Resources and Research on Wal-Mart
We’ve assembled this long list of resources to help you understand the question “why Wal-Mart” and start the conversation about Wal-Mart in your community and amongst your friends and family. Our goal is to give you the facts you need to respond to Wal-Mart’s multi-million dollar propaganda campaign, and to formulate your community’s response to the “Beast of Bentonville.” Please read and share the information below and check back for more soon.
If you have suggestions or research ideas, please contact us here.
Wal-Mart Watch’s Academic Curriculum
Wal-Mart Watch College Curriculum
Written for college professors. Wal-Mart’s multi-faceted impact on society means that this curriculum reaches across academic disciplines, including Political Science, Sociology, Economics, Business, Management, Urban Planning, Geography, English, Labor Studies, American Studies, International Relations, Global Studies, Environmental Studies, and Women’s Studies. This curriculum uses Wal-Mart as a case study to examine: Business and management decisions, Labor and the American economy, Global supply chains and market forces, Democracy and capitalism.
Wal-Mart Watch’s Document Distribution Center
Document Distribution Center
A virtual filing cabinet filled with our research documents, secret Wal-Mart internal memos, government policy proposals, sample legislation and more.
Background Articles
“Inside the Leviathan,” New York Review of Books (12/04)
Throughout the recent history of American capitalism there has always been one giant corporation whose size dwarfs that of all others, and whose power conveys to the world the strength and confidence of American capitalism itself...Wal-Mart has grown into a business whose dominance of the corporate world rivals GM’s in its heyday.
“WAL-MART: Bruised in Bentonville,” Fortune (4/05)
For Wal-Mart, the customer has always been king. But lately the retailer has realized that it has other constituents—and some are mad as hell. Can the world’s biggest company adjust? [$$]
“The Waltons: Inside America’s Richest Family,” Fortune (11/04)
Forget Buffet and Gates. The heirs of Sam Walton control 39% of Wal-Mart, America’s largest company. Their $90 billion fortune gives the clan large--if quiet--influence over the American economy and society. [$$]
“The Wal-Mart Effect,” Los Angeles Times (12/03)
The Los Angeles Times’ Pulitzer Prize winning series on Wal-Mart.
“The Wal-Mart You Don’t Know,” Fast Company (12/03)
The giant retailer’s low prices often come with a high cost. Wal-Mart’s relentless pressure can crush the companies it does business with and force them to send jobs overseas. Are we shopping our way straight to the unemployment line?
“Is Wal-Mart Too Powerful?,” BusinessWeek (10/03)
Low Prices are great. But Wal-Mart’s dominance creates problems—for suppliers, workers, communities, and even American culture.
Books
“The United States of Wal-Mart,” by John Dicker
An irreverent, hard-hitting examination of the world’s largest, and most reviled, corporation reveals how the company’s business practices have shaped American culture, including the nation’s social, political, and industrial policy.
“In Sam We Trust : The Untold Story of Sam Walton and Wal-Mart, the World’s Most Powerful Retailer,” by Bob Ortega
Bob Ortega, a veteran reporter who covered Wal-Mart extensively for The Wall Street Journal, has written an illuminating and authoritative account of the world’s most powerful store, and of how Sam Walton’s way of thinking is transforming America’s—and the world’s—business practices, workplaces, and communities.
“Selling Women Short: The Landmark Battle for Worker’s Rights at Wal-Mar,” by Liza Featherstone
Liza Featherstone of the Nation magazine combines the personal stories of female employees with superb investigative journalism to show why women who work low-wage jobs are getting a raw deal, and what they are doing about it.
“Slam-Dunking Wal-Mart,” by Al Norman
”Slam-Dunking Wal-Mart” is a call for the preservation of all the qualities we love about hometown America. It is one man’s David versus Goliath story. It can also be a road map for your community’s fight to keep its downtown businesses and core values.
“Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America,” by Barbara Ehrenreich
Instantly acclaimed for its insight, humor, and passion, this book is changing the way America perceives its working poor. In Minnesota, she works at Wal-Mart under the repressive surveillance of men and women whose job it is to monitor her behavior for signs of sloth, theft, drug abuse, or worse.
