wal-Mart’s more sophisticated boosters will defend the company by defending the exercise of monopsony power itself. Wal-Mart, in their view, should be seen as a firm that aggregates our will and buying power as consumers in much the same way that unions once aggregated the interests of workers.Sure, this argument goes, Wal-Mart may employ its power with a certain Stalinist flair; but it does so in our name, and the result is to make the production system on which we all rely more efficient. This efficiency is good for all society, and it is especially good for those poor folks who cling to the lower rungs of the economic ladder.

There are two great flaws in such thinking. The first and most obvious is that it ignores the effects of monopoly on our political system—the consolidation of vision and voice, the de facto merger of private and public spheres, the gathering of power unchecked and unaccountable. It is to view American society through an ENTIRELY MATERIALISTIC PRISM to measure “human progress” only in terms of how many calories or blouses can be stuffed into an individual’s shopping cart. It is to view the American citizen not as someone who yearns to decide for himself or herself what to buy and where to work in a free market but to say, instead, “Let them eat Tastykake.”

The second flaw is economic, and is of even more immediate concern. Even if the American people did choose to bear the extreme political costs of monopoly, the particular type of power wielded by Wal-Mart and its emulators makes no economic sense in the long run. On the surface, it may seem to matter little who wins the great battles between such goliaths as Wal-Mart and Kraft, or between Wal-Mart and P&G;. Yet which firm prevails can have a huge effect on the welfare of our society over time. The difference between a system dominated by firms built to produce and a system dominated by firms built to exercise monopsony power over producers is extreme. The producers that dominated the American economy for most of the 20th century were geared to build more and to introduce new, to protect their capital investments against overly predatory investors, to raise price faster than cost, to show some degree of loyalty to workers and outside suppliers and communities."~~~~~~The Case for Breaking Up WalMart(Alternet)

Mary:In essence, Wal-Mart has grown so powerful that it can turn even its largest suppliers, and entire oligopolized industries, into extensions of itself. The effects of this practice are most obvious in Wal-Mart’s horizontal competition against other retailers. Retail experts sometimes talk of a “waterbed effect,” which takes place when a supplier insists on collecting from weaker retailers at least some of the rent a more powerful firm refuses to pay. One recent study of how such power plays out within an entire system shows that a small retailer can expect to pay upward of 10 percent more than a powerful firm for the same basket of items. The effect also explains what takes place economically between communities served by Wal-Mart and those served by less powerful firms—the more power Wal-Mart accrues, the more it is able to shift costs from, say, suburb to city. And so every day the competitive landscape tilts just that much more in Wal-Mart’s favor. ~~~~~~~~NOTE: Mary,THAT’s WHY smaller retailers have higher prices-THEIR costs are higher!

Can’t you anti-walmart people make up your mind already.  First you say that Walmart isn’t the cheapest place to shop then you start the diatribe explaining how other retailers have higher prices.  So which is it?  Can you please show so some form of conviction to what you say because it’s getting very old.  But by not telling the REAL STORY about how other vendors charge far higher prices and show so much more disparity between lower and higher income areas and by taking a headline, especially one created by an EXTREMELY biased source and using that as your “tag line” for how Walmart is ripping off the consumer, is disingenuous at best and an outright lie at it’s worst.

As for me and what I believe.... does Walmart have a “buying” power because or their size and which works into their economies of scale to bring lower prices to the consumer?  ABSOLUTELY TRUE!  Does Walmart ALWAYS have the LOWEST prices for every single product sold?  ABSOLUTELY FALSE! 

But don’t you remember what I told you before about “competitive advantage”?  Have you never studied business 101?  Have you ever even looked up what it means in your endless google searches?  Price isn’t everything and it never has been, but it’s Walmart’s competitive advantage.

As for the next POTENTIAL Vice President of the United States?  It may very well be Biden, who knows.  BTW, have you by chance seen the latest Zogby poll in your endless google searches?  McCain has a 5pt lead on Obama.  Go figure? 

As for having a Democratic Vice President for a neighbor.. been there done that many times over.  I’ve even seen some Republican VPs as well.  Have you ever been to Washington DC?  Have you ever visited the White House or sat in on the House of Representatives?  How about even visiting your local and statement government offices or even your local zoning board (really doubt that one) and sat in on meetings with your representatives?  Been there and done that as well and I have for many years.

