Wal-Mart turns a holiday deal into an irrelevant piece of technology

this blog is dumb - buyer beware - if people buy the HD-DVD before they know which format is going to prevail, it’s their own fault - not the store that sold it ... if anything, these people should be thankful to Walmart that they lost ONLY $100

Just did a little online research - Netflix, Disney, Sony, Twentieth Century Fox, and MGM have also endorsed Blu-Ray - so are you guys going to go whine about them too????

I don’t think the jury (consumers) is out on this issue yet.  Millions of people have HD-DVD players now, I’m not sure they are going to be willing to junk them and buy a new Blu-ray player and pay an extra $5.00+ for their movies.  Seems to me, that they said once that the Beta-Max was going to be the dominant video player, but it ended up a flop.  I think Wal-Mart is making a big mistake doing this and will see their movie sales drop dramatically.  Time will tell the real story.

To steal a line from someone on the Consumerist:

>"Yeah, this just serves to cheapen legitimate criticism of WalMart.”

Seriously, Wal*Mart is just about one of the last companies to announce that are going Blu-Ray exclusive.

When will you post a story about Wal*Mart discontinuing the sales of Virtual Boy games?

Not to worry, UncleBob, there is still plenty of “legitimate criticism of WalMart”. And isn’t it’s Wal-Mart’s role to “cheapen” everything it touches? Even criticizm?

“What once was a friendly, customer service oriented business, has become a rude, unhelpful, impersonal corporation that has lost touch with it’s roots.” ~ James, ex Wal-Mart customer and PFB letter writer.

>"there is still plenty of “legitimate criticism of WalMart”.”

Like when they catch someone shoplifting?  That’s always a legitimate criticism, ‘eh Ken?

>"And isn’t it’s Wal-Mart’s role to “cheapen” everything it touches?”

So, what you’re saying, is Wal*Mart detractors are becoming more and more like Wal*Mart?

Houston, TX. Alleged Shoplifter Dies In Wal-Mart Parking Lot.

Stacy Driver, 30, of Cleveland, Ohio, a master carpenter and the father of a two year old son, died on Sunday, August 7th. from a heart attack, while lying face down in a Wal-Mart parking lot. Driver did not stumble or trip, he was pinned down on the burning hot pavement by several Wal-Mart workers who accused him of shop lifting a package of diapers, a pair of sunglasses, a BB gun, and a package of BBs. “When we got there,” a paramedic said, “the man was facedown (in cardiac arrest) with handcuffs behind his back. That’s not indicative of someone given CPR.” A Houston lawyer who witnessed the event, told the Houston Chronicle that one of the Wal-Mart employees had Driver in a choke hold as other employees pinned his body to the ground. “He was begging, ‘Please, I’m burning, let me up,’ “ the eyewitness said. . “He’d push himself up off the blacktop, like he was doing a push-up. About 30 people were saying, ‘Let him up, it’s too hot,’ Another employee brought a rug for Driver to lie on, but one of those holding Driver said he was fine where he was. “After about five minutes, (Driver) said, ‘I’m dying, I can’t breathe, call an ambulance,’ “ the eyewitness lawyer continued.

Family Sues Wal-Mart In Shopper’s Death
Medical Examiner Rules Victim’s Death Homicide
POSTED: 11:49 am CST November 15, 2005
UPDATED: 8:50 am CST November 16, 2005

HOUSTON—A family has filed a lawsuit accusing several security guards at an Atascocita Wal-Mart of killing a man suspected of shoplifting, KPRC Local 2 reported Tuesday.
Stacy Driver, 30, was chased into the parking lot on F.M. 1960 East near Atascocita Road and detained on Aug. 8 at about 2 p.m.

Officials with the Harris County Sheriff’s Department said Driver struggled with security guards after store security officials accused him of stealing a BB gun, sunglasses and diapers. During the struggle, Driver stopped breathing. Paramedics pronounced him dead in the parking lot.

