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The Wal-Mart Watch Blog
Toys
| Jan 29, 2010
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has recalled two ‘Princess and the Frog’ charm necklaces today due to high levels of Cadmium, a dangerous heavy metal. The necklaces are sold exclusively at Walmart stores. It may sound like many other recall stories, but this is actually the first time the CPSC has recalled anything for containing Cadmium. The metal was spotlighted in a recent Associated Press investigation which discovered high levels of Cadmium in many pieces of children’s jewelry.
Cadmium, like lead and other heavy metals, is a known carcinogen and can cause stunted brain development in children.
The Associated Press found that Chinese factories had started using Cadmium in products after they stopped using lead due to scrutiny from the US government during the last product safety scare.
In our opinion, it is no coincidence that this first Cadmium recall happened at Walmart, either. First because the use of cadmium seems to be linked with Chinese factories, at least so far. More than 70% of Walmart’s goods come from China, making it likely that these toxic metal products could end up on Walmart’s shelves. Second, Walmart has a history of using its size and clout to push suppliers to produce at a lower cost, forcing them to cut corners to meet Walmart’s price demands and still make a profit. One of the areas that suppliers could cut corners is product safety.
We think it’s pretty irresponsible for Walmart to be selling cadmium laced children’s necklaces, or anything else with highly toxic chemicals, for that matter. That’s why we launched a campaign over the holiday shopping season demanding that Walmart remove dangerous products from its shelves. Obviously they haven’t listened.
You can read more about Walmart’s dangerous products and sign an open letter to Mike Duke demanding that he take responsibility for consumer protection here.
The official CPSC press release about the Disney ‘Princess and the Frog’ necklaces is here.
Posted by Media Team | Permalink
After the huge scare surrounding lead in products at Walmart and other stores, you would think that companies (both manufacturers and retailers) would be more careful about testing their wares to make sure they were safe. Apparently instead, manufacturers have just started using a different toxic heavy metal instead of lead.
The Associated Press reports that since the increased scrutiny over lead, some manufacturers have simply started using cadmium, an even more dangerous heavy metal. Cadmium is known to cause cancer and stunt brain development in young people. According to the tests, twelve percent of the products tested had at least 10 percent cadmium with some containing as much as 91 percent.
Not only is cadmium just as bad a lead, apparently the Consumer Product Safety Commission is not regulating it. According to the AP,
“‘There’s nothing positive that you can say about this metal. It’s a poison,’ said Bruce A. Fowler, a toxicologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. On its list of the 275 most hazardous substances in the environment, cadmium ranks number seven.
A patchwork of federal consumer protection regulations does nothing to keep these nuggets of cadmium from US store shelves.
While the Consumer Product Safety Commission has cracked down on the dangers posed by lead, it has never recalled an item for cadmium - even though it has received scattered complaints based on private test results for at least the past two years.”
Safety is a big deal. You should be able to walk in to a store and buy a product without worrying that it is going to poison you or your child. That is why we wrote an open letter to Mike Duke, Walmart’s CEO, over the holidays calling for safe products, responsible business practices, and accountability. In it we highlighted several toys that contained unsafe chemicals, including Cadmium. In particular, according to HealthyStuff.org, the buckle of the iCarly pink belt contains 523 parts per million of Cadmium.
If you haven’t already, please take a minute to read more about our efforts to get dangerous toys off Walmart’s shelves and sign the open letter.
Posted by Media Team | Permalink
Two years ago, Walmart promoted Aqua Dots as a top toy for the holiday season. It was soon discovered that children who ate the pieces of this toy (which looked quite a lot like candy) passed out because of a chemical that was used to make the toy. Last year, despite safety concerns, Walmart still sold toys and products tainted with lead and other toxins. It looks like Walmart will continue their tradition of selling dangerous toys during the holidays.
Posted by Media Team | Permalink
If you were only reading the major papers, you might think that was the case. They are all talking about how calm Black Friday was. If you look a little closer at some local press, however, you start to see a different story. At many Walmart stores across the country, fights broke out, crowds became unmanageable, and the police were called. Of course there were no tragic and fatal stampedes this year, but the stories coming out are disturbing enough. After all, anytime there is a change of bodily harm from an everyday task like shopping, there is reason for concern.
Here are a few of the stories about out of control Black Friday experiences:
Fight breaks out at Florida Walmart
Police and managers calm Upland Wal-Mart shoppers by emptying store
Black Friday: Police also called to Wal-Mart in Rancho Cucamonga
Black Friday shoppers at Wal-Mart scuffle over GPS units
Black Friday Walmart scuffle brings out police in Seminole County
Posted by Media Team | Permalink
Two Christmases ago, Walmart was inundated with complaints and bad press about carrying products that were dangerous. Chief among those concerns were products that contained dangerous levels of lead. You see Walmart’s business model is based on selling their goods for the cheapest price possible. Often that means pressuring their manufacturers to cut corners or use the cheapest factories around. The result is products that are tainted with lead, contain other harmful material, or are physically dangerous.
While the fervor has died down, Walmart hasn’t stopped carrying dangerous products because their business model hasn’t changed. As evidence, today the state of California has asked several companies to remove several products from their shelves because they contain dangerous levels of lead. On the list, are the Kids Poncho and MSY Faded Glory Rebecca Shoes which are sold at Walmart.
Walmart might have cheap prices, but often there is a hidden cost behind that price tag. The hidden cost of an unsafe product, of environmental degradation, of sweatshop labor, or of labor abuses.
Here is an excerpt from the article from the Los Angeles Times:
California Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown issued a safety warning Tuesday, alleging that seven toys and other products tested by the Center for Environmental Health this month contained illegal levels of lead.
