One of my Walmart Clients (Computer Repair) was SO happy about her "Bonus".I didn't have the heart..

[BlueJazz]

...to point out that She's getting screwed the other 364 days.

She makes under 8 dollars an hour..29 hours a week. (they won't let her work any more than that)
She has a "health Care plan" that's about as useless as a screen-door in a Submarine.

From Wakeup walmart:::

A 2003 wage analysis reported that cashiers, the second most common job, earn approximately $7.92 per hour and work 29 hours a week. This brings in annual wages of only $11,948. <"Statistical Analysis of Gender Patterns in Wal-Mart's Workforce", Dr. Richard Drogin 2008>

/////

Her Bonus was $927.16 ...which equates to a Whopping 2.54 per day.
Also (in her words) "Well...sometimes I have to cut my lunch break short or skip my regular breaks if the store is busy"

True...She's doing the best she can but I hate the fact that the poor Woman is being taken advantage of.. :mad:

Note: I did a Full restore on her laptop Plus gave her Office Pro and other stuff for a total price of 20 bucks.
Believe Me..I never, EVER charge that little. :) :)

[Fumesucker]

1. A good example of trickle down economics..

She gets screwed by her employer, so you screw yourself in sympathy with her.

Note that this is not a barb aimed at you or your client, it's aimed at Mal-Wart, you obviously have a good heart, unlike Mal-Wart management who I suspect have liquid helium pumps.

[Rider Haggard]

2. I do similar things.

I guess that's part of the reason I'm cash strapped right now. :)

Good on you.

[Callalily]

3. It was kind of your to charge

so little for the services that your provided. I'm sure your client appreciated the cost savings.

She may be taken advantage of, and she most likely knows it too. But in this economy, if a person's got a job, you keep your mouth shut and work. It may be a crappy job, for a crappy company, but it's better than no job at all.

It's heartless the way companies treat their employees these days. They know they've got us all over a barrel, they know they can fire for the smallest of reasons, or truth be told, for no reason at all.

[Skwmom]

4. Walmart has been receiving a public bailout for years.

They've had the U.S. taxpayer subsidize its labor costs. What a racket.

The Walmart family exploits workers worldwide and gives very little to charity. This is a PR move. There is a lot of populist anger out there and they want to keep the traffic to their stores flowing. Plus, I'm sure they want to make money off of health care reform. I wouldn't be surprised if they opened medical clinics in Walmart. Wouldn't that be some top notch health care.

[Mudoria]

5. She has a job..

which is more than 5 million Americans can say.

[Zywiec]

6. How much are you selling MS Office Pro licenses for? n/t

[CBGLuthier]

7. Hush now

This is about Walmart's lack of ethics. Not the OP's lack of ethics. Besides, Microsoft is a big old bad old company so stealing their stuff is not unethical.

.

[tangent90]

8. Must be under 20 bucks, I'd like some of that action

;-)

[BlueJazz]

9. Little over a Hundred.

[Rider Haggard]

13. Chances are it was Office 2000

which is, as far as M$ is concerned, defunct and the last office . OpenOffice is now just as good and when I get talked into rebuilding or building a computer for a friend I put OpenOffice on it and the recipient is happy as happy can be.

There are also some very good open source graphics programs out there that are pretty good replacements for Adobe's CSx programs.

[jody]

10. Understand your point but from her perspective the bonus is fantastic. If one is a have-not, crumbs

from the tables of the haves may seem like a gift from heaven.

[Horse with no Name]

11. It may very well have kept her lights on this month, or her rent paid

or groceries on the table.
For the working poor--it may have provided one less sleepless night.
I know we aren't supposed to be grateful, but sometimes we have to be.

[jody]

12. Exactly !!!!!!!

:pals:

[BlueJazz]

Of Course...what you say is True..I just hate that it sometimes has to be that way..n/t

[jody]

18. I agree but I've caused less fortunate people than I a moment of sadness when I didn't act exuberant

over what is to them an unexpected fortune.

I now try not to hurt others in similar circumstances and I reprimand myself when I forget.

Not there yet but I'm working on it.

[ejpoeta]

25. that's how the rich folks want it. they want us begging for scraps and happy

for any little bit extra.

[jody]

31. We are as one in our fight for equitable distribution of society's profits but the OP cited an

instance wherein a person of modest means rejoiced after receiving a small bonus.

IMO the OP author described a personal act of generosity.

Several of us agreed with the OP author and stressed how important a few pennies might mean to some people while others might view the dollar amount as trivial and insignificant.

I did not mean to disparage the OP author and if some believe I did, then I apologize to the author for my unfortunate choice of words.

[madmom]

14. I don't know where you/she lives and works but the Walmart in my

area pays more than $8 an hour. I was making over $10 and hour for part time and they would ask me every other week if I would please go full time. I was part time by choice. So if indeed she was making under $8 an hour it was in accordance with the cost of living in this area ,I'm thinking.

[Fumesucker]

17. I live in a fairly low COL area, 11 grand a year wouldn't support a family here..

In anything other than extreme hardship..

Edited to add: And the OP makes it quite clear that his client was not doing all that well on her exorbitant Mal-Wart salary.

[madmom]

26. I didn't suspect she could live on a Walmart salary, neither could I, BUT the point

I have been trying to make is Walmart is by far not the only ones doing this, why let the others off the hook? They see they are getting away with it and will continue to do it. Walmart has brought their pay and working conditions up, not the best yet, but getting better. The others are stagnant, and will stay that way unless and until they are brought to the publics attention.

