Also, while working at Wal-Mart IS, in fact, a choice, some people don’t have any other choice. You mention that most of the time this could be because of poor education and the inability to meet qualifications elsewhere. This is true to an extent. The economy of the state I live in isn’t so good, especially that of the town where I live. Why do we need two super Wal-Marts with in 10 minutes driving distance of each other? I can tell you that the economy here hasn’t improved much since they’ve been built. And yes, it provides jobs initially, but there have been several small business that have gone out of business or moved since the first grand opening. Not only does this take away our ability to buy from alternate vendors, but also jobs at these businesses. And guarantee if they try applying somewhere else, wherever they apply aren’t hiring, because that’s just the way it is here.

This is a great discussion and I do see points on both sides of the fence, but I still stand by my opinion that Wal-Mart needs to re-think their policies on many issues.

PS. Thanks Mr. Walton(comment7).

People should certainly have the agency to shop where they want. But the more I read up on the issues, the more uneasy I feel supporting national chains when I can purchase something similar… even if I must pay more for it.

I have noticed a small quiet trend that seems to be growing nationally. Consumer groups and local business owners are starting to create educational coops in cities and towns across the US. They promote “shop Local” campaigns to educate consumers about several of the problems with national chains, including how national chains suck the revenue out of local economies.

Some studies indicate that for every $100 spent at a locally owned business, $45 goes back into the community and its tax base. For every $100 spent at a national chain store, only $14 comes back into our local communities.

A study commissioned by the Andersonville Development Corporation, found that locally owned businesses generate 70 percent more local economic impact per square foot than chain stores

Think long term, think local

http://www.specialoffersbulletinboard.org/shoplocal.htm

You give people no credit for using their brains to make choices. If they buy something at Wal-Mart and the value sucks for what they pay for that item, they will choose to do their shopping elsewhere. Choice is a good thing. The american consumers, with their dollars, made Wal-Mart the powerful giant that it is today.

I did not say (nor would I ever) that minimally qualified workers are scum, those were your words. It is inevitable that our society will have these people in the workforce. It is a good thing that there are companies that can provide alot of these type jobs for folks that can’t qualify for higher paying employment.

The more the government stays out of the way of private business, the better. We have a system where the freedom and choice of the consumer and workforce would do a better job of regulating the marketplace than BIG BRO.

There’s a reason that governments raise the minimum wage, as a capitalistic model tends to like shitting on the lower class. Wal*Mart is an invasive business, killing local economies and caring more on business profit as opposed to taking care of their workers.

Yeah, I bet if someone could set up a sweatshop only paying $3 and hour, and if the statistics say that enough people are desperate enough for a job to fill the requisite positions, I’m sure it’d happen if it wasn’t against the law. That’s Wal*Mart for you: The “How much can I get away with not paying my employees and still have the business run” model, and it’s sick.

You pretend as-if people at Wal*Mart have the option to find a better-paying job… Either that or they’re unqualified scum who don’t deserve any better and are better working for practically free than being on welfare. That’s even more sick.

Wal*Mart, in order to save money, buys low-grade products (in bulk) and sells them for a high profit margin as if they were medium-grade products, except for slightly less. This gives the illusion of “lower price,” when in reality, Wally is making hand-over-fist with their barge-loads of chinese manufactured goods that Wally buys for practically nothing.

They have power through penetration. Because they’re so big, so consolidated and so convienient, people flock to them blindly (and eventually, they really don’t have any other options as all the other competition somehow went out of business).

So, a business that crushes local economies, puts local stores out of business, drives the average pay-rate down, and preys on those who can’t find a job because of our poor economy… You have yourself a real winner there.

Lovers of freedom= Good Americans