What is Digg?336 Comments
- sjbdallas, on 01/06/2009, -10/+105Like a virus. No one is immune.
- gl77, on 01/06/2009, -14/+65i know digg is chock full of anti-union white collar nerds who will probably bury my comment, but wal-mart is a prime example of why there needs to be stronger unions in this country.
I work at Whole Foods Market and we are not unionized and a lot of people say that Whole Foods is a union busting company. I can tell you with 1000% certainty that Whole Foods does not need to be unionized because they treat their employees fantastically. highly competitive pay, a wonderful profit sharing plan called "Gainsharing", full health benefits after only 400 service hours and those benefits become completely free to individuals after about 6 months, along with a personal health and wellness account to pay for things that your health insurance may not cover, two weeks of vacation in your first year of work, and it can be rolled over into the next year, and the next, and so on if you do not want to take vacation.
i know people that work at wal-mart who have been there for 8 years and have yet to crack the 10.00 per hour mark. benefits totally suck there, you are treated with no respect at all, basically you are treated like a robot. they are severely understaffed (i think the slogan "save money, live better" refers to the Walton family since they are saving money by not hiring the help that their stores need, putting the burden on the people they already have and they are def. living better because of it) you are already doing the job of 2 or 3 people when your manager comes around and tells you to do something else and have it done in an hour. 20 minutes later they come back and tell you to do something else and ask why the first job is not done yet. thats the kind of ***** im talking about. and its not just once in a while. its every day.
the difference between wal mart and whole foods market is like night and day. no pressure (as long as you are working) and benefits and perks galore, like a 20% discount on anything in the store, as opposed to wal-marts 10% employee discount, which does not apply to groceries.
if wal mart were unionized, things would be more like whole foods market there, i guarantee.
done with my tirade. didnt know it would be this long and i got off on a tangent, sorry. - existentialduck, on 01/06/2009, -1/+36that's pretty cool - i'm surprised wal-mart isn't all over the midwest too
- DontTreadOnMike, on 01/06/2009, -29/+61Good for walmart. Keep going! I wish I could be as successful. I don't know why people automatically hate every large company. If you don't like their business plan, don't shop there. If you think they treat their employees badly, don't work there.
- scecilio, on 01/06/2009, -0/+31Not shown: 4 Walmarts on the Island of Oahu (Hawaii)
- Akairenn, on 01/06/2009, -14/+41It's trendy to hate on Wal-Mart, especially by insisting people should shop at other stores. That is, other stores that sell the same made-in-China merchandise that Wal-Mart does, just at a slightly higher price. Whatever makes you feel good, I guess. I, for one, welcome our price rolling-back overlords.
- SystmDcln13, on 01/06/2009, -4/+30I work for Wal-Mart, and I for one can say they do not treat their employees fairly. It's not a good company to work for. The downside is the economy has me stranded in the hell hole.
- ManUnitdFan, on 01/06/2009, -1/+23The radioactive green was an appropriate color choice.
- aelias, on 01/06/2009, -9/+27You can! Just use your employees as a lobbying group, masquerade it as a charity, and you too can win power and influence enough to make local politicians look the other way when you come destroy the local economy.
Open up a store in a town, charge artificially low prices, put the little guy out of business, and then slowly raise your prices. It's ***** genius! If theres a high rate of unemployment, it pretty much forces people to shop at your store, because they have no money, because you put them out of business.
There needs to be laws in place to stop this *****, but unfortunately, Walmart has all the money, and they write the laws. - abran1984, on 01/06/2009, -2/+19Mirror?
- manbeef, on 01/06/2009, -0/+15but both of those are thumbs up
- Leviathan433, on 01/06/2009, -0/+14Maybe it is because of population density - less bang for the buck.
- LAmandingo, on 01/06/2009, -7/+2195% of the crap inside each store is made in China. If you want to keep gutting the American economy then keep shopping there. Personally I like to keep Americans working so I try to buy American as much as possible except for cars which I only buy imports.
I recommend these American companies and products none of which Walmart sells:
Oreck vacuums,
Kitchen Aid small appliances and specifically their stand mixer,
Bose speakers,
SubZero fridges/freezers,
Wolf stoves,
Alienbees/White Lighting strobe lights,
Pocketwizard radio triggers
. . .feel free to add your own recommendations. - mechfluff, on 01/06/2009, -6/+19I'm scared now.
