Brandon and I watched "Walmart: The High Cost of Low Price" this week.
Here are a few things I learned:
Wal-Mart, the biggest company in the world,...
...drives down wages in urban areas
...offers an overpriced, pathetic benefits package to its full-time employees.
...discourages employees from joining Unions
...encourages employees to work off the clock, acting as though their jobs depend upon it
...discourages overtime & regularly (illegally) moved or removed employee hours from their timecard/payroll to avoid paying overtime hours.
...is facing a class-action lawsuit for discrimination against female employees.
...is continuously being fined by the EPA for Clean Water Act violations.
...parking lots are a hotspot for crime because their few security cameras are often not monitors and most of their huge parking lots are without security patrols.
...hurts local business.
The WALTON FAMILY (Wal-Mart owners) Has Given LESS THAN 1% of Their Wealth to Charity (Bill Gates has given 58%).
The WALTON FAMILY Made $3.2 MILLION in Political Contributions in 2004.
A WAL-MART Worker may donate money from their paycheck to the CRITICAL NEED FUND, a program to aid other employees in times of crisis, like a fire or tornado. In 2004, WAL-MART Employees gave OVER $5 MILLION to help fellow workers. The Walton Family gave $6,000.
Most Walmart products are imported from other countries, rather than made in the USA.
Walmart's factories in China have employees that work 14 hour days, seven days a week and are forced to pay to live in the Walmart dormitory.
Workers in Central and South America work in inhumane conditions as well.
I recommend renting the dvd.
8 comments:
I am not a Wal-Mart fan...at all. Their policies are terrible! Thanks for the info.
Thank you so much for posting this. Everyone should be made aware of what has been happening to our country through other corporations like walmart.
The Fry's in Arizona 6years ago fired several thousand employees in place of cheaper laborers from other countries and would be happy to work for 5.15. That wasnt the worst part. Fry's did not honor pentions or benefits of the fired employees. There was other stuff to that I dont remember.
I havent been in a Fry's for 6 years!!
Thank you again for sharing.
I rarely go to Wal Mart. (It's my last stop if I can't find something.)
I heart Target!!!
I knew things were bad, but ot that bad. Holy Cow!
i watched that last year and could not get myself back to walmart until this year. now that you have reminded me, i can't go back.
i still remember the pictures of the kids working and living in the awful conditions in the factories in china. it makes me want to cry.
thanks for the reminder. i also recommend people renting the dvd. it's good.
Plus, their customer service is terrible and the WT factor seems to go up every year. I heart Target too! :)
Not to mention their check out lines are always so so long. I never wait for more than a minute or 2 at Target.
(Your points were more important, but I thought I'd just throw that out there.:)
Very informative information! I didn't realize some of that.
I used to work for Wal-mart, granted it was in the pharmacy and I had very little to do with actual Walmart managment and I only worked there for 6 months, but I didn't find it that bad as an employee. I tend to hide my head in the sand and pretend that we live in a perfect world though. Unfortunately our budget doesn't allow me to be too choosy about where I spend my money. I wish it wasn't that way! :(
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