Wal-Mart Managers Leak More Documents

“Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer, fell 15 cents to $46.48. CEO H. Lee Scott told company managers on a confidential, internal Web site that providing medical retirement benefits would leave the world’s largest retailer at a competitive disadvantage, the New York Times reported, citing a copy of the posting provided by a group lobbying for better work conditions.” [Bloomberg News, 2/17/06]

Haw! Perhaps Mr. Scott’s web page should be renamed to “Lee’s Garbage”.

It may make WalMart uncompetitive but for the workers it makes WalMart unattractive as a long term employer.

It’s great that informed individuals like ourselves can find can preach to the choir but what is truly needed is enlightenment of the masses and certainly of the employees of Wal-Mart. Are movements lost? whould they not protest, strike or just walk off for a week? What holds people to slave-wage? Every little bit helps so keep it up and I will too.

I wonder why these people line up to work for this company?  What are the alternatives?  Target is not any better.  K-mart is worse.  I think when it is all said and done Wal-mart must be giving them a fair shake or no one would work there.

Well, no one is forcing any individual to work at Walmart, right? It’s a free market.  Why work there if you are unhappy? And stil there are people who CHOOSE to work there.  Either work there and be happy about it, or leave and be happy.  Anyway, be happy about what you are doing.

Consider this:

The success of WalMart can be directly attributed to the
“Dumbing Down” of America.

While kids from most of our competitor nations work their butts off in school, which in the end will drive us into oblivion, kids in the US want to grow up being Sports
Millionaires and have almost no motivation towards
furthering their education and chance of success with a better life.

Who’s fault is that?

PARENTS!

Everyone here wants to blame someone else for the problems and no one wants to responsibilty for anything anymore.

WE ARE DOOMED! :)

How is Walmart not a monopoly?  They basically control the retail of everything in this country.  Where are the trust-busters?

I love that show!  Oh wait, that’s *mythbusters*!!

If you’ve ever lived in a small to medium town, say, Rolla, Missouri, you’d know that the reason people work at Wal-Mart is that nobody else in town is hiring. 

Now that Wal-Mart is going to be able to offer banking services, watch how fast every small-town bank in America shuts down.

The Phelps County Bank in Rolla, MO, is known to help out customers with short-term small loans when the price of hay goes down or if somebody’s kid gets sick.  You think Wal-Mart’s going to do that?

The real question is why would any American actually publicly show support for Wal-Mart, since they sell goods made in China, and the average salary of a Wal-Mart employee is about what, 7.50 an hour?  And the best part is when the big-shots at walmart are asked how their employees are supposed to live on 8 bucks an hour they respond: “They’re not. “ It’s pretty crazy.  I’ve got to hand it to the crazy right-wing:  They’ve been able to convince regular Americans to shoot themselves in the head, and then say “thank you!, God Bless America!”

the problem is ceo’s who want more and more profits and to hell with the little guy...they are playing along with bush and put america out of work...make it the poorest country on earth, except for ceo’s, they will be sitting in a country of the damned with all thier money

Pope Ratzo,

That’s one of the better posts I’ve read around here, nice work!

If you’ve ever lived in a large city, say, San Diego, California, you’d know that people work at Wal-Mart even though there are all sorts of alternatives.

Thanks for the red herring, Ratzo.

So seriously, does anybody want to explain why people work at Wal-Mart if it’s really as bad as we hear?

Are we sure that Wal-mart isn’t owned and Executive decision making Associates are not communists?

Im going to return to this site to really voice my opinion. At this point all I can say being that Im so dam digusted is this country has gone to hell in a waste baskit and it’s a crying shame.

Leslie R. Broussard

I am so damn disgusted at the way Wal Mart treats workers and doesn’t pay them what they are worth, they are a bunch of cheapskates, the largest company in the world can afford to pay their employees a living wage and offer quality health insurance plus better benefits, Lee Scott is a jerk.

Wal-Mart is a horrible place. They kidnap people and chain them to cash registers, forcing them to work without breaks if they ever want to see their families again. Of course there is no pay for these associates as they are actually slave labor. Anyone who complains about the severity of the work environment is publicly flogged.

Once you start working for them, you can never escape. They won’t let you leave. If you try to quit, a smiley-faced man shows up at the homeless shelter and drags you back. The authorities won’t help you because Congress is in bed with Lee Scott. Indeed, you will be at Wal-Mart until the day you die - which will be soon because they don’t provide health insurance.

The next thing you know, Wal-Mart will be into banking. Then all the other banks will go out of business. Wal-Mart will then pass a law making cash illegal, and requiring all financial moves be performed through their banks, with a 55% fee, naturally. So you will all have to bank and shop at Wal-Mart. Then they will have all the money in the country in their coffers.

Lee Scott and the Waltons will be laughing as Sam rolls over in his grave when, at last, they unveil the final stroke of their master plan to the public. This is TOP SECRET, but I have the scoop from Lee’s Garage:

Wal-Mart is not a real company. They are, in fact, an extension of the Chinese government that has been designated to infiltrate the United States and destroy the economy. Once the takeover is complete, the Chinese military will covertly cross the Pacific in ships thought to carry Chinese goods to stock Wal-Mart’s shelves. With the country in ruins, the Chinese victory will be swift. In a matter of weeks we will all be speaking Mandarin.

Now you all know the terrible truth about Wal-Mart and its treachery.

Another satire brought to you by…

At Walmart you have to be out 2days in order to get 1 sick No wonder we need insurance we can’t even recover from the common cold and not worry about losing hours on the next pay check.

I would like to know why the city, state, local and federal government can’t find a worker for less then $60K, so my idea is to let Walmart hire all government workers at $8 per hour & use the Billions $$$$ in savings to pay health benefits of all workers in the USA, maybe we would also reduce gov workers by 75% due to Walmarts increased efficiency

It’s great to see all of the new “faces” and hear from some new “voices” here!

Someone in USA… I would like to at least say, “nice piece of fictional writing,” but your last post doesn’t even qualify as that!  I think you may be closer to the TRUTH than you realized when you suggested that maybe Wal-Mart is secretly owned and run by the Chinese and that this is some sort of devious plot to destroy America!  Believe me...you’re not the first one to think of this!

Actually, in a recent interview and story about the Chisese Wal-Mart workers, they featured Joe Hatfield, who works for Wal-Mart over there and is “running the show.” If you’ve ever seen this guy...then you know he resembles a pig farmer more than a Wal-Mart executive!  But, I digress.  They interviewed a Chinese worker over there and asked him how he liked working for Mr. Hatfield, and the Chinese worker replied that someday he wants to be Mr. Hatfield’s boss!  By the way, Someone...did you notice that you are outnumbered on this thread topic 12-2?  Maybe you should just go to www.writers.com the next time you feel the urge to write.

Someone in California:

Are you the same “Someone” we’ve all come to know and laugh at?  If you are, I think your overactive imagination has just kicked into overdrive.  Your last post was a real gem!

Have you ever been put on any medication?  Seriously---I would consult with your physician.  I’m not sure if a little Ritalin will help you out or if you’d be a better candidate for a major psychotropic drug!

Someone, Rolla?

Exercise your brain, think about what you wrote. I’m sure if you try hard enough, you’ll be able to figure it out.

I worked at walmart for a year after loosing my job from layoffs.  As soon as I was able to find another one I left.  They treated me OK, because I worked really hard, but I saw them treat a lot of the women badly.  Many of the women were single mothers or in a poor family and basically I would say walmart knows who they can pick on and I saw them pick on the weakest/poorest people.

They do not give them regular breaks and do not let them leave on time.  They have them work irregular schedules, such as late night tuesday then early morning Wednesday shifts. 

Answering an earlier question:  People work places when they do not have choices, such as walmart.  Just because there are other places in a town that are hiring doesn’t mean each employee at walmart has the required skills to apply or get hired.  That could start another argument, but once people make a bad choice in this country it is hard to turn things around.  If someone doesn’t go to college at 18 then at age 28 wants to go to college it is not easy when they have a child and make 7.50 / hr and have irregular schedules.  Even if a college is next door, how can you do it?

The answer is education, but we do need Parents to get their kids to take school seriously, they need to do GREAT in ALL subjects.

