2008 Fortune 500: Wal-Mart’s No. 1

I think Wal-mart has steered away from its roots. Everything use to be made in America, but now everything is made in China. I think the sheer size and volume of goods Wal-mart puts out is hurting our economy more than we would like to admit. Mom and Pop shops or small businesses will become a thing of the past along with the american dream.

i work for walmart/asda our international division. clearly meeting the needs of the consumer by low prices is paying dividends and our loyal customer base increasein also with new consumers
(THH) Perth Scotland

Wal-Mart simply rocks!!!!Atleast they don’t rip people off!!!

I work at Wal-mart and shop there all the time, no other place can beat their prices

I Worked for Walmart and most products are NOT MADE IN AMERICA!!!they are slowly selling this country out…

There is more to life than saving money. Sometimes saving money takes second chair. If American-made were truly important, then wal-mart should take second chair. If you say you want American-made and still shop at wal-mart, you don’t truly want it, you want wal-mart. You are defeating yourself.

I beleive Walmart can sustain such profitable trend, by lowering prices so much… but the employees that work there have a lot to say about the management… People now days don’t care about who sells to them as long as it is cheap. But I do, and I hate shopping at WALMART because the employees are ignorant, can’t help with any questions, plus they are never around. In Miami, they don’t even speak English.. cheap articles, low quality, BAD service!

first off, i would like to say i like walmart. they have low prices, and great selections. to those of you who are complaining about low prices, your obviously living high and mighty. where as some of us in this country dont make 20 bucks an hour. walmart allows families to survive, not go broke every time they go grocery shopping to feed there family. walmart is life support for some families.
and for those of you who complain about making 20 bucks an hour and not get by, maybe you should learn how to budget your money. i dont even make 10 an hour and my family is doing just fine. many people in this country would die to make 20 an hour, some would even be happy with 10 an hour.
i agree with dennis from woodinville wa. how about school teachers, and the police officers, or anyone else who isnt paid enough for what they do. teachers arent paid enough, and their the ones who help us get to where we are. police officers keeping up towns. you know whatever your job your helping the community somehow. and walmart is doing a fine job. there doing the same as every other company.. trying to make money being competitive. they’re just doing a better job..

quit picking on walmart, they’re trying to clean up their acts. they’re viewed as the business leaders in todays market and for once they’re showing good leadership.They’re the only company i’ve seen thats made such a huge change from being anti-environment to pro-green. That shows that even bad companies can fix their problems and i’m sick of hearing all the anti-walmart lies, read your facts people.

I live in Grand Rapids, MI. To compare prices between Meijer stores and Walmart is laughable. I could probably afford NOTHING if I was forced to shop at Meijer. Regardless of every argument, Walmart has the best prices for our household. My husband and I probably make more than others, but that doesn’t mean we spend it stupidly. Every penny is accounted for in our household and we are able save, spend, and budget if we shop at Walmart. There are times when I do not like the clutter, style, or clientele, but when I stand in line and see other people like myself, we are able to look at each other and know that we are there because they have the lowest prices. It’s like a silent code of wisdom. Put it this way. I spend $120 every two weeks at walmart and sams club. I would barely get past produce with that money at meijer……

I have worked for Walmart and shop there. Never, have I seen any customer come in there at gunpoint. If you don’t like it, simply don’t shop there. I don’t think Sam Walton ever thought that what he started would grow into the machine it has. All in all, I think they are doing a good job managing this giant. How would you handle it ? Think about it and stop whining.

The idea that the employees cannot afford health care is not just a Wal-Mart problem. It is a nationwide problem.You are missing one huge point wall mart makes more profit the the big 3 or any other F 500 company thats just greed you see Costco pay for health care why because they care. That is one thing Wal-Mart does not do is Care!!If they would spend what they spend on keeping the Union out they could take care of there expendable employees.

Wal-Mart just like many other companies in the Fortune 500 are a true testament to our capitalist model. The constant pursuit to improve bottom line profit is the ONLY element that matters. If Wal-Mart imports Chinese made merchandise you only have to look at the nearest competitor to find the same product in their shelves. GM exports parts for vehicle assembly to Mexico and inturn Mexico exports a finished GM vehicle for sale in the US. Hewlett Packard, Microsoft and other Tech companies outsource their support and IT jobs to developing countries. These things are done because companies need to stay competitive, drive costs down and increase profit. In a sad sense, we the consumers hold some of the responsibility for this behavior. A constant pressure on companies to provide cheaply priced products, while urging the company to be profitable or else we will sale off our shares of stock in their company. Times have changed and the economic outlook along with it, it’s hard to admit that we are not as cost-efficient as Mexico, Brazil or Japan in assembling a vehicle, but isn’t that evidence of where we are heading. This is a global economy, Mexico cannot survive without assembling our vehicles, and third world countries cannot progress without some jobs being outsourced there. As the world economy grows, we need to find our niche and exploit it. As much as it hurts to admit it, we are only ONE-PIECE of a bigger puzzle.

last i checked, walmart has been paying its workers about 9 to 10 dollars an hour. this company has helped my family when we needed a break and needed a job bad since this country is going to its worst times. this company also treats its workers right and this is why they know how to run a good business. It’s not monopolizing retail industry. Being in business and running your company means being in a competition. Walmart found its secret to lower its prices, thats why its doing great. But no one should not hate on this company because it has helped struggling immigrant families who do not have any professional experiences work their butt off in this store just to make some money to support their family. This store is your American Dream that anyone can work for. I’m ashamed that some of you americans are putting this place down like its some SWAPMEET. Ever thought about low income workers who simply cant go to Safeway or otherplaces that has expensive products?? Or a struggling family just trying to survive in this country?? Shame on you America.

go walmart

They should start putting some of their wealth back in the united states!

I heard a rumor that WalMart has been bought by an overseas entity. Is this true? I hope not!

Walmart has lost the sense of family that it was once built around. Yes they employee a lot of individuals but they treat their employees like garbage.

As a tourist to the USA from NZ Walmart was a shoppers bonanza for me.We pay prices two to three times more here for about the same quality.
The staff were extremely helpful and the selection of goods was excellent.
Walmart would have to be one of your best tourist attractions.

