Walmart vs. American government...Some facts and figures

This is something quite interesting I received today.
1. Americans spend $36,000,000 at Wal-Mart Every hour of every day.

2. This works out to $20,928 profit every minute!

3. Wal-Mart will sell more from January 1 to St. Patrick's Day (March 17th) than Target sells all year.

4. Wal-Mart is bigger than Home Depot + Kroger + Target +Sears + Costco + K-Mart combined.

5. Wal-Mart employs 1.6 million people, is the world's largest private employer, and most speak English.

6. Wal-Mart is the largest company in the history of the world.

7. Wal-Mart now sells more food than Kroger and Safeway combined, and keep in mind they did this in only fifteen years.

8. During this same period, 31 big supermarket chains sought bankruptcy.

9. Wal-Mart now sells more food than any other store in the world.

10. Wal-Mart has approx 3,900 stores in the USA of which 1,906 are Super Centers; this is 1,000 more than it had five years ago.

11. This year 7.2 billion different purchasing experiences will occur at Wal-Mart stores. (Earth's population is approximately 6.5 Billion.)

12. 90% of all Americans live within fifteen miles of a Wal-Mart.

You may think that I am complaining, but I am really laying the ground work for suggesting that MAYBE we should hire the guys who run Wal-Mart to fix the economy.

This should be read and understood by all Americans… Democrats, Republicans, EVERYONE!!

To President Obama and all 535 voting members of the Legislature.

It is now official that the majority of you are corrupt and ineffective:

a.. The U.S. Postal Service was established in 1775. You have had 237 years to get it right and it is broke.

b.. Social Security was established in 1935. You have had 77 years to get it
right and it is broke.

c.. Fannie Mae was established in 1938. You have had 74 years to get it right
and it is broke.

d.. War on Poverty started in 1964. You have had 48 years to get it right;
$1 trillion of our money is confiscated each year and transferred to "the
poor" and they only want more.

e.. Medicare and Medicaid were established in 1965. You have had 47 years to get it right and they are broke.

f.. Freddie Mac was established in 1970. You have had 42 years to get it right
and it is broke.

g.. The Department of Energy was created in 1977 to lessen our dependence on foreign oil. It has ballooned to 16,000 employees with a budget of $24 billion a year and we import more oil than ever before. You had 35 years to get it right and it is an abysmal You have FAILED in every "government service" you have shoved down our throats while overspending our tax dollars. AND YOU WANT AMERICANS TO BELIEVE YOU CAN BE TRUSTED WITH A GOVERNMENT-RUN HEALTH CARE SYSTEM??

I have said it to friends many times who want some government program to take over some segment of our society...All you have to do is have contact with some government agency to realize they are less than efficient and sometimes just terrible.

Laws are different than programs; do not confuse the two.

I just returned back to the states last night around 23:00 hours and am glad (kinda) to be back for a few months. The American embassy was a hassle in Bangkok and if I could not have spoken Thai I would probably still be standing outside waiting for a simple Notary stamp.. The whole appointment schedule for the Embassy was blocked Monday through Friday....so no appointment, yet after 30 minutes calling and speaking to different people from outside the Embassy I was finally let in...Another thing about the Embassy is .....Used to when someone came and went through the security process and had a bag (back pack etc etc) you would leave the bag at security in a plastic tray and you would be given a number for the trays retrieval upon exit....No more!!! My wife was kind enough to hold two empty back packs for two individuals who would not have been let in or would have had to leave their backpacks on the sidewalk!! once I finally got through the security at the Embassy it took all of 10 minuets to get the stamp; hardly anyone was at the section where I needed the stamp...8 people working in that section.... to just get a Notary on the one page Document cost 1500 Baht...used to be 500 baht; money making son of a gun if you ask me....

International flying is not nearly as bad as stateside flying even though the checks and security accomplish the same thing...just much nicer without all the attitude....In Japan you get off the aircraft in a secure area and have to go back through security even though you are connecting to another international flight that your bags are already checked for...In other words what you personally carry off the aircraft is rechecked at security....DUH IMO and right out of the TSA SOP manual.....DUH...DUH...DUH...at least they are nice about it!!

There are programs within the government that started out with well intentions but somewhere along the line their mission got corrupted or the end goal was lost along the way.

Also, a two edge sword; the vote in America or anyplace else that votes in their leadership. If 200 million can vote and only 3 go to the poles you will get nothing but the special interest represented by 2 of the 3...IMO it would be better to write in none of the above if you disagree with the puppets placed before us...

Just thoughts and I certainly do not have all the answers but like many I was really turned off by the actions of the Dems & Repubs not to mention MSM being bought and sold by the parties and their bias....If we do not vote in the local state and national elections because we are pissed (or trying to avoid jury duty) IMO you play right into TPTB hands.... When you are being ruled by some party or someone you totally disagree with (forget voter fraud for a moment) look in the mirror...Do not buy into the B.S. of don't VOTE! If your vote is wasted at least you tried and did your part as it was envisioned by the way the system was designed.....They can hide slim margins with fraud and dead people voting but it becomes very problematic when you are talking millions of votes to change and hide...or it used to be?

