Thinking of shopping at Wal-Mart this holiday season?

[One Sweet World]

Run time: 00:34 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXF2DvNO480   Posted on YouTube: December 10, 2007 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: December 11, 2007 By DU Member: One Sweet World Views on DU: 2532

 
Just doing my part to make customers aware this holiday season. We know that Walmart cuts a lot of corners when it comes to taking care of its employees and suppliers, and the fact that so much (70%!!) of their products come from China should have us all take pause and ask questions not only about safety but also about supporting American workers and families.

Happy and safe holidays to all.

OSW

[GTurck]

1. I wish I could

hate Wal-Mart with the same fervor other progressives do but I cannot and the reason is simple:Wal-Mart is not the only large retailer who imports so much from China. It seems I have not been in a store in many years that does not sell Chinese imports ranging in cost from cheap to every expensive. There are many things wrong with Wal-Mart (and dare I say some things right) but they are not the only ones in business raking in the money from exploited and disenfranchised people. Either all should be exposed or the rant against Wal-Mart should be slackened a bit. There is nothing we touch anymore that is not tainted with uber-capitalism.

[One Sweet World]

2. I hear you

GTurk, I completely agree... there are plenty of companies that need to have their feet held to the fire. The reason I have taken up charge against Walmart was because I felt that they were the one retailer that could really lead the industry, because they account for 10% of ALL imports from China (across ALL industries).

One of my favorite examples of the importance and effectiveness getting buy-in from one of the "big dogs" that can lead to a revolution is what Starbucks did with non-rBGH Milk. Because they accounted for 4% of ALL milk sales, they made a huge impact when they switched over.

Just imagine the kinds of results we could get with 10% of an industry!!

[GTurck]

23. Thanks for all the feedback

I was hoping it would spark some comment.
I don't like demonizing and marginalizing anyone or any organization without very good reasons. I am too old and too well read to believe in the purity and saintliness; or conversely the venality and evilness of humanity. We are all various degrees of mixture. At any rate Wal-Mart has been responding to some of the criticisms against it and may well become a much better civic citizen but it is the corporate model itself that needs to be reformed. Another post at DU lays out some of the history of corporations. These are "beasts" best used with extremely good restraints. The founders of this nation understood that human beings given power are more often than not unable to control their use of it and corporations are given power by being given status as human beings meaning that that power is multiplied exponentially. Wal-Mart must do what it can to maximize its profits and we citizens must do what we can to make the corporations heel to a higher good. I believe that their charters should be federalized (because they too easily mis-use their state charters and be made renewable at regular intervals based solely on their civic/social profiles. I also believe that their status as persons should be removed permanently. No corporation should be allowed to be anything but a business entity with no voice in politics or civic culture. Once federalized they should have to ask Congress to renew their charters at public hearings at which any citizen can speak to their performance. I think 20 years is the longest time for them to have these charters. Then the pressures now being put on Wal-Mart might carry the sort of weight you all are speaking of.

[zbdent]

3. It's much more than just the "imports from China"

like the fact that, despite their billions in profits, they encourage their employees to get taxpayer-funded health care, they have an insurance policy which pays a pittance to the actual employee's family while the bulk of the insurance payout goes to Wal-Mart in the case of an employee dying, their practice of locking the emergency exit doors on night-time employees (violating safety laws in case of fire), etc ...

[madmom]

12. hate to throw a wrench in your rant but..I work at Wal-Mart and have seen

nor experienced any of the things you of which you speak.

[One Sweet World]

13. that's actually refreshing to hear, 1 down and 475,676 to go....

Wonder if it is a fluke, or if how they are generally planning to start treating employees. Seriously, would love to see if they could apply this on a larger scale.

Ultimately, that has to be the goal. It is not about "making Walmart go away," it is about holding them accountable to the people the employ and serve, to the communities in which they live, to the suppliers with whom they work. Make Walmart better/want to be better is the bottom line.

[madmom]

14. actually I work with about a dozen or so people in my department alone

who came over from K-mart and Meijer(a union store) who say they prefer wal-mart, better wages, better hours.:shrug: I'm not bashing unions here because we are a union family, but If I get better wages and treatment and not have to pay dues (re Meijer) why wouldn't I?

[bobbolink]

18. I've wanted to speak to this, too. I've seen firsthand some real caring in Walmart

workers, and a real sense of caring for each other, too. They help each other out, and have reached out to others who don't work there, too.

The store I'm familiar with may be an exception, but I certainly have found much more support and caring with the employees there than I've found either in churches (who have a mandate to care!) or with liberals.

I'm glad you posted this!

:thumbsup:

[zbdent]

25. You're comparing apples to walnuts here ...

there's a huge difference between "Walmart workers" (the "real caring") and corporate tactics/policies ...