This is first hand experience here, I worked at Wal-Mart for three loathsome years.  And the Springfield area has the #1 grossing store in sales in the nation and the highest concentration of stores in the nation(within 20 miles of me right now there are 9 supercenters with one more on the way)I am a single dad with full custody of my 2 daughters.  From what I noticed about wal-mart is that almost all employees that arent management are single parents.  Wal-mart enjoys this way of hiring.  By hiring single parents wal-mart enjoys the ability of not having to pay insurance percentages on these people by not paying them enough and knowing they can’t afford to participate in the family insurance plan(which by the way when youre making 7.50 an hour and the insurance premium out of your check is $250 you can’t afford it) And as far as promoting within goes, Hows this for a story.  I interviewed for a dept. manager position and was told I qualified except for one thing, Because I had children I couldn’t be ready to work 24/7. I had a limited availibility.  Well after three years of this b.s. I decided to move on and after 6 months of leaving I am now making more at my new job than wal-mart could ever have given me due to hourly wage caps.  And Im doing the same job essentially with less pissed off customers.  Somehow I think what they told me is discrimination but even if it is I can’t afford to find a lawyer to help.  Wal-mart doesnt just discriminate against women, men get it too.  Just less men work at walmart than women.  I also put in my 2 weeks notice and completed three because I was being nice letting them find someone to replace me.  Guess what it said on my leaving job slip. NONREHIRABLE.  I just told the store manager to F off took my last check and walked out.

the bigger issue is why do people have to settle on the conditons that walmart offers or doesn’t offer. our politicians are failing us as a whole.

A lot of things could be paid for by reducing Lee Scott’s bonus check...do you really think $4.7 million is a fair bonus when “his” associates got $500 a piece (that is if not too many customers slipped on grapes).  Yep, you guessed it, no more stakeholders.  The bonus is based on the number of customer accidents in the stores.  So, if you really want to treat Wal-Mart Associates like lower than dirt, don’t just get irrate and swear at them when Bentonville decides to not sell your favorite brand of whatever anymore, find a dime-sized piece of cardboard to slip on and make Wal-mart pay for it...keep the “idiots that can’t find a job anywhere else so we can treat them like second-classed citizens” from getting a bonus.

if you really care about the associates at wal-mart, smile back.

Lee Scott CAO
Chier A**hole Officer

He is so full of himself, it is all about him.  Perhaps he should resign.  Mr. Scott should go run a prison in Iraq.  Sooner or later America will wake up to the very poor management of a gas jockey.  He is a Looser.  He is dragging Wal Mart into the dump along with all of his cronies.  America is tired and people are starting to talk about all of his crap.

WalMart is the gwbu$h of American business. Waldomart promotes nothing. It’s a drain on every community it invades. I do not shop at Waldomart. If they close the doors of every Waldomart in the US, it would not bother me in the least.

WalMart promotes itself as great American company. Now, most major US companies are as corrupt as the bu$h/cheney regime. It moves in, claims to be part of the community, strong arms the community to pay WalMart’s social damage.
In any community WalMart has opened a store, it has sucked the life out of that community. There is no more small business, the bedrock of the American community.
It wants all of a communities business centered on it’s operations. It informs it’s employees how to go to the state it operates in and file claims for medical care. THAT’S FULL TIME EMPLOYEES, TOO.

If every WalMart store in America were to be burned down today, I would not miss it one bit.

OF COURSE, THE COMMUNIST CHINESE WOULD BE UPSET WITH LOSING IT’S LARGEST BUSINESS PARTNER.

REMEMBER THIS, WHEN COMMUNIST CHINA COUNTERS U.S. MILITARY STRENGTH IN ASIA, IT WAS A DIRECT RESULT OF WALMART’S BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP WITH COMMUNIST CHINA.

FREE MARKET ECONOMY, MY a$$.

BUCK FUSH!

Jerry Jones:

Lizardslick, AL...what a great name!  I didn’t look this up...is that really a place?  If it is, it sounds like a much more interesting place to live than “Anytown, USA.”

I work at Wal-Mart and can tell you that not all of us are stupid idiots (implied) that can’t find a job elsewhere.  Just let me know where I can send a resume!  I live in bum-f*#k-west virginia.  (One of the poorest states in the union.) There is no where else to work!!!  And as far as my pay goes, I’m grossing a little over $13,000 a year, and this is a full-time position.  Talk about POVERTY!!  Right now I’m considering myself lucky to have internet service.  Of course I don’t have medical insurance of any kind. ( My state won’t give me any because I work.) Imagine paying for that on my “wonderful” Wal-Mart pay!!  It “is” time for Wal-Mart associates to take a stand.  And we are.  We just have to be careful that this corporate giant doesn’t find out...for fear of our measly jobs.

Actually this is an EXCELLENT example of “manager-ese” - i.e., “And if you disagree you have no business being a manager ...”

Excellent, excellent work collecting this.

Such attitudes are not just present at large companies such as Wal-Mart but are rampant at companies all over the United States.

Mark in Springfield,mo:

Thanks for your story. Wal-Mart hasn’t changed much in 20 years. Back when I was working there in the 80’s, they were just getting started with those little tricks you hear about still: clock out and clean up the store before you go can home, Company meetings after clocking out and before you were allowed to clock in, holding you to under 36 hours every few weeks to keep you part time (no benefits), clock out at 40 and finish the day, etc.  Most of the folks working there didn’t know any better (like me, just out of high school) or couldn’t find anything better in a depressed little Texas town.  It is nothing more than taking advantage of the people who can’t afford to speak out. It may not be evil but it is damn sure close.

someone in California in,

I work for the federal government and I WISH I made 60K.  If you think it’s a good idea to reduce government workers by 75%, maybe you should stop sniveling and try to build the roads yourself, police your area yourself, dispose of your own trash yourself.  There is a place for government workers, just as there is a place for Wal-Mart employees.  Would you rather we were in the unemployment line behind you???

First, I have no interest in Walmart, I’ve never worked there, don’t have any realatives that do, etc.  My observation is that wally world and other mega stores don’t put mom/pop stores out of business....We do!  By not shopping with them any longer.  Living in a small town (35,000 or so) I’ve seen a few close since WM came in.  I also saw similar things when home depot came in.  The consumer votes with his dollar and WM is winning the election.  BTW, I hardly ever buy anything at wally world, instead I support the local businesses.  Communities could send the message with their $ if they wanted to, but they don’t!  It’s a matter of WM giving ‘em what they want, cheap products low prices.  We (consumers) aren’t willing to sacrifice (pay a few bucks more somewhere else) to make our statement (at least not enough of us).  Therefore, we have WM and others just capitalizing on our cheapness.
Bummer…

I often wonder how many ardent pro-life shoppers at Wal-Mart stop to think about how their money is going to support the economic and government engines in China.  The government engine in particular agressively engages in forced sterilization of women, forced abortions, and outright killing of near-term fetuses.  Can Americans ever balance the selfish desire for a low price with a concern for human rights?  If not, we really have not evolved much since the birth of the merchant class in a few thousand years ago.  There’s a reason why every time I pass a Wal-Mart with my kids in the car I sing to them, “Evil, evil Wal-Mart.  Evil, evil Wal-Mart.” Is there a bias in the message I am teaching my kids - absolutely.  I am, however, an optimist - change happens one person - one child - at a time.

Thank God for free speech - because it allows BOTH sides of the story to be told.  Being heard is a completely different matter.

If this is the “Informed” voicing their opinion, I ask you to check your facts. No one has correctly stated the average hourly wage for a store employee.

Patrick - how exactly is Wal-mart directly related to the dumbing down of America?  You blamed parents in your posting, not Wal-Mart. Are affordable school supplies and millions of dollars donated to literacy programs dumbing down our kids?

Russell- Wal-Mart offers quality health insurance. No lifetime cap, which can’t be said for many unions. They also provide access to the Mayo Clinic, one of the best hospitals in the country.

Screwed- Wal-Mart is not the only company that imports goods from the Chinese.  They also purchase more American made products than any other company.

Still Looking - Lee Scott’s salary and bonus are among some of the lowest for all CEOs in the country.  Check out how much the CEO of SBC or Sprint made last year.

Agamikis - I don’t know why someone would attack Lee Scott personnally. There are a lot more people running the company than just him.  There is an entire executive board that he answers to.  Guess who used to sit on that board?  Hillary Clinton.

Jerry- I bet the one million people employed by Wal-Mart would care if they all burned to the ground or shut their doors.  Do you know of any company that is looking to hire 1,000,000 people? With the current unemployment situation, Wal-Mart is one of the few actually hiring. Ask the 25,000 people that applied for the 300 available positions at the new Wal-mart outside Chicago.

Inform yourself - and visit both sides of the story - check out walmartfacts.com or forwalmart.com

I will went join the wal-mart group of companies.Please, this is halp i want you to halp,so that i can open shop in my cuntery.So that i can later open more branches in Aferica as hole.Ihope you will halp me ,becouse countery can bay alot from wal-mart shops.

Jones:  Find another platform for you political whinings!
Clearly another cry-baby democrat barffing on the productive world. JJ, if you’re so upset.... go live in a communist government… that’s where your democrat ideals are founded. Robinhood was a democrat… without a doubt.... steal from the produvtive to benefit personally adn give a little, just enough to make them dependant, to the other lazy bastard democrats..
The cycle hasen’t changed in thousands of years.
Hey Jones.... shut the F--K up!!!!!!!

if you dont like walmart dont shop there! god ! living in cali and having to listen too the labor unions complain about low pay and all a bunch of bull!work a union job and go on strike for six month and saport a family on strike pay! you’ll be shopping at wally world for sure! if you dont like it dont go there! let the rest of us live in peace!

wake up: i would like to say thank you...i don’t understand how all of you informed people could think one company could close doors or single them out for buying from china do you not read lables form target or kmart? the retail business is a dirty game some just don’t play will with others.

i work at walmart the pay aint that bad i make 10 bucks and hour i am not management. i dont work overnights. i just go to work work hard and get rewarded for it. i get benefits to. not to bad for me people treat me nice. i dont agree with everything they do but let me know what job you have that you dont have a complaint about something.