...Other products that the center says have abnormal amounts of lead are the Kids Poncho and MSY Faded Glory Rebecca Shoes, both sold by Wal-Mart; Reversible Croco Belt sold by Target; Dora the Explorer Activity Tote sold by TJ Maxx; and Paula Fuschia Open-Toed Shoes sold by Sears
Posted by Media Team | Permalink
- Rantoul
officials have four projects ready for stimulus funds [News-Gazette
(Ill.)]
Hazel said the most urgently needed project for Rantoul calls for spending $2 million to improve South Murray Road from the new Wal-Mart Supercenter south to County Road 2900N.
- Al
Norman: 'Shovel-Ready' Stimulus Plan: Buy A Dead Wal-Mart? [Huffington
Post]
The big winner will be Wal-Mart, which will sell off its dead store, and make more money at its superstore 8 miles away. Instead of pressuring the retailer to donate their 'old' store, Clyde wants to use federal taxpayer's money to bail out a company that made almost $13 billion in profits last year.
Read the rest of this story ...
Posted by Chris C | Permalink
Check out this week’s issue of the Wal-Mart Watch Weekly Update for Elected Officials – a compilation of Wal-Mart news from across the country and beyond.
This week’s issue begins with a Bloomberg report of Wal-Mart being placed on a list of most controversial companies. Also named - the company responsible for producing melamine-tainted milk in China. The list includes companies criticized for producing negative impacts on communities, health, and the environment, and was based on a study by RepRisk, a consulting firm that analyzes companies’ exposure to controversial issues and news.
You’ll also find stories from BusinessWeek and the Financial Times on how corporate giants like Wal-Mart are gearing up to battle potential pro-labor legislation in 2009. With President-Elect Barack Obama and the Democrats taking over next year, retailers are bracing to fight the Employee Free Choice Act – or EFCA – which could make it easier to organize unions in the workplace.
In addition to EFCA, you’ll find stories on Wal-Mart and the economy. And from the legal front, read about a $19 million discrimination lawsuit filed against Wal-Mart and Pepsi in West Virginia. Plus, in the world of product safety, read more about questions raised by the controversial chemical BPA, as well how Wal-Mart has been selling lead-tainted face paint for kids…a no-no anytime, and especially around Halloween.
And finally, check out our “Stateside” and “Wal-Mart International” sections to find out what’s going on with Wal-Mart around the country and across the globe. Chicago city aldermen have a wish list for an Obama presidency; the fight continues over whether Wal-Mart can build near a Civil War battlefield in Virginia; and towns in California and Nevada deny Wal-Mart the ability to sell alcohol on its store shelves.
Wal-Mart Watch Weekly Update for Elected Officials [November 12, 2008]
Posted by Corey Himrod | Permalink
Thanks to reader Jason for sending us along these pics.
A Wal-Mart in Southern California is selling $1.00 face paint - “No Smear Makeup Crayons” - for kids’ Halloween costumes. And they’re not even trying to hide it - the front of the package states that the product that is a “choking hazard”, and CONTAINS LEAD! which is “known to the state of California to cause birth defects.”
Let’s see how fast we can get these pulled from shelves.
Posted by Media Team | Permalink
WAL-MART AND THE ‘POORING OF AMERICA’
I’m not sure where the phrase “Pooring of America” came from, but it’s perfect to explain Wal-Mart’s effect on working families. Seeking Alpha ponders why Wal-Mart and McDonald’s are doing so well right now.
What are McDonald’s and Wal-Mart Telling Us? [Seeking Alpha]
I am very intriqued by our top 2 choices for the “Pooring of America” trend - Walmart (WMT) and McDonalds (MCD) - what exactly are the charts above telling us? If we are to enter a long drawn-out recession, which I have believed, these seem to be screaming buys here. The only question is credit - how does a lack of credit potentially hurt both. They are not expanding a ton, in the U.S. at least - perhaps with Wal-mart it’s financing of inventory, but I cannot wrap my mind around this behavior.
Wal-Mart gets downgraded while stock up in 2008 amid the turmoil [BloggingStocks]
Will Wal-Mart weather the storm? To a point, it already is. Sure, all retailers are expected to have a dismal holiday season this winter, but Wal-Mart will do better than the competition. It has more stores, more pricing leverage and more wherewithal to hold customers hostage with lower prices and inventory turns at a time when it’s needed most. Perhaps we’ll see WMT return to the $60/share level by Thanksgiving—if not sooner.
Read the rest of this story ...
Posted by Alex Goldschmidt | Permalink
Just in time Three months before the holidays, Wal-Mart is challenging fellow toy retailers to try to match its prices on Christmas gifts. The retailer has a history of relentlessly undercutting its competitors, but rival retailers like Target and KB Toys aren’t taking Wal-Mart’s price cuts lying down. After announcing its price cuts last week, several other retailers countered with price cuts of their own. With any luck, the cuts will convince parents to spend big and spend soon on toys for Christmas.
The race to the bottom on toy prices shows how influential retailers can be in setting prices for the products sold in their stores. Wal-Mart might be losing money on its $10 Barbie dolls, but it’s dragging the entire toy industry down with it. One interesting quote, from an executive at Toys ‘R’ Us, highlighted how narrow-minded shoppers’ focus can be: “value is not just about cheapness,” he said, and he’s right. Wal-Mart’s toys might be cheap, but problems persist with almost every aspect of the manufacturing process. Are workers rights, American wages and children’s safety worth a $10 toy?
Wal-Mart Sparks War Among Big Toy Sellers [Wall Street Journal]
Retail price wars are starting early this year, and the latest weapon is the $10 toy—a signal that retailers are bracing for a rough-and-tumble Christmas shopping season.
Read the rest of this story ...
Posted by Alex Goldschmidt | Permalink
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