Walmart Black Friday Nationwide Walkout

reply to post by Kaploink



Actually, despite my earlier rant, I agree with you. I rarely shop at any store that is open on Sunday, or open on a Holiday. The best Autoparts stores are closed on Sundays, the best restaurants, the best furniture and retail stores, the best mechanics, none of them feel the need to pander to the whining public and extend their hours or open on Sundays and holidays.

To me, the hours of operation are the first and most direct indicator of the quality of business. Sure, I pay a little extra for some of the stuff I buy, but it is usually correct the first time, lasts a long time, and the people helping me are usually friendly and knowledgeable.

If I see a place of business with hours that are not employee friendly, I don't shop there.

I still don't have any sympathy for the whining workers that took a job knowing full well what it entailed and they took it anyway, but I do agree that Walmart and other big retailers are not quality businesses, and they are not concerned with their employees well-being, or tradition, or any type of moral values. They are discount stores, and you get what you get.

Let them walkout, fire them, then hire people who have been iching to get work for the last two years. You really want union wage increase at walmart? guess what happens when wages increass? prices increase too.

reply to post by SonicInfinity


I also think that is partly the reason that business in general doesn't really give two s#!ts about the country. They know that for every person that boycotts their business, there will be three other people that will shop there regardless. It is just a symptom of overpopulation. They know there are more people who care more about getting their widget at the lowest price possible then there are that care about where and how that widget was made.

Originally posted by doobydoll

Originally posted by SonicInfinity

Originally posted by litterbaux
People don't walk off the job without another job.

There aren't enough jobs available to take all the walmart employee's.

I know for a fact that if every single Walmart employee walked out on Black Friday and got fired, they would fill every single position by the following Monday. That is just how bad unemployment is in the US right now.

I reckon the 1 day action would cost Wallymart many thousands in lost takings and potential recruitment costs.

And if the employees do get fired, do you imagine they will sit on their arses and watch while Wallymart gives their jobs to other people? The strikers will have nothing to lose at that point, except their patience and tempers.
I think they would have major public support too IMO, seeing as corporations are not quite the flavour of the month right now.

These people aren't being unreasonable, all they ask is fair pay and fair treatment. They are not troublemakers, they are decent hard-working people who are paid chump-change by their tight-arsed billionare employer.

Just pay them a decent living wage Wallymart you miserable Scrooge.

These employees would probably make more on unemployment than they would if they were working. Walmart employees get government assistance because they don't pay enough.

reply to post by Bramble Iceshimmer


Sorry you don't have a quality thanksgiving. Saying it doesn't exist anymore is not accurate. Unless my family is just the exception to the rule, I kinda doubt that thought.

Originally posted by badgerprints

Originally posted by MystikMushroom
reply to post by badgerprints

 

Well,

I suppose they could always quit and join the military?

Same issue different government entity.
Very much the same deal.
Basics
1. Very few people get decent pay or raises any more.
2. You know what you get paid before you started.

When in doubt, see line 1.

If they really want to strike, fine. They will be able to piss off half of the shopping public in one fell swoop by doing it on Black Friday. It just demonstrates that they are operating from a position of weakness and spite.
They won't garner any real sympathy.
The "my life sucks so I'm going to piss you off" attitude will just make people support Wal-Mart more.

It's high time the workers showed some strength instead of operating from a position of weakness. Workers make these companies run. It is time to give Wal Mart workers and all other workers their due. Only way to do so is to take these type of stances even if the short term consequences are negative.

And it's more about them working on the holiday, then it is about their wage. I will be in front of a WalMart Thursday night and Friday showing my support for the workers.

reply to post by sligtlyskeptical


Actually, when it comes to Walmart, I'm not so sure it is the workers that make it run. It is their executive management, their buyers, and their shrewd business practices that make it run. Half the shelves are stocked by the wholesalers, not the folks in the store.