“Like when they catch someone shoplifting?  That’s always a legitimate criticism, ‘eh Ken?”
UncleBob in Carmi, IL
Saturday, February 16 at 10:27 AM

Apparently killing someone for shoplifting is not considered grounds for legitimate criticism of Walmart in Carmi, IL.

Walmart worship means ignorance is bliss. A cheap way through life… stupid, indifferent and deceived while jacked up as a consumerism junkie.

Agent 86 - KenV knows what I’m talking about - and it has nothing to do with that incident… :)

You know what’s odd about your post though?  It doesn’t mention at all that Mr. Driver was on drugs at the time, something which the medical examiner clearly indicated was a secondary cause of this man’s death…

“The medical examiner ruled the death a homicide, although methamphetamine toxicity and hyperthermia were cited as secondary causes.”

Now, I’m not defending Wal*Mart here - just making sure all sides are clearly represented.

I’m left wondering, though… If I looked at a particular union’s history, would I find any events where Union Leaders or other union reps are responsible for death?  Could be an interesting read…

Back on the topic at hand - how Wal*Mart is all evil for dropping HD-DVD…

http://kotaku.com/357312/forget-wal+mart-toshiba-giving-up-on-hd+dvd

Apparently, Toshiba - the main backer and creator of the HD-DVD format is dropping HD-DVD support.

KenV knows what I’m talking about -

UncleBob is talking about the most expensive bottle of DaSani water on the planet.  ($50,000+ so far, and the bottle is only 1/3 full:o)

...hyperthermia...

Do you know what that means, UncleBob? It means that after his shirt was torn off in the struggle, Stacy Driver was held down on a blacktop parking lot in Houston, Texas in the middle of summer.  Hyperthermia is just a nice way of saying he cooked.

Also, you forgot to mention positional or restrain asphyxia. You know, where three or four AP thugs sit on you so you can’t breathe.

If memory serves, the “BB gun, sunglasses and diapers” were valued below $100 and, as I recall, Wal-Mart settled for considerably more than that.

I’m left wondering, though… If I looked at a particular union’s history, would I find any events where Union Leaders or other union reps are responsible for death?  Could be an interesting read…

UncleBob in Carmi, IL
Saturday, February 16 at 12:27 PM

Uncle Bob: I reread the above posts and,for the life of me, could not understand your union reference,in regard to the deceased victim,Stacy Driver. Are you saying he was a union member?What did unions have to do with this man’s homicide ?Maybe you should clearly represent what story you are trying to tell.

KenV - I noticed you didn’t mention anything about the fact this man was on meth.  It’s interesting how everyone who holds up this extreme example of one mishandled case always refuses to acknowledge that this man was high on a drug that is know to wreck the health of those who use it *and* make them prone to violent outbreaks.

ddrb - the point of the union comment is that I find it a little “pot calling the kettle black” for Union Members to be attacking a company for an incident that individuals in that company did that were 100% out of like with that company’s policies and stated procedures.  Again, I’d be willing to bet that someone who was more interested could round up worse stories from about union members and their actions.  Until someone can dig up the internal company memo that says Wal*Mart security guards should treat shoplifting subjects anywhere near the manner of what these people did, it seems highly unfair to blame the entire company for what a few stupid people did.

“it seems highly unfair to blame the entire company for what a few stupid people did. “

Come on UncleBob, it’s not too hard to see that’s the complete MO for the anti-Walmart crowd.  Didn’t you know they are responsible for all crime, global warming and the lack of world peace?

Uncle Bob: With all due respect,do you not think it inappropriate to demean the deceased with ad hominem attacks about meth or attempting to use unions to deflect discussion of WalMart’s culpabilty ?I still fail to see where anyone introduced these issues anywhere on this thread,but you.  ( Incidentally,being high on a drug was not nearly as hazardous to his health as being choked to death by security guards. )

ddrb: I wasn’t the one who brought up the Driver case.  Perhaps you missed that.

If Mr. Driver thought it demeaning to have people talk about his meth use, he shouldn’t have used meth, then went out in public while under the influence.  Now, I can’t speak for him, but I’d have to say it’d be more demeaning to me if someone used the circumstances of my death to further their vaguely related political agenda.

