The Wal-Mart Connection

With Wal-Mart as the nation’s largest toy seller and China’s seventh largest trading partner, it is disturbing that the behemoth retailer takes no responsibility for the negative impact of its cost pressures on manufacturers.

Did it ever occur to anyone working for Wal-Mart Watch (and other critic groups) that perhaps - just maybe - Mattel (#1 toy maker and recaller) took a few liberties of their own so they could better their own “bottom line”?

Hasbro, the world’s number two toy maker, is taking-out full-page ads, this week making claims their Chinese-made products are “above” what’s happening in the world of recalled toys.

Here’s a news flash for the uninformed - just as many of Hasbro’s wares are sold at Wal-Mart and other retailers.

covern this one for my main man matt an me.shut up bb.

I guess Matthew really told you bb. I just have one question.....WHAT THE HELL IS COVERN???? Matthew your main man is your left or right hand you dumb shit.

sick of you are a moron.funny that you are quiet as can be on mattel and hasbro selling items from china.explain that one buddy boy

From straightgoods.caSay “Bah, humbug” to exploitive presents

Make sure that what you buy was fairly made and fairly traded.

Dateline: Tuesday, December 04, 2007

by Derek Blackadder

Surveys consistently suggest that Canadians are willing to pay higher prices for goods they know are produced fairly — a fair price being paid for goods produced in a sustainable fashion by workers paid a living wage in safe conditions. Except, maybe, at this time of year.

The holidays are supposed to make us all feel warm and fuzzy… about moving lots of money from our pockets into retailers’ cash registers. Advertisers, retailers and major manufacturers count on sentimentality and peer pressure to override concerns about ethics and the human and environmental effects of our purchasing decisions.

Between Fair Trade Organizations and the No Sweat campaigns, you can find a lot of trendy clothes and shoes online.

Blizzards of ads cajole us to find the best deals on the most stuff, on the theory that a good deal on some stuff will allow us to get more stuff overall. People who would normally never darken the doors of a Wal-Mart feel the pressure to buy and give lots (especially to children, teaching them to consume lots as early as possible) within a limited budget. Somehow even with some really good deals on all the stuff we buy, we wind up spending more than we expected to.

Recent alarms about toxic toys have highlighted questions about working conditions as well as product safety. Many parents, especially, are seeking safe and perhaps less commercial alternatives for gifts this year.

In response, unions and non-profit agencies are suggesting several ways for consumers to enjoy a guilt-free holiday season.

OXFAM Canada and other international development NGOs have been slowly building the Fair Trade market in this country for decades. But it is Ten Thousand Villages, a non-profit Fair Trade Organization (FTO) founded by American Mennonites in 1946, that has come closest to making fair trade an issue in North America for ‘non-ideological’ consumers. Ten Thousand Villages has grown to include 160 stores in North America. It is riding a wave. Well, perhaps ‘ripple’ is a better word, given the size of the capitalist ocean.

Some estimates put the growth sales rate for Fair Trade products at 60 percent per year. Next step, perhaps: a fair trade purchasing policy for Parliament (as there is for the EU Parliament).

Part of their success comes from steady expansion of their product lines. Fair trade has come a long way from when all right-thinking folk would feel the need to buy Nicaraguan coffee in support of the Sandinistas, even when their tastes secretly ran more to tea and hot chocolate.

Browse your local or online Fair Trade retailer. There’s no longer a need to choose between your conscience and the look on the recipient’s face when they open your present. The clothing segment of the market has grown beyond peasant skirts and hemp caftans, to include items that would look at home in corporate boardrooms (if they ever got there).

Even the lucrative toy market is seeing some penetration by Fair Trade manufacturers. And no, before you ask: we’re not talking about ‘rustic’ wooden trains and rag dolls, but products that compete with the more commercial stuff.

Chinese-made toys hold about 85 percent of the Canadian toy market. With the recent concerns about cheap toys from China (even if most of the decisions about what to put in and on them was made at corporate HQs in the US), toys alone may be on the verge of making a break-through for the Fair Trade movement.