Kinda like there's a huge difference between the soldier who risks his life to save a kid who stumbled into the area where the soldier knows an airstrike was going to hit in two minutes ...

[bobbolink]

26. sigh...... I'll say it again..... I see WAAAY more generosity of spirit

among workers in WALMART than I do in the population at large.. and that includes "liberals".

So, dismiss it all you want.

[zbdent]

31. and I will say it again ... THERE IS A HELLUVA LOT OF DIFFERENCE

BETWEEN CORPORATE POLICY AND THE EMPLOYEES OF SAID CORPORATION!

Do you UNDERSTAND THAT?

[bobbolink]

35. buh bye

I *was* on your side.

No more.

GOOD BYE!

[drexel dave]

28. the U.S. economy is based upon exploiting disenfranchised people

what's new?

[parkerll]

4. WalMart Watch

I haven't set foot in a WalMart in almost 5 years. Here is a good site to check out:
http://walmartwatch.com/pages/deborahshank/

[One Sweet World]

5. laundry list goes on and on...

zbdent, you are so right. The list goes on and on.

Your comment reminded me to include Walmart's Enron-esque tax evading (as reported in the WSJ a little while ago)...

and... as parkerll points out, Walmart's recent law suit against that poor woman with brain damage is just WRONG (with as much money as Walmart has, I don't care how legally "right" it was to do it... they were wrong. LA Times agrees: http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-walmart21nov21,0,635924.story)

When it comes to effecting change, hitting Walmart where it hurts -- i.e., their pocket books during the busiest time of year -- can be some of our best options.

Share the video and the concept as far and wide as you can!!

[lame54]

6. Trader Joe's says no to China

http://articles.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20071020/ai_n21061548
Trader Joe's just says no to China
Chicago Sun-Times, Oct 20, 2007 by Stephanie Zimmermann
Trader Joe's, the hip, wholesome food store with 15 locations in the Chicago area, said Friday it will phase out foods imported from China amid concerns that standards on "organic" products from the country aren't as stringent as they should be.

Alison Mochizuki, spokeswoman for the Monrovia, Calif.-based grocer, e-mailed a statement saying the grocer will phase out single- ingredient products from mainland China by Jan. 1.

"We feel confident that all of our products from China meet the same high quality standards that we set for all of our products," the statement read. "However, our customers have voiced their concerns about products from this region and we have listened...
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5561565665179751904

[One Sweet World]

7. that is what I am talking about!

Thanks for the article on Trader Joe's :-) While it is much more in their business practice MO, I am glad to see places like Trader Joe's taking a stand against unsafe imports. Hoping that Walmart is going to follow suit sooner than later as well.

Another thought would be working to have a better relationship with China such that we don't encourage cutting corners (by demanding such low prices)... but this may be impossible.

[One Sweet World]

8. Watch out for Walmart Christmas lights too...

Just read this over on CNN.com -- thought it was fitting I shared here too ;-)


http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/12/10/christmas.lights/


And I quote: "Wal-Mart brand lights had the highest levels of surface lead, with levels ranging from 86.6 to 132.7 micrograms."

Yikes. Yet another reason to steer clear of Wally World this holiday season.

[bjobotts]

9. We don't keep slaves...we pay others to keep them. Give em a dime and slave no longer

[bjobotts]

10. The blacks weren't slaves.They got paid food and board but people still complained, so

We freed the black slaves and went and bought some yellow ones and made the slavers keep 'em out of the country. Room and board and a dime a day just so you can't call 'em slave. We's Wal-Mart...human decency for less.

[One Sweet World]

11. Wal-Mart does sell human decency for less.

All the more reason to hold them accountable!

[awoke_in_2003]

16. "The blacks weren't slaves"

That is the most outrageous thing I have ever read here. What the hell are you talking about? Did they come here voluntarily for the jobs? NO. We took them from their home, crammed them together as tightly on ships as we could (and threw the ones who died overboard), and sold them on an open market, usually separating families. If they didn't work hard enough, they were beaten or worse. If one tried to get away they were killed. We raped their women, and gave them just enough food so they could work the fields. That DOESN'T sound like slavery to you?

[Sam Ervin jret]

15. All I want for christmas is a Walmart free Season, then let them reevaluate.

Big guys go first.

[EmmitFitzhume]

17. I like this guy's voice. I also agree with his message.

That's cool you can post vids here now. Been a while.

Yea, so DEFINITELY not shopping at Wal-Mart this year. Wonder who does these days? I feel bad for ppl that feel like that's their only option -- really, its not. With smaller stores, online deals, second hand stores, and just plain old making your own things, the holidays don't have to spell B-I-G-B-O-X.