What’s that you say Dave in Tucson?  Go live in Communist China?  Well, why don’t you then?  I’m sure Joe Hatfield with Wal-Mart could use some help over there running Wal-Mart-China.  Don’t be ridiculous...the company you defend is the biggest backer and support of China there is!

I hear a lot of people ask why others continue to work at WalMart… That is simple—WalMart swoops into a small town and drives every other retail and service business out of business leaving very few jobs. Usually there is only WalMart and no Target or K-Mart to run to for a better job. It’s basically indentured servitude. Much like plantations after the Civil War. My sister-in-law works in a tiny town’s WalMart, has a child and no insurance to speak of. It’s not just pathetic, it’s criminal.

Clint, if your premise is true, how do you explain the likes of the hundreds of cities and “small towns” in America that have Wal-Mart AND hundreds of other retailers???

I personally know of at least three Wal-Mart stores that were the only store around when they were built, and now they are literally surrounded by retailers of all types???

Have you been watching “Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices,” as that movie states exactly what you are saying...??

Everyones so busy stating the obvious but are you personally being responsible about not shopping there?  That has to be where it starts, as with everything, have the courage of your convictions...it may take awhile, but enmass it will have some effect.
Years ago my daughter bought a kids cd at a WalMart in Sycamore,Il.  Instead of the kids cd, it had a pornographic (and I mean BAD) cd in the jacket.  She had nothing but trouble trying to get someone to do something at the local level, but they blew her off.  She wrote a letter with a copy of everything leading up to sending a corporate alarm and she has never heard so much as an acknowlegement that
they received it or were concerned.  That gave me a big clue and I haven’t shopped there since.  Perhaps they don’t miss one family, but I tell everyone I can about them...word of mouth does have an eventual impact.

How VERY amusing. People work at Wal-Mart because they CHOOSE to. I suppose it IS true, one could starve instead. Wal-Mart can pay starvation wages and no benefits because Wal-Mart represents over 1% of the total US employment pool, more (a LOT more) if you include all the ancillary jobs.
They are able to do so because a whole lot of stupid people want government to do dumb-assed things like worry about who we’re having sex with or whether we’re praying in school instead of something sensible, like making the minimum wage enough to raise a family on and indexing it to the rate of inflation.
These same people will scream about ‘Big Government’ if such legislation is offered, because some crazy religious guy will tell them they’ll go to hell if they don’t vote against it. Then some other guy who could give a crap about religion but finds it politically expedient to beat the religion drum will tell them the way to fix it is to give some oil guys trillions of dollars in tax breaks.
Now, let’s look this logically. What do poor people do with money, every time they get it. Why, they spend it of course. And who ends up with it eventually? Why, Big Buisness, of course. More money for poor people means more money for Big Business. So why then do they oppose other people getting to use the money before they get it?
Rich people aren’t happy just being rich. For them, it is simply not sufficient. Being rich is worth nothing to them unless you live in grinding poverty. It makes them appreciate their richness just that much more. Sucks to be you, eh?

Louis Nardozi

Yes Louis, ALL of us that work at Wal-Mart do so because we choose to.  This is America and we all have a choice as to where we work.  If our job does not pay as we feel it should then we have a right to seek out another source of income. If there are no other choices where we live, then it is up to us to move or commute to another location where a job is available that may pay us what we feel we are worth.  Contrary to what some on this site want the world to believe, we are not slave labor, nor are we forced to stay with WM if we are not happy there.  I’ll not say that I’m always happy with my job, but your claims are nothing but false.  WM’s wages and benefits are comparable to any other discount retailer job and seem to be good enough that they can employ over 1 mil associates.

Louis, you state, “instead of something sensible, like making the minimum wage enough to raise a family on...”

That is one of the most ignorant things i have ever read on this blog.  Have you ever heard of entry-level jobs? 

Just what do you think the minimum wage ought to be in oder to accomplish what you think??

Wow....

For the past four months I have witnessed this kind of bullying from management every day in the Supercenter in which I worked.  Generally, Wal-Mart will say the right thing while doing the exact opposite; this is one of the rare occassions where their words actually do match their deeds.

If you want to find out more about my experience working at Wal-Mart, please read my blog at: http://workingatwal-mart.blogspot.com/

Walmart used to be my favorite place...lately I’ve changed my tune.  My husband has been a Wal-mart employee for almost 3 yrs now.  I, too, have watched him bullied, belittled, and just basically treated like crap.  He has been in school now for 2 yrs earning a degree in criminal justice, and now just this week, his schedule is changed and he is told to choose between school and work.  After talking to co-manager Debbie about this, he was told....TOUGH!!!  Unbelievable.  How are they allowed to get away with such unporfessionalism?!  I told him to “screw” wal-mart and just find a different job.  He will graduate in December and it won’t matter anyways.  The Walmart store on Cortez rd. in Bradenton, Fl. is one of the worst stores I’ve been to.  Perhaps reiteration of GOOd QuaLITY customer service needs reinforcing to its employees.  No smiles, no “how are you?, no “may I help you”...NO NOTHING!!! The cashiers just tell you your total and give you your change.  I WILL NO LONGERHAND MY HARD EARNED MONEY OVER TO THIS STORE AGAIN......I’M A NEW TARGET CUSTOMER, AND WE DO HAVE ONE LOCALY HERE IN BRADENTON!!!  SHAME ON WALMART!!!!!!  AND I HOPE A MANAGER READS THIS...I’M NOT AFRAID!!!!

Hey Denise in Bradenton,

Sorry to hear your husband is getting all this flack from Wal-Mart.  I’m sure we will hear from all the Wal-Mart defenders that yours must be an “isolated case.” I’m sure they will say this is very “atypical” of Wal-Mart.

I think your husband is doing the right thing and is trying to better himself.  Hang in there!  If it gets too bad...I’m sure your husband can find some other temporary work to get through the rest of his schooling.  Maybe this would be a good time to get all that “expert advice” from Someone in USA who keeps telling us what a great opportunity Wal-Mart has been for him while he works his way through school.

I’d have to know exactly what position he holds and what is meant by “bullied, belittled, and just basically treated like crap.” Even I have had...disagreements...with management. Shit happens at Wal-Mart. There have been days I’ve wanted to quit (actually did resign my position once and my boss refused). Overall the good outweighs the bad. I like my job better than my friends and I make more.

Regarding the schedule change...hmm...Management has always worked with me on schedules. They are flexible with me. There was a time the salaried manager over the front end suggested that I shouldn’t be a CSM if I couldn’t work the hours he wanted, but I ended up on the winning side of that. Of course at my present store I hardly work at all (16-20 hr) and I write the schedule, so there’s no conflict.

If I were Denise’s husband, I would go to the store manager and lay out my case. If he has a solid argument (always worked that shift, etc) and is a good worker, I would hope the manager would listen. If not...I would quit. I would be interested to see what Michael D. has to say as management.

Denise, I applaud your husband’s commitment to earn a better life for both of you. He is using employment at Wal-Mart in exactly the way he ought. I hope things work out for you and her husband. Good luck!

P.S. I wouldn’t shop at Target...too expensive. Low prices + Discount = Shop at Wal-Mart.

P.P.S. Screwed, I have decided to move on when I graduate college. I know how interested you are.

I have worked for Wal-Mart for the last 5 years. I started in high school and worked threw college. I am not upset with wal-mart at all.  “It is what It is”. Wal-mart pays low so they can save money.  They are all about saveing money. You can not polish a terd. I truley understand why wal-mart functions like they do.  Wal-mart hires anyone who can show up for the interview, they will never be a good company to work for if your looking to get rich.  I am tired of hearing single mothers and fathers bitch about thier pay or how they think they deserve better from wal-mart.  They have no education, no skills. Wal-mart is a stedy job with no layoffs. It offers people who dont speek english a job.  I am just tired of hearing all the bitching, the most money an associate can recieve in pay raises in one year is 1.10. that is what they tell you on the interview.  Thats it, dont look for anything else from wal-mart other then a stedy pay check. The adverage person working for wal-mart did not graduate high school, just think what it would be like if wal-mart was not around, Dumb, toothless uneduated people with no JOB, at least these people have a job, LATER

As much as I hate to say it, I too have seen some managers unwilling to work with associates attempting to go to better themselves by going to school.  Of course this could be for any multiple of reasons, but from my point of view it stems from managers that believe it is “their way or the highway” so that they can stroke their ‘god ego’ to prove they are the boss.  I cannot say this is the norm because most managers are not this way, but there are a few that fit this description.  Like with any job, managers are people and sometimes these people have attitudes that will make you wonder how they ever became a manager in the first place. I agree with Someone in USA that I would take the issue to the store manager.  While I know that it is no guarantee, at least it couldn’t hurt the situation.  I too would be interested to hear from Michael D. and find out what his (management) view is on the matter.