To be continued:

Given that the worldwide ‘traditional’ toy market (excluding electronic games and such) is valued at $65 billion a year, even a small dent in the market would be a huge boost for FTOs.

Most FTOs deal with suppliers who are essentially self-employed. They produce local crafts from local materials. That doesn’t help you much if the grandkids are demanding the latest in trendy gear and you suspect that a nice hand-made pair of sandals won’t substitute for the latest running shoes.

Fortunately, the No-Sweat movement (think of it as a subset of the FTOs) has had more than enough of an impact on clothing producers in particular that you can find the right gear.

There’s still some debate about the effects of the agreements Global Union Federations have negotiated with companies like Nike, but you and your favourite search engine won’t have any trouble finding clothing for young adults that is union-made (a pretty reliable indicator).

Admittedly, stores that sell entirely Fair Trade stock are still few and far between right now. If you live outside a major city (or just want to avoid the crowds), you can find Fair Trade outlets online. See some suggestions below.

Bear in mind that, online or in person, caveat emptor still applies. Canada has no regulations governing company claims to be selling Fair Trade goods. The industry remains largely self-regulating. Buy from a reputable retailer and look for the logos of Transfair Canada and the Fairtrade Labelling Organization International.

Don’t be completely turned off if the potential gift you’re looking at doesn’t bear one of those endorsements. Getting certified as Fair Trade can be expensive for small producers and can take some time. If the retailer is reputable and can explain the lack of approval, go ahead and buy. The (fair) profits from the sale may help bring approval a little closer.

The Canadian Labour Congress produces a handy guide to seat-free shopping, available online. OXFAM can help too. And the Brits, long-time leaders in the Fair Trade movement internationally, have lots of info online.

Give yourself a present this year. Instead of exhaustion and credit card overload, celebrate the season with a bit of smug self-congratulation.

After all, you deserve a little something from yourself for the holidays.

Derek Blackadder is a National Representative with the Canadian Union of Public Employees in Ontario, and Senior Correspondent for LabourStart.org, the international trade union news and campaigns website. He gets very anxious even thinking about Christmas. This year his family are all getting donations to Horizons, an international development NGO he approves of, as holiday presents.

For more information please use the following links and the ones below.

www.ethicalpurchasing.bcics.org/?p=128
www.fairtrade.org.uk/pr011106.htm
psdblog.worldbank.org/psdblog/2006/11/fair_trade_holi.html
www.nosweatapparel.com/miva/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT&Store_Code=N&Affiliate=labourstart
canadianlabour.ca/updir/toys2007English.pdf

R E M E M B E R
J O N Q U I E R E
Q U E B E C
Home of Walmart Worker Abuse

R E M E M B E R
J A C K S O N V I L L E
T E X A S
Home of Walmart Worker Abuse

Mattel and Hasbro have the items made in China and thats a big mistake on their part. I don’t back any company contracting their work out to be made in China because it usually turns out bad. But guess what Matthew, this is Wal-Mart Watch, not Mattel Watch, not Hasbro Watch, not Target Watch, not Costco Watch, not Dollar Tree Watch, not Home Depot Watch...........WAL-MART WATCH you stupid idiot. So BUDDY BOY what senseless crap have you got to say now. Do you know how stupid you look coming on WMW and bitching at everyone because we are against WM? I’m sure you don’t because you have no common sense. So you see idiot I’m not quiet on that subject, but the subject on WMW is believe it or not.....WM. I’m not buying anything made by Mattel or Hasbro at this time and everyone should probably do the same. Now come up with something else Matthew.

Hitting the news here about 35% of the toys having lead in them.  There is a news reporter live outside of Walmart talking to customers. How fitting.

