Wal-Mart To Workers: Your Lives Are Not Important

Wal-Mart is in no way obligated to give its workers X hours in a week. If an employee cannot work when they are needed, they shouldn’t expect to get as many hours. If any of you WMWers ran a business, would you be willing to let someone work when you didn’t need them?

This quote from the article was not listed above..

“Retail industry watchers said Wal-Mart isn’t exactly entering unchartered territory by exploring a flexible scheduling system. The concept has been rampant in retailing for years, said George Whalin, CEO of Retail Management Consultants.

“Generally retailers would like to have employees come to the store when they most need them. They want to staff stores when they are the busiest, like on weekends, near the holidays or when the weather is good or bad,” Whalin said. Therein lies the cost-saving component of a flexible scheduling policy.”

I used to work for Big Lots and my schedule was always changing.  I never had the same days off from week to week and rarely had both days off consecutively.  It is not a “new” practice.  My schedule remains the same now at Wal-Mart because I am an overnight stocker, and the freight must be stocked every night reguardless of the day of the week or the weather.

Hmm. Even more incentives not to work there. Its about time you guys who don’t want to work there go someplace else. Life is not fair and if you haven’t learned that, don’t come crying to the legislatures....and you really shouldn’t be complaining online. That just means you have time to be learning other things like improving your knowhow and people skills. Rather than spending two-three hours on this site writing pages of tomes, spend it learning a skill you can make more than WM pays you.

Absolute brats. Yes, you!

Now give me some love about my stupidity.

What are you whining about. The purpose of an employer hiring you for the job is for you to work when he needs you not when it’s convienent for your schedule. It’s not your employers fault you decided to have x amount of kids and that you decided to sign sally up for ballet lessons and bobby for football practice. What you people want to do is essentially say to a prospective employer “We’ll I have all these other things to do, but I’ll try to fit you in when I have time” Doesn’t work that way bub. ;-)

Am I the only one that noticed that this site had no comment on article below?  I guess that Target, Kmart, Home Depot and Lowes won’t release their statistics like Walmart did.  I bet that the UFCW and SEIU can’t match their diversity metrics.  Their silence is deafening. 

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Establishes Employment Practices Advisory Panel
Monday April 24, 2:44 pm ET
Panel Will Add to the Company’s Ongoing Diversity and Equal Opportunity Employment Initiatives

BENTONVILLE, Ark., April 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/—As part of its ongoing efforts to foster diversity and equal employment opportunities, Wal- Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT - News) today announced the establishment of an Employment Practices Advisory Panel and the appointment of the Panel’s first two members, who are highly-respected national experts. The Panel will work with Wal-Mart’s senior management to develop and implement progressive enhancements to equal employment opportunity and diversity initiatives for the nation’s largest private workforce.

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The newly appointed members of the Advisory Panel are Dennis Archer and Vilma Martinez. Archer is chairman and CEO of The Diversity Network and chairman of the law firm of Dickinson Wright PLLC in Detroit. Previously, Archer was the mayor of Detroit, a Michigan Supreme Court Justice and the first African-American president of the American Bar Association. Martinez, a partner at the Los Angeles law firm of Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, has an extensive history as a Latina civil rights activist and was president and general counsel for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund for nine years. Martinez specializes in employment discrimination and commercial matters at the federal and state levels.

“Dennis and Vilma have devoted their lives to fighting for opportunity for diverse communities across this country,” said Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. CEO Lee Scott. “They have worked to make our society a better place, and we are eager to benefit from their vast expertise to help Wal-Mart continue to build upon our already strong diversity commitment and initiatives.”

“Wal-Mart is an innovator and the creation of this special Panel will improve and expand upon the opportunities for Wal-Mart associates around the country,” said Archer. “I am delighted to have the chance to work with the company on this important effort.”

“The employment relationship is central to the well-being of most of us and our families,” said Martinez. “I feel privileged to have the opportunity to help our nation’s largest private employer meet its equal employment opportunity goals.”

Wal-Mart’s creation of the Advisory Panel comes on the heels of the company’s recent release of its 2005 Equal Employment Opportunity data showing that Wal-Mart’s workforce of more than 1.3 million United States associates consists of more than 150,000 Hispanics, 225,000 African-Americans and 815,000 women. The mission of the Advisory Panel will complement the efforts of Wal- Mart’s Office of Diversity, established in 2003, which helps enhance the company’s employment practices, supplier relationships and community outreach programs. Additionally, Wal-Mart has continued to improve upon its external diversity initiatives in other areas of the company. Last year, for example, Wal-Mart’s legal department transferred roughly $60 million in business to minority and female relationship partners in Wal-Mart’s 100 highest-billing outside law firms.

Recognized leaders in diversity praised Wal-Mart for taking this action.

“I am pleased by this step taken by Wal-Mart,” says Dr. Benjamin Hooks, former executive director of the NAACP and chairman of the Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs Diversity Services Practice Group. “Wal-Mart should be commended on its efforts to diversify its culture and workforce. I encourage Wal-Mart to continue to be a leader in this area.”

“I commend Wal-Mart for taking this important step of establishing an Employment Practices Advisory Panel and for selecting such highly distinguished leaders to participate in this effort,” stated Janet Murguia, president and CEO of the National Council of La Raza, the largest Latino constituency-based group in the country. “Dennis Archer and Vilma Martinez are two of the most well respected civil rights and employment opportunity experts in the nation. They both have a lifetime of service and commitment to promoting social justice, equality and diversity. With this Panel, Wal-Mart is moving in the right direction to achieve a broader positive impact for their workforce.”

Wonders-

“The purpose of an employer hiring you for the job is for you to work when he needs you not when it’s convienent for your schedule.”

What an absurd idea! Do you mean to say that employers only hire people to further their businesses? They aren’t charities that create jobs to benefit the less fortunate? You have shattered my worldview. I hope you’re happy. ;-)

Wal-Mart has no pride.
They are the lowest of low in the business world.

I was talking to someone who had worked for Walmart.
He said that the Walmart cheer was for the brainwashed.
He worked there for 6 months and left.

Just another note. I just got back the High Cost of Low Price movie. The couple who watched it said it was eye opening.
I have another 3 people who want to see it.
I will keep you posted on their thoughts.

When you folks have finished with your copies, a good thing to do is to donate it to your local library if they have an A/V department.

Alex-

That movie is full of lies and deceptive takes on the truth. Are you aware that there are Wal-Mart parking lots on that list crime scenes that do not exist? Does anyone really believe that Wal-Mart was responsible for that hardware store going out of business? Do you know how far Red Esry’s store is from those Wal-Marts that opened and “drove him out of business”? The movie is absurd.

Yes if I was facing the world’s largest class action lawsuit ever for being racist and sexist in hiring as well as promoting I would form some committee to make me look good too!!!

Just to keep the facts straight; WM only released the last year or two of data on their employees, they refuse to release anything further back.  The older figures had to be subpoena by the court in the class action suits and will show WM’s true colors in regards to discrimination.

I worked at a very busy supercenter for 10 long months and quit 3 weeks ago. My schedule was also changed and asking for more than 1 day off at a time was “excessive” no matter the reason i.e. kids’ school and sports events oh and a birthday party #3. I was slowly shifted from dayshift to the middle shift, to closing with no help. This made it hard on me to do anything with my family...ever. The bullshit and wages combined ran me off...Wal-Mart is hard to work for.

Back home in LA

So it’s Wal-marts fault you decided to get your kids involved in sports? I suppose it’s also Wal-marts fault that a birthday was scheduled.? I’m guessing Wal-mart is also directly responsible for black on black crime, teenage pregnancy, and illiteracy. Gimmie a break folks ;-)

Only a company of fools would not take care of their long
term employees with regular schedules. You reward loyalty
and seniority if you want good people to stay. Opps!!!
Silly me. This is WMT.

Regular schedules ensure that someone is working in the same area at all times, that there is coverage in that area at all times, and they ensure that associates can plan things around their regular days off.  If there are regular schedules, that helps lessen the amount of time you have to ask off, therefore helping the company stay ready for the business it needs.  You can rest assured that the higher ups in the company have a regular schedule.

Sooner jj in OKC REALLY nailed it for you, Nick. Quit complaining! Aren’t you smart enough to educate yourself to get out of your rut? Since you can operate a computer, get further training. Or doesn’t that appeal to you? No one is responsible for your life other than you. I can’t wait for Generic Wageslave in Michigan to post on this issue…

Wondersnevercease:

Are you kidding me??? I suppose we shouldn’t involve our kids in sports so they can become lazy slobs who shop at wal-mart and eat from the in-store McDonald’s while watching McMovies…
I don’t know if you are a christian or if you have any moral standards at all, but most peoples’ priorities of life do not begin with work. God, family, business is the order it should be in.