Here’s my “unofficial” view from the management side of things.  When someone is hired, one of the things that they are hired based on is their availability to work when Wal-Mart needs them to work.  That is why an availability form is filled out.  The schedule that is given to that associate should always fall within that availability that was submitted, unless a needed temporary change was communicated and agreed on by the associate.  As long as the schedule falls within the availability, there really shouldn’t be an issue.  If the associate is being scheduled outside of their availability without his/her permission, it should be brought to the attention of the next level of management. 

Now, as often happens, people put down a completely open availability in order to get hired, and then for whatever reason, they later change that availability.  That causes many problems.  I know that in my store, we accept all availability change forms, but we also tell the associate when they submit the change that it can have an affect on their hours that are scheduled.  If you are hired with open availability, and then all of a sudden, you can no longer work on Fridays, Saturdays, or Sundays, that would certainly affect your job and the number of hours you will be scheduled.  But, this is the same as any other job.

I would tell any assoiate that is having trouble with scheduling to consult with the store manager.  There is a certain amount of flexibility built in to the scheduling that may be able to help you out.

I have never worked or will never worked for Wal-Mart but here’s my opinion about what I have been reading.  To those who have to chose between work and school--Have you heard of on-line classes or student loans to earn a degree?
I know too many single parents who have gutted it out for 4+ years to better themselves and acquire the skills needed to earn that degree.  As far as the low pay is concerned, about 90+ percent of the positions at Wal-Mart require no advanced skills that don’t warrant being paid more than $7.50 to $10 an hour.  Lastly, for those of you living in those smaller, quieter, country towns—either commute, move, or stop complaining.

Success has a price and if you’re not finding at Wal-Mart, seek life elsewhere.  Work hard, be ready for opportunity when it comes your way.  Luck is where opportunity and preparation meet.

I am a mortgage loan officer and have helped many Wal-Mart employees get into homes that they are the owners--not renters.  I am also starting my own business purchasing houses, rehabbing them and then selling them for a profit.
Find your dream and seek to achieve it.  Nothing will come if you don’t.  There are too many options out there.

Wal-Mart’s business practices are symptomatic of the quest for the cheapest labor available.  We “capitalists”, of course, are big on reducing costs for raw materials, parts, products.  Where the “free market” bumps up against human life is in the realm of labor, specifically slave labor.  The higher the rate of human misery, the lower the wages.  It pays to increase human misery.  The cocoa companies, for example, know their raw materials are being produced by child slaves in Africa.  “So what?” is their point of view, and they fight vigorously for their “right” to profit from that travesty.  What we need to ask ouselves is how much human misery should any country or civilization be willing to tolerate, while those who employ slave labor prosper beyond human imagination?  So far, the worst of corporate induced, government sanctioned, human misery remains outside the U.S.  But, we should all be very careful that we don’t become slaves to our own “free” economy.  Wal-Mart workers are nearly slaves as are many other workers in the U.S.  If a government has any responsiblity to its citizens, it is the reduction of human misery.  No medical care and starvation wages do not reduce human misery.  The U.S. government’s tolerance of and assistance to the super rich in the face of declining health, education, and prosperity of the rest of the population is, in fact, the worst case of abuse of human rights the world has seen.  So, don’t blame Wal-Mart.  They are just a bit better at exploiting human beings than their competitors, all supported by our government and like governments throughout the world.

Bob Johns....

EXCELLENT POST!!!!!!!!!!

Walmart workers are the lowest of the low workers.
They get paid accordingly.

I worked for Wal-Mart for seven years.  I started out as a cashier making $6.50 an hour.  I was a mom of six and my husband’s job as a mechanic was in a slump and I had to do something to make ends meet.  I have an accounting diploma but I needed a job with flexible hours. 

I worked as a cashier for a year and then when I got my first yearly evaluation my head CSM said that I would make a really good CSM, so I agreed to try.  Six years later I was told I was one of the best if not the best CSM in the store.  But I wasn’t good enough (maybe I WAS too good).

In October of 2006 I was fired because I supposedly overrode the sale of an age-restricted substance to a minor (it was “Stay Awake” a caffeine tablet).  In my seven years I did not have a write-up or a coaching, but I was fired and I am not rehireable-EVER!  I took care of my cashiers-I made sure they got their breaks and lunches in a timely manner.  I took care of the door-greeters (it breaks my heart that Wal-Mart MAKES them STAND for hours at a time.  These are senior citizens with a variety of health problems!!!)

I still shop at Wal-Mart occasionally.  It is the cheapest place to buy groceries around.  Associates still come up to me to tell me how angry they are that I got fired.  Some ask what happened to me.  They all tell me they miss me (and I miss them, but not most of the managers). 

People on this site have made a lot of valid points, I would like to pose this thought:  Is a company only as strong as their lowest employee?  I believe that if a company takes care of their employees, then the employees will take care of the customers.  I see more and more employees unhappy.  And not just at one store.  It reminds me of Kmart before the restructuring.  How much more will it take before Wal-Mart wakes up and starts treating its people better?

By the way I am still unemployed.  I am receiving unemployment benefits but Wal-Mart is contesting it.  Part of the reason I am still unemployed is because of Wal-Mart firing me.  Other companies think I am a bad risk.  Seven years and what do I have to show for it?

I see alot of bitching and nagging on here about Walmarts Wages and the average employee only makes 7.50 an hour. Funny thing is I work in a WalMart Distribution Center which handles all the freight for its supercenters in alot of North TX and I think I make decent money for a kid with no college degree fresh out of high school.

I started out making 12.85 an hour working 3 days a week as a forklift operator. I was required to work three 11 hour shifts which sometimes ran over, but never to the point I did not get at least 8 hours sleep before my next scheduled shift. I’m now making 14.25 eight months later and I have mandatory wage increases for the next 16 months on top of a .50 cent cost of living wage given to Walmart Associates every year. By the time I am done with my first 2 years, I will max out at 18 bucks an hour. I will probably promote before the 18 dollar an hour mark, but I will get a guaranteed 40 hours a week. I have a full benefits plan which kicks ass except for the fairly high deductible which is by all means affordable. I pay 52.81 out of my paycheck every 2 weeks towards benefits. I get Dental, Medical, Vision and numerous other goodies for next to nothing.

All in All, I’m running in the range of 32,000 a year before taxes and I work 168 days out of the year if I choose not to take any time off. I dont have any problems with Wal-Mart except for a few asshole managers… but even for assholes, I still get treated with respect.

Stop the whining.

And furthermore, what the hell does any one of the associates at the WalMart stores do to deserve more than 10 dollars an hour?  Think about it. The guy standing at the door should get 10 bucks an hour for saying hello to customers walking in the door? 

Get real people..

I guess I don’t understand how some of you used to work for Wal-mart and got fired, but still continue to shop there? That makes no sense whatsoever.  Especially since they fired you on circumstances that did not make any sense. 

The real problem is not just walmart, but our whole economy has gone down the tubes.  Wal-mart was the first company that started barcoding and using RFID tags.  They are setting up a system of control where we will have a cashless society and be forced to swipe our “IDs” in order to be allowed to buy clothing, food, or whatnot.  There will be a national sales tax depending on your income. Talk about slavery! If you do not have a “ID” card then you are out of luck and cannot eat.  That’s what they are planning (not just wal-mart, but our government as well)
Overall Wal-mart supports child labor over seas and in their stores in the U.S.  Our presidents including Democrats and Republicans supported Wal-mart in importing Chinese goods that U.S. companies used to make.

Everyone on this site should NOT be supporting a store so evil as this.  I figure at some point it will just be called “The Store”.  To those few Wal-mart employees that say it is a nice place to work, maybe the conditions are okay for you.  How about the conditions for the 3 year olds in slave camps making all those chinese goods you stock on the shelves?

These posts are grand!! What is in them are perfect examples of how such a LARGE corporation is getting away with alot of wrongdoings!!! I had a friend who was fired from Walmart,and another employee had pulled a boxcutter-type weapon on him,but HIS job was terminated!!! This is what I mean by getting away with wrongdoings!!!He is now working for another company(not Walmart).Don’t ya just LOVE Walmart folks??

Teresa S.-

What are you neglecting to tell us? He was terminated for a reason, I’m sure.

Dana-

I love conspiracy theories. Too bad your post is neither pertinent nor rational.