R E M E M B E R
J O N Q U I E R E
Q U E B E C
Home of Walmart Worker Abuse

R E M E M B E R
J A C K S O N V I L L E
T E X A S
Home of Walmart Worker Abuse

Alex in Ontario: Joyeux Noel!! For a story that ,IMHO, exemplifies the futility of attempting to do the right thing,to get recalled toys off the shelves,go to Sprawl-Busters or Huffington post. Al Norman has done an article about a 72 year old consumer being arrested in a failed attempt to have a recalled toy item removed from WalMart shelves in Des Arcs,Arkansas. Ho,HO,HOrrible!

sick of i bitch because we dont hear shit from you walmart haters on here about your favorite other grocery stores and retailers selling the same shit from china and poisonous toys.how about holding them responsible for lack of oversight in inspecting their imports?sick of you might as well boycott every other store and retailer in the nation as well because most of their stuff is made in china and imported from there as well.i know what sight this is pal.top dog thats why you pile on wm.you know how stupid that makes you look and sound by using that lame reason and excuse?you know how moronic and stupid you wm haters sound by blaming wm for selling items from china when the same items from china are sold and imported from china at all the stores you shop at regularly?go look at the labels on where its made if you dont believe me.no i dont work at wm and never have and i am noty paid to come on here either.

Gee Matt, and explain to us with in your misquided wisdom how going after the little dogs will help change things any?  Walmart is the big dog and is the world’s biggest retailer and other stores follow their example.  DUH, it’s not rocket science you nimrod!

WalMart SUCKS! IN: I think Matt is doing one hell of a job!! He’s running off other bloggers with his repititious mantra of irrefutable WalMart worship. Maybe the name of this blog should be revised to Wal-MATT watch-How many bloggers plan to stay tuned if this one man performance continues to repeat these reruns of his” greatest hit”, much longer? (Ofcourse, that very well may be the entire purpose of these inane commentaries-to drive people away from this site. Why is he being allowed to do this?)

Well Matthew my translator has translated your last comment and I was right.....its jibberish. Ok Matthew here is a list of things in your last comment that you need to answer:
1. If the other grocery stores and retailers are OUR FAVORITES, why in the hell would we complain about them?

2. I feel all stores should refuse to buy from the companies who are having all the recalls until those companies get their priorities straight. You Matthew are a hypocrite because you down all retailers for selling toys made in China except for WM, you support them. Now why is that Matthew? Is it because they sell their poisonous toys at a cheaper price?

3. The only way the imports could be truly inspected Matthew is to take every item out of the box and have it tested. I don’t think in all actuality that any store does that, do you Matthew?

4. Matthew at this time, you are the only one that looks (and is) stupid on this blog. Going after the top dog is only common sense, you bring them down, other retailers will have to follow suit. Why is that so hard for you to understand?

5. Do you know how stupid it sounds for you to support WM and then protest the other retailers when WM does the same thing that you claim the others do? You see it goes both ways Matthew but unlike those of us with any common sense, you Matthew protest the smaller retailers....WHY? If you don’t support the made in china items and the retailers who sell them, HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT WM?

6. I would really like to know how you know what stores I shop at? I mean you are a legend in your own mind Matthew but to know where we all shop at, isn’t that a little far fetched?

7. If you do not now or never have worked for WM, then you make false comparisons about how WM treats their employees as compared to other employers. That makes you a liar Matthew because you can’t accurately make those comparisons unless you have worked for each of the employers you are comparing. You wouldn’t be....lets say a.......HYPOCRITE....now would you Matthew?

8. Maybe you don’t get paid to come on here preaching the word of YOUR GOD WM. I can’t actually see WM paying a total moron such as yourself to support them because like I said before, you turn more people away from WM with your moronic comments. So if WM doesn’t pay you, then is your stupidity self taught or do you have a mentor thats as lame as you are?

ddrb - I think Matthew is here for our amusement, I mean it is hilarious how stupid he can be. It is getting old though I will admit. I wish he would come up with some new material because my laughter for Matthew’s repititious nonsense has worn out. He is definitely an easy target for humiliation though so we can always have some fun at his expense. And there is a bright side to Matthew’s shallow mind, even he makes WM look bad......Thanks Matthew.

How many bloggers plan to stay tuned if this one man performance continues to repeat these reruns of his” greatest hit”, much longer?

Funny, the same has been said about SDV for over a year, now!

