Wal-Mart opens in Hawaii amid protest

[MTSUGURL]

Originally posted by bluefish81
It (Wal-Mart) doesn't pay their workers a 'liveable' wage forcing two things. One, the only place they can afford to shop is Wal-Mart. Two, they ENCOURAGE their workers to file for welfare and other forms of goverment aid. So while your saving the big bucks by shopping there, in the long run, you're paying for it because you're supporting the workers that work there because they're on government aid.

...or I'm paying for the wages of about half of MTSU that seems to work at one of our two WalMarts.

You've made a pretty sweeping generalization. I know many people that work at Wal Mart that are not on government aid, get their overtime pay, get their breaks, and are generally happy, well contributing members of society. I have a good friend that supported his wife and child on the wages he earned at Wal-mart, and yet another that is a single mother supporting her child without government aid on the wages she earns - you guessed it - working at Wal Mart.

However, if all those workers are on government aid, I'm supporting them even if I don't shop there with my taxes. Might as well get my stuff cheap.
I actually like Wal Mart. Granted, the stuff is cheaper and of lower quality than many other places, but in six months, I'm going to get tired of that fuzzy pink beaded pillow that I just had to have for my apt. Then I can buy another cheap pillow I like better. Besides, I couldn't afford the fuzzy pink pillow at Dillard's and would've felt guilty throwing it out when I got tired of it.

I went on a boycott spree for a while when I discovered things about different companies whose products I used, but then realized that soon I wouldn't be able to buy groceries if I kept it up.

[Tom Earp]

Or, I am Ford Motor Company that Tells Its Employees in a Plant Area, "IF You Drive a Car other than Made By FMO", You will park across the street, not in the close parking lot!

Thank You Unions, place the Cars out of price of even the workers whom You pay.

So, the Out of Work Stats dont go up!

BS!

FMC is laying off 300,000 People. Who then buys The Cars?

Oh, They are not the only ones!

[bluefish81]

Originally posted by MTSUGURL
...or I'm paying for the wages of about half of MTSU that seems to work at one of our two WalMarts.

You've made a pretty sweeping generalization. I know many people that work at Wal Mart that are not on government aid, get their overtime pay, get their breaks, and are generally happy, well contributing members of society. I have a good friend that supported his wife and child on the wages he earned at Wal-mart, and yet another that is a single mother supporting her child without government aid on the wages she earns - you guessed it - working at Wal Mart.

However, if all those workers are on government aid, I'm supporting them even if I don't shop there with my taxes. Might as well get my stuff cheap.
I actually like Wal Mart. Granted, the stuff is cheaper and of lower quality than many other places, but in six months, I'm going to get tired of that fuzzy pink beaded pillow that I just had to have for my apt. Then I can buy another cheap pillow I like better. Besides, I couldn't afford the fuzzy pink pillow at Dillard's and would've felt guilty throwing it out when I got tired of it.

I went on a boycott spree for a while when I discovered things about different companies whose products I used, but then realized that soon I wouldn't be able to buy groceries if I kept it up.

Maybe I've made a generalization, but I really don't see Wal-Mart as a great business contributing wonderful things to our society. There's a reason why there's almost always such a fight almost everytime that Wal-Mart wants to build somewhere.

I'm happy that you're friends are able to make a decent living working at Wal-Mart, I'm assuming that neither of them are in management since I was referring to a non-management type worker in my generalization.

It makes sense that you'd want to get a short-term product for a good price. I'm all about a bargain. The anchor stores in my area have such huge sales anymore that I'm able to get quality stuff sometimes for cheaper prices than what I can get elsewhere. If I can't get it there, I head to Target, maybe K-Mart. I don't even know the last time I stepped in Wal-Mart.

[Optimist Prime]

bump, because this is important.


I also boycot Pepsi.

[hoosier]

Originally posted by PiKA2001
Isn't Wal-Mart notorious for treating their employees like shit? Not paying their over-time and not giving them breaks?

There's a post above that 25,000 people applied for Wal-Mart jobs when a new one opened.