All the soft-drink vendors, beer vendors, chip vendors, they stock their own shelves and market their own merchanidse. The coffee folks do the same thing. I wouldn't be surprised if paint vendors weren't more than willing to do it as well. The auto department, and jewelry department, and shoe department are already operated like seperate stores within a store. The cashiers are now "self-checkout." The cashiers are becoming less and less important. The cart boys could easily be replaced with something like Sav-A-Lot where the people are responsible for retrieving their own carts.

Walmart is profitable, because it buys so, so low, and anyone who attempts to undercut their price is driven out of business by predatory pricing below cost until the competition is dead. Any talk of unionizing gets a person fired, removed from the premises, and banned from returning even as a customer!

I'm not so sure the people working at Walmart are intrigal to the continuation of their market share. In fact, I think within a generation we will rarely see a live person working in the store at all!

reply to post by darkhorserider


If Walmart really didn't NEED workers to run it's stores, why is it wasting money paying all those employees it doesn't need?

And just because a company pays schit wages doesn't give it automatic rights to treat it's workers like schit too.

reply to post by doobydoll


They have the right to treat the workers however they want, because they agreed to pay the workers a certain amount of pay, for a certain amount and type of work. The workers don't have to take the job, but once they take it, they are expected to deliver their end of the deal.

I don't shop at Walmart. If you disagree with their practices, then find a nice little local place and support it instead! That is what we all need to do. Support a business that has a local owner, and the whole world becomes a better place.

Boycott Wlamart, America!
2


Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

Originally posted by badgerprints
I love it when somebody takes a job and then demands more than they agreed to work for.
If its not worth doing then don't take that job.
Wal mart gets away with paying low wages because people agree to work for them.


I usually only buy toilet paper from Walmart because that's what most of their products are good for but I'd consider spending more on Black Friday just to push a full cart through a picket line.
I've got no respect for the gang mentality.

I think the problem in the employees eyes is that the amount of work expected from them has dramatically increased while pay has stayed the same. They basically agreed to a lie.

Now I agree they could just leave, but in some rural communities Walmart has destroyed local businesses resulting in fewer jobs overall

reply to post by oper8zhin


Ya but globalization is in full effect. Also what person works at walmart but expects the world. Walmart is like working at mc donalds. It's just a job not exactly a career move. Although maybe it might be for some but still.

Like why risk your job over an extra .50 cents and hour or some crap. Like these people are so stupid. Like as if that extra .50 cents and hour they're on strike for will somehow magically transform there lives and get them out of poverty and into the good life. They're so dumb and so ungreatful.

Originally posted by spinalremain
Boycott Wlamart, America!
2

 

Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

 

to bad 1/2 of america shops at walmart for the low prices. These low prices are threatened when you unionize the work force driving up wages and increasing the cost of goods. look at Hostise, perfect example of what happens in the end game of unions. Unions will eventually run businesses to the ground and we are starting to see that.

Originally posted by camaro68ss

to bad 1/2 of america shops at walmart for the low prices. These low prices are threatened when you unionize the work force driving up wages and increasing the cost of goods. look at Hostise, perfect example of what happens in the end game of unions. Unions will eventually run businesses to the ground and we are starting to see that.

edit on 16-11-2012 by camaro68ss because: (no reason given)

It's "Hostess" and the Union didn't do that to them. They did it to themselves. They refused to change to suit the times and started dying years ago. Slashing wages and benefits was simply a last ditch effort to stay afloat and it wouldn't have worked anyway. Now all that will happen is it will be sold off in blocks and bought by other companies who will re-employee the people who got laid off. Most of it will probably be bought by McKee Foods who will pay their employees chicken scratch like they do in Arkansas.

This is a stupid protest. Just get people to stop shopping at walmart. I stopped shopping at the terrible place years ago.

reply to post by hollwd


I don't work for Walmart.

I'm glad to see you care about other people besides yourself.