I was 17 when I worked at WM, 4 years ago. Because I was a good student in HS I opted for joint-enrollment in order to get a jump start on college. I only went to school 2 times a week: Mondays and Wednesdays, for 8 hours so I could work at WM. Guess what my manager told me when she called me in one Monday and I told her I could not make it?
“Well, if you are constantly unavailable when we need you, we may not have a place for you any longer”
How are people supposed to better themselves and get some skills and know how when WM will not allow them to. After all, if WM did allow such bizzare things to happen, their turnover ratio would be even greater since people would leave all the time for better work.

If you take away the somewhat regular schedule that WM now offers, how is anyone supposed to go to school. You can not tell a college professor “sorry can’t make tomorrow’s exam, it’s my turn to do mornings in lawn and garden.” I mean come on, people, get real

The important question is did you inform Wal-mart that you had these classes BEFORE you accepted employment. If you had decided to attend classes AFTER getting accepted at Wal-mart then the responsibility lies on you. Wal-mart’s agreement to hire you was contingent upoon you being available certain hours/days. If after accepting employement, you then state that you need your hours readjusted, essentially what you are trying to do is renegotiate the terms of employment for which you were hired. Of course having said this I would think classes are a resonable request for leave of absense. It’s probably more individual management policy, that any established corporate ploicy that prevents you from attending classes.

you mentioned you were absent two days to attend classes for eight hours. Is there any reason you could not have rescheduled your classes. Perhaps only a few hours each day but spread throughtout the week?

Who doesn’t want a 8am - 5pm Monday through Friday job?  How many of you all shop durring that time?  If your a business do you want to have all of your newest staff on the weekends?  It’s not that the company is not going to flexible with people but for the company to work for the customers and the company to work for the associates there has to be a give and take.

They are up to their old tricks.  In the past they allowed WM AM’s to hire two part timers for every full time employee they replaced (terminate).  That way they can now slice the pie with less benefits to pay, wages, etc....  Mr. Wright is just executing the “old trick theory”!  Here is more to see for your eyes only:
www.wal-martclassaction.com

No, I dont think they were saying that, I think they were saying, why the sudden shift when people have been given their set schedules for so long. If you worked your 9-5 for 6-7 years and all of the sudden you were doing a variety of shifts on short notice with children at home, you would complain too! And no I dont work at Walmart or retail, but I understand where they are coming from.

Regarding this article: 

http://money.cnn.com/2006/04/25/news/companies/walmart_labor/index.htm

As a cash office associate, I was among the first to discover what Wal-Mart has in store for it’s “valued associates”.  Last week we were herded into a meeting where we were informed our positions were being eliminated, the company was restructuring the office, and that we could either take one of the open shifts or leave.  The schedules were laid out for us, we were told THEY WOULD NOT CHANGE FOR ANY REASON.  If we didn’t like the schedule, we could apply for any other OPEN position in the store.  We went from about 280 hours down to 123.  The schedules are ridiculous and don’t even provide proper coverage.  There is certainly no flexibility for vacation or sick time.  We had a choice of 3 shifts:  6-3pm Wed Thur off; 10pm-7am Wed Thur off; 6am-3pm Wed and Thur and then 6pm-10pm Fri, Sat, Sun;.  We were told the times and days off could not be modified for us for ANY reason (childcare, school, Dr. appts etc).  We would be able to choose our schedule based on SENIORITY (union term!).  Anyone who didn’t get one of the 3 shifts no longer had a position and would have to take a paycut and be forced into an open position somewhere else in the store.

Wal-Mart has shown that we are nothing more than a number to plunk into a schedule to them.  We are not people with families and lives outside of work.  After almost 15 years of DEDICATED service, including night and weekends, this is what they give us.  Who do the people in Bentonville think MADE Wal-Mart what it is today?  Remember, “Our People Make the Difference”.  Well, not if that’s how we are going to be treated. 

I say if Wal-Mart is going to start treating us as if we are Union employees, than I want Union benefits and protection.  So, if any of you organizers want any help with the cause, call ext 184 in ANY Wal-Mart in the US because I would imagine ANY of us would be willing to help you out now.  We have access to paychecks with addresses if you need them.

Wondersnevercease:

To answer your question, yes I did inform Wal-Mart of my school schedule BEFORE i actually started working there. I started working in May and started college in August. Before I actually registered for my classes, I asked my CSM (I was a cashier) if it would be better for me to go two days all day long or spread out since I could do both, and SHE told me to go two days a week so that I would have less restrictions on my availability. I made sure I checked with her first because I had only been there 3 mo. and was still buying into the bs that I had a chance for advancement.
But honestly, if WM is so great about taking care of their workers as they claim to be, it should not matter when I tried to “renegotiate the terms of my employment” If a single pregnant woman working at WM gave birth to her baby, and because of such, had to readjust her work schedule, WM could not fire her for “renegotiating the terms of her contract.” Furthermore, companies much smaller than WM, for example the gas station chain, Quik Trip Co. actually encourage their employees to go to school by reimbursing their tuition in part, and in some cases in whole. Quik Trip makes far less money than WM, and is so small in comparison, it only employs 7,800 people.

Former: Even though your name is silly, and demeans the concept of slavery (you were never any kind of slave), you certainly have some good points. Sounds like what they did was not fair.

If you work in retail you are going to be subject to flexible scheduling.  That’s just the way it is.  It’s not something that only Wal-Mart does.

It seems to me that when I was hired, and in all the interviews I have conducted, that we discussed the fact that to receieve maximum hours, open availability is a must. “Shift needs vary with customer traffic, so you may not receive a set schedule or number of hours depending on your availability.” This is made clear to everyone. I know of no store that promises anyone a specific shift. Even management works variable schedules.

I think the exciting thing that we all agree on, is the fact that Wal-Mart is not a good place to work!
Let’s all remember our similarities.

Every body now....
Give me a W
Give me a M
Give me a S
Give me a U
Give me a C
Give me a K
Give me a S

What do we have?

WAL-MART SUCKS

Wonders, Gupta 1, do you or have you even worked for Wal-mart?

After reading all these comments, let me say that most have little basis and/or facts to make sense.  To just rant does nothing constructive.  Yes WM could work it’s schedules so that one could have two days off in a row.  What they are doing in the cash offices around the country is wrong to the extent that the employees (we are not associates) are forced to take a classification change resulting in a pay decrease (this is morally wrong). Other employees are being asked to worked a different schedule as they have been accused of “scamming” WM on insurance.  Others are being forced to change their schedules to accomodate the insurance matter (I don’t have time to write on all of this)
Employees because of religious beliefs have been cut in
classification and pay because they did not wish to sell a
particular movie in conflict with their beliefs.  OPEN DOOR policy is a farce - it goes in one ear and out the other --for
nothing changes.  GRASS ROOTS is not true for most are
afraid to post their true feelings and the results are not
published.  Many are getting shafted on the 28 hr week relative to the 34 hr week.  (not enough room here to go into as to what is legal).  Employees being out a little longer that the 12 wks for sickness and being changed in a job that they are not really productive at and giving a new comer their old job, just to be spiteful.  UNIONS—don’t thing that
the unions want to really help, they want your DUES. Now
let me say that WM does need a union of only it’s “associates” and broken down into districts (or something
similar) and then have two or three associates from each
store to “negotiate” problems with management.  I can tell you this will work and has worked in a given instant.
All are welcome to comment, but please be constructive and not just name calling.  I have studied WM for years, and would like WM to get back to Christian Principles.

Knowledgeable, you are right on the money as far as the Grass Roots and the Open Door Policy they are just false hope vehicles put into place by the company.

I have worked for both sides of the company I spent 5 years with Sam’s Club and 3 years with Wal-mart.
Anyone that has made the transformation between the two can tell you they are two totally different businesses.
What brings them together is company policy.

They are both to blame when it comes to not taking care of their employee’s. I don’t know how bad the turn over ratio is outside of Texas, but the clubs and stores here, that ratio is off the charts, and it’s getting worse.

I was a yes man for the company I would work any schedule anyday of the week. work a double shift because someone called in sick, there I was filling the slot.
Towards the end of my time at Sam’s I was a head COS, while that’s not an official position. I was named that by my front end manager. The managers loved working with me because they had the confidence in knowing I could handle things which put their minds at ease and made their breaks longer. I worked nearly every position in the club with the exception of manager, that job never looked attractive to me. To be Continued.