It’s not Sam Walton Wal-Mart anymore! And they will tumbel because they forgot who got them there. ( The Assoicates )

. Wal-Mart is a company that runs itself by wealth and capital. Many decisions are not made with emotions, just good deals. When somebody is paid $9.00 an hour to scan items and push button and a cash stand, they are not being paid for their emotional appeal, instead they are being paid for their services. A cogent company should want to pay its employees as little as possible to perform the job at hand, and a cogent employee should want to be paid as much as they feel like they are worth. The employee is also expendable, just as a used car would be. If there are x amount of used cars then the supply curve will shift, if there are more cars than buyers, then you could offer less for that cars service. It basic economics and any company that wants to stay in business, understands this. Many of Wal-Marts jobs are relatively unskilled; therefore they can use unskilled labor which they will pay less for. It is useless for people to worry about wages being “controlled” by Wal-Mart. Nominal wages on an economy-wide basis will always shift towards the level of full-employment. The market will automatically will work to bring wages back to this level.
The idea that the employees cannot afford health care is not just a Wal-Mart problem. It is a nationwide problem. Millions of people in this country, whether they work at Wal-Mart or not, are costing tax payers money in public support programs. Why is it that only Wal-Mart is being blamed for this? Health-care has been a fringe benefit of employees for years but just recently people have started to think that the employer should be giving them health care just like they should be giving them food or clothes. Wal-Mart is a company that has succeeded in a capitalist country where anybody can succeed with hard work and a passion to succeed. “The American Dream” is that exact thing and Wal-Mart has perfected this dream to fit its company.

Walmart is a God sent corporation. I’m a single mom of two and even though my salary is not great, we live a very comfortable life. Thanks to Walmart and its unique products and low prices.
Oh and you cant find customer service that even comes close to theirs.

The gigger they get, the more corrupt they become, in my humble opinion. And the same goes for the US Government. The POLICE of the WORLD!!!!

Please Please Please go back to American made..somehow..PLEASE…

Driving down wages, benefits, and American standard of living. “Low prices” will never come close to offsetting the negitive effect on employees nationwide.

Bigger is not better. I buy a few things at Wal-Mart but I only shop there about once a month if that and that is because the next closes thing to my house is also a over pricing Kroger. I like to buy American made goods and products and you can barley find that at Wal-Mart and it is really bringing our economy down, and yes you can still find American made products these days for example I have a American made car and it is the best car I have ever owned. I have never or would never work for Wal-Mart so I cant comment on that but I do have friends and family who have been employed by them before and only stayed the longest a month for the simple fact that they all said they were unfair and very misjudging. I do not think they should be No.1. They have a lot of business but that is because they open up stores in towns that don’t have a lot of stores that offer them the things people think they are getting better prices for when really they are just getting bad products.

There is one small thing I appreciate. An item that costs, say, $4.38 there will have its price elevated to $4.99 at Target. The practice of prices ending in 99 is a pet peeve of mine for 60 years. The psychology is that you perceive a significant savings compared to a price of $5.00. An insult for certain, but even worse is that it has been marked higher From 4.38 to $4.99), not a reduction of a cent (from $5)!

I want those hating on Exxon Mobil to look up the definitions of “profit” and “profit margin.” Then look up what the profit margin has been for Exxon Mobil for the past several years. You’d see that it’s about the same. What does that mean? …People are simply buying more gas. If you want to lower prices, get rid of the outrageous tax.

I would have to agree that Wal-Mart is # 1. After working at Wal-Mart HO for 12 years I was hooked. Lately being able to visit a local Wal-Mart Store 4 days a week and watching price increases day to day on consumer product, I have to shop at other stores to meet my budget. I do understand how and why the increases do occur, but the amount of each increase in a hard pill to swallow. Bananas for instance from 59 cents per pound to 64 cents per pound. Breakfast bars up from $1.66 to $1.80 per 8 pack. While WM is trying to draw the customer by lowering pricing in the apparel areas the consumer product for day to day living continue to rise at local Wal-Mart stores. One product which is store brand at WM is $3.73 but at local Neighborhood Mkt is $4.59 This is WM own product. Explain the difference of a couple of miles location of stores. Wal-Mart will loose customers if not very cost efficient.

I’ve worked at Wal-mart for 6 years, and it has its ups and downs, just like every other company on the face of the planet. Guess what, folks: The people who run these major corporations are human. They screw up, just like the rest of us. God knows I’d like a bigger paycheck, but after 6 years, I have been promoted to an hourly supervisor, and am currently making more money than my father, who has worked for a local Ford dealership for 19 years. I’ve received several bonuses, each a minimum of $400, with one reaching $1200. My father, for all his hardwork and dedication, was given a $1.00/hour pay cut. I’m treated fairly and with respect, and I can honestly say that my store is one huge family. If anyone is having problems, be it work-related or personal, we’re all there ready to lend a helping hand. I have insurance: health, dental, cancer, accident, and a whole host of other benefits. My dad has no insurance because they won’t cover my mom. But I work for the “evil” company, just because my paycheck says Wal-mart.

In our town, we have nearly every major competitor you could think of, except for Target (and we’re expecting one of those, soon!), and while shopping around, Wal-mart is consistently lower in price than the other big box stores in our town. Is it cheaper on everything? No, but it is cheaper on enough items to make a difference in my checkbook. And the things that aren’t cheaper, Wal-mart is happy to price-match.

Also, as others have pointed out, the whole “Made in China/Mexico/wherever” issue is NOT isolated to just Wal-mart, and to think otherwise is ridiculous. It’s hard to find American-made product ANYWHERE these days.

So, does Wal-mart have room for improvement? Sure it does! Just like *every* other company. But is it as evil as everyone else makes it out to be? No, I don’t think so. There’s always worse out there. Trust me.

Here is the problem with WalMart…nothing.
EVERY American wants to make $30-$40/hr, who wouldn’t. Problem is, when you are a factory worker making $30/hr it drives up the cost of whatever your factory produces.
WalMart, in its support of ‘Buy American’ has purchased items from American companies. WalMart, being the quintessential retail giant that it is, uses it’s leverage to squeeze its vendors, just like ANYBODY and EVERYBODY in the supply/demand chain does.
Problem is, when this factory worker gets another year under their belt, they want to get a raise. $30/hr is not good enough anymore, they need $32/hr. The factory is compelled to make cuts, but can’t do it in labor because the factory worker certainly isn’t goint to take a pay cut. The factory worker would rather lose their job than take a pay cut. You have unions pushing for higher and higher pay scales for what? There was a time and place in this country when a union was needed, prior to government mandates on worker safety and minimum wages. Todays unions only hurt the economy and cause an increase in costs for domestic materials. Proof in point, the UAW’s strike with American Axle. That is why WalMart does not allow unionization of its employees.
It’s hard for anyone to look at themselves and find anything wrong. Fact of the matter is, it’s the American public pushing for higher wages and lower costs of goods that has forced companies to outsource to foreign countries.
I cant find the relation as to why anyone is “disgusted” to find the amount of ‘Made in China’ items at their local WalMart. Does WalMart purchase their items differently than ANY OTHER retailer in the US? If Brand X makes their product in China, whether you buy it from WalMart or Target or any other retailer, Brand X will say ‘Made in China’. It’s called a Global Economy for a reason.