- iKnowKungFoo, on 01/06/2009, -1/+14Wal-Mart Store Openings (1962 - 2005)
http://www.spatialkey.com/spatialkey/www/gallery/g ...
Link is HTML, data visualization uses Flash. - digitaldivinci, on 01/06/2009, -1/+14I kind of expected more.
- inactive, on 01/06/2009, -2/+14Well I suppose it would be difficult to fit a large Wal-Mart into NYC, what, with all the crime and homeless people lounging about.
- TeraRealm256, on 01/06/2009, -9/+20Wal-Mart is anti-American! I don't shop there!
- algaeturd, on 01/06/2009, -6/+17Those who are anti-union have developed that opinion by not having enough information/education to see what unions do. And while you shouldn't be forced to join a union, you should always have that option.
Say what you will, union busters, but if it weren't for the coal field wars and the origin of unions where many, many people fought and died to get fair treatment, you wouldn't even be getting CLOSE to what you make in wages and benefits these days.
Tell me what kind of power the average middle class worker has against a mult-billion dollar corporation with lawyers and cash?
They can do ANYTHING they want to you. Period. Unless you have some solidarity and some bargaining power, you have NOTHING.
I love how people claim to be getting treated well at work. It SHOULD be that way. And most have that situation because there was a time when people fought for what they deserved. If it weren't for unions, you likely could be working for peanuts and you certainly wouldn't have any benefits.
Corporations by definition are designed to maximize profit. Period. That's their job. Bring in as much money as humanly and professionally possible. As a worker for a corporation, you're not seen as a 'valuable asset' who leads to profits. You're seen as the 'expendable expense' that has to be paid.
Think anything other than that and you're fooling yourself. Without a union, companies could lock your ass in a store over night and not allow you breaks.
Oh, *****. That's already happened.
And if you think, '***** that, man. I wouldn't let them do that to me,' then realize that you wouldn't have a job.
Not everyone has the resources or intelligence to go to college and study computers and make $150,000 per year. Those who can't shouldn't have to work ***** jobs in ***** conditions for ***** money.
But I guess as long as you're 'getting yours,' you don't really care how hard your neighbor works or under what conditions. Which is one of the reason why the U.S. sucks so hard right now. People are only concerned about NUMBER ONE, aren't they? They'd step over a dying person to get a few extra bucks rather than help them up and try to get them on their feet.
It's disgraceful. And if you think your anti-union ideology works, you're wrong. What you see going on in America right now (not just the economy) is the result of the wrong people getting exactly what they wanted. They got it, the country is sinking right now and nobody has the brains to look back and see that we were a lot closer to getting it right 30 years ago than we are now.
So keep it up. When your employer slashes your job/wage/benefits, then you can suck it up. Think you're immune to it? Ha. Think again.
The ONLY alternative to being in a union is to be your own employer and, again, not everyone can have that. - inigomntoya, on 01/06/2009, -0/+11Snapper mowers (From the Man Who Said 'No' to WalMart).
- DarkSpoon, on 01/06/2009, -0/+10SystmDcln13 said they do NOT treat them fairly.
- kalvinb, on 01/06/2009, -15/+25We moved from middle of town to middle of nowhere which was nice because of cheaper housing and lack of stores close by to make spending money harder. A year later we have a Super Walmart, Super Target, and a bunch of other big box stores less than 10 miles away. We're essentially right back in the middle of town.
Walking around a department store cleaning up and answering questions is not a job that deserves a high pay and/or benefits. Those are the kind of jobs that teenagers should be working to get experience and retirees should work to keep busy if they feel so inclined. People with families need to find another line of work and stop trying to force companies to reward them for their lack of skill and ambition.
It just punishes the rest of the community that has to pay higher prices because miss no talent thinks she deserves a livable wage because she knows how to sweep a floor.
The only negative for Wal-Mart is that they used to brand themselves as "Made in America." Now they just focus on low prices and most of their products are from China. It would have been nice if they could keep the prices and keep the products made in America.
