Why Dems Hate Wal-Mart?

[Pale Rider]

Why Dems Hate Wal-Mart


It shouldn't surprise anyone that Dems like Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Evan Bayh, Joe Lieberman, and Ned Lamont are making a campaign theme out of bashing Wal-Mart — after all, to many it represents capitalism and mid-America, two things Dems' base bitterly hates. But as Caroline Baum suggests, they might want to look for some other boogeyman, because many voters will know that Wal-Mart does far more good than harm.

A study by Global Insight associates Wal-Mart's expansion during 1985-2004 with declines of 9.1% in food prices, 4.2% in goods prices, and 3.1% in consumer price index, which translates to a 0.17% reduction in the annual inflation rate.

Wal-Mart stimulates retail job creation. Over the study's 20-year period, it has created 210,000 jobs that would not have existed otherwise. Wal-Mart itself employs 1.3 million people, making it the country's largest private employer.

Some whine that Wal-Mart pays low wages, but in reality, it is the retail industry in general that pays low wages; as Global Insight states, "Wal-Mart does not appear to be paying below market wages." Due to Wal-Mart's depressant effect on inflation, real wages are 0.9% higher over the last 20 years than they would have been without Wal-Mart.

Liberals portray a job at Wal-Mart as hell on Earth. Yet when one opened in the Chicago area last January, 25,000 people applied for 325 jobs.

As Baum writes,

When Wal-Mart opens superstores in rural America, it brings jobs to the community. It provides goods as cheaply as possible to Americans who wouldn't otherwise have access to such a wide array of merchandise at rock-bottom prices. It even offers health-care plans for as little as $11 a month in some areas.
Dems' real gripe is that Wal-Mart has been able to grow so fast and offer such low prices because it has avoided unionization. This is further proof that unions may be great friends of Democratic politicians, but by driving up not only prices but unemployment, they are no friends of workers.

By the way, it's not only Americans who benefit from the Wal-Mart dragon the Democratic knights would like to slay with regulations. Michael Strong estimates that Wal-Mart could be bringing 38,000 Chinese out of poverty every month.

About 70% of the products sold at Wal-Mart are made in China, giving it direct access to the American market. The result is that Wal-Mart pulls about 460,000 Chinese per year out of poverty — probably more than all the pious NGOs in the world combined. Considering that government-to-government aid damages economies as often as it helps them, no one does more to combat poverty than Wal-Mart, including the World Bank.

No wonder libs hate Wal-Mart. Just as the Soviet Union proved that socialism doesn't work, Wal-Mart proves how well capitalism does.

http://www.moonbattery.com/archives/2006/08/why_dems_hate_w.html

[-Cp]

I'm not a lib and I cannont STAND freakin' Wal Mart - I think its stores are ghetto and everytime I've gone into one I feel as if I have to shower when I come out.

I've never seen so many people clamor over cheap, useless crap..

[Birdzeye]

I'm not a lib and I cannont STAND freakin' Wal Mart - I think its stores are ghetto and everytime I've gone into one I feel as if I have to shower when I come out.

I've never seen so many people clamor over cheap, useless crap..

I agree. I went to one on my last vacation to pick up the things I didn't pack, in order to lighten my luggage. What crap!

I also don't like how they treat their employees. How many times have they been sued for discrimination and forcing people to work "off the clock?"

And congrats, thread parent. You have an unbroken record of starting threads that are loaded with flame bait.

[nevadamedic]

I agree. I went to one on my last vacation to pick up the things I didn't pack, in order to lighten my luggage. What crap!

I also don't like how they treat their employees. How many times have they been sued for discrimination and forcing people to work "off the clock?"

And congrats, thread parent. You have an unbroken record of starting threads that are loaded with flame bait.