Mary: Get off your high horse. What’s been OLD for a LONG time is your undeserved sense of inflated self worth and entitlement-PLUS- your ASSumption that I am stupid. I have NO intention of providing you with the travelog of my past and present travels, but suffice it to say I am exceedingly familiar with the Potomac area,including Wisconsin Avenue,Pennsylvania Avenue AND Chevy Chase....

“As for having a Democratic Vice President for a neighbor.. been there done that many times over.  I’ve even seen some Republican VPs as well...Have you ever been to Washington DC? ...sat in on meetings with your representatives?  Been there and done that as well and I have for many years. ~Mary

Yeah...it’s just “mary” your “typical” average citizen.

Sorta seemed like I was reading the resume of a Wal-Mart Lobbyist for a second!

mary,

These people will never understand what you are talking about, they have a ‘welfare’,’victim’ mentality and only see what they CHOOSE to see!!  I wonder how often, that ddrb has ever watched C-SPAN to see what Congress does everyday?  It’s enough to make a grown man cry, to see how useless many of those people there are!!  Can you imagine what would happen, if ddrb, actually looked at issues from BOTH sides, instead of hunting for only anti material!!  She might actually LEARN something....NAH, she’s too far gone, she would need the help of a deprogrammer!!

And, heaven help her, should she ever try to run a business!!

The anti people tend to forget, that Wal-Mart was once a small Mom & Pop Variety Store in a small town and their ‘competitive advantage’, was finding ‘bargain priced items’ and selling them at “Lower Prices” then their competitors!!  Where was their huge buying power back then?  What happened, was that the other retailers THOUGHT like the anti people here and were asleep at the wheel, as Wal-Mart rushed on past them!!  Where were these people when K-Mart was the ‘King of the discount retail hill’?  Probably asleep themselves!!

ddrb, you go on to say you’re “exceedingly familar” with the some of the wealthiest parts of not only Maryland but the entire country and you tell me to get “off my high horse”.  I think the one suffering from elitism is by far you ddrb.  I’m sorry if the facts hurt but you are quite good at digging your own holes with the worthless crap and half truths you post; Your take on the story in the Denver Post is a perfect example of that.

btw, I’m not the one living right next to a Walmart and complaining about it.

Now Walmart is doing good things; Proper and moral things; Policy wise; As well as financial things (investment in employees; infrastructure; etc.). And is benefiting from it.

You can doll it up in quasi-poetical form all you want, Anonymous, but it’s still bullshit. And you know what they say. You can’t polish a turd.

(I shall now return to my “skip over the crapflooding of a blatant attention whore” mode.)

RE: “skippinig over the crapflooding of a blatant atthention whore!”

Anonymous in usa.com is the reason someone invented a scroll wheel for a mouse.

“she would need the help of a deprogrammer!!”

And what would bring you closer to the center RDS, a lobotomy?

Mary : Since YOU have lived next door to Vice Presidents and have had extensive governmental exposure perhaps THIS might be familiar to you. Might even be ...YOUR neighbor?~~~~~~~~~~~Mary Lou Sapone (who sometimes goes by her maiden name, “Mary McFate") is a corporate spy with a long history of infiltrating activist groups. In the 1980s, she worked with “Perceptions International, a private Wackenhut-styled security firm” . In the 1990s, she worked with the Maryland-based security firm Beckett Brown International (BBI).  In the late 1990s and early 2000s, she ran her own intelligence-gathering business, which she called Strategic Solutions Group LLC.

As Mary McFate (her maiden name), Sapone began volunteered with numerous local and regional gun control groups in the late 1990s. In 2005, she even ran (unsuccessfully) in 2005 for a board position with the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.

Sapone was apparently gathering intelligence for the National Rifle Association. “In a 2003 deposition, Tim Ward, who had been president of the Maryland-based security firm Beckett Brown International, said that the NRA had been ‘a client’ of Sapone’s,” reported Mother Jones magazine. “Recent emails indicate that in 2007 and 2008 Sapone was working” with Patrick O’Malley, a former NRA staffer then lobbying on behalf of his old employer. Sapone was “well-positioned for many years to provide the NRA—or any other gun rights groups—the plans, secrets, and inside gossip of practically the entire gun violence prevention movement.” For example, Sapone pushed U.S. groups to take part in a United Nations meeting on gun control in Spring 2008. They did, and “McFate ended up being able to learn what the anti-gun forces were planning for the UN session—including the delegates they intended to lobby, and the arguments they would highlight.” [~~~Wikipedia ~~~~~~~NOTE: The firm, BBI,for which Mary worked ,was out of Maryland,also,and did information gathering for WalMart,among others.