But they can't thanks to people who think every no talent job deserves a livable wage. - Alphateam, on 01/06/2009, -0/+10Kroger is more grocery's Meijer has a large variety of things like Walmart.
- FreddieD, on 01/06/2009, -1/+11The thumbs up and thumbs down icons would be replaced with hockey sticks and maple syrup.
- Alphateam, on 01/06/2009, -0/+9Meijers is a very big player here. It has been here a while and established.
- jitterbits, on 01/06/2009, -1/+10We are only as strong as the weakest among us.
The people sweeping floors at Walmart aren't the ones who are being self-entitled *****, wanting to enjoy the trappings of society on the backs of others. - Nerys, on 01/06/2009, -0/+9Wait so you mean the people who clean up after you do not deserve to live? Please explain that logic to me.
I could understand of you said you do not think they deserve a generous wage
but a LIVABLE wage means exactly that. A wage to LIVE ON.
They work the same 40 hours a week you or anyone else does and you think they do not deserve a livable wage?
What kind of sick planet are you from? OH right. THIS sick planet.
Go figure. you moron. - NomadRip, on 01/06/2009, -0/+9Reading comprehension much?
- AbhorrentBanana, on 01/06/2009, -1/+10Its like watching a virus outbreak
- alarion, on 01/06/2009, -0/+9I would be happy to buy Bose if they didn't suck. Not all American made products are made with quality, believe it or not
- Ozzsanity, on 01/06/2009, -0/+9One exists on Maui as well.
- inactive, on 01/06/2009, -2/+11me too, but they're strategically placed...to kill all smal business
- Anand999, on 01/06/2009, -0/+8Oreck mostly sells from their own stores and occasionally a few specialty vacuum stores, so I can't fault Walmart for this one.
Most of the Walmarts near me carry KitchenAid stuff (just confirmed by checking in store availability at Walmart.com).
Bose speakers are generally overpriced crap, so while this is a product I could see Walmart carrying, I'm not really too concerned that they don't.
Walmart only sells small dorm-size refrigerators. SubZero is a high end brand that mostly caters to people looking for a large sized built in fridge, so both companies are targeting completely opposite sides of the market so no surprise they don't carry the brand.
Walmart doesn't sell stoves, so I can't fault Walmart for not selling Wolf brand stoves.
No idea on the strobe lights or radio triggers... - inigomntoya, on 01/06/2009, -0/+8I think you are exactly right. As you can see in Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Montana, and the Dakotas - they only open stores in the higher populated cities - the rest is barren where people drive a long time to get to any store.
- tgc1, on 01/06/2009, -0/+8In light of figuring that out quite early on, I started shopping elsewhere. Only to find out that the other stores, too, were importing immense quantities of Chinese goods. There's no escaping it. Big Business has made China THE manufacturing capital of the world. I'll tell you something, one person or family choosing not to shop at WalMart isn't going to stop it. It isn't going to put a dent in it. Hell it's not going to mean a damn thing. Because hey, if other stores are doing it, that means, truthfully, you really dont' have a choice.
I do make a point to buy local if I can. But seriously, it's like using a thimble out in a torrential downpour. Makes almost no sense. I'm not trying to dissuade you, but this battle was lost about 20 years ago when they started outsourcing manufacturing over seas. Since then it's been non-stop. I blame the government for not imposing heavy tariffs on these imported goods, to keep incentive for local manufacturers to remain in business. - flyingmonkey350, on 01/06/2009, -0/+8There is also one on Kauai.
- Jlaugh, on 01/06/2009, -0/+7@kalvinb
You make it sound so cut and dry. Some people are born well off and have every opportunity handed to them. Others scrape and struggle for everything they have. There's no rhyme or reason to it. Some people work hard their entire life and have nothing to show for it, others make their fortunes through luck.
I think you buy into some myths as well. - forcedfx, on 01/06/2009, -0/+7So was Kmart and Caldor here in on the East Coast. Now they're all but gone.
- wolfing, on 01/06/2009, -1/+8Kmart should have acquired them in 79 :)
- Matt2k, on 01/06/2009, -0/+7And what country is that? You didn't say.
And you have huge retail chains, but Wal-Mart won't succeed because your company doesn't consume? I'm interested in what you meant by that.
