I return the cart.
More important I NEVER shop at Wal-Mart. Even if I have to pay more for some products, I would rather do that than encourage corporate irresponsibility. The average two-person family (one parent and one child) needed $27,948 to meet basic needs in 2005, well above what Wal-Mart reports that its average full-time associate earns. Wal-Mart claimed that its average associate earned $9.68 an hour in 2005. That would make the average associate's annual wages $17,114. [Basic Family Budget Calculator online at
www.epinet.org] The average full-time Wal-Martemployee electing for family coverage would have to spend between 22 and 40 percent of his or her income just to cover the premiums and medical deductibles. These costs do not include other health-related expenses such as medical co-pays, prescription coverage, emergency room deductibles, and ambulance deductibles. [Wal-Mart 2006 Associate Guide and UFCW Analysis]. Wal-Marts most affordable plan for 2006 includes a $1,000 deductible for single coverage and a $3,000 deductible for family coverage ($1,000 deductible per person covered up to $3,000). [Wal-Mart 2006 Associate Guide]
This is why Wal-Mart encourages its associates to enroll their families in state Medicaid programs--- government sponsored health insurance for those living in poverty.
Wal-Mart doesn't compare well to its competitors in health coverage. Wal-Marts average spending on health benefits for each covered employee was 27% less than the industry average and 37% less than the national average. Wal-Mart's investment in employee health coverage is less than half of one percent of annual sales.
I think lots of people don't realize how much our tax dollars are used to subsize
WalMart profits. The estimated total amount of federal assistance for which Wal-Mart employees were eligible in 2004 was $2.5 billion. [The Hidden Price We All Pay For Wal-Mart, A Report By The Democratic Staff Of The Committee On Education And The Workforce, 2/16/04]
One 200-employee Wal-Mart store may cost federal taxpayers $420,750 per year. This cost comes from the following, on average:
$36,000 a year for free and reduced lunches for just 50 qualifying Wal-Mart families.
$42,000 a year for low-income housing assistance.
$125,000 a year for federal tax credits and deductions for low-income families.
$100,000 a year for the additional expenses for programs for students.
$108,000 a year for the additional federal health care costs of moving into state children's health insurance programs (S-CHIP)
$9,750 a year for the additional costs for low income energy assistance.
[The Hidden Price We All Pay For Wal-Mart, A Report By The Democratic Staff Of The Committee On Education And The Workforce, 2/16/04]
Check out
http://walmartwatch.com/
and
http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/
to get more information.
I was thinking how easy it would be for the workers to gather them if they didn't have to walk all over the parking lot to collect them. Gosh I gotta grow up and be responsible!!!