I’ve read many of the posts, and I have to agree that Wal-Mart is No. 1 because it gave consumers what they wanted, low prices and one-stop shopping. I also have to agree that Wal-Mart succeeded in lowering prices by buying more items from what were once considered third world countries…China, India, Mexico, etc. And, I would agree that our government, through tax policies and incentives, helped businesses buy more from China and other places, and move jobs “off-shore”. So it is not totally Wal-Mart to be blamed.

However, what Wal-Mart can be blamed for is misleading the public. For years, they advertised, “low prices…always”. At first it may have been true, but over the years, it has been embedded in the consumers mindset, and now they believe Wal-Mart has low prices, without question, even though that is no longer Wal-Marts’ sales pitch. My example of that is from my own shopping experiences. I rarely buy groceries from Wal_Mart, but I did often buy household cleaning products. Using a dishwashing detergent as an example, I had been in the local grocery store and looked at detergent, and thought to myself, it’s probably cheaper at Wal-Mart. Was I wrong, it was $6.58 in Wal-Mart, at the local grocery store, exact same item and size was $4.59, and it was not a sale price. Granted most differences are not this big, but it points out that Wal-Mart is not the cheapest.

My other issue is with cheaper products as compared to what is available at other retailers for a similar price, and Wal-Mart is one of the biggest offenders of this. I was recently shopping for a new printer, and had decided on an HP all-in-one printer. I decided on the model, and began price shopping. I was puzzled that I could not find the same model # in Wal-Mart that I was seeing in other stores, but I could find one that looked the same. After finally being able to look at one of Wal-Marts out of the box, I knew why it was a different model #…it was made of what appeared to be cheaper materials, and was missing some key features that the regular model product had at other retailers. What I found was you saved $5 and got an inferior product, so I bought mine from an office supply store where I actually ended up saving $35 over Wal-Marts price with a mail-in rebate. Upon doing more internet research I found is many of Wal-Marts electronic products are cheaper, because they negotiate with manufacturers to get a lower price, and as a result the products have fewer features, and cheaper materials to get the price down.

Products made in China are a completely separate topic, but I’ve become much more aware and read the labels as to where things are made. I find that it is rarely more than a 5% price difference to “Buy American”.

Finally, to the point about driving an American car mentioned in earlier comments. Since my first car when I was 16, I have driven nothing but General Motors cars/trucks, six new ones and a few as second cars, for the past 28 years, and all but one built in the USA…the one being built in Canada. Many of these cars were from the period where everyone bad-mouthed American-built quality, but I would rate the ones I have owned as the best cars on the road. My comparisons are based on family and friends who have owned Hondas and Toyotas for years, and have issues with interior parts coming loose, costly engine repairs and early rust-out, but consumer magazines say they are better than American cars, so it must be so.

The American public needs to wake up! Don’t believe everything you read or hear! Take some initiative and find these things out on your own, don’t let business and the press make your decisions for you.

And the link to the video for this article on CNN/AOL. The sad thing is that she lost her short term memory. As I recall, after winning the case the first time and winning the appeal from the Shanks, WalMart only dropped the suit after it aired on CNN. The Shanks get to “keep” the money. But, they don’t really keep it, it went into a trus fund to pay the nursing home that is taking care of Mrs. Shank.
The video is really sad…

http://video.aol.com/video-detail/wal-mart-sues-disabled-woman/46662405

If there’s anyone we should be hating on - it’s Exxon Mobil.

Torrance Williams in Atlanta, GA:

Its people like you who care more about money than what goes on behind closed doors at Wal-Mart and the associates who are treated badly. You disgust me along with everybody like you. We can change Wal-Mart but you have to CARE enough to do it.

Hey carmenincali, Sam Walton has passed away and is no longer the cause of Wal-Mart’s unethical practices. In fact, when Sam Walton owned Wal-Mart from the beginning, he had a motto that said something like “The American Dream, everything here made in America.” It’s the siblings that inherited the store after his death and the multiple people that have began to run the stores that has caused it to turn into the retail monster that it is.

While products like clothes and glassware, to name a couple, are lesser quality than you would find at Target or Sears the name brand items, such as health & beauty aids, CDs & software, and sporting goods, are the exact same and costs MUCH less.

I will go to Wal-Mart to buy a few things, but I can’t stay in the store longer than 15 minutes or I’ll get severely depressed. Everyone in the store(meaning employees and customers) seems so sad and when I go there and see them, I get very sad also and have to leave!

let me tell u why walmart does so well….they build stores in little one-horse towns like mine in nc when no one else will–sure they have got the market cornered–no one else to compete!!!!

There is no stability in pricing and thats frustrating to a consumer. This is the only store that I have ssen markup products week to week at 30%, 40%, 50%…rather than 5%, 10%, 15%. No longer do you receive a quality product at a reasonable price. I am spending my $$ elsewhere.

The merchandise at Wal-Mart is not the same quality you find at “normal” retailers. For ANY and ALL electronics or applicances, don’t waste your money at Wal-Mart; pay the few extra bucks to get better quality elsewhere. Their garden department prices are higher than the “do-it-yourself” giants. You have to pay close attention to what you’re buying at Wal-Mart in terms of price and quality. If you don’t, you’re wasting your money on junk or paying too much.

I am surprised to not see Cox Enterprises, Time Warner, Comcast. Why would these major companies not be on Fortune 500 list?

the reason why Walmart is #1 is because cheaper substitutes sell in a recessionary economy. It’s been that way for a while. I don’t enjoy shopping at Walmart, it’s too obvious that the Waltons are not generous in pay. Going to that store is like a voluntary trip to hell. I’d rather be at Target. You can clearly see in customer service who’s being treated better. They retain good employees adn the entire experience is much more tolerable at Target. Walmart has committed labor abuses. I don’t care that they import things from China, it’s disgusting these retailers are monopolizing the market with cheap goods from China as our only option. I prefer less with higher quality. It’s very easy to go to Mexico and buy a lot of cheap krap if i wanted to clutter my house with a lot of krap. I’m not leaving my concience. Sam Walton is taking advantage of a country that suffers from Human Rights violations. I can’t believe we’re supposed to support him. I’ll pass.

I disagree that the items from Walmart are the same as those you buy elsewhere. We purchased the Hungry Hippos game for our daughter there, and it broke after a short time. We purchased the game again, this time at Toys R Us, and it was constructed differently and noticably sturdier. It has held up for quite some time.