The biggest problem is our need for things. Walmarts (as said many times before) are around because we can buy that item at a lower price. Lets face it, we all love to buy more for less. We dont want to buy from the moms and pops store because is cheaper at walmart. So mom and pop cant afford to keep their business open (small business is the strength of this country) and they have to go work for walmart now that all competition is out of the market. With only one store offering employment, walmart can afford to pay their employees whatever they like. And mom and pop still have to eat. And we all still have to buy our stuff from somewhere. I dont think anybody here is in a good position except Walmart.

So I propose something. Each one of you posting here, come together and we all choose one day a week where we wont shop there and we will make the effort to get our friends and family and coworkers to not shop there that one day. Lets see how effective that is. Its a small step but may be worth to try. Anyone interested? We can call it: Support Small Stores Saturdays (ssss)

Dana in Pennsylvania- Everyone just loves walmart here!-
Oh brilliant Dana what does RFID have anything to do with a cashless society?  If a cashless society were to be blamed on anyone it would be the banks.  The banks are the ones who offer debit cards, credit cards, and e billing.  Sure WalMart accepts credit and debit cards, only because it is popular with the consumers.  In case you were not aware WM also accepts cash and checks.  Maybe you are suggesting that WM accepts gold as tender? 
Please clear up what it is you are saying, if all you are attempting to say is bad WM we will leave it at that.

Ahhh...Bob Johns in St. Louis:

Well it’s nice to have goals and dreams and be able to pursue them.  But please spare us of the worn out platitudes like “luck is where preparation meets ooportunity.”

Maybe you will become another “Horatio Alger-type” of “success” story.  I find your passion to “rehab houses and sell them for a profit” to be border-line sleazy though.  It has some of the same negative connotations as being a slum landlord, but they are worse, because they don’t believe in fixing up property or doing any kind of “rehabbing.”

When you get right down to it Bob, won’t the ultimate success of your “business” depend on how well you can capitalize on the misfortunes and mistakes of others?  Won’t it require you to “pick up” properties at Sheriff’s auctions and foreclosure sales?  Certainly there are people out there “making big bucks” doing this.  I just find it a little distasteful.

Wake up!

It’s spelled capitalism, and if you don’t like it, stop buying cheap chinese crap you really don’t need. No lame excuses, no whining about how expensive or hard it is to find American made stuff, just get off your couch and knuckle down. Do without things that provide no long term benefit whatsoever.

To blame any company that exists in a capitalist society for your problems is to doom yourself and our children to the very fate and conditions you are complaining about here on this blog. The U.S. consumer has ultimate responsiblity for the grip WalMart has on us right now. That’s how it works, PERIOD.

Accept responsibility, change your consumer habits, teach your offspring restraint and the proper work ethic, and give them the tools they need to acquire a proper education and the problem will solve itself.

Quit whining for government intervention you weak-links, that would be socialism.

Is everyone here really just killing some time? come on guys. anyone even attempting to work together? Dont you see that its amazing how people from everywhere have posted their opinions? wether they are against or pro? So for those against....please post your willingness to do something practical about this. Dont let inane posts distract you from acomplishing the main purpose of this site. DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

To those of you who feel like shopping at Wal-Mart is dirt cheap, I suggest you take a look at Target.  Its prices are right about the same on every like item.  In fact, some things are cheaper at target.  next time you go shopping, take a look.  chances are the price differences arent nearly as much as you would expect!!!  look at the cleaning supplies, the personal care items, the food, the diapers, etc.....  should all be about the same!!!!  BEWARE wal-mart!!! Target is growing and there is nothing you can do to stop it!!!!  They are just waiting for you to fall and take away even more of your business than they already have!

union yes. I never liked wallmart. I will not shop there.

I just Drove all the way from NJ to New mexico -
New Jersey Vergina Tenn Ark Tex to New mex

Living in NJ you have a lot of choses not many WaldoMarts
In all the other States I travled thru WaldoMart was everywere I couldn’t belive it.
I do not shop there I support my local smaller shops WaldoMart sucks and I all for Support Small Shops Saterday

They should pay there workers a Living Wage and if you the workers want that
get orginised and do something about it LIKE A UNION

WaldoMart has goten orginised agaist you for sure !!!

Rise UP and Demaned a Better Wage !!!!!!!!!!!!

In the some what hidden plan that most of us really cant grasp or ever understand because we believe to much of what is being told to us by our crupt govt. Corp. America elects our politions into office and its very plain to see. Walmart is like America in the working. Corp. America buys our elected officals into office. They dont have to be too smart (elected officals)..they just have to follow the corp. guidelines. Just look who runs for president..haha. No one with any sence would ever run as president. Walmart isnt any different in there hiring practices. It all boils down to dumbing down America to benifet so few in power.
Do you know that we now have more federal employees than manufacturing jobs in the USA. We dont make anything in the USA anymore. We hire paper pushers that produce nothing but dead trees in the end. We have a president and (this is funny but true)..we have a vice president that has made more money than all presidents and vice presidents combined in office for the last 24 elected positions. Bush is just a puppet for others and always will be. He dont know no better..haha.
What it all boils down to....Walmart is following the corp. america plan. So when you vote...and find out that your vote really didnt count. (Gore had 500,000 more popular votes than Bush) You should really ponder who is really in charge of america. So you can blame certern types of corp. business like Walmart.......but you should really be looking at how our govt.(corp govt.) is the real blame for turning the table of “not so free america” and as everyone know but cant care… SAM WOULD ROLL OVER IN HIS GRAVE for what has happened to walmart and our ...oops..not ours no more...corp. america.

Workers Unions are destroying the American economy!

Go work somewhere else or start your own Walmart and then you can let your employess unionize - of course then you will cahnge your mind.
Steve Hicks

Steve,

WOW.  I’m almost speechless. Do you really think it’s worker’s unions, and not the greed of a few, that is destroying the American economy? Do you really think that the Walton’s should have as much as they do when they give their workers nothing?
Thank God and America for the unions or we would all be working for nothing.

People sometimes forget that only a couple of decades ago we still had exploitation of children and women in factories in the US. Children organizing themselves to protest against 14 hour days, seven days a week. Asking for less work so they could go to school. Women protesting because if they worked any less they would be fired, meanwhile their children were home alone. Men working around the clock in deplorable circumstances for only a couple of cents an hour. Rallies of people protesting for better pay and ceo’s urging government to stop the strikes by shooting at the crowds.

It took the sacrifice of many to organize the unions that allow most of us to have the luxury of fair work and enough money to buy a computer, pay for internet and spend leisure time on the internet complaining about unions.

Call it something else if the term bothers you. It’s still the worker being represented.

It pisses me off to no end every time I hear or read comments proposing a union solution. The fact is that unions are corrupt and DO NOT in the end benefit the worker as they were originally intended. Over the last three or four decades unions have been a major player in the demise of manufacturing in this country. As a result, we now make nothing that we consume to speak of.

What needs to be done with Wal-Mart and other corporations like it is to get smart about how we spend our cash and organize a plan that sends a message to retailers and government officials. Continuing our foolish habit of buying everything we “want” and not considering who manufactered it will ruin our country.

As someone mentioned above, organizing a day a week or a week each month to boycott Wal-Mart, combined with emails en mass to Wal-Mart corporate and your congressman on that day would send a clear message and bring about a change so fast it would make your head spin!

Until such time as the American consumer can reign in a responsible attitude about their consumption habits, why would ANY corporation change their ways? It is called SUPPLY and DEMAND. That is how a capitalist society is supposed to work. Ask for stupid, frivolous things and surely someone is going to CAPITALIZE on your “need” Who can blame them?

Wake up America and send the only message you need to send to fix the problem. If everyone got one or two neighbors or family members to excersise restraint and blast out a few thousand emails to Wal-Mart on the same days every week or two, Lee Scott and Wal-Mart would respond. No union needed. Use the tools and intelligence you have already, and for God’s sake people, don’t involve another money-grubbing hand in the process.

Someone at walmartwatch, should have already come up with this idea and there should be a copy-and-paste email up on this blog and a day or days established to do this.

I HAVE sent emails to Wal-Mart and I DO avoid shopping there. Want a copy of one of the comments I’ve sent?

And here’s the web address of the corporate feedback form:

http://walmartstores.com/GlobalWMStoresWeb/navigate.do?catg=221

Mail and 800# to call and voice your opinion:
Via mail
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Bentonville, Arkansas 72716-8611.

By phone
If you’re a customer, call 1-800-WAL-MART (1-800-925-6278).

Now, ALL of you decide when you’re going to do this at the same time, recruit SOMEONE to participate on the same day (better yet avoid shopping there for a week or more) and let’s get started doing this altogether. Anyone have the balls to sacrifice for this??

Its ironic that it was I who proposed the one day a week boycott. But it only shows that we can agree to disagree.

I am with you in the idea that some unions are corrupt. But saying so is swinging the pendulum far to the other side. It’s like saying that corporations are evil so we need to do without them.  WRONG. Corporations are an efficient way of running society. If only we could put some power into the hands of the people to make them run to the advantage of society as well.