Television
“Is Wal-Mart Good for America?,” PBS: Frontline
Frontline explores the relationship between U.S. job losses and the American consumer’s insatiable desire for bargains in “Is Wal-Mart Good for America?” Through interviews with retail executives, product manufacturers, economists, and trade experts, correspondent Hedrick Smith examines the growing controversy over the Wal-Mart way of doing business and asks whether a single retail giant has changed the American economy.
“Human Cost Behind Bargain Shopping: Dateline Hidden Camera Investigation in Bangladesh,” NBC: Dateline
Americans love a deal, and these days, thanks to the fast-paced global marketplace and big discount retailers, products are better and cheaper than ever. But what price do people in faraway places pay so Americans can get their bargains in stores like Wal-Mart?
“Is Wal-Mart Good for America?,” NPR: American Radio Works
A generation ago, they were the kings of corporate America, but over the past 25 years, American manufacturers have lost that position of power. Today, America’s largest private sector employer is Wal-Mart, a retailer so large, it virtually dictates many decisions manufacturers make, and is pushing American production overseas.
“Wal-Mart & the World,” PBS: NOW with Bill Moyers
The debate over Wal-Mart’s effect on American towns and the American workforce is not new. “Wal-Martization” has become a code word for suburban sprawl. Yet this fall, the volume of that debate appears to have been turned up.
“With a small-town culture, Wal-Mart dominates,” CNBC: Reports
The company had to learn to do many things on its own because it started in little Bentonville, Ark., but that helped it become a retailing power. Has it gone too far?
“When Wal-Mart Comes to Town,” PBS: Store Wars
A look at the populist spirit that engulfs a small Virginia town when retail giant Wal-Mart comes knocking, blueprints in hand. The ensuing debate, which pits neighbor against neighbor, illustrates the struggle between conflicting versions of the American dream. A truly American story, STORE WARS is about the right of a community to determine its own future. You can also purchase DVD’s or contact the filmmakers directly at www.teddybearfilms.com
Primary Sources
“Shopping for Subsidies: How Wal-Mart Uses Taxpayer Money to Finance Its Never-Ending Growth,” Good Jobs First (5/04)
This report, the first national study of the subject, documents more than $1 billion in such subsidies from state and local governments to Wal-Mart; the actual total is certainly far higher, but the records are scattered in thousands of places and many subsidies are undisclosed.
“The Quality of Work at Wal-Mart,” Brandeis University (4/04)
This paper examines the structure of Wal-Mart’s store operations and discusses how its technology, culture and management structure are used in conjunction with official policies and covert practices to shape the experience of Wal-Mart’s workers.
“Wal-Mart: An Example of Why Workers Remain Uninsured and Underinsured,” AFL-CIO (10/03)
A thorough examination of Wal-Mart’s meager health benefits program using company documents and outside reports.
“Hidden Cost of Wal-Mart Jobs: Use of Safety Net Programs by Wal-Mart Workers in California,” UC Berkeley (8/04)
This study is the first to quantify the fiscal costs of Wal-Mart’s substandard wages and benefits on public safety net programs in California. It also explores the potential impact on public programs of Wal-Mart’s competitive effect on industry standards.
“Impact of the Wal-Mart Phenomenon on Rural Communities,” Iowa State Univ. (1997)
This landmark study argues that rural communities in the United States have been more adversely impacted by the discount mass merchandisers (sometimes referred to as the Wal-Mart phenomenon) than by any other factors in recent times. Studies in Iowa have shown that some small towns lose up to 47 percent of their retail trade after 10 years of Wal-Mart stores nearby.
“Statistical Analysis of Gender Patterns in Wal-Mart Workforce,” Drogin, Kakigi & Associates (2/03)
This report was commissioned by the plantiff’s counsel in the Dukes v. Wal-Mart gender discrimination suit. By analysizing 6 years of Wal-Mart payroll data, the author revealed systematic gender discrimination against female employees.
“Everyday Low Wages: The Hidden Price We All Pay for Wal-Mart,” Rep. George Miller (2/04)
This report reviews Wal-Mart’s labor practices across the country and around the world and provides an overview of how working Americans and their allies in Congress are seeking to address the gamut of issues raised by this new standard-bearer of American retail.