I’d rather pay three fifty a gallon and drive for an hour than shop at a union busting, anti labor,Chinese crap selling store like” WE Want it All Mart” They under price all their merchandise until they put the other businesses in town into bankruptcy and then mark everything back up even higher then it was before,and that’s a fact.

Thanks to Wal Mart, we now have $4.00 per gallon gasoline. HOW??? They forced suppliers, by demanding lower prices, to move manufacturing jobs to China. Now China is buying up barrels of oil at $113 a barrel forcing gasoline prices up. Oh yes,forgot to mention, we are now importing gasoline from China.

I’ll never get laid off working for Walmart and I love showing customers special deals and saving them money on frozen food items.

When it comes to social compliance Wal Mart has double standards. I have been a vendor for them in the past and I know what they pay to factories in the third world countries like India and Pakistan. The charitable work they do is nothing more than part of their advertising campaign ….. and the naive American public is not aware of thir hypocricy.

Oh one more thing “walmart is un-american”???

Who here drives an american made car?

Answer that.

Eight years of seniority and a supervisor and you only make $20/hr? The typical house in my city is $300k. A $20/hr job just doesn’t cut it. Where can you live on $10/hr or less that the starting employees get? The street? Share a trailer? Is this the future you want for our children?

Against all the critics and the media reports and all the haters in general..The greatest company of all time just continues to grow stronger while the rest just watch in envy..Keep it up Walmart..we buy your stock and love u.

I noticed one entry aways down saying that they were gay and are treated as equals with everyone else working at Wal-Mart.
While I myself am not gay I can back up what this person says.
I work in a Wal_mart distribution center in Tennesse and there are quite a few openly gay people who work there as assosiates and in the last 7 years I know of 2 openly gay managers working there who had been promoted from first line assosciates.
As far as Wal-Mart as a whole goes,it has it’s good points and definately has it’s bad ones but is no worse than some other places I have worked in the past. As far pay goes I make a bit more than the average factory type job for my area but I do realize that store workers are not payed as well as the DC workers.

Before you praise or bash WalMart, let me provide some personal insight from my own observations. WalMart is probably one of the best retailers on the planet. They have retailing efficiency down to a science. I can’t fault them for that. What I do fault them for is using their size and power to bully their vendors to lower the cost of the products they supply to WalMart. In the town I live in here in Kentucky, I’ve already seen one WalMart vendor fall prey to WalMart’s tactics in the last year. One of our area’s largest companies produced blue jeans for WalMart. To continue to eek out some type of profit, this company closed down at least four local plants employing I would estimate over 1,000 workers so that they could move their operations to Mexico. Granted, part of that decision lies with the company owners. But there is little doubt that the other part is due to WalMart’s continual demand for lower and lower vendor prices. Remember when WalMart started years ago and had all those “Buy American” and “XXX American jobs created by WalMart” signs? When’s the last time you saw those? Sam Walton may have cared about U.S. workers but it is quite obvious that his heirs don’t. That’s why in the current list of American’s wealthiest people, four of the top eight have the last name Walton. And just so you know the facts, each is listed as having $19 billion in their bank accounts. Think about that…$19 billion. What exactly does anyone need that much money for? Greed is the only thing I can think of. And guess where that collective $76 billion came from??? It’s essentially the difference between the wages American workers would have made vs. what someone in Mexico or China is currently making. And if you don’t believe me, go to any WalMart and pick up 20-30 items at random and see where they’re made? I did one day and it was disgusting. I’m sure WalMart treats most of their employees great. Who wouldn’t? They’re the ones that keep the money train a rollin. But for every one WalMart employee being taken care of by WalMart, how many Americans do you think were put out of job to pay for them? There is no such thing as a free lunch.

Wal-mart sucks the life out of the compition, selling cheap poorly made items and un-healthy foods, imports 90% its items from CHINA and pays its workers substandard wages. I’ll pay more and shop elswhere.

Walmart is a business. They are not the evil empire that they are made out to be. Like all companies employing thousands of people mistakes happen and bad choices are made. That is why we have system controls in business and government and that is why Walmart is not running around recklessly.

Seeing the last fourteen or so in a row (with one exception) comments praising Wal-Mart . . . coincidence? Probably not. Looks like the word got out to the employees to hurry and post something positive. Typical cult manipulation. I’d like to know if there might be some government assistance available to deprogram not only the members of the FLDS, but Wal-Mart “Associates?” Please get help - we still love you.

Made in China is everywhere not just Wal-mart. Target, Sears, Kohls, Macy, Mom and Pop stores, Thrift shops Yard Sales etc…..Hmmmmmmmmmm if you want American make your self but I bet something you use to make it with is Made in China. Grow your own food and I bet something you use such a shovel or rake etc….. is made in China. I love shopping at Wal-mart.

I worked for a Grocery chain that is big in the midwest. I worked there for 3 years before I was eligible for the benefits, including paid vacation and paid holidays. I was classified as a part time employee and worked 40 hours a week with no benefits while there. I worked at Walmart for six months while in school and although I didn’t get vacations or holidays, I was not scheduled to work the full time hours without the benefits. I started at more than minimum wage and they treated me as good as any other retail place.

If you want to blame someone for companies moving out of the US and taking jobs with them, look to Washington. The tax system run by professional politicians that continue to use it to stay in power is the real culprit! Tax legislation puts American companies at a disadvantage in the market, both domestically and internationally. If a company can’t make a profit, it cannot stay in business very long. If America continues to let politicians play the “class” card”, every 4 years we are doomed as a nation. Think about it, what have all their promises brought us, only more and more outrageous schemes (e.g. bridges to nowhere). If you want a good education on the US tax system and see how it was started by Washington and reeled in by the American citizen in the early years, and also see the real numbers in dollar signs read Boortz’s “Fair Tax” book.

I shop at Walmart because they save me money!!!

I would like to see full time Walmart employee’s get health insurance paid for by the employer rather than the employee. If target can do it, so can Walmart.

I began working for Walmart 5 yrs. ago after spending most of my career in Customer Service for 2 major companies. Although I made alot of money at my previous jobs, I was also quite stressed and decided to try something different. I went with Walmart because I’ve always worked for major companies.

