An experience I had in Walmart that made me think in another direction

[mtnsnake]

A couple months ago I was looking for a mountain bike to pick up for the fun of it, for the savings in gas it would bring with the way gas prices were skyrocketing, and for the exercise. The local shops were either out of stock or they only had real expensive bikes left. I was desperate to find a bike. Someone suggested I check at Walmart, and as much as I hated to, I decided to give in and take a drive to the nearest Walmart. I went to their bike racks and found a worker who gave me some good advice on which bikes I should consider. I told him I would think about it and would return the next day, which I did.

When I returned to the store the next day, I wanted to find the same fellow, who had given me his name, because I had a couple more questions for him. Another worker was nearby, so I flagged him down. He was a young awkward man, polite, and probably in his early twenties. He had a severe facial deformity, possibly from an accident, and had a little trouble speaking, too. I asked him if he could help me with the bike questions I had, and he said they weren't his department, so I asked him if he could find the other fellow whom I had dealt with the previous day. He stared for a few seconds as if it took a while for it to sink in, and then he said he would go find the worker I was looking for. I thanked him, and he walked off very slowly and gingerly to find the bicycle guy.

Around 5 or 10 minutes went by and nobody came back, while I waited. Another few minutes went by, and I said to myself I'll give him 5 more minutes to find the bicycle man or I'm going to leave the store and go home. I figured I'd be there all night waiting for nothing. But then what do I see but the fellow finally coming back with the bicycle man. I felt a little ashamed because I had kind of given up on the young man who went to find the bicycle guy, only because I was a little impatient.

You're probably wondering what the point of all this is. After I left the store with a bike which I purchased, I got to thinking. First I thought how the young guy came through despite his apparent handicaps. He took a little longer to react and he took a little longer to come through, but he did what he set out to do and he was polite. And here I had almost walked out on him. I pictured in my mind how sad it would have been if he came back with the bicycle man and if I had not waited for him to return.

Then it dawned on me... How nice it was that Walmart gave people like this young man a chance for steady dignified employment when few other places do so in my area. For the first time in a long time, I thought maybe there is something good about that store afterall. Where would many of the people find work if it wasn't for that store? My area just doesn't have an excess of opportunities for employment.

Anyway, I went back into the store and told the assistant manager how helpful both of the workers were whom I had dealt with, especially the young man with the disabilities. She was glad to hear it. After I left I was just happy that Walmart gave some less fortunate people like that fellow a chance to to find employment. Maybe Walmart is bad, but in at least this one respect, they're not ALL bad.

[Ian David]

1. He's the exception, not the rule. It's a nice story, but pay attention

to the big picture.

Still, it's nice that you tell Wal-Mart that you appreciate this.

[1monster]

39. He is not the exception. I know that one agency in this county places

many handicapped and borderline retarded people in positions at Walmart.

I have my beefs with Walmart. But they do have some good points. When Sam was running the show, Walmart was overall a good place. His reason for starting Walmart in the first place was to make merchandise affordable for lower income people.

The current Walmart admin seems to care only about their bottom line, but some of the earlier policies from Sam's era still live on..

[ikojo]

72. Companies get a tax break for hiring handicapped

and/or developmentally disabled people. It's good they have an opportunity for employment, but rest assured that if that tax break goes away, so does employment opportunities for such people.

[aquart]

2. Don't they get a write-off or subsidy for handicapped hiring?

Just asking.

[mtnsnake]

7. I was wondering that, but the bottom line is that I've seen some people

in that store who would probably have trouble finding dignified employment elsewhere. I think it's nice that, for whatever reason, Walmart will give them a chance. Many other places wouldn't have the patience.

[Aimah]

17. They get a tax write off.

We had a job counselor from a rehabilitation center come into a store I worked in as an Assistant Mgr. It wasn't our companies policy to do this but we decided to help her place some of her students. One of the selling points is that the company gets a tax write off. The write off wasn't what motivated my Mgr though.