[Statistical]

15. You "gave" her Office Pro?

Either you are really generous or your believe you have the right to "give" other peoples property away.

Just wondering which one it is.

Seeing as cost of Office 2007 Pro OEM including no media (CD) is $300
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116460
Wholesale price for bulk pack of 50 licenses is $12,000 = $240 ea.

So I am honestly curious?
Are you generous enough to pay $240 - $300 for a legal license and then give it away?

OR

Do you honestly believe you can "give" away something you don't own?
Would you mind if I "gave away" your car?


Lastly why Office Pro? Do you honestly think she needed that. Someone who actually had to BUY the software might give her Office Standard, or Office Basic given unless she needs to do database work would be more than sufficient. Or if you wanted to help her for free you could "give" her Open Office. Generally when people "give away" the most exepnsive version of software it was never theirs to give away to begin with.

[BlueJazz]

19. 2003 version and I have already paid for it. My License "pack" cost a Fortune.

Keep in mind I have some VERY wealthy Clients (also) so in a sense...they ahh...pay for my so-called Kindness.

I charge less than most Techs (who are A+ and MCSE and other Labels) so nobody is/got Screwed.

I appreciate your point of View...in being a Software Writer...and I don't "Give" software away.
I "Eat" the cost or make it up in more work..

I used to mess with/Write Assembly Language but it's been so long I would Suck at it now..

[Mari333]

16. I have no sympathy for employees who 'cut their breaks short' on purpose

I saw that many times, employees behaving like slaves and enablers to businesses..they end up hurting all the other employees when they cut their breaks and lunches and work off the clock..
I turned down a job once when one of the employees told me 'we usually dont take lunches during the summer because its too busy in here..' (this was a small bakery in town and the owners always hire too few people)
I told her 'Thats bullshit..its required by law that PT workers get a lunch and a break..anything else is illegal'
she said "oh thats okay we wont tell'
I said "forget it..the owners are paying you shit and then they expect you to work for free and you suck their dicks..not me, sister'
and I left.

[MadHound]

20. So you have no sympathy for employees who are doing what they have to

In order to protect their crappy job in a time of high unemployment and economic disaster?

A compassionate one you are:eyes:

[Mari333]

27. I have compassion

also for the other workers who are getting screwed by one workers behaviour. Thats why I support unions.

[MadHound]

29. And if you're working in a non-union plant?

If you've got kids and family depending on you retaining your job?

Nice that you've never lived in desperate times or desperate situations. If you had, you might realize that people sometimes do things that they don't like, that they're not proud of, but feel like they need to just to keep body and soul together.

And your support of unions is nice and all, but lots of workplaces aren't unionized and when times are tough, people don't have the luxury of choosing a job that is unionized, they have to take the first job that pays.

[Horse with no Name]

21. Ask just about any non-union hospital nurse

and they will tell you. We get docked for lunch but never leave the floor.
My lunch consists of shoving whatever sustenance in my face that I can quickly digest while still working.

[BlueJazz]

22. True...but when you're a Divorced Mother with a little girl and was..

..abused by your Ex-Husband Plus (probably) have a low opinion of yourself, it's understandable your "Courage"
is somwwhat lacking...

[Mari333]

28. I agree and I wish it were different

hopefully the employees will someday be able to have a Union that protects them and helps their self esteem.

[madrchsod]

23. 927.16 --before-- taxes

if she is on any public aide that bonus may cut her funds she receives or could stop her funds for a month. this could cut her ability to get funds to help pay her gas and electricity bills.




if she is cutting her breaks and lunch she is violating walmart policy. after getting burned for making employees cut their lunch hr and breaks walmart managers make sure they take a lunch and break. in fact the employee must punch in and out to the minute or they are reprimanded for not taking a full 30 minutes or breaks. i`ve seen walmart employees pulled in the middle of checking out someone because they had to go to lunch.

[ejpoeta]

24. you know, my husband's work just settled a lawsuit regarding breaks and lunches.

it's amazing what walmart gets away with. and yet somehow they can beam about how they offer health insurance to all their employees. yeah, the FULL TIME employees. my sister and BIL worked there for many years. they were actually full time employees. barbi was working just enough hours to keep her health insurance at the end. she smartly got her associates in graphic design and got the hell out of there. Now she is unemployed from her graphic design job, but is considering working for herself doing websites. She has already bartered for windows with a local company who does remodeling and construction and stuff. I told her I thought it was a great idea because she could be home with the kids and be there to get them from school and stuff and be able to work around HER schedule. There is no way she wants to ever have to go back to walmart.

[LanternWaste]

30. I'm glad you cut her a break...

I'm glad you cut her a break... that was a very nice thing to do. :)

She got an unexpected bonus from Wal-Mart and a deep discount from you. As pissed off as we may be at what Wal-Mart's doing (or not doing as the case may be), she's having a pretty good day-- maybe only one of a few, and you made her day a little better.

That was a good thing you did. :thumbsup:

[serrano2008]

32. Your right, she should go work someplace else.

In fact if all cashiers at Walmart went to work someplace else they'd start paying more.

A revolution is born...

I love how so many people who don't work at Walmart think Walmart is so horrible and complain about them all the time and that their employees are suckers who are getting scammed and underpaid by "the man". On the other hand, Walmart employees who are the only group with the clout to change things, are grateful they have jobs and must be content with their wages because they all still work there.