Uncle Bob: Perhaps you missed the part where I said that references to meth use and unions were introduced by you. I never stated that you brought Mr.Driver’s death up,originally. And in regard to a “vaguely related political agenda,"strangely enough,thats just the impression I got from your gratuitous remarks about unions- that you were perhaps promoting a vaguely political agenda of your own.

The references to meth use were brought up in direct affiliation with the Driver case.  You cannot fairly look at the Driver case without taking into account the meth factor.

And you’re right - if I brought up individuals who died due to vaguely related Union incidents, then I’d be no better than those who bring up the Driver case for no other purpose than to further their mostly unrelated agenda.  Which is exactly one of the reasons why I choose not to post articles and names involving incidents where individuals have died due to union activity.

Uncle Bob: No, I’d be right if you stipulated that the inclusion of unions and any derivative thereof had absolutely NOTHING to do with the Driver case,except for your purposes of your own. Unions had nothing to do with the manner of this man’s death-period...WalMart employees did. Any further attempt at elucidation or eloquence is futile.

UncleBob;

I wonder what that Stacy Driver would be doing today, had he decided to forego the use of drugs and had taken that BB gun, those sunglasses and diapers through the checkout, like most other people do.  Isn’t it strange that this FACT seems to be overlooked by the anti group in this case, they make it sound like Driver had NO responsibility for his actions.

As for a union related death, how about Jimmy Hoffa?  Kind of nice how the people here want to gloss over similar union actions.  I believe it to be only a fair question, as this is a union site talking about the actions of Wal-Mart.

I never once said the Drive case did have anything to do with Unions or Union members.  Merely stated that I could probably dig up some stories where irresponsible union members played a key role in the death of an individual.  I never linked the Driver case to Unions - you asked about a link in your reply - to which I followed up with the fact that I brought up Unions simply because I find Union members with a Union agenda to be, how’d I say it, “pot calling the kettle black” to be criticizing an entire group of people based on the actions of a few stupid members.  You’re the one who wants me to be making a direct Driver-Union link when I’ve done no such thing.  Are employees who worked for Wal*Mart responsible for Driver’s death?  The Medical Examiner’s report would clearly indicate such - thus I’m inclined to believe it - and the part about the secondary factors that contributed to his death as well - as I have no evidence otherwise.  I do not believe that these employees were following any kind of mandate or procedures from Home Office on what to do in such a situation.

I don’t believe any particular Union or members of a Union was responsible for the death in this incident.

I do believe that Union members, both acting on orders from within the Union Leadership and acting on their own, have caused the deaths of individuals.  I do not believe this to be related to, nor an excuse for, the actions that occurred during the Driver incident.

However, for a Union propaganda website to bring up the Driver Case to use that to criticize Wal*Mart would be akin to Darth Vader running political ads against The Borg for crimes against Humanity.  Both groups are guilty of the same thing and it’s pretty tactless to bring it up just to further your political agenda.

And I’m still not sure what any of this has to do with Wal*Mart dropping a failing media format.  But that’s the way to go about spreading the anti-Wal*Mart message, eh?

Uncle Bob,

These anti people are a little SLOW at understanding some things, I got your point about the unions, right from your first post!!  They are so fixated on their so-called CAUSE, they see nothing else, especially if it doesn’t fit into their agenda!!  So, you’ll have to forgive them!!

....if it doesn’t fit into their agenda!!

Bingo, RDS! Our “agenda” is bashing Wal-Mart. Your agenda is bashing unions.

Take your pick.

Didn’t you know they are responsible for all crime, global warming and the lack of world peace?

Forget all that, mary. Why not continue to try to defend your choice of Wal-Mart as the poster-child for capitalism?

“There is no perceived risk in attacking Wal-Mart anymore. They have gone from being a business success story to being a cultural villain.” ~ Eric Dezenhall

Can anyone explain, if Wal-Mart’s business model is SO FLAWED and their management is SO BAD, how they became and remain the biggest retailer and continue to GROW?  Bet a lot of other retailers WISH they had as FLAWED business model and as POOR a management team.