Wal-Mart is not the only one that screw's their employees and forces them to work off the clock, look at Best Buy, I know first hand how they screw their employees as I worked at one for a couple years. They say that they are not on commission so it's a no pressure sale but what they dont tell you is that the sales associate who seels you an item is expected to get an extended warranty and a buttload of accessories or they stand a very, very good chance of getting written up or fired.

[Birdzeye]

Wal-Mart is not the only one that screw's their employees and forces them to work off the clock, look at Best Buy, I know first hand how they screw their employees as I worked at one for a couple years. They say that they are not on commission so it's a no pressure sale but what they dont tell you is that the sales associate who seels you an item is expected to get an extended warranty and a buttload of accessories or they stand a very, very good chance of getting written up or fired.

Then Best Buy is off my shopping list as well. I've been through the crap of being forced to work off the clock for an obnoxious ingrate, and I don't like doing business with companies that treat their employees badly.

I just hope I don't hear anything about Amazon.com.

I did a quick google and found you are right. Here is one link I found:

http://www.lieffcabraser.com/press_releases/best_buy_press_01.htm

[nevadamedic]

Then Best Buy is off my shopping list as well. I've been through the crap of being forced to work off the clock for an obnoxious ingrate, and I don't like doing business with companies that treat their employees badly.

I just hope I don't hear anything about Amazon.com.

I did a quick google and found you are right. Here is one link I found:

http://www.lieffcabraser.com/press_releases/best_buy_press_01.htm

Like I said I worked there for two years and was a Supervisor and I could tell you some stories. It's even worse what they do to customers. The whole pressure to buy their extended warranties and accessories, making the customer feel like a bad guy if you make a major return even in some cases when there were problems with a product within 30 days of buying it, ive seen them tell the customer you didn't buy our Preformance Service Plan you have to deal with the manufacturer, when their policy requires them to take something back within 30 days, 14 days for computer products. I've also seen them refuse a major return by saying the customer abused the product so they didn't have to take it back, it was a $3,500 tv with a huge profit margin go figure. They also push the products with the highest margin and those usually are the worst products. My advice is if you want any electronic item or Appliance goto Costco first, Lowes second.

Another one I worked for was Sears. I was the Sales Manager and I got seriously injured on the job. I got hurt setting up a display and went to the ER, I came back to work a few days later in horrible pain with a release saying I could work but I couldn't lift, bend pull etc. Sear's does have some independantly owned stores. I took the letter to the owner of the store and was told those restrictions were part of my job and threatned to fire me. When your in my situation with a 7 year old daughter at the time, what do you do? You have to support your daughter no matter what so I had to deal with it and later that day I got seriously injured. I havent been able to work in 3 years, im in horrible pain to the point where most days UI cant leave the house and have to have 3 of the discs in my back replaced this summer. To make matters worse they wern't paying my Workman's Compensation Insurance so for the first 6 months I had to pay the bill's myself, and between 2 doctors and medication that get's expensive. After a little research my attorney has found several other Sear's stores with injuries to their employees and not taking care of them and trying to get out of it. So I would cross Sear's off your list too.

[Birdzeye]

I'm sorry you got such shoddy treatment. It's truly unconscionable.

Sears has been off my list ever since I brought their carpet cleaning service to my house and the cleaners literally harassed me because I wouldn't buy the Scotchgard treatment. I would have thrown them out but I was about to put the house up for sale and didn't have time to find another carpet cleaner before the house went on the market.

I wrote Sears and complained about the treatment; no reply. Two years later, however, they traced me to my new address and sent me a coupon for carpet cleaning.

I threw it in the trash.

[nevadamedic]

I'm sorry you got such shoddy treatment. It's truly unconscionable.

Sears has been off my list ever since I brought their carpet cleaning service to my house and the cleaners literally harassed me because I wouldn't buy the Scotchgard treatment. I would have thrown them out but I was about to put the house up for sale and didn't have time to find another carpet cleaner before the house went on the market.

I wrote Sears and complained about the treatment; no reply. Two years later, however, they traced me to my new address and sent me a coupon for carpet cleaning.