[purji]

69. In Michigan

they get whats called a "deviated wage".
they measure the percentage of time difference between a non handicapped person, and the handicapped person who will be working that particular job.
Say there was a 30% difference in the Time it took,so pay would be 30% lower than normal starting wage.

[Booster]

3. Good story. I've had similar thoughts when I watch the elderly

greeters, and the women who work as cashier's. No matter how bad I think Walmart is, I know a lot of these people wouldn't be working anyplace else, especially in very small towns. I still don't like Walmart and only go there with a friend who doesn't care about their employment policies, but I still come away thinking I'm glad these people have a job, and they all seem very happy about it, so who am I to judge.

[mtnsnake]

8. "I still come away thinking I'm glad these people have a job"

Well said, and very nice. Sometimes there's a little more to it than just what we think.

[rodeodance]

9. the kind of places you talk about are not there precisely because of

conglamerates like Walmart, Target, shopko,et al.

..... I know a lot of these people wouldn't be working anyplace else, especially in very small towns.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

11. But before WalMart came in and destroyed the small businesses,

people DID have jobs in businesses owned by their neighbors. You don't know how many of those elderly greeters may have once had their own grocery or hardware businesses, or may have had high-paying jobs in manufacturing plants that were driven out by competition from low-wage countries as WalMart went for the cheapest possible suppliers.

You don't know how many of those women cashiers are working there only because their husbands no longer make a living wage, thanks to WalMart.

That rosy, sentimental view of WalMart just won't wash. I saw the beginnings of how WalMart destroyed the traditional businesses in a small town, and it was NOT pretty. They get no props from me for giving the casualties of their predatory practices minimum wage jobs.

[moobu2]

32. My sentiments exactly. That’s why I cant spend a dime there.

Anytime I’m looking to purchase something, I search around my community for a small localy owned business first. My conscience just wont allow me to shop at Wal-Mart in any case.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

35. One of the advantages of living in a city is that there are a lot of

small, locally owned businesses. :-)

[rockymountaindem]

33. That's what I thought

One of my more conservative friends once remarked, "what's the big deal? I never see any small businesses trying to compete with Wal-Mart." Another more reasonable self-described conservative friend piped up before I could say anything. With an incredulous look on his face he said "there's a *reason* for that!" A few words with a powerful punch.

[sarcasmo]

37. Exactly, with the living wage destroyed by Walmart they have

destroyed the middle class.

[jannyk]

4. Will he now be 'let go'

because of their new policy to hire only the 'strong and healthy'?

[IndyOp]

5. We can't just let them off with 'vivid positive examples' they need to

reach overall positive policies for all of their workers.

:kick:

[waiting for hope]

6. I would love to

boycott Wal-Mart, but as a working mother of two (one still in diapers and on formula) I can not find a better place to find everything I need in one stop and save the money like I do....i.e. Enfamil LIPIL:
Wal-Mart 21.39
Eckards 24.99

I'm buying a can formula once a week and hey, guess what, my husband and I make too much fucking money to get on WIC - our finances this last year due to to hike in our healthcare expense and do I need to even mention the price of a gallon of gas? are squeezed so tight that if one of us lost our job we would be really screwed. So, as much as I hear everyone bitch about Wal-Mart, find me another alternative or I will continue to shop there.

[lildreamer316]

12. Hey...

do you have coupons? DO you "coupon"? Please let me help you if you don't!! Surf on over to this group http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=353

and make sure you visit demgurl's couponing website for a start: http://home.triad.rr.com/coupon/

this is just the tip of the iceberg, though. I have started surfing for freebies,and with a new baby, it is amazing what you can get!
Feel free to PM me for more info.

I'm pretty sure there are some Enfamil coupons available; I'm gonna go look for you and get back to you.