Note: The last sentence above should have read,"The firm,BBI,for which Mary Lou worked ,was out of Maryland...”

Taco Bell, Wal-Mart, NRA hired ‘black ops’ company - John Byrne
Published: Friday April 11, 2008

A private security firm managed by former Secret Service officers spied on myriad corporations, thieving documents, trying to plant undercover operations and collecting phone records of members, according to a new report.

Documents obtained by James Ridgeway, a Mother Jones correspondent formerly with the Village Voice, reveals the contractor collected confidential internal records—donor lists, financial statements—even Social Security numbers, for public relations outfits and “corporations involved in environmental controversies.”

Beckett Brown International also offered “intelligence” services to the Carlyle Group, the controversial DC-based investment company; “protective services” for the National Rifle Association; “crisis management” for the Gallo wine company and for Pirelli; “information collection” for Wal-Mart.

“Also listed as clients in BBI records,” Ridgeway reveals: “Halliburton and Monsanto.”
For its rubbish-rifling operations, BBI employed a police officer in the District of Columbia and a former member of the Maryland state police.
Technically, the firm has dissolved. But they’re not down and out.

“As for BBI’s principals,” Ridgeway writes, “they are still operating through another security firm which bills itself as ‘a multinational security and investigative firm comprised of professionals with extensive security experience.’ ~~~~~~~~~~Rawtory~~~~~~~~~~~~~NOTE: Mary, If I had boasted of being a neighbor to numerous Vice-Presidents,as you’ve done , I wouldn’t be calling ANYONE ELSE elitist-but then again. very few people possess your CHUTZPAH.

Screwedby,

“And what would bring you closer to the center RDS”

I am already in the ‘center’, it is you that operates out there in LEFT field!!

“I am already in the ‘center’” ~RDS

To repeat what Ken has aleady told you, “don’t jump to conclusions.”

Yeah...you’re at the center alright--- the center of your own mind!

I wouldn’t be calling ANYONE ELSE elitist-but then again. very few people possess your CHUTZPAH.

What about you—the one who constantly comes-off like some sort of academic to dispense your “advice” and “information” to the rest of us?

And the sad part is some of the others around here are so desperate to get their point across, they gladly welcomed you with open arms (which will backfire in due time).

IMO, it’s kinda like when someone hooks-up with the ugly gal at closing time…

Yeah...you’re at the center alright--- the center of your own mind!

And you, sir, are one to talk, “Mr. Multi-media-Man”.

Screwedby,

“To repeat what Ken has aleady told you, “don’t jump to conclusions.””

I’ll leave ‘jumping to conclusions’ to you guys, you don’t even know me, yet claim all sort of untrue things about me!!

“Yeah...you’re at the center alright--- the center of your own mind!”

And, you put me in the ‘RIGHT’ camp, in YOUR mind!!  Your problem is, that you are so far LEFT, you wouldn’t know the ‘center’ if it hit you in the face!!  You call yourself a ‘Progressive’, that’s just another name for someone who is to the LEFT of a ‘Liberal’, the total opposite of the ‘Religious Right’!!

“‘Progressive’, that’s just another name for someone who is to the LEFT of a ‘Liberal’”

I suggest you not use the term “Progressive” unless you understand the origins, RDS. 

The so called “progressives” of today are nothing like the Progressives of the past that were actually more closely aligned with the Republican Party than the “Liberal Left” as you claim.

Nice bog you have here. I pretty much lurk the internet when I’m bored and read all I can about the organic lifestyle, but I really liked you view on things. I’ll bookmark the site and subscribe to the feed!

IMO, it’s kinda like when someone hooks-up with the ugly gal at closing time…
bbrd in
Monday, August 25 at 12:04 PM

Remember, anytime someone doesn’t have anything ‘intellegent’ to say, they resort to name calling!! 
bbrd in May,2008

Correction:” Remember, anytime someone doesn’t have anything ‘intellegent’ to say, they resort to name calling!! RDS ,April ,08 ________(Originally attributed to RDS and repeated by bbrd a few days later)

IMO, it’s kinda like when someone hooks-up with the ugly gal at closing time…

That was meant to be an analogy, but if you happen to be ugly, too…

Remember, anytime someone doesn’t have anything ‘intellegent’ to say, they resort to name calling!! 
bbrd in May,2008

I thought you said that quote belonged to RDS—let’s get it straight, “Google Gal”!

