Fun Facts About Wal Mart...

In 2005 a film was released that I was not aware of until recently called, Wal Mart: The High Cost of Low Price. Its a really interesting film that outlines exactly how evil Wal Mart is. Just from a general standpoint, you may think Wal Mart is bad, but until you read this, you have no idea just exactly how bad this corporation is for America.

I came across the facts that are used in this film from www.walmartmovie.com... and they are really quite shocking. I'll sum it up for you. Sources are included on the page:

1. Wal Mart drives down retail wages $4.7 Billion Annually

2. Wal Mart costs California taxpayers $86 Million A Year

3. Wal Mart costs tax payers $1,557,000,000,00 to support its employees

4. Wal Mart spends:
$7,000 ANTI-UNION CAMERA PACKAGE per store
$30,000 UNDERCOVER SPY VAN per store
$100,000 24 hour ANTI-UNION HOTLINE
$7,000,000 Rapid response team with CORPORATE JET

5. Wal-Mart currently faces lawsuits in thirty-one different States for wage and hour abuses potentially involving hundreds of thousands of workers.

6. Wal-Mart is paying eleven million dollars to settle Federal allegations it used illegal immigrants to clean its stores.

7. Wal-Mart is facing a class-action lawsuit for discrimination against $1.6 million former and current female employees.

8. Currently in the U.S. there are 26,699,678 SQUARE FEET of empty WAL-MARTS

9. Cost for WAL-MART Factory Worker to Assemble: $0.18
Retail cost at Wal-Mart: $14.96

These points are just the tips of the iceberg. This film is from 2005 so this info is a little dated, but I'm sure Wal Mart hasn't changed a bit. I mean, they didn't change then so why start now? This proves exactly how dangerous Wal Mart is to our country, IMHO.

What can one really do about a giant like Wal Mart??? Did we do this to ourselves? Is it too late to stop the machine???

But that also raises the question, is there any good side to any of this?

Those are good points, but missing the biggest one of all:

Walmart is bulding China's economy and the primary catalyst for the 220 Billion$ trade deficit in China's favor.

Thirty-percent of China's cut from Walmart goes toward the Chinese military or PLA.

China is giving weapons to Iran (Iran is thus giving to Insurgent groups in Iraq), that were in some way bought with US taxpayer dollars via Walmart.

To stop Walmart would be to simply stop shopping there. Most people in the US would have to do this though, and many will not as Gas prices climb etc.

This reminds me about the South Park episode i watched about Wal-Mart
The only way you can stop the walmart machine is by not shopping there anymore, but do u think anyone can resist the low low bargains at their local walmart ? $7,99 for a full screw driver set..."must buy it!!!!"

reply to post by jetxnet



You are absolutely right. Any other facts about wal mart are welcome that I may have missed. but the link i provided is pretty in depth about all the issues surrounding it. And the movie is great.

I don't picture people will quit shopping there any time soon just because of the simple fact that the bargains really are great and most people are unaware of the damage that shopping there does.

And yeah, I do recall the South Park episode on it....quite hilarious. "The
Wal Mart is lowering its prices to distract us!"

we have a saying here in holland: goedkoop is duurkoop. meaning to buy cheap is to buy expensive after all, it's garbage, it doesn't last long and ends up on the dump in no time. what a waste of materials, production pollution, work...

people should be made aware of these kind of things, but that of course is not good economics. as mentioned above not shopping there will not make a real difference, of course all little things do sum up, but unfortunately not enough.

the op is doing a good job and we should pass this message on, to everyone we know and of course stop buying their crap...

reply to post by toymonk



Hey,

Ek kan so bietjie van jou taal praat, jy behoort meeste van wat ek se te verstaan, en ja, goedkoop is duurkoop.

Waar in holland bly jy ?

Check out www.wakeupwalmart.com....chock full of WalMart tidbits and info.

Of course it's a UFCW union sponsored site, so it'll be slanted a bit. But still alot of info regardless.

reply to post by bg_socalif


awesome. everyone should definitly check that out.

This is on the very first page when you go to it:

"Three Demands for Change
Wal-Mart is currently facing the largest gender discrimination lawsuit in history. The company has repeatedly denied military moms leave to see their children before deployment. The list of offenses against women workers goes on and on.
Change is long overdue at Wal-Mart, and we need your help to improve its anti-family policies. Read our Three Demands for Change, and sign our letter to Lee Scott today."

Everyone should go there and sign up to spread the word. Here is a link that you can click on. It's a definite start to change. Better than nothing I suppose.

www.wakeupwalmart.com

Most of the so called "bargains" I've purchased at Wal Mart's turned out to be another but. "Only a fool gets stung by the same bee twice."
You get what you pay for.
Plus it's maddening to see that most everthing is "Made In China"..and that's everywhere. With China"s HIGH STANDARDS, my question is, WHY do we put up with this, and secondly, how do we end it!


NAFTA Not A Fair Trade Agreement.

Heres a weird fact about walmart.They use thier employees and the family as advertising ad models.

I really think that Sam Walton would roll over in his grave to see where Walmart has gone. What was started as a way to give a better value to its clientele has escalated into such a monstrosity.

Kinda reminds me of the U.S. govt. don't cha think?

respectfully

reluctantpawn

Originally posted by wolfmother
Most of the so called "bargains" I've purchased at Wal Mart's turned out to be another but. "Only a fool gets stung by the same bee twice."
You get what you pay for.
Plus it's maddening to see that most everthing is "Made In China"..and that's everywhere. With China"s HIGH STANDARDS, my question is, WHY do we put up with this, and secondly, how do we end it!