I am very curious ! - kalvinb, on 01/06/2009, -1/+8Define "living" wage. Does that mean being able to afford to have kids and a nice house? Or does that mean having enough to be able to support you and only you? You can do that for $7 an hour working 40 hours a week.
Teenagers don't need a "living" wage because they live at home. They need a low paying job to get experience to move up. Without low paying jobs employers aren't going to hire inexperienced people. Or they're going to hire a lot fewer of them and demand a lot more of them.
If you're an adult and still make minimum wage then you fail and there's no reason for the government to give you a raise. You should have been earning one no less than every year on your own.
I fail to see how any adult that puts in any effort can go through life and never do better than minimum wage. - thayanmarsh, on 01/06/2009, -7/+13Old, but mallwort is still terrifying. Especially at the end when they are just increasing their density.
- inactive, on 01/06/2009, -14/+20Unions result in lazy, inefficient workers who aren't afraid of losing their jobs so they work with even less enthusiasm and vigor than before. Take a look at the auto industry and tell me unions work.
Last I checked, America was a free country and if people were unhappy with the wages they were making at Walmart (or any job for that matter), they could QUIT and find a new job. That's how free enterprise and capitalism works. - Bloake, on 01/06/2009, -7/+13America's got a lot of warts...
- db0255, on 01/06/2009, -1/+7DOWN. mirror?
- gl77, on 01/06/2009, -2/+8oh before i go....as for the "QUIT YOUR ***** JOB AND FIND A NEW ONE!!!!" part of your post, tell that to the guy who has 3 kids at home and his entire income goes to pay the bills, buy food, and put clothes on those kids' backs. you really think he can just afford to up and quit his job and look for a new one? especially in today's business climate? do me a favor, if you're ever in Ohio, go east and visit the Upper Ohio Valley area. that area is so ***** depressed that if you have a job working at Wal-Mart paying 8 or 9 bucks per hour, you're extremely lucky. there simply arent any jobs there that pay anything decent at all. on the upside of that, the cost of living isnt bad, you can get a 2 bedroom apartment for 275 per month or buy a nice house for around 50 grand, but the place is a serious ***** with no opportunity at all. i was lucky enough to run into some money and get the hell out of there, but a lot of people i went to high school with are still there and will be there for life. tell the people who live there and are working 2 jobs just to make ends meet to not complain about working and to quit their jobs and find new ones if they dont like it. sure, there's steel mills, but they are all filled with employees and there is a long waiting list in case someone does die and a position comes open. those mill workers usually hold their jobs for 30 or 40 years and it's because they are unionized and happy. it's elitist scum like you that ruins this country.
- jitterbits, on 01/06/2009, -0/+6Food, clothing, shelter do NOT equal "nice things". They're sort of, you know, necessities for any living creature.
- ACrazyGerman, on 01/06/2009, -0/+6almost all the walmarts in germany are gone, no one shopped at them, we enjoy going to local stores then a super center.
- inactive, on 01/06/2009, -3/+9"Open up a store in a town, charge artificially low prices, put the little guy out of business, and then slowly raise your prices."
You seem to have omitted an important component in your equation there - the consumer. You're blaming Wal-Mart for putting the little guy out of business when in fact it's the consumer's choice to shop at Wal-Mart instead which puts the little guy out of business.
"If theres a high rate of unemployment, it pretty much forces people to shop at your store, because they have no money, because you put them out of business."
No, they're out of business because consumers have chosen to shop at Wal-Mart instead... and yet you fault Wal-Mart for incenting them with lower prices.
"There needs to be laws in place to stop this *****, but unfortunately, Walmart has all the money, and they write the laws."
Laws to prevent competition? Laws to prevent lower prices? Laws to prevent consumer choice? Which laws did Wal-Mart write? - jitterbits, on 01/06/2009, -0/+6kalvinb, I wasn't making sweeping statements about middle/upper classes; I was making a pointed statement about you personally based on your post.
And this is mythical: "If the poor were actually working hard they wouldn't be poor. They'd be moving up the ranks and earning better pay." In an ideal situation, yes. In real life, not so much.
Emerge from your bubble. There's a whole world out there. -
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