New Conference To Examine Wal-Mart Role in Economy

I hope Wal-Mart will listen to the experts.  There was an independent conference like this earlier this year.  The unamious verdict was Wal-Mart was terrbile for all those things: jobs, our economy.

I strongly urge anyone to watch PBS Frontline special on Wal-Mart:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/walmart/

There is a real player stream of the show online.  All the academic experts they have are very troubled by Wal-Mart

I suspect because thsi is sponsored by Wal-Mart, this is just another form of PR trying to cover up the negative. 

I’m sure all the findings resulting from this conference will show WM in a positive way and mention that they are great for the economy.

WM would not pay for a conference if it was intended to show them in negative light.

haha… see what I mean, every time Wal-Mart tries to do something positive you goobers just dismiss it as a “PR stunt”.  I don’t think I even want to ask how biased that ‘independant conferance’ was.  I’m sure the title was something like “independant conference to prove that Wal-Mart is a horrible, evil, big corporate monster”.

I think Wal-Mart is wanting to get some professional, non-biased input from this conference because they certainly aren’t getting any on this site. 

Academic experts are a dime a dozen Sean.  All you need is a few extra years with nothing to do after college and about $25k in student loans, and wallah Sean is an “Academic Expert”.  There’s plenty of “academic experts” that will tell you Wal-Mart is a great retail company too.  Especially the ones in the economics and business departments.  Don’t go cruisng the whacko’s in the school of arts, you know those guys hate work in general or they would have majored in something useful.

Cory, I am always impressed with the way you concisely phrase things.  I particularily enjoyed your last sentence.

I think Walmart watch needs to put someone up there to argue their point.  I think a perfect person would be Ronnie in Georgia.  He may have a hard time figuring out how to get a bus ticket though, so how about the next best thing : Sean.  That way everyone can see the “down with the bourgeois” mentality behind the well funded walmart attack groups.

Cory,

INDEPENDENT means there is no bias. Independent means that the people commenting have nothing to gain regardless of the findings. Just because YOU don’t like the findings doesn’t make them biased.

Ok, let me get this straight.  WalMart, by saving customers millions of dollars on products and contributing significantly to the country’s anti-inflation efforts, is now deemed an evil force working against the interests of hard working Americans.  Please, take a moment, stand back and listen to yourselves, WalMart haters.  Yes, the stores are ugly and soul-less, and yes, they --like most American companies--would like to operate union-free, but the dollars they save American shoppers are real.  WalMart has succeeded by placing the interests of its customers (low prices/quality goods) ahead of others.  More power to them.

L,

If it were only that simple.  Yes, Wal-Mart has cheap products—but so do a lot of other stores.  The problem here is that Wal-Mart is also America’s largest employer.  They have driven down wages and benefits for workers in their stores and across the entire industry.  Additionally, they have accelerated the outsourcing of American manufacturing jobs overseas--which are replaced with guess what?n low paying retail jobs.

Wal-Mart isn’t evil, but its oversized role in our economy-1 in 10 dollars spent by Americans minus auto sales--has numerous negative effects.

The consequences of their business practices don’t necessarily have to be negative.  In the 1950s, GM was America’s largest corporation and workers wages and benefits actually went UP.

Even today many companies play a positive role like Costco, Starbucks and many other companies.

Wal-Mart has chosen to run their business to maximize sales, not profit, working conditions or benefits to the consumer.

Why?  Who knows.  Maybe they are complacent, uncreative or evil.  I really don’t care.  There is a big problem, however, that needs to be fixed.

Sean is right.  I work at Starbucks, and yes, we’re a big corporation, but we have really great health insurance and we don’t make crap in China.

Let’s ignore the impact they’ve had on manufacturing. The loss of these jobs that are crucial to the real economic well being of this nation. Some people have to go shopping. In this way they can do their patriotic duty fighting inflation at WM. At the same time they support american manufacturers by buying only american goods there.  Right? No---the best price is the Chinese price. I would posit that your insatiable
need for the lowest price (fighting inflation) is sucking the blood and energy out of this country leaving it in an anemic
state. At the same time billions of dollars from here are flowing overseas into the cash registers of a Red Chinese communist dictatorship who are poised in the not so distant
future to perhaps replace us here in the good old USA as the most powerful country (economic and military) on earth.

larry, $20 billion comes from china, $150 billion is bought from the US....Why does everyone here say the buy american thing is a lie.  Pretty clear that if most of their stuff is bought in america, they aren’t “trying” to outsource anything…

I personally would agree that too much stuff in the US comes from China.  I don’t think the problem nor the answer lies at the feet of Wal-Mart however.  Wal-Mart would get you a very temporary burst of hope, but then Target would suck up that extra $20 billion in imports that Wal-Mart dropped… and Wal-Mart goes out of business in the process.  Sounds like you’ve just screwed up more than original. 