My advice to the current associates as far as the company calling you in to work? Do what every Sam’s Club manager that I know of does! Get an answering machine.

“Employees because of religious beliefs have been cut in
classification and pay because they did not wish to sell a
particular movie in conflict with their beliefs.”

Surely anyone who applies for a position must realize that you may have to sell an item for which you may take offense or which conflicts with moral beliefs. If you were working at a grocer you might have to sell beer or wine. Or if you were to work at a video store, if the store had an adult movie section you might have to rent out these videos. Depending on individual beliefs there might be conflict, but it’s part of the job. And if you accept the job, you do so with the full knowledge of what is involved.

walmart has done away with in store security.  no police officers, no anything.  except a camara?  is it running?  will it get a picture of the person that shoots me?  will walmart tell my kids that i worked graveyards for the extra money, and that i missed being with them at night and weekends? well , it was not walmarts falt that the person was high on something or that i did not get a better education.  however, it is walmarts falt they no longer have in store security.  did i mention the guns in sporting dept.?

Former,
What you said about getting a better job, that’s what a lot of former wally world associates are doing, as well as Sam’s Club associates. They are taking the experiance whether it was 6 months or 20 years and benefiting another company.

Thus weakening wal-mart. Lets face it folks the Wal-mart of today is not the company that Sam Walton founded. I beleive if Sam could see what some of these idiots in power have done to his company he wouldn’t be a happy camper.

Sam was always pro-associates he knew that a properly trained associate was his bread and butter, a properly trained associate later down the line makes an effective manager and so on and so forth.

Wal-mart has lost this vision, they have lost their way because without the people any company is going to suffer it’s just a matter of time.

I’ll give you an example, Kevin Turner was the President of Sam’s Club, this was a man that started out pushing carts for the company, then he was promoted to cashier.
He worked every position in the club, he worked his way all the way up to President of Sam’s Club.
Imagine if you will the experiance he collected along the way, at Sam’s they D.O.’s(Director of Operations)their counter part at Wal-mart is a D.M.(District Manager)
The RVP(Regional Vice-President)is the same for both companies, being one of these people is a close to the top position but even then they still aren’t president.

Kevin Turner quit his job at Sam’s club and took that wealth of knowledge with him to benefit another company.

What company, you ask? Microsoft.

This is the same trend just on a much larger scale.

If Wal-mart keeps being mean to their employee’s those employee’s will take their experiance and make another company stronger.

Does anyone here know what it costs Wal-mart for new associate training? $3000.00 per associate.

to knowledgable: “Employees because of religious beliefs have been cut in classification and pay because they did not wish to sell a particular movie in conflict with their beliefs. “

I sure hope this happens!!! Or do you think it would OK for someone who to work at a Planned Parenthood clinic who refuses to do abortion counseling? Or would it be OK for Wal-Mart to keep on cashiers who habitually close the lanes when African Americans try to check out (due to religious views on race)?

Employees should leave religious bigotry at home.

an a final response to Knowledgable saying: “ I have studied WM for years, and would like WM to get back to Christian Principles.”

WM is not a church. With all the problems they have, they should not be forcing religion on anyone, or allowing religious bigots to refuse to serve customers based on their predelections. If these employees don’t like a certain movie, they don’t have to watch it.

Former WM Slave in Georgia

Congradulations on your accounting degree. Now that we know the rest of your story, it shows what can be done with a bit of persistence. Good Luck!

Texas in

No, I have not worked nor do I ever plan to work at Wal-Mart. I would not like to live a nightmare based on what I read posted on this website. I do not shop there either, and I do not plan to do so in the future.

Texas in

$3000.00 to train an associate? You have to be kidding! Is this for any associate in any department? The old guy who says “ Welcome to Wal-Mart “ as you enter needs the same training as a cashier? Does the nattily attired pharmacist receive the same amount as “ Billy Jim “ stocking deodorant in personal care? WOW! I now know why their stock price is stumbling. See Generic Wageslave in Michigan, this company does care about you!

If anyone involved in retail could expound on what it costs to train their people let us know.

If you have never worked retail, or any other kind of service oriented job with the public, get down off your high horse.  I challenge anyone who says Wal-Mart workers are just sniveling about their lot to come work for them.  “You could find other employment” yes, sure woking at Mc Donalds for; what is minimum wage, $5.15? 

Screw any of you who have never worked for them.  My guess is that if you’re defending them you haven’t.  Most customers come in there with the notion they can speak to or treat you any way they please and generally proceed to do just that.  I’m supposed to smile and say thanks for shopping at Wal-Mart?  You know what, for the pay and the practices they employ, I don’t think so.

If Wal-Mart made it worthwhile to digest the daily abuse from the company itself and the customers, they’d see a lot less turn-over, but they don’t and that’s the bottom line.  Any company who wants to keep good help will treat them in that manner.  Now , I don’t have a college degree but that idea seems to make sense.  Can I get a duh?  By the way, the smily face with the evil smirk, nice touch!

Sara in Texas-

““You could find other employment” yes, sure woking at Mc Donalds for; what is minimum wage, $5.15?”

This statement indicates that you recognize how good you have it at Wal-Mart. Why is the rest of your post inconsistent with this sentiment?

“Most customers come in there with the notion they can speak to or treat you any way they please and generally proceed to do just that.”

How is that Wal-Mart’s fault? Hasn’t it occurred to you that this is common in retail?

“I’m supposed to smile and say thanks for shopping at Wal-Mart?”

How many bad customers do you get in a day? Unless you work the service desk or are a supervisor/manager, I doubt it’s too many.

You do have the right not to be treated like complete crap by customers. You should be courteous, but call a supervisor if there is a problem. Your supervisor is paid to take the abuse, you are not. By the way, nothing pisses a nasty customer off more than smiling at them and thanking them for shopping at Wal-Mart. I love the reaction I get.

“You know what, for the pay and the practices they employ, I don’t think so.”

That’s a bad attitude. They pay a fair wage. You even admitted they are better than the alternative.

“...to digest the daily abuse from the company itself...”

What daily abuse? Where did you discuss how the company abuses you?

There seems to be a lot of anger from current and former Wal-Mart workers (they are not associates if you look up the meaning of the word). Doesn’t look like a healthy situation.
What’s happening?

Okay, fair enough the wage statement is inconsistent.  As for how many nasty customers do I get a day?  At least two; more if it’s a weekend.  Not saying it’s always for something I’ve done, just the lack of associates on the floor to help. I would love to get my manager to handle them, but they generally call me on the nearest extension and don’t show up.

Bad attitude, no, not in the least.  I go out of my way to remeber my manners and courtesy.  I’ve had people compliment me on both.  As for the pay, well......you’d just have to go through a work day there to understand, unless do you work there?

All those things you hear about working through breaks, lunches, working ten and eleven hour days, only to have the overtime taken away; all true.  They are basically asking you to work the hours at your regular wage and will give you an extra day off if necessary to keep from paying overtime.

Abuse? One cashier asked for a restroom break, several times, when her relief finally showed up she didn’t make it to the bathroom.  Why? Not enough coverage.  A grown woman crying in shame for something so simple.  How humiliating is that? 

I reported a sexual harrassment incident. Not only did it take three months to clear up, several other women came forward and we still had to see this clown on a daily basis while they were investigating.  Never an explanation as to why it took so long, just a shoulder shrug and a sorry.  Guess that’s just retail, huh. 

I could go on, those aren’t the only incidents, but I’m not sure what it takes to convince the general public.  I’m not looking for sympathy, just for people to have a clear understanding of what a day is like.  Gads if I were the only one complaining I would say it’s just me, but I don’t stand alone.  I haven’t sued them, not planning to, not a union rep looking to garner support, just an average tax payer who looks at one of the biggest corporations in the world and thinks why isn’t this better?

I’ve stayed fours years because I have time invested and leaving means starting at the bottom somewhere else, plus I love the other people I work with.  There are more changes coming that will shove a lot more of Wal-Mart’s employees out the door.  I guess there will be twenty more to take their place, so be it, mine will be one of them. Never said I wasn’t looking, just wish it was easier to stay. So you all win; Wal-Mart is the best.  Hope you find a smile when you all go in, if you can find anyone at all when they implement their new strategies.  Adios

So.....does Wal-Mart ever refuse to sell any cd artists or movies? We know they do.
Why do they worry about what is moral then?
No different than that employee.

You do know why Walmart is changing everyones hours around?  They are trying to save money, by getting rid of full-timers.  Thats pay and insurance.  Although, the insurance sucks big time.  Bet the owners and CEO’s get a BIG bonus this year.