Lighten up, bbrd!

I’m sure it was easy to mistake RDS’s words as yours because you’ve said so many similar things.  In fact, the source of ddrb’s “mistake” might be the fact that YOU copied and pasted his comment into one of your posts.  I don’t believe you used quotation marks or attributed the original quote to him either.  The only dead giveaway</d> was the double !! that RDS is so fond of using.  I suppose he thinks that using two exclamation points will give him twice as much “credibility.”

“Start answering the questions posed, …refute what we say with facts, instead of calling people names”
<b>RDS, October 01, 2007

“Grow a brain and try to debate…instead of calling people names!!”
RDS February 02, 2008

“Remember, anytime someone doesn’t have anything ‘intellegent’ to say, they resort to name calling!!”
RDS,<b> April 30, 2008

“Oh, I’ve seen that pattern played-out in past postings—if you don’t “just fade away”, Mr. Screwed and his Screwed-ka-teers resort to personal attacks, name calling, etc.
I’m not going anywhere - I like it, here.”
<b>bbrd, May 01, 2008

“The only dead giveaway</d> was the double !! that RDS is so fond of using.  I suppose he thinks that using two exclamation points will give him twice as much “credibility."”

You still haven’t a ‘clue’, have you?  Proof, that something can be right in front of your face and you can’t see it!!

Screwed: Thanks. I thought I had made that CLEAR when I followed with this addendum above:  Correction:” Remember, anytime someone doesn’t have anything ‘intellegent’ to say, they resort to name calling!! RDS ,April ,08 ________(Originally attributed to RDS and repeated by bbrd a few days later)

ddrb in
Tuesday, August 26 at 06:15 PM

bb:You still haven’t a ‘clue’, have you?  Proof, that something can be right in front of your face and you can’t see it!!

RDS in
Wednesday, August 27 at 11:32 AM~~~~~~~~Ain’t it the truth?

Yeah, Ain’t it the Sad Truth, ddrb?

Haven’t you noticed how many times RDS has said something about others, that is actually more true about himself?

“You still haven’t a ‘clue’, have you?”

This is just the latest example.

Screwed:” Projection.”

Apology to RDS

The opening sentence on my “Oh, I’ve seen that pattern played-out in past postings...” post was indeed a quote of yours (I obviously forgot to put it in italics).

As for the “Screwed-ka-teers”, I forgot all about that nugget, but I’ll take full credit for it!

...you don’t even know me, yet claim all sort of untrue things about me!!

Here’s you chance to set the record straight, RDS. The following is what I have picked up from reading your comments. Feel free to make whatever corrections are necessary.

You are a mid-60’s, white, male who has been married to the same woman forever. You have a couple of grown children and grandchildren that think you’re a fuddy duddy.

You retired early, by your timetable, and feel this alone is a validation of your life ‘choices’ . You are originally from Wisconsin but relocated to Arkansas to stretch your retirement dollars. You own some rental property.

You were physically unable to serve in the military and, at one time in your life, you fell into the bottle. In response to that you are currently a tea-totaler.

Price is your most important consideration with little or no regard for quality.

The superior man understands what is right; the inferior man understands what will sell. ~ Confucius

Ken V,

“Feel free to make whatever corrections are necessary”

Okay, here they are:

“who has been married to the same woman forever”

Not forever, just 44 years!!

“You have a couple of grown children and grandchildren that think you’re a fuddy duddy.”

WRONG, I only have 1 grown child, my son was killed at age 8!!  As for what my grandchildren think about me, you would have to ask them!!

“You retired early, by your timetable”

I think most people would consider a age 59 retirement as ‘early’!!

“and feel this alone is a validation of your life ‘choices’”

Not that alone, but, those ‘choices’ helped, hard work and a good marrige were the main part!!

“You are originally from Wisconsin but relocated to Arkansas to stretch your retirement dollars.”

That and to get away from those ‘nasty’ Wisconsin winters!!

“You were physically unable to serve in the military”

WRONG, I had a temporary deferment (4-S, I think), but was still eligible for the draft, just down on the list!!  Later, the draft went to a lottery and my number wasn’t picked!!

“and, at one time in your life, you fell into the bottle.”

WRONG, I was only a drinker like anyone else, but I chose to quit drinking, because I came to see, that it wasn’t doing me any good, besides, I couldn’t stand being around ‘drunks’!!  I was never what you call “into the bottle”!!

