Walmart's $250 Billion Commitment to America

I just saw this ad on youtube




And it got my attention. Walmart has decided to open plants and hire Americans to work at them, creating 1,000,000 jobs right here in America. They also raised their wages, and in my opinion, they really are shaping up!!

I noticed (some months back) an article somewhere about how they had committed to stop carrying Chinese-made products.

And now (investigating), I find this: Wal-Mart is taking its 'Made in America' initiative to the extreme.

Walmart's 2015 U.S. Manufacturing Summit was advertised as a chance for goods producers to pitch American-made products to the retail giant. They would also get advice from Walmart executives on how to take advantage of the company's recent efforts to support more U.S. manufacturing jobs and reverse the trends its purchasing strategies and demand for low prices have driven.

But the event also highlighted the challenges facing companies trying to bring manufacturing jobs back to the United States. Cheaper energy and rising labor costs in China have helped stabilize manufacturing employment in the U.S., but there are still roughly 5 million fewer Americans working in factories today than in 1990.

I think it's pretty impressive. Good for them. They've stepped up to the plate, and I think it's worth noting. They are blowing Koch away in focusing on the big picture.

I now feel I can shop there without being a sap ----- we have not bought "made in china" stuff for at least 6 years now - if not all ten - and Walmart was full of that. Refusal to buy the stuff is all we can really do. And it worked!

See? You guys? There is a middle ground somewhere! Costco has been an honorable (and exemplary) rival of Walmart/Sams, and now Walmart is having to shave and shower and put on a fresh suit of clothes. Good on them.

Good for us.
Treating your employees well is what should make people rich - not exploiting cheap (sometimes child) labor overseas. I applaud this. Mr Wigs is a Harley Owner for 15 years now. Harley has remained here. They did outsource some assembly, I think, but that's it.

That said, I do drive a Honda, one that was made in Japan. I did my thorough homework, and learned about the variations among the models from year to year and factory to factory. I discovered that American factories were turning out lemons, the employees were slackers, dopers, etc (due to lax oversight by the company or the union). Honda developed the originals, then "farmed out" the specs to us, and the cars made here in the states were inferior.

Anyway - I'm drifting off my own topic!
Just - what do you guys think about this? These global companies and how they operate?

I think it's really significant for the bigger picture.

They got enormous by putting mom-and-pop-shops out of business. They are ubiquitous now, and it's about time they started employing the people who buy their products (the children of the moms and pops who were driven out of business). Because if those people don't have enough money to shop elsewhere, and are forced by cost-of-living issues to shop at Walmart, need to have enough money to shop at Walmart.

I don't get why some people don't get that.

Ironically, the documentary is about how the poor children in the UK live today. Interesting. So, I'm going to go watch it now. Be back after.

Wait -- what? In England you have to use key-access to buy minutes of electricity?
Like a vending machine, is it?
Pay as you go, a few minutes worth....

Or is it on your house's unit, your own "on/off" switch, I guess. And they bill you for how often it's on. Okay, I see. We do that by just turning things off as we go along. Not using it? Turn it off.

We have the controls in our houses. Light switches and so forth. Breakers for every section of the wiring.....and a main shut off, too.



Oh my. Their appliances are ALL coin operated!!!
And then they charge interest too. It's a credit scam.

a reply to: BuzzyWigs

Sounds encouraging. I wonder how much how soon and will it be in place before the oligarchy crashes everything. Sigh.

BTW, you should have a PM/U2U

Have a blessed weekend.

This is pretty interesting, you guys. As a "globale" (like locale?), we need to care about the poor kids everywhere. These kids aren't in nearly as bad shape as thousands of millions of others.....

a reply to: BO XIAN

It's apparently a 10-year commitment, started in 2013. I seem to recall I'd heard about it around then, too. But I hadn't done any extensive investigation. Just noticed headlines here and there.

I believe it was originally announced during a super bowl with Mike Rowe as the spokesperson.

To me it seems like a last ditch effort for Wal-Mart to make money before the bigger fish gulps it up. Have you guys seen any of the Mills Fleet Farm stores going up? It's taking over here in the Central / Midwest by storm. It's a Gander Mt. Grocery store, Wal-Mart, Auto Service Center, Appliance Center, Hom Furniture all in one. It makes the super Wal-Mart look like a candy store in comparison. And what makes it even funnier, they built the one in my town literally right next to the super Wal-Mart property.

a reply to: BuzzyWigs

Good news! And that is another way change happens here! .... and things do have to change....

A couple of links to share

The Wealth of Our Nation Is Created By Manufacturing.

The Decline of Manufacturing & the Rise of Big Banks – Big Picture with Thom Hartmann

a reply to: Teikiatsu

and.....okay, thanks.

Yes, you did just post info. Sorry for being defensive right out of the gate.
What do you have to say about it?

originally posted by: BuzzyWigs
a reply to: Teikiatsu

and.....is that all? What do you have to say about it?

You commented on when it started. I told you what I knew. Chill out.

Personally, I'm all for it. I try to buy USA label whenever possible. I tend to avoid shopping at Walmart unless I have no other options.

IF they actually follow through may have to lighten up a bit on my dislike of Walmart. Don't trust em though.

Found it, kinda. From 2014. If anyone's search-fu is better than mine feel free to look for the original:



Apparently Rowe was not popular with the Walmart haters afterwards:

www.businessinsider.com...

Thanks to all of you for your participation. I think this is a pretty big deal....and a topic worth discussing.

a reply to: BuzzyWigs



www.msnbc.com...

Americans are spending $153 billion a year to subsidize McDonald’s and Wal-Mart’s low wage workers

They're going to spend $250 billion upto 2023, I think they're still in front after subsidies - the only reason they're doing it is because of rising wages in China - when the next new "China" is found and wages trend lower the US factories will be mothballed again.

a reply to: BuzzyWigs

BTW Buzzy - your eyes are disturbing me, I liked your other avatars better hahaha

a reply to: TheConstruKctionofLight

Yes, friend - I've been saying that for years now. Right here.

The taxpayers have been subsidizing Walmart employees - corporate welfare, it's called. I pitched a hissy fit (as did many other "SJW"s) and so did lots of the wage-earners, and then Walmart raised their wages and stopped the rampant importing of foreign [cheap and cheaply made at the expense of slave-laborers] goods.

It's time for that to stop.

Walmart has stepped up.
McDonalds needs to follow suit. So does Mr Trump, and every other American corporation need to step up. Own your thing. Stop outsourcing and stop importing foreigners.

a reply to: TheConstruKctionofLight

Isn't that so weird?????

(Here's what he's talking about, folks



It really is rather disturbing.
Okay...I'll change it. Thanks.

I still don't ever see myself darkening their doors. If the US simply enacted meaningful National Protectionist trade policies, we would never have seen this outsourcing nonsense to begin with.