I see the imbecile list is growing,

1. STILL RDS

2. MARY

SO ON AND SO ON.

JOE in

I guess you can add me to that list.....that is, when WMW is not engaging in censorship. Now, this would be understandable but for the simple fact that WMW claims to be against any form of censorship (ie. why won’t Wal-Mart sell dirty rap CDS and Hustler magazine to 8-year olds?)

JOE,

When did SDV put you in charge of the imbecile list and give you permission to add to and change the status of entries?

Nice to have you back Nick!!

So… umm.. back to the topic at hand..

http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKL1637974620080216

More rumors popping up that Toshiba is dropping the HD-DVD format.  It’s a shame too, since it is the superior format. :(

...continue to GROW?

You need to look at the numbers a little more closely, Charles. As you point out, Wal-Mart is a juggernaut so step one in vanquishing the <Beast of Bentonville</i> is to SLOW the rate of growth. You’ll notice the word ‘stagnant’ popping up more and more in regard to all aspects of the Wal-Mart model.

One can only wonder at what growth Wal-Mart would have experienced if not for the millstone of the Anti Wal-Mart Movement hanging around it’s neck.

Most dramatically, overhead costs jumped 14.8% in 2006 alone and now amount to 18.6% of sales, compared with 16.4% in Scott’s first year—a momentous rise in a business that counts profit in pennies on the dollar.

RDS YOU ARE STILL DUFASS # 1 no matter who makes a list.

Joe, Uncle Bob, ...then the return of Nick and Bob(RDS).
Almost makes you think that there is one person behind this cast of characters.

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

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

Ken;

[You need to look at the numbers a little more closely, Charles.]

Maybe you haven’t heard about it, but we are in an economic slowdown and everybodies numbers are down.  What about the stock price, in Sept of ‘07, it was $42.50 a share and as of friday, it is now $49.44 a share, now, I don’t know what YOU learned in school, but 49 is higher than 42, as I learned it.  Also, in a SLOWER economy, their profits were up by $1 BILLION in ‘07 over ‘06, how do you call that going DOWN?  It sometimes helps to put things into context as to what is going on in the economy when talking about numbers.

Uncle Bob: Your statement in a preceding commentary says:  “Both groups are guilty of the same thing and it’s pretty tactless to bring it up just to further your political agenda. “ Uncle Bob,I couldn’t agree with you more. How utterly tactless for you to promote YOUR political agenda ,at the expense of both deceased union members AND the homicide victim ,Stacy Driver. You remark that it is impossible to look at the case fairly without addressing the victim’s substance issues,is an insightful statement.... yes,any “fairness “went out the window when you raised a totally non related issue-namely unions. I see no fairness whatsoever in that.TOTALLY irrelevant and immaterial to the FACTS of this case.Firstly,you chose to come to a site partially funded by unions,and evidently ASSUMED from your commentaries that all who post here are union members, and/or union defenders. I submit that there are some here who just have a visceral aversion to exploiting and disrespecting the deceased to defend the indefensible actions of WalMart employees.and’ consider it in extremely poor taste to gratuitously bash and disrespect a forum of whose members, you are a guest.

...but 49 is higher than 42...

And $67* is higher than $49, Charles.

...look at the numbers a little more closely...

While you’re at it you might want to look more closely at the big picture. In 2006 Wal-Mart increased sales by $50 billion but only increased profits by $50 million. That type of “growth” causes the Anti Wal-Mart Movement to dance in the streets.

*WMT was selling at $67 in January of 2000 when Lee Scott took over.

Charles in Brighton: Can anyone explain, if Wal-Mart’s business model is SO FLAWED and their management is SO BAD, how they became and remain the biggest retailer and continue to GROW?  Bet a lot of other retailers WISH they had as FLAWED business model and as POOR a management team.