“you are currently a tea-totaler.”

If that means I don’t drink acoholic beverages any more and haven’t for over 25 years, then you are right!!  I feel that using anything that messes with my ‘brain’, isn’t a ‘good’ thing!!

“Price is your most important consideration with little or no regard for quality.”

WRONG, while price is a big concern, value is a consideration as well and quality is also a consideration, when needed!!  A higher price doesn’t always mean ‘better quality’!!  For example, when it comes to paper towels, the lower priced brands work just as well as the higher priced brands (no matter what the ADs say)!!  After all, you are just cleaning up a mess and throwing it into the garbage!!

And, the lies your side says about things from Wal-Mart, falling apart, the first time you use or wash it, don’t help your sides credibility!!  People know better than that!!

Addendum to What Ken Said:

RDS left the state of Wisconsin because he was failing as a farmer.  He was too stupid or too proud to take advantage of the government’s whole herd buy-out program.  Yet he continues to chide me for my “failure” in Hollywood because I chose to be involved with an anti-WalMart film.  Not once was I ever under the impression it was a “career move.”

RDS’s move to Arkansas was Wisconsin’s gain and their loss.  Before he was able to retire, RDS worked as a truck driver for approximately 11 years.  He also worked for a wheel manufacturer and was a union man at one time.

He tends to be a little paranoid at times, thinking everyone is out to “stab him in the back.” This carries over into his broader view of humanity.  He doesn’t trust anyone but himself.  Someone here dubbed him “Bootstrap Bob” because he’s always patting himself on the back on how he pulled himself up!  He’s no Horatio Alger though.

“Bootstrap”, er I mean RDS, has been known to engage in fanciful flights of fantasy, trying to take on the personna of fake bloggers he invented.  We’ll always remember some of his ill-fated attempts to fool us as “jerry,” “Tommy” and who can ever foget “Donald?” (Duh Donald)

RDS is a man of wit and wisdom.  He often attributes what he knows or observes about life from the “lessons” he learns by watching old sitcoms like “Green Acres” and “Sanford and Son.”

His intellect is about that what you’d expect from a guy who once asked what education levels had to do with anything?  He’s been known to make the darndest statements like:

“MOST medical problems are self inflicted, not inherent!!”
“I know when I worked for $1.25 an hour in the 60’s, I in no way thought I was a slave!!” (his justification for .17-.25 per hour wages in China and Bangladesh)
“…smoking does not CAUSE cancer, but can PROMOTE it…” (He’s always parsing!)
“As for Research, most research projects start with a conclusion and then try to prove that that conclusion is correct...” (Will someone tell him what a hypothesis is?)

And my all-time favorite...(May I have the envelope please?)

“Boy, this ignorant spammer sure has a lot of free time on his hands and nothing much to say!!”

Too Slow...RDS Already “Chimed In”

“As for what my grandchildren think about me, you would have to ask them!!”

Why should we ask them when you already shared with us what both your daughter and grandkids had to say about you…

“As my daughter and grandkids used to say to me, ‘Move into the 21st Century, will ya.’!!”

I bet they still say that too!

“He was too stupid or too proud to take advantage of the government’s whole herd buy-out program.”

You are right about being too proud to take advantage of the government’s whole herd buy-out program!!  I don’t rely on the government to give me handouts!!  The fact, that there was a ‘government whole herd buy-out program’, should be a ‘clue’ as to why I quit farming, that and my wanting to move to Arkansas and the commute to upper Wisconsin everyday would have been hard!!

“because he’s always patting himself on the back on how he pulled himself up”

I didn’t know that explaining how people can make it from ‘poor’ to ‘middle class’, was ‘patting myself on the back’!!

“We’ll always remember some of his ill-fated attempts to fool us as “jerry,” “Tommy” and who can ever foget “Donald?” (Duh Donald)”

Donald was mine, but I explained that and Donald is my middle name!!  But, as for ‘jerry’ and ‘Tommy’, those are just your claiming me to be many others!!

“he learns by watching old sitcoms like “Green Acres” and “Sanford and Son.””

Just another version of your twisting my words to fit your motive!!

“MOST medical problems are self inflicted, not inherent!!”

So, you are saying that MOST medical problems are inherited, right?  So, ‘broken bones’ are inherited, how about ‘lung cancer’ or ‘gun shot wounds’!!

“As for Research, most research projects start with a conclusion and then try to prove that that conclusion is correct...” (Will someone tell him what a hypothesis is?)”