[SuperWonk]

19. NO WALMART. EVER.

What I don't get is how these guys even stay in business. They seem to be making all the wrong moves and the only good thing I have heard about them lately is that their website is decent (unless you have a Mac, in which case, there are "issues").

[underpants]

30. We don't either but would have expected higher than 70%

Check out this article-probably dreaming but it is nice to see

The end of the Wal-Mart era
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/Extra/TheEndOfTheWalMartEra.aspx

Today, though, Wal-Mart's influence over the retail universe is slipping. In fact, the industry's titan is scrambling to keep up with swifter rivals that are redefining the business all around it. It can still disrupt prices, as it did last year by cutting some generic prescriptions in the United States to $4. But success is no longer guaranteed.
Convenience, selection and quality
Rival retailers lured Americans away from Wal-Mart's low-price promise by offering greater convenience, more selection, higher quality or better service. Amid the country's growing affluence, Wal-Mart has struggled to overhaul its down-market, politically incorrect image while other discounters pitched themselves as more upscale and more palatable alternatives.

The Internet has changed shoppers' preferences and eroded the commanding influence Wal-Mart had over its suppliers. As a result, American shoppers are increasingly looking for qualities that Wal-Mart has trouble providing.

"For the first time in a long time, quality has a chance to gain on price," says Lee Peterson, a vice president at WD Partners, an Ohio brand-consulting firm.

Consumers are demanding more freshness and choice, which means foods and new clothing designs must appear on shelves more frequently. They also are demanding more-personalized service. Making such changes is difficult for Wal-Mart's supercenters, which ascended to the top of retailing by superior efficiency, uniformity and scale.

Earlier this year, Wal-Mart took the extraordinary step of ratcheting down its U.S. expansion plans because its new stores were stealing too much revenue from existing ones. That wasn't a concern in the 1980s and 1990s, when Wal-Mart was regularly flattening competitors.

Wal-Mart's loss of influence can also be seen in logistics. In 1984, Wal-Mart's decision to embrace bar-code scanners in its distribution centers and stores helped quash the use of a less-efficient technology then used at Sears (SHLD, news, msgs) and other retailers.

In 2003, Wal-Mart brashly jumped onto the next big logistics technology, called radio-frequency identification, and mandated that big suppliers begin slapping RFID tags on products shipped to its warehouses. Wal-Mart installed tag readers at warehouses and stores, hoping to further automate warehouses and lower inventory costs.

Wal-Mart quietly dropped the mandate earlier this year and refocused its development after suppliers complained of the high costs and lack of a return on their investment in the new technology. Though the company says it is pushing ahead, Wal-Mart says it realigned efforts to focus on areas where the technology offered the most promise, such as assuring vendors' promotional displays are properly deployed in its stores.

[One Sweet World]

34. "Wal-Mart's influence over the retail universe is slipping"

Like the sound of that. Thanks for the share. I like what this guy has to say: "For the first time in a long time, quality has a chance to gain on price," says Lee Peterson, a vice president at WD Partners, an Ohio brand-consulting firm.

That is part of what we are all ultimately driving for: safety and quality (along with improved conditions for workers, too). Safety and quality are actually quite broad terms and can be used across the board -- from the quality of pay and healthcare employees receive, to the safety of the products they sell and the suppliers with whom they do business.

Go quality go! Gain on that price and its bad self!!

[tuvor]

20. Surely Wal-Mart isn't the only company importing from China.

If the concern is the abundance of Chinese-made products in the USA, shouldn't there be other retailers to avoid as well?

[cynthia]

21. Good piece

I hope some of the people who actually shop there see this and start to wake up. I don't know anyone who will darken their door.

[SuperWonk]

32. I hope they wake up too

Thanks for the support!

[bridgit]

22. It's not just Walmart, even if to varying degrees it's Target, Home Depot, CostCo...

Mervyn's, Macy's, etc, etc, etc...

[One Sweet World]

33. Exactly, that is why Walmart is so important...

Walmart accounts for 10% of ALL imports from China and getting them on board would put all the more pressure on the folks at the other big box and department stores. Let's do it!

[mrdemocrat78]

24. I didn't shop there at all for Christmas

Except for a book that was printed here. Actually, that's the ONLY big box store shopping I did this year. Sick of all of them.

[liberal1973]

27. Ho fking Ho

Good video.

Also I noticed that there is a video called ho fking ho.

[drexel dave]

29. Don't shop at Wal-Mart, and DEFINATELY move out of the suburbs

they (the suburbs) are as much about dividing and conquering than any Army. Suburbs are also ridiculously wasteful in their lifestyle design.

Who here is going to move?