Sick of WalMart in:I will take issue with one point of your post-..."we can always have fun at his expense.”...No, it’s not at his expense, its the expense of hard earned dues and donations ,$$$ that some have earned and others have generously given, to create this site.I do not believe that their intention was, is,or ever will be to provide a forum for the inane ramblings of such an illiterate, ill mannered guest.WalMart doesn’t need help to look bad, but WalMatt’s ramblings doesn’t help this site look better ,either,IMHO.

stupid?you are the stupid ones that cant see straight.explain why its ok for others to sell items from china and overseas but not wm?i dont criticize wm enough?how about holding all the retailers liable instead of just wm?thats what i am so sick of on here.you folks wont hold the other retailers and grocers feet to the fire for their actions and wrongdoings but lets pile on wm because they are the top dog?and everyone else should follow the leader?sorry its not the others dam business how wm operates.if they dont like it too bad.wm dont tell othersl ike k-mart and target how to operate.how about the others follow their own leads?ever heard of that sick of?

Ok Matthew, explain why you think its alright for WM to sell items made in China but not the others? Here is a few questions you have not or will not answer:

1. You keep asking me why I protest WM and not the other retailers which I have answered several times but you have never answered this question.....WHY DO YOU PROTEST THE OTHER RETAILERS AND NOT WM? Even by your own admission WM sells items made in China but you don’t protest them....WHY?

2. If Debbie shank was a friend or relative of yours, would you then be against WM? I think the answer to this will make it clear on what kind of person you are so please answer.

3. If one of the ladies filing the sexual discrimination lawsuits was a friend or relative of yours would you then be against WM?

4. Can you please, please, please go out and buy HOOKED ON PHONICS?

Walmart SUCKS,

“explain to us with in your misquided wisdom how going after the little dogs will help change things any?”

Remember when K-Mart was the ‘Big Dog’ in retail?  Then, a ‘Little Dog’, named Sam Walton (Walton’s Five and Dime), changed things, that’s how.  Wal-Mart, will have to change, if the smaller stores change first and give Wal-Mart some competition, until then, the ‘Big Dog’ doesn’t have to change, because they are already on top of the heap.  You have to change things to get to the top, but, you don’t have to change things to stay there, if the others don’t change first, get it?

bbrd,

“Funny, the same has been said about SDV for over a year, now!”

You got that right!  And, what about Alex in Ontario, who keeps posting that same stupid tag on the end of his posts?

Yes I get it but I think it would work both ways. There is strength in numbers and if consumers would band together and stop shopping at WM then WM would have to change their ways. Now if WM did make changes in the right direction, even more consumers would start shopping there thus forcing the other retailers to make changes too if necessary. The problem is that theres way too many people like Matthew who live for WM and cheaper prices. Some people don’t care about ethics, morals, and values, they just care about getting something for less. I like lower prices too but I refuse to shop at a place that thrives on corruption and illicit activities no matter how low the prices are. But yes I do agree if the other retailers did do things differently maybe they could steal some of the thunder from WM but I don’t agree that the others would have to change first. I think it could go either way and be successful.

Sick of: Just call Costco the rainmaker-apparently they’ve stolen quite a bit of WalMart’s thunder and rained on the financial picnic for a while now...doing well by doing good!

yes the others sick of need to change by lowering their prices.ever heard of that?then maybe folks then can afford to shop at the others places regularly instead of walmart so regularly.sick of i dont care whether wm or target sells stuff from china or not.i just dont understand why you folks dont jump on the others that were sued by the state of california for lead in toys?you have this arrogant mentality of pile on the big dog.its stupid too.if the others are so squeaky clean and can do no wrong sick of then why were costco,kaybee toysand target sued then?answer that one.

Sick Of Wal-Mart,

Isn’t it easier to move a hill, than it is to move a mountain?  As ddrb said, Costco is putting a big dent in Wal-Mart’s armour, just think what would happen if all the others changed and Wal-Mart had to COMPETE with them for labor, customers and profits.  And, if they refused to change, they could end up going the way of K-Mart.  When you are “top dog”, you feel no need to change, to them, “If it isn’t broke, why fix it”, they don’t think it is broken, otherwise, in their view, they wouldn’t be “ON TOP”, they would be ‘falling off a cliff’.

