Why I Will Not Shop at Walmart

I am writing this article on the day that George Tenet resigned (06/03/04), and it seems the Bush White House is crumbling before our eyes. However, today’s “The O’Franken Factor” show on Air America Radio is all about Walmart. So I decided to gather some information to pass along to anyone who will read it.

I made a pledge a long time ago that I would never ever buy anything at Walmart again. Here is why:

Walmart is the biggest corporation in America, larger even than ExxonMobil. It takes in $220 billion per year. It has been called a “devouring beast,” stomping on workers, neighborhoods, competitors, and suppliers. For its bullying tactics, it is rewarded with $7 billion profit annually. Of the 10 richest people in the world, 5 are Waltons, the big Walmart family.

Walmart is the largest private employer in America. The average employee grosses (and it is gross!) $15,000 a year, working full time. Full time at Walmart is 28 hours per week. Many Walmart employees gross less than $11,000 per year. Health care benefits? Only 38% of WM employees have health care benefits.

Worker rights? Are you kidding? WM is vehemently opposed to unionization. If you are a WM manager, you are required to uphold the WM philosophy. In other words, you must be anti-union. It must make it difficult to handle worker complaints. WM is notoriously an unrepentant violator of employee rights. They are guilty of repeated convictions and fines and consistently show a blatant disregard of law.

Do WM employees love working at WM? Well, if the turnover reports are any indication, NO! Fifty to 100% of WM employees quit. In some places the turnover rate is as high as 300%. It doesn’t sound like that nice Walmart family image translates into employee satisfaction, does it! Anyone who watches even a little TV has seen those lovely ads that make Walmart sound like the most wonderful thing that ever happened to all of us, customers and employees alike. Well, so much for deceptive commercials!

Isn’t it great that Walmart has such low prices? We’re all for competitive, low prices, aren’t we? That’s the American way, isn’t it? Well, it turns out that Walmart’s famous low prices are a product of human misery. Walmart products are, of course, made in China and other poor countries. Young women and teenage girls make up the majority of the work force. They work 13-16 hours a day seven days a week, except during peak periods when they may work 20-hour days. They work for 13 cents an hour. Minimum wage is 31 cents, and even that is well below what would be needed to live on. Workers live in squatter shacks 7’ by 7’ or in company dorms. They must pay for their own medical care and are fired if they are too ill to work. There is no health or safety enforcement. Paint dust, 100 degree temperatures, no protective clothing, no training about health hazards, constant yelling and screaming at workers are just a few examples of work conditions which are, of course, of absolutely no concern to the Walmart fat cats.

Still thinking about going to Walmart tonight? Read on.

Isn’t Walmart a good thing to have in our communities? It’s jobs, after all. Think again, my friends! For every 2 Walmart jobs, 3 decent jobs are lost in those lucky communities where the Big-Box mega stores plop themselves down. When Walmart comes to town, it is like a neutron bomb, sucking out the economic vitality and all the local character of a once-beautiful little town. The sheer size of a Supercenter (200,000 sq. ft.) makes Walmart like a big giant foot stomping on a community’s sense of itself and devouring local businesses. WM crushes our groceries, pharmacies, hardware stores, and other retail stores, and then raises prices once it has a monopoly. And then if it doesn’t make enough profit, WM will think nothing of pulling up stakes, leaving a huge cavernous building and hundreds of people behind. There are now some 28 million square feet of Walmart properties for sale nationwide. But once Walmart has destroyed a town, it is nearly impossible to get that wonderful formerly prosperous community back. Walmart destroys the Main Streets of America.

So I offer this information to all my friends and implore each and every one of you to consider these things when you are tempted to buy at Walmart. For more information, you can do a Google search on “anti-Walmart.” This will bring up more web sites than you’ll ever need.

Thank you for reading my little diatribe! And please boycott Walmart.