Charles in Brighton, Tn.
Sunday, February 17 at 01:59
Perhaps an uneven playing field ? Corporate tax loopholes,governmental largesse,"off the clock” violations,TIF financing,Real Estate Investment Trusts,Lobbying every alphabet soup arm of the government,playing one community against another? Ignoring food and safety standards by leaving recalled items on shelves for sale to increase profit margins? For MANY of the WalMart ways of UNleveling the playing field,I would recommend going to the Good Jobs First website.WalMart has received over $1 Billion in tax subsidies,and that’s on the LOW side. The study was produced in 2004. There is ,on the same site,a WalMart Subsidy Watch,and a state by state option to determine the $ amounts of subsidies in your particular area. These are excellent resource information stats and graphs,plus a guide to communities considering giving corporations any incentives.Aditionally,there are links to other resources of related information.

P.S. Now here’s a REAL suggestion from Good Jobs First to local communities on how to Save More. Live Better :” THE IDEAL DEAL”
NEW HANDBOOK GIVES LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS
SMART TOOLS FOR BETTER DEALS

Chicago and Washington—Local governments can write more effective contracts to improve the odds that companies receiving economic development incentives keep their promises to create good jobs and other community benefits - or pay taxpayers back.

That’s the message from “The Ideal Deal: How Local Governments Can Get More for Their Economic Development Dollar,” a new handbook released today by Good Jobs First and the Center for Urban Economic Development (CUED) at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

The handbook is co-authored by Dr. Rachel Weber, Associate Professor in the Urban Planning and Policy Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago and attorney David A. Santacroce, Clinical Professor with the University of Michigan Clinical Law Program. Weber has extensive experience surveying localities and writing about best incentive-deal practices; Santacroce has litigated and written about legal remedies for failed incentive deals.

“We are pleased to share best practices we have culled from local development officials,” said Weber. “Everyone benefits when deals are clearly defined - taxpayers, communities and employers alike.”

“No one likes to spend too much on a deal, and no one wants to sue if a deal doesn’t pan out,” said Santacroce. “Deliberate procedures and thorough contracts minimize the odds that problems will develop.”

The report takes local economic development practitioners step-by-step through the different elements of contracts that treat public incentive packages as a quid pro quo for public benefits. Each section discusses a different element of the ideal deal: valuation of public costs and benefits, performance standards, disclosure and oversight, and enforcement.  The report is freely available at www.goodjobsfirst.org/pdf/idealdeal.

However, for a Union propaganda website to bring up the Driver Case to use that to criticize Wal*Mart would be akin to Darth Vader running political ads against The Borg for crimes against Humanity.

Keeper! ^5

ddrb;

[Perhaps an uneven playing field ?]

So, I guess you are saying that Wal-Mart is the ONLY retail business that takes advantage of tax loopholes and bargains for locations.  None of the other retailers, lobby, pay low wages, etc., correct?  I find it kind of strange, that if all the things you mentioned are supposedly KNOWN, why do governments continue to offer these loopholes and still fight to get a Wal-Mart in their community.  Also, workers continue to apply for work there and accept jobs.  And, people still invest their money in their stock and many analysists, including Jim Cramer, and Karen Fineman, etc. have been saying nothing but nice things about Wal-Mart on CNBC.  And, lastly, consumers continue to SPEND their MONEY there.

...you are saying that Wal-Mart is the ONLY retail business...

Nope, just the biggest</b and the <b>worst!

Surely you can come up with a better argument then the hackneyed ‘they-all-do-it-so-it’s-ok’, Charles.

Why should the profits of multinational corporations take precedence over the quality of life for so many of the world’s poor? ~ Jill A. Bolstridge

Charles - some of those thing are actually *my* problem with Wal*Mart. ;)

It’s just people like WalMartWatch and KenV don’t know how to focus on the real issues and, instead, focus on stuff like “Oh, look, Wal*Mart stopped selling a technology that the main developer and manufacturer stopped making”.