“The Economic Impact Of Wal-Mart: An Assessment Of The Wal-Mart Store Proposed For Chicago’s West Side,” UIC Center For Urban Economic Development (2004)
This study assesses the likely impact of a new Wal-Mart store on other local retailers and the resulting employment and tax revenue impacts on the City of Chicago and its residents.
“Wal-Mart’s Pay Gap,” Institute for Policy Studies (2005)
Wal-Mart’s generous compensation for top executives contrasts sharply with the wages of the people who
produced or sold the goods that earned the company $10.3 billion in profits on sales of $285 billion last year.
“WHALE*MART: Wal-Mart’s Link to Japan’s Whale, Dolphin and Porpoise Hunting (2/25/04)
In 2002, Wal-Mart purchased a 37% stake in Seiyu Ltd., with an option to purchase up to 66% by 2007. As one of the leading supermarket chains in Japan, Seiyu helps to sustain the whale hunting industry in Japan in spite of the international moratorium on commercial whaling since 1986. The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) surveyed Seiyu Group supermarkets in Japan and found that the majority sold whale meat and other cetacean products.
“Political Profits”, Corporate Accountability International (2006)
An evaluation of Wal-Mart’s behavior against Corporate Accountability International’s Standards of Political Conduct for Corporations.
Recommended Links
The American Independent Business Alliance
The American Independent Business Alliance helps organizers start and sustain Independent Business Alliances (IBAs) by providing them with resources, templates, how-to’s, advice and information to get start and grow; keeping them abreast of important news, research and resources to inform local campaigns and outreach; networks IBAs to help them share ideas, problem solve and succeed; stages presentations and writes to a national audience about the vital work of IBAs and the important issues at play; and coordinates IBAs in national campaigns.
Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE)
In 2004, LAANE took a leading role in defeating Wal-Mart’s $1.5 million initiative campaign in Inglewood and helped pass the groundbreaking Los Angeles Superstore Ordinance, giving communities more control over the construction of big box stores.
Reclaim Democracy Resource Library
ReclaimDemocracy.org is dedicated to restoring democratic authority over corporations, reviving grassroots democracy, and revoking the power of money and corporations to control government and civic society.
The New Rules Project
The Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) proposes a set of new rules that builds community by supporting humanly scaled politics and economics. The retail sector of their website has an extensive archive of news, analysis and tools for legislative action related to Wal-Mart.
Good Jobs First
Good Jobs First provides timely, accurate information to the public, the media, public officials and economic development professionals on best practices in state and local job subsidies. The group recently completed the study, “Shopping for Subsidies: How Wal-Mart Uses Taxpayer Money to Finance Its Never-Ending Growth”
Sprawl-Busters
Sprawl-Busters Consultants help local community coalitions on-site to design and implement successful campaigns against megastores and other undesirable large-scale developments. Their website includes an impressive catalog of former and current site fights, plus great commentary and proven techniques for grassroots activists.
Sierra Club
Across the country, Sierra Club chapters and groups have opposed construction of Wal-Mart stores for a range of reasons including wetlands destruction, flooding potential and concerns about increased traffic and impacts on locally owned stores.
Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE)
BALLE is a growing alliance of fully autonomous local business networks with their own names, mission and initiatives. Members of Local BALLE Networks have a direct stake in the future of their communities and bioregions and include local business owners, non-profit leaders, government representatives, and engaged citizens.
Business Ethics Network
The mission of the Business Ethics Network is to inspire a race to the top by the world’s largest corporations. The Network’s website has an extensive list of resources and case studies on corporate campaigns.
UC Berkeley Labor Center
The Center’s study “Hidden Costs of Wal-Mart Jobs” documents the extensive use of safety net programs by Wal-Mart workers in California. The Center will release further studies on Wal-Mart.
Wal-Mart Class Website
The website for the Dukes v. Wal-Mart class action lawsuit is a tremendous resource for anyone interested in Wal-Mart’s pay and hiring practices.
Vermont Natural Resources Council: Vermont Wal-Mart Watch
The Vermont Natural Resources Council is working with communities throughout the state to educate, organize and mobilize Vermonters about the dangers of out-of-scale big box development.