With all the social networks, word of mouth etc etc it should be possible during the next election cycle to either like (one of the two or three parties presented) or do a social network blitz saying, "do a write in for a acceptable candidate for Prez".. For Congress or Senate based on the incumbents voting record should be a no brainer for those who care about the republic; many need to be voted out! Last cycle there were approx. 12 million registered voters who did not vote (most Ron Paul supporters, or so I was told) They should have done a "write in"..... and probably would have if they there had been a national social media push to do so....??

Many truly believe the two parties are just opposite sides of the same coin and by many of their (parties) actions it is (at times) hard to find a difference, so no reason to go there as a debate item..

We need to effect change from the bottom up and clean the corruption and lies out of our institutions. The only way that can be done (without a blood letting) is by your vote....

OK kinda rambling, so I apologize; just some thoughts for my first day back.....

If we hired the guys that run Wal Mart we wouldn't be any better off.

You see the kind of profits they make yet they pay their employees a low wage.

They're greedy!

We dont want an efficient and profitable nation.

We're happy with arbitrary regulation, unfair and unequal targeting of individuals, fostering dependency wherever we can and finding other people/nations to do for us anything we deem as "too hard."

Comparing a business to a government is a no go to begin with.
Government isn't a business, If it was, then this wouldn't be an issue (imagine if the American government sold all cars, cell phones, and say, fountain drinks...they would be rolling in the dough).

Walmart makes it trade by purchasing cheaply in bulk overseas. They get second rate stuff, and sell it to the public in mass for a small profit for each purchase that by itself wouldn't be great business sense, but combined with the bajillion other products under one roof, makes for a nice sum.
The government taxes as its only source of income, and then spends based on what the elected reps have been sent to do in order to, as the commerce clause demands, stabilize the economy as best possible (redistribution). Taxes however are a bit of a hot topic, as come to find out people want geese that lay golden eggs, but don't want to buy the goose to begin with.

We elite westerners simply need to stop moaning and pay a bit in taxes to make up for the flaws...or, consider handing over a couple industries for government profit making. Lots of stagnant debates on how people should just pay more if they make more, and the other side that demand we should be almost tax free and have a dog eat dog (and if you get food stamps, you should have to literally eat dogs (and cats)) society.

There is no solution, walmart will not be running the country, the different philosophies will not be winning Washington in any relevant measure, and the debt will continue to spiral out of control

This is not some doubting Thomas response, it is simply the reality of the situation.

Should the government work like a business? only if they can also go into business. If walmart had no products to sell, they would be in debt far worse than any government program does...after all, they pay all their employees a ton of cash to work for them...government doesn't pay every single US citizen a wage to simply exist in the US.

Originally posted by kimish
If we hired the guys that run Wal Mart we wouldn't be any better off.

You see the kind of profits they make yet they pay their employees a low wage.

They're greedy!

Everyone is greedy (not always for money mind you, but generally speaking, most people to chase after something to attain)
Greed isn't a bad thing at all...Actually, greed can bring about a lot of good ripple effects.
But either way, everyone whom has opened up a successful business, be it Walmart, McDonalds, or your computer manufacturer your currently using, has been greedy. Its required to stay in business.

As far as low wages, well, not all jobs require high wages. door greeters..you think someone whom simply says hello to someone and hands them a basket should be getting a ton of cash? Most jobs at walmart are knuckledragging dumb jobs overall. Not all, but a cashier simply needs to swipe stuff across a bar scanner and not put the spaghetti sauce on top of the bread. That's not rocket science.

I have no issue on how walmart does business..its a business, they didn't open a charity, and the second it becomes feasible to replace every single employee there with robots and self checkout stations, they absolutely will.
I think its up to the people (and it will -never happen btw) to stop shopping at walmart because they are town killers...but..people are too greedy to not shop there. Not everyone, but there isn't enough resistance to even slightly nudge Wally world's profit margain...because the mart has good business sense.

I spend exactly $0 at Wal-Mart everyday. I don't shop at that awful store that has done more to destroy smalls businesses and good jobs than any other company in the country. Way to paint them as a good company. If Wal-Mart ran the country, all government jobs would be shipped overseas and anything the government provided for the people would be second rate and break within a few months. So basically what we have now.

reply to post by 727Sky



a.. The U.S. Postal Service was established in 1775. You have had 237 years to get it right and it is broke.

b.. Social Security was established in 1935. You have had 77 years to get it
right and it is broke.

c.. Fannie Mae was established in 1938. You have had 74 years to get it right
and it is broke.

d.. War on Poverty started in 1964. You have had 48 years to get it right;
$1 trillion of our money is confiscated each year and transferred to "the
poor" and they only want more.

e.. Medicare and Medicaid were established in 1965. You have had 47 years to get it right and they are broke.

f.. Freddie Mac was established in 1970. You have had 42 years to get it right
and it is broke.