[waiting for hope]

20. I have tried to do the coupon thing

in the past - with my first son, but I never really could find any savings on the things we needed (like TP, paper towels, soap!, dish detergent etc) or for food that we actually liked. I signed up on Enfamil's website before our daughter was born and I got a total of maybe 10 coupons from them - hadn't gotten any in the last three months until day before yesterday they sent me a can of that Next Step stuff with a coupon....peditrician wants her on the LIPIL until she's a year and by that time, whole milk baby....
Thanks for the info, I will definitely check it out.

[lildreamer316]

23. Well,

let me see what I can get going for you re:specific coupons for what you need. It all depends on the amount of time you have to spare for it,and what kind of stores you have in your area. Read the tips on the site--she has some great organizing tips also.
Oh, and make sure you check out my organizing thread at the group--I have found a household notebook to be a great help! I'll PM you with any more info I have so as to not clutter up this thread.

[waiting for hope]

28. Thanks!

I appreciate the info.....the baby will be up in another six hours and sleep is such a precious thing so I'll check back tomorrow...:hi:

[SammyWinstonJack]

31. We all do what we have to do to get by. No shame in that.

:-) I don't think you need to justify it to anyone.

[justiceischeap]

10. I am SOOOOOO torn on the whole Wal-Mart thing

I mean, don't get me wrong, I think they're evil. However, I read somewhere on the internets, and maybe it was Mart propaganda, but the people that work slave labor for them, this is their only means of income, other than prostitution or some nonsense like that. So even though their labor practices are horrid, they also provide otherwise unemployable people in 3rd world nations....

If Wal-Mart takes a financial hit, then these people lose their livelihoods. Se, torn.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

14. "Unemployable people" in Third World countries?

No, probably not.

The sweatshop workers are largely young peasants who are lured off the land with promises of wages to send home to Mom and Dad. If it weren't for the sweatshops, they'd probably be down on the farm, just as their families have been for generations.

[justiceischeap]

66. Yeah, that came out wrong

I meant that there may be no other way to make a living.

[Solon]

70. "I meant that there may be no other way to make a living."

That's false. Usually what happens is that a company factory moves into town, and workers are "encouraged" to work there, usually with a barrel of a gun pointed at them. In many cases, farmers, like mentioned before, were able to at least have 3 meals a day. Now, they are usually FORBIDDEN from farming, and the wages paid to their kids are barely enough for them to afford 1 meal a day. Then of course, a new country goes "free" in regards to trade, and the company packs up and goes there, repeating the cycle. Then the peasants in these countries left behind now have to try to make a living on land that has for a while been abandoned. Starvation isn't unheard of when that happens.

[lildreamer316]

15. It is a crappy catch 22.

Kind of like the Columbia cocaine thing. The coca fields provide the only source of income for many familes there---yet we want to and have destroyed the fields time and again. What a delimmma.

[sandnsea]

21. Read this

Mariana Islands - "A Model of Reform"

http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/?view=plink&id=668

And don't forget the Bangladesh factory collapse, that was in the US media for less than a second.

http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/?view=plink&id=703

[gaspee]

13. First 20/20

And now this feel good story.

I'm feeling a little wal-mart propaganda today.

I've boycotted wal-mart for about 6 years now-- long before it was the thing to do.

I refuse to spend my money in a store where most of their stuff comes from chinese sweat shops.

And I make 11,000 dollars a year.

My little brother, who lives with me, is metally handicapped. He has a job at a grocery store getting carts. He gets paid almost 10 dollars an hour, has full health coverage and belongs to a union.

The government give a tax break for companies to hire handicapped adults.

And all those lovely senior citizens working at wal-mart? Wal-mart has life ensurance policies on them.

[mtnsnake]

22. I'm not trying to make an argument on Walmart's behalf. I just wonder

where many of the people who work there would be able to find work if it wasn't for that store. Yes, Walmart is probably evil in more ways than one. But all I know is that I see people working in that store, some of whom would find it very difficult to find work elsewhere. I'm happy that they have a place to work, just as I'm happy to hear your brother has that opportunity.