It’s a theory, based on reasonable assumptions!!  In other words, someone’s conclusion, or ‘theory’ if you choose, and they try to prove that their ‘theory’ (conclusion) works!!

Conclusion: A conviction reached by reasoning!!

“I bet they still say that too!”

And, I’ll bet your mother still wonders why you keep telling her not to go to Wal-Mart!!  Probably because she doesn’t SEE what YOUR mind sees there!!

“Yet he continues to chide me for my “failure” in Hollywood because I chose to be involved with an anti-WalMart film.  Not once was I ever under the impression it was a “career move.””

YEAH, everyone who goes ‘Hollywood’, doesn’t intend to make it their ‘career’, YEAH, we believe that!!  Guess you had a lot of extra time on your hands, so you thought, “Guess I’ll go help make and promote a film, only one film and then that will be it”, right?

BTW: ‘Green Acres’ and ‘Sanford and Son’ were more ‘real’ and popular, than that DUD your group made!!

There, Mrs. RDS, we babysat your hubby for awhile. Back to you.

I thought we were more than fair. Don’t you, Screwed?

“Ken is someone who constantly posts negative things about Walmart. He’s a troll, and is best avoided.” ~ protege

“As my daughter and grandkids used to say to me, ‘Move into the 21st Century, will ya.’!!” ~ Mr. Screwed on RDS

At least RDS has children/grandchildren to have such disagreements with—what happened to you?  Is there a Screwed, Jr. or a Screwette?

BTW: ‘Green Acres’ and ‘Sanford and Son’ were more ‘real’ and popular, than that DUD your group made!!

(Say what you will, but in its’ day, “Sanford and Son” was ground-breaking material, like much of Norman Lear’s work)

The DVD verson does have a purpose - I bought one (used, for a buck) from eBay, watched it, and now it’s serving its’ purpose as my drink coaster.

bb:  “ Why Wal-Mart Works; and Why That Drives Some People C-R-A-Z-Y” was a documentary funded by the Wal-Mart as a rebuttal to the controversial documentary Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price. In the documentary it states its case that many of the criticisms are born out of jealousy.[1]

Ron Galloway, the director of the documentary, would later turn against the company following the implementation of wage caps for some workers.[2] The documentary has been criticized for being biased and amateurish.[3][4]~Wikipedia~~~~~~~~NOTE: bb,hang on to those Ron Galloway DVD’s of the movie,"Why WalMart Works. A dismal failure,they have been discontinued by the manufacturer according to Amazon.com. So,they may become collectors items- don’t use THEM as coasters.

“The documentary has been criticized for being biased and amateurish”

I watched, “Walmart: the high cost of low prices” and that was “biased and amateurish” as well.  I’ve seen high school projects that were better done, and better researched.

Dave:Perhaps WalMart should have hired a high school to produce THEIR film,instead of Galloway.Why didn’t YOU suggest that to them? Bet you could have garnered a lot of “Brownie” (nose) points for that suggestion. Just think of the PR mileage!

Hi
I like your posting.
Its nice.
Bye.

http://www.alcoholaddiction.org/oklahoma

I actually had never heard anything about Walmart’s rebuttal.  I don’t know why they bothered since the original movie was so obviously inaccurate and poorly done.  The only reason anyone had ever heard of the original was because the unions made such a big push to get it out there.  There were union members on other sites offering free copies to people.  I think unions thought that it would help their cause, but here we are a few years later and Walmart’s sales are still increasing and unions are no closer to getting into Walmart’s in the US.

I actually had never heard anything about...

Judging from your comments, Dave, the things you have “never heard anything about” would fill Wal-Mart’s datawarehouse.

Have you heard anything about Wal-Mart’s policy of forbidding current employees from discussing the company in public, pro or con? You may be subject to termination, Dave!

Dave: Open the pod bay doors, HAL.

HAL: I’m sorry Dave. I’m afraid I can’t do that.

Ken V: Interesting info,Ken. Dave has stated that he is very well paid,above average hourly WalMart employee whose salary continues rising,along with WalMart’s sales.(I thought there was a cap on hourlies)- stating that he wants to reach other WalMart employees who come here,to inform them of the “effects “of organizing.Of course there have been snarky Obama references,to be sure. Somehow this doesn’t seem “Kosher”,to me,comimg to a union site like this,IMHO.(BTW,"Dave’s comments have been more plentiful than usual, this past week in particular,which coincidentally was the Democratic convention week.)