Part of the problem is that economists seem to think buying from China is a good thing, and politicians believe it so they keep passing laws to make trade with dirt poor countries even more alluring to businesses.  It’s kind of a catch 22… quit buying from those countries and you gain more production in the US but the cost of living increases more than what you’ve gained in jobs, and inflation goes nuts.  Then chinese companies would just start up web sites and everybody would just buy the stuff from China online for dirt cheap, but at marked up prices so now you’re actually sending China more money than you were when Wal-Mart was selling it.

Anyway, don’t feel like getting into all the crazy talk right now.  You guys need to quit bitching about the problem and try to come up with solutions that work.  I think everybody agrees that importing one dollar from China is one dollar too much, but how are you going to make a change that works?

I am glad to see that finally (Finally) there will be an honest discussion about Walmart in the academic world.

I heard that a Pensacola (liberal biased) newspaper will be moderating this conference.  Is that true.

Also, the liberally biased movie by Bob Greenwald will be coming out about the same time.

I bet Cory likes this post.

q is an idiot.  the ‘buy american’ program is not about people in america buying crap, it’s about the fact that wal-mart buys products that are MADE IN CHINA. 

get it?

Q--the next time you’re at WM check out a clothing rack. You might find something made in the United States if you’re willing to put in a couple hours. I wouldn’t be surprised though if you didn’t.

hey larry and flippy, I was merely posting a fact.  It is a fact that $20 billion comes from china and $150 billion from the US.

As for the clothing rack, I make the same challenge back to you.  Go to any national clothing retailer, Taarget, GAP, Abercrombie, Banana Republic, Old Navy.  Check out a clothing rack.  You might find something made in the United States if you’re willing to put in a couple hours. I wouldn’t be surprised though if you didn’t.

Q---it’s not really a challenge. We could go to all those places and we both already know what we’ll find. And it’s not just textiles---it’s electronics including this computer and your computer. Furniture. Appliances. Any kind of manufactured good. Cars. You might buy the made in the USA ford or chevy but it will be chock full of foreign made parts. What I question is your assertions about the $20 billion and $150 billion number.

Slappy

You may not buy “crap” from China but Starbucks buys coffee from poor farmers in Columbia. Starbucks exploits farmers by buying coffee in bulk for low prices. Working at Starbucks, maybe you can explain to all of us just what “Free-Trade Coffee” is. Oh......I’ll answer that: Free Trade Coffee is coffee that Starbucks says it purchased from farmers at a “fair” price. Starbucks claims that no farmers were harmed economically during the selling of this particular brand of coffee. Does that mean the 99 other types of coffee that Starbucks sells are NOT free trade? Does Starbucks only exploit 99% of the time? Please answer that for me. By the way, I am a VERY loyal Starbucks customer. My girlfriend and I frequent 4 Starbucks locations and have purchased coffee and other assorted goods from another dozen or so. If anyone is exploited, it is the customer (like me) dumb enough to pay $4.89 for a venti Cafe Vanilla Frap, affogato style with mocha drizzle. HA HA.

Working as a vendor, I do believe Walmart has an agenda, and one is to close the grocery chain Winn Dixie.  Locate a Winn Dixie and you’ll find a Walmart.  If restrictions stops Walmart from building a supercenter, they are now going with the Neighborhood grocery store.  In fact, rumor has it that one is being built here, and where is it going to be built, right across the street from WINN DIXIE, which already has TWO supercenter within a 7 mile radius, which are also located to impact three other Winn Dixies in a small area.  The other supercenter here are also located close to Winn Dixie, one closer than one mile.  This is not just here, but I have observe this in Alabama and Mississippi.  Coincidence.. I’m waiting for a movie. Me and my dog, Walmart!

Walmart watch likes to quote newspapers.  I have a quote from todays issue of the the Arkansas Democrat Gazette which I bet Walmart watch will not quote.

NW Arkansas (Home of Walmart) has the second highest growth of high paying jobs in the US according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis.