[I_am_Spartacus]

38. WalMart is playing an important part in destruction of middle class

Part of that destruction includes the destruction of the tax base and the disappearance of good health insurance. And they're using their economic power to influence politicians to further dismantle infrastructure (because they want lower taxes and fewer obligatiuons to workers and the public).

That disabled might have a job now at WalMart, but it's so obvious that he'd live in a better world in which WalMart isn't driving wages to the bottom, wealth to the top, and helping Repuplicans get elected.

[Name removed]

26. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[mtnsnake]

30. Hey there's no need for a response like that

Sounds pretty snobbish, if you ask me.

[I_am_Spartacus]

41. Uh, that was an excellent post. Why so angry about it?

[sarcasmo]

42. I smell a Republican with a name like Flannelmouth.

If I am wrong welcome to D/U.

[proud2BlibKansan]

44. Gee - RW talking point

and low post count.

Enjoy your brief stay :hi:

[sandnsea]

47. That's a $7.00 hr job

32 hours a week. That's entry level. You and your son should thank your lucky, or connected, stars.

[1monster]

48. ???????????

I work as a substitute teacher and work nearly every school day... So far, in four plus years of subbing, the most I've made per year was just under ten thousand dollars. Yes, I have two months off in the summer, but if I didn't, I'd probably make only about $1500 to $2000 more.

And my job can be very hard. Just because your son made that kind of money doesn't mean that someone else who is making less is "hiding" from work.

[proud2BlibKansan]

59. Welcome to DU

:hi:

[sandnsea]

16. He still deserves better than "starvation wages"

That's FDR's phrase and I think we need to resurrect it. It's not enough to say, aw, how nice that the least among us have a place to slave away for the lowest wages paid in decades. Dignity comes from the chance to "work to get a (really) fair share of the good things of life, and a chance to save and a chance to rise." For everybody.

There are also federal programs that help employers hire the disabled, as well as former welfare recipients. I would bet Walmart is getting millions in federal funds to hire these workers. Not quite so benevolent, when you look at it that way.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

19. This thread makes me feel as if I've walked in on a brainstorming

session of the WalMart PR department. :eyes:

[sandnsea]

24. Yeah

But there are alot of screwed up economic beliefs in this country that alot of people hold. We fought them off pretty good between the 30's and 70's. But Reagan sold conservative economics like no one else could and now we have a whole generation that doesn't even know there's something better. Or where the little bit of good that they've got came from. That's why I worry about this strategy of just tarring White House Republicans. It's a start, but the truth is that they aren't economically any different than Repubicans have been for the last 100 years.

[proud2BlibKansan]

46. LOL

Good call Lydia :)

[YellowRubberDuckie]

29. Actually, they pay poorly at first to weed out...

...the people who don't want to be there. Once you start getting promotions, the pay isn't bad. I had several friends working at Walmart during college, and they made between nine and ten bucks an hour after two years of working there. Sure that's not a ton of money, but they were college students and there are worse jobs to have.
Duckie

[sandnsea]

36. If you like it that way

Used to be, wages were good enough that you could work and put yourself through school with minimal loans. Can't do that anymore because the wages are so low. Those are SHIT WAGES. Pure shit. For anybody. The only reason there are worse jobs to have is because people like you don't understand how badly you're being fucked.

This was true in 1933 and it's true today. The only thing that keeps business from imploding on itself is government regulation that protects workers. Read some Roosevelt.