Just curious to people like Matthew who say they don’t mind if the crap they buy is from china.  I know it’s hard to find Made in the USA anywhere these days, ESPECIALLY at Walmart.  But if you had to pay a few dollars more for a certain item or piece of clothing WOULD YOU if you knew it was made right here in the USA and by legal American workers.

I think I already know what your answer will be.

corgi tell me why i should pay more at target,costco,k-mart,fred meyer and etc for the same imported item from china than walmart?the only thing i would be doing is spending more money at these other places and not getting a better made or better quality product.thats stupid to just assume that buying it elsewhere and not wm you are getting a better made and better quality product.thats fools gold to assume that and makes you folks look like asses

corgi its hard to find made in usa at fred meyer,costco,target,kohls,k-mart and others as well not just wm its all the other places too.

Ok I call for all anti WM posters on WMW to boycott Matthew. I say we also boycott WMW unless they boot Matthew from the site. Strength in numbers, lets get this done. Nobody acknowledge the existence of Matthew Vantress and everyone refuse to post unless Matthew is banned from WMW. We can do this people.

Corgishepmom in Irrigon, OR

I can’t speak for others on this blog, but as for me, I’m proud to say that I buy American every chance I get. There are still a lot of places online that sell MADE IN AMERICA. In some cases I even buy for less than the cheaply made shit from China. The idea of paying a little more for things that support American workers is a cheap way to feel good about being American.

“There are still a lot of places online that sell MADE IN AMERICA.  In some cases I even buy for less than the cheaply made shit from China.”

Really?  Where?

BR-549 in

Junior, is that you???

Just use your search engine and type “union made boots” for instance.

I bought “made in U.S.” Carharts insulated Bib’s for $32.00 per pair once (Close out) another time I was able to buy a pair of Red Wing “Irish Setters” for $40.00 Btw these were new from a retailer.

The bargains are out there if you look.

Tomy in : The arrogant attitude of “I’m on top!I must be doing something right,or I wouldn’t be on top,YOU would” -reminds me of the George Bush philosopy of good government-the “I’m the decider” paradigm. We all know what a success that has been!

Big D in : Now you got my attention-I L-O-V-E my Carhart overalls!! I HEART CARHART!!!

Really?  Where?

American Made: Products and Services - Made in USA

StillMadeinUSA.com

usstuff

Why not get someone to show you how to use a search engine, BR-549?

Ken V,

You had me curious, so I checked-out your hyperlinks, and found THIS disclaimer on the U.S. Stuff website......

Product price, features, content, description, County of Origin , etc may change and/or vary.
Sometimes U.S. Stuff gets it totally wrong.

Always verify before ordering.
Always verify after receiving.
Always check the labels.

Something tells me perhaps you didn’t look at your “sources” a little better?

“You want to be absolutely certain that a toy is safe?” Buy a wooden block toy with no paint on it.” ~ Don Mays, Consumers Union

bbrd

I think that spray painting a toy with poison is a little more than not foreseeing a knob being swallowed by a child. Unforeseen dangers are one thing but KNOWINGLY painting a toy with lead, which any adult with any sense knows lead = poison; so much for your incidental danger defense.

Nice try trying to minimize the threat to our kids.

All I can say to the defenders of Wal-Mart is this. Stand by your convictions. Eat food from Wal-Mart and buy whatever toys you want for your kids.

You’ll show us!

Always verify before ordering.
Always verify after receiving.
Always check the labels.

I’m not sure what you’re getting at, bbrd. That sounds like good advice whether you’re interested in “price, features, content, description, (or) County of Origin*”.

All or nothing, huh, bbrd? You suffer from a common right wing-nut malady which I call hypocritical absolutism (a variation of the Bush ‘My way or the highway’ policy).

*Try nailing down country of origin at Wal-Mart. Personally I don’t find this info very reassuring.

Assembled in Country of Origin: USA and/or Imported

Origin of Components: USA and/or Imported

The devil is in the and/or.

Ken V in Texas: So why is there such a pushback against labeling our FOOD with country of origin labeling???Would’nt it be even MORE important there??(Remember that commercially available ground meat is often U.S. meat mixed with mystery meat from unknown origin,in an effort to lower the cost.)