Well, one way to do this are the unions. A great tool to put some power into the people. However, no system is perfect so it can be corrupt at times. Whats the solution? i dont know. But unions already exist and is the most organized structure to fight against corporate evil. That’s why they are feared. And we’ll have to use them until we come up with a better solution.

So lets get started with this boycott thing. I am planning to print some flyers to raise an awareness for people to support your locally owned stores, even if it may cost you 50 cents a pound more. Just dont buy so much if you are on a budget or balance your accounting for that one day or week.

I propose March 1 for ash wednsday or March 17 for Saint Patricks Day. Just so we get a head start. I’ll promise to post the first names of all the people i can get to agree for any of those days. We can probably start a chain letter as well for people to add their name if they agree. We just need to have it always fowarded to one person that can keep the count.  We can use my mail. Felipe.arbelaez@gmail.com

Any of those days sound good?

I appreciate all the comments in response to my posting.  My husband’s position...he just works out on the floor.  Good news.....he did end up speaking with a different manager, and the problem with his schedule will be resolved, but it certainly doesn’t excuse the original manager’s handling of the situation to begin with.  He has also had two interviews this week with two different companies as well....yeah!!! Someone mentioned something about Target being too expensive....hogwash.....they carry GOOD QUALITY merchandise, that you don’t even find at walmart.  Target carries different unique stuff, and anyways, yes, I’ll pay a little more for the customer service they have.  It’s worth it.  Anyone been in a Target lately?  Notice how bright, clean and organized it is compared to walmart.....and everything is where it should be.....and PRICED....imagine that!!!  And they don’t CRAM their stuff onto the shelves.  I can barely move in the clothing sections of our walmart, let alone try to get a buggy through there!!!  And HELLO....walmart has like 30 check out registers with only 3 cashiers at any given time.  Target has ONLY maybe 16 checkouts, but at least 8 cashiers.  You do the math!!!  As for Walmartassociate in TX, if I were a new high school grad, and didn’t have a mortgage, 2 car payments, two kids, medical bills, health problems, bills, college loans, kids in braces, aging parents, a phone bill, light bill, cable bill, and I could go on forever....then I probabely would feel just like you do...but for the majority of us, that’s not the case. You mentioned you have no college....I hope that Walmart will not end up being a Career for you....but merely a stepping stone.  Because when the REALITY of REAL LIFE with REAL RESPONSIBILITIES hits, you’ll need more than walmart pay...believe me.  I’m in one of the highest paying professions right now, nursing, but with real life responsibilities, we still need that second income.  And by the way, yes Distribution centers prob do pay more, but there arent distribution centers in every town, or state for that matter.  And when people post comments on here, we’re not bitching or whining, we’re simply voicing our opinions.  I say to each his own.  57% OF WALMART EMPLOYEES DO NOT HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE BECAUSE THEY CANNOT AFFORD IT.......ANYONE SEE ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT....YET MR. SCOTT MADE A 17 MILLION SALARY LAST YEAR....HMMMMMMMM Anyways, i love reading the comments on here, I think they’re ALL worthy!!!  and at times very interesting!  And remember, just because some people have a great expereince with something, doesn’t mean we all do.  So if you’re on here to criticize, at least validate our crappy experience with walmart, and then go to town!!!!!!

March 17th sounds like a great day.  I’ll help with mailing of a chain letter.  Personally I don’t shop at wal-mart anymore.  I prefer the better customer service at smaller stores.  when i worked at wal-mart they give you a yearly statement of how much your 10% discount saved you, mine saved me $300, that means i spent at least 3,000 there that year.  well, too bad wal-mart doesnt need that 3,000 anymore. I’ll do what I can, lets get this organized.

Felipe, to say we disagree is rather an understatement, but we can agree on one thing. That being an organized monthly boycott of Wal-Mart, wich would, without doubt, work to bring change from the prick(s) who run it.

I suggest it be kept simple rather than try to keep track via someone’s personal email offsite. I have already emailed walmartwatch.com at the following address suggesting they provide a button or link at the top of every page on this blog with a link to an email form letter and a scheduled monthly boycott. The letter should cover at least the three basic problems addressed in this blog, among others as follows:

Fair wages and treatment of employees
Greatly improved access to affordable quality healthcare
A return to procuring a majority of US made products.

I, for one, will continue boycotting WalMart until more change is made on more than just those issues, but the above would be a good start. Who knows, maybe Lee will get what he truly deserves in the meantime.

I do have my reservations about the intentions of walmartwatch.com, considering who comprises the board of directors, but I am more pissed at Wal-Mart than I am at the Sierra Club or the SEIU at the moment.

Here’s the walmartwatch.com contact page link:

http://walmartwatch.com/contact

Type in or copy and paste the above URL to your address bar and request that something be done to organize a monthly boycott/email campaign on this site.

I’ll be checking back to see if something comes of this, We’ll see. . .

That sounds great. We can see we are getting somewhere. I like your idea about the email link by walmartwatch. Let me know if it goes somewhere. I myself sent an email two days ago to request help with the edit of some pamphlets. Let’s see we can get an answer.

In the mean time I will prepare that letter as well. Mark seems to agree as well so we can use both fronts. I’ll work on something and post it here later. The idea is that if you agree on boycotting walmart on march 17, then you will just COPY THE EMAIL AND PASTE IT ON A NEW MAIL TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS INCLUDING THE ORIGINAL SENDER. This so no one uses the chain letter to drop advertisement cookies on peoples computers. Of course you will add your name (first name and last name initial is v fine with the town you live in) and that of those who are supporting you on this.

I would like to receive that same email so we know the extent of this effort.

Here is the chain letter I am thinking about sendind. Please post any comments with regards to additional demands, wrong information, legibility or effectiveness. If you think it is complete, just copy it, add your name and those with you and mail it to your friends and family. Include a mail to Germanfas@hotmail.com so we know it’s working.

Subject: WALMART BOYCOTT

On March 17th, 2006, Saint Patrick’s Day, the people listed below have agreed to boycott Wal-Mart until we obtain an honest and satisfactory response from CEO Lee Scott in regards to the following issues:

1. Wal-Mart employees need a better solution to their healthcare needs and that of their families than a clinic for fevers and rashes. The purpose of healthcare insurance is to dampen the high cost of hospitalization and treatment. It is of no use that you have to pay for someone to tell you that you may have to go to a hospital. If small businesses can afford to provide healthcare to their employees, Wal-Mart should set the lead.

2. Every corporation, including Wal-Mart, praise themselves of being part of the globalization process. They are representing the US overseas. Just as George W. Bush claims we are spreading democracy and freedom in the Middle East, Wal-Mart should set the example of democracy and freedom with its factories overseas. We demand a more humane treatment in factories working with Wal-Mart. Better wages, six day work weeks, and shorter work days. The United States didn’t go through all the trouble abolishing enslavement and protecting its workers so American Corporations can reproduce it in Third World Countries.

3. Wal-Mart uses United States social services to provide for their employees welfare. They also receive subsidy from the towns it occupies. They are responsible for the disappearance of small businesses and locally owned stores by paying low wages and importing goods made overseas on conditions resembling slavery. Wal-Mart must give back to the country by supporting American Made products. Every purchase we make nowadays has a label Made in China, Made in India, and Made in Thailand. We want to see labels Made in the United States more often. We want to know that we are supporting American business and not Chinese Factories.

The American people have made from the Walton Family one of the richest families in the world. Almost 90 Billion dollars worth. However, they have not felt obligated to invest in America. They feel that to be competitive a corporation must abuse their employees, use the government’s money and move their productions to countries with no environmental regulations or labor laws. We as consumers must show them that we hold the power to create these changes. We can’t expect our economy to improve by doing nothing at all. We must force corporations to invest in our country for we deserve it. Our biggest weapon is our power of consumption. How much and where we buy things will force Corporation giants to adapt to our needs.

So if you are with us, on March 17th, avoid using Wal-Mart and support your local stores. We know it may mean paying a little more for your purchases but we will be investing in our country and our people.

Please COPY THIS EMAIL AND PASTE IT TO A NEW EMAIL TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS. Write your name, last name initial and city of residence at the bottom of the list including those friends and family members who will support the cause on that day. Please include in your mail the following address:
germanfas@hotmail.com

Truly yours,

Felipe Arbelaez

1. Felipe A.  Carle Place
2. Natalia P. Long Beach
3. Isabella A. Carle Place
4. Enith C. Freeport
5. Beatriz and Jairo P. Long Beach
6. Jorge P. Long Beach
7. Maria S. Westbury
8. Maria and Jeffrey N. Lattingtown
9. Marleny M. Westbury
10. Monica B. Carle Place
11. Luisa and sons A. Westbury

I would wait to see if we have any corrections or add-ons before starting the chain letter.

