Why I Love Wal-Mart and You Should Too
Part 1:Why Wal-Mart is good.
I shop at Wal-Mart and I'm not afraid to admit it. My wife and I are young, poor as dirt, and happy as bumble-bees. We don't have cable, we shop at Goodwill (well, I do), and we fight over the thermostat in our one-bedroom apartment. It's wonderful. I am a number-crunching-nerd that keeps close tabs on our finances and estimated that for the year 2006, I saved roughly $400-$500 by getting groceries at Wal-Mart as opposed to Albersons down the street.
Chalk one up for helping the "little guy." We now have five-hundred or so dollars extra that we can spend on things we don't need (like all the clothes my wife gets at Target).
Now, let's watch the ball of economics roll. When I save money, I have extra money to pump back into the economy. The more products I buy, the more manufacturers and retailers get paid. The more that manufacturers and retailers get paid, the more jobs are created. The more jobs are created, the more money goes to more people. The more money people have, the more money goes back into the economy. Through it all, as businesses make more money, and people have more money, the tax revenue increases. As the tax revenue increases, our federal debt is relieved and the poor folks on welfare get an extra chunk. . . to spend back into the economy!
Pete and Repeat fell off a boat, Pete fell off, who was left? Anyway, that's about as simple as I can make it, you get the idea.
Wal-Mart has simply succeeded where others have failed. It is the ultimate goal of every business in the free market to succeed. Capitalism is based on winners and losers, but what the losers fail to realize is that when a company wins the competition, everybody wins! A simple observation of the size of Wal-Mart is a testament to how they accurately interpret the needs of customers and then fulfill those needs. This is what every business wants to do!
"From and economic perspective, when all the claims are dispassionately evaluated, it looks like Wal-Mart promotes prosperity." (John Semmens in "The Freeman")
Part 2:Answering the Critics:
"Wal-Mart provides only low paying and poor jobs." Nonsense. No one forces anyone to work at Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart still has to remain competitive with other companies for good employees. If Kroger pays employees more money to do the same job, then Wal-Mart would never get anyone to work for them. To my knowledge, Wal-Mart also tends to promote employees quicker and increase pay faster than their competitors. A low paying job is still better than no job.
"Wal-Mart employees are rude." Nonsense. You're rude. I've witnessed more rudeness from customers at Wal-Mart than employees. Wal-Mart employees are just as human as anyone else and the chances of having rude customer service at Wal-Mart is inherently equal to any other business. Any "proof" to the contrary is false. If you want good customer service, stop being such a jerk and expecting people to treat you like you think you deserve to be treated. I have learned in life that the quickest way to get good customer service wherever you go is to smile and be friendly especially when the person on the other side of the counter is clearly not in a customer service mood. A smile will take you a long way. Quit complaining.
"Wal-Mart only sells cheap and poorly made products." Nonsense, sort of. Wal-Mart does indeed sell expensive and well-made products, however if Wal-Mart didn't sell "cheap and poorly made" products also, then I probably couldn't afford to shop there. I buy generic and I'm proud of it.
"Wal-Mart exploits third-world countries and buys from "sweatshops"." Nonsense. First of all, Wal-Mart is the BEST THING to happen to most of these third-world countries. Secondly, what's your definition of "sweatshop"? If your idea of "sweatshop" is not getting paid vacation time and having a water cooler in the break room, then you don't get it. Nobody in Bhutan or Bangladesh is forced to make shoes for Wal-Mart but they choose to because in those countries those are good jobs. (And getting better) Finally, the idea that Wal-Mart is evil because of "outsourcing" is also nonsense. All big companies outsource, and as long as it's legal then what right do you have to condemn Wal-Mart for it? We can debate outsourcing all we want but don't blame Wal-Mart for trying to be successful.
"Wal-Mart increases the gap between the rich and the poor." Nonsense. Wal-Mart increases the prosperity of the economy as a whole. By regulating businesses to "spread out the wealth" you may succeed in spreading it out, but you will effectively reduce the prosperity as a whole, which makes the poor remain poor, and the rich get poorer. Wal-Mart makes the rich richer and the poor richer. I don't have a problem with rich people being rich, do you?
To emphasize this last point, Wal-Mart alone accounted for 12 percent of the economy's productivity gains in the 1990s. That's right, "gains". That's for everybody, not just "the rich."
"Wal-Mart drives out the mom n' pops and is an evil monopoly." Nonsense. Wal-Mart was once a "mom n' pop." Wal-Mart is no more a monopoly than United Airlines, and is likewise just as vulnerable to competition. When Southwest Airlines, AirTran, JetBlue, and other "mom n' pop" airlines began to better interpret the needs of the airline customer base, the big "monopolies" like UA and AA headed down the tubes. Likewise, Wal-Mart is faced with the same vulnerabilities if they do not continue to serve the needs of customers. There are also many businesses that have no "mom and pop" markets. Since when do we complain that General Motors has "driven out" the mom and pop auto makers? People whined and complained that Microsoft had monopolized the computer industry. What happened to those whiners? Competition.
There are so many complaints about Wal-Mart that just don't hold up. The Capitalist economy is constantly in a state of change with winners and losers but the end result as we have seen in America is prosperity for all.
To those who think that Wal-Mart is not in touch with the community need only look what they did after hurricane Katrina. 89 Wal-Mart stores were damaged, and 34,000 employees out of work. Wal-Mart allowed their employees instant employment at "any U.S. Wal-Mart store" so they could continue to get a paycheck. Wal-Mart gave over $4 million just to their employees who were in need. Wal-Mart then gave over $17 million in cash just in the first week after the storm. On top of that, they donated beds, toothbrushes, trailers, food, water, and even computers.
Mom and pop stores couldn't have done that.