JM, you make a good point there. I don’t think it is very wise to not sell legal stuff others want to buy. The worse thing it hurts is the “bottom line”. However, you are much more in your rights to do so .... compared to a clerk who comes in and is paid to sell stuff, and then uses faulty reasoning to arbitrarily refuse to sell things.

I don’t think either is very good, but one is worse.

beat ya haven’t found the “high cost of low prices” in your local wal mart

I recently viewed the movie/ “The Hight Cost of Low Prices”..
It was very EYE OPENING...and shows the Hypocrisy of The Walton family and Wal-Mart Executives. Wal-Mart is SO PRO-CHINA..that no wonder everything they sell/ 90% of it is made in CHINA..so they don’t have to pay a living wage for employees who are not able to go to college are train for new skills...or who have families to support. Wal-Mart will be the downfall of the United States...and our Economy..in years to come...if things keep going the way they do. Better learn how to speak Mandarin..a-so!

Right on oscarface
It is not even a union thing like many WM supporters try to present on this board.
How does one compete with 20 cent an hour pay?
Union or non-union.
You can’t.
Just and excuse.

Knowledgeable,

You off course left off the drug screening, and back ground checks. The $3000.00 estimate is the cost for each associate through the first three months.

All of you have no idea. The company is making changes for the good of the company and for the good of assocaites. I for one have been there for six years and see nothing wrong with the changes. I actually like them. The scheduling where everyone says is not flexible for days off. Lets see. that would be management dependent. You A.M can aprove that day off. Utilize the E.T.A that is what it is there for, vacations, daycare (surely your daycare provider lets you know when they need off) etc. It is ran like any other employer. They want to pay you for working. You get payed as every other employer. All you whinning who are former employess, employees, or never employed that just like to talk a bunch of crap about stuff you have no clue just “hear say” need to realize you are going to have a problem wherever you work. NO ONE IS PERFECT. The only reason W.M is being attacked is because it is as big as it is, and it is always the target for whatever crap everyone wants to show at it. I dont see anyone attacking the big Bullseye on Target? As far as the cheer goes noone forces the associates to do it. And yes we are associates. Grass roots works varies by stores yes. The S.M receives the answers all are confidential, just chicken or dont really care until it is posted for all to see to voice it? Lay off and choose a different target for a change. Get a life.

Have had enough
If you are so stressed out about hearing the truth about Wal-Mart, just stop signing onto this blog.
Simple.
Get your own life.

Have had enough—since we’re both from Mo. and we are
the show me state you surely didn’t show much to me or anyone else on here. Please read your last couple of sentences.  “Grass roots works varies by stores yes. The S.M. receives the answers all are confidential, just chicken and or don’t really care until it is posted for all to see to voice it?”

Don’t wish to be rude but you make absolutely NO SENSE,
where in the world did you learn the English language and
composition?

If I can be presumptious and decipher and also answer your thread.  The Grass Roots survey does NOT vary from store
(only the answers would vary) The problem is because of some of the info asked -= e.g. what department, what age group, etc., many feel that management can determine who did that particular survey and thus “fudge” their answers. (This is a known fact in every store that I am aware of) They don’t want to lose their jobs.

I cannot fathom any sense out of the next sentence, but let me tell you how it works.  After the GR survey is tabulated the resultes are NOT posted for all to see but the Store Manager is told of the results.  This guide line is available on pipeline that only the S.M. sees it.  One or two points of the survey are posted in a most INCONSPICUOUS spot in the training room.  95% of the employees don’t even know it is there.  Hope this helps you and I don’t mean to be rude but please buy the book, “The Grammar Bible”
You and everyone else have a pleasant day, we can bash
Wal-Mart but have the facts as Sgt. Friday used to say.

know: I “know” what you mean on this (disagree as we do on the guy who won’t sell movies)

‘Have Had Enough’ informs us “You get payed” and then he sas something about secret chicken. That’ll teach you to blog from a greasy table at Popeye’s.

knowledgeable in MO wrote:

“...e.g. what department, what age group, etc.,..”

Actually, if you read the survey completely you will notice that the information about department, age group, etc., is optional information and you do not need to enter it.

Just the facts.  :)

Texas Cashier said: “beat ya haven�t found the �high cost of low prices� in your local wal mart “

I didn’t see that they were selling that. Is anyone selling it? I thought it was being given away. Anyway, they do sell a bunch of anti-Wal-Mart books.

HAVE HAD ENOUGH IN MO.

If that dog or retailer starts acting up like Wal-Mart (referencing why no one bothers Target) we will critique them too. Target doesn’t float the Gupta ship. Too many cool college kids shop there for my standards. Plus they want thirty forms of I.D. to use my credit card. My last time in there I was asked for I.D and I made the cashier get the store manager, informing him that showing I.D with my card was annoying and that I will gladly leave my $200.00 purchase at the register and cross the street to K-Mart.

The store manager agreed with me, and they kept my sale.

Have had enough,

Wal-mart is making changes to benefit no one other than Wal-mart. I don’t think you realize who it is you work for.
These people are rich and they are mean and they serve no higher authority than themselves, they really beleive they can do anything, and treat people as they see fit.

They are wrong!

For any undertaking to be ultimatly successful it has to continue working. If Wal-Mart doest attach itself to some core values other then low prices and growth it will ultimately founder. It seems to me that Sam Walton was a genius that built an empire that is still growing from the momentum he gave it. However, I see that many of Mr. Waltons values are sliding to the side with every year after his passing. The unrest with Wal-Mart seems to be growing in place of the love of the retailer that grew over many years. It takes time for a large ship to turn but eventually turn it does. Companies that value only their bottom line and growth charts very often fall victim to lethargy and lack of interest of their majior components. Mr Walton built his company by getting his employees involved and attached to the company at every level. He spent his life concerned about his employees and in turn the were highly devoted to him and built his empire. Will that devotion continue? Logically given the arguments I would think not. Managments lack of interest in needs of associates will also become lack of interest in needs of customers which can very likely become their downfall. I have been a very loyal Wal-Mart customer for over a decade. (My motto “If Wal-Mart doesn’t have it, you don’t need it!) However I f ind myself increasingly going elsewhere for my needs and wants in the past couple of years. Wal-Mart simply isnt fulfilling my needs like they used to. Something I didnt even think of till reading some of these articles. Giants have fallen before… Look at the ones that fell when Wal-Mart came along.....

Russ,

Bravo!

We need more customers and members reading these messages, because maybe it will be an eye opening experiance for them as it was for you.

You mentioned about the Giants falling and the ones that fell when Wal-mart came along. Does anyone here know the story about Sam Walton and the Moon Pie Company?

“When you teach and explain and involve people in the business, and show them the value that they have and their ability to contribute, when you care about them and do it genuinely, they give you their heart,”.

“When you adopt a philosophy that it’s the people that make the difference, your effectiveness as a leader goes up astronomically.”

These are quotes made by Kevin Turner(former president and CEO of Sam’s Club)

Tell me, would any of you like to work for this man?

HAD ENOUGH FROM MISSOURI

The reason you don’t see nothing wrong with the changes that Wal Mart is doing, is because you’re not one of them that’s taking a paycut and having to move to another department.  It sounds like to me that you might be a manager or an assistant manager, the way you’re defending Wal Mart.  Wait until they decide to eliminate your position.

Actually the Managers do have set times off. Bentonville has just recently changed EVERYONES availability, you don’t get a choice in what your availability is.  I have heard since I began to work there that the AMs would be rotating jobs...geuss what not one has rotated to another job or another shift in 4 yrs, but sales floor people do and cashiers do and overnight people get their weekends changed at the whim of Management.  And now if that wasn’t enough associates job codes (how they are paid) is changed.  On reading notes on a morning meeting, job codes are determined by the average sales from the previous week...does this mean that what I am paid is going to change from week to week?  Meanwhile Lee Scott gets a bonus every year worth 4X the amount he gets in salary, while the average asscoiate is LUCKY to get a bonus of $200, most get NO bonus despite Wm getting record profits every year.
I say bring in the Unions. 
(former memeber of USWA)

I did research the legality of your statement. Here is what is stated in reference to religious freedoms in the workplace.