Hehehehe...What a worthless gesture. I’m sure the whole 50 people you get to go along with this will just cripple Wal-Mart. Are you just planning to do this for one day? If you were really serious about boycotting Wal-Mart, you would never shop there at all. Then again, you are not so foolish that you don’t realize the money you are saving.

Time to critique the letter:

“On March 17th, 2006, Saint Patrick’s Day, the people listed below have agreed to boycott Wal-Mart until we obtain an honest and satisfactory response from CEO Lee Scott in regards to the following issues:”

That makes it sound as if you do, indeed, plan to boycott indefinitely. I highly doubt Wal-Mart will be too concerned, though. If WMW can’t get them to change, what do you honestly think a smaller group of consumers who get together on WMW can do?

I will number my answers to correspond to your points:

1) Sample response from corporate: Wal-Mart is well aware of the crisis facing the nation’s healthcare system. Our goal to give working families the opportunity to buy coverage that they can afford, that they need, and that they will use. Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott has recently announced plans to expand coverage. Among other features, the new plan would extend benefits to children of part time employees and reduce waiting period for new part-timers to be eligible. The in-store clinics are but another aspect of our effort to do what is right for our associates.

2) You really don’t have a clue, do you? This part takes the wrong perspective. Do you honestly think the Chinese think they have it so bad? It is a privilege for them to be able to manufacture goods for Wal-Mart and make some money. They are far better off than before. You apparently fail to see this. If you are upset over working conditions, your beef is with the Chinese government. China is a totalitarian dictatorship with less than benevolent leaders. This treatment is commonplace there. You are asking Wal-Mart to pull out of China altogether. Such an action would be a crime against the Chinese people and harmful to Wal-Mart’s business model.

On a side note: You probably ought to remove the reference to Bush.

3) Now you are lying about “corporate welfare.” It seems that I and others have repeatedly explained the facts regarding this issue, so I do not feel obligated to repost them. Just know that your argument carries no weight. Your comments about driving competitors out of business of business are complaints about the nature of capitalism - survival of the fittest. Lastly, the “made in the USA” jargon is simply hilarious. Do you honestly think it’s possible to do this? Do you really think that there is that enough stuff still made in America supplant foreign goods? Furthermore, if there was, do you think Wal-Mart could do it and still offer low prices? People shop at Wal-Mart to save money. I assure you when I buy my shoes I’m not thinking about whether it was made here or in Thailand. The quality is essentially the same and my wallet is fatter for the shoes being made overseas. Readability note: Don’t use “nowadays.”

4) This is a response to your last main paragraph in the letter: Wal-Mart does invest in communities and the nation. Melissa P. in Carmel, IN made a very nice post detailing this in the “Wal-Mart Watch on Fox News” thread. Wal-Mart does not abuse their employees. They comply with labor laws. This does not constitute abuse.

This letter makes it clear that all involved are ignorant of the workings of capitalism and Wal-Mart’s business model. You are demanding changes that are either impractical or based on misinformation. Why don’t you just ask Wal-Mart to pay everyone $20.00/hr and sell exclusively American goods at huge markups to offset the costs until they go out of business? Oh wait! That’s the same as demanding they unionize.

Just a few suggestions and an update regarding the email I sent to walmartwatch. I received it back after a 1 1/2 days stating it was undeliverable, I’m going to try again to contact someone from this site and will advise.

But I must say it concerns me that this sort of effort has not already taken a front burner position. To me, it speaks to the true nature of walmartwatch’s intent which seems to be scattered and unfocused.

And, unfortunately perhaps, less is more when it comes to developing a coalition. What I mean by that is if demands made in the form of a boycott/letter become too specific, many will be turned off due to differences of opinoin. I, for one and for example, am willing to join forces with anyone on this site so long as union organization is never mentioned or intended.  That for me would be reason enough to jump ship and pursue other avenues.

Also, it really is not necessary to reinvent the wheel by developing a “chain letter” explaining the improper behavior of Wal-Mart when a link to this site could provide all the information anyone could need to develop a desire to join in. What is needed is a short list of the changes our proposed group would want to see, along with a way to measure the results. Here’s and example of one demand:

A reduction in the amount of products offered that are manufactured offshore by 10%, by 4th quarter 2006 and continued effort in this regard until US made products comprise 51% by End of Year 2007 . . . 60% EOY 2008, etc.

Short, simple, to the point with an acheivable goal that can be tracked accurately. You can’t throw out goals with no way to check progress attached, ask any manager.

The other point I’d like to make is that a one time boycott won’t be enough and the proposal for a monthly, week of boycotting would be more likely to show up on Wal-Mart charts as people get on-board.

Either that or plan further out, 3 or 6 months, giving some time to organize and recruit and with enough chatter, some press on the subject.

Thanks JB. I do agree with you. However, I feel that most people dont follow links on their email. They are pretty must just reading down. They may care more about what someone they know is sending than reading through a whole webpage. I go through a lot of these pages and its time consuming. Dont forget that you have to be interested.

With Boycotting only one day. I am not trying to solve the issue on one stroke. The real purpose of this chain letter is not to hurt Walmart (it would take more than chain letters) but to unite people into a single, significative idea. Now, I believe that people can identify with doing something once. They identify better with a specific date because they can always come back to that March 17 next year and remember that they did something against Walmart and for the people.That little fact embedded in the back of the mind does matter because it remains there everytime we are to walk into this store again.
It’s just a hunch. I know that exposing facts may be risky because of the difference of opinions. However, having people reply against it means that they either do care about the subject or that its affecting people at walmart as you can observe in the reply before you.

So i am going ahead and sending this letter out. I do encourage anyone who does not agree to write their own and do the same. I also encourage those who do agree to copy the letter and send it around. It only takes a second. We all may think that what we do does not really matter and feel powerless about the subject. However, this kind of feeling is recognized throughtout all the organizations working for the people as well as the ones working against us. Dont worry wether it will work or not. Just go to sleep in peace knowing that you did try.

Just a small note on that Walmart and Fox news.  I dont think anyone can take seriously a news channel that is so right wing that their journalists are a disgrace to journalism. It stopped making news since 1996 and its now a way to represent the opinions of those in charge. It has become another shooping network

I have to be honest. What you’ve proposed, Filipe, is not going to do any more than has been already done. Why bother?

Another email to walmartwatch.com has been returned as undeliverable (using the website “contact us” form)

Can you say Asleep at the Wheel?

I’ll be looking elsewhere for a truly organized effort.

JB-

It would appear that you have seen firsthand the true face of WMW. This site and its backers have no interest in resolving the problems surrounding Wal-Mart. They see $10 billion in profits and being devising ways to add it to union coffers. They drool at the prospect of 1.3 million employees paying union dues. Anyone thinking otherwise is blind to the truth.

Felipe Arbelaez-

I gather from your post that you find my comments regarding your letter somewhat disconcerting. I do apologize that facts and logic make you uncomfortable. You have a good reason since I exposed the flaws in your pathetic attempt to organize. You are essentially demanding that Wal-Mart close up shop to satisfy your misguided ideals. How could anyone with a mind take that seriously?

Jb, I know what you mean. I did receive something but it seemed like an automatic reply.  I am planning to attend a meeting at Working Families Party in New York. They are very involved in passing the law to force Walmart and others to cover their employees with health benefits. I would look them up if I was you. They seem effective. It’s possible Walmartwatch has come to an unmanageable size or they are focusing their intents on lobbying or something else.

As to Someone in USA, it is very difficult to reply to just Someone. Make up a name if you dont want to disclose yours. I am sure there must be a million Johns in the city you live in. That is the reason why your comments do not disconcert me. It is like throwing kicks from the back of the crowd.

*smiles*

Whatever helps you sleep at night felipe…

If my anonymity justifies your denial of the truth I speak, so be it. Just remember that facts are facts no matter who speaks them.

That said, you bore me. I’m done with you for now, but I’ll be around the next time you say something stupid.

Denide in Bradenton -

You state, “57% OF WALMART EMPLOYEES DO NOT HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE BECAUSE THEY CANNOT AFFORD IT.......ANYONE SEE ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT....”

Where does this figure come from?  Can you provide a link or something that I can see that states this?  I work for Wal-Mart,and I have never gotten a survey about my benefits.  No one has ever asked my uninsured associates at my store why they are uninsured....

But you state that 57%, or approximately 675,000 associates have said that they donot have insurance through WM because it is too expensive.

You are so full of crap.  Stop making crap up an posting it as factual.  There are plenty of us on here that can and will prove you wrong in an instant!

It’s sad the way that some are so dismissive of people.  Oh, they don’t have education or skills, then they don’t deserve a livable wage.  You also probably look at bums on the street the same way.  Oh, they are probably addicted to drugs.  That doesn’t mean they aren’t people.  Is it really too much to ask that people be able to afford basic needs like food, clothing, shelter, reliable transportation, and health insurance?  Maybe a lot of the people at Wal-Mart don’t have skills to get a good-paying job.  But that doesn’t mean they should work somewhere they can’t afford to pay bills.  How do you expect someone to get out of a bad situation like that?  Not making enough money isn’t going to help them get ahead.  These are real people.  If you can’t seem to remember that, think about how you also (probably) complain that abortions kill real people.  Why do fetuses deserve more compassion that adults?