I guess these are pretty ignorant people, or else your "notorious" comment is inaccurate.

There are two union-funded anti-Wal-Mart campaigns underway, organizing and funding negative stuff - even producing a movie.

The common people are consistently said "we love Wal-Mart" spending money there and seeking employment there.

I don't think they are so bad.

[Optimist Prime]

My guess is they are extremely ignorant of the conditions and corporate pratices of Wal-Mart. Either that or too deserately poor to relize they will be worse off a year from now if they work at Wal-Mart.

[hoosier]

Originally posted by Optimist Prime
My guess is they are extremely ignorant of the conditions and corporate pratices of Wal-Mart. Either that or too deserately poor to relize they will be worse off a year from now if they work at Wal-Mart.

Are you a union member?

[SapphireSphinx9]

hijack:

why don't the people that work at my city's walmart look and act all happy like the the ones they have on their commercials??

/hijack

[kddani]

Originally posted by SapphireSphinx9
hijack:

why don't the people that work at my city's walmart look and act all happy like the the ones they have on their commercials??

/hijack

Lol, because the actors in the Walmart commercial are getting paid way more than your local Walmart employees

[KillarneyRose]

Originally posted by Optimist Prime
My guess is they are extremely ignorant of the conditions and corporate pratices of Wal-Mart. Either that or too deserately poor to relize they will be worse off a year from now if they work at Wal-Mart.

I agree.

Originally posted by Hoosier
Are you a union member?

I don't know about Billy, but I'm not in a union. If fact, I'm pretty vehemently against them. That doesn't mean I don't think employers should provide decent benefits and work envirionment.

********************

Wal-Mart has been on the front page lately here in Maryland because the legislature just overrode Governor Ehrlich's veto of a bill requiring private companies with more than 10,000 employees in Maryland to spend at least 8 percent of their payroll on employee health benefits or make a contribution to the state's insurance program for the poor. People are calling it the "Wal-Mart Bill" because Wal-Mart is currently the only company in the state with the targeted number of employees which does not already do so.

Very un-Republican of me, but I applaud the legislature. I think they did a good thing. In that same session, they overturned the Governor's veto of a bill raising the minimum wage to $6.15 an hour. Still pretty lacking, but it's a start.

IMO, no one who is willing to put in an honest day's work should have to resort to public assistance.

[hoosier]

Originally posted by SapphireSphinx9
hijack:

why don't the people that work at my city's walmart look and act all happy like the the ones they have on their commercials??

/hijack

Have you ever compared the typical people on your campus to the people in your campus' recruiting brochures and website?

[hoosier]

Originally posted by KillarneyRose
I agree.

IMO, no one who is willing to put in an honest day's work should have to resort to public assistance.

I agree.

Minimum wage is a starter wage for students and newcomers, it's not designed for adults with families.

And almost no adults with families are working for min. wage - except in the minds of liberal politicians.

Wal-Mart's non-management average wage is over $9.50 - nearly double the min. wage.

[SapphireSphinx9]

Originally posted by hoosier
Have you ever compared the typical people on your campus to the people in your campus' recruiting brochures and website?

well, my school's pretty small, so i knew most of the people that were on them... the biggest difference between those people and the rest of the campus (that the brochures would promote) would be their participation in activities on campus. otherwise, everyone else stayed to themselves.


the people that work at the walmart by my house are complete opposites from the ones they portray in the ads. attitude galore!

plus the people that shop there are very inconsiderate - i mean, if someone's coming down the aisle, and you're just standing there, move over so they can squeeze by!!

[valkyrie]

Originally posted by hoosier
And almost no adults with families are working for min. wage - except in the minds of liberal politicians.

Cite?

[kddani]

Originally posted by hoosier
Have you ever compared the typical people on your campus to the people in your campus' recruiting brochures and website?

I was in (and may still be in) my campus' recruiting brochure. So were many of my friends. And I know a lot of people on the website.

And I go to a big school.

Though, I will say, the video they made used professional actors.