"It is probably true that ninety per cent of the cotton manufacturers would agree to eliminate starvation wages, would agree to stop long hours of employment, would agree to stop child labor, would agree to prevent an overproduction that would result in unsalable surpluses. But, what good is such an agreement if the other ten per cent of cotton manufacturers pay starvation wages, require long hours, employ children in their mills and turn out burdensome surpluses? The unfair ten per cent could produce goods so cheaply that the fair ninety per cent would be compelled to meet the unfair conditions. Here is where government comes in. Government ought to have the right and will have the right, after surveying and planning for an industry to prevent, with the assistance of the overwhelming majority of that industry, unfair practice and to enforce this agreement by the authority of government."
http://millercenter.virginia.edu/scripps/diglibrary/prezspeeches/roosevelt/fdr_1933_0507.html

[rockymountaindem]

40. Hardworking people with no previous experience made $8 or $9 an hour

to start at my dad's small business. I'm tired of Wal-Mart apologists trying to make the argument that small business can't possibly offer the same wages as a mega-corp. I'm not calling you an apologist, your story is probably true. However a well-run small business has a lot to offer its employees as well, including a pension and profit-sharing plan such as pops offered his staff.

Can ya tell I'm proud of the guy :)

[YellowRubberDuckie]

49. You're not wrong, but...

Most family owned businesses treat their non familial employees like utter shit. The family owned or small business argument doesn't fly with me either.
I'm proud of the guy myself.
Duckie

[Catherine Vincent]

18. What a cute story.

Thanks.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

25. Walmart could give every homeless person in the country a job...

...and this place would still bitch about how evil Walmart is. I like Walmart. I like Target better, but I still like Walmart. I'm poor. I really enjoy the fact that I can go spend $50 bucks a week and get a ton of groceries. We visited one of the mom and pop stores for our groceries for one week, got the same amount of food for $120, and most of the crap we got wasn't anywhere near the quality. So, when I hear people blame Walmart for putting everyone out of business I roll my eyes. They did it to themselves. :shrug: But that's just one person's experience and opinion.
Duckie

[proud2BlibKansan]

50. I still shop there too Duckie

Not as often as I once did but it is so convenient and you are right about the prices. I needed a new car battery not long ago. I called around and made a good attempt to buy that battery elsewhere but nobody could beat WalMart's price. I guess I am not wealthy enough to boycott WalMart.

[SheilaT]

27. As touching as that story is,

WalMart is not the only place that hires people with various handicaps and disabilities.

And some huge percentage of the children of WalMart employees are on Medicaid/Medicare or have no health coverage of any kind. Does that sound like a real good employer?

And since I myself literally never go into a WalMart (not even when I visit my friend in Arkansas who is one of their corporate attorneys, and yes, I've been telling her for years she should be ashamed of herself) so I can't vouch for it myself, but I keep on reading that WalMart does not necessarily have the lowest prices in town.

If you have a Costco where you are, you should be patronizing them. They pay their workers extremely well, have health care benefits, and contribute almost exclusively to Democrats. And the Wall Street Journal hates them for it.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

34. I don't think people get this:

They are paying for what they are getting: unskilled labor. If you want to make more than eight, nine dollars an hour, it's really easy to go to vo-tech and get a great paying job. Like I said in another post, they pay shitty at first, but after you get past the first year or so, the wages start going up as you start getting more responsibilities and they learn where your loyalties lie. I've had several friends who work for them, including one who is a manager is southwestern Oklahoma. It's not the worst place in the world to work. No, that would be Mcdonald's or Burger King. Why doesn't anyone ever bitch about the way THEY treat their employess, cause I think they make Walmart look like the great white hope.
Duckie

[sandnsea]

43. They sling burgers, not bullshit

That's one thing. They aren't pretending to be anything but minimum wage high school jobs.

Walmart sells itself as providing good jobs to the local economy. Not only are the jobs shit, but we are also subsidizing them by providing their employees health care, housing, energy and food assistance through our taxes. Walmart is the #1 employer in the US. The Walton family are also the richest people in the world. They could provide health insurance for every employee with just a pittance of their wealth. That's why they're coming under fire.