Ken V: Do they not EVER have a better response to substantiate their position? Perhaps the fact that CNBC is owned by General Elrctric,who owns G.E.Capital,who handles WalMart’s credit card services ,might just have a little something to do with saying those nice things? Now, WalMart wants an Industrial Loan Bank so they can handle their own credit card(among other reasons).If that were to happen,wonder if CNBC would be so positive then?

Personally I think the accompanying article is nothing but BS.

According to CNN, this morning, Wal-Mart’s decision to go Blu-Ray was the final straw in what was already a long list of studios/distribution outlets jumping ship to the preferred format.

In fact, some five days before the WM decision, the online darling Netflix already made their decision to go all Blu-Ray for their rentals.

As Gil pointed-out on Friday, several major studios were already on board (in fact, Warner Bros. move to Blu-Ray, last month signaled “the beginning of the end” for HD DVD).

And, since some here tend to embrace the gamer community from time to time, let’s not forget which discs the PS3 plays…

...WalMartWatch and KenV...

I’m not responsible for the threads started by WMW, UncleBob. I do like to throw in a link to a story that I call “THE small PICTURE” every now and then just because there is so much outrageous stuff happening in individual Wal-Mart stores.

There’s no law that says you have to comment on this “Oh, look, Wal*Mart stopped selling a technology that the main developer and manufacturer stopped making” thread.

The white space is here. Fill it with the “real issues”, UncleBob.

“If some community, for whatever reason, doesn’t want us in there, then we are not interested in going in and creating a fuss.  Wal-Mart wants to go where it is wanted.“ ~Sam Walton

Uncle Bob: In reference to your request to see an internal memo from WalMart instructing WalMart employees on proper procedures and policies regarding shoplifters,here in an excerpt from the Houston Chronicle,2005:  “The Chronicle has obtained a portion of Wal-Mart’s “Shoplifting Apprehension” policy. It states loss-prevention employees can use “reasonable force,” but safety must always be foremost on the employee’s mind.

“If the situation becomes violent or is deemed potentially dangerous, you should allow the shoplifter to leave the premise,” the WalMart policy states.

When asked to verify the contents of the Wal-Mart policy, Heires declined, citing the pending investigation.

Christman said retail loss-prevention employees are not licensed law enforcement officers, so they should not be able to use a degree of force that could cause serious injury or death.

After three shoplifting suspects in the Detroit area were killed in similar incidents in 2001, the Michigan Legislature passed laws increasing minimum training standards for security guards and requiring concealed-weapon permits for armed guards. The law also prohibits felons from working as security guards.

“Our position in Michigan was that security guards were to observe and report, and that’s it,” said lobbyist Phil Hoffman, a former Michigan state senator who sponsored the 2001 legislation. “We wanted security guards to leave the apprehension to law enforcement.”

In another Wal-Mart case, a man died in September 2001 after employees in Las Vegas chased him off store property and into a neighborhood. Jan M. Burstein, 29, of Leawood, Kan., died in custody of employees who had pinned him face-down on the ground with his arms behind his back.

The Las Vegas-area coroner pronounced Burstein’s death a homicide, but no charges were filed because, according to the Clark County District Attorney’s Office, the store employees had not broken any laws. Burstein’s father declined to comment, citing legal reasons.

All of this sounds like more of the continuing effort in this country to protect the rights of the criminal, at the expense of the rights of the victim!!  Finding a way to blame the victim for the criminal activities of the perpetrator!!  How many times have we seen on this site, where Wal-Mart is being blamed for what goes on in their parking lot?  But, when the store tries to do something about it, they are taken to task for it!!  There have even been posts here, about how many times the police have to respond to calls from Wal-Mart, to suggest that Wal-Mart shouldn’t be bothering the police so much!!  If they tighten security, they are using ‘deadly force’, but, if they loosen security, they are encouraging crime!!  Ask yourself, “Do criminals always cooperate with apprehendion, or do they usually fight to avoid it?”!!  Do we try to stop crime or do we allow it to get worse by taking the blame off the criminal and pushing it off on the victim?  How many times have we heard the statements, “They were asking for it”, “They didn’t lock their car”, “Look at the clothes she was wearing” or, “They should have just given them what they wanted”, to excuse the actions of the criminals?