Walamrt associates are made up of 4 main groups. Retired folks who need to keep busy but can’t work alot of hours without screwing up their Social Security, working moms that tend to work part time, people like me who just ” had enough ” with the Post Office, UPS, or some other major player and the last group, the people who have no other skills and can barely figure out how to stock a shelf without supervision.
Like any other business, those who have a brain and a work ethic will move up in Walmart and be compensated financially. Those who can’t do anything else are the biggest complainers of how the place sucks and how they’re underpaid…
While I’ve bumped into my share of idiot bosses, they have been thankfully few and far between. Most members of upper management worked their way up and are really great at remembering how it felt to be low man on the totem pole.
That being said, Target is quiet and spacious. I like to shop there as well. But they don’t have the selection which is why the store seems so “clean “.
As far as products from China and other parts of the world…that is unfortunately universal. The coffeepot you buy in Walmart is the same in Target and the same in Macy’s. The issue of buying American is something I believe in with all my heart..which is why the problem is POLITICAL , not RETAIL.
The simple answer is not in choosing between a Target or a Walmart but in choosing NOT to buy products made in CHINA ! And thats what I do now. Whenever possible I buy USA..but failing that I simply do not buy from China or MEXICO at all. It’s not as difficult as you may think once yo start looking at labels. In fact after all the toxins from China, and the fact that all of our money is going to them I read labels on EVERYTHING..most people probably aren’t aware that frozen broccoli is all from Mexico..or that Tropicana and Minute Maid orange Juice are now buying oranges from Brazil and Argentina..only Florida Natural is still using American oranges. Or that Mott’s and Juicy Juice are buying apples from China ( I shudder to think of all the little kids drinking Chinese filthy toxins ). Everyone should get a copy of ” How Americans Can Buy American ”
So stop venting as anti-walmart and start realizing that the foreign goods problem isn’t just in Walmart…it’s in our food chain as well.

I live in victor Valley, CA. We have 1 Super Target and 2 more on the way. We have three other Target stores, 3 Lowes, 3 Home depots, all the big store there are. Only two Wal-Mart stores, no super centers. Everytime it is proposed to build one, the Wal-Mart bashers come out of their holes in the ground by the thousands.
THIS IS AMERICA. What is good for one should be good for the other. Any big box retail store in America buys most of their goods frome CHINA. Lets treat everyone equal.

After working for them for seven years I can tell you this one of those things that drive their profits is under paying employees!
I also work as a hourly superviser but $12.30 in its number #3 store world wide and where do get off on the fib of 15 bucks on insurence being great! Thats joke to becuase use that crap at a $1000.00 deductable per family member on select charges. Yet in this area the reason I work for them is it is still one of the better paying jobs.

I deliver Wal-marts I mispicked a case and my name goes on “honest vendor mistakes”.Is there anything by the register saying “honest cashier mistakes”?
I would love to see their executive locked outside for 30 minutes in 26 degree weather trying to deliver as I was.That’s how we are treated!

i worked for walmart and was unfairly fired, but thats not walmarts fault, that was the poor manager that was over the store. walmart treated us well and was fun to work there. even today i think i would love to go back,

I liked Walmart when they bought American made products and really helped the overall economy. Once they set their priorities to low price leader and enough American workers lost their jobs, it’s the only place many people can afford to shop. That’s one way to lead, but it’s short term thinking. Soon even Walmart will be too expensive for many Americans.

Walmart is a store that gets everything it makes from China where they rip off every sucessful product in the United States. Walmart is supporting sending manufactoring jobs to China which causes high unemployment here and hurting the economy.

I worked at wal-mart for ten years. I don’t know what wal-mart some of the people that love wal-mart works at .But the one who husband makes 20.00 hr is in calf. Try making 7.00 hr , that is the avg. pay at the store i work at and then they don’t what u to have 40hrs week .they cut u to 36 hrs. All they want working for them are part-times. They could care less for the people that works and for the people that shop there. As long as they are taking your money

It seems to be a right of passage anymore for everyone seems to have worked for WM at one point or another. I shop at Brookshires and DGeneral for ordinary items. I grow my own food generally and reuse. WM refused returned bags for recycle from me the door greeter put them in the trash!! I asked him why and he said ” he doesn’t recycle” WM or I can but he doesn’t. How rude! I prefer the check your self out cashier if shopping at WM as I do not have to deal with people who do not like their low pay more work job.

They don’t care about the people of the U.S. They support China and not the U.S. companies so therefore we end up with dangerous pet food and dangerous child toys.

I currently work at walmart, ive worked there for nearly 2-3 years. You have your ups an downs…. But what jobs doesnt. I feel that walmart should be #1 because lets face it, its a very big company, who does have alot to offer. There are no other retail companies out there that can compare to walmart prices.

I think Wal-Mart is great! I have worked there for two years and have no plans on going anywhere else. I am 24 and have benefits and they actually care about my needs as a mother. They do so much for our community.

After working at walmart for over 2 years, I had to have surgery. I was one of the top cashiers but when i wanted to come back they wouldn’t have me, also for supporting fundraisers the walmart I worked at stopped fundraising for Children’s Miracle Network even while I was a Miracle Child for CMN and working there. And then when I was to come back they said no, then seeing me in the hospital sucked up with flowers and asked me to come back a few months later which I turned down due to the treatment I had received by management at Wal-Mart. They want you then they drop you, not my kind of store.

Wal-Mart became what it is because the public wanted what it offered. It was just a matter of supplying the demand of the marketplace. Same for McDonalds, not fine dining, but it meets a demand that was all ready there but not served well enough. The folks who shop at Neiman-Marcus are happy with that company.

There is nothing to stop anyone from competeing with Wal-Mart on any level. Not patents, no trade secrets, just dedication to the customer’s needs, not the needs of the union local officers who need the dues to attend the annual convention in Las Vegas.

Well I see people that are praising Wal-Mart, and they are wrong. So your husband or dad makes 20 bucks an hour after 17 years AWESOME! The CEO is raking in over 400 dollars an hour. Wal-Mart is just one of the companies that is creating a tremendous divide between the wealthy and the poor. It’s more important to do what you love and make little money, than do something you despise for unlimited money. And I can assure you that nobody working at Wal-Mart would rather be there than somewhere else, except for the ones at the top.

Wal Mart, I can understand clearly why they top the Fortune 500 list. On a daily basis we purchase items from a to z to keep our households running smoothly. However, why is it WE the consumers suffer the consequences by having to pay Exxon and Cheveron (among other petrol companies) the high gasoline prices to drive to Wal Mart, Target or Sears. And now trucking companies have to pay the high prices which means WE the consumers again are the ones who suffer??
If gasoline companies like Cheveron and Exxon had such a great year…why is it we continue to suffer while the suits reap the benefits??
We are like puppies chasing our tails…only we are the ones getting dizzy while the big conglomerates sit back and laugh at how asinine we look. When is this going to end??

