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Life at Wal-Mart

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Re: Life at Wal-Mart

#51

Post by unalone »

jordanf wrote: post #21

This is so cool, and great to hear. I've never quite understood the anti-Walmart sentiment. What do people have against low prices? Poorer people can afford to buy (or save) more if they are fortunate enough to have a Walmart nearby. One reason to despise the retailer: Walmart has recently been lobbying congress to raise minimum wage. If successful, this could force more small businesses to go under because they cann…

You could also argue that that's merely cutthroat business. If Walmart gets its way, small businesses suffer, but employees are suddenly at an advantage. And Walmart, which is large enough to afford that, is fine with helping its employees when it also means removing competition.

Re: Life at Wal-Mart

#52

Post by Mistone »

smokey_the_bear wrote: post #20
ConradHex wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I prefer products from Target over Walmart because they tend to be better designed and higher quality. Walmart is great when you want something really cheap, though, and quality isn't really a concern.

Seems more like Target has better looking products, especially home decor stuff, but it breaks just as much. Walmart has stuff of fine quality if you don't buy the absolute cheapest coffeemaker they sell.

def agree, I prefer Target because they seem to have better designed products and a sense of style. However, I'm fully aware that both companies operate a ruthlessly efficient business focused on maximum volume to drive down costs, and beneath the marketing they are very similar.

Re: Life at Wal-Mart

#53

Post by dgabriel »

wildwood wrote: post #27
gojomo wrote: post #14

Here's another vigorous refutation of Ehrenreich's 'Nickel and Dimed' mindset: http://libertyunbound.com/archive/2004_07/lamon-poor.html

Yeah, 'vigorous' is about the nicest word I can think of to describe it... :) People who can barely make ends meet should move to the sun belt to save on clothing? If you can't afford the deposit on an apartment, it's your own fault, because people have bailed on a lease before? Huh? But if you get past the overall obnoxiousness, though, he does actually have some good points.

He has some good points, but not many. Mostly he tries to rebut the Ehrenreich book with dismissive language and vague, anecdotal experiences, including comparing war-torn Korea with a modern state. He has his own agenda-axe to grind.

Re: Life at Wal-Mart

#54

Post by evgen »

adnam wrote: post #49
mattmaroon wrote: post #33

I've been defending Wal-Mart (not that they need my help) against idiots ever since I work there. People never consider the alternative. Wal-Mart may pay little, but the stores they replaced pay less. One Wal-Mart may use a lot of electricity, but the 20 stores they replace would have used more. And so on and so forth. It's very easy to look at Wal-Mart in a vacuum and call it an atrocity, but when you compare it to…

But did all the 20 stores they replaced bash workers' unions? (Downmod me for asking - like I care). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallmart#Employee_and_labor_rel...

Probably not, but they were also too small to be effectively unionized in the first place.

Re: Life at Wal-Mart

#55

Post by forthewin »

showerst wrote: post #46
mattj wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is partly based on stuff said in the BB thread: Wal-mart might treat it's employees better, but it's cut-throat treatment of suppliers forces them to cut their (the suppliers') employee treatment to the bone. When walmart might jump ship on sourcing from you (their purchasers are known to have zero loyalty) because it costs you $0.25 more per decorative lamp than the guy using questionable labor practices, you d…

In theory, if that becomes a big enough hole, the market should rectify it on its own. You can already go to Starbucks and buy $10/lb 'Fair Trade' coffee, and many 'hip' brands (American Apparel comes to mind) trade on their humane wages and treatment of workers. I'm not saying it's a complete solution (some of the costs are still likely being externalized, although that's more a problem in the case of pollution than…

Sometimes the invisible hand gives you the finger; I'm willing to wager that in a lot of these cases you end up with massive barriers to entry, and so once a company gets shuttered or pushed out competitively it will take years and years before a suitable replacement appears.

Not that I have any good ideas on how to make the subject better.

Re: Life at Wal-Mart

#56

Post by HeyLaughingBoy »

doki_pen wrote: post #50
jordanf wrote: post #21

This is so cool, and great to hear. I've never quite understood the anti-Walmart sentiment. What do people have against low prices? Poorer people can afford to buy (or save) more if they are fortunate enough to have a Walmart nearby. One reason to despise the retailer: Walmart has recently been lobbying congress to raise minimum wage. If successful, this could force more small businesses to go under because they cann…

I hear this logic about low prices being good for poor people all the time, and I can never understand it. If prices are low because labor is cheap, then it seems that the employer/merchant will always make out. It's simple math. Try applying your logic to every wage earner in the world. If a price is reduced by 10% because wages are reduces by 20%, then the employee loses 10%. Sure they can buy everything they need…

You're assuming that prices are lower because somebody lowered the wages of his employees. Generally speaking, prices go lower because someone finds a way to optimize his supply chain, or a more efficient way to build a product, or by investing in automation. Lowering your prices by giving your employees a pay cut just makes the employees look for new jobs.
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