A. Federal Law: Title VII, The
Constitution, etc.
1. Title VII: 42 U.S.C. Sec.
2000e-2(a): “It shall be an
unlawful employment practice
for an employer—(1) to fail
or refuse to hire or to
discharge any individual, or
otherwise discriminate against
any individual with respect to
his compensation, terms,
conditions, or privileges of
employment, because of such
individual’s ... religion ...;
or (2) to limit, segregate, or
classify his employees or
applicants for employment in
any way which would deprive or
tend to deprive any individual
of employment opportunities or
otherwise adversely affect his
status as an employee, because
of such individual’s ...
religion ...
a. Definition of Religion:
Reasonable Accommodation
and Undue Hardship
(1) 42 U.S.C. sec.
2000e(j): The term
religion includes
all aspects of
religious
observance and
practice, as well
as belief, unless
an employer
demonstrates that
he is unable to
3
reasonably
accommodate to an
employee’s or
prospective
employee’s
religious
observance or
practice without
undue hardship on
the conduct of the
employer’s
business.

Ok a couple of key points to discuss. In the example you provided, the employer did not discriminate against the employee at the time of hiring, neither did the employees religious affiliation influence this choice of hiring. Next key point. If an employer can demonstrate that allowing provisions for the expression of an employees religious freedoms may result in undue hardship on the part of the business, he may not be liable for restrictions or termination of employees. In the case of an individual refusing to sell certain merchandise on the basis of religious freedoms this may be construed as adversely affecting the business with undue hardship in the resulting loss of sales.

c. Section 296(10): State
Statutory Protection for
Sabbath Observance
(1) Prohibits
discrimination
based on the
employee’s
observance of a
particular day or
days as Sabbath or
holy day in
accordance with
the requirements
of the employee’s
religion.
(2) Employee not
required to work
on Sabbath or holy
day, but can make
up time, or have
time charged to
leave, or be
counted as leave
without pay.
(3) Not applicable to
jobs involving
health or safety
11
where person must
be available for
duty whenever
needed, or where
person is
essential on any
particular day for
normal performance
of duties, or
where necessary to
prevent undue
economic hardship
to the employer.

Notice the key points in this excerpt. Employees are granted the rights to take leave of absense during certain relgious holidays or observances, however employers ARE NOT required to provide monetary compensation on those days absent and employees may be required to make up those missed days at discretion of employer. Also note that this rule does not apply to instances wherein health and safety are concerned. 

WHAT IS THE EMPLOYER’S DUTY TO
ACCOMMODATE?
A. Summary
Employers have an obligation under
Title VII to “reasonably
accommodate” the religious practices
of their employees, unless the
accommodation imposes an “undue
hardship” upon the employer’s
business. See EEOC Guidelines, 29
C.F.R. § 1605.1. While this
formulation appears simple in the
abstract, complexities abound in
practice. Among the most central:
* What is a “religious
practice”?
* When must an employer
accommodate?
* What must an employer do
to accommodate?
* What is “undue
hardship”?
* What is an employee’s
responsibility?

B. The Litigation Standard: What the
Plaintiff Must Prove
Each of these questions feed into
the burden of proof an employee
plaintiff must bear to prove, on a
prima facie basis, that his or her
employer failed to fulfill its
obligation under Title VII to
accommodate. That standard can be
articulated as a three-pronged test:
1. The employee must prove that
she has a sincere religious
23
belief that conflicts with an
employment requirement;
2. The employee must prove that
the employer was on notice of
the conflict; and
3. The employee must prove some
adverse employment action
(discipline, demotion,
termination, loss of pay,
constructive discharge) that
she suffered or would have
suffered due to the failure to
meet the conflicting
employment requirement.
See generally, Chalmers v. Tulon
Co., 101 F.3d 1012 (4th Cir. 1996),
cert. denied, ____ U.S. ____, 118 S.
Ct. 58 (1997).
C. The Litigation Standard: What the
Defendant Must Show
Once the employee meets her burden,
the burden shifts to the employer to
either:
5. Show that it offered an
accommodation but that the
employee refused, or
6. Show that a reasonable
accommodation would have
caused an “undue hardship” on
the employer.
Id.
When Must An Employer Accommodate?
Answer: Once The Employee Puts It
on Notice
1. Employee’s Burden To Provide
Notice
An employer is obliged to
reasonably accommodate an
employee’s religious practice
once it is put on notice, by
the employee, that the
practice conflicts with an
employment requirement. See
EEOC Religious Discrimination
Guidelines, 29 C.F.R. §
1605.2(c). This obligation of
the employee to provide notice
relieves the employer from the
patently unreasonable burden
of searching for religious
conflicts between its
employment requirements and
the practices of its
employees.

2. What is Sufficient Notice?
The employee is not required,
however, to go through
catechism with the employer to
put it on notice. The
employer need only be told
enough for it to understand
the conflict between the
employment requirement and the
employee’s religious practice.
See Heller v. EBB Auto Co., 8
F.3d 1433 (9th Cir. 1993);
c.f. Chrysler v. Mann, 561
F.2d 1282 (8th Cir. 1977),
cert. denied, 434 U.S. 1039
(1978).
3. Link to Religious Practice
A key requirement: the
employer must be made to
understand that it is a
religious practice at issue.
A failure to link the practice
to religion (or adequately
explain the link) obviates the
employer’s obligation to
accommodate. See Tiano v.
Dillard Department Stores, 139
F.3d 679 (9th Cir. 1998);
McGlothin v. Jackson Mun.
Separate School District, 829
F. Supp. 853 (S.D. Miss.
1992); Cary v. Carmichael, 908
F. Supp. 1334 (E.D. Va. 1995),
aff’d, 116 F.3d 472 (4th Cir.
1997).
F. What Must An Employer Do to
Accommodate? Answer: Anything
Reasonable That Would Not Impose an
Undue Burden
1. Employer Must Provide a
Reasonable Accommodation

Generally, an employer has the
complete burden of providing a
reasonable accommodation to
the employee unless it can
prove that all reasonable
accommodations would impose an
undue hardship on the
employer’s business. See
TransWorld Airlines v.
Hardison, 432 U.S. 63, 97
S.Ct. 2264 (1977); Ansonia Bd.
of Education v. Philbrook, 479
U.S. 60 (1986); Heller, supra.
The employer need not provide
the specific accommodation
requested (if any) by the
employee (nor need it provide
the best accommodation),
provided it comes up with a
reasonable accommodation. See
Ansonia, 479 U.S. at 68-69.
If, however, an employee’s
accommodation request is
reasonable and the employer
cannot come up with an
alternative, the employee’s
reasonable accommodation must
be accepted.
2. “Dialogue” Is Necessary
Inherent in the above is the
notion of dialogue, i.e., that
the employer and employee are
to engage in a discussion
concerning any accommodations
the employee suggests or that
the employer proposes. The
burden of engaging in that
dialogue rests on the
employer. Mandated solutions
without the opportunity to
discuss them are not favored
and are likely to raise a
reviewing court’s ire. See

Heller, supra; Opuku-Boateng
v. California, 95 F.3d 1461
(9th Cir. 1996), cert. denied,
117 S. Ct. 1819 (1997).
3. The EEOC’s Recommended Method
The EEOC Guidelines identify
three common methods of
accommodation:
* Work assignment
“swaps” between
employees,
* Flexible use of
work hours, leave
and breaks, and
* Transfers of
employees to
assignments or
locations in which
the religious
practice can be
accommodated.
Note that the concept
of “undue hardship” applies to
the employer only. If, for
example, an employee requests
time off to celebrate a
religious holiday, a
reasonable accommodation might
be to allow the employee to
take unpaid leave, even though
the net result is that the
employee suffers an economic
loss or hardship. See e.g.,
Man-of-Jerusalem v. Hill, 769
F. Supp. 97 (E.D.N.Y. 1991)
(unpaid leave a reasonable accomidation)

Texas in

Those “moon pies” that you referenced. I believe those are the snack cakes Mr. Sam featured on endcaps for a dime a piece in the early days. Doesn’t that coincide with the beginnings of clogged arteries and heart disease?

Wondersnever cease (4/28 @ 9:27AM)
Excellent discourse and you are right on.  Unfortunately for these threads there is always so much “legalize” to write that readers will not read and digest.

However you make the argument completely in favor of the situation that I earlier posted.  It is difficiult for a company to prove “undue hardship” (yes they can at times) but the majority of employees do not know the law and/or only know what some other person told them (this person usually being ignorant of the law)—go in any WM breakroom and you will hear these conversation of “no clue” law.

Everyone should print your comments for their files.
Have a happy and blessed day.

I have been a walmart associate for over 3 years and yes a have worked my share of swing shifts and it can be hard.  But it is fair.  Not very many people want to work till 1 am closing the store 5 days a week.  Swing shifts keep scheduling fair so that the same person is not stuck working the late shift everyday.  If all retail associates worked 7am till 4pm, Monday through Friday, how would people who sit in there offices running websites like this, shop.  Dont they work the same hours.  The same people who always have something to say are the same people who probably come to Walmart 10 at night to buy 4 dollar jars of pickles and 5 dollar movies and 24 rolls of toilet paper for 6 dollars, complain becauses there arent enough cashiers, and then be rude to the one who checks you out.  But you are fighting for her rights.  While she just wants to feed her kids.  How much do you get paid to run a walmart bashing website anyway? How are your benefits?

