Wal-Mart War Room - Chapter 2

[Konaguy]

Re: Wal-Mart War Room - Chapter 2

Someone sent this article to me in regards to Wal-Mart. I had read it before,
but there was a part of the article that stuck out for me.

http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/77/walmart.html

" Wal-Mart has also lulled shoppers into ignoring the difference between the price of something and the cost. Its unending focus on price underscores something that Americans are only starting to realize about globalization: Ever-cheaper prices have consequences. Says Steve Dobbins, president of thread maker Carolina Mills: "We want clean air, clear water, good living conditions, the best health care in the world--yet we aren't willing to pay for anything manufactured under those restrictions."

[Miulang]

Re: Wal-Mart War Room - Chapter 2

There are rumblings now being heard from the Indians who live near the Mexico City WM in Teotihuacan, that they were sold up the river by their government who allowed WM to build their store atop an ancient city. WM's initial concession was to put some artifacts they unearthed in the parking lot under plexiglass.

Now, a local cooperative who was contracted by WM to manufacture items for WM claim that they were duped by WM. They had to take out a loan in order to be able to set up a factory, and once the goods were produced, they claim WM never paid them and has never answered their calls.

There is also some question about why the Mexican government didn't intervene when the initial protests were sounded:


"The decision to allow Wal-Mart - owners of the Asda supermarket chain in the UK - to build the store is shrouded in secrecy. Even though the site is listed by UNESCO and the World Monuments Fund as being of international importance, the original go-ahead was apparently taken by the local head of NIAH without being referred to a senior federal authority. Then, in a still unexplained twist, it emerged that the official responsible resigned a few days later, only for her replacement to be murdered shortly afterwards.

Bizarrely, the NIAH and the local authorities each claim that the other is responsible for issuing permits. The matter has been complicated by an apparently fluid interpretation of the law which has allowed a rash of building - including shops, a luxurious gated residential compound and a hotel - to go unchallenged within the protected zone in recent years. This, argue those in favor of the new store, means that one more building will not be a cause for concern. .."

"Good neighbor" WM...working with the local community...


http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0116-01.htm

Miulang

[Miulang]

Re: Wal-Mart War Room - Chapter 2

Call me old fashioned, but when I do my retailing, I like walking into a store without the high drama that a WM store (and its employees) might engender. Read the article below for some of the latest shenanigans from the world of WM.

Miulang

http://theedge.bostonherald.com/life...rticleid=63794

[Miulang]

Re: Wal-Mart War Room - Chapter 2

You gotta love it! Sharon Osborne has just been hired as the "face" of WM UK (also known as ASDA). She says she can empathize with other UK "mums" who have to shop at ASDA because they need to watch their budgets, because at one time, she used to shop there, too.

No mention of how much she will be paid for these commercials, or whether if she wasn't being paid to be the spokesperson, she would now be caught dead setting foot inside one of the stores.

Miulang

http://www.theretailbulletin.com/ind...349aa81440a9b6

[Miulang]

Re: Wal-Mart War Room - Chapter 2

WM is teaming up with Discover card to issue a WM-logo'd Discover Card. Yahoo! WM shoppers will now have a chance to save money via Discover rebates as well as save on those low, low prices! My guess is this is just the beginning of WM's foray into the banking business. These affinity cards bring in lots of money for the companies that sign up with the credit card companies to market to the stores' customers.

Miulang

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/ar.../bz/bz12p.html

[Miulang]

Re: Wal-Mart War Room - Chapter 2

Would you want to have a WM dentist? Or a WM savings account? How about renting a car from WM (maybe one of those Chinese Cherys? )Those are some of the things analysts are predicting WM will be branching out into within the next 5 years. WM wants to be your new EVERYTHING!

Miulang

http://money.cnn.com/2005/01/26/news...ex.htm?cnn=yes

[Miulang]

Re: Wal-Mart War Room - Chapter 2

Wow, this is pretty incredible. WM, in a filing to the SEC on Wednesday, announced that it was expanding its definition of an employee's "immediate family" to include the same sex partner of a gay employee. Do they really think this is going to curry favor in the blue states so they can continue their ramapant growth into more "liberal" states?

Miulang

http://www.cp.org/english/online/ful.../w012822A.html

[Miulang]

Re: Wal-Mart War Room - Chapter 2

WM is helping to make 2 "Third World" countries richer by sending more business to India and China. The latest news is that WM intends to spend $1.2 billion in direct orders from India in 2005.

