1 Comedian dead, Tracy Morgan might lose leg & no jokes comrade, but Walmart reminds me of Soviet Bl

Im sure you guys have seen the accident in NJ where actor and comedian (SNL alumni) Tracy Morgan was in a a car accident, when his limo was squished by a Walmart tractor trailer... linky if you haven't.

That's not really what I was thinking about when reading the article, instead the following lines stood out at me:

Wal-Mart U.S. is a unit of Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retail chain, with about $476 billion of revenue for the fiscal year ended Jan. 31, 2014.

So Walmart is doing half a trillion in revenue every year? In the last 20 years, (big emphasis on a decade a massive growth) all the local smaller chain, or independent shops with character and variety, culture, etc. have vanished... for (?) convenience? Yea that must be it. What truly amazes me is that even though they are changing hands of such a massive amount of money, they can only afford to have 3 cashiers on till during busy hours.

Makes me want to shout ... WHAT THE F!!$$%%

I am losing track at how many times I've had a complete shopping cart but left it at the front due to line ups and understaffed cash registers.

Supposedly this is capitalism, or something like it, that let the company thrive, becoming the massive, gargantuan monster that it is now. Right. You know, the "lobby to get the competitive edge over everyone else until you put them out of business, capitalism."

And you were all worried about the REDS invading during the cold war just so they could implement their soulless commie system of centralized everything, where choice is limited and you all wait in line for more of the same crap they hand out to you.

Walmart has more revenue than than most countries. In fact, it would be the 28th largest economy in the world if it were a country. Here are a bunch of other austounding facts about Walmart, if you care to read. Id like to go over all of them but I feel I'd be running off on a tangent.

In any case, communism won out after the cold war. You can see it in Walmart. And you will see it even clearer 20 years from now when they account for 30% of the US-GDP, instead of the 3% now it does.

Yes, Walmart is really sickening, and our economies are really sickening

But people can start local businesses, first probably local groups and councils, and really get everyone out, united, and then pass hats at times, replace goods and services, and buy from each other.

Let them tighten their belts while grass roots people start to prosper.

This has always been the answer.

But nothing can ever get unified without councils of citizens. No democracy is possible, and ensuring people are on the same page to support each other and retake the business sectors isn't possible either unless people start to step up to plate and really become the decision makers.

But nothing can ever get unified without councils of citizens. No democracy is possible, and ensuring people are on the same page to support each other and retake the business sectors isn't possible either unless people start to step up to plate and really become the decision makers - See more at: www.abovetopsecret.com...

a reply to: Unity_99

Every time you walk through the front door of Walmart, you are making a decision.
Think global, act local.

Interesting factoids at the link.

I have to wonder about the one linking Walmart Supercenters to obesity. I wonder how they came up with that one (it was the 4th one from the bottom)? I would like think that obesity is linked to eating more calories than you burn off on a regular basis.

Don't like walmart? Don't shop there. Want something to go away? Stop buying it.

originally posted by: caterpillage
Don't like walmart? Don't shop there. Want something to go away? Stop buying it.

My sentiments exactly.

I even did a thread on it. ATS buried me alive.

They sure do love their walmart.

when i make the rare foray to the local wal mart, i can tell the difference int he customers compared to the ones at my typical HEB.

I am not going to start insulting people, especially the ones i share my small town with. But it is this difference in customers that keeps me from returning to Wal Mart.

What does the one person dead and one person losing their leg in an accident have to do with Walmarts business practices??? I'm sorry, I'm not following ....

Immediately upon hearing of the accident, Walmart released a statement saying that they can't change anything but they'll help the victims and the families. They stepped up immediately.

So ??? I"m not seeing the problem with their response ....

a reply to: boncho

LoL I feel your pain. I have all but stopped shopping at wal-mart.

I hate going there, I hate the experience, I hate having to deal with employees while there and I hate how they have totally dismissed old man Walton's philosophies. I also hate how items are carried, then dropped, then restocked... If you find some brand name you really like there, it is a good chance that they will not have it either in stock, or just stop carrying it at some point in the near future. IF you find an employee who is truly helpful, you will never see him/her again on future visits.

I hate the experience so badly that I will spend a few more bucks and buy my groceries etc elsewhere.

a reply to: FlyersFan

What I gathered was that reading the article about the accident led the Original Poster to learn a few things about Wal-Mart that dove tailed with some opinions he had already established.

It would appear that the post began as related to the accident but quickly changed to Wal-Mart and how they do business.

I feel his pain...I intensely dislike (hate) the Wally World experience and stay away from there at virtually any cost.

a reply to: bigfatfurrytexan

Well stated. We cannot have that conversation in America. It is not politically correct to do so, never mind that the conversation would relate to what is wrong in many areas of our society and that without said conversation there will be no changes.

originally posted by: butcherguy
Interesting factoids at the link.