I agree with cashier in Texas about no more in store security.  Do you know that the shrinkage will quadruple and by this time next year, Walmart won’t have to pay out any more profit sharing bonuses?

I think this is WalMart’s way of getting out of paying the associates their rightfully earned profit sharing bonuses. 

Don’t you agree?

I would also like to know how would a group of overnight stockers boost their moral when the store is short over 130 employees because of hurricanes? 

How can we boost moral for overnight stockers knowing that there is no more in store security? Knowing that at anytime, their lives maybe in jeapordy? 

Does anyone know who is the idiot who came up with the idea of no more in store security?

My wife has worked at WAL-MART for one year and has been on the Flex-Shift from the start and it has worn her down. The worst is when she gets off at 11pm and has to report to work at 7am the next morning, this is a very common occurance at this store. When she first hired in she had a Doctors disability restriction, which she related at the interviews and orientation. She reported for work on the designated day and was sent home, she was told she could not work for WAL-MART until she had the Dr. reverse the restriction. We needed the income so she went to the Dr. and had a release signed, just to work for a company that has no regard for her health by making her work two shifts in a 24hr period. What has happened to the company respecting the employees that keep their doors open and make them millions of dollars in profit??????

you know what guys..am retired after 42 years , now i work 5 days as a greeter in this supercenter. ilove my job if they come in mean and nasty . as some one said look at them smile say your having a bad day how can i help you.your going to get a rought answer smile tell them your my kindof person./ god bless you/ have a better day.  am 73years i have a great time make them laught.
yes we have problems turn over / different cashiers ever other week.  this is my 7 year now looking for 15.. no one forces any one to work here the door goes both ways . yes the open door is a farce what did you say in one ear and out the other, ya, so be it go to am or co.up the ladder you go.still not happy forget it or leave. the people that have never worked at wm get lost out of your mouth hear say.
the changes are comming seen it in south beach stores , , target is good but watch out you will see the changes.
pay is low you knew it when you started , try another retailer see what they pay for your job , if more take it. health ben. a lot of assoc come to wm so they can have the baby. peop[le on madicad came here that way . if you have skills yoiu will make money no skills , go to trade school., wm will
pay for schooling . its in you book. english lessons will be paid for or given in house. no one will take advantage of things wm offers , rather bitch.. true if you don’t like working , and we do earn our pennyies they will have 3 more ready to take your job.in the morning.,
have little respect for us yes but not the assoc. that go about there job , and go home end of day.WORK is a word that young don’t like.
scott is no dummy he knows that the stock holders ( you and me) needs uptrend. he should get out to the stores and listen to assoc. so should sm and up. we know more whats going on then they do in our store. if you need 2 jobs today don’t feel bad most people do now just to meet ends,
yes not all am or csm are rocket scientise. becareful whom you ask ..having problems need mgr they will never call you back. go find one.if youi can… yes customer are rude ,,, BUT so are the assoc,to them. so guys that have never worked for wm you have zero to say about the workings and what you think what we are saying you have no idea. I"ll bet 90% of assoc. this is the firs place you have worked.

bitch all you wnt that is good to let it all out , this way if scott reads this maybe we can all help make a big change
scott if you read this page get OUT OF AK with you staff aand come talk to us that help you make your money an the waltons richer.  just think what would or could we say if one of themGAVE .05 0F 1% back to the ASSOC.THAT GOT YOU ALL YOU NICE HOMES

“The same people who always have something to say are the same people who probably come to Walmart 10 at night to buy 4 dollar jars of pickles and 5 dollar movies and 24 rolls of toilet paper for 6 dollars, complain becauses there arent enough cashiers, and then be rude to the one who checks you out.”

I’m not rude to the cashiers about it, but there is absolutely no excuse to have one cashier with a huge long line (and all of the other lanes are closed). I’ve actually put merchandise back on the shelves in situations like this and gone home. IF they really wanted to sell the stuff, they would open the registers. Any store that has lines and closed registers is showing contempt for the customers.

To put it simply, any time a store has any closed registers, and more than one person in any line, they are not doing a good job of running that part of the store.

I don’t even get frozen food at Sam’s Club anymore, because it ends up thawing during the really long wait. But i know, it is not just Wal-Mart that does this (not just Wal-Mart that puts a low priority on getting cash into to their registers… there are many companies much worse).

Gupta1,

The point I was trying to make with reference to “Giants Falling”, was when Sam Walton was alive and running the company he didn’t want to see his competitors go out of business or his suppliers for that matter. Sure he wanted his merchandise at a low price but he realized they needed to make a living too. Not true with the crop of dorks that are running the show now. I was looking at Wal-marts annual sales (http://investor.walmartstores.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=112761&p=irol-irhome)which is usually a 60 page adobe pdf file. Towards the top it has picture of Rob Walton and then a quote. He states in that quote that he beleives his father would be proud of the company today, my first response is whatever! But what else can he say? He is addressing the shareholders that’s who this document is for.

It’s for the million and billionare shareholders not the little pieces of lint sharholders like myself.
I could go into a total rant about all the reasons why Sam Walton if could see the way things are running now would probably fire all those involved.

Getting back to the moon pies, The Moon Pie company was near bankruptcy and Sam Walton stepped in basically kept them from going out of business by featuring their products in all of his stores, they are still in business today.

Do you think the current dictators would have done this?

Texas in

No. The current dictators would try and get some Chinese kids to make them. Thank goodness the laws for importing food are stricter than importing cheap clothing and tools.

coherent.

I agree with you, if a store doesn’t have checkers(cashiers) to take the customers money, then they obviously care very little about the job they are doing and even less about the bottom line. Too many businesses not just Wal-mart have employee’s that are on the job just for a check. These people are there to do as little work as possible.

Wal-mart in my opinion is not used to this type of worker I am not saying that they have never had this type of employee. Wal-mart is making a lot of their long term associates re-think their employment options, people with experiance, people that don’t have to be watched, people with a sense of urgency, people that get er done.
And a lot of times these associates do jobs that are extra
just to pick up the slack.

Being a supervisor(COS)for Sam’s I would often go around my hair on fire and God forbide if a line at the check outs formed I would have an outer-body experiance.

Granted I worked in an environment were it wasn’t uncommon for my G.M(General Manager)to jump on the registers as well assistants, team leaders, and even a D.O.(Director of Operations)who happened to be walking through the club. We had a level call system to were the front-end had floor associates we call upon to come to check in case we were overwhelmed.

Since I have been gone, they don’t have this support anymore and I am not saying that it was all because of me, because I know that’s not true, I am not that special, at that time I had an unshakable love for the company and a love for the members, I would have fun with them (the members)and interact with them, make them laugh, and always take care of them even if it meant going above and beyond to make them feel important.

If Wal-mart doesn’t change, they are going to drive all of the associates that give a darn about the company and it’s customers and members to go elsewhere.
Then who suffers for Wal-mart’s mistakes? The Customers and Members.

Check this out: (http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/mba100/full_list/)
This is the Fortune 100 MBA Top Employers, this list says a lot of things about Wal-mart’s prestige.
I wonder how it makes Wal-mart feel to have many of their suppliers out rank them? Notice the branches of the fed. government that way out rank them.

I came to work for Wal-Mart in 2005 as an asst. manager from the out side. I’ve seen a lot things happen in the last year, somethings have been for the good of the company, which will benefit the customer and it will benefit the associate’s. The morale of the associate’s is what worries me the most. We as managers need to rally our associate and get them back on track, we have to say focus. We have to do what is right, thats what Sam always said. He also said take care of your assoicates and they will take care of the customer. I do feel that the changes are needed, Sam was about change, it’s like swimming up stream. Maybe everyone should read Sam’s Made in America, he never dreamed his one store would grow as big as it is today. I belive that if we all got back to taking care of the customers we would benefit from the changes that are happening, we have to see it through, it takes all of us.

PCW in Ala(4/29 @ 12:21PM)
Your post is one of the problems.  I believe WM should promote from within, I am sure there was someone that had the qualifications to be an Asst mgr.

Yes morale of the employees is a paramount concern.  It is not to get them to rally but for mngmt to start rallying behind their “associates”.  Yes read Sam’s book—it is hard to take care of a customer with some of WM policies.  e.g. don’t tell the truth on poor quality, ok to buy a returned item for if you also have problems bring it back; ok to steal from WM as you will not be prosecuted: ok to cuss out an “associate” --I could go on and on. 