Miulang

http://athens-olympics-2004.newkeral...lnews&id=66862

[Miulang]

Re: Wal-Mart War Room - Chapter 2

WM Canadian outlets are selling crap. Really. Worm crap, that is.
There's a company in Canada called Terracycle that is now shipping liquified worm feces in recycled soda bottles which were collected by school children across North America.

The firm says its Terracycle Plant Food outperformed most other chemical fertilizers.

No worms are harmed in this process. They just get fat on organic material and crap it all out as fertilizer.

Miulang

http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story....fUywrHlxDHC3rL

[Miulang]

Re: Wal-Mart War Room - Chapter 2

This story about WM closing down a store in Canada really fries me. The store in Jonquiere, Quebec, was the first one that formed a worker's union. Because WM is antiunion and will do everything in its power to prevent a union shop from forming, one of the tactics they will use is close a store for exactly one year and one day. After that period, they will reopen the store. Apparently if you close down operations for a year, you basically start out as a new store, so anything that might have occurred prior to the closure doesn't count anymore, and that would certainly mean the labor union wouldn't exist anymore.

Anybody want to take bets that this store will reopen in 2006? What it's going to hurt are the 200 hundred Canadian WM workers who struggled and finally won the right to be represented by a union and who will now be unemployed. Who it might help in the short run are any small business people who were on the verge of closing because of the strong-arm tactics of WM.

"We were hoping it wouldn't come to this," said Andrew Pelletier, a spokesman for Wal-Mart Canada. "Despite nine days of meetings over three months, we've been unable to reach an agreement with the union that in our view will allow the store to operate efficiently and profitably." Right. After only 9 days of negotiating, they're already throwing in the towel? I wouldn't call 9 days of negotiating over the period of 3 months an indication that WM really truly wants to work with the union. I guess it's also supposed to send some sort of subliminal message to any other WM employee in any other WM store who is thinking about trying to organize a union shop.

This is the kind of corporate arrogance WM plays all over the world in the name of low low prices.

Miulang

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...al_mart_canada

[Miulang]

Re: Wal-Mart War Room - Chapter 2

Well, it ain't over until it's over, and as far as the Canadian branch of the UFCWU is concerned, it ain't over. They are suing WM for exhibiting "bad faith" in its meetings with the union over contracts and for closing down the store.

Interestingly, the union is not calling for a boycott of other Canadian WMs because they are still planning to try to unionize in those other stores.

Wow. A really sardonic thought just hit me: what if all the WMs around the world started trying to organize labor unions at the same time? That would either force WM to allow unions to organize or they'd have to shut down completely!

Miulang

[Miulang]

Re: Wal-Mart War Room - Chapter 2

The Labor Dept. yesterday announced that WM had coughed up some $135,000 to settle 24 child labor violations that occurred in some of its stores between 1998 and 2002. These violations came as a result of WM allowing under-18 employees to use hazardous equipment.

WM denied the allegations but paid the fines. This is what big business does to weasel themselves out of accepting guilt. "Just pay the fine and nobody can prove you did anything wrong because you didn't admit you did anything wrong." Sheesh.

They should be grateful the teenagers who were using the equipment didn't get hurt.

Miulang

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...rt_child_labor

[Miulang]

Re: Wal-Mart War Room - Chapter 2

What is it with WM wanting to build new stores on the site of old burial grounds (cemeteries)? There's another property in West VA that has a Civil war battlefield and cemetery on it that the company originally got permission to build on; except now a judge has reversed that decision so I guess WM will just have to appeal the decision and pay someone off before they get to build on that land.

Miulang

[Miulang]

Re: Wal-Mart War Room - Chapter 2

Even China realizes the economic and social impact that doing business with WalMart can create in their country.

It will be interesting to see what kind of pas de deux the Chinese can play with WM...will the Chinese be able to have their cake (all the WM business they can handle) and eat it, too (without having to play by all the WM rules that are forced down the throats of all suppliers in WM's international network)?

China and India are poised to become the world's next economic superpowers.

Miulang

[Miulang]

Re: Wal-Mart War Room - Chapter 2

Awwww, because of the hew and cry from local unions and small business, WM has cancelled plans to build its first NYC superstore in Queens.

Instead, WM is headed West and planning to fight to build more superstores in CA, even as opposition squashed efforts to put up stores in San Diego and LA.

If I was the CEO of WM, I would stay away from the big US cities (where residents like to have choices for their retailing) and try to saturate the little podunk towns, where the local WM Superstore can be the hub of the community, or even better yet, take those expansionistic plans overseas and saturate developing countries with the yellow smiley face.

Miulang