99%-ers
What a joke. I get it, you hate the 1% because you’re not one and because you think companies treat workers bad and make it hard to make a living.
So you solution is to vote democrat and great things like obamacare, that will take care of you, by making companies pay more out…
Yeap, and your already seeing the fallout in the news.
Companies will have switch workers to part time, and layoff, and make prices go up, and guess what... they will creating more 99%ers.
Stop upsetting companies, and vote to give breaks to business and maybe they will have few dollars to afford full time employees. Then you can get a good job and stop being 99%-ers.

Originally posted by darkhorserider
reply to post by MystikMushroom

 

I HATE workers that don't want to honor the agreement they were thrilled to get the day they were hired. They applied for a job, interviewed for a job, and accepted the job when it was offered, for the pay that was offered, and the requirements that were outlined, but then at some point down the road they think they deserve more?

If you don't like working at Walmart, then stop working there! Sure, the pay is low, the hours are crappy, you are on your feet the whole shift, but that is exactly what you agreed upon when accepting the position.

Try being a CNA for a day or two. Same crappy hours, same crappy pay, but instead of standing behind a cash register, you are cleaning up adult diapers and getting spit on and cursed at, and you have to spend money out of your own pocket for the training and licensing for the privilege of taking the menial, abusive job! Why don't CNA's and LPN's walk out of their crappy jobs and leave all the old folks without care?

Are conditions at Walmart worse than Diamond mines in Africa? Coal mines? 19th century sewing factories? Do these lazy-ass people even know what bad working conditions are? Have they ever seen bad working conditions? I HIGHLY doubt it!

Get up at 5 a.m. on a brisk -10 degree morning to go pressure wash cars at a car lot for $7 per hour, while chipping the ice off your face mask and gloves and going home with blisters in your boots, and wind burn around your eyes, and lips that are cracked and bleeding from the cold dry air. And even that isn't bad working conditions, it is exactly what the job was expected to be, for the pay that I agreed to, and I was happy to have!

Screw these people, I hope they get fired on the spot.

edit on 16-11-2012 by darkhorserider because: (no reason given)

First of all I DO NOT WORK FOR WALMART.

Secondly, many peope take jobs they aren't "thrilled" to get simply because it is the only option. I'm not sure if you're aware, but Walmart is the largest employer in some communities. It's either work at Walmart, be unemployed, or scrape together the money needed to move.

Not everyone can just pick up their entire family/life and just move to another town.

I've worked manual labor jobs in the industrial construction field. I've also worked on the oil fields. I've done my share of back breaking work, and I was compensated fairly for it.

Walmart is an unethical company that drives out small businesses and sells sub-par products for mere pennies less than the competition. America needs to wake up and make the choice to shop next door.

reply to post by camaro68ss


I'd pay 20 cents more on an item if I know that the people working were treated like human beings.

Costco is a prime exaple of a retailer that isn't unionized and pays it's employees fairly. Many people that I have known that worked at Costco have done so for many years.

The problem really is the consumers.... if there wasn't a demand for shopping on Thanksgiving they would not be open. I used to work in retail and have had to work on Thanksgiving before. The customers would often say that they feel bad for me because I had to work instead of spending time with my family.... yet they're the ones that caused me to be scheduled. If everyone would respect the holiday and spend time with their families instead of shopping like loonies there would be no demand for what I'm selling, and therefor our store would not need to be opened as labor costs would outweigh any potential profit. If you want to help, or support anyone that is unfortunate enough to work on Thanksgiving or Christmas, then stay at home.

Stay at home and enjoy the holiday... I think the only businesses that should be open on a major holiday are gas stations and pharmacies.

If there is a nationwide strike there won't be all that many firings IMO. Give a day or two, the store managers will be stressed and panicked, and will do anything to take care of the customers who will be driving them insane. Running with a skeleton crew in a store of that size is a nightmare, and a hell that I wouldn't wish upon anyone. Regardless of what the higher ups feel should happen most store managers will probably forgive this transgression and allow their employees to come back with a written warning on an official counseling form. They will, however, most likely use this opportunity to rid themselves of the underachievers.

Does this have anythign to do with the fact that Walmart is now opening on Thanksgiving for shopping?