[Duckiesplaything]

51. Kinda like the mom and pop shop I used to work for

They paid their employees crap while they bought new cars ever other month and paid their kids 10 times our wages for doing little or no work. Mmmm...gotta love the way that family contributed to the local economy, like giving a nice big "donation" to the fire department just before a "scheduled" inspection. I was there for 5 years and reached the the top level that I would ever reach in 4 (without marrying into the family) Gotta love those hometown shops..... I think everyone needs to face the fact that all companies are in this for what keeps them going, not for their employees. Does anyone have a true alternative to working and shopping at wal-mart, instead of just some lip service for another company that will do the same thing in another way?

[sandnsea]

53. unions and regulations

Go read FDR's words again. You obviously missed the point.

[Duckiesplaything]

54. So....no alternative then?

[sandnsea]

55. This is just sad

What is it about unions and regulations that you don't understand??

[Duckiesplaything]

57. Don't think we are on the same page here.

My post said nothing about unions at all....

[sandnsea]

58. #36

Too many lucky duckies in this thread.

[Cats Against Frist]

60. Yeah, I'm not defending Wal-Mart, but every family-owned biz

that I've ever worked at, had the exact same environment, as you described. Myself, and my fellow greenhouse workers and flower delivery people were paid slave wages with no benefits, and then each one of their rich, married-to-execs daughters would come in and try to make everyone feel like shit, while doing "work," for their "pay," while the boss made racist jokes (in front of a woman with a bi-racial child), and the matriarch ran around like a tyrant.

I worked in the back, and rarely dealt with customers, and I got shit because my shoe had a very small hole in it. It was hell.

[Broken_Hero]

65. Yeah, true....

My wife startd out at 7 bucks an hour, and now she is making over double that, in just 6 years, can many other people say the more than doubled their starting wage in just six years? My wife started for walmarts financial division in Bentonville Ark. After he first three months, she went up to 8.15 an hour and every year, she got more than a dollar raise, based on her efforts. She started there, for quick easy money, she didn't plan on staying in SW Missouri for that long, but she stayed, and her i am married to her now...:) Her cousin just started as a cafeteria worker at sam's club home offices(just hired), and she is making 8.15 an hour with no experience...I worked the same type of job in Alaska, which has a bit higher minimum wage, and i was making 7.25 with College, and a work history, and with a union...I hated the union, i worked for Carrs(now safeway) of Alaska, the union was nonsense and i paid over 2,000 in union dues, and they didnt' help me out with anything, when i got fired for calling in sick...so go figure...

From what i have seen, of walmart, and how they treat my wife, and her coworkers, they aren't the worst places by a long shot, to work for...i have worked a ton of shit jobs, and none of them sound anything like, what my wife deals with...

[YellowRubberDuckie]

73. It just starts out crappy...

But when they get to know the worker, it goes up. It's important to like where you work, and it sounds like your wife is fairly happy. Good deal.
Duckie

[sarcasmo]

45. Costco supports the Democrats, which is another reason to shop their.

[Duckiesplaything]

52. So if a company supports your cause

Who cares how they treat their employees....That's cool..:toast:

[Lydia Leftcoast]

61. I guess you don't know much about Costco

Here's a summary of their benefits:

http://www.costco.com/Service/FeaturePageLeftNav.aspx?ProductNo=10045087

They've also gotten in trouble with their shareholders for being "too generous" to their employees.

So I'll stick with Costco, thank you.

[Duckiesplaything]

63. Love those company propaganda pages.

http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1090180358192

[Demit]

68. Then how about a NYT article, and a Daily Kos diary about it?

In July of this year, the NYT business section noted Wall Street analysts who were complaining that Costco was "overly generous not only to Costco's customers but to its workers as well". The article is extremely informative. Check it out:

"Some Wall Street analysts assert that Mr. Sinegal is overly generous not only to Costco's customers but to its workers as well.

Costco's average pay, for example, is $17 an hour, 42 percent higher than its fiercest rival, Sam's Club. And Costco's health plan makes those at many other retailers look Scroogish. One analyst, Bill Dreher of Deutsche Bank, complained last year that at Costco "it's better to be an employee or a customer than a shareholder."