Because of an apparent statistical glitch, categories that would reflect the huge presence of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and its vendors do not show up in the data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Wheeler said.
Those vendors were “a significant driver” in the growth of high-paying jobs in Northwest Arkansas, said John Shelnutt, Arkansas’ administrator for economic analysis and tax research.
“That has been a better driver for growth in Northwest Arkansas than goods-producing sectors,” Shelnutt said Tuesday. The influx of vendors to Northwest Arkansas “delivers more stable, more consistent growth and higher wages than some other categories.”

Just to make sure you understand, there is not a single statement in the article which would indicate Walmart is a bad coorporation.

Why don’t you list the companies that do business with Walmart that have American bases and tell them that we will stop purchasing their products at all stores until they stop doing business with Malmart. This will get the attention of some of the other big box bast...ds to sit up and listen. Target of MN.

David you stupid gomer, their is a reason that 40% of the Walmart employees in Iowa are on some form of federal or state assistance. Who pays for that assistance? You and I. Now go back to the swamp you crawled out of.

Also on the low prices, statistics show that only about 5% of their products are lower than the competition. The rest are about the same.

Cory, If we didn’t have a federal deficit the actual cost of inflation would be very low to the common person. However we have a growing federal deficit with 40% of it owned by China and Japan. Why would we want to give them more leverage on our economy. I would much rather pay a higher price if it meant the money was staying in our economy and not help building another factory in China. Does that make sense?

Tom

It has been my experience, that when people start calling names, they have run out of good arguments.  That certainly appears to be the case for you.  I have never resorted to that tactic and will never will.  It is pointless and indicative of a lack of character.

As far as only about 5% of Walmart’s products being cheaper than their competition is pure baloney.  Someone decided that XXX is Walmart’s competition.  They then made a comparison.  The problem with that approach is that store does not exist in my neighborhood or in much of the US’s neighborhood.  The nearest K-Mart is about 100 miles away.  I don’t have a clue where the nearest Target store is.  The only one I know of for sure is 870 miles away in Denver, although I am sure there is one a lot closer.  There are four Walmart’s within about 50 miles, one as close as 30 miles.

As far as 40% of Iowa’s Walmart’s employees being on some kind of federal or state assistance is not relevant without knowing the rest of the story.  How many of the total Iowa population is on some kind of assistance?  How many of the population would be on some kind of assistance, if Walmart did not exist?  How many of the people not employeed by Walmart, have to rely on Walmart for lower prices.  My guess is that the conditions would be even worse, but that is only my guess.  I guess that you or Walmart watch could also take a guess, but they would also just be a guess, and an extremely biased on at that.

Wal-Mart provides instruction to their employees on how to
apply for Section 8 housing, food stamps, and Medicaid.
Employers who pay a living wage do not have to suggest
their employees apply to the US government for assistance
for basic living expenses. (Remember--as a taxpayer, that
money is coming out of your pocket. The cost isn’t as cheap
if you figure in the cost of public assistance for full-time
Wal-Mart employees, is it?)

I live in the Boston area and do not make a lot of money
for where I live. I don’t care how cheap a product is, if it is
inexpensive because someone else is being exploited, I
won’t buy it. I work in an independent bookstore and support
independent businesses. I do not support companies that
practice economic slavery.

If you shop at Wal-Mart, don’t complain about those lazy people on welfare. They are probably ringing you up
every time you go in there.

Oh--as for the conference, it should be entertaining. Too bad they won’t allow actual workers from Wal-Mart who are
on public assistance to present a paper.  If the papers are
independent, I can’t imagine they will find anything but
a negative effect of Wal-Mart on the American economy.

Yes, I agree with Pat in Pensacola. Walmart is going after the grocery market, including the higher-paying cashier jobs.  Grocery stores are intensely regional high-volume commodity distribution points. They are going after your grocery chain in Florida and ours in Alaska.  They are planning a supercenter a mile from a union grocery store.  In between them and the grocery store will be non-union Fred Meyers, a grocery and department store on a smaller scale than the supercenter. Previously, Fred Meyers competed with the local grocery, paying commiserate wages.  Now it will be smackdab up against walmart wages.  Wages will drive down area wages at the same time housing costs and utilities are increasing.

Now maybe the homeless families can go to walmart buy cheaper duct tape to seal their children’s shoes against the snow. However it would be better if households brought more money in than if households could buy more commodities for less.  The attack on our food supply is especially concerning. Walmart will have us depending on China for that to. Maybe we can get some homeland security money to help homegrown grocers fight off foreign encroachment.  In the meantime, please say a prayer for families living with less because of reduced wages/benefits and increased living costs.  May God have mercy on us all.