For a 71yr old “Senior” on fixed income WalMart is a must–stores are clean and well organized–employees are very helpful and cheerful–couldn’t make it if had to shop at regular supermkts all the time–and to those who have negative comments about WalMart–JUST WAIT–YOUR TIME WILL COME AND YOU WILL MORE THAN APPRECIATE WALMART—

I refuse to shop at Wal-Mart. Someday Americans must realize that what is good for corporate America is not always good for Americans. Keep jobs in the U.S. and support companies that pay their employees a decent wage with benefits. Outsourcing jobs equates to outsourcing the basis for the American economy.

WalMart is everyone’s best friend. I’ve worked at corporate, shopped there for years and own their stock. Yes they are tough to do business with as a vendor but the savings are always passed on the consumer

IF WAL-MART IS TOP OF THE CHAIN .WHY IS THAT STORE #3225 IN ROWLETT.I”VE BEEN AN EMPLOYER FOR 7 YEARS. AND HAVE RECEIVE JUST 1 BONUS. WE THE EMPLOYES OF WAL-MART RUN THE STORE.WE FILL THE SHELVES.AND MAKE THE MONEY FOR THE COMPANY.BUT MANAGER GET THE BONUS WE DON’T.I THINK IT A REPOFF!!!PLEASE ANSWER BACK.

I have worked at WAL-MART for a year and a half now. Although I love the people I work with the company has it’s problems just like any other company. Management refuses to take any suggestion seriously. This year they made us work on Easter. Trying to keep up with K-Mart I guess. Wal-Mart does pay a good salary unless you are an assistant manager. They make their assistants work 70 and 80 hours a week. I’ve seen one assistant work close to 18 hours in one day. Don’t get me wrong I don’t hate the company I just think it is not running the way Sam Walton would have wanted. Just wait until Thanksgiving when I bet we will be open again.

IF THEY HAVE SO MUCH WHY DO THEY PAY THE EMPLOYEES SOOOOO LITTLE AND THE INSURANCE IS LOUSY

I am a regular Walmart shopper. I find their prices to be much better then other supermarkets. I am constantly comparing prices and Walmart is consistently lower. I do not have a problem with customer service, it is fine. The employees are friendly and willing to help, you just need to ask. The store is clean and well stocked, unless you go during a very buy time. Then the shelves may be cleaned out and the place a bit messy, but the employees are constantly working on getting it back in order. I know they are very good to their employees, my aunt worked for them.
I have lived in various places & shopped at Walmart in all of them. If a store was understaffed or dirty the management had it turned around in a few months. They don’t let stores stay subpar. Sometimes they need to refigure their staffing for the area they serving. I am so happy my Walmart is close by. I count on them for their low prices & having a great variety. I rarely can’t find what I need.

I WOULD NOT set a foot into a Walmart, under any circumstances! They came into Austin, in an established neighborhood,with no freeways nearby & didn’t even bother to poll the surrounding neighborhood groups,or consider how crowded these streets already are. They THINK they OWN the world & it makes me sick.
Now, we are going to be stuck, (after fighting for over a year to keep them out,) for a super walmart, with a three story garage in the middle of a neighborhood, which will end up driving out of their homes, JUST to get away from that MONSTER! We should have AT LEAST been asked for a vote, but no.. under the guise of night, they started to build, as we tried like crazy, to make them just GO AWAY. It will make the traffic totally impossible, trying to get to an interstate, plus will in a flood, which happens often, will spill into our main drinking system.
Most of the people who live around here, in the neighborhood groups & many others, who will be greatly hurt, because of the traffic tie-up’s have vowed to NEVER set a foot into that store. Sam Walton would be turning over in his grave!
Also, SHAME on the City of Austin & the City Council for not stopping it, when there is ANOTHER one just 3 miles from this one. Who cares if it is going to look better? It is still a WALMART and the reason the prices on toys, etc. have gone down, is because they import so much from China (you know all toys with lead in them, from China?)
I have gone far enough to even tell friends to NEVER give me a gift from Walmart, because it will be tossed in the trash. I HATE that store and before this one, had only been in one, once before.
Walton wanted these put on the outskirts of towns, where there was not a place to shop & they seemed to be needed! This area DID NOT need this eye-sore in our nice middle class neighborhood!
Personally, (even though we are on a set income) I would go much farther, to buy anything, just to keep from shopping there. I HOPE IT GOES BROKE, from being so uncaring about the area’s where they “plop” their unwelcome stores! It has been a thorn in the flesh for so many of us, for so long now & cost a lot for lawyers, to help fight them. I totally expect our area to go from well maintained homes, to one’s that turn into rental’s, as people run to get away from the loud trucks, the bright lights, long hours & people who seem to camp out in their parking lots.
After living here forever, it is just sickening to have them here. It brings the neighborhood down to other stores that are trash, just as they are!
Really ticked off in Austin!

RW in Pittsburgh, PA should do his homework. Walmart makes any supplier we go through move to AR where our homeoffice is located. To trade with Walmart the company has to be able to move to AR or have a headquaters there. Walmart does not comtribute to the unemployeement of the United States in fact it hires thousands of people a day. Do your research before you make comments.

I work at walmart. In South TX. Walmart WAS a good place to work for,but NOW it has changed its policies and benefits so much!It froze our wadges and can’t earn anymore. NO more merits,no more nothing!But you sure get more work !Now they came out with the stupid score card crap that does not work at our store, maybe in another store in another state or a neighborhood store that is smaller than a Super Center!

I have seen people I know let their local businesses die because they would rather drive 30 miles to save .50 cents on an item. The local stores are not government subsidized like WalMart is, and they go out of business as a result. No body supports their local neighborhood or small town stores, and now they are all dead and dying. All that is left is the homogenized big box WalMart, with their second rate merchandise, and trucked in food that spoils the day after you bring it home. The American public deserves better.

I will drive out of my way and spend more to avoid buying anything from WalMart. If more people did so, less American’s would be out of work.

The bottom line is that every dollar we spend is a vote. I do not wish to vote away our jobs and local businesses. Neither should anyone else.

it is a great company full of good people. The unions hate it because it is very successful in taking care of its employees with out them. The employees are very aware that the money they would pay in dues would soon turn in to luxury cars for the union leaders.

FYI, to Jason in Fargo…
Target has changed its policy regarding bell ringers during the holiday season. There were bell ringers at the stores I shopped at last year.

The other companies have been doing it for years. Get a life and get over it.Walmart isn’t he only company that purchases good from over seas. Find a new wagon to jump on these wheels ar all worn down now

I’ve been in Wal-Mart once in the last year and spent a total of $6. I have no issue with folks who shop at Wal-Mart but I choose not to for various reasons… Believe it or not, there IS life WITHOUT Wal-Mart.

WalMart is a treasonist organization that preys on American greed by selling wares from our enemy (China).

If you don’t like Wal-Mart, stop buying from Wal-Mart.