The biggest problem in WM is upper management, over stocking, no place to put items, lack of communications and
no way for a good employee to be heard (don’t tell me about open door)

Incidently what changes are you talking about as being needed?  The ones I see are not the ones that are needed.

PCW my friend you are off course—rehetoric is fine to a point, but sooner or later the truth need be told.

I keep hearing abiout the alleged “poor quality” but have yet to see concrete evidence of this claim. Folks lend me your ears. The products that Wal-mart carries are from the same countries of origin as other department stores items. Step into a Target, Old navy, Sears, JC Penny,Best Buy, Circuit City, or any number of stores. Even higher end department stores carry imported goods. Bloomingdales, Nordstroms, etc. So I fail to grasp this notion of low quality”

knowledgable in MO.. Wal-Mart generally does promote from within.  Also, where are you getting the so called “policies” that you have listed above?  You must have a different handbook than everyone else.  More than likely though, they are simply a figment of your overactive imagination.  And as you stated..

“...rehetoric is fine to a point, but sooner or later the truth need be told.”

So far I haven’t seen any real truth in your post.. only rehetoric.

PCW in Lower Alabama,
Your basically a new hire, a baby in the stream of the Wal-mart ways, what division are you an assistant manager over?

I’ve been reading this specific blog for the last few days, and pondered about posting. In a way, I don’t want to really start up an argument, or getting bashed.

I’ve been a cashier at Wal-Mart since January. We recently just opened a Super Center. I really enjoyed cashiering at the “profit store.” Everybody got along; ofcourse we had our cashier/CSM drama but that’s what makes things interesting. No one really got mad, or complained, or anything. We had too many cashiers Then.. in February we had “set up.” (Pretty much every cashier was taken from the profit store to work in the new store for grand opening). I was one of the “lucky” cashiers to go for set up. Although I did enjoy having the weekends off, and STILL having steady shifts… everything bad happened to me. I ended up with having a horrible rash on both of my hands. Management didn’t really care about the rash, until I spoke with the Store Planner. She saw my hands, and set me back in the claim’s cage to pretty much do nothing for the next two weeks. I still have discoloration on my hands.

Anyways… Everything has changed dramatically since this store has opened up. Being a cashier is really brutal now. I’ve had customers sent me to tears because of how rude they are to me. And, the whole ever changing shift as a cashier now is really streneous (did I spell that right?). In the next two weeks I have a 2-11 shift one day, and the next morning I have to be there at 8:45 in the morning. I barely get enough time for myself.

I can understand that Wal-Mart is a great company in some ways… but the way that associates are being treated now is absurd. We’re not perfect machines. We’re just human beings. I know there are people who enjoy working for wal-mart. You know, maybe they haven’t had the same experiences.. or.. maybe they just don’t care, or they’re thick skinned, or whatever…

I don’t know what to do. My health has been getting worse since the supercenter opened. I’ve decided to atleast switch to part time for now. But, I don’t know how much more I can do.

I know most of you will probably reply saying that I’m just whining. But, I’ve never really seen how wal-mart could be negative until actually working here. I want to see what everyone else who’s happy at wal-mart sees… but.. I just can’t now.

Please don’t flame me. :(

I understand what Wal-mart is trying to do with this scheduling system that they implementing, but I also understand it’s a double edged sword. Yes they are doing it with the customers in mind, but they also doing it with their extremely tight check books in mind. I realize the assistant managers and all managers above them have a hard time empathizing with the associates dilemma. But then again the salaried members of management have a guaranteed check.

The salaried members of management get paid no matter how many hours they work, they are always on the clock, the indentured servant, that is one of the reasons why I never wanted to become a manager.

Cashier in Kansas,

I hear you loud and clear! In my opinion, management is not there to care, they are there to make sure the job gets done. This business about scheduling associates for late shifts only to bring them back early the next morning is just pure laziness on managements part, the person(s) that made the schedule has a very low opinion of associates in general and it’s evident by those actions.

Now the assistants will argue that they do it all the time!
And why not, they should, someone has to run the show, be a leader, a coach.

Schedules are completely computer generated. I’m suppose to be out of town on May 13, and 14 with family. I put in my time adjustment sheet last week (that’s a couple weeks in advance), and was told I may not get it just because it’s a holiday.

Cashier in Kansas,

Those schedules are generated from a computer and printed out, but the input I assure you is human.

Did you know Sam’s Club has 200 more stores then Costco? The interesting part is Costco does over a billion dollars more in sales a year. No one wonder Wal-mart is terrified of Costco. But that’s not the only reason they fear them.

An assistant manager at Wal-mart starts at $35,000.00 a year you have cashiers at Costco making $40,000.00 a year.
and the benefits are off the charts. Here is a company(Costco)that understands the value of their people.

The starting wage at Costco is $10.00 an hour.

“Great Spirits have often encountered violent opposition from weak minds.”

How does Costco do it?
Paying a ‘living wage’ while still running a successful operation?
Why can’t Wal-Mart do that also for its employee’s?

These are questions Wal-Mart employees should be asking their company. You are worth more than you are getting.

knowledgable
“your post is one of the problems. I believe WM should promote from within”
I do belive WM sould promote from with in, but with the way WM has grown they need managers from outside to help them grow, Sam went outside after he started WM to get the management team he needed.
I applied just like everyone else. I had the qualifications and the years of experience in management, then waited 2 years for WM to call me. The experience my DM said they needed from me was my experience in food. And I don’t think I should have to give you my resume, because my DM(martket manager) hired me.
If you were an WM associate you would not have used “employees”. ie “yes morale of the employees is a paramount concern.” We are ASSOCIATES all of us.
Texas:
I work in division U.
And as for the schedules they are computer generated, based on sales from last year and forcasted sales for this year, and most of all your availablty. If your availablty is open the computer will pull you first, then if your availablty is limited it will pull a shift that fits your availablty(if there is a shift) people open up your availablty it does work.

TO ANSWER:PCW in Lower Alabama
Did I ask for your resume?  Don’t put words into my writings that are not there—if it is a supposition on your part then in writing so state—this is usally taught in writing classes.

Now to the words “employee” and “associate”—would you (and anyone else who reads) please look up the definitions.

Employee is the correct word, WM wants to have everyone use the word “associate” for an obvious reason, and this is
usually called “mind control” (brain washing).  The word of
associate and its true meaning would be and is meaningsless if you happen to be terminated by WM

Regardless have a blessed day! ..."have a good name.”

“Let me know—no not everything is low quality but most
is that is the customer base of WM.”

The problem is that I can never quite understand exactly what you are trying to say. A bit enigmatic. One minute I think you are pro Wal-mart , the next I think you’re anti. Very confusing posts. What isn’t concrete is the assertion that the majority of items stocked by Wal-mart are low quality. I then provided the jean demonstration as evidence that “high end” does not necessarily mean high quality.

“Why do you think they are now going to “trendier” products?”

Thoise trendier products, at least in electronics, are probably manufactured by funai

Funai now produces LCD TV’s under the brand names of Emerson and symphonic - Plasma TV, LCD, and DVD recorders under the brands Sylvania and funai

So that’s what Wally World is telling their associates(employees) now, that the computer is generating the schedules? WHOA! What a classic cop out, how Convenient.

I doesn’t work if it works an associate on a late shift only to bring them back early the mext morning, it’s no better. I have made schedules on both sides of the company.
A computer does what you tell it to do, programming, etc.
I know exactly how the schedules are made, I’ve made them many times. It’s a managers job to create those schedules are you telling me (lower Alabama) that wal- has taken that responsibility out of managements hands?

Because if you are and they have created a new system, you can see right of the bat, the system is definitely wal-mart, and the programmer made the error, not computer.
Unless Durabrand is making computers for wal-mart now.

When I left Sam’s and went to Wal-mart I was Dept. Manager of Div 28.

“Great Spirits have often encountered violent opposition from weak minds.”

Does anybody remember when Wally World carried Snapper lawn mowers? Then all at once they were gone from the stores and I have never seen them since.

Does anyone here, know why Wal-mart doesn’t carry Snapper any longer? I’ll give you a hint, it’s not because they don’t want to.

“Great Spirits have often encountered violent opposition from weak minds.”

JM in USA,

How does Costco do it? A more humorous way to put it would be to say, How has Costco a company 20% the size of Wal-Mart made a monkey of the 800-pound gorilla.