I figured..... as much as Wal-Mart is not liked (yet someone sure shops there) the main replies would be about Wal-Mart and not the rest of the written op. Any business that does not respect their bottom line will not have any business at some near future date.. However in government and their bottom line...print money (debase the dollar buying power or just plain crash the dollar) and if that does not work just raise taxes....Responsible spending by agencies...Many already know that if an agency does not spend all the money allocated for their physical year they will lose the amount saved in the next year allocation or budget for that department....That is not a good policy because departments are in a scramble at years in to spend every last dollar; be it a waste or appropriate.... Need to think a little deeper than just a Wal-Mart example

reply to post by 727Sky


What are you talking about, the American government funded Wal Mart.

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Over $1 billion in government subsidies have gone into transforming discounter Wal-Mart Stores from a regional discount store operator into the world's largest retailer, according to a report Monday from Good Jobs First, a Washington-based subsidy watchdog group.

"Wal-Mart presents itself as an entrepreneurial success story, yet over a few decades it has made extensive use of tax breaks, free land, cash grants and other forms of public assistance," Philip Mattera, research director of Good Jobs First said in a statement.

The study, which is funded in part by the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, found that 91 Wal-Mart stores have received individual subsidies ranging from $1 million to about $12 million, in the form of free or reduced-priced land, job training funds, sales tax rebates, tax credits and infrastructure assistance, including investment in roads.

In total, these subsidies amounted to $245 million, the report said.

Separately, the report found that 84 of Wal-Mart's distribution centers received an average of $7.4 million in subsidies, totaling about $624 million. Additionally, a database search for tax-exempt bonds issued by state and local authorities indicated that another 69 Wal-Mart stores received other low-cost financing of about $138 million

You can see how your tax dollars are making the Waltons even more wealthy in your own state.

Wal Mart is not a paragon of right wing American values... of self-starting, refusing to play ball with those peksy labor laws, and sticking it to Uncle Sam....

Wal Mart is, one could say, one branch of Uncle Sams indentured servitude program... The others being prison and fast food. All industries that we, the victims taxpayers pay a hefty premium for. Low pay, no benefits, no medical coverage, no job security, no full time hours... Then, of course, we see calls to lynch the people on food stamps not even caring that the reason they need them is because they work and shop at Wal Mart.

Originally posted by SaturnFX
and the second it becomes feasible to replace every single employee there with robots and self checkout stations, they absolutely will.

And that one simple statement is not only the main cause of the economic downturn and the current unemployment rate, but the reason we are not likely to recover for the foreseeable future. As long as big business continues to move towards technology to do the jobs humans used to do, more and more jobs will be lost. A robot requires no pension, 401k, vacation time, or sick time. They don't need raises

So instead of ten people doing the same job, one robot does the job for ten people, while one person is hired to make sure the robot doesn't break down.

I've seen this posted already on various sites.

I would not want the people of Wal Mart running this country. I don't care how big they are, they are GREEDY. They sell crap goods from China, pay their employees peanuts (figure of speech not peanuts literally) and have some of the rudest and laziest employees so no I don't want those people running the country.

Wal Mart is where it is because it did everything it could to stop the little guy and get to the top. They came into small towns, no they pushed their way into small towns which caused many mom and pop stores to go out of business. I lived in a city that wanted NOTHING to do with a Super Wal Mart. They fought and fought to keep them out and they successfully did but you know what sneaky Wal Mart did? They built a super center outside the city limits! Yup they didnt care about the locals and all the local businesses there, they wanted to make more money.

I do not shop at Wal Mart. I tried recently to give them another chance via their online store and having it shipped to the store but after the horrible and rude experience I had I will never shop there again. I hadn't shopped there in over 2yrs and this one experience where I tried to give them a chance just solidified WHY I dont shop there. I will gladly pay more at places like Target, Lowes and Publix to get good customer service and a friendly CLEAN environment.

I like saving money but I wont lose my sanity to do so by shopping at a Wal Mart.

Originally posted by usernameconspiracy

Originally posted by SaturnFX
and the second it becomes feasible to replace every single employee there with robots and self checkout stations, they absolutely will.

And that one simple statement is not only the main cause of the economic downturn and the current unemployment rate, but the reason we are not likely to recover for the foreseeable future. As long as big business continues to move towards technology to do the jobs humans used to do, more and more jobs will be lost. A robot requires no pension, 401k, vacation time, or sick time. They don't need raises

So instead of ten people doing the same job, one robot does the job for ten people, while one person is hired to make sure the robot doesn't break down.

So your position is that progress is at fault? Progress and efficiency should take a back seat to making sure every neanderthal can earn a living wage pumping gas or bagging groceries and to provide this society should not adopt better ways of getting things done?

Human beings are better than pulling levers and cranking out widgets for 50 hours a week. If we can automate widget making then we should.

The problem isnt the technology. The problem is the humans who refuse to do anything but yank levers and crank out widgets.

The days of dropping out of high school at 16 and making $60,000 a year sticking rods into holes are long gone.

Rather than retard progress humanity needs to adapt.

Or at least learn some snake oil skills and sell "handcrafted widgets like grandpa used to make" at a huge markup to the hipsters.

Here's a path of thought that can be interesting to explore:

US Corporation Wal-Mart didn't reach out to China... China reached in via US Corporation Wal-Mart.