The area in which I live Wal-Mart is as expensive as other stores. Therefore, I’m starting to shop at other stores.

I like Walmart and the prices are right, but the uniforms the employees wear are so unappealing. I think Polo shirts are unattractive in a dept. store. I would rather see something with pockets so they can ‘hide’ their glasses, pens, etc…
regards, Linda

There are some simple facts about Wal-Mart that some people miss because of thier view. So let me point a few out… First, Wal-Mart does indeed treat thier Management Staff with a great deal of respect and pays them well for a retail chain. But they do seem to treat their hourly employees like slaves. Second, all businesses are preditory, it’s the nature of of business. But Wal-Mart seems to take great pleasure in destroying the “Ma&Pa” stores of this country. The attitude of management towards thier employees and the way Wal-Mart conducts it’s business made up my mind a long time ago. I will gladly pay more for an item some place else before I will ever set one foot inside of a Wal-Mart, for any reason!

Wallmart stocks held 10 years; sold at a very poor return recently. This was a poor investement, on my part.

Walmart Stores do not care what they sell as long as it makes the largest profit. I will not go to WalMart until the stop supporting slave labor in 3rd world countries who use things in manufacturing that harm us. They obviously cut back on costs by understaffing; the stores are filthy,
the merchandise looks like it was thrown on the shelves and the lines are long. I would rather pay more for good merchandise. Anything we buy from this retailer is playing Russian Rulette. Eventually America’s Trailor Trash will figure out why their babies are getting sick or have birth defects.

Thank you Wal-Mart! As I retiree on a fixed-income, I depend upon you. The Wal-Mart haters can pay more for the same goods if they want to be stupid, but folks like me really appreciate the quality of life we can afford because of your low prices.

I’ve worked for Walmart for a year now, and I love it! They don’t treat us bad, the pay is good (I started with no experience, above minimum wage), and the benefits that the employees get rocks. My mom has been working for walmart for 21 years, and she’s doing great! Her alone, brings in almost $50,000 a year! I think Walmart is a very good place to work with and is not one of those MONOPOLY type company’s. It’s obviously the people that make it that company it is today, and put money in my hand and helps me save a lot of money.

Needed a second job as a single father to make ends meet. Went to Target. $6.40 an hour. Went to Sam’s Club. Started at $10.00 an hour. Enough of this minimum wage garbage.

I am a faithful shopper,Why go two or three stores .When Wal-Mart has it all.plus lower prices.When I retired from Winn-Dixie I moved my stock money to Wal-Mart…Still making money…THANK WAL-MART…

Nothing is perfect. Both my wife and I are Wal-Mart employees, she 27 years and I 1. Very hard to complain about the wages, benefits, etc. unless one has the need to find something to complain about. Same with our co-workers. No one makes us work there or shop there but when we retire soon, they will have made it easy for us. If you think it is so good elsewhere, you have two oceans, start swimming.

Walmart always has the best deals, it puts kmart to shame!

Walmart is capitalism at its best. When you sell quality goods cheaper than anyone else, you deserve to be #1.

I hate wal mart period !

I shop at Wal-Mart for the same reason I bought foreign card for so many years — I work hard for my money and I have to get the best value for my dollar. I would love to shop at a small, local store, but I simply can’t afford it. And I also know that I can get virtually everything at Wal-Mart, and won’t have to stop at 6 different stores.

Wal-Mart should be awarderd top position in the list of Global Hypocrites. I have been their vendor and I know the way they abuse vendors from third world countries. On one hand they squeeze factories with tight prices forcing them to pay poor wages to labors and on the other hand they hold inspections to see if factories are in compliance to their social obligations. They are the biggest crooks but naive US consumers are not aware of this fact.

Hey, all this about how Wal-Mart treats its employees is garbage.. I worked at Wal-Mart for 13 years and was treated very well. I have my own Business now and I run it from some of the values I learned at Wal-Mart.
The way I see it the employees are not dediciated any more. It is very hard to find people who will even show up, much less do a days work now.
I know some people who make Sixteen Bucks an hr working in Wal-mart. I think that is plenty for an hours work.

Why can’t people appreciate WalMart
do they have any idea what they would be paying for items from small, inde-pendant stores. How many people are not on Welfare, Medicaid or Workmens
comp that would be coming out of our
pockets!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

It’s a well known fact that Walmart pays better wages and provides better benefits than other retail stores, but because they are the biggest, everyone complains about them just like they complain about Exxon. Walmart could pay $20/hr and people would still whine.

Most of you who complain about the customer service are probably yourselves the special customers the employees don’t want to deal with. The self centered, impatient, I am the only person in the store and you are my personal assistant mentality. Cut these people a break. As a former employee and eventual manager for a few retail companies, customer expectations and attitudes can be unreal. Technology has made everyone expect instant results. Not saying all employees are perfect by any means. But look at your habits. Do you leave trash everywhere, do you make a mess of a product by ripping things open and then taking the good box while leaving the other behind? Or do you talk to them in a condesending way? I would give you horrible service too. You as a customer can say please, thank you and have patience as well. Wal-Mart is huge, they cannot be perfect in every phase of their business. Who is? But I can tell you this: As a single father living in a rural area, It is cheaper for me to leave town to shop at Wal-Mart even with the current gas prices because the mom and pop stores have such lopsided mark ups. And do you think Wal-Mart and other retailers would have to buy from China if things here in the US were balanced? Everyone has to keep up with the Jones’ so salaries here are way higher then other countries. Why buy something here in the US when you can get it cheaper elsewhere? I would LOVE TO BUY AMERICAN ALL THE TIME, but if we did, the cheap prices you see would be no more. American companies have to charge more to make up the salaries they pay their employees and all the other high expenses so everyone can have a SUV, flatscreen and other non essentials. Wal-Mart is just doing what any company wants to do, grow their business. They are no different then any other company. Well maybe they are, because they are not trying to take advantage of their consumers like Big Oil and who knows how many others out there. If Target was the biggest retailer, your would set your sights on them. Thank goodness there is still a company that wants to look out for the consumers and not take advantage of them.

We the people made walmart what they are today if you don’t like it there then don’t shop there no matter what.

I love Wal-Mart. My husband has worked for them for over 8 years and no one he knows makes anywhere minimum wage. He makes approx. $20.00 and hour and has over $10,000 in profit sharing and has not contributed a penny to it yet. (He’s only a supervisor) Also, he pays $15.00 every two weeks for family health insurance. Sounds like someone needs to quit bashing Wal-Mart and start doing their own research on one of the greatest companies in America.