I threw it in the trash.

These major corparation's could care less if they're customers are happy, they only care about the numbers coming in. What they need to realize is that you cant treat customers like shit then expect high numbers, doesn't happen. Thats why I like Costco, Ive taken a product back a year after I got it there and they offered to refund my money but they let me upgrade to a little bit more expensive unit at no charge. They honestly care and value their customers, when I get released to go back to work, that is one place I will hit up.

[-Cp]

These major corparation's could care less if they're customers are happy, they only care about the numbers coming in. What they need to realize is that you cant treat customers like shit then expect high numbers, doesn't happen. Thats why I like Costco, Ive taken a product back a year after I got it there and they offered to refund my money but they let me upgrade to a little bit more expensive unit at no charge. They honestly care and value their customers, when I get released to go back to work, that is one place I will hit up.

This assertion isn't true of all large coporations - Costco rocks... they excel in customer satisfaction and have a 100% no-hassle return policy.

Outside of them, however, the reasons you outlined above are some of the many that we love shopping at smaller stores such as the Butcher we go to (http://www.dougsqualitymeats.com/), Trader Joe's etc...

The personal service you get at stores like these and quality of products provide a far superior shopping experience than any large stores.

[nevadamedic]

This assertion isn't true of all large coporations - Costco rocks... they excel in customer satisfaction and have a 100% no-hassle return policy.

Outside of them, however, the reasons you outlined above are some of the many that we love shopping at smaller stores such as the Butcher we go to (http://www.dougsqualitymeats.com/), Trader Joe's etc...

The personal service you get at stores like these and quality of products provide a far superior shopping experience than any large stores.

I honestly prefer to use a locally owned "mom and pop" store rather then a national chain.

[Hobbit]

I'd also like to take this chance to plug my employer, Publix, as one of the most awesome major corporations in the world. My customer service training took longer than my job-specific training. I get paid $2/hour more than my counterparts at competing stores. Our return policy is so forgiving that if our customers didn't stick up for us, we'd take hits from scammers all the time (it can be an obvious scam, but unless you can back up that claim, you just accept the return with a smile). The company operates on a very low profit margin, so that more payouts can go to employee pay and bonuses. Only employees may purchase stock. All promotions are made from within (only in VERY rare circumstances will they hire someone from outside the company for a management position, and the highest company policy will allow is assistant department manager). All in all, it's a wonderful chain.

As far as the rest of the stuff goes, I get around a lot, and I think it's really more individual stores than it is the company as a whole. I've seen very good Wal-Marts (the one where I live, though, is filthy and it's mostly illegals that shop there). They all still sell cheap stuff (as that's their draw), but some are very clean, with good service and friendly staff. While this might not be the best example, being down the street from corporate and all, I've been the the Wal-Mart in Bentonville, and it's one of the best run stores of any kind I've ever seen. It also doesn't hurt that all of the greeters are retired executives. On the same note, the Best Buy around here is quite good. I've never had a return problem. I've never felt pressured by sales staff. They've been good to me, so I'm good right back to them (just bought Guitar Hero II there yesterday).

[theHawk]

About 70% of the products sold at Wal-Mart are made in China, giving it direct access to the American market.

Which is the reason I hate Wall-Mart. Its companies like these that are driving American companies out of business. What the hell is the use of having labor laws and environmental laws if we simply outsource it to a shithole country like China that has no such laws. All it does is reward countries/companies with lax standards and acts as a tax on companies that have the strict laws and higher standards. In short, we should hold every foreign business to the same standards we hold our own businesses to, anything less is hypocritical.


Its not up to us to help the poverty sticken Chinese, such an effort is futile since its them that embrace Marxism.


Wal-Mart should change its name to Great Wal of China-Mart.