James D Sinegal, he is the Founder/CEO/President/Director of Costco, that’s alot of titles, huh, LOL.
Unlike Lee Scott, who takes a 15+ million dollar salary from Wal-mart. Mr Sinegal takes a modest annual salary of $350,000.00 with a bonus of $100,000.00. So he is taking 450 thousand for himself, and his explantion for this action is, he doesn’t beleive that the upper management should take 100, 200, or even 300% more.

Costco basically caters to a different kind of customer, the kind of customer I think Wal-mart wishes they had, a more high end client.

Wal-mart has their three basic beliefs:
1)respect for the individual
2)service to the customer
3)striving for excellence

While Costco has two:
1) Pay good wages, and “You’ll get good people and good productivity,”
2) Sell a limited number of items in a broad range of categories, sell them in large quantities — and sell them fast.

Makies me wonder how long is it going to take Wal-mart to figure out the concept of #1. Which when you think about it #1 is respect for the individual. Wal-mart needs to take back to the zoo that group of monkeys in their think tank.

For you animal lovers, I am sorry now I’ve offended monkeys, LMAO!

“Great Spirits have often encountered violent opposition from weak minds.”

Kudos to you :  TEXAS IN (4/30)

Yes you know of what you speak.

As you know—and I will inform others on here.
THE REASON WHY SNAPPER IS NOT SOLD IN WAL MART!

Wal-Mart would love to sell the Snapper, but they can"t
A fellow named Jim Wier, the CEO of Simplicity the company that bought Snapper in 2002, told WAL MART in essence that
Snapper did not want their business.  They wanted to sell a high quality mower to independent dealers.

Since some of you think I don’t know of what I write :
kindly read.  FAST COMPANY, issue 102, January 2006,
page 66 by Charles Fishman.

TEXAS in -you seem like an intelligent dude—tell me where
this slogan/motto came from.  I am not sure if anyone else on here can.

“DON’T COMPROMISE YOUR REPUTATION.  IT’S A PRECIOUS COMMODITY.
DON’T COMPROMISE YOUR INTEGRITY ...
HAVE A GOOD NAME”

I know from my own experiances, when I return a product to Wal-mart, other than being asked for a reciept the first question that’s asked by the associate behind the counter is, is there anything wrong with the merchandise? I doesn’t take a master’s degree to see all of the repackaged and out for sale merchandise on the shelves, especially in electronics and hardware.

I can say that Sam’s procedures for returned merchandise is a lot more effective from what I have witnessed at Wal-mart, but the bottom line is that both companies put returned merchandise back on the shelves for resale.

When I am shopping I always inspect the packaging if the box looks like it’s been opened, I don’t buy. It’s not so much for me that someone else bought this item and returned it. It’s I wonder did they get all the parts back in the box.

The answer to the question, should the customer be informed if they are buying a display? Absolutely, that’s a quality control issue and part of customer service, which is the job of everyone employed by Wal-mart at store level anyways(I don’t want to be misunderstood)

The answer to the question should the customer be informed that they are buying returned merchandise?
In my opinion, I would say yes.

The competition has found a way of doing this, if you shop at Circuit City or Best Buy. Uh-oh we are now talking about higher-end electronics, ohhhh!
When merchandise is sold and returned those companies put the merchandise on a table and call it open box merchandise. Most of these items do not have a box, but in most cases everything else is included and the items are discounted.

Someone in USA,
you said, repackaging returns as you describe is against policy.

Are you implying that because it’s against company policy, that means it doesn’t happen?

“Great Spirits have often encountered violent opposition from weak minds.”

TEXAS-

Do you take me for a fool? Many things that are against policy happen in Wal-Mart stores. This is no exception.

knowledgeable claimed that putting returned merchandise back on the shelves was company policy. His statement was vague enough that it’s accuracy is difficult to determine, but his remark, “...unless a customer is sharp they would not know by the box until they got home”, implies that it is policy to put defective or incomplete merchandise back on the shelves. That is the claim that is false. I could be putting words in his mouth, but that’s his own fault for being ambiguous. Obviously, viable merchandise is to be returned to the shelf.

Regarding whether or not the customer should be informed of the return...it depends. If everything is there and the unused product is in its original, undamaged packaging, there is no need. Otherwise, assuming the product can be resold, the customer should be advised of the situation and the price should be reduced appropriately. At the stores I have worked, displays are usually only sold at the customer’s request when we are out of stock or the model is no longer needed. I have never seen one that was not sold at a discount or without the customer’s knowledge that it was a display.

I don’t make it a habit to refer to someone as a fool. I despise the term. The returned merchandise is a quality control issue. The merchandise is already a low end product, after it’s returned does that make it used too?

This is a dilemma that a lot retail organizations struggle with, some companies have made preparations to offset the problem, Circuit City, Best Buy, and others. If you don’t beleive me just search “open box” in google.

The problem reverts back the code of business ethics, sure putting it on paper and calling it poilicy shows intent. But that’s about it, without a governing body to enforce those policies, what are they? 

“Great Spirits have often encountered violent opposition from weak minds.

knowledgeable,

The quote is one of my favorites, and it was written by a man we all know? His name Albert Einstein.

Did everyone hear the news? Wal-mart officially closed a Sam’s Club down. 122 workers had no idea, no warning that this was going happen. The club is located in Albany, New York. Wal-mart gave workers 60 day severence packages and informed them that their benefits would last until June 29th. The reason Wal-mart gave for doing this, is that the club was running in the red. The club has been in business for 12 years. It makes me wonder how long Wal-mart knew they were going to do this? It’s just yet another example of how Wal-mart cares very little about the lives of their workers, they have at least warned them, so the people with families could have found something else.

“Great Spirits have often encountered violent opposition from weak minds.

My Supervisor informed a friend of mine (a fellow cashier) that if anyone calls in sick on May 13 they will be fired.

TEXAS IN (POSTED 4/2 @ 4:41PM)

Thanks for responding, however the person that made the quote that I wrote was not Albert Einstein.

I put this quote on here for a various obvious reason and
it is easily understood.

However, my source is that it was from Sam Walton,
unless he plagarized it—we need to check that out.

Please refer to page 33 of the Associate Handbook that
Wal-Mart gives to each of it’s new employees.  This quote is on the very top of the page in bold print.

Now I will try and do some checking and if what you say
is true as this being said by Einstein then I am going to contact Wal-Mart regarding the quote.

Also if you are correct, I will honor my pledge and send my donation to the charity of your choice.  You can post that later—neither of us will have to disclose our personal names.  Have a great day.

knowledgeable,

Oh gee don’t I feel stupid, I assumed you were talking about the quote I was using. It’s wally world flashbacks ya know the whole assume game, it makes an ass(out of)u(and)me.:) My Quote:  “Great Spirits have often encountered violent opposition from weak minds.

Sam was a great man there’s not doubting that, the only problem is that his children didn’t get anything from him, no business sense, taking care of your workers, etc.
It’s really a shame too, Wal-mart even though they are a monopoly in many senses of the word, could have been one of the biggest greatest companies ever. But greed took a hold of them, you would think being worth 15+ billion dollars would be enough.

Sam did do a lot of coping, he said in an interview that his inspiration for Wal-mart came from Sol Price, another great man, perhaps greater.

“Great Spirits have often encountered violent opposition from weak minds.

Cashier in Kansas,

What the Saturday before Mother’s Day? You have to place some kind of value on your job, you either want it or you don’t? When associates call in sick, they are no good to the company, any company. If your legitimately sick and you call in you better be prepared to have a doctors note.

You have to put yourself in the companies shoes, if you were running a business, and you had people scheduled to come in and work, how would you feel if they called in sick?

“Great Spirits have often encountered violent opposition from weak minds.

TO:  TEXAS IN

You are to be commended by your post, accepting the fact that you made a mistake in reading my question on the quote. 

You did cause me to spend a lot of time trying to find the
quote I listed as being said by Einstein—I spent about
40 minutes trying to run it down and then gave up.  But
I did learn a lot of other things in the research.

For others who read, this is an example of what can occur
if one does not read exatly what is written and the contect
in which written.  I learned this a long time ago when I
first studied how to write legal briefs.

May this day be a blessed one and better than yesterday!

I feel sorry for you union workers. Led around like a dog on a leash by your union boss. Afraid you will lose your job to Mexico. Go on strike every 4 years to gain 500 dollars while you lose a 1000 dollars, really smart. Sneak into Wal-Mart late at night so that other union members will not see you. You say only buy America made products while you build cars from parts made in other countries. Why do you think your union boss wants you to worry about Wal-mart is it because he doesn’t want you to realize how pathetic unions are! You even have to pay to keep your job its called union dues.