WALLY WORLD Employment Application

[Mustang]

I don't see why you guys are slamming Wal Mart but not all these smaller, supposedly innocent companies. Your local independent grocery stores and resturants don't give their workers higher wages than Walmart does, nor are they not motivated by greed. So almost all capitalist enterprises, Walmart or otherwise, are "evil" if you want to look at it that way.

What disturbs me is how Americans abuse soo many people in the world and don't even care. It's soo distant and unfamiliar that it almost seems surreal from our point of view, but the West has de facto enslaved many third-world workers. Tin miners in the Congo must mine tin in totally unsafe working conditions, haul it literrally a hundred miles on their back to market, only to have their employers sell it for five times the employee's wage. It's true that the miners took the job out of their own free will, but only because they had no other way to feed their family. Technically they aren't legally slaves, but tell me, is that the way it really works? In Columbia, several employees at Coca-Cola bottling plants tried to unionize once. Shortly afterward, many of their family members suspiciously "dissapeared". The heads of the bottling plants euphemistically denied that they did anything, but at least when the unions dissolved the attacks ended. Hershey's chocolate makes use of cocoa provided by African slave plantations. Yes, real, legal slaves. Of course, not many Westerners even know about how much pain they cause, and don't really care. There are certain companies that make a point of only buying from factories that have safe working conditions, and they sell shoes for $80 (you could buy them from a sweatshop for 1/4 of that). These are only A FEW examples of what happens in the world. And we won't even get into the meat industry and animal abuse.

Leslie is right about how the need for money is overrated. The fact is, we spend money not because we gain something from it, but just because we have money and might as well spend it. Sure, plasma screen TVs are expensive, but there are plenty of other, cheaper things that you could do other than watching TV that would be even more fun. Talk with friends, play sports, whatever. What do you think people did before they had all the crap we do today? Were they unhappy? No. In fact, they were much more content than we are today. It's okay to buy stuff. Just only purchase what you genuinely think will make you happy. You really don't get any extra happiness by buying four SUVs and a remodeled kitchen, because you will quickly take them for granted.

This dosen't mean that we should turn America into an omish commune. A wealthy nation allows for more money to be sent to things like foreign aid and healthcare. All I'm saying is that money, up to a certain minimum point, does not equal hapiness.

[Atrocities]

Mustang, Front Line did a peace on how Wal Mart is runing the US economy titled "Is WalMart Bad For The US" that aired in 2004.

It was a real eye opening peace that might answer a lot of your "why do you hate walmart" questions.

Additionaly if you have ever shopped at walmart you know that their customer service is about as good as one would get at the local flee market. The stores are often staffed with the not so bright and poorly motivated indviduals who mostly appear to be decidedly of the lower brow and income type. This is not meant to be offensive to any one, but it is the unmittigated truth of the situation and many people happen to acknowledge this fact as factual. I mean when your total combined employee education level is about am 8th grade average, then your not employing the brightest folk. And popular opinion is that this is just the way Walmart likes it. Stupid people do what they is told and they don't talk back neither.

[Baron Munchausen]

Also see Walmart: The High Cost of Low Price, a documentary where they show former Walmart managers describing how they are specifically trained in how to cheat their employees out of over-time pay, and to tell them how to apply for government assistance like foodstamps and medicaid to help prevent the need for Walmart to provide either decent pay or benefits, thus subsidizing Walmart's profits. The DVD is only $12.95:

http://www.walmartmovie.com/

You can also keep a running tally of all the lawsuits, labor disputes, and general mayhem that Walmart is involved in at:

http://walmartwatch.com/

[Mustang]

And all the other companies don't do this? Really, if you want to stay away from all companies that mistreat their workers, don't shop ANYWHERE. I've already mentioned the abuses that Americans perform overseas in my previous post, pretty much everything you buy in America is made in a sweatshop somewhere. So it makes no difference whether you shop at Walmart, Target, or Joe's Family Owned Local Bakery.

[Baron Munchausen]

No, other companies do not do this, or else Walmart wouldn't have been able to undercut them. This is easily verifiable in the coverage that describes how much worse Walmart jobs are than the jobs they displaced. Companies that did provide medical insurance and did pay much higher wages (full-time and over-time) went out of business competing with Walmart because of its extra-ordinary ruthlessness. Walmart really is worse than most other companies and is driving job standards down.

[Mustang]

I see your point. Thanks for clearing that up. Before I thought most of the people protesting against Walmart were either welfare state supporters or hating Walmart just because they've been conditioned to hate big companies.

Lowering wages ultimately means less consumption, which hurts productivity because less people are making consumer goods, which makes everyone poorer. This eventually hurts the businessmen too, but they're only interested in short-term profit so don't really care. But we should not criticise just Walmart. I've heard that Target has similar policies, and I'm sure many other corporations do also. Don't just single out Walmart, damn them all.

And noone's yet said anything about how almost everything we buyin the West is made in sweatshops and/or by de facto or legal slaves. If we consider that as an issue, we shouldn't shop almost anywhere (there are still a few companies that make a point out of treating their workers, though, like No Sweat, but their products are three times pricier). My point is, what are YOU guys going to do about it? Complain? Write your congressman? As long as Walmart sells things cheaply, noone is going to care.

[Baron Munchausen]

If I were anything more than another grunt like you I wouldn't be posting on these boards...

But I do try to pay attention to the more extreme cases of abuse (like Walmart) and not support them. So, I do not shop at Walmart anymore. Similarly, I try not to buy Hormel products (although they've got a lot of other brands and it is hard to know them all) because of their awful record on treatment of workers and even safety (in other words, it is also simple practical self-interest to not buy food products made by a company that doesn't seem have the will to follow safety regulations).

You're certainly right that nearly all corporations are offending human rights and dignity somehow or other. Since this is 'the way of the world' we can't expect to create large change very quickly or easily. But given some degree of awareness and choice among ordinary people, at least we can have some sort of influence and perhaps keep things from getting worse.

[Atrocities]

My point is, what are YOU guys going to do about it? Complain? Write your congressman? As long as Walmart sells things cheaply, noone is going to care.

Haven't we done something already? We posted here about it, we spread the word about the high cost of low cost.

Walmart has all but killed most of the retail and independant stores around here so most folks have no choice but to shop at walmart. I try to avoid it as much as I can but I am guilty of buying things there as well.

[Sertorius]

"After my most recent trip to the mighty Wally world, (Wal-Mart) I have come to the firm and unshakeable conclusion that Wal-Mart is not only a magnate for low life, trailer living, dirt floor loving, goat ropen, buck tooth, fight looking, dumbasses of the world, but they also employ them."

Really, Now? The last time I was in one of those dumps it was third world city. Your application has since been updated to be printed in Spanish in support of Bush administration immigration (or lack of) policies.

[Pvt Hudson]

I dont shop there because they carried censored albums, they dont carry certain computer games, and its grungy