[glockmail]

Like I said I worked there for two years and was a Supervisor and I could tell you some stories. It's even worse what they do to customers. The whole pressure to buy their extended warranties and accessories, making the customer feel like a bad guy if you make a major return even in some cases when there were problems with a product within 30 days of buying it, ive seen them tell the customer you didn't buy our Preformance Service Plan you have to deal with the manufacturer, when their policy requires them to take something back within 30 days, 14 days for computer products. I've also seen them refuse a major return by saying the customer abused the product so they didn't have to take it back, it was a $3,500 tv with a huge profit margin go figure. They also push the products with the highest margin and those usually are the worst products. My advice is if you want any electronic item or Appliance goto Costco first, Lowes second.

Another one I worked for was Sears. I was the Sales Manager and I got seriously injured on the job. I got hurt setting up a display and went to the ER, I came back to work a few days later in horrible pain with a release saying I could work but I couldn't lift, bend pull etc. Sear's does have some independantly owned stores. I took the letter to the owner of the store and was told those restrictions were part of my job and threatned to fire me. When your in my situation with a 7 year old daughter at the time, what do you do? You have to support your daughter no matter what so I had to deal with it and later that day I got seriously injured. I havent been able to work in 3 years, im in horrible pain to the point where most days UI cant leave the house and have to have 3 of the discs in my back replaced this summer. To make matters worse they wern't paying my Workman's Compensation Insurance so for the first 6 months I had to pay the bill's myself, and between 2 doctors and medication that get's expensive. After a little research my attorney has found several other Sear's stores with injuries to their employees and not taking care of them and trying to get out of it. So I would cross Sear's off your list too.

All companies suck man. Shit I had one who witheld my annual bonus after I quit, although I crushed every goal that fucker set. It was a huge amount that I needed to set up a business, 25% of my salary. :pee:

[Pale Rider]

And congrats, thread parent. You have an unbroken record of starting threads that are loaded with flame bait.

"Flame bait"... really? You're quick with the insult, but it isn't followed by anything that explains it.

Keep your frothing at the mouth to yourself, unless you're willing to back up your wild assertions.

[Pale Rider]

Like I said I worked there for two years and was a Supervisor and I could tell you some stories. It's even worse what they do to customers. The whole pressure to buy their extended warranties and accessories, making the customer feel like a bad guy if you make a major return even in some cases when there were problems with a product within 30 days of buying it, ive seen them tell the customer you didn't buy our Preformance Service Plan you have to deal with the manufacturer, when their policy requires them to take something back within 30 days, 14 days for computer products. I've also seen them refuse a major return by saying the customer abused the product so they didn't have to take it back, it was a $3,500 tv with a huge profit margin go figure. They also push the products with the highest margin and those usually are the worst products. My advice is if you want any electronic item or Appliance goto Costco first, Lowes second.


There's a story about bad treatment for every single business in the world. I bought a $2,000 Toshiba HDTV from the Best Buy here in Reno with the four year full replacement warranty. Upon calling for repair on that TV for the forth time, I was given, without hesitation or ado, a confirmation number for a full replacement. I took the TV back, and picked out an upgrade and paid the small difference. No problem. I couldn't be happier. I also got major Best Buy Rewards Club points for that purchase, and some other small things, that allowed me to buy a small $135 refrigerator for $15. I like Best buy. They've never done me wrong, and I'll continue to shop there.

[Pale Rider]

As far as the rest of the stuff goes, I get around a lot, and I think it's really more individual stores than it is the company as a whole. I've seen very good Wal-Marts (the one where I live, though, is filthy and it's mostly illegals that shop there). They all still sell cheap stuff (as that's their draw), but some are very clean, with good service and friendly staff. While this might not be the best example, being down the street from corporate and all, I've been the the Wal-Mart in Bentonville, and it's one of the best run stores of any kind I've ever seen. It also doesn't hurt that all of the greeters are retired executives. On the same note, the Best Buy around here is quite good. I've never had a return problem. I've never felt pressured by sales staff. They've been good to me, so I'm good right back to them (just bought Guitar Hero II there yesterday).