But WalMart practices have proven fatal and life threatening to its OWN employees as well-namely the “lock -in” . Stores’ exits were locked down or chained with the employees remaining inside with no way to get out, or anyone to come in and render assisstance..Here is an excerpt from a New York Times article from 2004:  “Janet Anderson, who was a night supervisor at a Sam’s Club in Colorado from 1996 to 2002, said that many of her employees were also airmen stationed at a nearby Air Force base.  She said they often had to wait until a manager arrived around 6 a.m.She said one airman received a reprimand from management for leaving by the fire door to report to duty.

Ms. Anderson also told of a worker who had broken his foot one night while using a cardboard box baler and had to wait four hours for someone to open the door. She said the store’s managers had lied to her and the overnight crew, telling them the fire doors could not be physically opened by the workers and that the doors would open automatically when the fire alarm was triggered.

Only after several years as night supervisor did she learn that she could open the fire door from inside, she said, but she was told she faced dismissal if she opened it when there was no fire. One night, she said, she cut her finger badly with a box cutter but dared not go out the fire exit — waiting until morning to get 13 stitches at a hospital.

The federal government and almost all states do not bar locking in workers so long as they have access to an emergency exit. But several longtime Wal-Mart workers recalled that in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, the fire doors of some Wal-Marts were chained shut.

Wal-Mart officials said they cracked down on that practice after an overnight stocker at a store in Savannah, Ga., collapsed and died in 1988. Paramedics could not get into the store soon enough because the employees inside could not open the fire door or front door, and there was no manager with a key” (N.YTimes):P.S.According to Mona Williams,lock-ins are no longer done.The lock-ins figured prominently in allegations of “off theclock violations”.The article is dated January 13,2004 by Steven Greenhouse,entitled"In House Audit Says WalMart Violated Labor Laws.”

OK, let’s give the death penalty for shoplifting and/or meth use. How about parking in a handicapped space? Smoking?

Get a rope!

Wal-Mart is the exemplar of a form of corporate colonialism, which is to say, organizations from one place going into distant places and strip-mining them culturally and economically. ~ James Howard Kunstler

Ken V : How about alcohol? After all,isn’t WalMart the country’s largest purveyor of liquor?

ddrb,

This is a good example of the ‘spin’ put out against Wal-Mart, let’s examine your post, shall we?  First you say:

“But WalMart practices have proven fatal and life threatening to its OWN employees as well-namely the “lock -in” . Stores’ exits were locked down or chained with the employees remaining inside with no way to get out”

Then you go on to quote an article that says:

“She said they often had to wait until a manager arrived around 6 a.m. She said one airman received a reprimand from management for leaving by the fire door to report to duty.”

Now, if the doors were locked or chained, how did the airman LEAVE BY THE FIREDOOR?  Clearly, the employees did have a way out in case of emergency!!  But, for the employees safety, outsiders did not have a way “IN”!!

Then the article states that:

“Only after several years as night supervisor did she learn that she could open the fire door from inside”

Guess she forgot about how the airman used the fire door!!  And, only an ignoramous, would think that an accident such as a ‘broken foot’ would result in a reprimand, should the paramedics be called and let in to tend to the injury!!

Ken V,

And you talk about me going to extremes!!  How about if we just let the criminals run around terrorizing people, with no way for victims to protect themselves!!  By the way, have you ever called the police and seen the responce?  They didn’t get the reputation of being at the ‘doughnut shop’ for nothing, you know!!  I once saw an auto accident, that happened 1/2 a block from the police station and it took 35 minutes for a squad car to get there!!

Problem is, you make it sound like Stacy Driver was the only person to ever shoplift at Wal-Mart and they killed him for it, thus proving that Wal-Mart’s policy is to ‘KILL’ shoplifters!!  Get real, one bad incident, does not a policy make!!