“Have you heard anything about Wal-Mart’s policy of forbidding current employees from discussing the company in public, pro or con? “

Actually that was a union lie, but that’s nothing new here. I know I can’t discuss Walmart confidential material, but since the information I discuss is information that they release online, I’m pretty sure it isn’t confidential.  Also I’m fairly confident that there may be more than one Dave working for Walmart so it would be tough to determine who I was even if that were the policy. 

Ddrb, you paranoid much?  I never said I was very well paid.  I simply said I was paid above the average wage for my county.  Also I don’t think that I said it was raising with Walmart’s sales, I simply said both were rising.  The way you wrote it it implies that my wage increases are tied to Walmart sales or are the same percentage as Walmart sales increases.

Ddrb, you paranoid much? ~~~~~Dave~~~~~~Note: Seems YOU have more than a” touch of paranoia,judging from your detailed and defensive response to me and Ken.

Actually that was a union lie...

I don’t know if it was a union lie or not but what I do know is I have read serveral accounts from associates where they were told in no uncertain terms not to discuss their employment details with anyone even amongst themselves.

Wal-Mart’s Information Security policy (IS-04)* is a little vague:

All ISD policies pertain to associates, contractors, suppliers and all others accessing Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. systems, networks or controlled facilities including non ISD supported systems. Documented standards will define specifically how the ISD policies will be implemented and maintained. Any violation of ISD policies of the documented standards may result in disiplinary action up to and including termination and when applicable may be referred to the appropriate law enforcement authorities for prosecution.

I guess the “documented standards” would define whether you are in policy violation or not, Dave.

Also I’m fairly confident that there may be more than one Dave working for Walmart so it would be tough to determine who I was even if that were the policy.

You only adhere to company policy when there’s a danger you might get caught? Not exactly what I would look for in a loyal employee.

“A better legacy than a Wal-Mart would be a vacant lot.” ~ Linda Bevard

“their employment details”

I don’t discuss my employment details.  I have never said how much I make, anything about my store, or anything about the job.  Also I wouldn’t believe everything you read online from “Walmart associates”

Also the information security policy you posted is clearly about confidential information and probably would make more sense if you had any of the policies around it to go along with it.  Judging by the fact that you found that online, I’m going to have to say that someone broke that policy.  Assuming that that is even from Walmart’s system.

Also I wouldn’t believe everything you read online from “Walmart associates”

I don’t, Dave. Just like I don’t believe everything I read online from “Walmart stooges” either.

I’d be interesting in seeing the ISD “documented standards” if you can dig them out, Dave. I believe they’re on WIRE.

The government should take the lead on making its businesses the most socially responsible in the world, not taking advice from a man whose company (Wal-Mart) is an international byword for exploitation. ~ Matthew McGregor, from the UK’s War On Want

The Alaskan Gold Cave (A new book); ps im ......

aaaaaaahhhhhh.

“Professor; professor;

I was going to ask you about my grades.  I’ve been gone for awhile; can you hold em; pllllleaaaaaaase.?;

He pretended he didn’t know her name - he rummaged through some papers; “Miss ... he rummaged again; Miss ....... she finished his sentence for him.  “Miller; .....

Miss Miller.”;

He looked where he was going; headed towards’ the administration building; rummaged again; and pulled out a paper slightly below the stack.  Scratched his head.  “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that.  Seems the dean is very impressed with you; ............ “.

“We have an endowment which has allowed us (he was an archeology professor); to go to certain - “mind you it’s investigative; ........ to theorize certain ideas; kinda take out your stone hammer and kick some around.”.

“I can’t promise you this - but the dean want’s to hold your grades for the semester, put you on full scholarship; .....

“If ...................

and this only if.”.

“You agree to go with the team .............

he stammered; .........

ah ................

“slightly north of Canada.”.

...................

She wasn’t surprised - (she had written a paper on this her sophmore year).

“How far - Professor?”,

.............

He reached for another paper;

and she stopped him with her hand;

......................

She gave him the coordinates - a series of three numbers.

“When do we leave?”.

“Tommorrow morning - a bring ............

.............

He was looking at her back;

she was running - skipping almost;

speaking as she went;

.................

“My bags all ready packed ...................

I’ve been waiting for this a long-time;

“Milk or sugar.”.

...............

Rasmusseun didn’t know what to say;

“sweet and low.”.

..............

“See you at five.”.

Rasmuessen was on his way to see the dean.