The Super Wal Mart by me is very clean. It's in northwest Reno, and that's a good neighborhood. It's new, big, and the best place in town to buy groceries. Like it or not, they have, by far, the best prices. As far as anything else, I don't shop there. Maybe some shampoo or cat liter, but I refuse to buy all the shit made in china. But again, their groceries prices can't be beat. I don't buy their meat either. Those bubbled up packages of prepackaged meat just do NOT look well.

[-Cp]

The Super Wal Mart by me is very clean. It's in northwest Reno, and that's a good neighborhood. It's new, big, and the best place in town to buy groceries. Like it or not, they have, by far, the best prices. As far as anything else, I don't shop there. Maybe some shampoo or cat liter, but I refuse to buy all the shit made in china. But again, their groceries prices can't be beat. I don't buy their meat either. Those bubbled up packages of prepackaged meat just do NOT look well.

I think both their meats and produce suck......

As far as the "Dry goods" and other general grocery stuff is concerned? On principle I still don't shop there because - as I pointed out in my previous post - that store gives me the "heebeejeebee's".... and I have to shower when i get home...

[TheStripey1]

Why Dems Hate Wal-Mart


...snip



Wal-Mart eats small businesses.... the kind run by moms and pops everywhere...

why do republicans like you hate both "mom and pop" stores AND small businesses?

[Hobbit]

Wal-Mart eats small businesses.... the kind run by moms and pops everywhere...

why do republicans like you hate both "mom and pop" stores AND small businesses?

I actually do most of my shopping at small businesses, when I can. The service is better, they remember my name, and they're flexible when you want to comprimise on something.

However, that doesn't mean I'm going to throw a hissy fit every time a Wal-Mart shows up. They've got the same right to do business as everybody else.

[nevadamedic]

The Super Wal Mart by me is very clean. It's in northwest Reno, and that's a good neighborhood. It's new, big, and the best place in town to buy groceries. Like it or not, they have, by far, the best prices. As far as anything else, I don't shop there. Maybe some shampoo or cat liter, but I refuse to buy all the shit made in china. But again, their groceries prices can't be beat. I don't buy their meat either. Those bubbled up packages of prepackaged meat just do NOT look well.

The Northwest Reno Walmart is the nicest ive ever seen by far.

[gabosaurus]

Well what do you know -- another article from a right-wing hate site. That was all I need to read from that particular article.

[Hobbit]

The Northwest Reno Walmart is the nicest ive ever seen by far.

If you're ever in NW Arkansas, stop by a Wal-Mart there. Bentonville is home to corporate headquarters and what is, in all likelyhood, the best Wal-Mart on the planet.

[Pale Rider]

I think both their meats and produce suck......

As far as the "Dry goods" and other general grocery stuff is concerned? On principle I still don't shop there because - as I pointed out in my previous post - that store gives me the "heebeejeebee's".... and I have to shower when i get home...

Their meat sucks, and the produce is so so.

And I guarantee you you wouldn't feel like you needed to take a shower after visiting this Wal Mart. It's new, big, roomy, well lit and very clean. It's as nice as any other store I've ever been in if not nicer.

[Pale Rider]

Wal-Mart eats small businesses.... the kind run by moms and pops everywhere...

why do republicans like you hate both "mom and pop" stores AND small businesses?

Mom and Pop, Wal Mart, they both have equal rights to do business here in America. So if a shopping cart full of groceries costs me $150 at Wal Mart, and $200 for the same thing at mom and pop's, I'm shopping at Wal Mart.

[Pale Rider]

Well what do you know -- another article from a right-wing hate site. That was all I need to read from that particular article.

Hey moonturd, instead of just taking a shit in a thread, which I realize is force of habit for you, why don't you try and actually debate what it is you see wrong with the article.

Well you probably can't. You're too caught up in being a liberal moonturd.