Big Box Stores

"Can Wal-Mart Get Any Bigger? (Yes, a lot bigger... Here's how)" by Bill Saporito is an article that I read and here is the summary. Wal-mart has extended to other countries like China, Brazil, Germany, and Mexico. Wal-mart is the largest retailer in the world and just keeps gaining market or in other words expanding. Wal-mart sells just about everything from PC’s, ceiling fans, fashionable clothing, to gasoline, even cars. The goal is to have a 30% share of every major business Wal-mart is in. The company has super centers that have products that range from hardware products, to groceries and also over the counter drugs. The centers can get up to 180,000 square ft. in size. The long term strategy of Wal-mart is “To be where we are not”, in more blunt terms to consume and produce everything possible. The company plans to fatten profits by becoming more of a producer and even designer of its goods, especially clothing. Wal-mart has spread a disease of grieve among small hometown businesses and to some of history’s biggest retailers (i.e. Sears). It is important to the company to keep it simple. Keep the right products in stock and maintain a smooth checkout system. They call it “Take the money”, what is the point of low prices if the consumer cannot pay for their items quickly. Wal-mart has pushed responsibility and information to the lowest ranks. Wal-mart is all about NONUNION labor. The average wage at Wal-mart nationally is less than 10$ an hour before bonuses. The most frequent complaint made by Wal-mart employees is low wages and morale-killing store managers. Wal-mart was found guilty of requiring associates to work unpaid overtime. A refute to that argument was that Wal-mart offers health care and ample opportunities for advancement. Two-thirds of its managers come from the ranks of store associates. Wal-mart expects not only to save money on the buy of products but also cut down on inventory by speeding up the supply lines. Wal-mart makes factories in countries and in doing so is to be held more responsible for their factories social and environmental policies. Wal-mart gets 6 billion $ worth of goods from China. Their expansion has gone well in Mexico. Wal-mart has stumbled badly in some other countries like Germany. Lastly this article talks about a Wal-mart store in China that introduced the Walton Institute, a program to teach local managers the master’s Three Basic Beliefs: 1. Respect for individual, service to our customers, and strive for excellence. 2. The 10 foot rule (service for customers within 10 ft. of you). 3. The Sun Down Rule (any employee or customer request must be addressed before sundown. I can use this article to both help form my agruement that "big box" retailers present a threat to American communities that should be curtailed and this artcle can help me establish a good refute to my counter-agruement.

Wal-Mart "The high cost of low prices"

The film "The high cost of low prices" was a film regarding the many aspects of corruption that Wal-mart is consistently allowing and performing. This film explained numerous accounts in which the Wal-mart company has failed to maintain the REAL standards of quality and commitment a company should have. The Wal-mart company states that the company is a wholesome company with low prices that helps families bugdet money while receiving good quality products. In actuality it seems like Wal-mart is the complete opposite of that. This film clearly explains that Wal-mart is destroying America. To begin with the corruption the film documented that Wal-mart does not treat their employees with respect. The company actually underpays their employees and illegally tampers with employees hours. Many women employees stated in the film that the discrimination against women is happening everywhere and all the time. The employees of the many Wal-marts said that even though Wal-mart offers healthcare benefits the amount taken from each employees check is unlivable. Wal-mart is destroyig small businesses. In small town with privately owned family businesses, Wal-mart is wiping out all sources of income and jobs. Another thing that was mentioned and documented were the live journals of factory workers working for the wal-mart company. These people in china and also in other parts of the world are working tedious, long hours for less than 3$ a day. Their working conditions are horrid and unimaginable. The last thing I wanted to mention about the corruption is the lack of security that Wal-mart fails to provide. The film really emphasized the amount of crime happening in the Wal-mart parking lots. Kidnappings, robberies, murders, all of these are occuring in the parking lots of Wal-marts. When I saw this film I had no idea that the Wal-mart company was doing such a bad job conducting their muli-billion dollar company. One would think that with all the money that Wal-mart brings in that they would do more to ensure good service and practices. Now that I have been informed of these facts I would really like to be a part of a movemnet to stop the effect of Wal-mart on America. I found that the message of this film was that something needs to be done about this Wal-mart capitalism. Wal-mart is about property not patriots and is about profit before safety. The film had a very pwerful delivery from all ages and races. It really made an impact on me! This film was very convincing!!!!!