Wakmart is a predatory company that’s forces suppliers to move U.S. jobs to China in able to supply Walmart’s never ending demands for lower prices from their suppliers. Go ahead, keep patronizing Walmart and wonder why you lose you job and your kids have a career working for McDonalds.

How come none of you WalMart haters are complaining about the low wages of school teachers or police officers? What have YOU done to improve the wages of those two typically underpaid groups?

Those of you who are bashing Wal-Mart about low pay, poor employee treatment, etc… Why don’t you do some REAL reasearch? Talk to “associates” who currently work there, not ones who have been terminated for lack of productivity or “poor customer service” or better yet not showing up to work at all! I have worked for Wal-Mart for 17 years. I make more money than all of my friends who have a college degree. Wal-Mart goes out of it’s way to treat it’s associates as well as it’s customers fairly. So maybe a few ‘Idiots who have worked for Wal-Mart have made poor decisions, that doesn’t mean that Wal-Mart did it.

Get your FACTS straight.

I LOVE WAL-MART

I don’t know what wal mart some of yall have been shopping at but the walmart i work is clean the ailes are wide and the company has started a new system that allows anyone to shop day or night without clutter. the new system has affected our work causing us to get our stock out slower so that the customer can shop at 3 am. as far working for them its a great company to work for its the people you have to work with and believe me its not just at walmart i have worked for several retail chains and have found the same problem people love drama in the work place that has nothing to do with the company itself my managers are great they have worked with me when i had schedule problems and when my father died. the long lines people complain about are mostly due to the fact people dont want to work and call in which means cashier have to pulled to other parts of the store in order to keep up with customer demand and also the pay i can promise you no other retail is gonna pay me over 10 dollars an hour to stock shelves if your on welfare thats your own fault i have 3 kids and im single and i dont need food stamps or medicaid. also when people complain how the customer service sucks and employees are rude should work in retail and deal with extremely rude customers we get cussed on everything from prices (which we have no control over) to the availabilty stuff we have no control over i absolutely hate holidays now because of the rude customers and i also refuse to be a cashier maybe all you rude customers should stop and think if you want to be treated nicely then treat us nicely we have the right to refuse service

I shop at Wal-Mart all the time and I love the store. Its’ a big money saver. I had seen a water bottle at Target for $2.49 and decided to wait on getting it. The next day I found it at Wal-Mart for $1.50. It was the exact same water bottle. Everyone who works at Wal-Mart has a choice and if they think its ok to work there, then I will continue to shop there and save my pennies. For those of you who talk down to everyone shopping at Wal-Mart then that’s your choice to be holier than thou.

I LOVE WAL-MART! THEY ARE THE REASON I DON’T HAVE TO WORK TODAY, I WORKED FOR WAL-MART FOR 10 YEARS, PURCHASED ALL THE STOCK I COULD AFFORD, AND TODAY, IN MY 60′S I GET TO REST ALITTLE EASIER THAN ALOT OF PEOPLE MY AGE. BY THE WAY, AS AN EMPLOYEE, I WAS TREATED VERY FAIR, DO YOUR WORK, THAT YOU ARE HIRED TODO, AND YOU WILL HAVE NO PROBLEMS.P.S. BETTER TO WORK FOR WAL-MART THAN LOWE’S

Everyone loves to deamonize Wal-Mart. What does Wal-Mart do better than anyone? LOWER PRICES. I would bet most every person who posted on here is also upset about gas prices yet they want to shop at a retailer with higher prices…

Wal-Mart reduces waste, packaging, and shipping costs. They do it so well that no other competitor is even close to their overall cost reductions in the supply chain.

Go complain about some other company that is mis-managed and raising prices. Wal-Mart is good for consumers.

I’m amazed at the number of WalMart haters out there. Just a guess that if you owned stock in the company you’d be ecstatic at the money they put in your pocket. Secondly, I’m all for a company that refuses to go union. Union demands are what have driven most of the US economy to other nations. They’re an outdated evil.
Finally, get over it. Capitalism is what has made this country so great. Those companies are truly dishonest (as so many of you claim WM is)are usually weeded out over time. Funny how WM is still around. Don’t hate the rich, grab your bootstraps and get to work instead of complaining on this blog.
Great job Wal Mart!!! My bank account appreciates the vacation I’m taking on your dime this summer (and so does my family)!

Agree with Patti, Okc, OK. Wal Mart’s target customer does not seem to expect or want service. I do. Target is much better at serving our needs than Wal Mart. Most of the Wal Marts I have seen, with some exception, are dirty, overwhelming in size and not well laid out for the shopping experience. Target is the opposite. Wal Mart may be ahead now, but unless they figure out how to serve folks who want a better experience, do not believe that they will stay there for long.

I love WalMart. It is superior to Target in every way. Need bullets, a hunting license, or a quality fishing pole? Go to WalMart, not Target. Ever compare the automotive sections? You can’t even buy motor oil for heavy duty pickups, let alone air filters, oil filters, or replacement headlights at Target. Only WalMart. And at Christmas, you can still find the good old Salvation Army Bell Ringers at WalMart, but Target told them to take a hike a few years ago.

I shop at Walmart, I have to stretch my dollar, and if I can’t do it anywhere but Walmart, so be it! I’m looking out for my family.

Their path to lower prices is not utopian - low employee wages, outrageous demands on suppliers, and aggressive strategy of building in small towns. However, they succeed in having the lowest prices. Welcome to the free market! If you don’t like Walmart, don’t shop there. If you don’t want to work for them, work somewhere else, or perhaps try to unionize Walmart. As for me, I do most of my grocery shopping there because of the lower prices on most products.

My town was ‘blessed’ with a Walmart about 8-9 years ago. I stopped shopping there 6 months after the ‘Grand Opening’. That was when they made more than half of the full-time workers part-time to save money on benefits.

“WALMART BUYS AND SELLS MORE AMERICAN PRODUCT THAN ANY COMPANY ON THE FACE OF THE PLANET”. Wow, not sure what Disney land you live in but that is pure and boldfaced lied and mistruth. As someone that works in the shipping lines of this company, I know first hand that over 85% of the products we receive and ship to stores are NOT NOT NOT US made. The vast majority originate in Asia. So, thats a joke Robert from Search Ar. At least live in reality when you defend our evil monster.

I was already a Wal-Mart boycotter - but this truly validated everything I had heard, read and told anyone who cared to listen:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/walmart/

Please take the time to watch - then make your own assessment of whether or not you have the stomach to cross over the Wal-Mart threshold ever again. I’d rather buy my groceries at the local 7-11 than give those criminals a nickel of my money.

There will always be controversy around Wal-mart but the bottom line is they must be doing something right because many employees have 5+ yrs of seniority, there is no short falls of applicants wanting to w