RDS: There is no indication that the incidents occurred in the chronological order in which they were related in the story.If you will reread the story, it says she worked there for six years,from 1996-2002 . It also stated it was several years before she learned the doors could be opened from the inside. It is quite possible that the incident with the airman occurred AFTER it was learned the doors could be opened, as there were many airmen employed during her six year tenure.  They were evidently locked in at some points in time ,which is why they had to wait till 6:00 A.M. for a manager to come and unlock the doors.(For anyone who wishes further info,just type in WalMart Lock-in into Google.)

BTW:The New York Times Steven Greenhouse article I mentioned above goes into more detail on other incidents involving injured WalMart employees being locked in and unable to receive medical care. WalMart did not deny this practice existed,nor dispute the statements of any of the employees in this article.

Correction:” Workers Assail Night Lock-Ins by Wal-Mart”,
STEVEN GREENHOUSE / NY Times 18jan04----This is the article from which I excerpted portions of my above commentary. The article “In -House Audit Says WalMart Violated labor Laws” by Steven Greenhouse was published 13jan04.My apologies for the error.

ddrb,

The point I was trying to make, was that people can spout upsides and downsides to any situation, for example, let’s say Wal-Mart didn’t lock down the doors and somebody broke in to rob the store and in the middle of that event, a couple of employees were shot and killed, we would now be hearing on this site, “Wal-Mart puts it’s employees lives at risk, by NOT locking the doors at night”!!  An armchair quarterback can ALWAYS find an alternate outcome to any situation!!  Try being the quarterback sometimes and see if YOU always make the correct decisions, even in your own life!!

A few more words from Doublespeak : Wal-Mart: Dickensian Nightmare

Can you say “Triangle Shirtwaist Fire”? How can OSHA let them get away with this?

“Workers Assail Night Lock-Ins by Wal-Mart”. Looking back to that night, Michael Rodriguez still has trouble believing the situation he faced when he was stocking shelves on the overnight shift at the Sam’s Club in Corpus Christi, Tex. It was 3 a.m., Mr. Rodriguez recalled, some heavy machinery had just smashed into his ankle, and he had no idea how he would get to the hospital. The Sam’s Club, a Wal-Mart subsidiary, had locked its overnight workers in, as it always did, to keep robbers out and, as some managers say, to prevent employee theft. ... For more than 15 years, Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer, has locked in overnight employees at some of its Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club stores. It is a policy that many employees say has created disconcerting situations, such as when a worker in Indiana suffered a heart attack, when hurricanes hit in Florida and when workers’ wives have gone into labor. ... Retailing experts and Wal-Mart’s competitors said the company’s lock-in policy was highly unusual. Officials at Kmart, Sears, Toys “R” Us, Home Depot and Costco, said they did not lock in workers. ... “It’s clearly cause for concern,” said Burt Flickinger, who runs a retail consulting concern. “Locking in workers, that’s more of a 19th-century practice than a 20th-century one.” ... [Steven Greenhouse, New York Times, January 18, 2004]

Also from the Senator George Mitchell report: ---- WORKER SAFETY--- The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) is designed to protect workers from workplace injuries and illnesses. OSHA is enforced by the Department of Labor’sOccupational Safety and Health Administration. Regulations issued by that agency lay out clear rules for such safety matters as the provision of exits for employees.The latest Wal-Mart scandal to hit the news is its reported lockdown of its night time shift various stores around the country. According to a January 18, 2004, New York Times report, thecompany institutes a “lock-in” policy at some of its Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club stores. Thestores lock their doors at night so that no one can enter or leave the building, leaving workersinside trapped. Some workers are then threatened that, if they ever use the fire exit to leave the building, they will be fired. Instead, a manager is supposed to have a key that will unlock doors to allow employees to escape. Many workers have found themselves locked in without a manager who has a key, as the New York Times story detailed.The company has claimed that the policy is designed to protect stores and employeesfrom crime. Former store managers, however, have claimed the real reason behind the lockdownis to prevent “shrinkage” ­ i.e., theft by either employees or outsiders. It is also designed to eliminate unauthorized cigarette breaks .