Concerned Citizen in Blue State-

Don’t worry. I’m no hypocrite. If a woman wants to kill her baby, that’s her business. In fact, I would encourage it if she can’t afford to raise a child. That’s not to say that I don’t think contraception, abstinence, and adoption are better alternatives…

I don’t feel that I am being “dismissive of people.” I certainly never said, “Oh, they don’t have education or skills, then they don’t deserve a livable wage.” On the contrary, I contend that the wage is livable if one exercises prudence. There is no reason that they should be in a position where “they can’t afford to pay bills.” If they are, then it is likely due to poor life choices (such as keeping a baby they can’t afford.) I don’t understand what you think is so cruel about advocating personal responsibility. What is wrong with not wanting to help clean up someone else’s mess when I have worked hard to avoid making one of my own?

Michael D. in Connecticut

Health care. As of today, 620,000 associates have signed up for health insurance coverage in a Wal-Mart sponsored plan.

Hmmmmm Michael. on walmartfacts.com they state that right there.so if out of 1.1million associates only 620,000 have company sponsered insurance, that leaves 480,000 out in the cold, granted its not 57%, but damn man, any reputable company has at least 80% covered.  and by the way mr. michael i have walmart stuck up my ass and i like it.  there is a survey for why you dont have insurance when you work at walmart.  I have filled one out myself when i worked there. so get your facts straight.

Mr. D,

First of, my name is spelled Denise, pretty important when you’re addressing someone.  And second, yes, I can provide a link...see below;FACTS: Wal-Mart Fails to Cover Employees Like Other Large Companies. Nationally, 68 percent of workers in large firms (200 employees or more) receive their health benefits from their employer. Wal-Mart covers just 48 percent. For example, 82 percent of Costco workers are covered by the company plan. [Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research and Educational Trust, Employer Health Benefits 2004 Annual Survey, Exhibit 3.2, New York Times, 5/4/05, Wal-Mart Facts, http://www.walmartfacts.com.

Is that enough link for you???  And WHY so defensive? Dude, relax, I got this info on THIS website!!!!!  Just scroll to the top of this page and click on press releases....ta da!!!  Okay, I was just repeating what has already been posted, I didn’t make the shit up, look for yourself. And speaking of crap, as you so eloquently put it, nice previous posting, I wouldn’t have expected anything less from a member of Walmart management.  Anyways, why don’t you respond to someone else’s post, cause I’m not interested in coresponding with male-ego idiots.  So, right back at ya!
By the way...my interest is not to come on here and post to PROVE ANYBODY wrong....why so defensive?  If it will make you feel like big walmart management to PROVE ME WRONG, go right ahead....and you’ll be accomplishing what?

Hey everyone, forgot to mention I’m reading “The Walmart Effect”.  Anyone else read it?

Yesterday I was waiting for the train in flatbush LIRR. The only coffee place inside the station was a Starbucks. I am aware of some disturbing business practices this corp features around the world. But I couldnt stop noticing the neatness of the place. I dont really care for their coffee much. I think it’s overpriced and being Colombian I know the taste of good coffee. But I did see a lot people employeed there. I also saw an improvement to the stations safety. Many people do say that Walmart does provide convenience in price and shopping despite their horror stories (?). In fact, I did some canvassing last week trying to get people to support the Healthcare Security Act and I found that 95% of middle and middle-upper class really dont care about the issue because it doesnt affect them. They dont identify themselves with middle-lower and lower class. They dont like to be bothered. Small business owners are afraid that these laws will affect them as well. Specially now that owning a small business means paying so much on insurance and health insurance and work comp and liability, etc.  What we need is to inform middle class on the future problems that come with not helping middle and middle-lower class keeping from becoming poor. Not until our neighborhoods are affected with crime and violence wont we realize it is our problem as well. Unfortunately this message only goes to those who care. How do we get it to everyone else?

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Wal-Mart ends expansion plan
By Devona Walker - Herald Tribune (FL)
March 2, 2006
PUNTA GORDA—After hitting a brick wall of public opposition, Wal-Mart has abandoned efforts to expand its discount center in the 3800 block of Tamiami Trail into a Supercenter.
Instead, the world’s largest retailer plans to put the property up for sale for $6 million and to build its Supercenter on property it bought outside Punta Gorda city limits, southwest of Jones Loop Road and Interstate 75.

The store is expected to open in summer 2007.

It was another victory for Southwest Florida homeowners against Wal-Mart, which has become a favored target nationwide for neighborhood activists worried about burgeoning traffic and their communities’ character.

Neighbors of a proposed Supercenter at University Parkway and Honore Avenue in southern Manatee County successfully blocked the store, persuading county commissioners to deny Wal-Mart’s proposal. After suing county government, the Arkansas company agreed to a settlement in which it would convert its store on Lockwood Ridge Road near University into a Supercenter.

In Charlotte County, Wal-Mart representatives first began meeting with members of a very galvanized Burnt Store Isles homeowners association in the winter and spring of 2004.

“We were able to really bring the community together. When it’s an issue that really affects everyone—like this issue did—it’s really a no-brainer,” said Carolyn McDermott, a Punta Gorda resident and current secretary of the Burnt Store Isles Association Inc.

The existing store on Tamiami Trail will close within three months of the Supercenter’s grand opening.

“The preference was to expand at the existing location,” said Eric Brewer, Wal-Mart’s deputy manager of public affairs. “But there was some resistance from community groups directly surrounding the site.”

“After several attempts at resolving those issues—and because we felt we really needed a Supercenter in that market—we decided on this new location.”

That “resistance” included standing-room-only bouts with Wal-Mart officials, McDermott recalled.

Expansion plans included transforming the discount center into a Supercenter that would be one-third larger and include groceries. That enlarged footprint would have encroached on the deed-restricted community of Burnt Store Isles, making it necessary for the store to receive a city-sanctioned variance to begin construction.

“We really thought this was an inappropriate place for a Supercenter,” McDermott said. “And we felt there were promises made in the past concerning the existing store that were not kept, and we had no faith that future promises would be kept.”

The more issues the community presented to Wal-Mart, the less amicable the meetings became.

“They were very arrogant, and I think that just strengthened our resolve,” McDermott said. “In the end, they walked away with a sense that we were united as a community against the expansion, and we were not going to stand for it.”

Frank Petrosino, the current president of Burnt Store Isles Association, said the fight was nothing personal.

“It happened, we handled it, and we each went our own way. It was strictly business,” Petrosino said. “In the end, I think even they knew this was not the way to go.”

In 2005, the discount store generated about $91,000 in tax revenue for Punta Gorda, but the money from the new Supercenter will end up in Charlotte County’s coffers.

Wal-Mart began marketing the sale of the existing site last week, and has already received responses from several interested parties, said company spokesman Dan Fogleman.

“Really this underscores Wal-Mart’s commitment to put these buildings back to use. It’s good for our bottom line, but it’s also good for the community as well, to not leave these buildings vacant,” Fogleman said.

The company would not say who is interested. Final offers are due by March 29.

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Yeah...........I hope it will be a Supercenter TARGET!!!

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Walmart is not the same as it used to be.  I tell you that if you think for a minute that you have a sucure job at walmart think again,

Walmart is a good company to work for if you are looking for just a pay check and that is it. 

If you are promissed somthing make sure it is in writing.

If you work overtime they wont pay you for it they will
just ask you to cut your hours.

If you are sick and even if you have doctors cirtificated it
is up to the decression of the managers wether it is an
unexcuseable absent or not. 

if you dont have an open availablitiy and need certain days off they will give you the option of going part time or take the days that they want to give you.

dont expect to get merit raise by working hard...in order for you to get merrit raise you have to ask for it and there are certain times to do it so find out

myshere program..  not only goes on proffits but customer accedence so you are at the mercy of the customers and hoping that they dont trip over there shoelaces.

health insurance walmarts health insurance has a very high deductable but they do give you a choice with private as well take the private better value for money in the long run.

I can go on and on but walmart is good if you just want a basic paycheck and i mean basic. 

I sujest that everone reads Sam Waltons Book and if you have enough money send one to lee scott and say you are doing bussiness your way not sams way. 

p.s walmart is going into the electric energy business...Sam, is spinning in his grave..

wal mart is getting worse every day we don`t have anyone to clean our bath rooms during the day the managers pets does it so they can go to management when they wan`t to get some one they don`t like fired i know i have see it done i know because i work there, as long as peiple do that and don`t back one another up it will only get worse. wal mart dose a poor speech every day, it was good they could give $20 mill to the harricane victims but don`t leave us out we are not gettig a bonus because they can`t afford to give us one now.

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