He sat; old as he was; like a worn-out freshman.

Concrete chair; circled with trees; across from the building.

.....................

He took out her paper;

The pages were worn ............

(It was the only copy).

.......................

Read it again.

And quietly spoke to himself -

“If I can only convince the dean.”.

I did look up those policies and the “policy” you typed wasn’t a policy at all.  It was an area at the top of all the IS policies saying who they pertained to. So basically what your “policy” said was that all the information policies pertain to “associates, contractors, suppliers and all others accessing Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. systems.” The documented standards would therefor be all the policies which there was a bunch and I didn’t memorize or look at them all, but none of the ones I saw pertained to anything that I have discussed.  So in the future you may want to get better sources.

“is he in.”.

Almost two hours had passed; arguing; pleading.

.

The dean spoke;

“Certainly we can put this woman on scholarship ......

listen to me - listen - ........

“We cannot afford this right now.”.

“This University cannot afford endeavor ..........

I know you’re committed.”.

“You’re talking about 10-12 people - 3 months;

far-away.”.

“I’ve read it;

Shit - so has everyone else on the faculty.”.

He looked down;

“Maybe someday;

Not today.”.

................

Chapter ii.

Professor Rasmeussen left dejected; he couldn’t argue with the logic.

He slept a little; not too much.

.....

“Bang.”.  That’s the sound that wolk him up.

Followed by -

“Professor - Professor - Are you ready?”.

.........

He headed towards the door -

“Professor - It’s me - are you ready?”.

(she spilled the coffe - it was still hot).

............

“Miss Miller -

he looked down;

“Ann.”.

“I have good news and bad news.”.

He looked down on three black suv’s in the driveway,

yet this was the middle of the speech.

“Ann - I’ve gotten you your’ scholarship;

but the dean will not allow this trip - ........

(his voice lingered);

right now.”.

........................

“Sweet and low.”.

“What?.”.

....

“That’s how you like your coffee professor (she handed it to him);

and smiled.

“Sweet and low.”.

........................

“Are your’ bags packed - Professor.”.

(his wife died years ago; he looked towards the closet);

....................

“Why.”.

.....................

“We’re going.”.

....................

“Ann - we don’t funding.”.

....................

She smiled - looking down at the suvs;

...................

“Don’t worry about -

Professor.

...

“I do.”.

Ok - let’s summarize.

Contractor’s looking up on-line queens of marquesberry rules ............

A few poems;

A couple of books;

(4,5,6);

a couple of predictions;

couple of more poems;

1 insult (gracious); temp test to see who angry;

(probably many comments from subcontractors here a long time disallowed.

).

Reading - is up.

..............................

(I didn’t write that commercial - perhaps i’ve seen it);

(although i did give 10-15 billion dollar idears);

I’m going to write a song;

I’ll give a million dollar (billion dollar); walmart idear; AGAIN; Walmart tv -

i’ll write and invent this quick - the real post is the symphony song below - before i forget it.

WALMART TV.

(commercial format - Walmart tv - martha will love this);

“My Walmart Home.”.

The camera zooms in from above;

scrapes the ground -

the lawn is good - everything we don’t sell; is done.

The house is painted -

inside and out.

Yet it’s empty.

..............

The wife hand’s the husband the keys -

“Are you ready.”.

...

“I think so.”.

...

2 door close -

“We are we going mommy.”.

....

“To Walmart.”.

The husband smiles -

The wife looks to the kids.

..........

“To get a couple of things.”.

...but none of the ones I saw pertained to anything that I have discussed.

So you don’t really know if it’s a “union lie” or not? Do you?

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

Actually I do since the policy that you posted as proof wasn’t even a policy.  That to me means they said it without any proof, and since I read them and none of them applied to this that means that there is no policy against it.

(IS-04) isn’t a Wal-Mart policy? Hmmm… perhaps you’re the one that needs “to get better sources”.

As for the section I posted, it deals with “coverage”. As a Wal-Mart employee, in whatever capacity, you are covered.

I will qualify my reference by saying the hard copy of Wal-Mart’s policies we have here in the Anti Wal-Mart bunker is dated 2007 so it may be superceeded.

...they said it without any proof...

So if you say something without proof it’s automatically a lie? You and Mary.....hey, wait...are you and Mary the same person? (That would explain a lot.)

“I found myself laughing as I groveled along the floor from shelf-case to shelf-case looking for a useable size.” ~ Richard, Wal-Mart shopper and PFB letter writer.