Tomorrow is grocery day for me. I will be taking my list to Wal-Mart, and you should too.
Published by Jack Sampson
I love the smell of napalm in the morning. View profile
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16 Comments
Post a CommentI work at Walmart, and they have improved drastically. They remodeled basically every store, and turned hiring standards up a few notches. I really appreciate your article. I was always have been a Walmart Fan, and always hope to be. True, the service can be crummy, though crap employees can be found anywhere in the planet. True, corporate associates can be dealing dirty business, though you will always hear a story about a crooked corporate from ANY business. Besides, Walmart always wants to improve to change the negative perceptions of the critics. And to those who complain about their wages, if you are only worth minimum wage, than you are only WORTH minimum wage. And no one works for free, so either stop speaking for all Walmart employees, and saying "it is terrible", or leave. Walmart clearly states that you have no obligation to stay, as they do to keep you. As time goes by, you learn the truth about life, it always boils down to money.
This is a great article, and everything was well said. I, too, really like Wal-Mart. However the AREA in which the store is located vastly affects the service you receive. I live in a large county, smack dab in the middle of it. If I travel north on the major street going to the highway, I will find myself in the poorer section of the county. If I travel south on the major street, going to the highway, I find myself going to the affluent part of the county. (I myself am middle class.) Guess what I found out? After consistently and purposely alternating visits to the Wal-mart toward the north, and the Wal-mart toward the south, I found that the Wal-Mart in "rich folks land" gave the best service EVER. Yes, there was a dud once or twice, but there were way MORE duds at the Wal-Mart in the so called "seedy" part of the county. Of course there are exceptions, but I am thinking generally speaking that concerning service in different Wal-Marts, location may be an affecting factor.
u r a g*d d*mn *ss h*le
This was a great and intriguing article. I totally agree with you. Another thing is, what many people don't even consider, is that Walmart provides millions of jobs for people. If Walmart ceased to exist, the unemployment rate would rise dramatically. If you hate your job, quit. But don't whine about it. I know of some of the workings within Walmart, and they are more than fair. They even provide jobs to mentally handicapped people, where elsewhere they would be denied. You cannot keep saying that they are evil, because they make life better and easier for millions of Americans. Open up your minds, and you will see.
First off, I work for wal-mart,So I know first hand how crooked they are, the person who wrote this article is probably on wal-marts corporate payroll. Try this, go into a store with a blue shirt on and act like you work there, then walk up to the manager and say this place would be so great if we had a union and see what happens, they will call the regional office to send out managers to your store on a private jet...Oh and it doesn't bother me that they make everything in china, its how they treat the workers there. And we do work hard asshole, try having the managers breathe down your neck all the time while having you do 6 jobs at once, I personally have cleared the lot, stocked bags, stocked grocery, and general merchandise, pull pallets to the back, and watched the door...in one night! If they would hire more people you would probably have better service. Those of you who haven't watched this documentary really should, Its called, Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices.
Lessee... Walmart practically DEMANDS your product be made in China... The arguement there: You can sell your goods to Walmart at the CHEAP price THEY want, (while they sell goods mostly a few cents less, if cheaper at all.) You get bigger profits by FIRING ALL your blue-collar workers, and MOST of your white-collar... and having it made in China. Now the problem is, all your fired employees need new jobs, but at this rate it won't be in a company that sells to Walmart. (You are also offered the option to sell-out for a big profit to someone who will do all this for you, but you no longer have that company... Etch-a-Sketch, took this option.) Sam Walton would have a MAJOR fit over what has been done to his company.
Be blind to good mfg jobs going to China, in the name of cheap labor and global market... but when you find yourself on the unemployment line singing "too much time on my hands" look closely who helped put you there.
1. There is a Wal Mart practically within 5 miles of anywhere you might be at.
2. Almost all Wal Marts are open 24/7.
3. Wal Mart's prices are competitive.
4. Wal Mart has practically everything.
5. Wal Mart will match any special that any of their competitors are currently running.
Those above 5 reasons are why I will never say anything bad about Wal Mart. If any other retail chain is willing & able to do those 5 above-mentioned things as well or better than Wal Mart, let it step up to the plate & possibly bring Wal Mart down. Until then, Wal Mart will be my retailer of choice.
I absolutely agree that employees are not overworked - because they hardly do anything at all. Once upon a time they helped a customer, filled the plastic bags, put them in the cart for you, waited until you were out of the way before they start with the next customer. Now they act like we are cattle. They pack one or two items in each bag which means I have 50 bags for 53 items, and some of those are not in bags at all (because bags stick together and sometimes I get to bring home 5 or 6 empty bags). They pile them all on top of their carousel and watch you pay your bill and then start on the next person while you are still trying to get all your bags into your cart and juggle the receipt and change. The stores are dirty and the inventory is small and cheap. I personally can count on one hand the number of times I have been satisfied with a shopping trip to walmart (small letters intended), and I make sure and tell them when I am satisfied because it is so rare. The customers ar
I would like to correct a lot of misconceptions I have read about in various places on the Internet about Wal-Mart.
Truly I can't understand why everyone's so down on them. So they pay people in other countries less. Most stores do, although you won't necessarily know about it.
It's not true where I work that employees are overworked - not in the least. In my store in Calgary Alberta there are plenty of employees so they can give really great service.
Wal-Mart is the first "HONEST" company I have worked for in 40 years. It was quite a shock to discover that when I applied because I didn't think "honest companies" existed. They don't cheat their employees off out of their pay. Unlike most companies, they pay them for literally every moment worked.
I see some people complaining that Wal-Mart cuts their hours back. The same thing will happen anywhere you work. At the same time, there will be people who want less work who have to get them to reduce their hours. The re
This a great read. I dislike Wal-Mart though. You should check out my review of a shopping experience there. Keep up the great writing!