Mr. Sinegal begs to differ. He rejects Wall Street's assumption that to succeed in discount retailing, companies must pay poorly and skimp on benefits, or must ratchet up prices to meet Wall Street's profit demands.

Good wages and benefits are why Costco has extremely low rates of turnover and theft by employees, he said. And Costco's customers, who are more affluent than other warehouse store shoppers, stay loyal because they like that low prices do not come at the workers' expense. "This is not altruistic," he said. "This is good business."

--http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/17/business/yourmoney/17costco.html?ex=1279252800&en=8b3103305fea6d68&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss
and
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/7/24/173330/038

And Costco's CEO makes a pittance compared to other CEOs. This article was a real eye-opener to me.

[proud2BlibKansan]

56. I am probably the only DUer who doesn't like Costco

Shopping is a hobby of mine. Or a curse at times - LOL! I have shopped in every store ever built. And I just don't like Costco. It is too confusing for me. They change their merchandise. So when I find something I like and go back to get it, they don't carry it anymore. I hate stores that do that. Their clothes are yucky and who wants to dig through the tables they lay them on to find the right size? I also don't like the way Costco and Sam's carries a mega size of every product. I don't want 5000 aspirin; a bottle of 20 or 30 suits me just fine. I am a frequent shopper after all. It's not like I won't be able to come back in a couple months to get more aspirin :)

I also have a real problem with having to pay for a membership to shop anywhere. I have a friend who doesn't drive and she has a Costco membership so I give her a ride there a couple times a year and shop with her. If it wasn't for her, I would not go there at all.

There are a few food products I like to buy at Costco. And when I am looking for a big ticket item, I go there. (I bought my digital camera there.) But for everyday stuff I buy all the time, I go to my local grocery store or Target. And flame away, but I still shop at WalMart, but I am trying to kill that habit.

[Rainscents]

62. Costco hires disable people and they get UNION pay! Walmart can

bring up stander living for everyone and they can still make money just like Costco! I also seen HomeDepot and Lowel hire disable people and they get paid very well! WalMart hires these people for making money in their pocketbook and that is it!

[Broken_Hero]

64. Walmart saved my hometown from...

Local business that were absolutely PRICE gouging us to death. I'm from an island in SE Alaska, and in 2000 Walmart came to my town. Before walmart came to my island, a VCR was 300 dollars....300 Dollars for a damn VCR in 2000, no joke. Walmart came in, and leveled the playing the field. In my hometown we were held hostage by local business, cause if we didn't buy it from them, than we had to order it...but think, how many business actually ship to Ak? YOu can see on just about anything, that most companies don't ship to Alaska or Hawaii, so in short...we were held hostage by this rich, greedy local business....

Walmart leveled the playing field, and actually made our local business compete...when walmart came to town, two stores closed...Bernies (which charged HUGE amounts for electronics, and a local cd shop, which, the cheapest cds were 20 bucks)...I didn't feel sorry, the other two electronics shops stayed/currently in business, and the other cd store is still in business. Walmart did good, we have more jobs, people can actually work for walmart now, instead of working "season" jobs like fishing, cold storage, or tourism.....

Now, i'm not saying walmart is innocent of anything, because they aren't, but i see alot of broad brushing of them, but anways...

[mtnsnake]

74. Your story proves there's two sides to every story.

Before Walmart came to our area we had some basic categories of stores.

We had a few stores that sold higher quality, more expensive items, usually the kind you find in specialty areas, such as hiking/sporting goods. Those stores were pretty much unaffected by Walmart because Walmart doesn't sell the same higher quality merchandise that they do, and the staff at these specialty stores is usually more trained in that specific area.

We had numerous stores that sold items along one category, such as stores that sold just fleece clothing for example. Stores like that were usually in and out of business within a few years, Walmart or no Walmart.