I have to wonder about the one linking Walmart Supercenters to obesity. I wonder how they came up with that one (it was the 4th one from the bottom)? I would like think that obesity is linked to eating more calories than you burn off on a regular basis.

Yes of course, but body shape and composition is obviously tied into the diet of whoever you are considering.

I don't think you can throw Walmart in a main cause, but definitely McDonalds, and they are one of the only franchises that rivals Walmart.

tl:dr - If you only give people the options of eating thousand calorie crap biscuits they are likely to put on weight.

originally posted by: caterpillage
Don't like walmart? Don't shop there. Want something to go away? Stop buying it.

Are you under the impression that Walmart just plopped itself down into every city in North America while all the pre-existing ones are still there? Because... there are a number of people who wish they could go back there to shop.

And if one person decides not to shop there it's not gonna make much of a difference is it? Now if everyone stopped shopping there we might see some new shops open up for the demand.

a reply to: boncho
Major mistake in this post I just deleted. FedX wasn't involved.

originally posted by: boncho

originally posted by: butcherguy
Interesting factoids at the link.

I have to wonder about the one linking Walmart Supercenters to obesity. I wonder how they came up with that one (it was the 4th one from the bottom)? I would like think that obesity is linked to eating more calories than you burn off on a regular basis.

Yes of course, but body shape and composition is obviously tied into the diet of whoever you are considering.

I don't think you can throw Walmart in a main cause, but definitely McDonalds, and they are one of the only franchises that rivals Walmart.

tl:dr - If you only give people the options of eating thousand calorie crap biscuits they are likely to put on weight.

A person could live in the 'Hansel and Gretel' witch's house and not get fat. They just have to choose not to eat more than they need. Every wealthy person isn't fat, and they have the money to eat all the food that they care to eat.
There are food choices at Walmart that are not crap biscuits. In fact, the Supercenters pointed out in the obesity link happen to be the Walmart stores that carry fresh produce.

a reply to: butcherguy

Agreed...whatever happened to being responsible for the choices one makes? OH NO! Then I cant blame society for my ills!!!

i would also like to point out that you used fresh, produce and Wal-Mart in the same sentence.. I am pretty sure you didn't do that intentionally.

a reply to: boncho

I do not want to steal your thunder--I worked for Wal-Mart for 7 years. The company is really pretty crappy...especially towards their own employees. This accident, however, is the result of FMCSA Federal Laws concerning the operation of commercial vehicles. This is a trucking issue and NOT a Wal-Mart issue. I now drive a truck for a living and can offer some insight here to improve understanding of the issue.
The law states a commercial driver may only be on duty for 14 hours every 24 hours. He/she may only drive 11 hours during that 14 and they MUST take a 30 minute break within the first 8 hours of driving. The driver may only be on duty 70 hours in a period of 8 days. Once 70 hours is reached, the driver must take a 34 hour reset during which he/she must be off duty a minimum of 34 hours consecutive. This reset must include two periods between the hours of 1 and 5 am( usually takes about 48 hours to get a reset) Only one reset is allowed every 7 days.
Technically speaking, the driver is at fault for this accident. He should have reported his lack of sleep to dispatch and refused to drive the load...even if he stood to be fired for doing so. I believe Wal-Mart is a "forced dispatch" company that REQUIRES drivers to accept loads if they have the hours to drive them...refusal often means termination.
Unfortunately, Wal-Mart will probably avoid paying a single dime for that accident. It is not their fault. The driver was legal to drive by federal law. The driver did not refuse the load. The driver chose to continue driving even though he knew he had not slept the required amount of time.
There is currently a battle going on behind the scenes to close the crazy loopholes in these "hours of service" rules. The 30 minute break was just added recently and costs most drivers a lot of money. You see, we are NOT paid for anything except driving. Forcing us to stop costs money and we are already made to work three hours per day without pay.
This affects EVERYONE in the country and truly NEEDS to be understood and addressed. Please do some research on this subject and take a stand. If you got it, a truck brought it...better, safer trucking laws= lower prices for everything.

originally posted by: boncho

originally posted by: caterpillage
Don't like walmart? Don't shop there. Want something to go away? Stop buying it.

Are you under the impression that Walmart just plopped itself down into every city in North America while all the pre-existing ones are still there? Because... there are a number of people who wish they could go back there to shop.

And if one person decides not to shop there it's not gonna make much of a difference is it? Now if everyone stopped shopping there we might see some new shops open up for the demand.

There ya go, my statement is more of a blanket thing. if one person makes a stand and no others with him his cause is lost. If the hive mind kicks in and the thought goes global then the situation changes. The choice a person must make on an individual level is one of, do I go along with the masses in something I don't like just because it's easy? or do I take my ground and hold it even if I stand alone? Every avalanche starts with a pebble.