NAFTA Not A Fair Trade Agreement.

WallyWorld is just the head and face---The national ID of the Chinese economic invasion, as it were.
Look at the items you buy from any other retailer, even the high priced ones, and most will have the " made in China" tag.
Wallmart gets a huge volume break, but the items sold elsewhere are the same items, just at a higher price.

The body of the beast is much larger than the head, and it's fingers are everywhere.

HERE IS ANOther fun fact

Walt - mart has the lowest prices on dvd, movies , video games and electronics.

[edit on 27-5-2008 by CzErased]

You can not find Toilet Paper Cheaper anyother place this side of Taco Bell - where they are always out - from all the running to the border.
bring quality back to america... If it aint made in America... go luck on finding it... thats the way it was and thats the way I WANT IT... so it will be that way again...

I think they call this a free market economy. So a business would be wise to buy or manufacture as cheaply as they can and sell for as much as they can. I know this is a foreign concept to many Americans since we have been brainwashed to think everyone should protect us from everything. But this whole thing is called Capitalism, which is a nice way of saying survival of the fitest. All the Darwinists should totally understand this idea and embrace it, since it will help the best gene pools survive.

In regards to unions, here's a video that sheds a lot of light on the subject:

Google Video Link

You got to admit that if Walmart controlled the sale and marketing of a gallon of gas it would be selling for 78 cents a gallon.

Originally posted by reluctantpawn


Kinda reminds me of the U.S. govt. don't cha think?

respectfully

reluctantpawn

Another Wal-Mart Fun Fact: Hilary Clinton used to sit on the Board of Directors of Wal-Mart. Not sure of her current power of influence but she should still retain quite a bit of shares of company stock.

Originally posted by Mad_Hatter

1. Wal Mart drives down retail wages $4.7 Billion Annually

2. Wal Mart costs California taxpayers $86 Million A Year

3. Wal Mart costs tax payers $1,557,000,000,00 to support its employees

4. Wal Mart spends:
$7,000 ANTI-UNION CAMERA PACKAGE per store
$30,000 UNDERCOVER SPY VAN per store
$100,000 24 hour ANTI-UNION HOTLINE
$7,000,000 Rapid response team with CORPORATE JET

5. Wal-Mart currently faces lawsuits in thirty-one different States for wage and hour abuses potentially involving hundreds of thousands of workers.

6. Wal-Mart is paying eleven million dollars to settle Federal allegations it used illegal immigrants to clean its stores.

7. Wal-Mart is facing a class-action lawsuit for discrimination against $1.6 million former and current female employees.

8. Currently in the U.S. there are 26,699,678 SQUARE FEET of empty WAL-MARTS

9. Cost for WAL-MART Factory Worker to Assemble: $0.18
Retail cost at Wal-Mart: $14.96

Every once in a while some of the people here amaze me with their ignorance. You do realize that the "Facts" that you are quoting are financed by the Unions, who stand to gain over 1/2 a billion dollars in annual dues from unionizing WM? Do you think they're going to tell the truth, or spin whatever they hear to their own needs?

The points you listed above range from complete lies to the truth, but spun to fit their needs.

1. Anti union cameras and vans? Completely false.
2. Illegal immigrants cleaning the stores? True. But they were employed by the companies that cleaned some of the stores overnight, they weren't WM associates. WM had nothing to do with them being employes, and when they found out, they corrected the problem.
3. The empty Wal-Mart stores are the old stores left behind when the associates move into a Supercenter. They are empty until the store can be emptied, cleaned, and sold to a new company. Then they are remodeled and are back in business. That amount of square footage would equal only 225 non Supercenter stores, which would mean you are talking about empty stores over an entire year while they are in the process of being sold. What exactly is the problem with that anyway?
4. There is no such thing as a WM factory worker, and the factories that make the goods sold in WM also supply Target, BestBuy, ShopKo, etc... Why is WM singeled out as the only ones who are guilty of this. Same thing with the other financial points you copied. What are the other retailers responsible for.

Too many people look at a one sided arguement and think its true simply because someone took the time to type it.
Is WM without any faults? Of course not, but they do a lot of good too.
Where are the points of who was able to respond to hurricane Katrina before anyone else with free food and supplies, or how much communites get in contributions from their local stores every year?

Take the time to research both sides of things, and then make your decision. The OP read these biased "Facts" and made his mind up from there.
"...I'm sure Wal Mart hasn't changed a bit. I mean, they didn't change then so why start now?"
Your quote is an awful example of what I just said. The company is making changes almost daily, but the good things get less press.

Do some real reseach and see how the stores you frequent stack up. Stop rehashing this stuff as gospel, when its nothing but half-truths from another company that wants it's annual profits to increase by 100's of millions of dollars. The Unions.

the point is, all these companys, a lot of them anyway are taking away jobs from hard working americans and giving them jobs with little to no benefits, crappy hours, crappy overtime pay, and all that. apparently you're anti union, but that's how the middle class is. Hard working individuals. How would you like to own a hardware store, then walmart moves in next door. Now you're fcked cuz they can sell for less, and you end up working there next to the auto-mechanic who's business also got shut down, making piss-nuts, and then maybe if you're lucky after a year or so you can get some health benefits. Wal mart makes billions upon billions of dollars but still treats their employees like crap. It ain't right.