We had stores that simply sold common, easy to find items. These stores suffered the most.

We had small stores that sold unusual things like party or headshop stores. These stores were pretty much unaffected by Walmart.

We had stores such as music, jewelry, & hardware that simply gouged the customers, without offering much help or customer service. Those stores kicked the bucket. No wonder they put up the most fuss when they heard Walmart was coming in.

We had stores such as music, jewelry, & hardware that had higher prices than Walmart, but not astoundingly higher, and they also offered friendly service and they backed up their products. When you'd go into one of these stores, you could learn everything you needed to know about their products from one of the salespeople. The service and knowledge they provided was such an asset that these stores are still flourishing. I'd rather pay a little more for a product when the salesman can steer me towards the exact kind of product that's just right for me. If I'm shopping for a television for example, the salesman at my local eletronics store will spend all the time necessary to explain all the differences between the various sets. They'll come to my house to hook up TV's or stereos if necessary, free of charge. THAT means a lot.

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of Walmart, although I am guilty of shopping there for certain things that I either can't find somewhere else or that I buy a lot of. In the case of price gougers, Walmart does level the playing field, true. Maybe Walmart should get into the oil drilling business!

[Broken_Hero]

77. Well they got a good start with oil drilling....

The got murphy usa, its not theirs perse, but they are getting there...plus the fact that the WH didn't do anything in order to deal with high prices of diesal during the past few months/currenlty and that walmart support these rw "idiots" has gotten them pissed off. Walmart is now working on new diesal engines, to replace what they currenlty use, which uses less diesal, and increases their mpg ratio....sorry, my wife works for their home offices, so she usually gets the "new" walmart news whenever anything comes up...plus the gas/diesal issue that still plagues us, has pissed off walmart by no end...its funny, they supported the rw, and got screwed...lets home walmart learns a bit of a lesson and tries to support the lw.

I wish i could afford to shop at other places, but I can't, but on the other hand, i don't feel guilty in the least bit shopping at walmart, and if "anyone" here hates me for it you can send me $ so i can afford to shop elsewhere. People make it seem like there are stores just down the street that have the same thing for like a dollar more...which, in my experience isnt' true at all...i go to walmart looking for a hammer...at Meeks Lumber, or Tru Value their hammers are about 3 dollars if not more...i can't afford to throw money away just to appease people really. But in my mind, there isn't a big business or a small business that doesn't take advantage of the small "guy." Be it there workers who they pay nothing to and treat like garbage, or the people that "produce" their wares...I don't know of any company that is innocent in that regard, and if any company says they are, i would be really "suspect" of them saying that...but, thanks for the response, i was expecting a lot of flaming...:)

[spinbaby]

67. It would be nice if they could also pay him a living wage

The brother in-law of a good friend of mine is mentally challenged. He also works in retail, bagging groceries and rounding up shopping carts. But he works for a unionized store so he actually gets a decent wage and health insurance.

So here's a small plug for the Giant Eagle grocery chain which hires the handicapped AND pays them well. They're a bit more expensive than the Wal-Mart across the way and I cheerfully pay the difference.

[mtnsnake]

75. That's the key

Stores like the one you mentioned will always have my loyalty, too, regardless if we have to pay a little more. It's worth it.

[radwriter0555]

71. There is a movie theatre out in Marina Del Ray in Los Angeles that employs

differently abled people for taking tickets, the concession and in the ticket purchase. I've seen people who were mentally compromised as well as those who were physically challenged.

I LOVED patronising that theatre because the people working there were so pleased to have a job and to be treated like everyone else. They did good work too; they were tidy, efficient and really polite, and always a pleasure to interact with.

I wish more businesses were like that.

[mtnsnake]

76. Businesses like that are wonderful. Not only do they do a great

service for "differently abled" people, as you say, but it's businesses like that that teach our own selves to be more accepting, tolerant, and patient....by the examples they set.